Now aAbraham was old
, advanced
in age
; and the LORD
had bblessed
Abraham
in every
way
.
Abraham said
to his servant
, the oldest
of his household
, who had
acharge
of all
that he owned, " bPlease
place
your hand
under
my thigh
,
and I will make you swear by the LORD
, athe God
of heaven
and the God
of earth
, that you bshall not take
a wife
for my son
from the daughters
of cthe Canaanites
, among
whom
I live
,
but you will go to amy country
and to my relatives
, and take
a wife
for my son
Isaac
."
The servant said
to him, "Suppose
the woman
is not willing
to follow
me to this
land
; should I take
your son
back
to the land
from where
you came
?"
Then Abraham said
to him, " aBeware
that you do not take
my son
back
there
!
" aThe LORD, the God
of heaven
, who
took
me from my father's
house
and from the land
of my birth
, and who
spoke
to me and who
swore
to me, saying
, ` bTo your 1descendants
I will give
this
land
,' He will send
cHis angel
before
you, and you will take
a wife
for my son
from there
.
"But if the woman
is not willing
to follow
you, then you will abe free
from this
my oath
; bonly
do not take
my son
back
there
."
So the servant aplaced
his hand
under
the thigh
of Abraham
his master
, and swore
to him concerning
this
matter
.
Then the servant took
ten
camels
from the camels
of his master
, and set
out with a variety
of agood
things
of his master's
in his hand
; and he arose
and went
to 1Mesopotamia
, to bthe city
of Nahor
.
He made the camels kneel
down
outside
the city
by athe well
of water
at evening
time
, bthe time
when women go
out to draw
water
.
He said, " aO LORD
, the God
of my master
Abraham
, please
1 bgrant
me success
today
, and show
lovingkindness
to my master
Abraham
.
"Behold, aI am standing
by the 1spring
, and the daughters
of the men
of the city
are coming
out to draw
water
;
now may it be that the girl to whom
I say
, `Please
let
down
your jar
so that I may drink
,' and 1who answers
, `Drink
, and I will water
your camels
also
'--may she be the one whom You have appointed
for Your servant
Isaac
; and by this I will know
that You have shown
lovingkindness
to my master
."
aBefore he had finished
speaking
, behold
, bRebekah
who
was born
to Bethuel
the son
of cMilcah
, the wife
of Abraham's
brother
Nahor
, came
out with her jar
on her shoulder
.
The girl was avery
beautiful
, a virgin
, and no
man
had 1had
relations
with her; and she went
down
to the spring
and filled
her jar
and came
up.
Then the servant ran
to meet
her, and said
, " aPlease
let me drink
a little
water
from your jar
."
aShe said, "Drink
, my lord
"; and she quickly
lowered
her jar
to her hand
, and gave
him a drink
.
Now when she had finished giving
him a drink
, ashe said
, "I will draw
also
for your camels
until
they have finished
drinking
."
So she quickly emptied
her jar
into the trough
, and ran
back
to the well
to draw
, and she drew
for all
his camels
.
aMeanwhile, the man was gazing
at her 1in silence
, to know
whether the LORD
had made
his journey
successful
or
not.
When the camels
had finished
drinking
, the man
took
a agold
ring
weighing
a half-shekel
and two
bracelets
for her 1wrists
weighing
ten
shekels in gold
,
and said, "Whose
daughter
are you? Please
tell
me, is there
room
for us to lodge
in your father's
house
?"
She said to him, " aI am the daughter
of Bethuel
, the son
of Milcah
, whom
she bore
to Nahor
."
Again she said to him, "We have plenty
of both
straw
and feed
, and room
to lodge
in."
Then the man abowed
low
and worshiped
the LORD
.
He said, " aBlessed
be the LORD
, the God
of my master
Abraham
, who
has not forsaken
bHis lovingkindness
and His truth
toward
my master
; as for me, cthe LORD
has guided
me in the way
to the house
of my master's
brothers
."
Then athe girl ran
and told
her mother's
household
about these
things
.
Now Rebekah had a brother
whose name
was aLaban
; and Laban
ran
outside
to the man
at the spring
.
When he saw the ring
and the bracelets
on his sister's
1wrists
, and when he heard
the words
of Rebekah
his sister
, saying
, " 2This
is what
the man
said
to me," he went
to the man
; and behold
, he was standing
by the camels
at the spring
.
And he said, " aCome
in, bblessed
of the LORD
! Why
do you stand
outside
since cI have prepared
the house
, and a place
for the camels
?"
So the man entered
the house
. Then 1 aLaban unloaded
the camels
, and he gave
straw
and feed
to the camels
, and water
to wash
his feet
and the feet
of the men
who
were with him.
But when food was set before
him to eat
, he said
, "I will not eat
until
I have told
my business
." And he said
, "Speak
on."
So he said, "I am aAbraham's
servant
.
"The LORD has greatly
ablessed
my master
, so that he has become
1rich
; and He has given
him bflocks
and herds
, and silver
and gold
, and servants
and maids
, and camels
and donkeys
.
"Now aSarah my master's
wife
bore
a son
to my master
1in her old
age
, and bhe has given
him all
that he has.
" aMy master made me swear
, saying
, `You shall not take
a wife
for my son
from the daughters
of the Canaanites
, in whose
land
I 1live
;
but you shall go to my father's
house
and to my relatives
, and take
a wife
for my son
.'
" aI said to my master
, `Suppose
the woman
does not follow
me.'
"He said to me, ` aThe LORD
, before
whom
I have bwalked
, will send
cHis angel
with you to make your journey
successful
, and you will take
a wife
for my son
from my relatives
and from my father's
house
;
athen you will be free
from my oath
, when
you come
to my relatives
; and if
they do not give
her to you, you will be free
from my oath
.'
"So aI came today
to the spring
, and said
, `O LORD
, the God
of my master
Abraham
, if
now
You will make my journey
on which
I go
bsuccessful
;
behold, aI am standing
by the 1spring
, and may it be that the maiden
who comes
out to draw
, and to whom I say
, " bPlease
let me drink
a little
water
from your jar
";
and she will say to me, "You drink
, and I will draw
for your camels
also
"; let her be the woman
whom
the LORD
has appointed
for my master's
son
.'
"Before I had finished
aspeaking
in my heart
, behold
, bRebekah
came
out with her jar
on her shoulder
, and went
down
to the spring
and drew
, and cI said
to her, `Please
let me drink
.'
"She quickly lowered
her jar
from her shoulder, and said
, ` aDrink
, and I will water
your camels
also
'; so I drank
, and she watered
the camels
also
.
" aThen I asked her, and said
, `Whose
daughter
are you?' And she said
, `The daughter
of Bethuel
, Nahor's
son
, whom
Milcah
bore
to him'; and I put
the bring
on her nose
, and the bracelets
on her 1wrists
.
"And I abowed low
and worshiped
the LORD
, and blessed
the LORD
, the God
of my master
Abraham
, bwho
had guided
me in the right
way
to take
the daughter
of my master's
1kinsman
for his son
.
"So now if
you are going
to 1 adeal
kindly
and truly
with my master
, tell
me; and if
not, let me know
, that I may turn
to the right
hand
or
the left
."
Then Laban and Bethuel
replied
, " aThe matter
comes
from the LORD
; bso we cannot
speak
to you bad
or
good
.
"Here is Rebekah
before
you, take
her and go
, and let her be the wife
of your master's
son
, as the LORD
has spoken
."
When Abraham's
servant
heard
their words
, he abowed
himself to the ground
1before the LORD
.
The servant brought
out aarticles
of silver
and articles
of gold
, and garments
, and gave
them to Rebekah
; he also gave
precious
things
to her brother
and to her mother
.
Then he and the men who
were with him ate
and drank
and spent
the night
. When they arose
in the morning
, he said
, " aSend
me away
to my master
."
But her brother and her mother
said
, " aLet the girl
stay
with us a few days
, say
ten
; afterward
she may go
."
He said to them, "Do not delay
me, since athe LORD
has prospered
my way
. Send
me away
that I may go
to my master
."
And they said, "We will call
the girl
and 1consult
her wishes
."
Then they called Rebekah
and said
to her, "Will you go
with this
man
?" And she said
, "I will go
."
Thus they sent away
their sister
Rebekah
and aher nurse
with Abraham's
servant
and his men
.
They blessed Rebekah
and said
to her, "May you, our sister
, aBecome
thousands
of ten
thousands
, And may byour 1descendants
possess
The gate
of those who hate
them."
Then Rebekah arose
with her maids
, and they mounted
the camels
and followed
the man
. So the servant
took
Rebekah
and departed
.
Now Isaac had come
from going
to aBeer-lahai-roi
; for he 1was living
in bthe 2Negev
.
Isaac went
out ato 1meditate
in the field
toward
evening
; and bhe lifted
up his eyes
and looked
, and behold
, camels
were coming
.
Rebekah lifted
up her eyes
, and when she saw
Isaac
she dismounted
from the camel
.
She said to the servant
, "Who
is that man
walking
in the field
to meet
us?" And the servant
said
, "He is my master
." Then she took
her 1veil
and covered
herself.
The servant told
Isaac
all
the things
that he had done
.
Then Isaac brought
her into his mother
Sarah's
tent
, and ahe took
Rebekah
, and she became
his wife
, and bhe loved
her; thus Isaac
was comforted
after
chis mother's
death.