God wanted to know if Abraham really trusted him

1A long time later God wanted to know if Abraham really trusted him with everything. God called out to him and said, “Abraham.” And Abraham answered, “Yes God I am listening to you.”

2Then God said, “I know that you love your special son Isaac, but I want you to take him to the country called Moriah. On one of the big hills that I will show you, I want you to show how much you respect me. I want you to kill Isaac there and burn his body on a table made of stones called an altar.”

3The next morning, Abraham cut wood for the fire and tied the wood onto his donkey. He took his son Isaac and 2 workmen, and they started to walk to the place that God was taking him to.

4They had walked for nearly 3 days when Abraham looked up and saw the place God talked about. It was a long way off, but he said to his workmen, “I want you to stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to show respect to God, then we will come back to you.”

6Abraham put the wood onto Isaac's back and Abraham carried the fire stick and the knife. Abraham and Isaac walked along for a while, then Isaac said, “Father.” Abraham answered, “Yes, my son.” Isaac said, “We have the wood and the fire stick, but where is the young sheep we are going to burn to show respect to God?”

8Abraham answered, “God will give us the animal so that we can show him respect.” And they walked on together.

9They got to the place God wanted Abraham to go to. Abraham piled up some stones to make the altar and put the wood on the top. Then he tied up his son Isaac and put him on top of the wood.

10Abraham picked up his sharp knife and was about to kill Isaac, but an angel sent from God called out to him from heaven. The angel said, “Abraham, Abraham.” And Abraham answered, “Yes, I can hear you.”

12The angel said, “Do not kill Isaac or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you respect God so much that you are ready to kill your special son.”

13Abraham looked around him and saw a boy sheep with its horns stuck in a bush. He took Isaac off the wood and let him go free. Then Abraham grabbed the sheep, killed it, and put the sheep on the altar table where Isaac had been lying. So Abraham did not burn Isaac, he burnt the sheep to show respect for God.

14Abraham called that place, God will give you what you need. Even today, people say, “On the Lord's Mountain, he will give you what you need.”

15God's angel called out to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “Abraham, I make my promise with you again. I saw that you were ready to give your son, your only son, to me.

17And so, I will do really good things for you and make you strong. I will give you a big family. Your children's children and all those that come from them will be so many, that they will be like the stars in the sky. And just like you cannot count all the pieces of dirt on the ground, your family will be that many. Your families will grab the towns that belong to any people that go against them.

18And I will use your family to do good things for all the nations in the world. You trusted me and did what I asked and so I will keep my promise.”

19Abraham and Isaac walked back to where Abraham's workers were waiting with the donkey and they all went back to their camp at Beersheba. Abraham and all his people camped there for a long time.

Abraham got news about his brother's family

20Later on, someone came from Abraham's homeland with news about his family. Abraham heard that his brother Nahor's first wife named Milcah had given birth to 8 sons. Their names were, Uz who was the eldest, Buz, Kemuel, who later had a son named Aram, Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaf and Bethuel. Bethuel grew up and had a daughter named Rebekah.

24Nahor had a second wife named Reumah. She had sons for Nahor and they were named, Tebar, Gaham, Tahash and Maycar.