| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. | 1Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, |
| 2And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. | 2Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace. |
| 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” | 3But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!” |
| 4Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? | 4But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? |
| 5Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” | 5Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.” |
| 6Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. | 6In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her. |
| 7Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” | 7Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.” |
| 8So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. | 8Abimelech got up early the next morning and quickly called all his servants together. When he told them what had happened, his men were terrified. |
| 9Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” | 9Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! |
| 10And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” | 10Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?” |
| 11Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ | 11Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’ |
| 12Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. | 12And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her. |
| 13And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” | 13When God called me to leave my father’s home and to travel from place to place, I told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.’” |
| 14Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. | 14Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him. |
| 15And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” | 15Then Abimelech said, “Look over my land and choose any place where you would like to live.” |
| 16To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” | 16And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.” |
| 17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. | 17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. |
| 18For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. | 18For the LORD had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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