Genesis 24
1 By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Erat autem Abraham senex, dierumque multorum: et Dominus in cunctis benedixerat ei.
2 So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
Dixitque ad servum seniorem domus suæ, qui præerat omnibus quæ habebat: Pone manum tuam subter femur meum,
3 and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
ut adiurem te per Dominum, Deum cæli et terræ, ut non accipias uxorem filio meo de filiabus Chananæorum, inter quos habito:
4 but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
sed ad terram et cognationem meam proficiscaris, et inde accipias uxorem filio meo Isaac.
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
Respondit servus: Si noluerit mulier venire mecum in terram hanc, numquid reducere debeo filium tuum ad locum, de quo egressus es?
6 Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.
Dixitque Abraham: Cave nequando reducas filium meum illuc.
7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there.
Dominus Deus cæli, qui tulit me de domo patris mei, et de terra nativitatis meæ, qui locutus est mihi, et iuravit mihi, dicens: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc: ipse mittet Angelum suum coram te, et accipies inde uxorem filio meo:
8 And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”
sin autem mulier noluerit sequi te, non teneberis iuramento: filium meum tantum ne reducas illuc.
9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
Posuit ergo servus manum sub femore Abraham domini sui, et iuravit illi super sermone hoc.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.
Tulitque decem camelos de grege domini sui, et abiit, ex omnibus bonis eius portans secum, profectusque perrexit in Mesopotamiam ad urbem Nachor.
11 As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.
Cumque camelos fecisset accumbere extra oppidum iuxta puteum aquæ vespere, tempore quo solent mulieres egredi ad hauriendam aquam, dixit:
12 “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Domine Deus domini mei Abraham, occurre, obsecro, mihi hodie, et fac misericordiam cum domino meo Abraham.
13 Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
Ecce ego sto prope fontem aquæ, et filiæ habitatorum huius civitatis egredientur ad hauriendam aquam.
14 Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
Igitur puella, cui ego dixero: Inclina hydriam tuam ut bibam: et illa responderit, Bibe, quin et camelis tuis dabo potum: ipsa est, quam præparasti servo tuo Isaac: et per hoc intelligam quod feceris misericordiam cum domino meo.
15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Necdum intra se verba compleverat, et ecce Rebecca egrediebatur, filia Bathuel, filii Melchæ uxoris Nachor fratris Abraham, habens hydriam in scapula sua:
16 Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.
puella decora nimis, virgoque pulcherrima, et incognita viro: descenderat autem ad fontem, et impleverat hydriam, ac revertebatur.
17 So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”
Occurritque ei servus, et ait: Pauxillum aquæ mihi ad bibendum præbe de hydria tua.
18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
Quæ respondit: Bibe domine mi. celeriterque deposuit hydriam super ulnam suam, et dedit ei potum.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”
Cumque ille bibisset, adiecit: Quin et camelis tuis hauriam aquam, donec cuncti bibant.
20 And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.
Effundensque hydriam in canalibus, recurrit ad puteum ut hauriret aquam: et haustam omnibus camelis dedit.
21 Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.
Ipse autem contemplabatur eam tacitus, scire volens utrum prosperum iter suum fecisset Dominus, an non.
22 And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.
Postquam autem biberunt cameli, protulit vir inaures aureas, appendentes siclos duos, et armillas totidem pondo siclorum decem.
23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
Dixitque ad eam: Cuius es filia? indica mihi: est in domo patris tui locus ad manendum?
24 She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”
Quæ respondit: Filia sum Bathuelis, filii Melchæ, quem peperit ipsi Nachor.
25 Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”
Et addidit, dicens: Palearum quoque et fœni plurimum est apud nos, et locus spatiosus ad manendum.
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,
Inclinavit se homo, et adoravit Dominum,
27 saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
dicens: Benedictus Dominus Deus domini mei Abraham, qui non abstulit misericordiam et veritatem suam a domino meo, et recto itinere me perduxit in domum fratris domini mei.
28 The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
Cucurrit itaque puella, et nunciavit in domum matris suæ omnia quæ audierat.
29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.
Habebat autem Rebecca fratrem nomine Laban, qui festinus egressus est ad hominem, ubi erat fons.
30 As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.
Cumque vidisset inaures et armillas in manibus sororis suæ, et audisset cuncta verba referentis: Hæc locutus est mihi homo: venit ad virum, qui stabat iuxta camelos, et prope fontem aquæ:
31 “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
dixitque ad eum: Ingredere, benedicte Domini: cur foris stas? præparavi domum, et locum camelis.
32 So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.
Et introduxit eum in hospitium: ac destravit camelos, deditque paleas et fœnum, et aquam ad lavandos pedes eius, et virorum qui venerant cum eo.
33 Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”
Et appositus est in conspectu eius panis. Qui ait: Non comedam, donec loquar sermones meos. Respondit ei: Loquere.
34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied.
At ille: Servus, inquit, Abraham sum:
35 “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.
et Dominus benedixit domino meo valde, magnificatusque est: et dedit ei oves et boves, argentum et aurum, servos et ancillas, camelos et asinos.
36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
Et peperit Sara uxor domini mei filium domino meo in senectute sua, deditque illi omnia quæ habuerat.
37 My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,
Et adiuravit me dominus meus, dicens: Non accipies uxorem filio meo de filiabus Chananæorum, in quorum terra habito:
38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’
sed ad domum patris mei perges, et de cognatione mea accipies uxorem filio meo:
39 Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
ego vero respondi domino meo: Quid si noluerit venire mecum mulier?
40 And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.
Dominus, ait, in cuius conspectu ambulo, mittet angelum suum tecum, et diriget viam tuam: accipiesque uxorem filio meo de cognatione mea, et de domo patris mei.
41 And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
Innocens eris a maledictione mea, cum veneris ad propinquos meos, et non dederint tibi.
42 So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!
Veni ergo hodie ad fontem aquæ, et dixi: Domine Deus domini mei Abraham, si direxisti viam meam, in qua nunc ambulo,
43 Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’
ecce sto iuxta fontem aquæ, et virgo, quæ egredietur ad hauriendam aquam, audierit a me: Da mihi pauxillum aquæ ad bibendum ex hydria tua:
44 and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.
et dixerit mihi: Et tu bibe, et camelis tuis hauriam: ipsa est mulier quam præparavit Dominus filio domini mei.
45 And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
Dumque hæc tacitus mecum volverem, apparuit Rebecca veniens cum hydria, quam portabat in scapula: descenditque ad fontem, et hausit aquam. Et aio ad eam: Da mihi paululum bibere.
46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
Quæ festinans deposuit hydriam de humero, et dixit mihi: Et tu bibe, et camelis tuis tribuam potum. Bibi, et adaquavit camelos.
47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
Interrogavique eam, et dixi: Cuius es filia? Quæ respondit: Filia Bathuelis sum, filii Nachor, quem peperit ei Melcha. Suspendi itaque inaures ad ornandam faciem eius, et armillas posui in manibus eius.
48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
Pronusque adoravi Dominum, benedicens Domino Deo domini mei Abraham, qui perduxit me recto itinere, ut sumerem filiam fratris domini mei filio eius.
49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”
Quamobrem si facitis misericordiam et veritatem cum domino meo, indicate mihi: sin autem aliud placet, et hoc dicite mihi, ut vadam ad dextram, sive ad sinistram.
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.
Responderuntque Laban et Bathuel: A Domino egressus est sermo: non possumus extra placitum eius quidquam aliud loqui tecum.
51 Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”
En Rebecca coram te est, tolle eam, et proficiscere, et sit uxor filii domini tui, sicut locutus est Dominus.
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
Quod cum audisset puer Abraham, procidens adoravit in terram Dominum.
53 Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.
Prolatisque vasis argenteis, et aureis, ac vestibus, dedit ea Rebecca pro munere: fratribus quoque eius, et matri dona obtulit.
54 Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
Inito convivio, vescentes pariter et bibentes manserunt ibi. Surgens autem mane, locutus est puer: Dimitte me, ut vadam ad dominum meum.
55 But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
Responderuntque fratres eius, et mater: Maneat puella saltem decem dies apud nos, et postea proficiscetur.
56 But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
Nolite, ait, me retinere, quia Dominus direxit viam meam: dimittite me ut pergam ad dominum meum.
57 So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”
Et dixerunt: Vocemus puellam, et quæramus ipsius voluntatem.
58 They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.
Cumque vocata venisset, sciscitati sunt: Vis ire cum homine isto? Quæ ait: Vadam.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.
Dimiserunt ergo eam, et nutricem illius, servumque Abraham, et comites eius,
60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
imprecantes prospera sorori suæ, atque dicentes: Soror nostra es, crescas in mille millia, et possideat semen tuum portas inimicorum suorum.
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
Igitur Rebecca, et puellæ illius, ascensis camelis, secutæ sunt virum: qui festinus revertebatur ad dominum suum:
62 Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.
eo autem tempore deambulabat Isaac per viam quæ ducit ad Puteum, cuius nomen est Viventis, et videntis: habitabat enim in terra australi:
63 Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.
et egressus fuerat ad meditandum in agro, inclinata iam die: cumque elevasset oculos, vidit camelos venientes procul.
64 And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel
Rebecca quoque, conspecto Isaac, descendit de camelo,
65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
et ait ad puerum: Quis est ille homo qui venit per agrum in occursum nobis? Dixitque ei: Ipse est dominus meus. At illa tollens cito pallium, operuit se.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
Servus autem cuncta, quæ gesserat, narravit Isaac.
67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Qui introduxit eam in tabernaculum Saræ matris suæ, et accepit eam uxorem: et in tantum dilexit eam, ut dolorem, qui ex morte matris eius acciderat, temperaret.
