Study Desk

And Abraham pulled up stakes from there to the land of the Negeb, and lived between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.

And Abraham said with regards to his wife Sarah, She is my sister. And Abimelech the king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, Behold, you are about to die because of the woman you have taken, she being married to a husband.

And Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, O Lord, will You slay even a righteous nation?

And did he not say to me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the honor of my heart and the purity of my hands I have done this.

And God said to him in a dream, Yes, I know that you did this in the honor of your heart, and I also withheld you from sinning against Me. On account of this I did not allow you to touch her.

And now return the wife of the man, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live. And if you do not return her, know that dying you shall die, you and all that are yours.

And Abimelech started up early in the morning and called for all his servants. And he spoke all these words in their ears. And the men were greatly afraid.

And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, What have you done to us? And in what have I offended you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that ought not to be done.

And Abimelech said to Abraham, What did you see that you have done this thing?

And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me for my wife's sake.

And yet she really is my sister, daughter of my father; only not daughter of my mother. And she became my wife.

And it happened when God made me wander from my father's house, even I said to her, This is your kindness which you do to me: at every place where we come there, say of me, He is my brother.

Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male slaves, and slave-girls, and gave to Abraham. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.

Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before you. Live where it pleases you.

And he said to Sarah, I, behold, I have given a thousand of silver to your brother. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all who are with you. And with all this you are reproved.

And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his concubines, and they gave birth.

For Jehovah had completely closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.