Bereshit, The Book of Beginnings. David B. Friedman

with many serious diseases because of what happened to Sarai, the wife of Avram.

      18 Then Pharaoh summoned Avram, and asked, “What did you do to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she is your wife?

      19 Why did you say that she is your sister? So I took her for my wife, and now I find out that she’s already your wife! Take her and get out of here!”

      20 Pharaoh summoned his servants, and they escorted him and his wife out, along with all of their possessions.

1. v.1: This verse displays a sense of urgency in the language used. A very colloquially accurate way to translate the given Hebrew phrase, lek leka may be, “Get the heck out of . . . !” God here calls Avram to hurriedly leave his family roots, both physically and spiritually.