¹When Abraham moved on from there to the land of the south, he dwelt between Kadesh and Shur and stayed in Gerar. ²And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent servants, and he took Sarah. ³But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “Look, you are as good as dead on account of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married to a husband.” ⁴But Abimelech had not come near to her, and he said, “Lord^*, will you kill a people even if it is righteous? ⁵Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister?’ And she herself also said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and in the innocence of my hands.” ⁶At this God said to him in a dream, “I too know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, so I – my very self – restrained you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. ⁷So now, return the man's wife to him, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live, but if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, along with everyone who is yours.” ⁸Then Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and related all these things in their audience, and the men became very fearful. ⁹And Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us, and in what way have I sinned against you, that you should bring a great punishment for sin on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me which ought not to be done.” ¹⁰Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view when you did this thing?” ¹¹And Abraham said, “It is because I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ ¹²And she really is my sister; she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. ¹³And it came to pass when God made me move out of my father's house that I said to her, ‘This is a favour for you which you will do for me: in every place to which we go, say of me, «He is my brother.» ’ ” ¹⁴Then Abimelech took sheep and cattle and menservants and maidservants and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it is good in your sight.” ¹⁶And to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother. Look, he is a covering of the eyes to all who are with you, and with everyone.” And so she was thoroughly reproved. ¹⁷Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed the breach with Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they gave birth. ¹⁸For the Lord had utterly shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech because of the case of Sarah the wife of Abraham.