| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. | 1Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. |
| 2And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, | 2One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. |
| 3that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, | 3Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. |
| 4but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” | 4Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.” |
| 5The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” | 5The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?” |
| 6Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. | 6“No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. |
| 7The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. | 7For the LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. |
| 8But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” | 8If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.” |
| 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter. | 9So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. |
| 10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. | 10Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. |
| 11And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. | 11He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water. |
| 12And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. | 12“O LORD, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. |
| 13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. | 13See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. |
| 14Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” | 14This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” |
| 15Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. | 15Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. |
| 16The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. | 16Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. |
| 17Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” | 17Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” |
| 18She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. | 18“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. |
| 19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” | 19When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” |
| 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. | 20So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. |
| 21The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not. | 21The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission. |
| 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, | 22Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. |
| 23and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” | 23“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?” |
| 24She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” | 24“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. |
| 25She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” | 25Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.” |
| 26The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD | 26The man bowed low and worshiped the LORD. |
| 27and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” | 27“Praise the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The LORD has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.” |
| 28Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. | 28The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. |
| 29Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. | 29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. |
| 30As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. | 30He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. |
| 31He 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.” | 31Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the LORD! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?” |
| 32So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. | 32So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers 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.” He said, “Speak on.” | 33Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.” “All right,” Laban said, “tell us.” |
| 34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. | 34“I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. |
| 35The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. | 35“And the LORD has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The LORD has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys. |
| 36And 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. | 36“When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. |
| 37My 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, | 37And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. |
| 38but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’ | 38Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’ |
| 39I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ | 39“But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ |
| 40But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house. | 40He responded, ‘The LORD, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. |
| 41Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ | 41Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’ |
| 42“I came today to the spring and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go, | 42“So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O LORD, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. |
| 43behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” | 43See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” |
| 44and who will say 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.’ | 44If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’ |
| 45“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ | 45“Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ |
| 46She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. | 46She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels. |
| 47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. | 47“Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. |
| 48Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. | 48“Then I bowed low and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. |
| 49Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” | 49So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.” |
| 50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. | 50Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The LORD has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. |
| 51Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.” | 51Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.” |
| 52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. | 52When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the LORD. |
| 53And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. | 53Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. |
| 54And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” | 54Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight. But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.” |
| 55Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” | 55“But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.” |
| 56But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” | 56But he said, “Don’t delay me. The LORD has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.” |
| 57They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” | 57“Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” |
| 58And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” | 58So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her. And she replied, “Yes, I will go.” |
| 59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. | 59So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. |
| 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!” | 60They gave her this blessing as she parted: “Our sister, may you become the mother of many millions! May your descendants be strong and conquer the cities of their enemies.” |
| 61Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way. | 61Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way. |
| 62Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. | 62Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. |
| 63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. | 63One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. |
| 64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel | 64When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her 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. | 65“Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant. And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. |
| 66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. | 66Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done. |
| 67Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. | 67And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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