2Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.’

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’

‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied.

‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’

8Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.

9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Here I am,’ he replied.

12‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram#22:13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’

15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring#22:18 Or seed all nations on earth will be blessed,#22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) because you have obeyed me.’

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s sons

20Some time later Abraham was told, ‘Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

21Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother,

Kemuel (the father of Aram),

22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.’

23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.

Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons:

Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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Genesis 22

1After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.

2He said to him: Take thy only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision: and there thou shalt offer him for a holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will shew thee.

3So Abraham, rising up in the night, saddled his ass: and took with him two young men, and Isaac his son. And when he had cut wood for the holocaust, he went his way to the place which God had commanded him.

4And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off.

5And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped will return to you.

6And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together,

7Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust?

8And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for a holocaust, my son. So they went on together.

9And they came to the place which God had shewn him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it. And when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood.

10And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.

11And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.

12And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him. Now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake.

13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns: which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.

14And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon even to this day it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see.

15And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying:

16By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake:

17I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the seashore. Thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies.

18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

19Abraham returned to his young men, and they went to Bersabee together. And he dwelt there.

20After these things, it was told Abraham that Melcha also had borne children to Nachor, his brother.

21Hus the firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians.

22And Cased, and Azau, and Pheldas, and Jedlaph,

23And Bathuel, of whom was born Rebecca: These eight did Melcha bear to Nachor, Abraham's brother.

24And his concubine, named Roma, bore Tabee, and Gaham, and Tahas, and Maacha.

An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 22

Genesis 22