Genesis 24:1-27

1Now 1Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had 2blessed Abraham in every way. 2Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in 3charge of all that he owned, “4Please place your hand under my thigh, 3and I will make you swear by the Lord, 5the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you 6shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of 7the Canaanites, among whom I live; 4but you will go to 8my 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, “9Beware that you do not take my son back there! 710The 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, ‘11To your 12descendants I will give this land’--He will send 13His angel ahead of 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 14be free of this oath of mine; 15only do not take my son back there.” 9So the servant 16placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and went out with a variety of 17good things of his master’s in his hand; so he set out and went to 18Mesopotamia, to 19the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by 20the well of water 21when it was evening, 22the time when women go out to draw water. 12And he said, “23Lord, God of my master Abraham, please 2425grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13Behold, 26I am standing by the 27spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14now may it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and 28who 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 kindness to my master.”

15And it came about, 29before he had finished speaking, that behold, 30Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of 31Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16The young woman was 32very beautiful, a virgin; no man had 33had relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “34Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18And 35she said, “Drink, my lord”; then she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19Now when she had finished giving him a drink, 36she said, “I will also draw water 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. 2137Meanwhile, the man was taking a close look at her 38in silence, to find out whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a 39gold ring weighing a 40half-shekel, and two bracelets for her 41wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay overnight at your father’s house?” 24She said to him, “42I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to stay overnight.” 26Then the man 43bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27And he said, “44Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned 45His kindness and His trustworthiness toward my master; as for me, 46the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”