The Offering of Isaac

22 Now it came about after these things, that (A)God tested Abraham, and said to him, “(B)Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now (C)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of (D)Moriah, and offer him there as a (E)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and (F)laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the (G)lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will [a]provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Then they came to (H)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (I)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and (J)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to [b]slaughter his son. 11 But (K)the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now (L)I know that you [c]fear God, since you have not withheld (M)your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place [d]The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord (N)it will [e]be provided.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “(O)By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly (P)multiply your [f]seed as the stars of the heavens and as (Q)the sand, which is on the seashore; and (R)your [g]seed shall possess the gate of [h]their enemies. 18 And (S)in your [i]seed all the nations of the earth shall [j]be blessed, because you have (T)obeyed My voice.” 19 (U)So Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived in Beersheba.

20 Now it came about after these things, that Abraham was told, saying, “Behold, (V)Milcah [k]also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel”— 23 and it was Bethuel who fathered (W)Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, [l]also gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:8 Lit see
  2. Genesis 22:10 I.e., following prescribed ritual
  3. Genesis 22:12 Or revere; lit are a fearer of God
  4. Genesis 22:14 Heb YHWH-jireh; lit the Lord will see
  5. Genesis 22:14 Lit be seen
  6. Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
  7. Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
  8. Genesis 22:17 Lit his
  9. Genesis 22:18 Or descendants
  10. Genesis 22:18 Or bless themselves
  11. Genesis 22:20 Lit she also
  12. Genesis 22:24 Lit she also

Binding of Isaac

22 After these events, God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

Abraham answered, “I’m here.”

God said, “Take your son, your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up as an entirely burned offering there on one of the mountains that I will show you.” Abraham got up early in the morning, harnessed his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, together with his son Isaac. He split the wood for the entirely burned offering, set out, and went to the place God had described to him.

On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place at a distance. Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will walk up there, worship, and then come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the entirely burned offering and laid it on his son Isaac. He took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father?”

Abraham said, “I’m here, my son.”

Isaac said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the entirely burned offering?”

Abraham said, “The lamb for the entirely burned offering? God will see to it,[a] my son.” The two of them walked on together.

They arrived at the place God had described to him. Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 But the Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven, “Abraham? Abraham?”

Abraham said, “I’m here.”

12 The messenger said, “Don’t stretch out your hand against the young man, and don’t do anything to him. I now know that you revere God and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a single ram[b] caught by its horns in the dense underbrush. Abraham went over, took the ram, and offered it as an entirely burned offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place “the Lord sees.”[c] That is the reason people today say, “On this mountain the Lord is seen.”[d]

15 The Lord’s messenger called out to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I give my word as the Lord that because you did this and didn’t hold back your son, your only son, 17 I will bless you richly and I will give you countless descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies’ cities. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your descendants, because you obeyed me.” 19 After Abraham returned to the young men, they got up and went to Beer-sheba where Abraham lived.

Abraham’s nephews in Syria

20 After these events, Abraham was told: “Milcah has now also given birth to sons for your brother Nahor. 21 They are Uz his oldest son, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These are the eight Milcah bore for Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His secondary wife’s name was Reumah, and she gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:8 Or God will see; or God will provide
  2. Genesis 22:13 LXX, Sam, Syr, Tg; MT a ram behind
  3. Genesis 22:14 Or the Lord is seen; or the Lord provides
  4. Genesis 22:14 Or the Lord sees; or on the Lord’s mountain, it will be provided