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Genesis 22

1After these events God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split wood for the burnt offering, rose, and went to the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place from far away. 5Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go over there, bow down in worship, and return to you.” 6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked together. 7Isaac said to Abraham his father, “My father!” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Look, the fire and the wood—but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God will see to the sheep for the burnt offering himself, my son.” And the two of them walked together.

9They came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built the altar there, arranged the wood, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11Yahweh's messenger called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from me.” 13Abraham lifted his eyes and saw, and look, behind him was a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14Abraham named that place Yahweh-will-see, as it is said today, “On Yahweh's mountain it will be seen.”

15Yahweh's messenger called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares Yahweh: because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only one, 17I will certainly bless you and greatly multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of their enemies. 18All the nations of the earth will bless themselves by your offspring, because you have listened to my voice.” 19Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beer-sheba. Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.

20After these events Abraham was told, “Look, Milcah too has borne sons to Nahor your brother: 21Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23Bethuel fathered Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Translation notes 4

22:1–2, 9–12 — Testing; only son. The narrator calls this a test; Abraham is given a command to offer Isaac and reaches for the knife to slaughter him. The force of the command is not reduced to dedication. “Your only one” stresses Isaac's unique position in this relationship and promise; the narrative has already named Ishmael and does not deny his existence. “Now I know” remains the messenger's statement without an added theory of divine knowledge.

22:5–8 — Return; sheep. Abraham says that both will return. His statement is retained without supplying an account of his inner expectations. The animal word covers a sheep or goat and does not specify a young lamb. “See to” expresses provision while preserving the seeing word that recurs in the place-name.

22:13–14 — Behind; seeing. “Behind him” follows the Hebrew word meaning behind or afterward; “one ram,” supported by a different consonant reading in ancient witnesses, is an alternative. The place-name can mean Yahweh will provide; the proverb's pointed verb is passive, “will be seen” or “will appear.” The draft keeps the different verbal forms instead of translating both as an identical provision formula.

22:17–24 — Blessing; family. Possessing the enemy's gate pictures victory or control over a city. Verse 18 has a reflexive blessing form, rendered as nations invoking Abraham's offspring in their own blessings; “will be blessed through” is also defensible. The family notice introduces Rebekah before her story in chapter 24. A concubine is a recognized secondary partner with lower standing than a wife, not simply a casual sexual encounter.