Genesis 20:7

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Genesis 20:5–9 · Berean Standard Bible

5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”

6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.

7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

1 Kings 18:1

After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”

1 Kings 18:2

So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,

1 Kings 18:3

and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,

1 Kings 18:4

for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)

1 Kings 18:5

Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”

1 Kings 18:6

So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

1 Kings 18:7

Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

1 Kings 18:8

“It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”

1 Kings 18:9

But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

1 Kings 18:10

As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.

1 Kings 18:11

And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’

1 Kings 18:12

I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

1 Kings 18:13

Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water.

1 Kings 18:14

And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”

1 Kings 18:15

Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”

1 Kings 18:16

So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah.

1 Kings 18:17

When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

1 Kings 18:18

“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.

1 Kings 18:19

Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 18:20

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:21

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

1 Kings 18:22

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

1 Kings 18:23

Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.

1 Kings 18:24

Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”

1 Kings 18:25

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

1 Kings 18:26

And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

1 Kings 18:27

At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

1 Kings 18:28

So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.

1 Kings 18:29

Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.

1 Kings 18:30

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.

1 Kings 18:31

And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”

1 Kings 18:32

And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

1 Kings 18:33

Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,

1 Kings 18:34

and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.

1 Kings 18:35

So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

1 Kings 18:36

At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.

1 Kings 18:37

Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”

1 Kings 18:38

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.

1 Kings 18:39

When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

1 Kings 18:40

Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

1 Kings 18:41

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

1 Kings 18:42

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.

1 Kings 18:43

“Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

1 Kings 18:44

On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

1 Kings 18:45

Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

1 Kings 18:46

And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

1 Corinthians 14:4

The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.

Exodus 4:16

He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to him.

Exodus 7:1

The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.

Exodus 12:1

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,

Exodus 12:2

“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.

Exodus 12:3

Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.

Exodus 18:17

But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.

1 Chronicles 16:22

‘Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!’

Psalms 25:14

The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.

Psalms 105:9

the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.

Psalms 105:10

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

Psalms 105:11

“I will give you the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.”

Psalms 105:12

When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,

Psalms 105:13

they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

Psalms 105:14

He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:

Psalms 105:15

“Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”

Hebrews 1:1

On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.

Leviticus 6:4

once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,

Leviticus 6:7

In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”

1 Samuel 7:5

Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”

1 Samuel 7:8

and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

1 Samuel 12:19

They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

1 Samuel 12:23

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.

2 Samuel 24:17

When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”

1 Kings 13:6

Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.

2 Kings 5:11

But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy.

2 Kings 19:2

And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz

2 Kings 19:3

to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.

2 Kings 19:4

Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”

Job 42:8

So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.”

Jeremiah 14:11

Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.

Jeremiah 15:1

Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go.

Jeremiah 27:18

If they are indeed prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.

James 5:14

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:15

And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

1 John 5:16

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.

Revelation 11:5

If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.

Revelation 11:6

These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Genesis 20:18

for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.

Genesis 2:17

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

Genesis 12:17

The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.

Job 34:19

who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.

Ezekiel 3:18

If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.

Ezekiel 33:8

If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.

Ezekiel 33:14

But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—

Ezekiel 33:15

if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die.

Ezekiel 33:16

None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

Genesis 12:15

When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh.

Numbers 16:32

and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.

Numbers 16:33

They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.