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1 Abraham was old, and well stricken in age. Jehovah
had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the
elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under
my thigh. 3 I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and the
God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of
the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4 But you shall go to my country, and
to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman
isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the
land you came from?”
6 Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t
bring my son there again. 7 Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took me from
my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who
swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring.’ He will send his
angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 If
the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath
to me. Only you shall not bring my son there again.”
9 The servant put his hand under the thigh of
Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10 The
servant took ten camels, of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety
of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to
the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by
the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw
water. 12 He said, “Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, please give me
success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am
standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are
coming out to draw water. 14 Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I
will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she will say,
‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have
appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown
kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold,
Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor,
Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16 The young lady was
very beautiful to look at, a virgin. No man had known her. She went down to the
spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 The servant ran to meet her,
and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”
18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and
let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him drink. 19 When she had done
giving him drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have
done drinking.” 20 She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough,
and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.
21 The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining
silent, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 As
the camels had done drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel, and
two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, 23 and said,
“Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house
for us to lodge in?”
24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel
the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She said moreover to him,
“We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in.”
26 The man bowed his head, and worshiped Jehovah.
27 He said, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has not
forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Jehovah
has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The young lady ran, and told her mother’s
house about these words. 29 Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban.
Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. 30 When he saw the ring, and the
bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his
sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he came to the man. Behold,
he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, you
blessed of Jehovah. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house,
and room for the camels.”
32 The man came into the house, and he unloaded
the camels. He gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet
and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to
eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.”
He said, “Speak on.”
34 He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 Jehovah
has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. He has given him flocks and
herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and
donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was
old. He has given all that he has to him. 37 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 I
asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ 40 He
said to me, ‘Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and
prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my relatives, and of my
father’s house. 41 Then will you be clear from my oath,
when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you shall be
clear from my oath.’ 42 I came today to the spring, and
said, ‘Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way
which I go— 43 behold, I am standing by this spring of
water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will
say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 and
she will tell me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the
woman whom Jehovah has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45 Before
I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher
on her shoulder. She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please
let me drink.’ 46 She hurried and let down her pitcher
from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’
So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. 47 I
asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of
Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and
the bracelets on her hands. 48 I bowed my head, and
worshiped Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had
led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. 49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell
me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel
answered, “The thing proceeds from Jehovah. We can’t speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let
her be your master’s son’s wife, as Jehovah has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard
their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to Jehovah. 53 The
servant brought out jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and
gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her
mother. 54 They ate and drank, he and the men who were
with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said, “Send
me away to my master.”
55 Her brother and her mother
said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she
will go.”
56 He said to them, “Don’t hinder
me, since Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my
master.”
57 They said, “We will call the
young lady, and ask her.” 58 They called Rebekah, and said
to her, “Will you go with this man?”
She said, “I will go.”
59 They sent away Rebekah, their
sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 They
blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of
thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those
who hate them.”
61 Rebekah arose with her ladies.
They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and
went his way. 62 Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai
Roi, for he lived in the land of the South. 63 Isaac went
out to meditate in the field at the evening. He lifted up his eyes, and saw,
and, behold, there were camels coming. 64 Rebekah lifted
up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in
the field to meet us?”
The servant said, “It is my master.”
She took her veil, and covered herself. 66 The
servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Isaac
brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his
wife. He loved her. Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
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