Genesis 24
1 Now Abraham was old; and advanced in age: and the Lord had blessed him in all things.
Now Abraham was old and far on in years: and the Lord had given him everything in full measure.
2 And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,
And Abraham said to his chief servant, the manager of all his property, Come now, put your hand under my leg:
3 That I may make thee swear by the Lord the God of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:
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;
4 But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.
But that you will go into my country and to my relations and get a wife there for my son Isaac.
5 The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place, from whence thou camest out?
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?
6 And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again thither.
And Abraham said, Take care that you do not let my son go back to that land.
7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father’s house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.
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.
8 But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath; only bring not my son back thither again.
And if the woman will not come with you, then you are free from this oath; only do not take my son back there.
9 The servant therefore put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him upon this word.
And the servant put his hand under Abraham's leg, and gave him his oath about this thing.
10 And he took ten camels of his master’s herd, and departed, carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forward and went on to Mesopotamia to the city of Nachor.
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.
11 And when he had made the camels lie down without the town near a well of water in the evening, at the time when women are wont to come out to draw water, he said:
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.
12 O Lord the God of my master Abraham, meet me today, I beseech thee, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
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.
13 Behold I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water.
See, I am waiting here by the water-spring; and the daughters of the town are coming out to get water:
14 Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let it be the same whom thou hast provided for thy servant Isaac: and by this I shall understand, that thou hast shown kindness to my master.
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.
15 He had not yet ended these words within himself, and behold Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder:
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.
16 An exceeding comely maid, and a most beautiful virgin, and not known to man: and she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher and was coming back.
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.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little water to drink of thy pitcher.
And the servant came running to her and said, Give me a little water from your vessel.
18 And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink.
And she said, Take a drink, my lord: and quickly letting down her vessel onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
19 And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for thy camels also, till they all drink.
And having done so, she said, I will get water for your camels till they have had enough.
20 And pouring out the pitcher into the troughs, she ran back to the well to draw water: and having drawn she gave to all the camels.
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.
21 But he musing beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
And the man, looking at her, said nothing, waiting to see if the Lord had given his journey a good outcome.
22 And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden earrings, weighing two sicles: and as many bracelets of ten sicles weight.
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;
23 And he said to her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there any place in thy father’s house to lodge?
And said to her, Whose daughter are you? is there room in your father's house for us?
24 And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.
And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, Nahor's wife.
25 And she said moreover to him: We have good store of both straw and hay, and a large place to lodge in.
And she said, We have a great store of dry grass and cattle-food, and there is room for you.
26 The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord,
And with bent head the man gave worship to the Lord;
27 Saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not taken away his mercy and truth from my master, and hath brought me the straight way into the house of my master’s brother.
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.
28 Then the maid ran, and told in her mother’s house, all that she had heard.
So the girl went running and took the news of these things to her mother's house
29 And Rebecca had a brother named Laban, who went out in haste to the man, to the well.
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he came out quickly to the man at the water-spring.
30 And when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister’s hands, and had heard all that she related, saying: Thus and thus the man spoke to me: he came to the man who stood by the camels, and near to the spring of water,
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.
31 And said to him: Come in, thou blessed of the Lord: why standest thou without? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.
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.
32 And he brought him in into his lodging: and he unharnessed the camels and gave straw and hay, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were come with him.
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.
33 And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat, till I tell my message. He answered him: Speak.
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.
34 And he said: I am the servant of Abraham:
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, and he is become great: and he hath given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men servants and women servants, camels and asses.
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.
36 And Sara my master’s wife hath borne my master a son in her old age, and he hath given him all that he had.
And when Sarah, my master's wife, was old, she gave birth to a son, to whom he has given all he has.
37 And my master made me swear, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the Chanaanites, in whose land I dwell:
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;
38 But thou shalt go to my father’s house, and shalt take a wife of my own kindred for my son:
But go to my father's house and to my relations for a wife for my son.
39 But I answered my master: What if the woman will not come with me?
And I said to my master, What if the woman will not come with me?
40 The Lord, said he, in whose sight I walk, will send his angel with thee, and will direct thy way: and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my own kindred, and of my father’s house.
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;
41 But thou shalt be clear from my curse, when thou shalt come to my kindred, if they will not give thee one.
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.
42 And I came today to the well of water, and said: O Lord God of my master Abraham, if thou hast prospered my way, wherein I now walk,
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,
43 Behold I stand by the well of water, and the virgin, that shall come out to draw water, who shall hear me say: Give me a little water to drink of thy pitcher:
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,
44 And shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman, whom the Lord hath prepared for my master’s son.
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.
45 And whilst I pondered these things secretly with myself, Rebecca appeared coming with a pitcher, which she carried on her shoulder: and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her: Give me a little to drink.
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.
46 And she speedily let down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said to me: Both drink thou, and to thy camels I will give drink. I drank, and she watered the camels.
And straight away she took down her vessel from her arm, and said, Take a drink, and I will get water for your camels.
47 And I asked her, and said: Whose daughter art thou? And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him. So I put earrings on her to adorn her face, and I put bracelets on her hands.
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.
48 And falling down I adored the Lord, blessing the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath brought me the straight way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
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.
49 Wherefore if you do according to mercy and truth with my master, tell me: but if it please you otherwise, tell me that also, that I may go to the right hand, or to the left.
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.
50 And Laban and Bathuel answered: The word hath proceeded from the Lord, we cannot speak any other thing to thee but his pleasure.
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.
51 Behold Rebecca is before thee, take her and go thy way, and let her be the wife of thy master’s son, as the Lord hath spoken.
See, here is Rebekah: take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has said.
52 Which when Abraham’s servant heard, falling down to the ground he adored the Lord.
And at these words, Abraham's servant went down on his face and gave praise to the Lord.
53 And bringing forth vessels of silver and gold, and garments, he gave them to Rebecca for a present. He offered gifts also to her brothers, and to her mother.
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.
54 And a banquet was made, and they ate and drank together, and lodged there. And in the morning, the servant arose, and said: Let me depart, that I may go to my master.
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.
55 And her brother and mother answered: Let the maid stay at least ten days with us, and afterwards she shall depart.
But her brother and her mother said, Let the girl be with us a week or ten days, and then she may go.
56 Stay me not, said he, because the Lord hath prospered my way: send me away, that I may go to my master.
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.
57 And they said: Let us call the maid, and ask her will.
And they said, We will send for the girl, and let her make the decision.
58 And they called her, and when she was come, they asked: Wilt thou go with this man? She said: I will go.
And they sent for Rebekah and said to her, Are you ready to go with this man? And she said, I am ready.
59 So they sent her away, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his company,
So they sent their sister Rebekah and her servant with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 Wishing prosperity to their sister, and saying: Thou art our sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies.
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.
61 So Rebecca and her maids, being set upon camels, followed the man: who with speed returned to his master.
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.
62 At the same time Isaac was walking along the way to the well which is called Of the living and the seeing: for he dwelt in the south country.
Now Isaac had come through the waste land to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the South.
63 And he was gone forth to meditate in the field, the day being now well spent: and when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw camels coming afar off.
And when the evening was near, he went wandering out into the fields, and lifting up his eyes he saw camels coming.
64 Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel,
And when Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac, she got down from her camel,
65 And said to the servant: Who is that man who cometh towards us along the field? And he said to her: That man is my master. But she quickly took her cloak, and covered herself.
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.
66 And the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
Then the servant gave Isaac the story of all he had done.
67 Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and took her to wife: and he loved her so much, that it moderated the sorrow which was occasioned by his mother’s death.
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.
