Chapter 20

And Abraham journeyeth from thence toward the land of the south, and dwelleth between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourneth in Gerar;

and Abraham saith concerning Sarah his wife, `She is my sister;` and Abimelech king of Gerar sendeth and taketh Sarah.

And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, `Lo, thou art a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.`

And Abimelech hath not drawn near unto her, and he saith, `Lord, also a righteous nation dost thou slay?

hath not he himself said to me, She is my sister! and she, even she herself, said, He is my brother; in the integrity of my heart, and in the innocency of my hands, I have done this.`

And God saith unto him in the dream, `Yea, I -- I have known that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I withhold thee, even I, from sinning against Me, therefore I have not suffered thee to come against her;

and now send back the man`s wife, for he is inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.`

And Abimelech riseth early in the morning, and calleth for all his servants, and speaketh all these words in their ears; and the men fear exceedingly;

and Abimelech calleth for Abraham, and saith to him, `What hast thou done to us? and what have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me, and upon my kingdom, a great sin? works which are not done thou hast done with me.`

Abimelech also saith unto Abraham, `What hast thou seen that thou hast done this thing?`

And Abraham saith, `Because I said, `Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;

and also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife;

and it cometh to pass, when God hath caused me to wander from my father`s house, that I say to her, This is thy kindness which thou dost with me: at every place whither we come, say of me, He is my brother.`

And Abimelech taketh sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and giveth to Abraham, and sendeth back to him Sarah his wife;

and Abimelech saith, `Lo, my land is before thee, where it is good in thine eyes, dwell;`

and to Sarah he hath said, `Lo, I have given a thousand silverlings to thy brother; lo, it is to thee a covering of eyes, to all who are with thee;` and by all this she is reasoned with.

And Abraham prayeth unto God, and God healeth Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bear:

for Yehovah restraining had restrained every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham`s wife.