24 Abraham was now a very old man. The Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 Abraham had an important servant in his house. He had authority over everything that belonged to Abraham. Abraham said to him, ‘Come here and make a promise to me. Put your hand between my legs to show that I can trust you. [ a ] 3 You must make a serious promise to me in front of the Lord . He is the God who rules both heaven and earth. I am living among the Canaanite people, but you must promise this to me: Do not get a Canaanite woman to be a wife for my son. 4 Instead, you must go to my own country. Go to my family there to find a wife for my son Isaac.’
5 The servant asked Abraham, ‘What should I do if the woman will not agree? Maybe she will not come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son to the country that you came from?’
6 Abraham replied, ‘No! You must never take my son back there. 7 The Lord , the God of heaven, took me away from there. He took me out of my father's house. He took me away from the land where my family lives. God made a serious promise to me. He said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Because God has promised this, he will send his angel to go in front of you. When you arrive there, you will find a woman to marry my son. 8 But perhaps the woman will not agree to come back here with you. If that happens, you do not have to keep this promise. But do not take my son back to that land.’ 9 So the servant put his hand between Abraham's legs. The servant promised that he would do everything that Abraham had told him.
10 After that, Abraham's servant left to go on his journey. He took with him ten of his master's camels. He also took many different kinds of valuable gifts that Abraham had given to him. [ b ] He travelled towards Aram Naharaim. He arrived in the town of Nahor. [ c ]
11 Abraham's servant stopped outside the town. He made the camels go down on their knees near a well. It was the evening time, when women came to the well to get water. 12 The servant prayed to God. He prayed, ‘ Lord , God of Abraham, my master, please be my guide today. Be kind to my master Abraham, as you have promised him. 13 See, I am standing here near this well. The daughters of the people who live in the town will come to get water from the well. 14 I will say to one of the young women, “Please let me have a drink of water from your pot.” If she is the right woman for your servant Isaac to marry, please may she say, “Yes, drink. Then I will give water to your camels also”. If that happens, then I will know that you have kept your promise to my master.’
15 The servant was still praying when Rebekah came to the well. She had her pot on her shoulder. Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Milcah. Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother, Nahor. 16 The young woman was very beautiful. She had not had sex with any man. She went down to the well. She filled her pot with water and she came back up again. 17 Abraham's servant hurried to meet her. He said, ‘Please give me a little water to drink from your pot.’ 18 She replied, ‘Yes sir, please drink.’ She quickly took the pot down from her shoulders. She held the pot with her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had done that, she said, ‘Now I will get some water for your camels too. I will do this until they have drunk as much water as they want.’ 20 So Rebekah quickly poured the water from her pot into the place where the animals drank. She ran back to the well to get more water. She did this until the camels had drunk enough. 21 Abraham's servant watched the girl, but he did not say anything. He wanted to know if the Lord had helped him to find a wife for Isaac.
22 The camels finished drinking. Then Abraham's servant took out a valuable gold nose ring. It weighed one half shekel. He also took out two large gold rings for Rebekah's arms. They weighed 10 shekels each.
23 The servant gave them to Rebekah and he asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there a room in your father's house for me and my men to sleep there tonight?’
24 Rebekah replied ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel. Nahor is his father, and Milcah is his mother. 25 We have plenty of grass and food for the camels. And there is a room for you to stay with us for the night.’
26 Then the man turned his face towards the ground. He worshipped the Lord . 27 He said, ‘I praise the Lord who is the God of my master, Abraham. He has been very kind to my master. He has done what he promised to do for him. The Lord has been kind to me too. He has led me here to the house of my master's family.’
28 Rebekah quickly ran back home. She told her mother and her family about what had happened.
29 Rebekah had a brother. His name was Laban. 30 Laban saw the nose ring and the arm rings that Rebekah was wearing. Rebekah told him what the man had said to her. So Laban went out quickly to the well to meet the servant. He found him standing near the well, together with his camels. 31 Laban said to him, ‘The Lord has blessed you! You should not continue to stand out here. Come with me. I have prepared a room for you in my house. There is also a place for your camels.’
32 So Abraham's servant went with Laban to the house. They took the luggage off the camels. Someone brought grass and food for the camels. They also brought water so that Abraham's servant and his men could wash their feet. 33 They prepared food for the servant but he said, ‘I will not eat yet. First I must tell you why I have come here.’ Laban said, ‘Please tell us.’
34 So the servant said, ‘I am Abraham's servant. 35 The Lord has blessed my master very much, so that he has become very rich. The Lord has given him sheep and cows, and silver and gold. He has also given him male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah is my master's wife. She has given birth to a son for him, even when she was very old. My master has given his son everything that belongs to him. 37 My master told me to make a serious promise to him. He said, “I live as a stranger among the Canaanite people. But you must not get a Canaanite woman to be a wife for my son. 38 Instead, go to the land where my father lived and find a wife for my son from among my family there.”
39 So I asked my master, “What should I do if the woman will not return with me?” 40 My master said “I have lived to please the Lord . He will send his angel to go with you. You will find a wife for my son, because the Lord will help you. You will find a wife for him from among my own family. 41 Go to the place where my family group live. If they refuse to let you take her, you will no longer have to keep your promise to me.”
42 I arrived at the town well today. I prayed, “ Lord , God of my master Abraham, please help me to find a wife for my master's son. This is why I have travelled here. 43 See, I am standing here near this well. If a young woman comes to get water, I will say to her, ‘Please let me drink some water from your pot.’ 44 If she is the woman that the Lord has chosen to marry my master's son, please may she say to me, ‘Yes, drink. Then I will also get some water for your camels to drink.’ ”
45 While I was still praying quietly, Rebekah came to the well. She carried her pot on her shoulder. She went down to the well, and got some water. Then I said to her “Please give me some water to drink.” 46 She quickly took her pot down from her shoulder. She said, “Drink. Then I will get water for your camels too.” So I drank. And she also gave water to the camels.
47 I asked her, “Whose daughter are you?” She said, “I am the daughter of Bethuel. Nahor is his father and Milcah is his mother.” When I heard that, I put the ring in her nose. I put the rings on her arms. 48 I turned my face towards the ground and I worshipped the Lord . I praised the Lord , the God of my master, Abraham. The Lord led me to the right place so that I met the granddaughter of my master's brother. The Lord has led me to her, for my master's son. 49 So tell me what you will say. If you will show true love to my master, then please say, “Yes.” But if not, then tell me. Then I will know what to do.’
50 Laban and Bethuel replied, ‘We know that the Lord has caused all this to happen. So what we ourselves say is not important. 51 Here is Rebekah. Take her with you to become the wife of your master's son. That is what the Lord has shown to be right.’
52 When Abraham's servant heard their answer, he turned his face towards the ground to thank the Lord . 53 He brought his master's gifts to give them to Rebekah. They were valuable things made from gold and silver, as well as beautiful clothes. He also gave valuable things to her brother and to her mother.
54 After that, the servant ate a meal. The men who were with him also ate and drank. They stayed there for the night.
When they woke up the next morning, the servant said, ‘Let me leave now so that I can go back to my master.’ 55 Rebekah's brother and her mother replied, ‘Please let Rebekah stay with us for a few more days. After about ten days, she can go with you.’ 56 But the servant said, ‘Do not make me stay longer. The Lord has given me what I came here for. Let me leave now so that I can go back to my master.’ 57 Rebekah's brother and mother said, ‘Let us call the girl. We can ask her what she wants to do.’ 58 So they called Rebekah to come. They asked her, ‘Will you go with this man now?’ Rebekah said, ‘Yes, I will go.’
59 So they agreed to let their sister Rebekah go. Her nurse went with her. They left there with Abraham's servant, and his men. 60 As Rebekah was leaving, her brother and her mother blessed her. They said,
‘Our sister, may you become the mother of millions of descendants.
May your descendants win against their enemies,
and may they go into their enemies' cities.’ [ d ]
61 Then Rebekah and her female servants left there, together with Abraham's servant. They took camels to ride on. That was how the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 At this time Isaac had returned from Beer Lahai Roi. [ e ] He was now living in the Negev.
63 It was evening time. Isaac went out to walk in the fields. He looked up and he saw some camels. They were coming towards him.
64 Rebekah also looked up and she saw Isaac. She got down from her camel. 65 She asked Abraham's servant, ‘I see a man in the field who is coming towards us. Who is he?’ The servant replied, ‘He is my master’. Rebekah covered her face with a piece of cloth. [ f ]
66 Then the servant told Isaac everything that happened. 67 Isaac took Rebekah into the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in. Rebekah became Isaac's wife. And Isaac loved Rebekah. So Isaac was happy again, after the death of his mother.
24 Abraham lived to be a very old man. The Lord blessed him and everything he did. 2 Abraham’s oldest servant was in charge of everything he owned. Abraham called that servant to him and said, “Put your hand under my leg. [ a ] 3 Now I want you to make a promise to me. Promise to me before the Lord , the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry a girl from Canaan. We live among these people, but don’t let him marry a Canaanite girl. 4 Go back to my country, to my own people, to find a wife for my son Isaac. Bring her here to him.”
5 The servant said to him, “Maybe this woman will not want to come back with me to this land. If that happens, should I take your son with me to your homeland?”
6 Abraham said to him, “No, don’t take my son to that place. 7 The Lord , the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family, but he promised that this new land would belong to my family. May he send his angel before you so that you can choose a wife for my son. 8 If the girl refuses to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not take my son back to that place.”
9 So the servant put his hand under his master’s leg and made the promise.
10 The servant took ten of Abraham’s camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor’s city. 11 In the evening, when the women come out to get water, he went to the water well outside the city. He made the camels kneel down at the well.
12 The servant said, “ Lord , you are the God of my master Abraham. Please show your kindness to my master by helping me find a wife for his son Isaac. 13 Here I am, standing by this well of water, and the young women from the city are coming out to get water. 14 I will say to one of them, ‘Please put your jar down so that I can drink.’ Let her answer show whether she is the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. If she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels,’ I will know that she is the right one. It will be proof that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before the servant finished praying, a young woman named Rebekah came to the well. She was the daughter of Bethuel. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham’s brother.) Rebekah came to the well with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 She was very pretty. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the well and filled her jar. 17 Then the servant ran to her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.”
18 Rebekah quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and gave him a drink. She said, “Drink this, sir.” 19 As soon as she finished giving him something to drink, Rebekah said, “I will also pour some water for your camels.” 20 So Rebekah quickly poured all the water from her jar into the drinking trough for the camels. Then she ran to the well to get more water, and she gave water to all the camels.
21 The servant quietly watched her. He wanted to be sure that the Lord had given him an answer and had made his trip successful. 22 After the camels finished drinking, he gave Rebekah a gold ring that weighed 1/4 ounce. [ b ] He also gave her two gold arm bracelets that weighed 2 ounces [ c ] each. 23 The servant asked, “Who is your father? And is there a place in your father’s house for me and my men to sleep?”
24 Rebekah answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.” 25 Then she said, “Yes, we have straw and other food for your camels and a place for you to sleep.”
26 The servant bowed and worshiped the Lord . 27 He said, “Praise be to the Lord , the God of my master Abraham. The Lord has been kind and loyal to him by leading me to his own people.”
28 Then Rebekah ran and told her family about all these things. 29-30 She had a brother named Laban. She told him what the man had said to her. Laban was listening to her. And when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, he ran out to the well. There the man was, standing by the camels at the well. 31 Laban said, “Sir, you are welcome to come in! [ d ] You don’t have to stand outside here. I have prepared a room for you to sleep in and a place for your camels.”
32 So Abraham’s servant went into the house. Laban unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then he gave Abraham’s servant water so that he and the men with him could wash their feet. 33 Laban then gave him food to eat, but the servant refused to eat. He said, “I will not eat until I have told you why I came.”
So Laban said, “Then tell us.”
34 The servant said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master in everything. My master has become a great man. The Lord has given him many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. He has much silver and gold and many servants. He has many camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah was my master’s wife. When she was very old, she gave birth to a son, and my master has given everything he owns to that son. 37 My master forced me to make a promise to him. He said to me, ‘You must not allow my son to marry a girl from Canaan. We live among these people, but I don’t want him to marry one of the Canaanite girls. 38 So you must promise to go to my father’s country. Go to my family and choose a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Maybe the woman will not come back to this place with me.’ 40 But my master said to me, ‘I serve the Lord , and he will send his angel with you and help you. You will find a wife for my son among my people there. 41 But if you go to my father’s country, and they refuse to give you a wife for my son, you will be free from this promise.’
42 “Today I came to this well and said, ‘ Lord , God of my master Abraham, please make my trip successful. 43 I will stand by this well and wait for a young woman to come to get water. Then I will say, “Please give me water from your jar to drink.” 44 The right woman will answer in a special way. She will say, “Drink this water, and I will also get water for your camels.” That way I will know that she is the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I finished praying, Rebekah came out to the well to get water. She had her water jar on her shoulder as she went to get water from the well. I asked her to give me some water. 46 She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and poured me some water. Then she said, ‘Drink this, and I’ll get some water for your camels.’ So I drank the water, and she gave water to my camels. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Who is your father?’ She answered, ‘My father is Bethuel the son of Milcah and Nahor.’ Then I gave her the ring and bracelets for her arms. 48 I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord . I praised the Lord , the God of my master Abraham. I thanked him for leading me straight to the granddaughter of my master’s brother. 49 Now, tell me, will you be kind and loyal to my master and give him your daughter? Or will you refuse to give her to him? Tell me so that I will know what I should do.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “We see that this is from the Lord , so there is nothing we can say to change it. 51 Here is Rebekah. Take her and go. Let her marry your master’s son. This is what the Lord wants.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard this, he bowed to the ground before the Lord . 53 Then he gave Rebekah the gifts he brought. He gave her beautiful clothes and gold and silver jewelry. He also gave expensive gifts to her mother and brother. 54 Then he and his men had something to eat and drink, and they spent the night there. Early the next morning they got up and the servant said, “Now we must go back to my master.”
55 Rebekah’s mother and her brother said, “Let Rebekah stay with us for a short time. Let her stay with us ten days. After that she can go.”
56 But the servant said to them, “Don’t make me wait. The Lord has made my trip successful. Now let me go back to my master.”
57 Rebekah’s brother and mother said, “We will call Rebekah and ask her what she wants to do.” 58 They called her and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man now?”
Rebekah said, “Yes, I will go.”
59 So they allowed Rebekah to go with Abraham’s servant and his men. Her nurse also went with them. 60 While Rebekah was leaving they said to her,
“Our sister, may you be
the mother of millions of people,
and may your descendants defeat
their enemies and take their cities.”
61 Then Rebekah and her nurse got on the camels and followed the servant and his men. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Isaac had left Beer Lahai Roi and was now living in the Negev. 63 One evening he went out to the field to think. [ e ] He looked up and saw the camels coming from far away.
64 Rebekah also looked and saw Isaac. Then she jumped down from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that young man walking in the field to meet us?”
The servant said, “That is my master’s son.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 67 Then Isaac brought the girl into his mother’s tent. Rebekah became his wife that day. Isaac loved her very much. So he was comforted after his mother’s death.
24 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord , the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
7 The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12 And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord .
27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren.
28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord ; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.
33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
40 And he said unto me, The Lord , before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:
41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master's son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord , and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord : we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord , bowing himself to the earth.
53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
24 Now ( A ) Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had ( B ) blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in ( C ) charge of all that he owned, “ ( D ) Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord , ( E ) the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you ( F ) shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of ( G ) the Canaanites, among whom I live; 4 but you will go to ( H ) my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” 6 Then Abraham said to him, “ ( I ) Beware that you do not take my son back there! 7 ( J ) The Lord , the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘ ( K ) To your [ a ] descendants I will give this land’—He will send ( L ) His angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will ( M ) be free of this oath of mine; ( N ) only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant ( O ) placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and went out with a variety of ( P ) good things of his master’s in his hand; so he set out and went to [ b ] Mesopotamia, to ( Q ) the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by ( R ) the well of water [ c ] when it was evening, ( S ) the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “ ( T ) Lord , God of my master Abraham, please [ d ] ( U ) grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, ( V ) I am standing by the [ e ] spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14 now may it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and [ f ] who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’— may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15 And it came about, ( W ) before he had finished speaking, that behold, ( X ) Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of ( Y ) Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was ( Z ) very beautiful, a virgin; no man had [ g ] had relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “ ( AA ) Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18 And ( AB ) she said, “Drink, my lord”; then she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, ( AC ) she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 ( AD ) Meanwhile, the man was taking a close look at her [ h ] in silence, to find out whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a ( AE ) gold ring weighing a [ i ] half-shekel, and two bracelets for her [ j ] wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay overnight at your father’s house?” 24 She said to him, “ ( AF ) I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to stay overnight.” 26 Then the man ( AG ) bowed low and worshiped the Lord . 27 And he said, “ ( AH ) Blessed be the Lord , the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned ( AI ) His kindness and His trustworthiness toward my master; as for me, ( AJ ) the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”
28 Then ( AK ) the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was ( AL ) Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s [ k ] wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “ [ l ] This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “ ( AM ) Come in, ( AN ) blessed of the Lord ! Why do you stand outside, since ( AO ) I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man entered the house. Then [ m ] ( AP ) Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am ( AQ ) Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly ( AR ) blessed my master, so that he has become [ n ] rich; and He has given him ( AS ) flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and slave women, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now ( AT ) my master’s wife Sarah bore a son to my master [ o ] in her old age, and ( AU ) he has given him all that he has. 37 ( AV ) My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 Then ( AW ) I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 And he said to me, ‘ ( AX ) The Lord , before whom I have ( AY ) walked, will send ( AZ ) His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 ( BA ) then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
42 “So ( BB ) I came today to the spring, and said, ‘ Lord , God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I have been going ( BC ) successful; 43 behold, ( BD ) I am standing by the [ p ] spring, and may it be that the [ q ] young unmarried woman who comes out to draw water , and to whom I say, “ ( BE ) Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44 and she says to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I had finished ( BF ) speaking in my heart, behold, ( BG ) Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew water , and ( BH ) I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder , and said, ‘ ( BI ) Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 ( BJ ) Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ( BK ) ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her [ r ] wrists. 48 And I ( BL ) bowed low and worshiped the Lord , and blessed the Lord , the God of my master Abraham, ( BM ) who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 So now if you are going to [ s ] ( BN ) deal kindly and truthfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me now, so that I may turn to the right or the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “ ( BO ) The matter has come from the Lord ; ( BP ) so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he ( BQ ) bowed himself to the ground [ t ] before the Lord . 53 And the servant brought out ( BR ) articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morning, he said, “ ( BS ) Send me away to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “ ( BT ) Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 56 However, he said to them, “Do not delay me, since ( BU ) the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away so that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the young woman and [ u ] ask her.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and ( BV ) her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister,
( BW ) Become thousands of ten thousands,
And may ( BX ) your [ v ] descendants possess
The gate of those who hate them.”
61 Then Rebekah got up with her female attendants, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac had come back from [ w ] a journey to ( BY ) Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in ( BZ ) the [ x ] Negev. 63 Isaac went out ( CA ) to [ y ] meditate in the field toward evening; and ( CB ) he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 64 Rebekah raised her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her [ z ] veil and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and ( CC ) he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and ( CD ) he loved her; so Isaac was comforted after ( CE ) his mother’s death.
24 Abraham was now very old, ( A ) and the Lord had blessed ( B ) him in every way. ( C ) 2 He said to the senior servant ( D ) in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, ( E ) “Put your hand under my thigh. ( F ) 3 I want you to swear ( G ) by the Lord , the God of heaven ( H ) and the God of earth, ( I ) that you will not get a wife for my son ( J ) from the daughters of the Canaanites, ( K ) among whom I am living, ( L ) 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives ( M ) and get a wife for my son Isaac. ( N ) ”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? ( O ) Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from? ( P ) ”
6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” ( Q ) Abraham said. 7 “The Lord , the God of heaven, ( R ) who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land ( S ) and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring [ a ] ( T ) I will give this land’ ( U ) —he will send his angel before you ( V ) so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath ( W ) of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” ( X ) 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh ( Y ) of his master ( Z ) Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels ( AA ) loaded with all kinds of good things ( AB ) from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim [ b ] ( AC ) and made his way to the town of Nahor. ( AD ) 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well ( AE ) outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. ( AF )
12 Then he prayed, “ Lord , God of my master Abraham, ( AG ) make me successful ( AH ) today, and show kindness ( AI ) to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ( AJ ) 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, ( AK ) and I’ll water your camels too’ ( AL ) —let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. ( AM ) By this I will know ( AN ) that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, ( AO ) Rebekah ( AP ) came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel ( AQ ) son of Milkah, ( AR ) who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ( AS ) 16 The woman was very beautiful, ( AT ) a virgin; ( AU ) no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” ( AV )
18 “Drink, ( AW ) my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels ( AX ) too, ( AY ) until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. ( AZ ) 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. ( BA )
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring ( BB ) weighing a beka [ c ] and two gold bracelets ( BC ) weighing ten shekels. [ d ] 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? ( BD ) Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night? ( BE ) ”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor. ( BF ) ” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, ( BG ) as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord , ( BH ) 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord , ( BI ) the God of my master Abraham, ( BJ ) who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness ( BK ) to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey ( BL ) to the house of my master’s relatives.” ( BM )
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. ( BN ) 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, ( BO ) and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, ( BP ) and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord ,” ( BQ ) he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder ( BR ) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. ( BS ) 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
“Then tell us,” Laban said.
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ( BT ) 35 The Lord has blessed ( BU ) my master abundantly, ( BV ) and he has become wealthy. ( BW ) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ( BX ) 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, ( BY ) and he has given him everything he owns. ( BZ ) 37 And my master made me swear an oath, ( CA ) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, ( CB ) 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’ ( CC )
39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ ( CD )
40 “He replied, ‘The Lord , before whom I have walked faithfully, ( CE ) will send his angel with you ( CF ) and make your journey a success, ( CG ) so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family. ( CH ) 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’ ( CI )
42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘ Lord , God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success ( CJ ) to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring. ( CK ) If a young woman ( CL ) comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,” ( CM ) 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’ ( CN )
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, ( CO ) Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. ( CP ) She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ( CQ )
46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ ( CR ) So I drank, and she watered the camels also. ( CS )
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ ( CT )
“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel ( CU ) son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’ ( CV )
“Then I put the ring in her nose ( CW ) and the bracelets on her arms, ( CX ) 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord . ( CY ) I praised the Lord , the God of my master Abraham, ( CZ ) who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. ( DA ) 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness ( DB ) to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”
50 Laban and Bethuel ( DC ) answered, “This is from the Lord ; ( DD ) we can say nothing to you one way or the other. ( DE ) 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed. ( DF ) ”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord . ( DG ) 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing ( DH ) and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts ( DI ) to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way ( DJ ) to my master.”
55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; ( DK ) then you [ e ] may go.”
56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success ( DL ) to my journey. Send me on my way ( DM ) so I may go to my master.”
57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” ( DN ) 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” ( DO ) she said.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, ( DP ) along with her nurse ( DQ ) and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed ( DR ) Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands; ( DS )
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies.” ( DT )
61 Then Rebekah and her attendants ( DU ) got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, ( DV ) for he was living in the Negev. ( DW ) 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, [ f ] ( DX ) and as he looked up, ( DY ) he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel ( DZ ) 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil ( EA ) and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent ( EB ) of his mother Sarah, ( EC ) and he married Rebekah. ( ED ) So she became his wife, and he loved her; ( EE ) and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ( EF )
