Genesis 22

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.

Genesis 22

1After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, “Abraham!”

“Yes?” answered Abraham. “I’m listening.”

2He said, “Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I’ll point out to you.”

3-5Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.

7Isaac said to Abraham his father, “Father?”

“Yes, my son.”

“We have flint and wood, but where’s the sheep for the burnt offering?”

8Abraham said, “Son, God will see to it that there’s a sheep for the burnt offering.” And they kept on walking together.

9-10They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.

11Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

12“Don’t lay a hand on that boy! Don’t touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn’t hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me.”

13Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That’s where we get the saying, “On the mountain of God, he sees to it.”

15-18The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: “I swear—God’s sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I’ll bless you—oh, how I’ll bless you! And I’ll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me.”

19Then Abraham went back to his young servants. They got things together and returned to Beersheba. Abraham settled down in Beersheba.

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20-23After all this, Abraham got the news: “Your brother Nahor is a father! Milcah has given him children: Uz, his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (he was the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” (Bethuel was the father of Rebekah.) Milcah gave these eight sons to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24His concubine, Reumah, gave him four more children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

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Genesis 22