Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
English: John Barach
Chapter 20
Abraham and Abimelech
| 1 καὶ ἐκίνησεν ἐκεῖθεν Ἁβραὰμ εἰς γῆν πρὸς λίβα καὶ ᾤκησεν ἀνὰ μέσον Κάδης καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Σοὺρ καὶ παρῴκησεν ἐν Γεράροις. 2 εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραὰμ περὶ Σάρρας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν· ἐφοβήθη γὰρ εἰπεῖν ὅτι, γυνή μού ἐστιν, μήποτε ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως δι' αὐτήν. ἀπέστειλεν δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ βασιλεὺς Γεράρων καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν Σάρραν. 3 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν, ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνῄσκεις περὶ τῆς γυναικός ἧς ἔλαβες αὕτη δέ ἐστιν συνῳκηκυῖα ἀνδρί. | 1 And Abraham moved from there to the land toward the south (Negev) and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," lest the men of the city should kill him because of her. And Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah. 3 And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said, "Behold, you are dying because of the woman whom you have taken, for she has lived with a husband." |
| 4 Ἀβιμέλεχ δὲ οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν κύριε, ἔθνος ἀγνοοῦν καὶ δίκαιον ἀπολεῖς; 5 οὐκ αὐτός μοι εἶπεν, ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν; καὶ αὐτή μοι εἶπεν, ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν. ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ χειρῶν ἐποίησα τοῦτο. 6 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς καθ' ὕπνον, κἀγὼ ἔγνων ὅτι ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ἐποίησας τοῦτο, καὶ ἐφεισάμην ἐγώ σου τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν σὲ εἰς ἐμέ· ἕνεκεν τούτου οὐκ ἀφῆκά σὲ ἅψασθαι αὐτῆς. 7 νῦν δὲ ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὅτι προφήτης ἐστὶν καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σου καὶ ζήσῃ· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀποδίδως, γνῶθι ὅτι ἀποθανῇ σὺ καὶ πάντα τὰ σά. | 4 But Abimelech had not touched her, and he said, "Lord, will You destroy an ignorant and righteous nation? 5 Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said to me, 'He is my brother.' In a pure heart and in righteousness of hands I have done this." 6 And God said to him in a dream, "I also knew that you did this in a pure heart, and I spared you from sinning against Me; for this reason I did not allow you to touch her. 7 Now therefore, return the woman to the man, for he is a prophet[1] and will pray for you, and you shall live; but if you do not return her, know that you shall die, you and all that are yours." |
[1]This is the first usage of the term προφήτης (prophētēs) in the Bible. It defines the prophet primarily as an intercessor—one who prays for others.
| 8 καὶ ὤρθρισεν Ἀβιμέλεχ τὸ πρωῒ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησεν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι σφόδρα. 9 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Ἀβιμέλεχ τὸν Ἁβραὰμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν; μή τι ἡμάρτομεν εἰς σέ, ὅτι ἐπήγαγες ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μου ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην; ἔργον, ὃ οὐδεὶς ποιήσει, πεποίηκάς μοι. 10 εἶπεν δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ τῷ Ἁβραάμ, τί ἐνιδὼν ἐποίησας τοῦτο; | 8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants, and he spoke all these words into their ears, and all the men were exceedingly afraid. 9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What is this you have done to us? Have we sinned against you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? You have done a deed to me which no one should do." 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see that you have done this?" |
| 11 εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ, εἶπα γάρ, ἄρα οὐκ ἔστιν θεοσέβεια ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ, ἐμέ τε ἀποκτενοῦσιν ἕνεκεν τῆς γυναικός μου. 12 καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν ἐκ πατρός, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ μητρός· ἐγενήθη δέ μοι εἰς γυναῖκα. 13 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγέν με ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ εἶπα αὐτῇ, ταύτην τὴν δικαιοσύνην ποιήσεις ἐπ' ἐμέ· εἰς πάντα τόπον, οὗ ἐὰν εἰσέλθωμεν ἐκεῖ, εἰπὸν ἐμὲ ὅτι, ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν. | 11 And Abraham said, "Because I said, 'Surely there is no piety (fear of God) in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12 And yet truly she is my sister by my father, but not by my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it happened when God led me out from the house of my father, I said to her, 'This justice you shall do for me: in every place into which we may enter, say of me, "He is my brother."'" |
| 14 ἔλαβεν δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ χίλια δίδραχμα πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους καὶ παῖδας καὶ παιδίσκας καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ Ἁβραὰμ καὶ ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ Σάρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ. 15 καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβιμέλεχ τῷ Ἁβραάμ, ἰδοὺ ἡ γῆ μου ἐναντίον σου· οὗ ἐάν σοί ἀρέσκῃ, κατοίκει. 16 τῇ δὲ Σάρρα εἶπεν, ἰδοὺ δέδωκα χίλια δίδραχμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου· ταῦτα ἔσται σοί εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ προσώπου σου καὶ πάσαις ταῖς μετὰ σου· καὶ πάντα ἀλήθευσον. 17 προσηύξατο δὲ Ἁβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἰάσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔτεκον· 18 ὅτι συγκλείων συνέκλεισεν κύριος ἔξωθεν πᾶσαν μήτραν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Ἀβιμέλεχ ἕνεκεν Σάρρας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἁβραάμ. | 14 And Abimelech took a thousand didrachmas[1] (pieces of silver), sheep, and calves, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever it pleases you." 16 And to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given a thousand didrachmas to your brother; let these be to you for an honor of your person and to all who are with you; and in all things, speak the truth." 17 And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, and they bore children; 18 because the Lord had fast closed every womb in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. |
[1]The LXX uses χίλια δίδραχμα (a thousand didrachmas). A didrachma was a double-drachma coin in the Hellenistic world but was not the name of the coins in Abraham's day. This specific currency term reflects the economic language of the Septuagint translators in Alexandria.