Study Desk

This upset Abraham very much. He was worried about his son Ishmael.

But I will also bless the son of your slave woman. He is your son, so I will make a great nation from his family also."

Go help the boy. Hold his hand and lead him. I will make him the father of many people."

His mother found a wife for him in Egypt. They continued to live in the Paran desert.

So Abraham and Abimelech made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, his military commander, went back to the country of the Philistines.

In the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac and two servants with him. He cut the wood for the sacrifice. Then they went to the place where God told them to go.

Then he said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go to that place and worship. Then we will come back to you later."

Abraham took the wood for the sacrifice and put it on his son's shoulder. Abraham took the special knife and fire. Then both he and his son went together to the place for worship.

Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" Abraham answered, "Yes, son?" Isaac said, "I see the wood and the fire. But where is the lamb we will burn as a sacrifice?"

Abraham answered, "God himself is providing the lamb for the sacrifice, my son." So both Abraham and his son went together to that place.

When they came to the place where God told them to go, Abraham built an altar. He carefully laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

Then Abraham reached for his knife to kill his son.

Then Abraham noticed a ram whose horns were caught in a bush. So Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it, instead of his son, as a sacrifice to God.

Then Abraham went back to his servants. They all traveled back to Beersheba, and Abraham stayed there.

After all these things happened, a message was sent to Abraham. It said, "Your brother Nahor and his wife Milcah have children now.

Also Nahor had four other sons from his slave woman Reumah. The sons were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Then he left his dead wife and went to talk to the Hittites. He said,

I would like to buy the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to Ephron. It is at the end of his field. I will pay him the full price. I want all of you to be witnesses that I am buying it as a burial place."

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of that field near Mamre (Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Abraham bought the field and the cave in it from the Hittites. So this became his property to be used as a burial place.