- And Abraam removed thence to the southern country, and dwelt between Cades and
Sur, and sojourned in Gerara.
- And Abraam
said concerning Sarrha his wife, She is my
sister for he feared to say, She is my wife,
lest at any time the men of the city should
kill him for her sake. So Abimelech king
of Gerara sent and took Sarrha.
- And God
came to Abimelech by night in sleep, and
said, Behold, thou diest for the woman,
whom thou hast taken, whereas she has lived
with a husband.
- But Abimelech had not
touched her, and he said, Lord wilt thou destroy an ignorantly
sinning and just nation?
- Said he not to me, She is my sister, and
said she not to me, He is my brother? with
a pure heart and in the righteousness of my
hands have I done this.
- And God said to
him in sleep, Yea, I knew that thou didst
this with a pure heart, and I spared thee, so
that thou shouldest not sin against me,
therefore I suffered thee not to touch her.
- But now return the man his wife; for he
is a prophet, and shall pray for thee, and
thou shalt live; but if thou restore her not,
know that thou shalt die and all thine.
- And Abimelech rose early in the morning,
and called all his servants, and he spoke all
these words in their ears, and all the men
feared exceedingly.
- And Abimelech called
Abraam and said to him, What is this that
thou hast done to us? Have we sinned
against thee, that thou hast brought upon
me and upon my kingdom a great sin?
Thou hast done to me a deed, which no one
ought to do.
- And Abimelech said to
Abraam, What hast thou seen in me that
thou hast done this?
- And Abraam said,
Why I said, Surely there is not the worship
of God in this place, and they will slay me
because of my wife.
- For truly she is my
sister by my father, but not by my mother,
and she became my wife.
- And it came to
pass when God brought me forth out of the
house of my father, that I said to her, This
righteousness thou shalt perform to me, in
every place into which we may enter, say of
me, He is my brother.
- And Abimelech
took a thousand [a] pieces of silver, and sheep,
and calves and servants, and maid-servants,
and gave them to Abraam, and he returned
him Sarrha his wife.
- And Abimelech said
to Abraam, Behold, my land is before thee,
dwell wheresoever it may please thee.
- And
to Sarrha he said, Behold, I have given thy
brother a thousand pieces of silver, those
shall be to thee for the price of thy countenance, and to all the women with thee, and
speak the truth in all things.
- And Abraam
prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech,
and his wife, and his women servants, and
they bore children.
- Because the Lord
had fast closed from without every womb in
the house of Abimelech, because of Sarrha
Abraam's wife.
[a] Gr. didrachma.
[English translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee
Brenton (1807-1862) originally published by Samuel Bagster & Sons,
Ltd., London, 1851]