Genesis 21:22-22:19

New King James Version

A Covenant with Abimelech

²² And it came to pass at that time that ^(A)Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, ^(B)“God is with you in all that you do. ²³ Now therefore, ^(C)swear^[a] to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”

²⁴ And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

²⁵ Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants ^(D)had seized. ²⁶ And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” ²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them ^(E)made a ^[b]covenant. ²⁸ And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

²⁹ Then Abimelech asked Abraham, ^(F)“What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”

³⁰ And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that ^(G)they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore he ^(H)called that place ^[c]Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

³² Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and ^(I)there called on the name of the Lord, ^(J)the Everlasting God. ³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.

Abraham’s Faith Confirmed^(K)

22 Now it came to pass after these things that ^(L)God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

² Then He said, “Take now your son, ^(M)your only son Isaac, whom you ^(N)love, and go ^(O)to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a ^(P)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

³ 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 the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵ And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the ^[d]lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will ^(Q)come back to you.”

⁶ So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and ^(R)laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. ⁷ But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the ^[e]lamb for a burnt offering?”

⁸ And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the ^(S)lamb for a ^(T)burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and ^(U)laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹ But the ^(V)Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

So he said, “Here I am.”

¹² And He said, ^(W)“Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for ^(X)now I know that you fear God, since you have not ^(Y)withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of the place, ^[f]The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

¹⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶ and said: ^(Z)“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will ^(AA)bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants ^(AB)as the stars of the heaven ^(AC)and as the sand which is on the seashore; and ^(AD)your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ^18 (AE)In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ^(AF)because you have obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to ^(AG)Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.