1 And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur and sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, Behold, thou art a dead man, for the woman whom thou hast taken, for she is a man’s wife. 4 But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous person? 5 Did he not say unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother; in the simplicity of my heart and cleanness of my hands I have done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yes, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me; therefore I did not allow thee to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine.
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his slaves and told all these things in their ears; and the men feared greatly. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us and in what have I sinned against thee that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom such a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What didst thou see that thou hast done this thing? 11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12 And yet indeed, she is also my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass when God caused me to wander from my father’s house that I said unto her, This is the mercy which thou shalt show unto me: at every place where we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and menslaves and womenslaves and gave them unto Abraham and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee; dwell where it pleases thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that were with thee and with everyone: thus she was reproved. 17 So Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants; and they bore children. 18 For the LORD had completely closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.