Genesis 12:10-20

New Catholic Bible

¹⁰ Abram a Refugee in Egypt.^[a] There was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a time, for the famine was very serious in the land. ¹¹ But, when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, “Look, I realize that you are a very beautiful woman. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will think, ‘She is his wife,’ and they will kill me, leaving you alive. ¹³ Therefore, say that you are my sister, so that they will treat me well and let me live because of you.”

¹⁴ When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that his wife was very beautiful. ¹⁵ The stewards of Pharaoh saw her and told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. They took the woman and brought her to the house of Pharaoh. ¹⁶ Because of her they treated Abram well. He received flocks and herds, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with terrible plagues because of Sarai, the wife of Abram. ¹⁸ Therefore, Pharaoh summoned Abram and said to him, “What have you done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I ended up taking her as my wife? Here is your wife; take her and leave!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh entrusted him to some men who accompanied him to the borders along with his wife and all his belongings.