Then was Abraham heavy at heart, because he must drive away his own son into exile; then speedily the True God came to his aid, for He knew that the heart of the man was in dire straits.  The King of the Angels, 2795 the Eternal Lord, spoke to Abraham: 

“Let the sorrow and heart-felt grief slip from thy breast, and obey the woman, thy wife.  Bid both Agar and Ismael to go away, [send] the boy from thy home. 2800 I will make his race far-spreading and powerful in the number of its sons, prosperous in blessings, as I promised thee by my word.”

Then the man obeyed his Master and drove from his home the sad-minded pair, [drove] from his patrimony 2805 the woman and his own son....[39]

“Clear it is and manifest that the True God, the King of Glory, is on thy side, since he gives thee the victory, with wise power, and strengthens thy heart[40] with 2810 divine gifts.  Therefore thou hast succeeded hitherto in whatsoever thou hast begun to perform against friend or foe, in word or deed.  The Lord our Master thrusteth forward thy desires with His own hands:  that is widely known among men.  I pray thee now, 2815 chief of the Ebrews, by my words, to give me a faithful assurance of thy pledge that thou wilt be a true friend to me, in return for the good things which I have given 2820 for thy glory, since thou camest solitary from afar into this country with the tread of an exile.  Requite me now with thy favor, so that I may not be sparing of land and pleasure to thee.  Be propitious now to this people 2825 and city of mine, if Our Almighty Lord who holdeth the fates will grant that thou mayst further distribute riches and pleasing treasures, and set up thy landmarks, among 2830 the warriors in this country.”

Then Abraham gave pledges to Abimeleh that he would [do] thus.

XXXV.

After this the holy son of Thare, chief of the Ebrews, was a dweller in the Filistine nation for a long time, 2835 alone amid strangers.  The Lord of the Angels showed him a dwelling-place which the men dwelling in the city called the land of Bersaba.  There the pious man built a high hall, constructed a place of shelter and planted 2840 a grove, erected an altar and on the sacrificial stone made an offering, an oblation, at once, to his Master who had given him a prosperous life under the sky.

Then the powerful King began to try this hero, 2845 tested stringently what the noble one’s fortitude was, and spoke to him in stern words with his voice: 

“Go forth now speedily, Abraham, hasten thy steps, 2850 and take with thee thine own child.  Thou shalt thyself offer up Isaac to me, thy son as a sacrifice.  After thou ascendest on foot the steep dune, the bordering circle of that high land which I shall show thee from here, there 2855 thou shalt prepare a funeral pyre, the death-pile of thy son, and then thyself sacrifice thy son with the edge of the sword and then burn his dear body with black flame, and thus make offering to me.”