Genesis 24
1 Now Abraham was old and far on in years: and the Lord had given him everything in full measure.
By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
2 And Abraham said to his chief servant, the manager of all his property, Come now, put your hand under my leg:
So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
3 And take an oath by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living;
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,
4 But that you will go into my country and to my relations and get a wife there for my son Isaac.
but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 And the servant said, If by chance the woman will not come with me into this land, am I to take your son back again to the land from which you came?
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?”
6 And Abraham said, Take care that you do not let my son go back to that land.
Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.
7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and made an oath to me, saying, To your seed I will give this land: he will send his angel before you and give you a wife for my son in that land.
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.
8 And if the woman will not come with you, then you are free from this oath; only do not take my son back there.
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.”
9 And the servant put his hand under Abraham's leg, and gave him his oath about this thing.
So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 And the servant took ten of his master's camels, and all sorts of good things of his master's, and went to Mesopotamia, to the town of Nahor.
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.
11 And he made the camels take their rest outside the town by the water-spring in the evening, at the time when the women came to get water.
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.
12 And he said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, let me do well in what I have undertaken this day, and give your mercy to my master Abraham.
“O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 See, I am waiting here by the water-spring; and the daughters of the town are coming out to get water:
Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
14 Now, may the girl to whom I say, Let down your vessel and give me a drink, and who says in answer, Here is a drink for you and let me give water to your camels: may she be the one marked out by you for your servant Isaac: so may I be certain that you have been good to my master Abraham.
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.”
15 And even before his words were ended, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water-vessel on her arm.
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.
16 She was a very beautiful girl, a virgin, who had never been touched by a man: and she went down to the spring to get water in her vessel.
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.
17 And the servant came running to her and said, Give me a little water from your vessel.
So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”
18 And she said, Take a drink, my lord: and quickly letting down her vessel onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 And having done so, she said, I will get water for your camels till they have had enough.
After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”
20 And after putting the water from her vessel into the animals' drinking-place, she went quickly back to the spring and got water for all the camels.
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.
21 And the man, looking at her, said nothing, waiting to see if the Lord had given his journey a good outcome.
Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.
22 And when the camels had had enough, the man took a gold nose-ring, half a shekel in weight, and two ornaments for her arms of ten shekels weight of gold;
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.
23 And said to her, Whose daughter are you? is there room in your father's house for us?
“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, Nahor's wife.
She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”
25 And she said, We have a great store of dry grass and cattle-food, and there is room for you.
Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”
26 And with bent head the man gave worship to the Lord;
Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,
27 And said, Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has given a sign that he is good and true to my master, by guiding me straight to the house of my master's family.
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.”
28 So the girl went running and took the news of these things to her mother's house
The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he came out quickly to the man at the water-spring.
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.
30 And when he saw the nose-ring and the ornaments on his sister's hands, and when she gave him word of what the man had said to her, then he went out to the man who was waiting with the camels by the water-spring.
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.
31 And he said to him, Come in, you on whom is the blessing of the Lord; why are you waiting outside? for I have made the house ready for you, and a place for the camels.
“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.”
32 Then the man came into the house, and Laban took their cords off the camels and gave them dry grass and food, and he gave to him and the men who were with him water for washing their feet.
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.
33 And meat was put before him, but he said, I will not take food till I have made my business clear to you. And they said, Do so.
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.”
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
“I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied.
35 The Lord has given my master every blessing, and he has become great: he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and men-servants and women-servants and camels and asses.
“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.
36 And when Sarah, my master's wife, was old, she gave birth to a son, to whom he has given all he has.
My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
37 And my master made me take an oath, saying, Do not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living;
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,
38 But go to my father's house and to my relations for a wife for my son.
but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’
39 And I said to my master, What if the woman will not come with me?
Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
40 And he said, The Lord, whom I have ever kept before me, will send his angel with you, who will make it possible for you to get a wife for my son from my relations and my father's house;
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.
41 And you will be free from your oath to me when you come to my people; and if they will not give her to you, you will be free from your oath.
And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
42 And I came today to the water-spring, and I said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if it is your purpose to give a good outcome to my journey,
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!
43 Let it come about that, while I am waiting here by the water-spring, if a girl comes to get water and I say to her, Give me a little water from your vessel, and she says,
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,’
44 Take a drink, and I will get water for your camels; let her be the woman marked out by the Lord for my master's son.
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.
45 And even while I was saying this to myself, Rebekah came out with her vessel on her arm; and she went down to the spring to get water; and I said to her, Give me a drink.
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.’
46 And straight away she took down her vessel from her arm, and said, Take a drink, and I will get water for your camels.
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.
47 And questioning her, I said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, and Milcah his wife. Then I put the ring on her nose and the ornaments on her hands.
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.
48 And with bent head I gave worship and praise to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, by whom I had been guided in the right way, to get the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
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.
49 And now, say if you will do what is good and right for my master or not, in order that it may be clear to me what I have to do.
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.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel said in answer, This is the Lord's doing: it is not for us to say Yes or No to you.
Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.
51 See, here is Rebekah: take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has said.
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.”
52 And at these words, Abraham's servant went down on his face and gave praise to the Lord.
When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
53 Then he took jewels of silver and jewels of gold and fair robes and gave them to Rebekah: and he gave things of value to her mother and her brother.
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.
54 Then he and the men who were with him had food and drink, and took their rest there that night; and in the morning he got up, and said, Let me now go back to my master.
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.”
55 But her brother and her mother said, Let the girl be with us a week or ten days, and then she may go.
But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
56 And he said, Do not keep me; the Lord has given a good outcome to my journey; let me now go back to my master.
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.”
57 And they said, We will send for the girl, and let her make the decision.
So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”
58 And they sent for Rebekah and said to her, Are you ready to go with this man? And she said, I am ready.
They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah and her servant with Abraham's servant and his men.
So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.
60 And they gave Rebekah their blessing, saying, O sister, may you be the mother of thousands and ten thousands; and may your seed overcome all those who make war against them.
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.”
61 So Rebekah and her servant-women went with the man, seated on the camels; and so the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.
Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac had come through the waste land to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the South.
Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.
63 And when the evening was near, he went wandering out into the fields, and lifting up his eyes he saw camels coming.
Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.
64 And when Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac, she got down from her camel,
And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel
65 And said to the servant, Who is that man coming to us through the field? And the servant said, It is my master: then she took her veil, covering her face with it.
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.
66 Then the servant gave Isaac the story of all he had done.
Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
67 And Isaac took Rebekah into his tent and she became his wife; and in his love for her, Isaac was comforted after his father's death.
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.
