Chapter 20

¹Abraham removed from thence to the south country, and dwelt between Cedes and Sur, and sojourned in Gerara. ²And he said of Sara his wife: She is my sister. So Abimelech the king of Oerara sent, and took her. ³And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and he said to him: Lo thou shalt die for the woman thou hast taken: for she hath a husband. ⁴Now Abimelech had not touched her, and he said : Lord, wilt thou slay a nation, that is ignorant and just? ⁵Did not he say to me : She is my sister: and she say, He is my brother? in the simplicity of my heart, and cleanness of my hands have I done this. ⁶And God said to him: And I know that thou didst it with a sincere heart: and therefore I withheld thee from sinning against me, and I suffered thee not to touch her. ⁷Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet: and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: but if thou wilt not restore her, know that thou shalt surely die, thou and all that are thine. ⁸And Abimelech forthwith rising up in the night, called all his servants: and spoke all these words in their hearing, and all the men were exceedingly afraid. ⁹And Abimelech called also for Abraham, and said to him: What hast thou done to us? what have we offended thee in, that thou hast brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done to us what thou oughtest not to do. ¹⁰And again he expostulated with him, and said, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this? ¹¹Abraham answered: I thought with myself, saying: Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place: and they will kill me for the sake of my wife: ¹²Howbeit, otherwise also she is truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her to wife. ¹³And after God brought me out of my father's house, I said to her: I Thou shalt do me this kindness: In every place, to which we shall come, thou shalt say that I am thy brother. ¹⁴And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and gave to Abraham: and restored to him Sara, his wife. ¹⁵And said: The land is before you, dwell wheresoever it shall please thee. ¹⁶And to Sara he said: Behold I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: this shall serve thee for a covering of thy eyes to all that are with thee, and whithersoever thou shalt go: and remember thou wast taken. ¹⁷And when Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bore children: ¹⁸For the Lord had closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech on account of Sara, Abraham's wife.