Abraham's Test of Faith

Abraham answered, "Look! Here I am."

Then God said,

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will show you."

So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took two of his young servants and Isaac his son, cut wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place where God had told him to go. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants,

"Stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go over there to worship. Then we will come back to you."

Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son's back. He took coals in his hand, and a knife, and they went off together.

Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, "My father."

Abraham said, "Here I am, my son."

Isaac said,

"I see the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

"My son, God himself will provide a lamb for a burnt offering."

When they arrived at the place which God had spoken of, Abraham built an altar. He stacked the wood in order, tied up his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar over the wood. Then Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!"

Abraham answered, "I'm here!"

The angel said,

"Don't put your hand on the boy, and don't do anything to him, because I now know that you fear God, seeing that you did not hold back your son, your only son from me."

"On the mountain of the Lord it will be seen."

"I have sworn this by my own self, says the Lord. Because you have done this and have not held back your son, your only son, 'I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and like the sand upon the seashore. Your offspring will own the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.'"