Chapter 22

  After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.  

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  He said to him: Take thy only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision: and there thou shalt offer him for a holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will show thee.  

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  So Abraham rising up in the night, saddled his ass: and took with him two young men, and Isaac his son: and when he had cut wood for the holocaust he went his way to the place which God had commanded him.  

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  And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off.  

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  And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you.  

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  And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together,  

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  Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust?  

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  And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together.  

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  And they came to the place which God had shown him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it: and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood.  

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  And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.  

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  And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.  

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  And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake.  

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  Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.  

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  And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon even to this day it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see.  

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  And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying:  

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  By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake:  

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  I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the seashore: thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies.  

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

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  Abraham returned to his young men, and they went to Bersabee together, and he dwelt there.  

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  After these things, it was told Abraham that Melcha also had borne children to Nachor his brother.  

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  Hus the firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians,  

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  And Cased, and Azau, and Pheldas, and Jedlaph,  

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  And Bathuel, of whom was born Rebecca: These eight did Melcha bear to Nachor Abraham's brother.  

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  And his concubine, named Roma, bore Tabee, and Gaham, and Tahas, and Maacha.  

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