Genesis 24:1-21 ▼

1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in days, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household, who was in charge over all that he had, |Please put your hand under my thigh,

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

4 but you must go to my country and to my relatives, and get a wife for my son Isaac.|

5 And the servant asked him, |What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I then bring your son back to the land from which you came?|

6 Then Abraham told him, |Be careful that you do not take my son back there.

7 Now the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s household and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring’ -- he will send his angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there.

8 But if the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath to me. Only you must not bring my son back there.|

9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten camels from his master’s camels and departed, having a variety of good things from his master at his disposal, and he set out and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

11 And 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.

12 Then he said, |God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show kindness to my master Abraham.

13 Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Now may it happen that the young woman to whom I will say, ‘Please lower your jug that I may drink,’ and she answers, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—her you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.|

15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that look, Rebekah was coming out with her jug on her shoulder—who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother.

16 Now the young woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. And she went down to the spring and filled her jug and came up.

17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jug.|

18 So she said, |Drink, my lord.| And she hurried and let down her jug to her hands, and gave him a drink.

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

20 So she hurried and emptied her jug into the trough and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

21 And the man watched her in silence so as to know whether God had made his journey successful or not.