Genesis 24:4-48

4but you will go to 1my 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, “2Beware that you do not take my son back there! 73The 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, ‘4To your 5descendants I will give this land,’ He will send 6His 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 7be free from this my oath; 8only do not take my son back there.” 9So the servant 9placed 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 10good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to 11Mesopotamia, to 12the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by 13the well of water at evening time, 14the time when women go out to draw water. 12He said, “15O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please 1617grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. 13Behold, 18I am standing by the 19spring, 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 20who 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.”

1521Before he had finished speaking, behold, 22Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of 23Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16The girl was 24very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had 25had 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, “26Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 1827She 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, 28she 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. 2129Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her 30in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a 31gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her 32wrists 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, “33I 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 34bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27He said, “35Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken 36His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, 37the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

28Then 38the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was 39Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s 40wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “41This 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, “42Come in, 43blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since 44I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32So the man entered the house. Then 4546Laban 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 47Abraham’s servant. 35The Lord has greatly 48blessed my master, so that he has become 49rich; and He has given him 50flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 36Now 51Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master 52in her old age, and 53he has given him all that he has. 3754My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I 55live; 38but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 3956I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40He said to me, ‘57The Lord, before whom I have 58walked, will send 59His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 4160then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

42“So 61I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go 62successful; 43behold, 63I am standing by the 64spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “65Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

45“Before I had finished 66speaking in my heart, behold, 67Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and 68I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘69Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 4770Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the 71ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her 72wrists. 48And I 73bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, 74who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s 75kinsman for his son.