God said, “I want you to take your son Isaac, whom you love, up to the top of the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice.”

The next morning Abraham awoke early, saddled up his donkey, and chopped some wood for the offering. After everything was ready, Abraham and his son Isaac took two of their servants and set out for the mountain. About three days into their journey, they saw the mountain in the distance. Abraham told his servants, “Stay here. Isaac and I are going up the mountain to worship, then we will come right back.”

Abraham took the knife and the fire from the servants, and he placed the wood for the sacrifice on Isaac’s shoulders. As they were walking up the mountain, Isaac became curious and asked, “Father, we have the wood and the fire, but where is the lamb we are going to sacrifice?” Abraham told him, “God Himself will provide a lamb.”

When they arrived at the top of the mountain, they built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then Abraham tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. Then he took the knife and lifted it to kill his son as a sacrifice to God. At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes, I’m listening,” he replied.

The Angel said, “Put down the knife. Do not hurt your son. It’s clear you trust me because you did not hesitate to give me what you love the most.” Then Abraham looked behind him and saw a ram with his horns caught in a bush. He caught the ram and offered it to God in place of his son. Abraham named that place at the top of the mountain “God Will Provide.”

Then the Angel of God spoke to Abraham again, telling him, “God wants to tell you: Because you have not refused to give me your son, I will bless you greatly! Your family will multiply into millions—like the stars in the sky and the sand on the beaches! Your descendants will defeat their enemies. The entire earth will be blessed through your family because you chose to obey me.”

Then Abraham and Isaac went down the mountain, met up with their servants, and returned home.