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1 And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister;” and Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are but a dead man, because of the woman you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.”

4 Now Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “Lord, will you slay even a righteous nation?

5 Did not he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister?’ and she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother?’ in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands have I done this.”

6 And God said unto him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did it with a sincere heart, and therefore I withheld you from sinning against me, and I suffered you not to touch her.

7 Now therefore restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for you, and you shall live; and if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die; you, and all that are yours.”

8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears; and the men were very afraid.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, “What have you done to us? What have we done to offend you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? What you have done to us ought not to be done.”

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, “What were you thinking, that you have 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 moreover she is indeed my sister, 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 you shall 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 servants and handmaids, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored to him Sarah, his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleases you.”

16 And unto Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, may it be appropriate compensation for him, such that he has been righted before all men.”

17 And when Abraham prayed to God; God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bore children;

18 for the LORD had closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech, on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

[16] Or, he

[16] Or, before all men