King James Bible

New Living Translation

1And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: 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 unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy 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.

3And 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:

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 thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

4Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

5And 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?

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?”

6And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.

6“No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there.

7The 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.

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.

8And 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.

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.”

9And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that 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.

10And 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.

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 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.

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, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto 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 stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come 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.

14And 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 shewed kindness unto 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.”

15And 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.

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.

16And 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.

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.

17And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

17Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”

18And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

18“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink.

19And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done 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.”

20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and 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.

21And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

21The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission.

22And 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;

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, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?

23“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”

24And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

24“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.

25She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

25Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”

26And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

26The man bowed low and worshiped the LORD.

27And 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.

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.”

28And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things.

28The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened.

29And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring.

30And 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.

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.

31And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room 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?”

32And 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.

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.

33And 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.

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.”

34And he said, I am Abraham's servant.

34“I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained.

35And 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.

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 bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

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.

37And 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:

37And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.

38But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.

38Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’

39And I said unto my master, Peradventure 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?’

40And 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:

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 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.

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.’

42And 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:

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 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;

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 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.

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.’

45And 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.

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.’

46And 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.

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.

47And 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.

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.

48And 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.

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.

49And 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.

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 proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee 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 thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

51Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.”

52And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.

52When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the LORD.

53And 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.

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 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.

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.”

55And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

55“But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”

56And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath 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.”

57And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.

57“Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.”

58And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And 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.”

59And 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 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.

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.”

61And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and 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.

62And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

62Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi.

63And 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.

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 lighted off the camel.

64When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel.

65For 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 vail, 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 things that he had done.

66Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67And 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.

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.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

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.