King Abimelech Takes Sarah to Be His Wife

20:1-18

20 Meanwhile Abraham and his family left from the place where they were living and moved south to the Negev Desert area. There they lived between the cities of Kadesh and Shur, and they stayed for a while in the city of Gerar. 2 While they were there, Abraham told people that his wife Sarah was his sister. So one day Abimelech, who was the king of Gerar, had some of his servants bring Sarah to his home to be his wife. 3 But that night God appeared to King Abimelech in a dream and warned him, “Listen, you are about to die because the woman whom you have taken to be your wife is already married to someone else!” 4 However Abimelech had not yet slept with Sarah, so he asked God, “Lord, will you kill me and my people even if we are innocent? 5 Abraham himself told me that Sarah was his sister. And she herself also said that he was her brother. So I took her to be my wife with a pure conscience, and I did not know that I was doing anything wrong!” 6 God replied to him in the dream, “Yes, I realize that it was with a pure conscience that you took Sarah to be your wife. In fact, I am the one who kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you sleep with her. 7 Now then, you must give Abraham’s wife back to him. He is a spokesman for me, so he will ask me to be merciful to you, so that you will not die. However, if you refuse to give Sarah back to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will definitely die!”

8 Early the next morning King Abimelech got up and called together all of his officials. He told them everything that had happened, and they were very afraid that God would punish them. 9 Then the king summoned Abraham and scolded him by saying, “You have treated us very badly! I never did anything wrong to you, and yet you have caused me and the people whom I rule to be guilty of sinning terribly! You have wronged me in ways that should never be done to anyone!” 10 Finally, King Abimelech asked him, “What motivated you to do what you did?” 11 Abraham answered him, “I did it, because I thought that there was certainly no one in this city who revered God, so I was afraid they would kill me to get my wife for themselves. 12 Besides that, Sarah actually is my half-sister. We have the same father, but different mothers, and after we grew up, we got married. 13 Years later when God told me to leave my father’s family, I asked her to do me a favor and tell people wherever we go that I am her brother.”

14 Then King Abimelech brought many sheep and cattle and male and female servants to Abraham and gave them all to him. He also gave Abraham’s wife Sarah back to him. 15 Then King Abimelech said to him, “Look, my land is available to you. Live wherever you decide is best.” 16 Then he turned to Sarah and said, “Listen, I have given 1, 000 pieces of silver to your brother. I’m doing this so that everyone knows you did nothing wrong, and to compensate you for everything that has happened to you.” 17 Then Abraham asked God to be merciful to the king. So God healed King Abimelech, as well as his wife and his female servants, and they were able to have children again. 18 Previously Yahweh had kept all the women in Abimelech’s household from conceiving because he had taken Abraham’s wife Sarah.