¹ Abraham left there for the region of the Negeb, and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While staying in Gerar,

² Abraham said of his wife Sarah, 'She is my sister,' and Abimelech the king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

³ But God visited Abimelech in a dream one night. 'You are to die,' he told him, 'because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.'

⁴ Abimelech, however, had not gone near her; so he said, 'Lord, would you kill someone even if he is upright?

⁵ Did he not tell me himself, "She is my sister"? And she herself said, "He is my brother." I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.'

⁶ 'Yes, I know,' God replied in the dream, 'that you did this with a clear conscience and I myself prevented you from sinning against me. That was why I did not let you touch her.

⁷ Now send the man's wife back; for he is a prophet and can intercede on your behalf for your life. But understand that if you do not send her back, this means death for you and all yours.'

⁸ Early next morning, Abimelech summoned his full court and told them the whole story, at which the people were very much afraid.

⁹ Then summoning Abraham, Abimelech said to him, 'What have you done to us? What wrong have I done you, for you to bring such guilt on me and on my kingdom? You had no right to treat me like this.'

¹⁰ Abimelech then said to Abraham, 'What possessed you to do such a thing?'

¹¹ 'Because', Abraham replied, 'I thought there would be no fear of God here and that I should be killed for the sake of my wife.

¹² Anyway, she really is my sister, my father's daughter though not my mother's, besides being my wife.

¹³ So when God made me wander far from my father's home I said to her, "There is an act of love you can do me: everywhere we go, say of me that I am your brother." '

¹⁴ Abimelech took sheep, cattle, men and women slaves, and presented them to Abraham, and gave him back his wife Sarah.

¹⁵ And Abimelech said, 'Look, my land is open to you. Settle wherever you please.'

¹⁶ To Sarah he said, 'Look, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. This will allay suspicions about you, as far as all the people round you are concerned; you have been completely vindicated.'

¹⁷ Abraham then interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave-girls, so that they could have children,

¹⁸ for Yahweh had made all the women of Abimelech's household barren on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.