Genesis 24
1 Nowe Abraham was olde, and striken in yeeres, and the Lord 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 Therefore Abraham saide vnto his eldest seruant of his house, which had the rule ouer all that he had, Put nowe thine hand vnder 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 sweare by ye Lord God of the heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites among who I dwel.
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 vnto my countrey, and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sone Izhak.
But that you will go into my country and to my relations and get a wife there for my son Isaac.
5 And the seruant saide to him, What if the woman will not come with me to this land? shall I bring thy sonne againe vnto the lande from whence thou camest?
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 To whom Abraham answered, Beware that thou bring not my sonne thither againe.
And Abraham said, Take care that you do not let my son go back to that land.
7 The Lord God of heauen, who tooke me from my fathers house, and from the land where I was borne, and that spake vnto me, and that sware vnto me, saying, Vnto thy seede wil I giue this land, he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife vnto my sonne from 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 Neuertheles if the woman wil not follow thee, then shalt thou bee discharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my sonne thither againe.
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 Then the seruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter.
And the servant put his hand under Abraham's leg, and gave him his oath about this thing.
10 So the seruant tooke ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his masters goods in his hand: ) and so he arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, vnto the citie 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 his camels to lye downe without the citie by a well of water, at euentide about the time that the women come 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, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, send me good speede this day, and shew mercy vnto 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 Lo, I stand by the well of water, whiles the mens daughters of this citie come out to drawe water.
See, I am waiting here by the water-spring; and the daughters of the town are coming out to get water:
14 Graunt therefore that ye maide, to whom I say, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if she say, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also: may be she that thou hast ordeined for thy seruant Izhak: and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on 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 nowe yer he had left speaking, beholde, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon 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 maide was very faire to looke vpon, a virgine and vnknowen of man) and she went downe to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came vp.
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 Then the seruant ranne to meete her, and said, Let me drinke, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher.
And the servant came running to her and said, Give me a little water from your vessel.
18 And she said, Drinke sir: and she hasted, and let downe her pitcher vpon her hand and gaue him drinke.
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 giuen him drinke, she said, I will drawe water for thy camels also vntill they haue drunken inough.
And having done so, she said, I will get water for your camels till they have had enough.
20 And she powred out her pitcher into the trough speedily; and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and she drewe 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 So the man wondred at her, and helde his peace, to knowe whether the Lord had made his iourney 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 when the camels had left drinking, the man tooke a golden abillement of halfe a shekell weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of golde:
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 he said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee, Is there roume in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?
And said to her, Whose daughter are you? is there room in your father's house for us?
24 Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcah whom she bare vnto Nahor.
And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, Nahor's wife.
25 Moreouer she said vnto him, We haue litter also and prouender ynough, and roume to lodge in.
And she said, We have a great store of dry grass and cattle-food, and there is room for you.
26 And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the Lord,
And with bent head the man gave worship to the Lord;
27 And said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawen his mercie and his trueth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my masters brethrens house.
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 maide ranne and tolde them of her mothers house according to these wordes.
So the girl went running and took the news of these things to her mother's house
29 Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ranne vnto 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 For when he had seene the earings and the bracelets in his sisters hands, and when he heard the wordes of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man vnto me, then he went to the man, and loe, he stoode by the camels at 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 saide, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I haue prepared the house, and roume for ye 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 Then the man came into the house, and he vnsadled the camels, and brought litter and prouender for the camels, and water to wash his feete, and the mens feete that 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 Afterward the meate was set before him: but he saide, I will not eate, vntill I haue saide my message: And he said, Speake 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 Then he said, I am Abrahams seruant,
And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
35 And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, that he is become great: for he hath giuen him sheepe, and beeues, and siluer, and golde, and men seruants, and maide seruants, 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 masters wife hath borne a sonne to my master, when she was olde, and vnto him hath he giuen all that he hath.
And when Sarah, my master's wife, was old, she gave birth to a son, to whom he has given all he has.
37 Now my master made me sweare, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
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 go vnto my fathers house and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sonne.
But go to my father's house and to my relations for a wife for my son.
39 Then I saide vnto my master, What if the woman will not follow me?
And I said to my master, What if the woman will not come with me?
40 Who answered me, The Lord, before who I walke, will send his Angel with thee, and prosper thy iourney, and thou shalt take a wife for my sonne of my kinred and my fathers 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 discharged of mine othe, when thou commest to my kinred: and if they giue thee not one, thou shalt be free from mine othe.
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 So I came this day to the well, and said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if thou nowe prosper my iourney which I goe,
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: when a virgine commeth forth to drawe water, and I say to her, Giue me, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher to drinke,
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 say to me, Drinke thou, and I will also drawe for thy camels, let her be ye wife, which the Lord hath prepared for my masters sonne.
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 And before I had made an end of speaking in mine heart, beholde, Rebekah came foorth, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went downe vnto the well, and drewe water. Then I said vnto her, Giue me drinke, I pray thee.
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 made haste, and tooke downe her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also. So I dranke, and she gaue the camels drinke 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 Then I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she answered, The daughter of Bethuel Nahors sonne, whom Milcah bare vnto him. Then I put the abillement vpon her face, and the bracelets vpon 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 bowed downe and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had brought me the right way to take my masters brothers daughter vnto his sone.
And with bent head I gave worship and praise to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, by whom I had been guided in the right way, to get the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
49 Now therefore, if ye will deale mercifully and truely with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me that I may turne me 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 Then answered Laban and Bethuel, and said, This thing is proceeded of the Lord: we cannot therefore say vnto thee, neither euill nor 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 Beholde, Rebehak is before thee, take her and goe, that she may be thy masters sonnes wife, euen as the Lord hath 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 when Abrahams seruant heard their wordes, he bowed himselfe toward the earth vnto the Lord.
And at these words, Abraham's servant went down on his face and gave praise to the Lord.
53 Then the seruant tooke foorth iewels of siluer, and iewels of golde, and raiment, and gaue to Rebekah: also vnto her brother and to her mother he gaue gifts.
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 Afterward they did eate and drinke, both he, and the men that were with him, and taried all night. and when they rose vp in the morning, he said, Let me depart vnto 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 Then her brother and her mother answered, Let the maide abide with vs, at the least ten dayes: then shall she goe.
But her brother and her mother said, Let the girl be with us a week or ten days, and then she may go.
56 But he said vnto them, Hinder you me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney: send me away, that I may goe 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 Then they said, We will call the maide, and aske her consent.
And they said, We will send for the girl, and let her make the decision.
58 And they called Rebekah, and saide vnto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she answered, I will go.
And they sent for Rebekah and said to her, Are you ready to go with this man? And she said, I am ready.
59 So they let Rebekah their sister goe, and her nourse, with Abrahams seruant and his men.
So they sent their sister Rebekah and her servant with Abraham's servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and sayde vnto her, Thou art our sister, growe into thousande thousands, and thy seede possesse the gate of his 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 Then Rebekah arose, and her maydes, and rode vpon the camels, and followed the man. and the seruant tooke Rebekah, and departed.
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 Nowe Izhak came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi, (for he dwelt in the South countrey)
Now Isaac had come through the waste land to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the South.
63 And Izhak went out. to pray in the fielde toward the euening: who lift vp his eyes and looked, and behold, the camels came.
And when the evening was near, he went wandering out into the fields, and lifting up his eyes he saw camels coming.
64 Also Rebekah lift vp her eyes, and when she saw Izhak, she lighted downe from the camel.
And when Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac, she got down from her camel,
65 (For shee had sayde to the seruant, Who is yonder man, that commeth in the fielde to meete vs? and the seruant had said, It is my master) So she tooke a vaile, and couered her.
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 seruant tolde Izhak all things, that he had done.
Then the servant gave Isaac the story of all he had done.
67 Afterward Izhak brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and he tooke Rebekah, and she was his wife, and he loued her: So Izhak was comforted after his mothers death.
And Isaac took Rebekah into his tent and she became his wife; and in his love for her, Isaac was comforted after his father's death.
