THE OBEDIENCE OF ABRAHAM
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

After this God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham."
And to this call he answered his Lord, "Speak my Lord, for here I am."
God said, "Take your only son Isaac whom you love, and go into
the district of Moria, and there offer him as a holocaust on the hill
	I'll show you."
Early in the morning, Abraham harnessed his ass and took two servants
	with him
as well as his son Isaac and he cut wood for the holocaust. And then
he set out on his journey to the place God had indicated he should go.
After three days he saw the place at a distance ahead, and so
he said to his servants, "Stay with the ass, while the boy and I go up there
to worship; then we shall come back." And he took up the wood
	they did bear
for the holocaust and put it on his son, while he carried the fire and knife.
As they walked, Isaac asked, "Father, where is the sheep where will
	come the life
to offer up in sacrifice? You have the fire and wood." He replied,
"By God himself will the sheep we need for the holocaust be supplied."
They went on and arrived at the place at which God had told him to go,
and Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood just so,
then bound his son and laid him upon the wood on the altar,
	and stretched out
his hand, and took his knife to kill his son. But an angel called out
to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he answered, "I am
	here."
And he said,  "Do not lay a hand on the boy. I know now
	that you do fear
God, since you have not withheld your only son away from me."
Abraham looked about and saw a ran caught by its horns in the bushes.
	So he
went and took it and offered it as a holocaust in place of his son.
Abraham named the place, "Yahweh-hireh' - - 'Here will the Lord's
	providing be done.'
Again the angel of the Lord called from heaven to Abraham and said, 
	"I vow
by myself, says the Lord, since you've done this and have not withheld
	your son, now
I will indeed bless you and surely multiply as the stars of the heavens,
	your seed,
as the sands of the seashore. They shall possess the gates that their
	enemies shall need.
In your descendents all the nations of the earth shall be blessed 
	because you obeyed me."
Abraham returned to his descendents and together went back to his
	home in Bersabee.






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