Genesis 24:1-49 ▼

1 And Abraham [is] old, he has entered into days, and YHWH has blessed Abraham in all [things];

2 and Abraham says to his servant, the eldest of his house, who is ruling over all that he has, “Please put your hand under my thigh,

3 and I cause you to swear by YHWH, God of the heavens and God of the earth, that you do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in the midst of whom I am dwelling;

4 but to my land and to my family you go, and have taken a wife for my son, for Isaac.”

5 And the servant says to him, “It may be the woman is not willing to come after me to this land; do I at all cause your son to return to the land from where you came out?”

6 And Abraham says to him, “Take heed to yourself lest you cause my son to return there;

7 YHWH, God of the heavens, who has taken me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, and who has spoken to me, and who has sworn to me, saying, To your seed I give this land, He sends His messenger before you, and you have taken a wife for my son from there;

8 and if the woman is not willing to come after you, then you have been acquitted from this my oath: only you do not cause my son to return there.”

9 And the servant puts his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swears to him concerning this matter.

10 And the servant takes ten camels of the camels of his lord and goes, also of all the goods of his lord in his hand, and he rises, and goes to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor;

11 and he causes the camels to kneel at the outside of the city, at the well of water, at evening, at the time of the coming out of the women who draw water.

12 And he says, “YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, please cause to meet before me this day—(and do kindness with my lord Abraham;

13 behold, I am standing by the fountain of water, and daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water;

14 and it has been, the young person to whom I say, Please incline your pitcher and I drink, and she has said, Drink, and I also water your camels)—her [whom] You have decided for Your servant, for Isaac; and by it I know that You have done kindness with my lord.”

15 And it comes to pass, before he has finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham) is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder,

16 and the young person [is] of very good appearance, a virgin, and a man has not known her; and she goes down to the fountain, and fills her pitcher, and comes up.

17 And the servant runs to meet her and says, “Please let me swallow a little water from your pitcher”;

18 and she says, “Drink, my lord”; and she hurries, and lets down her pitcher on her hand, and gives him drink.

19 And she finishes giving him drink and says, “Also for your camels I draw until they have finished drinking”;

20 and she hurries, and empties her pitcher into the drinking-trough, and runs again to the well to draw, and draws for all his camels.

21 And the man, wondering at her, remains silent, to know whether YHWH has made his way prosperous or not.

22 And it comes to pass, when the camels have finished drinking, that the man takes a golden ring (whose weight [is] a bekah), and two bracelets for her hands (whose weight [is] ten [bekahs] of gold),

23 and says, “Whose daughter [are] you? Please declare to me, is the house of your father a place for us to lodge in?”

24 And she says to him, “I [am] daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she has borne to Nahor.”

25 She also says to him, “Both straw and provender [are] abundant with us, also a place to lodge in.”

26 And the man bows, and pays respect to YHWH,

27 and says, “Blessed [is] YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, who has not left off His kindness and His truth with my lord—I [being] in the way, YHWH has led me to the house of my lord’s brothers.”

28 And the young person runs, and declares to the house of her mother according to these words.

29 And Rebekah has a brother, and his name [is] Laban, and Laban runs to the man who [is] outside, to the fountain;

30 indeed, it comes to pass, when he sees the ring, and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he hears the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus has the man spoken to me,” that he comes to the man, and behold, he is standing by the camels by the fountain.

31 And he says, “Come in, O blessed one of YHWH! Why do you stand outside—and I have prepared the house and place for the camels?”

32 And he brings in the man into the house, and looses the camels, and gives straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who [are] with him:

33 and sets before him to eat; but he says, “I do not eat until I have spoken my word”; and he says, “Speak.”

34 And he says, “I [am] Abraham’s servant;

35 and YHWH has blessed my lord exceedingly, and he is great; and He gives to him flock, and herd, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and donkeys;

36 and Sarah, my lord’s wife, bears a son to my lord, after she has been aged, and he gives to him all that he has.

37 And my lord causes me to swear, saying, You do not take a wife to my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling.

38 If not—to the house of my father you go, and to my family, and you have taken a wife for my son.

39 And I say to my lord, It may be the woman does not come after me;

40 and he says to me, YHWH, before whom I have habitually walked, sends His messenger with you, and has prospered your way, and you have taken a wife for my son from my family, and from the house of my father;

41 then you are acquitted from my oath, when you come to my family; and if they do not give [one] to you, then you have been acquitted from my oath.

42 And I come to the fountain today, and I say, YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, now if You are making prosperous my way in which I am going—

43 (behold, I am standing by the fountain of water), then the virgin is coming out to draw, and I have said to her, Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher,

44 and she has said to me, Both drink, and I also draw for your camels—she is the woman whom YHWH has decided for my lord’s son.

45 Before I finish speaking to my heart, then behold, Rebekah is coming out, and her pitcher [is] on her shoulder, and she goes down to the fountain and draws; and I say to her, Please let me drink,

46 and she hurries and lets down her pitcher from off her and says, Drink, and I also water your camels; and I drink, and she has also watered the camels.

47 And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter [are] you? And she says, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah has borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,

48 and I bow, and pay respect before YHWH, and I bless YHWH, God of my lord Abraham, who has led me in the true way to receive the daughter of my lord’s brother for his son.

49 And now, if you are dealing kindly and truly with my lord, declare to me; and if not, declare to me; and I turn to the right or to the left.”