One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 44
January 9
the wilderness of Paran. His mother
arranged for him to marry a woman
from the land of Egypt.
22 About this time, Abimelech came
with Phicol, his army commander,
to visit Abraham. “God is obviously
with you, helping you in everything
you do,” Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to
me in God’s name that you will never
deceive me, my children, or any of my
descendants. I have been loyal to you,
so now swear that you will be loyal to
me and to this country where you are
living as a foreigner.”
24
Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear
to it!” 25 Then Abraham complained
to Abimelech about a well that Abim
elech’s servants had taken by force
from Abraham’s servants.
26 “This is the first I’ve heard of it,”
Abimelech answered. “I have no idea
who is responsible. You have never
complained about this before.”
27
Abraham then gave some of his
sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech,
and they made a treaty. 28 But Abra
ham also took seven additional female
lambs and set them off by themselves.
29
Abimelech asked, “Why have you
set these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept
these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 31 Then he
named the place Beersheba (which
means “well of the oath”), because
that was where they had sworn the
oath.
32 After making their cov
enant at
Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phi
col, the commander of his army, and
they returned home to the land of the
Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a
tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there
he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal
God.* 34 And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long
time.
34
sacrifice him as a burnt offering on
one of the mountains, which I will
show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up
early. He saddled his donkey and took
two of his servants with him, along
with his son, I saac. Then he chopped
wood for a fire for a burnt offering
and set out for the place God had told
him about. 4 On the third day of their
journey, Abraham looked up and saw
the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here
with the donkey,” Abraham told the
servants. “The boy and I will travel a
little farther. We will worship there,
and then we will come right back.”
6 So Abraham placed the wood for
the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the
fire and the knife. As the two of them
walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to
Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,”
the boy said, “but where is the sheep
for the burnt offering?”
8 “God will provide a sheep for the
burnt offering, my son,” Abraham
answered. And they both walked on
together.
9 When they arrived at the place
where God had told him to go, Abra
ham built an altar and arranged the
wood on it. Then he tied his son,
Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top
of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked
up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of
the Lord called to him from heaven,
“Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the
angel said. “Do not hurt him in any
way, for now I know that you truly fear
God. You have not withheld from me
even your son, your only son.”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw
a ram caught by its horns in a thicket.
22:1 Some time later, God tested Abra
So he took the ram and sacrificed it as
ham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
a burnt offering in place of his son.
14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only
son— Yireh (which means “the Lord will
yes, Isaac, whom you love so m
uch— provide”). To this day, people still
and go to the land of Moriah. Go and use that name as a proverb: “On
