Genesis 24

¹ By now Abraham was an old man, well on in years, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in every way.

² Abraham said to the senior servant in his household, the steward of al his property, 'Place your handunder my thigh:

³ I am going to make you swear by Yahweh, God of heaven and God of earth, that you wil not choosea wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live

⁴ but wil go to my native land and my own kinsfolk to choose a wife for my son Isaac.'

⁵ The servant asked him, 'What if the girl does not want to fol ow me to this country? Should I then takeyour son back to the country from which you come?'

⁶ Abraham replied, 'On no account are you to take my son back there.

⁷ Yahweh, God of heaven and God of earth, who took me from my father's home, and from the land ofmy kinsfolk, and who promised me on oath, "I shal give this country to your descendants"-he will now send hisangel ahead of you, so that you can get a wife for my son from there.

⁸ If then the girl refuses to follow you, you will be quit of this oath to me. Only do not take my son backthere.'

⁹ And the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him that hewould do it.

¹⁰ The servant took ten of his master's camels and, carrying all kinds of gifts from his master, set out forthe city of Nahor in Aram Naharaim.

¹¹ In the evening, at the time when women come out to draw water, he made the camels kneel outsidethe town near the wel .

¹² And he said, 'Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and show faithful love tomy master Abraham.

¹³ While I stand by the spring as the young women from the town come out to draw water,

¹⁴ I shal say to one of the girls, "Please lower your pitcher and let me drink." And if she answers,"Drink, and I shal water your camels too," let her be the one you have decreed for your servant Isaac; by this Ishall know you have shown faithful love to my master.'

¹⁵ He had not finished speaking when out came Rebekah -- who was the daughter of Bethuel son ofMilcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor -- with a pitcher on her shoulder.

¹⁶ The girl was very beautiful, and a virgin; no man had touched her. She went down to the spring, fil edher pitcher and came up again.

¹⁷ Running towards her, the servant said, 'Please give me a sip of water from your pitcher.'

¹⁸ She replied, 'Drink, my lord,' and quickly lowered her pitcher on her arm and gave him a drink.

¹⁹ When she had finished letting him drink, she said, 'I shall draw water for your camels, too, until theyhave had enough.'

²⁰ She quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran to the wel again to draw, and drew for althe camels.

²¹ Al the while, the man stood watching her, not daring to speak, wondering whether Yahweh hadmade his journey successful or not.

²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and put itthrough her nose, and put two bracelets weighing ten gold shekels on her arms,

²³ and said, 'Whose daughter are you? Please tel me. Is there room at your father's house for us tospend the night?'

²⁴ She replied, 'I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son whom Milcah bore to Nahor.'

²⁵ And she went on, 'We have plenty of straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.'

²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshipped Yahweh

²⁷ saying, 'Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, for not withholding his faithful love frommy master. Yahweh has led me straight to the house of my master's brother.'

²⁸ The girl ran to her mother's house to tel what had happened.

²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother cal ed Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the spring.

³⁰ As soon as he had seen the ring and the bracelets his sister was wearing, and had heard his sisterRebekah saying, 'This is what the man said to me,' he went to the man and found him stil standing by hiscamels at the spring.

³¹ He said to him, 'Come in, blessed of Yahweh, why stay out here when I have cleared the house andmade room for the camels?'

³² The man went to the house, and Laban unloaded the camels. He provided straw and fodder for thecamels and water for him and his companions to wash their feet.

³³ They offered him food, but he said, 'I wil eat nothing before I have said what I have to say.' Labansaid, 'Speak.'

³⁴ He said, 'I am Abraham's servant.

³⁵ Yahweh has loaded my master with blessings, and Abraham is now very rich. He has given himflocks and herds, silver and gold, men and women slaves, camels and donkeys.

³⁶ Sarah, my master's wife, bore my master a son in his old age, and he has made over al his propertyto him.

³⁷ My master made me take this oath, "You are not to choose a wife for my son from the daughters ofthe Canaanites in whose country I live.

³⁸ Instead, you are to go to my father's home and to my own kinsfolk to choose a wife for my son."

³⁹ I said to my master, "Suppose the girl wil not agree to come with me?"

⁴⁰ and his reply was, "Yahweh, in whose presence I have walked, will send his angel with you andmake your journey successful, for you to choose a wife for my son from my own kinsfolk, from my father's house.

⁴¹ Then you wil be quit of my curse: if you go to my family and they refuse you, you will be quit of mycurse."

⁴² Arriving today at the spring I said, "Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please grant a successfuloutcome to the course I propose to take.

⁴³ While I stand by the spring, if a girl comes out to draw water and I say to her, 'Please give me a littlewater to drink from your pitcher,'

⁴⁴ if she replies, 'Drink by all means, and I shall draw water for your camels too,' let her be the girlwhom Yahweh has decreed for my master's son."

⁴⁵ I was stil saying this in my mind when Rebekah came out, her pitcher on her shoulder. She camedown to the spring and drew water. I said to her, "Please give me a drink."

⁴⁶ Quickly she lowered her pitcher saying, "Drink, and I shal water your camels too."

⁴⁷ I asked her, "Whose daughter are you?" She replied, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, whom Milcahbore to Nahor." Then I put this ring through her nose and these bracelets on her arms.

⁴⁸ I bowed down and worshipped Yahweh, and I blessed Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, whohad led me by a direct path to choose the daughter of my master's brother for his son.

⁴⁹ Now tel me whether you are prepared to show constant and faithful love to my master; if not, say so,and I shall know what to do.'

⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel replied, 'This is from Yahweh; it is not for us to say yes or no to you.

⁵¹ Rebekah is there before you. Take her and go; and let her become the wife of your master's son, asYahweh has decreed.'

⁵² On hearing this, Abraham's servant bowed to the ground before Yahweh.

⁵³ He brought out silver and gold ornaments and clothes which he gave to Rebekah; he also gave richpresents to her brother and to her mother.

⁵⁴ They ate and drank, he and his companions, and spent the night there. Next morning when theywere up, he said, 'Let me go back to my master.'

⁵⁵ Rebekah's brother and mother replied, 'Let the girl stay with us for ten days or so; then she can go.'

⁵⁶ But he replied, 'Do not delay me, since Yahweh has made my journey successful; let me leave andgo back to my master.'

⁵⁷ They replied, 'Let us cal the girl and find out what she has to say.'

⁵⁸ They cal ed Rebekah and asked her, 'Wil you go with this man?' She replied, 'I will.'

⁵⁹ Accordingly they let their sister Rebekah go, with her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.

⁶⁰ They blessed Rebekah and said to her: Sister of ours, from you may there spring thousands andtens of thousands! May your descendants gain possession of the gates of their enemies!

⁶¹ And forthwith, Rebekah and her maids mounted the camels, and fol owed the man. The servant tookRebekah and departed.

⁶² Isaac meanwhile had come back from the wel of Lahai Roi and was living in the Negeb.

⁶³ While Isaac was out walking towards evening in the fields, he looked up and saw camelsapproaching.

⁶⁴ And Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She jumped down from her camel,

⁶⁵ and asked the servant, 'Who is that man walking through the fields towards us?' The servant replied,'That is my master.' So she took her veil and covered herself up.

⁶⁶ The servant told Isaac the whole story.

⁶⁷ Then Isaac took her into his tent. He married Rebekah and made her his wife. And in his love for her,Isaac was consoled for the loss of his mother.