Genesis 24:1-33 ▼

1 Nowe Abraham was olde, and striken in yeeres, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

2 Therefore Abraham saide vnto his eldest seruant of his house, which had the rule ouer all that he had, Put nowe thine hand vnder my thigh,

3 And I will make thee sweare by ye Lorde God of the heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites among who I dwel.

4 But thou shalt go vnto my countrey, and to my kinred, & take a wife vnto my sone Izhak.

5 And the seruant saide to him, What if the woman will not come with me to this land? Shall I bring thy sonne againe vnto the lande from whence thou camest?

6 To whom Abraham answered, Beware that thou bring not my sonne thither againe.

7 The Lord God of heauen, who tooke me from my fathers house, and from the land where I was borne, and that spake vnto me, and that sware vnto me, saying, Vnto thy seede wil I giue this land, he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife vnto my sonne fro thence.

8 Neuertheles if the woman wil not followe thee, then shalt thou bee discharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my sonne thither againe.

9 Then the seruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter.

10 So the seruant tooke ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his masters goods in his hand:) and so he arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, vnto the citie of Nahor.

11 And he made his camels to lye downe without the citie by a well of water, at euentide about the time that the women come out to draw water.

12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, send me good speede this day, & shew mercy vnto my master Abraha.

13 Lo, I stand by the well of water, whiles the mens daughters of this citie come out to drawe water.

14 Graunt therefore that ye maide, to whom I say, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if she say, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also: may be she that thou hast ordeined for thy seruant Izhak: and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.

15 And nowe yer he had left speaking, beholde, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon her shoulder.

16 (And the maide was very faire to looke vpon, a virgine and vnknowen of man) and she went downe to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came vp.

17 Then the seruant ranne to meete her, and said, Let me drinke, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher.

18 And she said, Drinke sir: and she hasted, and let downe her pitcher vpon her hand and gaue him drinke.

19 And when she had giuen him drinke, she said, I will drawe water for thy camels also vntill they haue drunken inough.

20 And she powred out her pitcher into the trough speedily; and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and she drewe for all his camels.

21 So the man wondred at her, and helde his peace, to knowe whether the Lord had made his iourney prosperous or not.

22 And when the camels had left drinking, the man tooke a golden abillement of halfe a shekell weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of golde:

23 And he said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee, Is there roume in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?

24 Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcah whom she bare vnto Nahor.

25 Moreouer she said vnto him, We haue litter also & prouender ynough, & roume to lodge in.

26 And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the Lord,

27 And said, Blessed be the Lorde God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawen his mercie and his trueth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my masters brethrens house.

28 And the maide ranne and tolde them of her mothers house according to these wordes.

29 Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ranne vnto the man to the well.

30 For when he had seene the earings and the bracelets in his sisters hands, and when he heard the wordes of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man vnto me, then he went to the man, and loe, he stoode by the camels at the well.

31 And he saide, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I haue prepared the house, & roume for ye camels?

32 Then the man came into the house, and he vnsadled the camels, and brought litter and prouender for the camels, and water to wash his feete, and the mens feete that were with him.

33 Afterward the meate was set before him: but he saide, I will not eate, vntill I haue saide my message: And he said, Speake on.