Chapter 22

Chapter 22

1 Now it came to pass after these things that The All-Powerful One tested Abraham, calling out to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”

2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son whom you deeply love—Isaac—and go out directly to the land of Moriah; there, offer him up as an ascension-offering upon one of the mountains that I will point out to you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men along with him, as well as his son Isaac; he split the wood for the ascension-offering, arose, and traveled toward the place that The All-Powerful One had designated.

4 On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

5 Abraham then said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the youth will travel yonder, bow down in worship, and then return directly to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the ascension-offering and placed it upon his son Isaac, while he carried the fire and the slaughter-knife in his own hand; so the two of them walked onward together.

7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham, saying, “My father!” And he answered, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac asked, “Look, here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the ascension-offering?”

8 Abraham replied, “The All-Powerful One will provide for Himself the lamb for the ascension-offering, my son.” So the two of them walked onward together.

9 When they arrived at the place that The All-Powerful One had designated to him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood; then he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the slaughter-knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the Messenger of The Self-Existent called out to him from the sky and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”

12 Then He said, “Do not lay your hand upon the youth, nor do anything at all to him; for now I know that you stand in awe of The All-Powerful One, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

13 Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; so Abraham went, took the ram, and offered it up as an ascension-offering in place of his son.

14 And Abraham named that place The Self-Existent Will Provide (YHWH Yireh), as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of The Self-Existent it shall be provided.”

15 Then the Messenger of The Self-Existent called out to Abraham from the sky a second time,

16 and said, “By Me I have sworn an oath, declares The Self-Existent: because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will abundantly endow you with the power of life, and multiplying I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the skies and like the sand on the seashore; and your offspring shall conquer the cities of his enemies.

18 Through your offspring all the nations of the earth shall find the power of life for themselves, because you listened closely to My voice.”

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and traveled onward together to Beersheba; and Abraham resided at Beersheba.

20 Now it came to pass after these things that it was reported to Abraham, saying, “Look, Milcah herself has physically 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 Bethuel fathered Rebekah. These eight Milcah physically bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24 Even his concubine, whose name was Reumah, physically bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.