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1(vii) After these things, God tested Avraham. He said to him, “Avraham!” and he answered, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitz’chak; and go to the land of Moriyah. There you are to offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will point out to you.”
3Avraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, together with Yitz’chak his son. He cut the wood for the burnt offering, departed and went toward the place God had told him about. 4On the third day, Avraham raised his eyes and saw the place in the distance. 5Avraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go there, worship and return to you.” 6Avraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Yitz’chak his son. Then he took in his hand the fire and the knife, and they both went on together.
7Yitz’chak spoke to Avraham his father: “My father?” He answered, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “I see the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Avraham replied, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son”; and they both went on together.
9They came to the place God had told him about; and Avraham built the altar there, set the wood in order, bound Yitz’chak his son and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10Then Avraham put out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.
11But the angel of Adonai called to him out of heaven: “Avraham? Avraham!” He answered, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy! Don’t do anything to him! For now I know that you are a man who fears God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13Avraham raised his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. Avraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14Avraham called the place Adonai Yir’eh [Adonai will see (to it), Adonai provides] — as it is said to this day, “On the mountain Adonai is seen.”
15The angel of Adonai called to Avraham a second time out of heaven. 16He said, “I have sworn by myself — says Adonai — that because you have done this, because you haven’t withheld your son, your only son, 17I will most certainly bless you; and I will most certainly increase your descendants to as many as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the cities of their enemies, 18and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed — because you obeyed my order.”
19So Avraham returned to his young men. They got up and went together to Be’er-Sheva, and Avraham settled in Be’er-Sheva.
(Maftir) 20Afterwards, Avraham was told, “Milkah too has borne children, to your brother Nachor — 21‘Utz his firstborn, Buz his brother, K’mu’el the father of Aram, 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Yidlaf and B’tu’el. 23B’tu’el fathered Rivkah. These eight Milkah bore to Nachor Avraham’s brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Re’umah, bore children also: Tevach, Gacham, Tachash and Ma‘akhah.
Haftarah Vayera: M’lakhim Bet (2 Kings) 4:1–37 (A); 4:1–23 (S)
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayera: Luke 17:26 –37; Romans 9:6 – 9; Galatians 4:21–31; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 6:13–20; 11:13–19; Ya‘akov (James) 2:14–24; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 2:4–10