Genesis:24

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* Now Abraham was old , well advanced in age ; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things . * So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house , who ruled over all that he had , "Please , put your hand under my thigh , * and I will make you swear by the LORD , 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 dwell ; * but you shall go to my country and to my family , and take a wife for my son Isaac ." * And the servant said to him , "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land . Must I take your son back to the land from which you came ?" * But Abraham said to him , "Beware that you do not take my son back there . * The LORD God of heaven , who took me from my father 's house and from the land of my family , and who spoke to me and swore to me , saying , "To your descendants I give this land ,' He will send His angel before you , and you shall take a wife for my son from there . * And if the woman is not willing to follow you , then you will be released from this oath ; only do not take my son back there ." * So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master , and swore to him concerning this matter . * Then the servant took ten of his master 's camels and departed , for all his master 's goods were in his hand . And he arose and went to Mesopotamia , to the city of Nahor . * And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time , the time when women go out to draw water . * Then he said , "O LORD God of my master Abraham , please give me success this day , and show kindness to my master Abraham . * Behold , here I stand by the well of water , and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water . * Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say , "Please let down your pitcher that I may drink ,' and she says , "Drink , and I will also give your camels a drink '--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac . And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master ." * And it happened , before he had finished speaking , that behold , Rebekah , who was born to Bethuel , son of Milcah , the wife of Nahor , Abraham 's brother , came out with her pitcher on her shoulder . * Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold , a virgin ; no man had known her . And she went down to the well , filled her pitcher , and came up . * And the servant ran to meet her and said , "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher ." * So she said , "Drink , my lord ." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand , and gave him a drink . * And when she had finished giving him a drink , she said , "I will draw water for your camels also , until they have finished drinking ." * Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough , ran back to the well to draw water , and drew for all his camels . * And the man , wondering at her , remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not . * So it was , when the camels had finished drinking , that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel , and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold , * and said , "Whose daughter are you ? Tell me , please , is there room in your father 's house for us to lodge ?" * So she said to him , "I am the daughter of Bethuel , Milcah 's son , whom she bore to Nahor ." * Moreover she said to him , "We have both straw and feed enough , and room to lodge ." * Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD . * And he said , "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham , who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master . As for me , being on the way , the LORD led me to the house of my master 's brethren ." * So the young woman ran and told her mother 's household these things . * Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban , and Laban ran out to the man by the well . * So it came to pass , when he saw the nose ring , and the bracelets on his sister 's wrists , and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah , saying , "Thus the man spoke to me ," that he went to the man . And there he stood by the camels at the well . * And he said , "Come in , O blessed of the LORD ! Why do you stand outside ? For I have prepared the house , and a place for the camels ." * Then the man came to the house . And he unloaded the camels , and provided straw and feed for the camels , and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him . * Food was set before him to eat , but he said , "I will not eat until I have told about my errand ." And he said , "Speak on ." * So he said , "I am Abraham 's servant . * The LORD has blessed my master greatly , and he has become great ; and He has given him flocks and herds , silver and gold , male and female servants , and camels and donkeys . * And Sarah my master 's wife bore a son to my master when she was old ; and to him he has given all that he has . * Now my master made me swear , saying , "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites , in whose land I dwell ; * but you shall go to my father 's house and to my family , and take a wife for my son .' * And I said to my master , "Perhaps the woman will not follow me .' * But he said to me , "The LORD , before whom I walk , will send His angel with you and prosper your way ; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father 's house . * You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family ; for if they will not give her to you , then you will be released from my oath .' * "And this day I came to the well and said , "O LORD God of my master Abraham , if You will now prosper the way in which I go , * behold , I stand by the well of water ; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water , and I say to her , "Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink ," * and she says to me , "Drink , and I will draw for your camels also ,"--let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master 's son .' * "But before I had finished speaking in my heart , there was Rebekah , coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder ; and she went down to the well and drew water . And I said to her , "Please let me drink .' * And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder , and said , "Drink , and I will give your camels a drink also .' So I drank , and she gave the camels a drink also . * Then I asked her , and said , "Whose daughter are you ?' And she said , "The daughter of Bethuel , Nahor 's son , whom Milcah bore to him .' So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists . * And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD , and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham , who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master 's brother for his son . * Now if you 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 ." * Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said , "The thing comes from the LORD ; we cannot speak to you either bad or good . * Here is Rebekah before you ; take her and go , and let her be your master 's son 's wife , as the LORD has spoken ." * And it came to pass , when Abraham 's servant heard their words , that he worshiped the LORD , bowing himself to the earth . * Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver , jewelry of gold , and clothing , and gave them to Rebekah . He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother . * And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night . Then they arose in the morning , and he said , "Send me away to my master ." * But her brother and her mother said , "Let the young woman stay with us a few days , at least ten ; after that she may go ." * And he said to them , "Do not hinder me , since the LORD has prospered my way ; send me away so that I may go to my master ." * So they said , "We will call the young woman and ask her personally ." * Then they called Rebekah and said to her , "Will you go with this man ?" And she said , "I will go ." * So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse , and Abraham 's servant and his men . * And they blessed Rebekah and said to her : "Our sister , may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands ; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them ." * Then Rebekah and her maids arose , and they rode on the camels and followed the man . So the servant took Rebekah and departed . * Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi , for he dwelt in the South . * And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening ; and he lifted his eyes and looked , and there , the camels were coming . * Then Rebekah lifted her eyes , and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel ; * for she had said to the servant , "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us ?" The servant said , "It is my master ." So she took a veil and covered herself . * And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done . * Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah 's tent ; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife , and he loved her . So Isaac was comforted after his mother 's death .

---