2God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”

3Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place that God had told him about. 4Two days later Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go over there. We’ll worship. After that we’ll come back to you.”

6Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to his son Isaac. Abraham carried the burning coals and the knife. The two of them went on together.

7Isaac spoke up and said, “Father?”

“Yes, Son?” Abraham answered.

Isaac asked, “We have the burning coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8Abraham answered, “God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering, Son.”

The two of them went on together. 9When they came to the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. 10Next, Abraham picked up the knife and took it in his hand to sacrifice his son. 11But the Messenger of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes?” he answered.

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 did not refuse to give me your son, your only son.”

13When Abraham looked around, he saw a ram behind him caught by its horns in a bush. So Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide. It is still said today, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The LORD’s Seventh Promise to Abraham

15Then the Messenger of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I am taking an oath on my own name, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not refused to give me your son, your only son, 17I will certainly bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of their enemies’ cities. 18Through your descendant all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and together they left for Beersheba. Abraham remained in Beersheba.

Abraham Learns of Nahor’s Descendants

20Later Abraham was told, “Milcah has given birth to these children of your brother Nahor: 21Uz (the firstborn), Buz (his brother), Kemuel (father of Aram), 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23Bethuel is the father of Rebekah. Milcah had these eight sons by Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24Nahor’s concubine,#22:24 A concubine is considered a wife except she has fewer rights under the law. whose name was Reumah, had the following children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.”

Learn More

Genesis 22

1And it came to pass after these things, that God#GodHebrew: Elohim tried Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! and he said, Here am I. 2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and there offer him up for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up and went to the place that God#GodHebrew: Elohim had told him of. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5And Abraham said to his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and the knife, and they went both of them together. 7And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, My father! And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the sheep for a burnt-offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God#GodHebrew: Elohim will provide himself with the sheep for a burnt-offering. And they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place of which God#GodHebrew: Elohim had told him. And Abraham built the altar there, and piled the wood; and he bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens, and said, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Stretch not out thy hand against the lad, neither do anything to him; for now I know that thou fearest God#GodHebrew: Elohim and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt-offering instead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided.

15And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham from the heavens a second time, 16and said, By myself I swear, saith Jehovah, that, because thou hast done this, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17I will richly bless thee, and greatly multiply thy seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is on the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because thou hast hearkened to my voice. 19And Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

20And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she also has borne sons to thy brother Nahor: 21Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23(And Bethuel begot Rebecca.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24And his concubine, named Reumah, she also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maacah.

First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Learn More

Choose your language

Genesis 22

Genesis 22