| Chapter
20 |
| 1 | And
Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled 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 but a dead man, for the woman which 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 nation? |
| 5 |
Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my
brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done
this. |
| 6 | And God said unto
him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart;
for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not
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 servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men
were sore afraid. |
| 9 | Then
Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and
what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a
great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. |
| 10 | And Abimelech said unto Abraham,
What sawest thou, 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 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 thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at
every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. |
| 14 | And Abimelech took sheep, and
oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and
restored him Sarah his wife. |
| 15
| And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it
pleaseth 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 are with
thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. |
|
17 | So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed
Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. |
| 18 | For the LORD had fast closed
up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's
wife. |
