Genesis 24:3-37

3I want you to swear by the Lord God of heaven and earth that you will not get my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I’m living.

4Instead, you will go to the land of my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

5The servant asked him, “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back to this land with me? Should I take your son all the way back to the land you came from?”

6“Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said to him.

7“The Lord God of heaven took me from my father’s home and the land of my family. He spoke to me and swore this oath: ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ “God will send his angel ahead of you, and you will get my son a wife from there.

8If the woman doesn’t want to come back with you, then you’ll be free from this oath that you swear to me. But don’t take my son back there.”

9So the servant did as his master Abraham commanded and swore the oath to him concerning this.

10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, taking with him all of his master’s best things. He traveled to Aram Naharaim, Nahor’s city.

11The servant had the camels kneel down outside the city by the well. It was evening, when the women would go out to draw water.

12Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today. Show your kindness to Abraham.

13Here I am standing by the spring, and the girls of the city are coming out to draw water.

14I will ask a girl, ‘May I please have a drink from your jar?’ If she answers, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll also water your camels,’ let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This way I’ll know that you’ve shown your kindness to my master.”

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

16The girl was a very attractive virgin. No man had ever had sexual intercourse with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back.

17The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a drink of water.”

18“Drink, sir,” she said. She quickly lowered her jar to her hand and gave him a drink.

19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also keep drawing water for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.”

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

21The man was silently watching her to see whether or not the Lord had made his trip successful.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a fifth of an ounce and two gold bracelets weighing four ounces.

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

24She answered him, “I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah and Nahor.

25We have plenty of straw and feed ⌞for your camels⌟ and room for you to spend the night.”

26The man knelt, bowing to the Lord with his face touching the ground.

27He said, “Praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. The Lord hasn’t failed to be kind and faithful to my master. The Lord has led me on this trip to the home of my master’s relatives.”

28The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

29Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban.

30He saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and heard her tell what the man had said to her. Immediately, Laban ran out to the man by the spring. He came to the man, who was standing with the camels by the spring.

31He said, “Come in, you whom the Lord has blessed. Why are you standing out here? I have straightened up the house and made a place for the camels.”

32So the man went into the house. The camels were unloaded and given straw and feed. Then water was brought for him and his men to wash their feet.

33When the food was put in front of him, he said, “I won’t eat until I’ve said what I have to say.” “Speak up,” Laban said.

34“I am Abraham’s servant,” he said.

35“The Lord has blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.

36My master’s wife Sarah gave him a son in her old age, and my master has given that son everything he has.

37My master made me swear this oath: ‘Don’t get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I’m living.