Genesis 24
1 And Abraham [is] old, he hath entered into days, and Jehovah hath blessed Abraham in all [things];
Abraham by now was old, really old, and the Lord had blessed him in every possible way.
2 and Abraham saith unto his servant, the eldest of his house, who is ruling over all that he hath, 'Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,
At that time Abraham told his oldest servant who was in charge of his whole household, “Put your hand under my thigh,
3 and I cause thee to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens, and God of the earth, that thou dost not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in the midst of whom I am dwelling;
and swear an oath by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you won't arrange for my son to marry any daughter of the these Canaanite people that I'm living among.
4 but unto my land and unto my kindred dost thou go, and hast taken a wife for my son, for Isaac.'
Instead, go to my homeland where my relatives live, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”
5 And the servant saith unto him, 'It may be the woman is not willing to come after me unto this land; do I at all cause thy son to turn back unto the land from whence thou camest out?'
“What if the woman refuses to come back with me to this country?” the servant asked. “Should I take your son back to the country you came from?”
6 And Abraham saith unto him, 'Take heed to thyself, lest thou cause my son to turn back thither;
“No, you mustn't take my son back there,” Abraham replied.
7 Jehovah, God of the heavens, who hath taken me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, and who hath spoken to me, and who hath sworn to me, saying, To thy seed I give this land, He doth send His messenger before thee, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from thence;
“The Lord, the God of heaven, took me from my family home and my own country. He spoke to me and swore an oath to me in which he promised, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ He is the one who will send his angel ahead of you so that you can find a wife there for my son.
8 and if the woman be not willing to come after thee, then thou hast been acquitted from this mine oath: only my son thou dost not cause to turn back thither.'
However, if the woman refuses to return here with you, then you are released from this oath. But make sure you don't take my son back there.”
9 And the servant putteth his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and sweareth to him concerning this matter.
The servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to do as he had been told.
10 And the servant taketh ten camels of the camels of his lord and goeth, also of all the goods of his lord in his hand, and he riseth, and goeth unto Aram-Naharaim, unto the city of Nahor;
Then the servant arranged for ten of his master's camels to carry all kinds of valuable gifts from Abraham and left for the town of Nahor in Aram-naharaim.
11 and he causeth the camels to kneel at the outside of the city, at the well of water, at even-time, at the time of the coming out of the women who draw water.
Arriving in the evening, he had the camels kneel down by the spring that was outside the town. This was the time when women went out to fetch water.
12 And he saith, 'Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, cause to meet, I pray Thee, before me this day — (and do kindness with my lord Abraham;
He prayed, “Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please let me be successful today, and please show your faithfulness to my master Abraham.
13 lo, I am standing by the fountain of water, and daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water;
Look, I'm standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming to get water.
14 and it hath been, the young person unto whom I say, Incline, I pray thee, thy pitcher, and I drink, and she hath said, Drink, and I water also thy camels) — her Thou hast decided for Thy servant, for Isaac; and by it I know that Thou hast done kindness with my lord.'
May it happen like this. The young woman that I ask, ‘Please hold your water jar so I can have a drink,’ and she replies, ‘Please drink, and I'll give your camels water too’ —may she be the one you've chosen as a wife for your servant Isaac. This way I'll know that you've shown your faithfulness to my master.”
15 And it cometh to pass, before he hath finished speaking, that lo, Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham) is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder,
He hadn't even finished praying when he saw Rebekah coming to get water, carrying her water jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milkah. Milkah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.
16 and the young person [is] of very good appearance, a virgin, and a man hath not known her; and she goeth down to the fountain, and filleth her pitcher, and cometh up.
She was very beautiful, a virgin—no one had slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up.
17 And the servant runneth to meet her, and saith, 'Let me swallow, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher;'
The servant ran over to meet her and asked, “Please let me drink a few sips of water from your jar.”
18 and she saith, 'Drink, my lord;' and she hasteth, and letteth down her pitcher upon her hand, and giveth him drink.
“Please drink, my lord,” she replied. She quickly lifted the jar down from her shoulder and held it for him to drink.
19 And she finisheth giving him drink, and saith, 'Also for thy camels I draw till they have finished drinking;'
After she finished giving him a drink, she said, “Let me get water for your camels too until they've had enough.”
20 and she hasteth, and emptieth her pitcher into the drinking-trough, and runneth again unto the well to draw, and draweth for all his camels.
She quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the spring to get more water. She brought enough for all his camels.
21 And the man, wondering at her, remaineth silent, to know whether Jehovah hath made his way prosperous or not.
The man observed her in silence to see if the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
22 And it cometh to pass when the camels have finished drinking, that the man taketh a golden ring (whose weight [is] a bekah), and two bracelets for her hands (whose weight [is] ten [bekahs] of gold),
Once the camels had finished drinking, he gave her a gold nose-ring and two heavy gold bracelets for her wrists.
23 and saith, 'Whose daughter [art] thou? declare to me, I pray thee, is the house of thy father a place for us to lodge in?'
Then he asked her, “Whose daughter are you? Also could you tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?”
24 And she saith unto him, 'I [am] daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she hath borne to Nahor.'
She replied, “I'm the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.” Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and food for the camels,
25 She saith also unto him, 'Both straw and provender [are] abundant with us, also a place to lodge in.'
and yes, we have room for you to spend the night.”
26 And the man boweth, and doth obeisance to Jehovah,
The man kneeled down and bowed in worship to the Lord.
27 and saith, 'Blessed [is] Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, who hath not left off His kindness and His truth with my lord; — I [being] in the way, Jehovah hath led me to the house of my lord's brethren.'
“Thank you Lord, the God of my master Abraham,” he prayed. “You have not forgotten your commitment and faithfulness to my master. And Lord, you have led me directly to the home of my master's relatives!”
28 And the young person runneth, and declareth to the house of her mother according to these words.
She ran to her mother's house and told her family what had happened.
29 And Rebekah hath a brother, and his name [is] Laban, and Laban runneth unto the man who [is] without, unto the fountain;
Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he ran out to meet the man who had remained at the spring.
30 yea, it cometh to pass, when he seeth the ring, and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he heareth the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, 'Thus hath the man spoken unto me,' that he cometh in unto the man, and lo, he is standing by the camels by the fountain.
He'd noticed the nose-ring and the bracelets she was wearing, and he'd heard his sister Rebekah explaining, “This is what the man told me.” When he arrived the man was still there, standing with his camels beside the spring.
31 And he saith, 'Come in, O blessed one of Jehovah, why standest thou without, and I — I have prepared the house and place for the camels!'
“Please come home with me, you who are blessed by the Lord,” said Laban. “What are you standing out here for? I've got a room at home ready for you, and a place for the camels to stay.”
32 And he bringeth in the man into the house, and looseth the camels, and giveth straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who [are] with him:
So the man went home with him. Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and food to eat. He also provided water for the man to wash his feet, as well as for the men who were with him.
33 and setteth before him to eat; but he saith, 'I do not eat till I have spoken my word;' and he saith, 'Speak.'
Then Laban had food brought in. But the man told him, “I'm not going to eat until I've explained why I'm here.” “Please explain,” Laban replied.
34 And he saith, 'I [am] Abraham's servant;
“I'm Abraham's servant,” the man began.
35 and Jehovah hath blessed my lord exceedingly, and he is great; and He giveth to him flock, and herd, and silver, and gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses;
“The Lord has blessed my master so much, and now he is a wealthy and powerful man. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 and Sarah, my lord's wife, beareth a son to my lord, after she hath been aged, and he giveth to him all that he hath.
His wife Sarah has had a son for my master even in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
37 'And my lord causeth me to swear, saying, Thou dost not take a wife to my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling.
My master made me swear an oath, saying, ‘You must not arrange for my son to marry any daughter of the Canaanite people in whose land I'm living.
38 If not — unto the house of my father thou dost go, and unto my family, and thou hast taken a wife for my son.
Instead, go to my family home where my relatives live, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.’
39 'And I say unto my lord, It may be the woman doth not come after me;
I said to my master, ‘What if the woman refuses to come back with me?’
40 and he saith unto me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked habitually, doth send His messenger with thee, and hath prospered thy way, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from my family, and from the house of my father;
He told me, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived my life, will send his angel with you, and he will make your journey successful—you will find a wife for my son from my relatives, from my father's family.
41 then art thou acquitted from my oath, when thou comest unto my family, and if they give not [one] to thee; then thou hast been acquitted from my oath.
You will be released from the oath you swear to me if, when you go to my family, they refuse to let her return with you.’
42 'And I come to-day unto the fountain, and I say, Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, if Thou art, I pray Thee, making prosperous my way in which I am going —
Today when I arrived at the spring, I prayed, Lord, God of my master Abraham, please let the journey I have taken be successful.
43 (lo, I am standing by the fountain of water), then the virgin who is coming out to draw, and I have said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher,
Look, I'm standing here beside this spring. May it happen like this. If a young woman comes to get water, and I say, ‘Please give me a few sips of water to drink,’
44 and she hath said unto me, Both drink thou, and also for thy camels I draw — she is the woman whom Jehovah hath decided for my lord's son.
and she says to me, ‘Please drink, and I'll get water for your camels too’ —may she be the one you've chosen as a wife for your servant Isaac.”
45 'Before I finish speaking unto my heart, then lo, Rebekah is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she goeth down to the fountain, and draweth; and I say unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee,
“I hadn't even finished praying silently when I saw Rebekah coming to get water, carrying her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring to get water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
46 and she hasteth and letteth down her pitcher from off her and saith, Drink, and thy camels also I water; and I drink, and the camels also she hath watered.
She quickly lifted the jar down from her shoulder and she said, ‘Please drink, and I'll get water for your camels too.’ So I drank, and she got water for the camels.
47 'And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter [art] thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,
I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I'm the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.’ So I put the ring in her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 and I bow, and do obeisance before Jehovah, and I bless Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, who hath led me in the true way to receive the daughter of my lord's brother for his son.
Then I kneeled down and bowed in worship to the Lord. I thanked the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, for he led me directly to find my master's niece for his son.
49 'And now, if ye are dealing kindly and truly with my lord, declare to me; and if not, declare to me; and I turn unto the right or unto the left.'
So please tell me now, will you show commitment and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no so I can decide what to do next.”
50 And Laban answereth — Bethuel also — and they say, 'The thing hath gone out from Jehovah; we are not able to speak unto thee bad or good;
Laban and Bethuel replied, “Clearly all this is from the Lord, so we can't argue one way or the other.
51 lo, Rebekah [is] before thee, take and go, and she is a wife to thy lord's son, as Jehovah hath spoken.'
Rebekah's here, you can take her and leave. She can become the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has decided.”
52 And it cometh to pass, when the servant of Abraham hath heard their words, that he boweth himself towards the earth before Jehovah;
As soon as Abraham's servant heard their decision, he bowed down in worship to the Lord.
53 and the servant taketh out vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and giveth to Rebekah; precious things also he hath given to her brother and to her mother.
Then he unpacked silver and gold jewelry and expensive clothes and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable presents to her brother and her mother.
54 And they eat and drink, he and the men who [are] with him, and lodge all night; and they rise in the morning, and he saith, 'Send me to my lord;'
He and the men with him ate and drank, and spent the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now and go home to my master.”
55 and her brother saith — her mother also — 'Let the young person abide with us a week or ten days, afterwards doth she go.'
But her brother and her mother said, “Let her stay with us for another ten days or so. She can leave after that.”
56 And he saith unto them, 'Do not delay me, seeing Jehovah hath prospered my way; send me away, and I go to my lord;'
“Please don't delay me,” he told them. “The Lord has made my journey successful, so let me leave and go back to my master.”
57 and they say, 'Let us call for the young person, and ask at her mouth;'
“Let's call Rebekah and find out what she wants to do,” they suggested.
58 and they call for Rebekah, and say unto her, 'Dost thou go with this man?' and she saith, 'I go.'
They called Rebekah in and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man now?” “Yes, I'll go,” she replied.
59 And they send away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men;
So they let Laban's sister Rebekah leave with Abraham's servant and his men, together with the woman who had nursed her as a child.
60 and they bless Rebekah, and say to her, 'Thou [art] our sister; become thou thousands of myriads, and thy seed doth possess the gate of those hating it.'
They asked a blessing on her, saying, “Our dear sister, may you become the mother to thousands and thousands of descendants, and may they conquer their enemies.”
61 And Rebekah and her young women arise, and ride on the camels, and go after the man; and the servant taketh Rebekah and goeth.
Then Rebekah and her servant girls got on the camels. They followed Abraham's servant and left.
62 And Isaac hath come in from the entrance of the Well of the Living One, my Beholder; and he is dwelling in the land of the south,
Meanwhile Isaac, who was living in the Negev, had just come back from Beer-lahai-roi.
63 and Isaac goeth out to meditate in the field, at the turning of the evening, and he lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, camels are coming.
He went out into the fields one evening to think things over. He looked into the distance and saw camels coming.
64 And Rebekah lifteth up her eyes, and seeth Isaac, and alighteth from off the camel;
Rebekah was also keeping a look out. When she saw Isaac, she got down from her camel.
65 and she saith unto the servant, 'Who [is] this man who is walking in the field to meet us?' and the servant saith, 'It [is] my lord;' and she taketh the veil, and covereth herself.
She asked the servant, “Who is this walking through the fields to meet us?” “He's my master, Isaac,” he replied. So she put on her veil to cover herself.
66 And the servant recounteth to Isaac all the things that he hath done,
The servant told Isaac everything he'd done.
67 and Isaac bringeth her in unto the tent of Sarah his mother, and he taketh Rebekah, and she becometh his wife, and he loveth her, and Isaac is comforted after [the death of] his mother.
Isaac took Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and he married her. He loved her, and she brought him comfort after his grief over his mother's death.
