Genesis 20:1
וַיִּסַּ֨ע מִשָּׁ֤ם אַבְרָהָם֙ אַ֣רְצָה הַנֶּ֔גֶב
Now Avraham set out from there,
to the land of the Negev (south),
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב בֵּין־קָדֵ֖שׁ וּבֵ֣ין שׁ֑וּר
And he dwelt between
Kadesh (oasis 80 km south-south-west of Be’ersheva)
and between Shur (north-eastern Egypt);
וַיָּ֖גָר בִּגְרָֽר׃
Then he sojourned in Gerar (west of Be’ersheva).
Genesis 20:2
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־שָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲחֹ֣תִי הִ֑וא
And Avraham said concerning Sarah his wife:
“She is my sister”;
וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ גְּרָ֔ר וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־שָׂרָֽה׃
And he reached forth —— Avimelech, the king of Gerar ——
And he took Sarah;
Genesis 20:3
וַיָּבֹ֧א אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ בַּחֲל֣וֹם הַלָּ֑יְלָה
But God went to Avimelech through the Dream of Night;
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ הִנְּךָ֥ מֵת֙ עַל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־לָקַ֔חְתָּ
And He said to him:
“Behold you are about to die,
on account of the woman that you took,
וְהִ֖וא בְּעֻ֥לַת בָּֽעַל׃
And she is married to a husband!”
Genesis 20:4
וַאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ לֹ֥א קָרַ֖ב אֵלֶ֑יהָ
But Avimelech had not come near to her;
וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אֲדֹנָ֕י הֲג֥וֹי גַּם־צַדִּ֖יק תַּהֲרֹֽג׃
And he said:
“Lord, will you slay an innocent nation as well?”
Genesis 20:5
הֲלֹ֨א ה֤וּא אָֽמַר־לִי֙ אֲחֹ֣תִי הִ֔וא
“Did not he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’
וְהִֽיא־גַם־הִ֥וא אֽ͏ָמְרָ֖ה אָחִ֣י ה֑וּא
And even she herself said, ‘He is my brother’:
בְּתָם־לְבָבִ֛י וּבְנִקְיֹ֥ן כַּפַּ֖י עָשִׂ֥יתִי זֹֽאת׃
In the integrity of my thinking,
and in the purity of my hands, I have done this.”
Genesis 20:6
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ אֵלָ֨יו הֽ͏ָאֱלֹהִ֜ים בַּחֲלֹ֗ם
And The True God said to him through the Dream:
גַּ֣ם אָנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ כִּ֤י בְתָם־לְבָבְךָ֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּ֔את
“Even so, I knew that in the integrity of your thinking you did this,
וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ גַּם־אָנֹכִ֛י אֽוֹתְךָ֖ מֵחֲטוֹ־לִ֑י
And so I, even I, kept you back from sinning against Me,
עַל־כֵּ֥ן לֹא־נְתַתִּ֖יךָ לִנְגֹּ֥עַ אֵלֶֽיהָ׃
Wherefore I did not permit you to touch her sexually.”
Genesis 20:7
וְעַתָּ֗ה הָשֵׁ֤ב אֵֽשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־נָבִ֣יא ה֔וּא
“And now, return the man’s wife,
for he is a prophet,
וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל בּֽ͏ַעַדְךָ֖ וֶֽחְיֵ֑ה
And he will intercede for you,
And you will live;
וְאִם־אֵֽינְךָ֣ מֵשִׁ֗יב דַּ֚ע כִּי־מ֣וֹת תָּמ֔וּת
But if you are not going to make restitution,
know that you shall surely die,
אַתָּ֖ה וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ׃
You, and all that which is yours.”
Genesis 20:8
וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַיִּקְרָא֙ לְכָל־עֲבָדָ֔יו
And Avimelech rose early in the morning,
And he summoned all his servants,
וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶת־כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם
Then he related all these things in their ears;
וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים מְאֹֽד׃
And the men were exceedingly afraid.
Genesis 20:9
וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ לְאַבְרָהָ֗ם וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ל֜וֹ
Then Avimelech summoned Avraham,
and he said to him,
מֶֽה־עָשִׂ֤יתָ לָּ֙נוּ֙ וּמֶֽה־חָטָ֣אתִי לָ֔ךְ
“What have you done to us,
and how did I offend you,
כִּֽי־הֵבֵ֧אתָ עָלַ֛י וְעַל־מַמְלַכְתִּ֖י חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֑ה
so that you brought upon me,
and upon my kingdom a great sin?”
מַעֲשִׂים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יֵֽעָשׂ֔וּ עָשִׂ֖יתָ עִמָּדִֽי׃
“Deeds which should never have been done,
you have done against me!”
Genesis 20:10
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם
Furthermore Avimelech said to Avraham:
מָ֣ה רָאִ֔יתָ כִּ֥י עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
“What did you perceive, so that you did this thing?”
Genesis 20:11
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם
Then Avraham said,
כִּ֣י אָמַ֗רְתִּי
“Because I thought
רַ֚ק אֵין־יִרְאַ֣ת אֱלֹהִ֔ים
‘without a doubt, there is no fear of God
בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה
in this place,
וַהֲרָג֖וּנִי עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אִשְׁתִּֽי׃
And they would have killed me for the sake of my wife’”.
Genesis 20:12
וְגַם־אָמְנָ֗ה אֲחֹתִ֤י בַת־אָבִי֙ הִ֔וא
“And moreover in truth,
she is a daughter of my father,
אַ֖ךְ לֹ֣א בַת־אִמִּ֑י
But not a daughter of my mother;
וַתְּהִי־לִ֖י לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
And she became my wife.”
Genesis 20:13
וַיְהִ֞י כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר הִתְע֣וּ אֹתִ֗י אֱלֹהִים֮ מִבֵּ֣ית אָבִי֒
“Then it happened, when Divineship
caused me to wander about from my father’s household,
וָאֹמַ֣ר לָ֔הּ זֶ֣ה חַסְדֵּ֔ךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשִׂ֖י עִמָּדִ֑י
that I said to her,
‘this is your loyalty,
that which you shall perform with me:
אֶ֤ל כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָב֣וֹא שָׁ֔מָּה
In the whole space, there where we shall go,
אִמְרִי־לִ֖י אָחִ֥י הֽוּא׃
say concerning me, “He is my brother.”’”.
Genesis 20:14
וַיִּקַּ֨ח אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ צֹ֣אן וּבָקָ֗ר וַעֲבָדִים֙ וּשְׁפָחֹ֔ת
Then Avimelech took sheep and cattle,
and menservants and maidservants,
וַיִּתֵּ֖ן לְאַבְרָהָ֑ם
And he gave them to Avraham,
וַיָּ֣שֶׁב ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת שָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
And he gave him back Sarah his wife.
Genesis 20:15
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ הִנֵּ֥ה אַרְצִ֖י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ
And Avimelech said: “Behold my land before you!
בַּטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ שֵֽׁב׃
Dwell within the good part according to your eyes.”
Genesis 20:16
וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הִנֵּ֨ה נָתַ֜תִּי אֶ֤לֶף כֶּ֙סֶף֙ לְאָחִ֔יךְ
Now to Sarah he has said:
“Behold I have given your brother a thousand silver shekels,
הִנֵּ֤ה הוּא־לָךְ֙ כְּס֣וּת עֵינַ֔יִם
See, it is for your sake, as a covering of opinion,
לְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתָּ֑ךְ
To all those with you,
וְאֵ֥ת כֹּ֖ל וְנֹכָֽחַת׃
Furthermore to everyone, thus a setting right.
Genesis 20:17
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים
Then Avraham prayed to The True God,
וַיִּרְפָּ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֧לֶךְ וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֛וֹ
And so God healed Avimelech and his wife,
וְאַמְהֹתָ֖יו וַיֵּלֵֽדוּ׃
And his bondwomen, so that they begat;
Genesis 20:18
כִּֽי־עָצֹ֤ר עָצַר֙ יְהוָ֔ה
For the LORD had completely locked up
בְּעַ֥ד כָּל־רֶ֖חֶם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ
around every womb belonging to the house of Avimelech;
עַל־דְּבַ֥ר שָׂרָ֖ה אֵ֥שֶׁת אַבְרָהָֽם׃ ס
On account of the matter of Sarah the wife of Avraham.
Website translation into English by E.G. Van Gent
The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Unicode/XML version 1.3 Leningrad Codex,
Build 26.4 from tanach.us
Dramatized Modern Hebrew Audio Version Genesis 20:1-18
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