Genesis 24:1-21 ▼

1 Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh,

3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live,

4 but you shall go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 And the servant said to him, “Suppose the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”

6 Then Abraham said to him, “Beware lest you take my son back there!

7 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

8 “But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.”

9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.

12 And he said, “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham.

13 “Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water;

14 now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’;—may she be the one whom Thou hast appointed for Thy servant Isaac; and by this I shall know that Thou hast shown lovingkindness to my master.”

15 And it came about before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder.

16 And the girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar, and came up.

17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.”

18 And she said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink.

19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.”

20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.

21 Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.