Genesis 24

1Abraham was now old, well advanced in years, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in every way.

2Abraham said to his servant, the senior servant of his household, who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,

3and I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,

4but that you will go to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5The servant said to him, “What if the woman is not willing to follow me to this land? Should I then take your son back to the land you came from?”

6Abraham said to him, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.

7Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

8If the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him about this matter.

10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water. It was evening, the time when the women go out to draw water.

12Then he said, “Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.

13Here I am, standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

14May it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please lower your jar so that I may drink,’ and who says, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

15Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

16The young woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up.

17The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little water from your jar.”

18“Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink.

19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.”

20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.

21The man watched her closely in silence, waiting to learn whether Yahweh had made his journey successful or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her arms weighing ten shekels,

23and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son whom Milcah bore to Nahor.”

25She added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, and room for you to spend the night.”

26Then the man bowed low and worshiped Yahweh

27and said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his steadfast love and his faithfulness from my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”

28The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

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

30As soon as he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard his sister Rebekah say, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man, and there he was, standing by the camels at the spring.

31Laban said, “Come in, you who are blessed by Yahweh. Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32So the man came into the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was brought for him and the men with him to wash their feet.

33Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” Laban said, “Tell us.”

34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.

35Yahweh has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

36Sarah, my master’s wife, bore my master a son when she was old, and he has given him everything he owns.

37My master made me swear an oath: ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am living,

38but you are to go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’

39I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’

40He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house.

41Then you will be free from my oath, when you have gone to my clan. Even if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

42Today I came to the spring, and I said, ‘Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if you will now make successful the journey I am on,

43here I am, standing by the spring of water. May it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water, to whom I say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”

44and who says to me, “Drink, and I will draw water for your camels too”—let her be the woman Yahweh has chosen for my master’s son.’

45Before I had finished speaking in my heart, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels too.

47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms.

48Then I bowed low and worshiped Yahweh, and I blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s relative for his son.

49Now, if you are going to deal kindly and faithfully with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right or to the left.”

50Laban and Bethuel answered, “This matter comes from Yahweh. We cannot say anything to you, either bad or good.

51Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as Yahweh has said.”

52When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before Yahweh.

53Then the servant brought out articles of silver and gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.

54Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Send me back to my master.”

55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say ten; after that she may go.”

56He said to them, “Do not delay me, now that Yahweh has made my journey successful. Send me away so that I may go to my master.”

57They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.”

58So they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

59So they sent off their sister Rebekah and her nurse, along with Abraham’s servant and his men.

60They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring take possession of the gate of those who hate them.”

61Then Rebekah and her young women got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

62Now Isaac had come back from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.

63One evening Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and he looked up and saw camels coming.

64Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down quickly from the camel

65and said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.

66Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.