because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister," King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and spoke to him, "Pay attention! You're about to die, because the woman you have taken is a man's wife!"

Now Abimelech had not yet come near her, so he asked, "LORD, will you destroy an innocent nation?

So Abimelech got up early the next morning, summoned all his servants, and told them all these things. The men became terrified.

Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You've done things to me that ought not to have been done."

Abimelech also asked Abraham, "What could you have been thinking when you did this?"

So Abimelech took some sheep and oxen, and some male and female servants, gave them to Abraham, returned his wife Sarah to him,

Abimelech also told Sarah, "Look! I am giving your brother 1,000 pieces of silver to vindicate you in the eyes of all who are with you. As a result, you will be completely vindicated."

Then Abraham interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants so they could bear children,

since the LORD had made all the women barren in Abimelech's household on account of Abraham's wife Sarah.

About that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, told Abraham, "God is with you in everything that you're doing.

But then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized.

"I don't know who did this thing," Abimelech replied. "You didn't report this to me, and I didn't hear about it until today."

So Abraham took sheep and oxen and presented them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

so Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set aside?"

So after they had made a covenant in Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to Philistine territory.

Later on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham's lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

After he had been there awhile, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out through a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

So Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him. "She is definitely your wife!" he accused him, "So why did you claim, "She's my sister?'" Isaac responded, "Because I had thought ""otherwise, I'll die on account of her.'"

"What have you done to us?" Abimelech asked. "Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty."

Then Abimelech ordered Isaac, "Move away from us! You've become more powerful than we are."

Later, Abimelech traveled from Gerar to visit Isaac. He arrived with Ahuzzath, his staff advisor, and Phicol, the commanding officer of his army.