3And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, ‘Lo, thou [art] a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken — and she married to a husband.’

4And Abimelech hath not drawn near unto her, and he saith, ‘Lord, also a righteous nation dost thou slay?

5hath not he himself said to me, She [is] my sister! and she, even she herself, said, He [is] my brother; in the integrity of my heart, and in the innocency of my hands, I have done this.’

6And God saith unto him in the dream, ‘Yea, I — I have known that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I withhold thee, even I, from sinning against Me, therefore I have not suffered thee to come against her;

7and now send back the man's wife, for he [is] inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.’

8And Abimelech riseth early in the morning, and calleth for all his servants, and speaketh all these words in their ears; and the men fear exceedingly;

9and Abimelech calleth for Abraham, and saith to him, ‘What hast thou done to us? and what have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me, and upon my kingdom, a great sin? works which are not done thou hast done with me.’

10Abimelech also saith unto Abraham, ‘What hast thou seen that thou hast done this thing?’

11And Abraham saith, ‘Because I said, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;

12and also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife;

13and it cometh to pass, when God hath caused me to wander from my father's house, that I say to her, This [is] thy kindness which thou dost with me: at every place whither we come, say of me, He [is] my brother.’

14And Abimelech taketh sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and giveth to Abraham, and sendeth back to him Sarah his wife;

15and Abimelech saith, ‘Lo, my land [is] before thee, where it is good in thine eyes, dwell;’

16and to Sarah he hath said, ‘Lo, I have given a thousand silverlings to thy brother; lo, it is to thee a covering of eyes, to all who are with thee;’ and by all this she is reasoned with.

17And Abraham prayeth unto God, and God healeth Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bear:

18for Jehovah restraining had restrained every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society

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Genesis 20

CHAPTER 20

1Abraham went forth from thence into the land of the south, and dwelled betwixt Kadesh and Shur, and was a pilgrim in Gerar;

2and he said of Sarah, his wife, She is my sister. Therefore Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent, and took her.

3Soothly God came to Abimelech by a sweven in the night, and said to him, Lo! thou shalt die, for the woman which thou hast taken, for she hath an husband.

4Forsooth Abimelech [had] touched not her; and he said, Lord, whether thou shalt slay a folk unknowing and just [or rightwise]?

5Whether he said not to me, She is my sister, and she said, He is my brother? In the simpleness of mine heart, and in the cleanness of mine hands, I did this.

6And the Lord said to him, And I know that thou didest by simple heart, and therefore I kept thee, lest thou didest sin against me, and I suffered not that thou touchedest her;

7now therefore yield thou the wife to her husband, for he is a prophet; and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live; soothly if thou wilt not yield her, know thou that thou shalt die by death, thou, and all things that be thine.

8And at once Abimelech rose by night, and called all his servants, and spake all these words in the ears of them; and all men dreaded greatly.

9Soothly Abimelech called also Abraham, and said to him, What hast thou done to us? what sinned we against thee, that thou hast brought in on me and on my realm such a great sin? thou hast done to us which things thou oughtest not to do.

10And again Abimelech asked, and said, What thing sawest thou, that thou wouldest do this?

11Abraham answered, I thought within me, and said, In hap the dread of God is not in this place; and they shall slay me for my wife;

12in other manner forsooth and she is my sister verily, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother; and I wedded her into wife;

13soothly after that God led me out of the house of my father, I said to her, Thou shalt do this mercy with me in each place to which we shall enter; thou shalt say, that I am thy brother.

14Therefore Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and servants, and handmaids, and gave to Abraham; and he yielded to him Sarah, his wife,

15and said, The land is before you; dwell thou, wherever it pleaseth thee.

16Forsooth Abimelech said to Sarah, Lo! I gave a thousand pieces of silver to thy brother; this shall be to thee into a covering of eyes, to all men that be with thee; and whither ever thou goest, have thou mind that thou art taken.

17Soothly for Abraham prayed, God cured Abimelech, and his wife, and handmaids, and they childed;

18for God had closed each womb of the house of Abimelech, for Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

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Genesis 20

Genesis 20