Abrahams Loyalty To God
Later Jehovah tested Abraham, saying to him, "Abraham"; and he answered,
"Here am I." Jehovah said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a
burnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of
his servants with him, and his son Isaac. When he had split the wood for
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the burnt-offering, he set out for the place of which God had told him.
On the third day, when Abraham looked up and saw the place in the
distance, he said to his servants, "Stay here with the ass, while I and
the lad go over there. When we have worshipped, we will come back to
you."
Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt-offering and laid it on Isaac,
his son. And he took the fire and the knife, and they both went on
together. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!"
and Abraham answered, "Yes, my son." Isaac said, "Here is the fire and
the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?" Abraham answered,
"My son, God will himself provide a lamb for a burnt-offering." So the
two went on together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the
altar there and laid the wood on it and bound Isaac his son and laid him
on the altar upon the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand, and took
the knife to kill his son. But the angel of Jehovah called to him from
heaven, saying, "Abraham, Abraham!" and he answered, "Here am I." And he
said, "Do not put your hand upon the boy, nor do anything to him, for
now I know that you love God, for you have not refused to give your son,
your only son, to him."
Then Abraham looked up, and he saw a ram caught in the thicket by his
horns. So Abraham took the ram and offered him up as a burnt-offering
instead of his son. And he named the place Jehovah-jireh, which means,
"Jehovah will Provide."
The angel of Jehovah again called to Abraham and said, "Jehovah
declares, 'Because you have done this thing and have not kept back your
son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will make your
children as many as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is
on the seashore, so that they shall conquer their enemies, and all the
nations of the earth shall ask for themselves a blessing like theirs,
because you have obeyed my command.'"