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The Offering of Isaac

22 Now it happened 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 one, whom you love, Isaac, and (D)go forth to the land of (E)Moriah, and offer him there as a (F)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there; and we will worship, and we will return to you.” Then Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and (G)put it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the (H)lamb for the burnt offering?” And 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 (I)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (J)the altar there and arranged the wood and bound his son Isaac and (K)put him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But (L)the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy, and do nothing to him; for now (M)I know that you [b]fear God, since you have not withheld (N)your son, your only one, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there was a ram after it had been caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place [c]Yahweh Will Provide, as it is said this day, “In the mount of Yahweh (O)it will [d]be provided.”

15 Then the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “(P)By Myself I have sworn, declares Yahweh, because you have done this thing and have not spared your son, your only one, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly (Q)multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as (R)the sand which is on the seashore; and (S)your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. 18 (T)In your [e]seed all the nations of the earth shall [f]be blessed, because you have (U)listened to My voice.” 19 (V)So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and walked together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:8 Lit see
  2. Genesis 22:12 Or reverence; lit are a fearer of God
  3. Genesis 22:14 Heb Yahweh-jireh
  4. Genesis 22:14 Lit be seen
  5. Genesis 22:18 Or descendants
  6. Genesis 22:18 Or experience blessing repeatedly, bless themselves

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.

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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