Genesis 24
1 Abraham was now a very old man. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in many ways.
Now Abraham was old and far on in years: and the Lord had given him everything in full measure.
2 One day Abraham said to the chief servant of his household, the man who was in charge of everything Abraham owned, “Put your hand between my thighs to solemnly promise you will do what I tell you.
And Abraham said to his chief servant, the manager of all his property, Come now, put your hand under my leg:
3 Knowing that Yahweh God [who created] the heavens and the earth is listening, promise that you will not get a wife for my son, Isaac, from the women here in Canaan.
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 Instead, go back to my country and to my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac from among them.”
But that you will go into my country and to my relations and get a wife there for my son Isaac.
5 The servant asked him, “If I find a woman among your relatives, what if she is not willing to come back with me to this land? Shall I take your son back there to the country you came from, [so he can find a wife and live there]?”
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 Abraham replied to him, “No! Be certain that you don’t take my son there!
And Abraham said, Take care that you do not let my son go back to that land.
7 Yahweh God, who created the heavens, brought me here. He brought me from my father’s household, and from the land where my relatives lived. He spoke to me and made a solemn promise to me, saying, ‘I will give this land [of Canaan] to your descendants.’ He will send an angel who will go there ahead of you, and enable you to get a wife for my son [there and bring her to live here].
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 you find will not come back with you, you are free to disregard the promise you are making. The only thing that you must not do is to take my son to live there!”
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 So the servant put his hand between Abraham’s thighs and made a solemn promise about the matter.
And the servant put his hand under Abraham's leg, and gave him his oath about this thing.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and loaded them with all kinds of goods that his master gave him to take along. Then he left to go to Aram-Naharaim, [which is in (northern Mesopotamia/Syria)]. He arrived in Nahor city.
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 It was late in the afternoon, at the time when the women go to the well to get water, when he arrived there. He made the camels kneel down near the well, which was outside the city.
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 The servant prayed, “Yahweh God whom my master Abraham worships, enable me to be successful today! Act kindly 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 Listen to me. I am standing near a well of water, and the young women of the city are coming to get water.
See, I am waiting here by the water-spring; and the daughters of the town are coming out to get water:
14 I am asking you this: ‘I will say to some girl, “Please lower your jar so that I may drink some water.” If she says, “Drink some, and I will draw some water [from the well] for your camels, too,” I will know that she is the woman whom you chose to be a wife for your servant, Isaac, and I will know that you have been kind 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 Before he finished praying, [amazingly], Rebekah arrived there, carrying a jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s younger brother Nahor.
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 She was very beautiful and still a virgin. She went down to the edge of the well, filled her jar with water, and then came back up.
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 Abraham’s servant immediately ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”
And the servant came running to her and said, Give me a little water from your vessel.
18 She replied, “Drink some, sir!” She lowered her jar from her shoulder to her hands and gave him a drink.
And she said, Take a drink, my lord: and quickly letting down her vessel onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
19 After she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also get some water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”
And having done so, she said, I will get water for your camels till they have had enough.
20 She quickly emptied the water in her jar into the trough [for giving water to animals], and then ran back to the well, and kept getting water for 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 The servant just watched her, without saying anything. He wanted to know if Yahweh had caused his trip to be successful or not.
And the man, looking at her, said nothing, waiting to see if the Lord had given his journey a good outcome.
22 Finally, after the camels finished drinking, the servant took out a gold nose ring that weighed (two ounces/6 grams), and two large gold bracelets for her arms, and gave them to Rebekah [and told her to put them on].
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 Then he said, “Tell me whose daughter you are. Also, tell me, is there room in your father’s house for me and my men to sleep there tonight?”
And said to her, Whose daughter are you? is there room in your father's house for us?
24 She replied, “My father’s name is Bethuel. He is the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.
And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, Nahor's wife.
25 Yes, we have room where you all can sleep tonight, and we also have plenty of straw and grain to feed the camels.”
And she said, We have a great store of dry grass and cattle-food, and there is room for you.
26 The servant bowed and worshiped Yahweh.
And with bent head the man gave worship to the Lord;
27 He said, “I thank you, Yahweh God, whom my master Abraham worships. You have continued to be kind and faithful to my master. You led me on this journey straight/directly to the house of my master’s relatives!”
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 The girl ran and told everyone in her mother’s household about what had happened.
So the girl went running and took the news of these things to her mother's house
29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban went quickly to Abraham’s servant, who was still by the well.
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he came out quickly to the man at the water-spring.
30 He was surprised to have seen the bracelets on his sister’s arms and the nose ring and to have heard Rebekah tell what the man had said to her. So he went out and saw the man standing near the camels, close to the well.
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 He said to the man, “You who have been blessed by Yahweh, come with me! (Why are standing out here?/You should not keep standing out here!) [RHQ] I have prepared a room for you in the house, and a place for the camels to stay.”
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 So the servant went to the house, and Laban’s servants unloaded the camels, and brought straw and grain for the camels, and water for him and the men with him to wash their feet.
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 They set food in front of him for him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I tell you (what I need to tell you/why I have come).” So Laban said, “Tell us!”
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 So the servant said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 Yahweh has greatly blessed my master so that he has become very rich. Yahweh has given him many sheep and cattle, a lot of gold and silver, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.
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 My master’s wife, Sarah, bore a son for him when she was very old, and my master has given to his son everything he owns.
And when Sarah, my master's wife, was old, she gave birth to a son, to whom he has given all he has.
37 My master made me solemnly promise, saying, ‘Do not get a wife for my son from the women here in Canaan.
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 Instead, go back to my father’s family, to my own clan, and get from them a wife for my son.’
But go to my father's house and to my relations for a wife for my son.
39 Then I asked my master, ‘What shall I do if the woman you show me will not come back with me?’
And I said to my master, What if the woman will not come with me?
40 He replied, ‘Yahweh, whom I have always obeyed [MTY], will send his angel with you, and he will cause your journey to be successful, with the result that you can get a wife for my son from my clan, from my father’s family.
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 if my clan refuses to allow her to return with you, you will be freed from being cursed because of not obeying me.’
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 “When I came today to the well, I prayed, ‘Yahweh God whom my master, Abraham worships, if you are willing, please allow this journey of mine to be successful.
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 Listen to me. I am standing beside a well. A young woman may come to draw water. I will say to her, “Please, give me a little water to drink from your jar.”
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 If she says to me, “Certainly, drink some! And I will also draw some water for your camels,” that will be the woman whom you have chosen 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 Before I finished praying, [amazingly], Rebekah approached with her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the well and got some water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a 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 She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink some! And I will draw water [from the well] for your camels, too.’ So I drank some water, and she also got water for 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 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife, Milcah.’ I had [a ring and bracelets with me, and] I put the ring in her nose and put the bracelets on her arms.
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 Then I bowed and worshiped Yahweh, and I thanked Yahweh God, the one my master Abraham worships, the one who led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother to be a wife for my master’s 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 Now, if you are kind and faithful to my master, tell me that you will do what I am asking. If you will not do that, tell me that also, so I may know what to do [MTY].”
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 Laban and Bethuel answered, “It is clear that Yahweh has caused this to happen. So we two cannot say anything more.
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 Rebekah is here in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be a wife for your master’s son, just as Yahweh has indicated.”
See, here is Rebekah: take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has said.
52 When Abraham’s servant heard these words, he bowed down to the ground to [thank] Yahweh.
And at these words, Abraham's servant went down on his face and gave praise to the Lord.
53 Then the servant brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothes, and gave them to Rebekah. And he gave gifts to her brother Laban 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 Then they ate a meal together. The men who were with Abraham’s servant also slept there that night. The next morning, the servant said, “Allow me now to return 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 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl remain with us for about ten days. After that, you may take her and go.”
But her brother and her mother said, Let the girl be with us a week or ten days, and then she may go.
56 But he replied to them, “Yahweh has made my journey successful, so do not detain me. Let me take her back to my master now!”
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 They said, “Let’s call Rebekah and ask her what she wants to do.” [MTY]
And they said, We will send for the girl, and let her make the decision.
58 So they summoned Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man now?” She replied, “Yes, 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 allowed Rebekah, a woman who had taken care of her when she was very young, Abraham’s servant, and the men who had come with him. to go.
So they sent their sister Rebekah and her servant with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 Before they all left, they [asked God to] bless Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, we ask that Yahweh will cause you to have millions of descendants, and allow them to completely defeat [MET] all those that hate them.”
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 Then Rebekah and her maid servants got ready and got on their camels and went with Abraham’s servant.
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 that time, Isaac was living in the Negev desert. He had gone there from Beer-Lahai-Roi.
Now Isaac had come through the waste land to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the South.
63 One evening he went out into the field to meditate as he walked. He looked up and [was surprised to] see some camels coming.
And when the evening was near, he went wandering out into the fields, and lifting up his eyes he saw camels coming.
64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got off the camel,
And when Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac, she got down from her camel,
65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man who is approaching?” The servant replied, “That is Isaac, my master, [the man you will be marrying].” So she took her veil and covered her face, which was the custom for a woman who was about to be married.
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 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
Then the servant gave Isaac the story of all he had done.
67 Then Isaac took Rebekah into the tent that belonged to his mother, Sarah, and she became his wife. And he loved her. So Isaac was comforted about 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.
