With his sword he smote it; as a sacrifice he adorned
The reeking altar with the ram’s hot blood,
Gave to his God this gift and thanked him
For all of the favors that before and after
2935 The Lord had allowed him in his loving grace.
[1.] This selection is based directly on the biblical account of the offering of Isaac. The clearness with which the picture is visualized by the poet, and the fine restraint in the telling of the dramatic incident make this passage a fitting close for the paraphrase of Genesis.
[2928.] Haran, the brother of Abraham, is mentioned in Genesis, 11:26, ff.
SELECTIONS FROM EXODUS
[Critical edition: Francis A. Blackburn, Exodus and Daniel, Boston and London, 1907, Belles-Lettres Series.
Translation: Kennedy, The Cædmon Poems, p. 99.