Genesis 24

Abraham was old now, well on in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything.

And Abraham said to the senior servant in his household, the one who ran everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh.

I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you won't get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites I'm living among,

but that you'll go to my own country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

And the servant said, “What if the woman won't come back with me to this country? Should I take your son back to the country you came from?”

“Make sure you don't take my son back there,” Abraham said.

“The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me out of my father's household and out of the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘I'll give this land to your descendants’ — He'll send His angel on ahead of you, and you'll get a wife for my son from there.

And if the woman won't come back with you, you're released from this oath. Only don't take my son back there.”

So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore to him about the matter.

Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and set out, with all sorts of good things from his master in his hands. He went to Aram Naharaim, to the town of Nahor.

He had the camels kneel down outside the town near the well, toward evening — the time when the women come out to draw water.

And he said, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Look — I'm standing here by the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

Let it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please tip your jar down so I can have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Have a drink, and I'll water your camels too’ — let her be the one You've chosen for Your servant Isaac. That's how I'll know You've shown kindness to my master.”

Before he'd finished speaking, out came Rebekah with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.

The girl was very good-looking, and she'd never been with a man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her. “Please give me a little water from your jar,” he said.

“Have a drink, sir,” she said, and she quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

When she'd finished giving him a drink, she said, “I'll draw water for your camels too, until they've had enough.”

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

The man watched her closely, without saying a word, to see whether the Lord had made his trip a success.

When the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold nose ring weighing half a shekel and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels,

and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please — is there room in your father's house for us to stay the night?”

And she said, “I'm the daughter of Bethuel, the son Milcah had for Nahor.”

And she said, “We've got plenty of straw and feed, and room for you to stay.”

Then the man bowed down and worshipped the Lord,

and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who hasn't given up His kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me straight to the house of my master's relatives.”

And the girl ran and told her mother's household about it.

Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the spring.

As soon as he'd seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and heard Rebekah say what the man had said to her, he went out to the man — and there he was, standing by the camels at the spring.

“Come on in, you who are blessed by the Lord,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I've got the house ready, and a place for the camels.”

So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought for the camels, and water for him and the men with him to wash their feet.

Then food was set in front of him, but he said, “I won't eat until I've said what I've come to say.” “Go ahead,” Laban said.

So he said, “I'm Abraham's servant.

The Lord has blessed my master a great deal, and he's become well off. He's given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

And Sarah my master's wife had a son for him in her old age, and he's given him everything he owns.

And my master made me swear an oath. ‘Don't get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites whose land I'm living in,

but go to my father's family and my own relatives, and get a wife for my son.’

And I said to my master, ‘What if the woman won't come with me?’

And he said, ‘The Lord, before whom I've walked, will send His angel with you and make your trip a success, and you'll get a wife for my son from my own relatives, from my father's family.

You'll be released from my oath when you get to my relatives — and if they won't give her to you, you'll be released from my oath.’

So today I came to the spring, and I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You would, make the trip I've come on a success.

Look — I'm standing by this spring. Let 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,”

and she says to me, “Have a drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too” — let her be the woman the Lord has chosen for my master's son.’

Before I'd finished praying in my heart, out came Rebekah with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

And she quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Have a drink, and I'll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels as well.

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

and I bowed down and worshipped the Lord. And I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who'd led me the right way to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son.

Now, if you'll show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me. And if not, tell me that, so I know which way to turn.”

And Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord. We can't say anything to you one way or the other.

Rebekah's here in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has said.”

When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.

And he brought out gold and silver jewellery and clothing and gave them to Rebekah, and he gave costly gifts to her brother and her mother as well.

Then he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed the night. When they got up in the morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us ten days or so. After that she can go.”

But he said to them, “Don't hold me up, now that the Lord has made my trip a success. Send me on my way so I can go to my master.”

So they said, “We'll call the girl and ask her.”

So they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will,” she said.

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your descendants take the gates of their enemies.”

Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Now Isaac had come from Beer-Lahai-Roi, because he was living in the Negev.

And Isaac went out into the field one evening to think, and he looked up and saw camels coming.

And Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, and she got down off the camel

and said to the servant, “Who's that man out in the field coming to meet us?” “That's my master,” said the servant. So she took her veil and covered herself.

And the servant told Isaac everything he'd done.

And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. And she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.