The Aqedah — the binding of Isaac. God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on one of the mountains. Abraham obeys, traveling three days with Isaac. At the last moment, God provides a ram. Abraham names the place 'The LORD will see.' Mastema is shamed by Abraham's faithfulness. God reaffirms the covenant promises. The account is dated to the 12th-15th of the first month, connecting the Aqedah to Passover.
Jubilees dates the Aqedah to the days immediately preceding Passover (12th-15th of the first month), making the near-sacrifice of Isaac a typological foreshadowing of the Paschal lamb. Mastema's defeat is explicitly noted — he is 'put to shame' (v. 12) because Abraham passed the test he instigated. The cosmic drama concludes with the accuser silenced, exactly as in Job 42.
The idea that God commanded child sacrifice even as a test remains one of the most difficult passages in religious literature. Jubilees does not resolve this tension but contextualizes it within the Mastema framework.
Genesis 22:1-19 (the binding of Isaac); Job 42:7-9 (aftermath of Satan's challenge); Hebrews 11:17-19 (by faith Abraham offered Isaac); James 2:21-23 (justified by offering Isaac); Romans 8:32 (God who did not spare his own Son); Exodus 12:1-14 (Passover and the firstborn); 4Q225 (Pseudo-Jubilees Aqedah fragment from Qumran).
Ge'ez; cf. 4Q225
God said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he answered, 'Here I am.'
REF And God said: 'Abraham, Abraham'; and he said: 'Behold, (here) am I.'
Ge'ez; cf. 4Q225
He said, 'Take your beloved son whom you love — Isaac — and go to the high country. Offer him on one of the mountains that I will show you.'
REF And He said: 'Take thy beloved son whom thou lovest, (even) Isaac, and go unto the high country, and offer him on one of the mountains which I will point out unto thee.'
Ge'ez
He rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took his two servants and his son Isaac, split the wood for the burnt offering, and set out. On the third day he saw the place from a distance.
REF And he rose early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took his two young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood of the burnt offering, and he went to the place on the third day, and he saw the place afar off.
Ge'ez
He came to a well of water and said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there, and when we have worshipped, we will come back to you.'
REF And he came to a well of water, and he said to his young men: 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go (yonder), and when we have worshipped we will come back to you.'
Ge'ez
He placed the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac, and he carried the fire and the knife himself. The two of them walked on together to that place.
REF And he took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife, and they went both of them together to that place.
Ge'ez
Isaac said to his father, 'Father!' Abraham said, 'Here I am, my son.' Isaac said, 'I see the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?'
REF And Isaac said to his father, 'Father!' and he said, 'Here am I, my son.' And he said unto him: 'Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?'
Ge'ez
He said, 'God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering himself, my son.' And they drew near to the place of the mountain of God.
REF And he said: 'God will provide for himself a sheep for a burnt offering, my son.' And he drew near to the place of the mount of God.
Ge'ez
He built an altar, arranged the wood on it, bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the wood on the altar. He stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son Isaac.
REF And he built an altar, and he placed the wood on the altar, and bound Isaac his son, and placed him on the wood which was upon the altar, and stretched forth his hand to take the knife to slay Isaac his son.
Ge'ez; cf. 4Q225
I stood before him and before Prince Mastema, and the LORD said, 'Tell him not to lay his hand on the boy or do anything to him, for I have demonstrated that he fears the LORD.'
REF And I stood before him, and before the prince Mastema, and the Lord said: 'Bid him not to lay his hand on the lad, nor to do anything to him, for I have shown that he fears the Lord.'
Ge'ez
I called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' He was shaken and said, 'Here I am.'
REF And I called to him from heaven, and said unto him: 'Abraham, Abraham'; and he was terrified and said: 'Behold, (here) am I.'
Ge'ez
I said to him, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy, and do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear the LORD and have not withheld your son — your only son — from him.'
REF And I said unto him: 'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him; for now I have known that thou fearest the Lord, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Him.'
Ge'ez; cf. 4Q225
Prince Mastema was put to shame. Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Abraham went, took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
REF And the prince Mastema was put to shame; and Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, a single ram caught by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Ge'ez
Abraham named that place 'The LORD will see,' so that it is said, 'On the mountain the LORD was seen' — that is, Mount Zion.
REF And Abraham called that place 'The Lord hath seen,' so that it is said 'in the mount the Lord hath seen': that is Mount Zion.
Ge'ez
The LORD called to Abraham by name a second time from heaven, making himself appear, and said, 'By myself I have sworn — declares the LORD — because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your beloved son, from me: I will surely bless you and greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
REF And the Lord called Abraham by his name a second time from heaven, as He caused to appear, and He said: 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, Because thou hast done this thing, And hast not withheld thy son, thy beloved son, from Me, That in blessing I will bless thee, And in multiplying I will multiply thy seed As the stars of heaven, And as the sand which is on the seashore. And thy seed shall inherit the cities of its enemies.
Ge'ez
In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. I have shown to all that you are faithful to me in everything I have told you. Go in peace.'
REF And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed; Because thou hast obeyed My voice, And I have shown to all that thou art faithful unto Me in all that I have said unto thee: Go in peace.'
Ge'ez
Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and traveled together to Beersheba. Abraham settled at the Well of the Oath.
REF And Abraham went to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba, and Abraham dwelt by the Well of the Oath.
Ge'ez
He celebrated this festival every year for seven days with joy. He called it the festival of the LORD, corresponding to the seven days during which he went and returned in peace.
REF And he celebrated this festival every year, seven days with joy, and he called it the festival of the Lord according to the seven days during which he went and returned in peace.
Ge'ez
So it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets concerning Israel and its descendants that they should observe this festival for seven days with festive joy.
REF And thus it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets regarding Israel and its seed that they should observe this festival seven days with the joy of festival.
Ge'ez
Abraham departed from the land of Mount Moriah and settled at the Well of the Oath, where he lived for two weeks of years.
REF And Abraham went forth from the land of Mount Moriah and dwelt at the Well of the Oath, and he dwelt there two weeks of years.