Some years after this it came to pass that God proved Abraham and said: Take now thy son, Isaac, thine only son, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt offering, and went unto the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. He said then to his young men: Abide ye here, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship. And he took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. Then Isaac said: Father, here is wood and fire; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham answered: God will provide himself the lamb, my son. So they went both of them together. When they came to the place, Abraham built an altar, laid the wood in order, bound Isaac and laid him upon the wood. And he stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Then the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said: Abraham, Abraham! Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw a ram behind him, caught in the thicket by his horns. And he took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.—God called the second time out of heaven and said: Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me, I will exceedingly bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. So Abraham returned unto his young men and went with them to his home. (Gen. 22:1-19.)
[13. Isaac]
When Sarah was dead, Abraham said to Eliezer, who ruled his house: Promise me that thou wilt not take one of the daughters of the Canaanites to be a wife for my son; but thou shalt go unto my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son Isaac. Eliezer then took ten of his master’s camels, having all goodly things of his master’s in his hand, and he went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels kneel down without the city by the well at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. And he said: Lord, God of Abraham, show this day kindness unto my master. I stand now by this well, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. I will then say to one of them: Let me drink of thy pitcher. If she answer: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; let the same be she that thou hast appointed as wife for Thy servant Isaac. Before he yet had done speaking, Rebekah came out, and she was very fair, and she had her pitcher on her shoulder and went to the well and filled her pitcher. And the servant went to her and said: Give me to drink, I pray thee, of thy pitcher. And she said: Drink, my lord, and I will give thy camels drink also, and she drew water for all his camels. And he wondered greatly while he looked on. When all the camels had done drinking he gave her a ring and two bracelets of gold and said: Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge in? She said: I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor. We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. Then the man bowed his head, worshipped the Lord and said: Blessed be the Lord, who hath led me in the way to the house of my master’s brother. And Rebekah ran home and told all these words.
Rebekah’s brother, Laban, ran out to the man, brought him into the house, gave the camels straw and provender, and set food before him to eat; but he said: I will not eat until I have told mine errand. When he had told all, Laban and Bethuel answered: This comes from the Lord; take Rebekah and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her: Wilt thou go with this man? And she said: I will go. Then Eliezer took her and went his way. And Isaac brought her into Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife, and he loved her.
Abraham lived happy in the faith in the Savior, who was to come. He was 175 years old when he died and was gathered to his people. Isaac became heir of all that he had, and became a chief for his people, and the Lord blessed him and said: Unto thee and thy seed will I give the land of Canaan, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (Gen. 24; 25: 1-11; 26:3, 4.)
[14. Esau and Jacob]
Twenty years had passed, and Rebekah had no children. Then the Lord said to her: Thou shalt bear two sons, and the elder shall serve the younger. When her time came, she bore twins; the first-born was hairy all over, and was called Esau, and the second was called Jacob. And the boys grew, and Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob had boiled pottage and Esau came in from the field, feeling faint, Esau said: Give me, I pray thee, the pottage. Jacob answered: Sell me first thy birthright. And Esau said: Behold, I am about to die; what profit shall the birthright do to me? So he sold his birthright to Jacob for that pottage of lentils, and he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way, and he despised his birthright. (Gen. 25:23-34.)
[15. Jacob Obtains the Blessing]
When Isaac was old and nearly blind, he said one day to Esau: Take thy quiver and thy bow, go out to the field, and take me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat thereof and bless thee before I die. Rebekah, who heard this, told Jacob to go to the father in Esau’s stead and obtain the blessing. Jacob answered: My brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father may feel me, and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. But she persuaded him, killed two kids of the goats and made savory food, and she put the skins of the kids of goats upon Jacob’s hands and neck, and he went to his father and asked for the blessing. Isaac said: How is it that thou found it so quickly, my son? Jacob answered: The Lord thy God sent me good speed. Isaac said: Come nearer, my son, that I may feel thee. And he felt him and said: The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he did eat of Jacob’s food, and blessed him and set him as lord over his brother, as if he were the first-born, and said: Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be every one that blesseth thee.
Jacob was scarce gone out before Esau came in from his hunting, made savory food, and brought it in to his father and said: Let my father eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. Isaac said: Who art thou? Esau answered: I am Esau, thy first-born son. Then Isaac trembled exceedingly and said: Who then is he that hath taken venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of it, and blessed him? and he shall be blessed. Esau answered: Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? Bless even me also, O my father! And he lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac said: By thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother.—Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing, and threatened to slay him when his father died. Then said Rebekah unto Jacob: Flee to my brother Laban, and tarry with him until thy brother’s fury turn away. (Gen. 27.)