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.”

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Genesis 22

Chapter 22

Abraham and Isaac

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

Genesis 22