Genesis 24:3-37

3and I will make you swear by the Lord, 1the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you 2shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of 3the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4but you will go to 4my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” 6Then Abraham said to him, “5Beware that you do not take my son back there! 76The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘7To your 8descendants I will give this land,’ He will send 9His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will 10be free from this my oath; 11only do not take my son back there.” 9So the servant 12placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of 13good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to 14Mesopotamia, to 15the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by 16the well of water at evening time, 17the time when women go out to draw water. 12He said, “18O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please 1920grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. 13Behold, 21I am standing by the 22spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and 23who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’--may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”

1524Before he had finished speaking, behold, 25Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of 26Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16The girl was 27very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had 28had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “29Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 1830She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19Now when she had finished giving him a drink, 31she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 2132Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her 33in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a 34gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her 35wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” 24She said to him, “36I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.” 26Then the man 37bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27He said, “38Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken 39His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, 40the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

28Then 41the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was 42Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s 43wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “44This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31And he said, “45Come in, 46blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since 47I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32So the man entered the house. Then 4849Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34So he said, “I am 50Abraham’s servant. 35The Lord has greatly 51blessed my master, so that he has become 52rich; and He has given him 53flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 36Now 54Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master 55in her old age, and 56he has given him all that he has. 3757My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I 58live;