AND the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.* And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
* If we accept the Talmudic interpretation mentioned earlier, God is not praising Abraham for being ready to sacrifice Isaac. He is praising him for going through the whole charade without at any time thinking that Isaac was at risk — a man of less faith might have played it safe, just in case God was of like mind to Baal and other cruel deities.
Précis
Before Abraham could strike with the knife, an angel voice came from heaven commanding him to stop, as he had demonstrated all that God had wished to see. The voice then told Abraham to look up, and when he did he saw a ram caught in the bush, which he took and offered to God instead of Isaac. (58 / 60 words)
Before Abraham could strike with the knife, an angel voice came from heaven commanding him to stop, as he had demonstrated all that God had wished to see. The voice then told Abraham to look up, and when he did he saw a ram caught in the bush, which he took and offered to God instead of Isaac.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, just, not, ought, since, until, who.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Abide. Behold. Say.
2 Day. Get. His.
3 But. Morning. Mountain.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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