Abraham: The Covenant

Now Avimelekh had not come near her; so he said, "Lord, will you kill even an upright nation?

Didn't he himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In doing this, my heart has been pure and my hands innocent."

God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in doing this, your heart has been pure; and I too have kept you from sinning against me. This is why I didn't let you touch her.

Therefore, return the man's wife to him now. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will live. But if you don't return her, know that you will certainly die - you and all who belong to you."

Avimelekh got up early in the morning, called all his servants and told them these things; and the men became very afraid.

Then Avimelekh called Avraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you to cause you to bring on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that are just not done."

Avimelekh went on, asking Avraham, "Whatever could have caused you to do such a thing?"

Avraham replied, "It was because I thought, 'There could not possibly be any fear of God in this place, so they will kill me in order to get my wife.'

But she actually is also my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother, and so she became my wife.

When God had me leave my father's house, I told her, 'Do me this favor: wherever we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'"

Avimelekh took sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Avraham; and he returned to him Sarah his wife.

Then Avimelekh said, "Look, my country lies before you; live where you like."

To Sarah he said, "Here, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. That will allay the suspicions of everyone who is with you. Before everyone you are cleared."

Avraham prayed to God, and God healed Avimelekh and his wife and slave-girls, so that they could have children.

For ADONAI had made every woman in Avimelekh's household infertile on account of Sarah Avraham's wife.

ADONAI remembered Sarah as he had said, and ADONAI did for Sarah what he had promised.

Sarah conceived and bore Avraham a son in his old age, at the very time God had said to him.

Avraham called his son, born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitz'chak.

Avraham circumcised his son Yitz'chak when he was eight days old, as God had ordered him to do.

Avraham was one hundred years old when his son Yitz'chak [laughter] was born to him.

Sarah said, "God has given me good reason to laugh; now everyone who hears about it will laugh with me."

And she said, "Who would have said to Avraham that Sarah would nurse children? Nevertheless, I have borne him a son in his old age!"

The child grew and was weaned, and Avraham gave a great banquet on the day that Yitz'chak was weaned.

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom Hagar had borne to Avraham, making fun of Yitz'chak;

so Sarah said to Avraham, "Throw this slave-girl out! And her son! I will not have this slave-girl's son as your heir along with my son Yitz'chak!"