A reading from the book of Genesis.

From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negev and lived between

Kadesh and Shur, and he sojourned in Gerar.

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister, and Abimlech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah. But 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. Now Abimelik had not approached her, so he said,

Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did 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. Then 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.

Now 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. So Abimelech rose early

in the morning, and called all his servants and told them all these things, and the men were very

much afraid. Then 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.

And Abimelech said to Abraham,

What did you see that you did this thing?

Abraham 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.

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