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Genesis 21:22-34
/RSS FeedGenesis 21:22-34
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.
23 Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”
24 And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
25 But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,
26 Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”
27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
28 Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock,
29 and Abimelech asked him, “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
30 He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.”
31 So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
32 After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.
34 And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for a long time. -
Genesis 20:1-18
/RSS FeedGenesis 20:1-18
1 Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,
2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
3 One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?
5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”
8 Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”
10 Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’
12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.
13 So when God had me journey from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your loyalty to me: Wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
14 So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him.
15 And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.”
16 And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—
18 for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.
