Chapter 24

Chapter 24

1 Now Abraham was old, advanced in years, and The Self-Existent had endowed Abraham with the power of life in every way.

2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his household, who managed everything he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

3 and I will have you swear an oath by The Self-Existent, The All-Powerful One of the sky and The All-Powerful One of the land, that you will not take a woman for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am residing.

4 Instead, you must go to my native land and to my own relatives to take a woman for my son, for Isaac.

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to follow me back to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land you left?”

6 Abraham warned him, “See to it that you absolutely do not take my son back there!

7 The Self-Existent, The All-Powerful One of the sky—who took me from my father’s house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore an oath to me, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His Messenger ahead of you, so that you can take a woman for my son from there.

8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be completely released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

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

10 Then the servant took 10 of his master’s camels and departed, carrying all kinds of valuable gifts from his master. He set out for Aram-naharaim (Northwest Mesopotamia) and made his way to the city of Nahor.

11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the city. It was evening, the exact time when the women would go out to draw water.

12 Then he prayed, “The Self-Existent, The All-Powerful One of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and keep Your promise to my master Abraham.

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

14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your water jar so that I may drink,’ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have chosen for Your servant Isaac. By this, knowing, I will know that You have kept Your promise to my master.”

15 Before he had even finished praying, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the woman of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

16 The young woman was exceptionally beautiful, a virgin who had never been intimate with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up.

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a small sip of water from your jar.”

18 “Drink, my master,” she said, and quickly lowered her jar to her hands to give him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.”

20 She quickly emptied her jar into the watering trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.

21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether The Self-Existent had granted him success on his journey or not.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold ring weighing half a shekel and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing 10 shekels,

23 and asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24 She replied to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.”

25 She added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night.”

26 The man bowed low and worshiped The Self-Existent.

27 He said, “Acknowledged as the Source of life be The Self-Existent , The All-Powerful One of my master Abraham, who has not ceased to keep His promise and remain true to my master! As for me, The Self-Existent has guided me along the way straight to the house of my master's relatives.”

28 The young woman ran and reported all these things to her mother’s household.

29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban rushed outside to the man at the spring.

30 As soon as he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard his sister Rebekah say, “This is what the man told me,” he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.

31 Laban said, “Come in, you whom The Self-Existent has endowed with the power of life! Why are you standing outside? I have already prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32 So the man went into the house, and Laban unloaded the camels. He provided straw and feed for the camels, and water for the man and the men with him to wash their feet.

33 But when food was set before him to eat, he declared, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.”
“Speak on,” Laban said.

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.

35 The Self-Existent has vastly endowed my master with the power of life, and he has become wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.

36 Furthermore, Sarah, my master’s woman, had a son with my master in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.

37 My master made me swear an oath, saying, ‘You must not take a woman for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I am residing.

38 Instead, you must go to my father’s house and to my own extended family to take a woman for my son.’

39 Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me back?’

40 He answered me, ‘The Self-Existent, before whom I have walked, will send His Messenger with you and grant success to your journey, so that you can take a woman for my son from my own extended family and from my father’s house.

41 Then you will be completely released from my oath when you go to my extended family. Even if they refuse to give her to you, you will be completely released from my oath.’

42 “So today, when I came to the spring, I prayed, ‘The Self-Existent, The All-Powerful One of my master Abraham, if You would please grant success to the journey on which I have set out.

43 Look, I am standing here by the spring of water. May it be that when a young woman comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”

44 and she replies to me, “Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well”—let her be the woman whom The Self-Existent has chosen for my master’s son.’

45 Before I had even finished speaking these words in my heart, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water, and I told her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels as well.

47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ and she replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor.’ So I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

48 I bowed low and worshiped The Self-Existent, and I acknowledged The Self-Existent as the Source of life, the All-Powerful One of my master Abraham , who had guided me along the right way to take the daughter of my master’s relative for his son.

49 So now, if you are going to keep your promise and deal faithfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right or to the left.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “This matter stems from The Self-Existent; we cannot speak to you bad or good.

51 Look, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the woman for your master’s son, just as The Self-Existent has spoken.

52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he bowed low to the earth before The Self-Existent.

53 Then the servant brought out silver jewelry, gold jewelry, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.

54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say 10; after that she may go.”

56 He answered them, “Do not delay me, now that The Self-Existent has granted success to my journey. Send me away so that I may go back to my master.”

57 They replied, “Let us call the young woman and ask her directly.”

58 They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”

59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah, her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men.

60 They bestowed the power of life upon Rebekah and said to her, ‘Our sister, may you increase by millions, and may your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!”

61 Then Rebekah and her young attendants got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

62 Now Isaac had come from the way of Beer-lahai-roi (The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me), for he was living in the Negev region.

63 In the early evening, Isaac went out to meditate in the open field; as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel.

65 She asked the servant, “Who is that man walking through the field to meet us?”

The servant replied, “He is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 Then the servant recounted to Isaac everything he had done.

67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah; he made Rebekah his woman, and she became his woman, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after the death of his mother.