Through My Bible Yr 03 – March 12

Genesis 21:22 – 22:24

Genesis 21

Abraham and Abimelek

²² At that time Abimelek and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham. He said, “God is with you in everything that you do. ²³ Now swear to me here by God that you will not deal treacherously with me, or with my son, or with my grandson. But just as I have been kind to you, you shall do the same for me and for the land in which you have lived as an alien.”

²⁴ Abraham said, “I will swear it.”

²⁵ Abraham complained to Abimelek because of a well which Abimelek’s servants had seized violently. ²⁶ Abimelek said, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I did not hear about it until today.”

²⁷ Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek. The two of them made a treaty. ^{[1] 28} Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs from the flock.

²⁹ Abimelek said to Abraham, “Why have you set these seven ewe lambs by themselves?”

³⁰ He said, “You shall accept these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal testimony that I have dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore, he called that place Beersheba, ^[2] because they both took an oath there. ³² So they made a treaty at Beersheba. Then Abimelek got up with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he proclaimed ^[3] the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. ³⁴ Abraham lived as an alien in the land of the Philistines for a long time. ^[4]

Abraham Offers Isaac

Genesis 22

¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He called to him, “Abraham!”

Abraham answered, “I am here.”

² God said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there, the one to which I direct you.”

³ Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. Abraham split the wood for the burnt offering. Then he set out to go to the place that God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go on over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to you.” ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and loaded it on Isaac his son. He took the firepot and the knife in his hand. The two of them went on together.

⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father?”

He said, “I am here, my son.”

He said, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them went on together. ⁹ They came to the place that God had told him about. Abraham built the altar there. He arranged the wood, tied up Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

¹¹ The Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”

Abraham said, “I am here.”

¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

¹³ Abraham looked around and saw that behind him there was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord Will Provide.” ^[5] So it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

¹⁵ The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said, “I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your descendants greatly, like the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. ¹⁸ In your seed ^[6] all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his young men, and they set out and traveled together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.

²⁰ Some time after these things Abraham was told, “Listen. Milcah also has borne children for your brother Nahor. ²¹ They are Uz his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight sons Milcah bore for Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ Nahor’s concubine, whose name was Reumah, also gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Ma’akah.