Genesis 24
1 And Abraham was old, [and] advanced in age; and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.
Now Abraham was old and far on in years: and the Lord had given him everything in full measure.
2 And Abraham said to his servant, the eldest of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put thy hand, I pray thee, under my thigh,
And Abraham said to his chief servant, the manager of all his property, Come now, put your hand under my leg:
3 and I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that thou take not a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am dwelling;
And take an oath by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living;
4 but thou shalt go to my land and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.
But that you will go into my country and to my relations and get a wife there for my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land: must I, then, bring thy son again in any case to the land from which thou hast removed?
And the servant said, If by chance the woman will not come with me into this land, am I to take your son back again to the land from which you came?
6 And Abraham said to him, Beware that thou bring not my son thither again.
And Abraham said, Take care that you do not let my son go back to that land.
7 Jehovah the God of the heavens, who took me out of my father's house, and out of the land of my nativity, and who has spoken to me, and who has sworn to me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land — he will send his angel before thee, that thou mayest take a wife for my son thence.
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 And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be quit of this my oath: only, bring not my son thither again.
And if the woman will not come with you, then you are free from this oath; only do not take my son back there.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore unto him concerning that matter.
And the servant put his hand under Abraham's leg, and gave him his oath about this thing.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; now all the treasure of his master was under his hand; and he arose and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
And the servant took ten of his master's camels, and all sorts of good things of his master's, and went to Mesopotamia, to the town of Nahor.
11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water, at the time of the evening, when the women came out to draw [water].
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 And he said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, meet me, I pray thee, [with thy blessing] this day, and deal kindly with my master Abraham.
And he said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, let me do well in what I have undertaken this day, and give your mercy to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water.
See, I am waiting here by the water-spring; and the daughters of the town are coming out to get water:
14 And let it come to pass, [that] the maiden to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink, and who will say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also, be she whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and hereby I shall know that thou hast dealt kindly with 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 And it came to pass before he had ended speaking, that behold, Rebecca came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother; and [she had] her pitcher upon her shoulder.
And even before his words were ended, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water-vessel on her arm.
16 And the maiden was very fair in countenance; a virgin, and no man had known her. And she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came 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 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, sip a little water out of thy pitcher.
And the servant came running to her and said, Give me a little water from your vessel.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord! And she hasted and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him to drink.
And she said, Take a drink, my lord: and quickly letting down her vessel onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
19 And when she had given him enough to drink, she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels also, until they have drunk enough.
And having done so, she said, I will get water for your camels till they have had enough.
20 And she hasted and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw [water]; and she drew for all his 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 And the man was astonished at her, remaining silent, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous or not.
And the man, looking at her, said nothing, waiting to see if the Lord had given his journey a good outcome.
22 And it came to pass when the camels had drunk enough, that the man took a gold ring, of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, ten [shekels] weight of gold,
And when the camels had had enough, the man took a gold nose-ring, half a shekel in weight, and two ornaments for her arms of ten shekels weight of gold;
23 and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room [in] thy father's house for us to lodge?
And said to her, Whose daughter are you? is there room in your father's house for us?
24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.
And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, Nahor's wife.
25 And she said to him, There is straw, and also much provender with us; also room to lodge.
And she said, We have a great store of dry grass and cattle-food, and there is room for you.
26 And the man stooped, and bowed down before Jehovah,
And with bent head the man gave worship to the Lord;
27 and said, Blessed be Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who has not withdrawn his loving-kindness and his faithfulness from my master; I being in the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of my master's brethren.
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 And the maiden ran and told these things to her mother's house.
So the girl went running and took the news of these things to her mother's house
29 And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the well.
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he came out quickly to the man at the water-spring.
30 And it came to pass when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hand, and when he heard the words of Rebecca his sister, saying, Thus spoke the man to me — that he came to the man, and behold, he was standing by the camels, by 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 And he said, Come in, blessed of Jehovah! why standest thou outside? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
And he said to him, Come in, you on whom is the blessing of the Lord; why are you waiting outside? for I have made the house ready for you, and a place for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house; and he ungirded the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him.
Then the man came into the house, and Laban took their cords off the camels and gave them dry grass and food, and he gave to him and the men who were with him water for washing their feet.
33 And there was set [meat] before him to eat; but he said, I will not eat until I have made known my business. And he said, Speak on.
And meat was put before him, but he said, I will not take food till I have made my business clear to you. And they said, Do so.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and he has given him sheep and cattle, and silver and gold, and bondmen and bondwomen, and camels and asses.
The Lord has given my master every blessing, and he has become great: he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and men-servants and women-servants and camels and asses.
36 And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had grown old; and unto him has he given all that he has.
And when Sarah, my master's wife, was old, she gave birth to a son, to whom he has given all he has.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling;
And my master made me take an oath, saying, Do not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living;
38 but thou shalt by all means go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.
But go to my father's house and to my relations for a wife for my son.
39 And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not follow me?
And I said to my master, What if the woman will not come with me?
40 And he said to me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way, that thou mayest take a wife for my son of my family, and out of my father's house.
And he said, The Lord, whom I have ever kept before me, will send his angel with you, who will make it possible for you to get a wife for my son from my relations and my father's house;
41 Then shalt thou be quit of my oath, when thou shalt have come to my family. And if they give thee not [one], thou shalt be quit of my oath.
And you will be free from your oath to me when you come to my people; and if they will not give her to you, you will be free from your oath.
42 And I came this day to the well, and said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, if now thou wilt prosper my way on which I go,
And I came today to the water-spring, and I said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if it is your purpose to give a good outcome to my journey,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water, and let it come to pass that the damsel who cometh forth to draw [water], and to whom I shall say, Give me, I pray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher to drink,
Let it come about that, while I am waiting here by the water-spring, if a girl comes to get water and I say to her, Give me a little water from your vessel, and she says,
44 and she shall say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels — that she should be the woman whom Jehovah hath appointed 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 ended speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder, and went down to the well, and drew [water]; and I said to her, Give me, I pray thee, to drink.
And even while I was saying this to myself, Rebekah came out with her vessel on her arm; and she went down to the spring to get water; and I said to her, Give me a drink.
46 And she hasted and let down her pitcher from her [shoulder], and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. And I drank; and she gave the camels drink also.
And straight away she took down her vessel from her arm, and said, Take a drink, and I will get water for your camels.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.
And questioning her, I said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, and Milcah his wife. Then I put the ring on her nose and the ornaments on her hands.
48 And I stooped, and bowed down before Jehovah; and I blessed Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who has led me the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.
And with bent head I gave worship and praise to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, by whom I had been guided in the right way, to get the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 And now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me; and I will turn to the right hand or to the left.
And now, say if you will do what is good and right for my master or not, in order that it may be clear to me what I have to do.
50 And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeds from Jehovah: we cannot speak to thee bad or good.
Then Laban and Bethuel said in answer, This is the Lord's doing: it is not for us to say Yes or No to you.
51 Behold, Rebecca is before thee: take [her], and go away; and let her be wife of thy master's son, as Jehovah has said.
See, here is Rebekah: take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has said.
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth before Jehovah.
And at these words, Abraham's servant went down on his face and gave praise to the Lord.
53 And the servant brought forth silver articles, and gold articles, and clothing, and he gave [them] to Rebecca; and he gave to her brother, and to her mother, precious things.
Then he took jewels of silver and jewels of gold and fair robes and gave them to Rebekah: and he gave things of value to her mother and her brother.
54 And they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and lodged. And they rose up in the morning; and he said, Send me away to my master.
Then he and the men who were with him had food and drink, and took their rest there that night; and in the morning he got up, and said, Let me now go back to my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the maiden abide with us [some] days, or [say] ten; after that she shall 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 And he said to them, Do not hinder me, seeing Jehovah has prospered my way: send me away, and I will go to my master.
And he said, Do not keep me; the Lord has given a good outcome to my journey; let me now go back to my master.
57 And they said, Let us call the maiden and inquire at her mouth.
And they said, We will send for the girl, and let her make the decision.
58 And they called Rebecca and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
And they sent for Rebekah and said to her, Are you ready to go with this man? And she said, I am ready.
59 And they sent away Rebecca their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
So they sent their sister Rebekah and her servant with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebecca, and said to her, Thou art our sister; mayest thou become thousands of tens of thousands; and may thy seed possess the gate of their enemies!
And they gave Rebekah their blessing, saying, O sister, may you be the mother of thousands and ten thousands; and may your seed overcome all those who make war against them.
61 And Rebecca arose, and her maids, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebecca, and went away.
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 And Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi; for he was dwelling in the south country.
Now Isaac had come through the waste land to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the South.
63 And Isaac had gone out to meditate in the fields toward the beginning of evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were coming.
And when the evening was near, he went wandering out into the fields, and lifting up his eyes he saw camels coming.
64 And Rebecca lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac, and she sprang off the camel.
And when Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac, she got down from her camel,
65 And she had said to the servant, Who is the man that is walking in the fields to meet us? And the servant said, That is my master! Then she took the veil, and covered herself.
And said to the servant, Who is that man coming to us through the field? And the servant said, It is my master: then she took her veil, covering her face with it.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
Then the servant gave Isaac the story of all he had done.
67 And Isaac led her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after [the death of] his mother.
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.
