English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
1
After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening."
2 He 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.”
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He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you."
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
3
Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
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On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
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Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you."
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.
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Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together.
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
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Isaac said to Abraham his father, "Father?" "Yes, my son." "We have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
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Abraham said, "Son, God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." And they kept on walking together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
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They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
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Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
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Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes, I'm listening."
12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
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"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me."
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
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Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
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Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God, he sees to it."
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
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The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham:
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
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"I swear - God's sure word! - because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son,
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
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I'll bless you - oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish - like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies.
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
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All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me."
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
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Then Abraham went back to his young servants. They got things together and returned to Beersheba. Abraham settled down in Beersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
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After all this, Abraham got the news: "Your brother Nahor is a father! Milcah has given him children:
21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
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Uz, his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (he was the father of Aram),
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
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Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
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(Bethuel was the father of Rebekah.) Milcah gave these eight sons to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
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His concubine, Reumah, gave him four more children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.