Kuyesedwa kwa Abrahamu
1Nthawi ina zitatha izi, Mulungu anamuyesa Abrahamu. Iye anati, “Abrahamu!”
Ndipo iye anayankha kuti, “Ee Ambuye.”
2Ndipo Mulungu anati, “Tenga Isake, mwana wako yekhayo amene umamukonda ndi kupita naye ku dziko la Moriya. Ukamupereke iye ngati nsembe yopsereza pa limodzi la mapiri a kumeneko limene ndidzakuwuza.”
3Abrahamu anadzuka mmamawa wake namangirira chokhalira pa bulu. Atadula nkhuni zokwanira zowotchera nsembe yopsereza, Abrahamu, antchito ake awiri pamodzi ndi Isake ananyamuka kupita kumalo kumene Mulungu anamuwuza Abrahamu. 4Pa tsiku lachitatu, Abrahamu anakweza maso ake ndipo anaona malowo chapatali. 5Ndipo Abrahamu anati kwa antchito ake aja, “Bakhalani pano ndi buluyu. Ine ndi mnyamatayu tipita uko kukapemphera, koma tibweranso.”
6Abrahamu anatenga nkhuni za nsembe yopsereza zija namusenzetsa mwana wake Isake, ndipo iye mwini anatenga moto ndi mpeni. Pamene awiriwo amayendera pamodzi, 7Isake anati kwa abambo ake Abrahamu, “Abambo?”
Abrahamu anayankha, “Ee mwana wanga.”
Isake anafunsa, “Moto ndi nkhuni zilipo, koma nanga mwana wankhosa wa nsembe yopsereza ali kuti?”
8Abrahamu anayankha, “Mwana wanga, Mulungu adzipezera yekha mwana wankhosa wa nsembe yopsereza.” Ndipo awiriwo anapitiriza ulendo.
9Atafika pamalo pamene Mulungu anamuwuza paja, Abrahamu anamangapo guwa lansembe nayika nkhuni pamwamba pa guwapo. Kenaka anamumanga mwana wake Isake namugoneka paguwapo, pamwamba pa nkhuni paja. 10Kenaka Abrahamu anatambasula dzanja lake natenga mpeni kuti aphe mwana wake. 11Koma mngelo wa Yehova anayitana Abrahamu kuchokera kumwamba nati, “Abrahamu! Abrahamu!”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Ee Ambuye.”
12Mngeloyo anati, “Usatambasulire mwanayo dzanja lako kuti umuphe, pakuti tsopano ndadziwa kuti iwe umaopa Mulungu. Iwe sunandimane mwana wako mmodzi yekhayo.”
13Abrahamu anatukula maso ake ndipo anaona nkhosa yamphongo itakoledwa ndi nyanga zake mu ziyangoyango. Iye anapita nakatenga nkhosa ija ndikuyipha ngati nsembe yopsereza mʼmalo mwa mwana wake. 14Choncho Abrahamu anatcha malo amenewa kuti Yehova-Yire (Wopereka). Ndipo mpaka lero amatchula malowo kuti ndi “Pa phiri la Yehova wopereka.”
15Mngelo wa Yehova anayitana Abrahamu kuchokera kumwamba kachiwiri 16ndipo anati, “Ndikulumbira mwa Ine ndekha kuti popeza wachita zimenezi, wosandikaniza mwana wako mmodzi yekhayu, 17ndidzakudalitsa ndithu ndipo ndidzakupatsa zidzukulu zochuluka ngati nyenyezi zamlengalenga komanso ngati mchenga wa mʼmphepete mwa nyanja. Zidzukulu zako zidzalanda mizinda ya adani awo, 18ndipo kudzera mwa chidzukulu chako, mitundu yonse ya anthu pa dziko lapansi idzadalitsika, chifukwa iwe wandimvera.”
19Kenaka Abrahamu anabwerera kumene anasiya antchito ake kuja nanyamukira nawo pamodzi kupita ku Beeriseba. Ndipo Abrahamu anakhala ku Beeriseba.
Ana Aamuna a Nahori
20Patapita nthawi, Abrahamu anamva kuti, “Milika nayenso anaberekera Nahori, mʼbale wake ana. 21Woyamba anali Huzi ndipo kenaka mʼbale wake Buzi. Anaberekanso Kemueli, amene anali abambo ake a Aramu. 22Ana ena ndi Kesede Hazo, Pilidasi, Yidilafi ndi Betueli.” 23Betueli anabereka Rebeka. Milika anaberekera Nahori, mʼbale wake wa Abrahamu, ana aamuna asanu ndi atatu amenewa. 24Mkazi wake wachiwiri, dzina lake Reuma, anamubaliranso Nahori ana awa: Teba, Gahamu, Tahasi ndi Maaka.
Abraham Tested
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram22:13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring22:18 Or seed all nations on earth will be blessed,22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) because you have obeyed me.”
19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Nahor’s Sons
20Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.
