Genesis

24

1 And Abraam was old, advanced in days, and the Lord blessed Abraam in all things.

2 And Abraam said to his servant the elder of his house, who had rule over all his possessions, Put thy hand under my thigh,

3 and I will adjure thee by the Lord the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou take not a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Chananites, with whom I dwell, in the midst of them.

4 But thou shalt go instead to my country, where I was born, and to my tribe, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son Isaac.

5 And the servant said to him, Shall I carry back thy son to the land whence thou camest forth, *if haply the woman should not be willing to return with me to this land?

6 And Abraam said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou carry not my son back thither.

7 The Lord the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, who took me out of my father's house, and out of the land whence I sprang, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, I will give this land to thee and to thy seed, he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife to my son from thence.

8 And if the woman should not be willing to come with thee into this land, thou shalt be clear from my oath, only carry not my son thither again.

9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraam, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 And the servant took ten camels of his master's camels, and he took of all the goods of his master with him, and he arose and went into Mesopotamia to the city of Nachor.

11 And he †rested his camels without the city by the well of water towards evening, when damsels go forth to draw water.

12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraam, prosper my way before me to day, and deal mercifully with my master Abraam.

13 Lo! I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of them that inhabit the city come forth to draw water.

14 And it shall be, the virgin to whomsoever I shall say, Incline thy water-pot, that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink thou, and I will give thy camels drink, until they shall have done drinking—even this one thou hast prepared for thy servant Isaac, and hereby shall I know that thou hast dealt mercifully with my master Abraam.

15 And it came to pass before he had done speaking in his mind, that behold, Rebecca the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, the wife of Nachor, and the same ‡the brother of Abraam, came forth, having a water-pot on her shoulders.

16 And the virgin was very beautiful in appearance, she was a virgin, a man had not known her; and she went down to the well, and filled her water-pot, and came up.

17 And the servant ran up to meet her, and said, Give me a little water to drink out of thy pitcher;

18 and she said, Drink, Sir; and she hasted, and let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him to drink, till he ceased drinking.

19 And she said, I will also draw water for thy camels, till they shall all have drunk.

20 And she hasted, and emptied the water-pot into the trough, and ran to the well to draw again, and drew water for all the camels.

21 And the man took great notice of her, and remained silent to know whether the Lord had made his way prosperous or not.

22 And it came to pass when all the camels ceased drinking, that the man took golden ear-rings, each of a drachm weight, and he put two bracelets on her hands, their weight was ten pieces of gold.

23 And he asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me if there is room for us to lodge with thy father.

24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bathuel the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.

25 And she said to him, We have both straw and much provender, and a place for resting.

26 And the man being well pleased, worshipped the Lord,

27 and said, Blessed be the Lord the God of my master Abraam, who has not suffered his righteousness to fail, nor his truth from my master, and the Lord has brought me prosperously to the house of the brother of my lord.

28 And the damsel ran and reported to the house of her mother according to these words.

29 And Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to meet the man, to the well.

30 And it came to pass when he saw the ear-rings and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he heard the words of Rebecca his sister, saying, Thus the man spoke to me, that he went to the man, as he stood by the camels at the well.

31 And he said to him, Come in hither, thou blessed of the Lord, why standest thou without, whereas I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?

32 And the man entered into the house, and unloaded the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were with him.

33 And he set before them loaves to eat; but he said, I will not eat, until I have §told my errand. And he said, Speak on.

34 And he said, I am a servant of Abraam;

35 and the Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he is exalted, and he has given him sheep, and calves, and silver, and gold, servants and servant-maids, camels, and asses.

36 And Sarrha my master's wife bore one son to my master after he had grown old; and he gave him whatever he had.

37 And my master caused me to swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Chananites, among whom I sojourn in their land.

38 But thou shalt go to the house of my father, and to my tribe, and thou shalt take thence a wife for my son.

39 And I said to my master, Haply the woman will not go with me.