Genesis

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

1Some time later, God tested Abraham. God called him, "Abraham!" Abraham said, "I am here."

NoteThe KJV says God did "tempt" Abraham. In 1611 that word meant to test someone, not to pull them toward doing wrong.

2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

2God said, "Take your son Isaac. He is your only son, and you love him. Go to the land called Moriah. There give him to me as a burnt offering, a gift burned on a stone table. I will show you which mountain."

3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

3Abraham got up early the next morning. He put a saddle on his donkey. He took two of his workers and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the offering. Then he set out for the place God had named.

4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

4On the third day, Abraham looked up. He saw the place far away.

5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

5Abraham told his workers, "Wait here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship. Then we will come back to you."

NoteThe KJV calls Isaac a "lad" and calls the workers "young men." Both are old words for boys and young men who did work for someone.

6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

6Abraham put the wood on his son Isaac to carry. He himself carried the fire and the knife. The two of them walked on together.

7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

7Isaac said, "Father." Abraham said, "I am here, my son." Isaac said, "We have the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for the offering?"

8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

8Abraham said, "My son, God will give us the lamb himself." And the two of them walked on together.

9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

9They came to the place God had named. Abraham built an altar there, a stone table for offerings. He laid the wood on it. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the wood.

10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

10Abraham reached out his hand. He picked up the knife to kill his son.

11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

11Then the LORD's angel, his messenger, called from heaven. "Abraham! Abraham!" Abraham said, "I am here."

12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

12The angel said, "Do not touch the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you honor God. You did not hold back your son, your only son, from me."

13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

13Abraham looked up and saw a ram behind him. Its horns were stuck in a bush. Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

14Abraham named that place "The LORD Will Give What Is Needed." People still say today, "On the LORD's mountain it will be given."

Note"Jehovahjireh" is a Hebrew name. It means "the LORD will see to it" or "the LORD will provide."

15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

15The LORD's angel called to Abraham from heaven a second time.

16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

16The angel said, "This is what the LORD says. I make this promise on my own name. You did this, and you did not hold back your only son.

17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

17So I will surely bless you. I will give you so many children and grandchildren. They will be like the stars in the sky. They will be like the sand on the shore. Your family will take the city gates of their enemies.

NoteCity gates were where leaders met and decided things. To hold the gate meant to be in charge of the city.

18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

18Through your family, every nation on earth will be blessed. This is because you obeyed my voice."

19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

19Abraham went back to his workers. Together they set out for Beersheba. Abraham made his home in Beersheba.

20And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

20Some time later, someone brought Abraham news. "Milcah has had sons too. They belong to your brother Nahor.

21Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,

21The oldest is Huz. Then came his brother Buz, and then Kemuel. Kemuel is the father of Aram.

22And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

22Then came Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

23And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah had these eight sons for Nahor, Abraham's brother.

24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

24Nahor also had a second wife named Reumah. She had Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.