"Let me introduce my sister"
1Abraham moved his camp toward the Negev badlands. [1] He settled for a time between the villages of Kadesh and Shur, but later moved on to the city of Gerar. 2When Abraham introduced his wife Sarah to the people there, he said, “She’s my sister.” King Abimelech of Gerar[3] took Sarah into his palace. 3But that night God came to King Abimelech in a vivid dream. God said, “Listen to me. You’re a dead man. You have taken another man’s wife.”4Abimelech had not had sex with Sarah. So he said, “Lord, would you destroy an innocent nation? 5Didn’t the man himself say, ‘She’s my sister’? Even the woman said, ‘He’s my brother.’ My intentions were honorable. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
6God answered him, “Yes, I know you did nothing wrong. In fact, I’m the one who kept you from doing anything wrong. I didn’t let you touch her. 7Now go ahead and give the woman back to her husband. The man is a prophet. He will pray for you, and that’s what will keep you alive. But if you don’t give his wife back to him, know this: you and everyone that belongs to you will die.” 8Abimelech got up early the next morning. He called his servants together and told them about his terrifying dream, which frightened them, too.
Abraham busted
9Abimelech called in Abraham and said, “Why on earth did you do this to us? What have I done to you that you would dump this much shame onto me and my kingdom? No way should you have done this. 10What were you thinking? Why did you do it?”11Abraham said, “I did it because I was afraid. I didn’t think anyone here would respect me or the God I serve. I thought someone would kill me so they could take my wife. 12Actually, she really is my sister. We have the same father, but different mothers. But I admit it, she’s also my wife. 13When God told me to leave home and travel around the area here, I told my wife, ‘Do me a huge favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I’m your brother.’”
14Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham. The king also gave Abraham gifts: sheep and cattle along with male and female slaves. 15Abimelech told Abraham, “Look, this is my land that you see in front of you. You are welcome to settle anywhere you like.”
16Abimelech told Sarah, “Look, I gave your brother 1,000 pieces of silver. [2] It’s to compensate you for what happened, and to show everyone that you did nothing wrong.” 17Abraham prayed for Abimelech and his people. God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves. The women in Abimelech’s household started having babies again. 18Earlier, the LORD had made all the women in Abimelech’s household infertile because of what Abimelech had done with Sarah.
