And the Lord thought to try Abraham and Isaac in this matter.[229] And He said to Abraham, "Take now thy son." Abraham: "I have two sons, and I do not know which of them Thou commandest me to take." God: "Thine only son." Abraham: "The one is the only son of his mother, and the other is the only son of his mother." God: "Whom thou lovest." Abraham: "I love this one and I love that one." God: "Even Isaac."[230] Abraham: "And where shall I go?" God: "To the land I will show thee, and offer Isaac there for a burnt offering." Abraham: "Am I fit to perform the sacrifice, am I a priest? Ought not rather the high priest Shem to do it?" God: "When thou wilt arrive at that place, I will consecrate thee and make thee a priest."[231] And Abraham said within himself, "How shall I separate my son Isaac from Sarah his mother?" And he came into the tent, and he sate before Sarah his wife, and he spake these words to her: "My son Isaac is grown up, and he has not yet studied the service of God. Now, to-morrow I will go and bring him to Shem and Eber his son, and there he will learn the ways of the Lord, for they will teach him to know the Lord, and to know how to pray unto the Lord that He may answer him, and to know the way of serving the Lord his God." And Sarah said, "Thou hast spoken well. Go, my lord, and do unto him as thou hast said, but remove him not far from me, neither let him remain there too long, for my soul is bound within his soul." And Abraham said unto Sarah, "My daughter, let us pray to the Lord our God that He may do good with us." And Sarah took her son Isaac, and he abode with her all that night, and she kissed and embraced him, and she laid injunctions upon him till morning, and she said to Abraham: "O my lord, I pray thee, take heed of thy son, and place thine eyes over him, for I have no other son nor daughter but him. O neglect him not. If he be hungry, give him bread, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink; do not let him go on foot, neither let him sit in the sun, neither let him go by himself on the road, neither turn him from whatever he may desire, but do unto him as he may say to thee."