1 N ow Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar.

2 A braham said of Sarah his wife, “ She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

3 B ut God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

4 N ow Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless?

5 D id he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”

6 T hen God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

7 N ow therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

8 S o Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened.

9 T hen Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”

10 A nd Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?”

11 A braham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

12 B esides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife;

13 a nd it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

14 A bimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him.

15 A bimelech said, “ Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.”

16 T o Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.”

17 A braham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.

18 F or the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.