King Abimelech Takes Sarah to Be His Wife

20:1-18

20 Then Abraham traveled from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur and sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech the king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night and said to him, “Behold, you are dead because of the woman whom you have taken, because she is married to a husband!” 4 Now Abimelech had not gone near to her, so he said, “My Lord, will you kill a nation even though it is righteous? 5 Did not he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and in the innocence of my hands!” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and indeed I kept you from sinning against me. For that reason I did not allow you to touch her. 7 So now, return the wife of the man because 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 surely die, you and all who belong to you!”

8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called for all of his servants, and he told all those things in their ears, and the men were very afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you so that you brought a great sin on me and on my kingdom? You have done deeds to me that should not be done!” 10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you looking for when you did this thing?” 11 And Abraham answered, “Because I said, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place, so they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 And also she truly is my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And it happened when God caused me to wander from the house of my father, then I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you can do for me: At every place where we go, say about me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

14 Then Abimelech took flocks and herds and men slaves and women slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 Then Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Settle wherever is good in your eyes.”

16 And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given 1, 000 shekels of silver to your brother. Behold, that is for you a covering of the eyes before all who are with you, so that you are vindicated for everything.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his slave women, so that they bore children, 18 because Yahweh had completely closed up every womb in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.