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The Sacrifice of Isaac
1After these things God tested Abraham#Dt 8:2,16; 1Co 10:13; Heb 11:17; Jms 1:12–14; 1Pt 1:6–7 and said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2“Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love,#Gn 22:12,16; Jr 6:26; Am 8:10; Mk 12:6; Lk 7:12; Jn 3:16; 1Jn 4:9 go to the land of Moriah,#2Ch 3:1 and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3So Abraham got up early in the morning,#Jos 3:1 saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4On the third day#Ex 19:11,16; Jos 9:17; Jdg 20:30; 2Sm 1:2; 1Kg 12:12; 2Kg 20:5; Est 5:1; Hs 6:2; Mt 17:23 Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac.#Jn 19:17 In his hand he took the fire and the knife,#Jdg 19:29; Pr 30:14 and the two of them walked on together.
7Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”
And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”
Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide#22:8 Lit see#Gn 22:14 the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
9When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac#22:9 Or Isaac hand and foot and placed him on the altar#Heb 11:17; Jms 2:21 on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
He replied, “Here I am.”
12Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”#Rm 8:32 13Abraham looked up and saw a ram#22:13 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX, Syr, Tg; other Hb mss read saw behind him a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide,#22:14 = Yahweh-yireh so today it is said, “It will be provided#22:14 Or “He will be seen on the Lord’s mountain.”
15Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, “By myself I have sworn,”#Ps 105:9; Lk 1:73; Heb 6:13 this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17I will indeed bless you#Heb 6:14 and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky#Gn 15:5; 26:4; Jr 33:22; Heb 11:12 and the sand on the seashore.#Gn 13:16; 32:12 Your offspring will possess the city gates of their#22:17 Lit his enemies.#Gn 24:60 18And all the nations of the earth will be blessed#22:18 Or will consider themselves blessed, or will find blessing by your offspring#Gn 12:3; 26:4; Ac 3:25; Gl 3:8 because you have obeyed my command.”
19Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.
Rebekah’s Family
20Now after these things Abraham was told, “Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:#Gn 11:29 21Uz his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23And Bethuel fathered Rebekah.#Gn 24:15 Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.