GE-24:1 And Abraham was old, [and] well stricken in age: and
the LORD had
blessed Abraham in all things.
GE-24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house,
that ruled
over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
GE-24:3 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 unto my son of
the daughters
of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
GE-24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred,
and take a wife
unto my son Isaac.
GE-24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman
will not be
willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son
again unto the
land from whence thou camest?
GE-24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring
not my son
thither again.
GE-24:7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's
house, and
from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that
sware unto me,
saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his
angel before
thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
GE-24:8 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 thither again.
GE-24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham
his master,
and sware to him concerning that matter.
GE-24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his
master, and
departed; for all the goods of his master [were] in his hand:
and he arose,
and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
GE-24:11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city
by a well of
water at the time of the evening, [even] the time that women go
out to draw
[water].
GE-24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray
thee, send me
good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.
GE-24:13 Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water; and the
daughters of
the men of the city come out to draw water:
GE-24:14 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 give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that]
thou hast
appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that
thou hast
showed kindness unto my master.
GE-24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done 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.
GE-24:16 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.
GE-24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I
pray thee,
drink a little water of thy pitcher.
GE-24:18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let
down her
pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
GE-24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I
will draw
[water] for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
GE-24:20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the
trough, and ran
again unto the well to draw [water], and drew for all his camels.
GE-24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit
whether the LORD
had made his journey prosperous or not.
GE-24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking,
that the man
took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets
for her hands
of ten [shekels] weight of gold;
GE-24:23 And said, Whose daughter [art] thou? tell me, I pray
thee: is there
room [in] thy father's house for us to lodge in?
GE-24:24 And she said unto him, I [am] the daughter of Bethuel
the son of
Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
GE-24:25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and
provender enough,
and room to lodge in.
GE-24:26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the
LORD.
GE-24:27 And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master
Abraham, who
hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I
[being] in the
way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
GE-24:28 And the damsel ran, and told [them of] her mother's
house these
things.
GE-24:29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name [was] Laban:
and Laban ran
out unto the man, unto the well.
GE-24:30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and
bracelets upon his
sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his
sister, saying,
Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and,
behold, he stood
by the camels at the well.
GE-24:31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD;
wherefore standest
thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the
camels.
GE-24:32 And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his
camels, and
gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his
feet, and the
men's feet that [were] with him.
GE-24:33 And there was set [meat] before him to eat: but he
said, I will not
eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
GE-24:34 And he said, I [am] Abraham's servant.
GE-24:35 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
menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
GE-24:36 And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master
when she was old:
and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
GE-24:37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not
take a wife to
my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
GE-24:38 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my
kindred, and
take a wife unto my son.
GE-24:39 And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will
not follow
me.
GE-24:40 And he said unto 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:
GE-24:41 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.
GE-24:42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD
God of my master
Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
GE-24:43 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;
GE-24:44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also
draw for thy
camels: [let] the same [be] the woman whom the LORD hath
appointed out for my
master's son.
GE-24:45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold,
Rebekah came
forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto
the well, and
drew [water]: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
GE-24:46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her
[shoulder],
and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I
drank, and she
made the camels drink also.
GE-24:47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter [art] thou?
And she said,
The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him:
and I put the
earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
GE-24:48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and
blessed the
LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way
to take my
master's brother's daughter unto his son.
GE-24:49 And now if ye 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.
GE-24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing
proceedeth from
the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
GE-24:51 Behold, Rebekah [is] before thee, take [her], and go,
and let her be
thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
GE-24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant
heard their words,
he worshipped the LORD, [bowing himself] to the earth.
GE-24:53 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.
GE-24:54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that [were]
with him, and
tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said,
Send me away
unto my master.
GE-24:55 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.
GE-24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD
hath prospered
my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
GE-24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at
her mouth.
GE-24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou
go with this
man? And she said, I will go.
GE-24:59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse,
and
Abraham's servant, and his men.
GE-24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou
[art] our sister,
be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed
possess the
gate of those which hate them.
GE-24:61 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.
GE-24:62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for
he dwelt in
the south country.
GE-24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the
eventide: and he
lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels [were]
coming.
GE-24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac,
she lighted
off the camel.
GE-24:65 For she [had] said unto 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.
GE-24:66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
GE-24:67 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].
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