Genesis 24-25
Christian Standard Bible
A Wife for Isaac
24 Abraham was now old, getting on in years,[a](A) and the Lord had blessed him in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,(B) 3 and I will have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,(C) 4 but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from?”
6 Abraham answered him, “Make sure that you don’t take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven,(D) who took me from my father’s house and from my native land,(E) who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘I will give this land to your offspring’[b](F)—he will send his angel before you,(G) and you can take a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are free from this oath to me,(H) but don’t let my son go back there.” 9 So the servant placed his hand under his master Abraham’s thigh and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and with all kinds of his master’s goods in hand, he went to Aram-naharaim, to Nahor’s town. 11 At evening, the time when women went out to draw water, he made the camels kneel beside a well outside the town.
12 “Lord, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “make this happen for me today,(I) and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 I am standing here(J) at the spring where the daughters of the men of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the girl to whom I say, ‘Please lower your water jug so that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels also’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah—daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah,(K) the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor—coming with a jug on her shoulder. 16 Now the girl was very beautiful,(L) a virgin—no man had been intimate with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jug.”
18 She replied, “Drink, my lord.” She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.”[c] 20 She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and hurried to the well again to draw water. She drew water for all his camels 21 while the man silently watched her to see whether or not the Lord had made his journey a success.
22 As the camels finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and for her wrists two bracelets weighing ten shekels of gold. 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She also said to him, “We have plenty of straw and feed and a place to spend the night.”
26 Then the man knelt low, worshiped the Lord,(M) 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his kindness and faithfulness from my master.(N) As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,(O) and Laban ran out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he had heard his sister Rebekah’s words—“The man said this to me!”—he went to the man. He was standing there by the camels at the spring.
31 Laban said, “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord.(P) Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded.(Q) Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.
33 A meal was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.”
So Laban said, “Please speak.”
34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he said. 35 “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master in her[d] old age,(R) and he has given him everything he owns.(S) 37 My master put me under this oath: ‘You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I live 38 but will go to my father’s family and to my clan to take a wife for my son.’ 39 But I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman will not come back with me?’ 40 He said to me, ‘The Lord before whom I have walked(T) will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s family. 41 Then you will be free from my oath if you go to my family and they do not give her to you—you will be free from my oath.’
42 “Today when I came to the spring, I prayed: Lord, God of my master Abraham, if only you will make my journey successful! 43 I am standing here at a spring. Let the young woman[e] who comes out to draw water, and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jug,’ 44 and who responds to me, ‘Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels also’—let her be the woman the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.
45 “Before I had finished praying silently,(U) there was Rebekah coming with her jug on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please let me have a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels also.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She responded, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose(V) and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 Then I knelt low, worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who guided me on the right way to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 Now, if you are going to show kindness and faithfulness to my master,(W) tell me; if not, tell me, and I will go elsewhere.”[f]
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we have no choice in the matter.[g](X) 51 Rebekah is here in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be a wife for your master’s son, just as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed to the ground before the Lord. 53 Then he brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother. 54 Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night.
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Send me to my master.”
55 But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl stay with us for about ten days. Then she[h] can go.”
56 But he responded to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey a success. Send me away so that I may go to my master.”
57 So they said, “Let’s call the girl and ask her opinion.”[i]
58 They called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
She replied, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah with the one who had nursed and raised her,[j](Y) and Abraham’s servant and his men.
60 They blessed Rebekah, saying to her:
Our sister, may you become
thousands upon ten thousands.(Z)
May your offspring possess
the city gates of their[k] enemies.(AA)
61 Then Rebekah and her female servants got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi,[l](AB) for he was living in the Negev region. 63 In the early evening Isaac went out to walk[m] in the field, and looking up he saw camels coming. 64 Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
The servant answered, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death.(AC)
Abraham’s Other Wife and Sons
25 Abraham had taken[n] another wife, whose name was Keturah,(AD) 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac.(AE) 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, and while he was still alive he sent them eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East.(AF)
Abraham’s Death
7 This is the length of Abraham’s life:[o] 175 years. 8 He took his last breath and died at a good old age,(AG) old and contented,[p] and he was gathered to his people.(AH) 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah(AI) near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hethite. 10 This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hethites.(AJ) Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.(AK)
Ishmael’s Family Records
12 These are the family records(AL) of Abraham’s son Ishmael,(AM) whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons; their names according to the family records are Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are Ishmael’s sons, and these are their names by their settlements and encampments: twelve leaders[q](AN) of their clans.[r] 17 This is the length[s] of Ishmael’s life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 And they[t] settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Asshur.[u] He[v] stayed near[w] all his relatives.(AO)
The Birth of Jacob and Esau
19 These are the family records of Isaac son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac.(AP) 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took as his wife Rebekah(AQ) daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram(AR) and sister of Laban the Aramean.(AS) 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless.(AT) The Lord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.(AU) 22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” [x] So she went to inquire of the Lord.(AV) 23 And the Lord said to her:
Two nations are in your womb;
two peoples will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,(AW)
and the older will serve the younger.(AX)
24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking,[y] covered with hair[z] like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.(AY) 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand.(AZ) So he was named Jacob.[aa](BA) Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Birthright
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman,[ab] but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.[ac] 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(BB)
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. 30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom.[ad]
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.(BC)
Footnotes
- 24:1 Lit days
- 24:7 Lit seed
- 24:19 Lit they are finished drinking
- 24:36 Sam, LXX read his
- 24:43 Or the virgin
- 24:49 Lit go to the right or to the left
- 24:50 Lit we cannot say to you anything bad or good
- 24:55 Or you
- 24:57 Lit mouth
- 24:59 Lit with her wet nurse; Gn 35:8
- 24:60 Lit his
- 24:62 = A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me
- 24:63 Or pray, or meditate; Hb obscure
- 25:1 Or Abraham took
- 25:7 Lit And these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham that he lived
- 25:8 Sam, LXX, Syr read full of days
- 25:16 Or chieftains
- 25:16 Or peoples
- 25:17 Lit And these are the years
- 25:18 LXX, Vg read he
- 25:18 Or Assyria
- 25:18 = Ishmael and his descendants
- 25:18 Or He settled down alongside of
- 25:22 Lit said, “If thus, why this I?”
- 25:25 In Hb, red-looking sounds like “Edom”; Gn 32:3.
- 25:25 In Hb, hair sounds like “Seir”; Gn 32:3.
- 25:26 = He Grasps the Heel
- 25:27 Lit a man of the field
- 25:27 Lit man living in tents
- 25:30 = Red
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