1Some time later, God wanted to see if Abraham really trusted him. God said to him, ‘Abraham!’ Abraham replied, ‘Here I am.’ 2God said, ‘Take your son and go to the land of Moriah. Take your only son Isaac, whom you love. You must offer him to me there as a burnt offering. I will show you the mountain where you must do this.’

3Abraham got up early the next morning. He made his donkey ready for the journey. He took two servants with him, and also his son Isaac. First, he cut wood for the fire to make the burnt offering. Then he started on his journey to the place that God had told him. 4On the third day of the journey, Abraham could see the place. It was not very far away. 5He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey. I will take the boy and we will go over there. We will worship God in that place and then we will come back to you.’ #22:5 Abraham says, ‘we will come back to you’. He trusted God to keep his promise. God had promised that he would have descendants from Isaac. He did not know how God would do that, because he knew that he must offer Isaac to God as a sacrifice.

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering. He gave it to Isaac to carry. Abraham himself carried the fire and the knife. The two of them walked on together. 7Isaac spoke to his father, Abraham. He said, ‘Father?’ Abraham replied ‘Yes my son, what is it?’ Isaac replied, ‘I see that the fire and the wood are here. But where is the lamb so that we can make the burnt offering?’ #22:7 In those days, people killed lambs as sacrifices to God.

8Abraham replied, ‘My son, God himself will bring the lamb for the burnt offering.’

The two of them continued to walk on together. 9They came to the place that God told them. Abraham built an altar there. He put the wood on it, ready for the fire. Then he tied his son Isaac. He lifted him up and he put him on top of the wood on the altar. 10Then Abraham took hold of the knife. He was ready to kill his son as a sacrifice.

11But then the angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham from heaven. He said, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ Abraham replied, ‘Here I am.’ 12The angel said, ‘Do not hurt the boy! Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you respect God and you obey him. Isaac is your only son and you agreed to offer him to me as a sacrifice. You did not try to keep him safe.’ #22:12 Abraham still believed that God would keep his promise. So he believed that God would bring Isaac back from death. See Hebrews 11:17-19.

13Just then, Abraham looked round and he saw a male sheep behind him. Its horns were caught in some bushes. So he went and he took hold of the sheep. Abraham killed the sheep on the altar as a burnt offering to God. In that way, he killed the sheep as a sacrifice, instead of his son. #22:13 See John 1:29.

14Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will give me what I need.’ #22:14 In the Hebrew language, the name is sometimes written as ‘Jehovah Jireh’. People still say today, ‘On the mountain of the Lord, he will give us what we need.’

15The angel of the Lord called from heaven to Abraham again. 16The angel said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I promise that this is what I will do for you. You did not try to keep your son safe, but you offered him to me. And he was your only son. 17Because you have done this, I will bless you. I will make your descendants become so many that people cannot count them. They will be as many as the stars that are in the sky. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore by the sea. Your descendants will win against their enemies and their enemies' cities. 18I will bless all the nations on the earth through your descendants. I will do this because you have obeyed me.’

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, with Isaac. Together they all left to go to Beersheba. Abraham lived there for a time.

20Later, someone told Abraham ‘Milcah also has given birth to children. Your brother Nahor is their father.’ 21The names of the children were: Uz, the son who was born first. Then his brother Buz. Then Kemuel, who is the father of Aram. 22Then five more sons: Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. 23Bethuel later became the father of Rebekah. Those were the eight sons of Milcah and Abraham's brother, Nahor. 24Nahor also had a slave wife. Her name was Reumah. She also gave birth to sons for Nahor. Their names were: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

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Genesis 22

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 sacrificial knife, # The same word is used in Jdg 19:29 and 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 # 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 # 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 # 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, # Or Yahweh-yireh so today it is said: “It will be provided # 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, # Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg add from Me 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 gates of their enemies. # Gn 24:60 18And all the nations of the earth will be blessed # Or will bless themselves, 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.

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Genesis 22

Genesis 22