Genesis 24:1-31 ▼

1 And Abraham was old, advanced in days. And YHWH had blessed Abraham in all things.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, the one who is ruling over all that is his, “Put, please, your hand under my thigh,

3 and I will make you swear by YHWH, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, among whom I am dwelling.

4 But to my land and to my kindred you shall go, and you shall take a wife for my son, for Isaac.”

5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Shall I surely cause your son to return to the land from which you came?”

6 And Abraham said to him, “Take heed to yourself that you do not take my son there.

7 YHWH, God of the heavens, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath. Only, my son you shall not cause to return there.”

9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and he swore to him concerning this matter.

10 And the servant took ten camels from the camels of his lord, and he went—with all the goods of his lord in his hand—and he arose and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.

11 And he made the camels kneel … outside of the city by the well of water at the time of the evening, the time of the coming out of the women who draw water.

12 And he said, “YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, please cause it to happen before me today, and do kindness to my lord Abraham.

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

14 And it shall be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Let down, please, your jar, and I will drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and also I will water your camels,’ she is the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have done kindness to my lord.”

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

16 And the young woman was very beautiful of appearance, a virgin, and no man had known her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up.

17 And 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 hurried and lowered her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.

19 And she finished giving him a drink, and she said, “Also for your camels I will draw until … they have finished drinking.”

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

21 And the man gazed at her remaining silent, to know whether YHWH had made his way prosperous or not.

22 And it came to pass, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden ring, a beka its weight, and two bracelets for her hands, ten shekels of gold their weight.

23 And he said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please. Is there a place in the house of your father for us to lodge?”

24 And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

25 And she said to him, “Both straw and feed are abundant with us, and also a place to lodge.”

26 And the man bowed his head and worshiped to YHWH.

27 And he said, “Blessed be YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, who has not forsaken His kindness and His truth toward my lord; I, being on the way, YHWH has led me to the house of the brother of my lord.”

28 And the young woman ran, and told these words to the house of her mother.

29 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban; and Laban ran to the man, out to the spring.

30 And it came to pass, when he saw the ring and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” then he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.

31 And he said, “Come in, blessed of YHWH. Why do you stand outside? And I have cleared the house and a place for the camels.”