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there Abraham moved on to the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was living in Gerar, 2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, “Behold, you are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelech had not approached her intimately, so he said, “Lord, will You destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother’. I have done this with a clear conscience and with clean hands.”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, for I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”
8 Early the next morning Abimelech got up, and he summoned all his officials and told them all that had happened, and the men were all very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” 10 And Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is your reason for doing this?”
11 Abraham replied, “I did it because I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife’. 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 So when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Wherever we go to, say of me, “He is my brother” ’.”
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.”
16 And to Sarah he said, “As you can see, I am now giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to verify your honour in the eyes of all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls so they could bear children again, 18 for the Lord had closed up all the wombs in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.