The Sacrifice of Isaac

22 After these things God tested Abraham^(A) and said to him, ‘Abraham! ’

‘Here I am,’ he answered.

² ‘Take your son,’ he said, ‘your only son Isaac, whom you love,^(B) go to the land of Moriah,^(C) and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’

³ So Abraham got up early in the morning,^(D) 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. ⁴ On the third day^(E) Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ Then 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.’ ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac.^(F) In his hand he took the fire and the knife,^(G) and the two of them walked on together.

⁷ Then 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? ’

⁸ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide^[a](H) the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ Then the two of them walked on together.

⁹ When 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^[b] and placed him on the altar^(I) on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham! ’

He replied, ‘Here I am.’

¹² Then 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.’^{(J) 13} Abraham looked up and saw a ram^[c] 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. ¹⁴ And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide,^[d] so today it is said, ‘It will be provided^[e] on the Lord’s mountain.’

¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said, ‘By myself I have sworn,’^(K) this is the Lord’s declaration: ‘Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, ¹⁷ I will indeed bless you^(L) and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky^(M) and the sand on the seashore.^(N) Your offspring will possess the city gates of their^[f] enemies.^{(O) 18} And all the nations of the earth will be blessed^[g] by your offspring^(P) because you have obeyed my command.’

¹⁹ Abraham 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

²⁰ Now after these things Abraham was told, ‘Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:^{(Q) 21} Uz his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.’ ²³ And Bethuel fathered Rebekah.^(R) Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.