Genesis 24
1 And Abraham was old, and well advanced in years: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Abraham was now a very old man. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in many ways.
2 And Abraham said to his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
One day Abraham said to the chief servant of his household, the man who was in charge of everything Abraham owned, “Put your hand between my thighs to solemnly promise you will do what I tell you.
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 for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Knowing that Yahweh God [who created] the heavens and the earth is listening, promise that you will not get a wife for my son, Isaac, from the women here in Canaan.
4 But thou shalt go to my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.
Instead, go back to my country and to my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac from among them.”
5 And the servant said to him, It may be the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land: must I needs bring thy son again to the land from which you came?
The servant asked him, “If I find a woman among your relatives, what if she is not willing to come back with me to this land? Shall I take your son back there to the country you came from, [so he can find a wife and live there]?”
6 And Abraham said to him, Beware that thou bring not my son there again.
Abraham replied to him, “No! Be certain that you don’t take my son there!
7 The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, To thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from there.
Yahweh God, who created the heavens, brought me here. He brought me from my father’s household, and from the land where my relatives lived. He spoke to me and made a solemn promise to me, saying, ‘I will give this land [of Canaan] to your descendants.’ He will send an angel who will go there ahead of you, and enable you to get a wife for my son [there and bring her to live here].
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 there again.
But if the woman you find will not come back with you, you are free to disregard the promise you are making. The only thing that you must not do is to take my son to live there!”
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning that matter.
So the servant put his hand between Abraham’s thighs and made a solemn promise about the 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 hands: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and loaded them with all kinds of goods that his master gave him to take along. Then he left to go to Aram-Naharaim, [which is in (northern Mesopotamia/Syria)]. He arrived in Nahor city.
11 And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
It was late in the afternoon, at the time when the women go to the well to get water, when he arrived there. He made the camels kneel down near the well, which was outside the city.
12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, prosper me this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
The servant prayed, “Yahweh God whom my master Abraham worships, enable me to be successful today! Act kindly 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:
Listen to me. I am standing near a well of water, and the young women of the city are coming to get 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 water thy camels also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and by that shall I know that thou hast shown kindness to my master.
I am asking you this: ‘I will say to some girl, “Please lower your jar so that I may drink some water.” If she says, “Drink some, and I will draw some water [from the well] for your camels, too,” I will know that she is the woman whom you chose to be a wife for your servant, Isaac, and I will know that you have been kind to my master.’”
15 And it came to pass, before he had finished 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.
Before he finished praying, [amazingly], Rebekah arrived there, carrying a jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s younger brother Nahor.
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.
She was very beautiful and still a virgin. She went down to the edge of the well, filled her jar with water, and then came back up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water from thy pitcher.
Abraham’s servant immediately ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him a drink.
She replied, “Drink some, sir!” She lowered her jar from her shoulder to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 And when she had finished giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, till they have finished drinking.
After she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also get some water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
She quickly emptied the water in her jar into the trough [for giving water to animals], and then ran back to the well, and kept getting water for all the camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
The servant just watched her, without saying anything. He wanted to know if Yahweh had caused his trip to be successful or not.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her wrists of ten shekels weight of gold;
Finally, after the camels finished drinking, the servant took out a gold nose ring that weighed (two ounces/6 grams), and two large gold bracelets for her arms, and gave them to Rebekah [and told her to put them on].
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?
Then he said, “Tell me whose daughter you are. Also, tell me, is there room in your father’s house for me and my men to sleep there tonight?”
24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.
She replied, “My father’s name is Bethuel. He is the son of Nahor and his wife Milcah.
25 She said moreover to him, We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in.
Yes, we have room where you all can sleep tonight, and we also have plenty of straw and grain to feed the camels.”
26 And the man bowed his head, and worshipped the LORD.
The servant bowed and worshiped Yahweh.
27 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left my master destitute of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
He said, “I thank you, Yahweh God, whom my master Abraham worships. You have continued to be kind and faithful to my master. You led me on this journey straight/directly to the house of my master’s relatives!”
28 And the damsel ran, and told these things to her mother’s house.
The girl ran and told everyone in her mother’s household about what had happened.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out to the man, to the well.
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban went quickly to Abraham’s servant, who was still by the well.
30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spoke the man to me; that he came to the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.
He was surprised to have seen the bracelets on his sister’s arms and the nose ring and to have heard Rebekah tell what the man had said to her. So he went out and saw the man standing near the camels, close to the well.
31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; why standest thou outside? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
He said to the man, “You who have been blessed by Yahweh, come with me! (Why are standing out here?/You should not keep standing out here!) [RHQ] I have prepared a room for you in the house, and a place for the camels to stay.”
32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.
So the servant went to the house, and Laban’s servants unloaded the camels, and brought straw and grain for the camels, and water for him and the men with him to wash their feet.
33 And there was set food before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told my errand. And he said, Speak on.
They set food in front of him for him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I tell you (what I need to tell you/why I have come).” So Laban said, “Tell us!”
34 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.
So the servant 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 male and female servants, and camels, and donkeys.
Yahweh has greatly blessed my master so that he has become very rich. Yahweh has given him many sheep and cattle, a lot of gold and silver, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old: and to him hath he given all that he hath.
My master’s wife, Sarah, bore a son for him when she was very old, and my master has given to his son everything he owns.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
My master made me solemnly promise, saying, ‘Do not get a wife for my son from the women here in Canaan.
38 But thou shalt go to my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.
Instead, go back to my father’s family, to my own clan, and get from them a wife for my son.’
39 And I said to my master, It may be the woman will not follow me.
Then I asked my master, ‘What shall I do if the woman you show me will not come back with me?’
40 And he said to 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:
He replied, ‘Yahweh, whom I have always obeyed [MTY], will send his angel with you, and he will cause your journey to be successful, with the result that you can get a wife for my son from my clan, from my father’s family.
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.
But if my clan refuses to allow her to return with you, you will be freed from being cursed because of not obeying me.’
42 And I came this day to the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou dost prosper my way which I go:
“When I came today to the well, I prayed, ‘Yahweh God whom my master, Abraham worships, if you are willing, please allow this journey of mine to be successful.
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;
Listen to me. I am standing beside a well. A young woman may come to draw water. I will say to her, “Please, give me a little water to drink from your jar.”
44 And she saith to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed for my master’s son.
If she says to me, “Certainly, drink some! And I will also draw some water for your camels,” that will be the woman whom you have chosen for my master’s son!’
45 And before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well, and drew water: and I said to her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
Before I finished praying, [amazingly], Rebekah approached with her water jar on her shoulder. She went down to the well and got some water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink!’
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will water thy camels also: so I drank, and she watered the camels also.
She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink some! And I will draw water [from the well] for your camels, too.’ So I drank some water, and she also got water for the 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 earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her wrists.
Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor and his wife, Milcah.’ I had [a ring and bracelets with me, and] I put the ring in her nose and put the bracelets on her arms.
48 And I bowed my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son.
Then I bowed and worshiped Yahweh, and I thanked Yahweh God, the one my master Abraham worships, the one who led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother to be a wife for my master’s son.
49 And now if you 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.
Now, if you are kind and faithful to my master, tell me that you will do what I am asking. If you will not do that, tell me that also, so I may know what to do [MTY].”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak to thee bad or good.
Laban and Bethuel answered, “It is clear that Yahweh has caused this to happen. So we two cannot say anything more.
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.
Rebekah is here in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be a wife for your master’s son, just as Yahweh has indicated.”
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
When Abraham’s servant heard these words, he bowed down to the ground to [thank] Yahweh.
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.
Then the servant brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothes, and gave them to Rebekah. And he gave gifts to her brother Laban and to her mother.
54 And they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose in the morning, and he said, Send me away to my master.
Then they ate a meal together. The men who were with Abraham’s servant also slept there that night. The next morning, the servant said, “Allow me now to return to 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.
But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl remain with us for about ten days. After that, you may take her and go.”
56 And he said to them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
But he replied to them, “Yahweh has made my journey successful, so do not detain me. Let me take her back to my master now!”
57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
They said, “Let’s call Rebekah and ask her what she wants to do.” [MTY]
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
So they summoned Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man now?” She replied, “Yes, I will go.”
59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.
So they allowed Rebekah, a woman who had taken care of her when she was very young, Abraham’s servant, and the men who had come with him. to go.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those who hate them.
Before they all left, they [asked God to] bless Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, we ask that Yahweh will cause you to have millions of descendants, and allow them to completely defeat [MET] all those that 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.
Then Rebekah and her maid servants got ready and got on their camels and went with Abraham’s servant.
62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.
At that time, Isaac was living in the Negev desert. He had gone there from Beer-Lahai-Roi.
63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at evening: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.
One evening he went out into the field to meditate as he walked. He looked up and [was surprised to] see some camels coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel.
Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got off the camel,
65 For she had said to 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 veil, and covered herself.
and asked the servant, “Who is that man who is approaching?” The servant replied, “That is Isaac, my master, [the man you will be marrying].” So she took her veil and covered her face, which was the custom for a woman who was about to be married.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
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.
Then Isaac took Rebekah into the tent that belonged to his mother, Sarah, and she became his wife. And he loved her. So Isaac was comforted about his mother’s death.
