1 Nowe Abraham was olde, and striken in yeeres, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 Therefore Abraham saide vnto his eldest seruant of his house, which had the rule ouer all that he had, Put nowe thine hand vnder my thigh, 3 And I will make thee sweare by ye Lord God of the heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites among who I dwel. 4 But thou shalt go vnto my countrey, and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sone Izhak. 5 And the seruant saide to him, What if the woman will not come with me to this land? shall I bring thy sonne againe vnto the lande from whence thou camest? 6 To whom Abraham answered, Beware that thou bring not my sonne thither againe. 7 The Lord God of heauen, who tooke me from my fathers house, and from the land where I was borne, and that spake vnto me, and that sware vnto me, saying, Vnto thy seede wil I giue this land, he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife vnto my sonne from thence. 8 Neuertheles if the woman wil not follow thee, then shalt thou bee discharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my sonne thither againe. 9 Then the seruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter. 10 So the seruant tooke ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his masters goods in his hand:) and so he arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, vnto the citie of Nahor. 11 And he made his camels to lye downe without the citie by a well of water, at euentide about the time that the women come out to draw water. 12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, send me good speede this day, and shew mercy vnto my master Abraham. 13 Lo, I stand by the well of water, whiles the mens daughters of this citie come out to drawe water. 14 Graunt therefore that ye maide, to whom I say, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if she say, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also: may be she that thou hast ordeined for thy seruant Izhak: and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master. 15 And nowe yer he had left speaking, beholde, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon her shoulder. 16 (And the maide was very faire to looke vpon, a virgine and vnknowen of man) and she went downe to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came vp. 17 Then the seruant ranne to meete her, and said, Let me drinke, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drinke sir: and she hasted, and let downe her pitcher vpon her hand and gaue him drinke. 19 And when she had giuen him drinke, she said, I will drawe water for thy camels also vntill they haue drunken inough. 20 And she powred out her pitcher into the trough speedily; and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and she drewe for all his camels. 21 So the man wondred at her, and helde his peace, to knowe whether the Lord had made his iourney prosperous or not. 22 And when the camels had left drinking, the man tooke a golden abillement of halfe a shekell weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of golde: 23 And he said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee, Is there roume in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in? 24 Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcah whom she bare vnto Nahor. 25 Moreouer she said vnto him, We haue litter also and prouender ynough, and roume to lodge in. 26 And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the Lord, 27 And said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawen his mercie and his trueth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my masters brethrens house. 28 And the maide ranne and tolde them of her mothers house according to these wordes. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ranne vnto the man to the well. 30 For when he had seene the earings and the bracelets in his sisters hands, and when he heard the wordes of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man vnto me, then he went to the man, and loe, he stoode by the camels at the well. 31 And he saide, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I haue prepared the house, and roume for ye camels? 32 Then the man came into the house, and he vnsadled the camels, and brought litter and prouender for the camels, and water to wash his feete, and the mens feete that were with him. 33 Afterward the meate was set before him: but he saide, I will not eate, vntill I haue saide my message: And he said, Speake on. 34 Then he said, I am Abrahams seruant, 35 And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, that he is become great: for he hath giuen him sheepe, and beeues, and siluer, and golde, and men seruants, and maide seruants, and camels, and asses. 36 And Sarah my masters wife hath borne a sonne to my master, when she was olde, and vnto him hath he giuen all that he hath. 37 Now my master made me sweare, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: 38 But thou shalt go vnto my fathers house and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sonne. 39 Then I saide vnto my master, What if the woman will not follow me? 40 Who answered me, The Lord, before who I walke, will send his Angel with thee, and prosper thy iourney, and thou shalt take a wife for my sonne of my kinred and my fathers house. 41 Then shalt thou be discharged of mine othe, when thou commest to my kinred: and if they giue thee not one, thou shalt be free from mine othe. 42 So I came this day to the well, and said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if thou nowe prosper my iourney which I goe, 43 Behold, I stand by the well of water: when a virgine commeth forth to drawe water, and I say to her, Giue me, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher to drinke, 44 And she say to me, Drinke thou, and I will also drawe for thy camels, let her be ye wife, which the Lord hath prepared for my masters sonne. 45 And before I had made an end of speaking in mine heart, beholde, Rebekah came foorth, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went downe vnto the well, and drewe water. Then I said vnto her, Giue me drinke, I pray thee. 46 And she made haste, and tooke downe her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also. So I dranke, and she gaue the camels drinke also. 47 Then I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she answered, The daughter of Bethuel Nahors sonne, whom Milcah bare vnto him. Then I put the abillement vpon her face, and the bracelets vpon her hands: 48 And I bowed downe and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had brought me the right way to take my masters brothers daughter vnto his sone. 49 Now therefore, if ye will deale mercifully and truely with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me that I may turne me to the right hand or to the left. 50 Then answered Laban and Bethuel, and said, This thing is proceeded of the Lord: we cannot therefore say vnto thee, neither euill nor good. 51 Beholde, Rebehak is before thee, take her and goe, that she may be thy masters sonnes wife, euen as the Lord hath said. 52 And when Abrahams seruant heard their wordes, he bowed himselfe toward the earth vnto the Lord. 53 Then the seruant tooke foorth iewels of siluer, and iewels of golde, and raiment, and gaue to Rebekah: also vnto her brother and to her mother he gaue gifts. 54 Afterward they did eate and drinke, both he, and the men that were with him, and taried all night. and when they rose vp in the morning, he said, Let me depart vnto my master. 55 Then her brother and her mother answered, Let the maide abide with vs, at the least ten dayes: then shall she goe. 56 But he said vnto them, Hinder you me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney: send me away, that I may goe to my master. 57 Then they said, We will call the maide, and aske her consent. 58 And they called Rebekah, and saide vnto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she answered, I will go. 59 So they let Rebekah their sister goe, and her nourse, with Abrahams seruant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and sayde vnto her, Thou art our sister, growe into thousande thousands, and thy seede possesse the gate of his enemies. 61 Then Rebekah arose, and her maydes, and rode vpon the camels, and followed the man. and the seruant tooke Rebekah, and departed. 62 Nowe Izhak came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi, (for he dwelt in the South countrey) 63 And Izhak went out. to pray in the fielde toward the euening: who lift vp his eyes and looked, and behold, the camels came. 64 Also Rebekah lift vp her eyes, and when she saw Izhak, she lighted downe from the camel. 65 (For shee had sayde to the seruant, Who is yonder man, that commeth in the fielde to meete vs? and the seruant had said, It is my master) So she tooke a vaile, and couered her. 66 And the seruant tolde Izhak all things, that he had done. 67 Afterward Izhak brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and he tooke Rebekah, and she was his wife, and he loued her: So Izhak was comforted after his mothers death.
A Wife for Isaac
1 Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in everything he did. 2 He said to his oldest servant, who was in charge of all that he had, “Place your hand between my thighs and make a vow. 3 I want you to make a vow in the name of the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the people here in Canaan. 4 You must go back to the country where I was born and get a wife for my son Isaac from among my relatives.”
5 But the servant asked, “What if the young woman will not leave home to come with me to this land? Shall I send your son back to the land you came from?”
6 Abraham answered, “Make sure that you don't send my son back there! 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and from the land of my relatives, and he solemnly promised me that he would give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel before you, so that you can get a wife there for my son. 8 If the young woman is not willing to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not under any circumstances take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand between the thighs of Abraham, his master, and made a vow to do what Abraham had asked.
10 The servant, who was in charge of Abraham's property, took ten of his master's camels and went to the city where Nahor had lived in northern Mesopotamia. 11 When he arrived, he made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when women came out to get water. 12 He prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and keep your promise to my master. 13 Here I am at the well where the young women of the city will be coming to get water. 14 I will say to one of them, ‘Please, lower your jar and let me have a drink.’ If she says, ‘Drink, and I will also bring water for your camels,’ may she be the one that you have chosen for your servant Isaac. If this happens, I will know that you have kept your promise to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebecca arrived with a water jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. 16 She was a very beautiful young woman and still a virgin. She went down to the well, filled her jar, and came back. 17 The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a drink of water from your jar.”
18 She said, “Drink, sir,” and quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank. 19 When he had finished, she said, “I will also bring water for your camels and let them have all they want.” 20 She quickly emptied her jar into the animals' drinking trough and ran to the well to get more water, until she had watered all his camels. 21 The man kept watching her in silence, to see if the Lord had given him success.
22 When she had finished, the man took an expensive gold ring and put it in her nose and put two large gold bracelets on her arms. 23 He said, “Please tell me who your father is. Is there room in his house for my men and me to spend the night?”
24 “My father is Bethuel son of Nahor and Milcah,” she answered. 25 “There is plenty of straw and fodder at our house, and there is a place for you to stay.”
26 Then the man knelt down and worshiped the Lord. 27 He said, “Praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has faithfully kept his promise to my master. The Lord has led me straight to my master's relatives.”
28 The young woman ran to her mother's house and told the whole story. 29 Now Rebecca had a brother named Laban, and he ran outside to go to the well where Abraham's servant was. 30 Laban had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms and had heard her say what the man had told her. He went to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well, 31 and said, “Come home with me. You are a man whom the Lord has blessed. Why are you standing out here? I have a room ready for you in my house, and there is a place for your camels.”
32 So the man went into the house, and Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and fodder. Then he brought water for Abraham's servant and his men to wash their feet. 33 When food was brought, the man said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.”
Laban said, “Go on and speak.”
34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 35 “The Lord has greatly blessed my master and made him a rich man. He has given him flocks of sheep and goats, cattle, silver, gold, male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master's wife, bore him a son when she was old, and my master has given everything he owns to him. 37 My master made me promise with a vow to obey his command. He said, ‘Do not choose a wife for my son from the young women in the land of Canaan. 38 Instead, go to my father's people, to my relatives, and choose a wife for him.’ 39 And I asked my master, ‘What if she will not come with me?’ 40 He answered, ‘The Lord, whom I have always obeyed, will send his angel with you and give you success. You will get for my son a wife from my own people, from my father's family. 41 There is only one way for you to be free from your vow: if you go to my relatives and they refuse you, then you will be free.’
42 “When I came to the well today, I prayed, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, please give me success in what I am doing. 43 Here I am at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I will ask her to give me a drink of water from her jar. 44 If she agrees and also offers to bring water for my camels, may she be the one that you have chosen as the wife for my master's son.’ 45 Before I had finished my silent prayer, Rebecca came with a water jar on her shoulder and went down to the well to get water. I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels. 47 I asked her, ‘Who is your father?’ And she answered, ‘My father is Bethuel son of Nahor and Milcah.’ Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48 I knelt down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me straight to my master's relative, where I found his daughter for my master's son. 49 Now, if you intend to fulfill your responsibility toward my master and treat him fairly, please tell me; if not, say so, and I will decide what to do.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “Since this matter comes from the Lord, it is not for us to make a decision. 51 Here is Rebecca; take her and go. Let her become the wife of your master's son, as the Lord himself has said.” 52 When the servant of Abraham heard this, he bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then he brought out clothing and silver and gold jewelry, and gave them to Rebecca. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54 Then Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, and spent the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me go back to my master.”
55 But Rebecca's brother and her mother said, “Let her stay with us a week or ten days, and then she may go.”
56 But he said, “Don't make us stay. The Lord has made my journey a success; let me go back to my master.”
57 They answered, “Let's call her and find out what she has to say.” 58 So they called Rebecca and asked, “Do you want to go with this man?”
“Yes,” she answered.
59 So they let Rebecca and her old family servant go with Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they gave Rebecca their blessing in these words:
“May you, sister, become the mother of millions!
May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!”
61 Then Rebecca and her young women got ready and mounted the camels to go with Abraham's servant, and they all started out.
62 Isaac had come into the wilderness of “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me” and was staying in the southern part of Canaan. 63 He went out in the early evening to take a walk in the fields and saw camels coming. 64 When Rebecca saw Isaac, she got down from her camel 65 and asked Abraham's servant, “Who is that man walking toward us in the field?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her scarf and covered her face.
66 The servant told Isaac everything he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in, and she became his wife. Isaac loved Rebecca, and so he was comforted for the loss of his mother.