Genesis 12:10-20

Evangelical Heritage Version

The First Trip to Egypt

¹⁰ There was a famine in the land. So Abram went down into Egypt to stay there for a while, because the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman. ¹² It might happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will keep you alive. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister, so that it will go well for me because of you, and that my life may be preserved on account of you.”

¹⁴ So it happened that when Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians did see that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake. Abram received sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with severe diseases^[a] because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Here is your wife. Take her and go.”

²⁰ Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him, so they sent him on his way with his wife and all that he had.