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.”

Psalm 130

Awaiting Redemption

A song of ascents.

The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(A) who takes away the sin^(B) of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t know him,^(C) but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed^(D) to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit^(E) descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him.^{(F) 33} I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{(G) 34} I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”^[a](H)

¹⁶ For God loved^(A) the world in this way:^[a] He gave^[b] his one and only^(B) Son,^(C) so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.^{(D) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn^(E) the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,^(F) because he has not believed in the name^(G) of the one and only Son^(H) of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment: The light^(I) has come into the world,^(J) and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates^(K) the light and avoids it,^[c] so that his deeds^(L) may not be exposed. ²¹ But anyone who lives by^[d] the truth comes to the light, so that his works^(M) may be shown to be accomplished by God.”