Abraham and Abimelech

20 And Abraham journeyed from ^(A)there to the South, and dwelt between ^(B)Kadesh and Shur, and ^(C)stayed in Gerar. ² Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ^(D)“She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and ^(E)took Sarah.

³ But ^(F)God came to Abimelech ^(G)in a dream by night, and said to him, ^(H)“Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is ^[a]a man’s wife.”

⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, ^(I)will You slay a righteous nation also? ⁵ Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ ^(J)In the ^[b]integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

⁶ And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For ^(K)I also withheld you from sinning ^(L)against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; ^(M)for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, ^(N)know that you shall surely die, you ^(O)and all who are yours.”

⁸ So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. ⁹ And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I ^[c]offended you, ^(P)that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me ^(Q)that ought not to be done.” ¹⁰ Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”

¹¹ And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely ^(R)the fear of God is not in this place; and ^(S)they will kill me on account of my wife. ¹² But indeed ^(T)she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ And it came to pass, when ^(U)God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, ^(V)say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

¹⁴ Then Abimelech ^(W)took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵ And Abimelech said, “See, ^(X)my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” ¹⁶ Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; ^(Y)indeed this ^[d]vindicates you ^(Z)before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was ^[e]rebuked.

¹⁷ So Abraham ^(AA)prayed to God; and God ^(AB)healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; ¹⁸ for the Lord ^(AC)had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who ^(A)is renewed in knowledge ^(B)according to the image of Him who ^(C)created him, ¹¹ where there is neither ^(D)Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, ^(E)but Christ is all and in all.

Character of the New Man

¹² Therefore, ^(F)as the elect of God, holy and beloved, ^(G)put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ^13 (H)bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ^14 (I)But above all these things ^(J)put on love, which is the ^(K)bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let ^(L)the peace of God rule in your hearts, ^(M)to which also you were called ^(N)in one body; and ^(O)be thankful.

Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s

³⁷ “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but ^(A)you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. ^38 (B)I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have ^[a]seen with your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, ^(C)“Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, ^(D)“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. ^40 (E)But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth ^(F)which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. ⁴¹ You do the deeds of your father.”

Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; ^(G)we have one Father—God.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, ^(H)“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for ^(I)I proceeded forth and came from God; ^(J)nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. ^43 (K)Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. ^44 (L)You are of your father the devil, and the ^(M)desires of your father you want to ^(N)do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(O)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (P)He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I AM

⁴⁸ Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and ^(Q)have a demon?”

⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and ^(R)you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ And ^(S)I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. ⁵¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(T)if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

⁵² Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(U)have a demon! ^(V)Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. ^(W)Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, ^(X)“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. ^(Y)It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is ^[b]your God. ⁵⁵ Yet ^(Z)you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and ^(AA)keep His word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham ^(AB)rejoiced to see My day, ^(AC)and he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(AD)before Abraham was, ^(AE)I AM.”