Abram and Sarai Go to the Country of Egypt to Escape a Famine

12:10-20

10 Now there was a serious food shortage in that region, that was so severe that Abram and his family left there and went down to the country of Egypt to live for a while. 11 Just before they arrived in Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, “Please listen to me: you are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the people in Egypt see you with me, they will say that you are my wife. Then they will kill me and let you live so that they can take you. 13 So please tell people that you are my sister so that they will treat me well because of you and let me live.”

14 That is exactly what happened: When Abram and his family arrived in the country of Egypt, the people there noticed that Sarai was truly very beautiful. 15 When some officers under Pharaoh the king of Egypt noticed her, they highly recommended her to him. So he had them bring her to his palace to be one of his wives. 16 The king thought that Abram was Sarai’s brother, so he treated him well. He gave him many sheep and cattle, as well as men and women servants, male and female donkeys, and camels.

17 But since King Pharaoh had taken Abram’s wife Sarai, Yahweh afflicted the king and his family with severe illnesses. 18 So the king summoned Abram before him and said to him, “You have treated me very badly! You should have told me that Sarai is your wife! 19 You should not have said that she is your sister, so that I ended up taking her to be my wife! So now, here is your wife. Take her and leave my country!” 20 Then King Pharaoh ordered some of his soldiers to make sure that Abram left, so they forced him to leave the country, along with his wife and everything that he owned.