Genesis 24
New Living Translation
A Wife for Isaac
24 Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. 3 Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 4 Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”
6 “No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there. 7 For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants.[a] He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. 8 If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”
9 So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions. 10 Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. 11 He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.
12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. 16 Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. 17 Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”
18 “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.
21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission. 22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets[b] for her wrists.
23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”
24 “I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”
26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”
28 The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. 30 He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. 31 Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?”
32 So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.”
“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”
34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. 35 “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
36 “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 38 Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’
39 “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ 40 He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 41 Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’
42 “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. 43 See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” 44 If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’
45 “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels.
47 “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. 49 So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.
But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”
55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”
56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”
57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.
And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”
59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They gave her this blessing as she parted:
“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.
62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 65 “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.
And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.
67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.
Genesis 24
New American Standard Bible
A Bride for Isaac
24 Now (A)Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had (B)blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in (C)charge of all that he owned, “(D)Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, (E)the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you (F)shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of (G)the Canaanites, among whom I live; 4 but you will go to (H)my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The 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?” 6 Then Abraham said to him, “(I)Beware that you do not take my son back there! 7 (J)The 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, ‘(K)To your [a]descendants I will give this land’—He will send (L)His angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will (M)be free of this oath of mine; (N)only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant (O)placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and went out with a variety of (P)good things of his master’s in his hand; so he set out and went to [b]Mesopotamia, to (Q)the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by (R)the well of water [c]when it was evening, (S)the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “(T)Lord, God of my master Abraham, please [d](U)grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, (V)I am standing by the [e]spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14 now may it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and [f]who 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.”
Rebekah Is Chosen
15 And it came about, (W)before he had finished speaking, that behold, (X)Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of (Y)Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was (Z)very beautiful, a virgin; no man had [g]had relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “(AA)Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18 And (AB)she said, “Drink, my lord”; then she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, (AC)she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 (AD)Meanwhile, the man was taking a close look at her [h]in silence, to find out whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a (AE)gold ring weighing a [i]half-shekel, and two bracelets for her [j]wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay overnight at your father’s house?” 24 She said to him, “(AF)I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to stay overnight.” 26 Then the man (AG)bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, “(AH)Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned (AI)His kindness and His trustworthiness toward my master; as for me, (AJ)the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”
28 Then (AK)the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was (AL)Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s [k]wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “[l]This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “(AM)Come in, (AN)blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside, since (AO)I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man entered the house. Then [m](AP)Laban 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. 33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am (AQ)Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly (AR)blessed my master, so that he has become [n]rich; and He has given him (AS)flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and slave women, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now (AT)my master’s wife Sarah bore a son to my master [o]in her old age, and (AU)he has given him all that he has. 37 (AV)My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 Then (AW)I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 And he said to me, ‘(AX)The Lord, before whom I have (AY)walked, will send (AZ)His 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; 41 (BA)then 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 (BB)I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I have been going (BC)successful; 43 behold, (BD)I am standing by the [p]spring, and may it be that the [q]young unmarried woman who comes out to draw water, and to whom I say, “(BE)Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44 and she says 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 (BF)speaking in my heart, behold, (BG)Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew water, and (BH)I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘(BI)Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 (BJ)Then 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 (BK)ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her [r]wrists. 48 And I (BL)bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, (BM)who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 So now if you are going to [s](BN)deal kindly and truthfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me now, so that I may turn to the right or the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “(BO)The matter has come from the Lord; (BP)so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he (BQ)bowed himself to the ground [t]before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out (BR)articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morning, he said, “(BS)Send me away to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “(BT)Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 56 However, he said to them, “Do not delay me, since (BU)the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away so that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the young woman and [u]ask her.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and (BV)her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister,
(BW)Become thousands of ten thousands,
And may (BX)your [v]descendants possess
The gate of those who hate them.”
61 Then Rebekah got up with her female attendants, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Isaac Marries Rebekah
62 Now Isaac had come back from [w]a journey to (BY)Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in (BZ)the [x]Negev. 63 Isaac went out (CA)to [y]meditate in the field toward evening; and (CB)he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 64 Rebekah raised her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her [z]veil and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and (CC)he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and (CD)he loved her; so Isaac was comforted after (CE)his mother’s death.
Footnotes
- Genesis 24:7 Lit seed
- Genesis 24:10 Heb Aram-naharaim, Aram of the two rivers
- Genesis 24:11 Lit at time of evening
- Genesis 24:12 Lit cause to occur for me
- Genesis 24:13 Lit fountain of water
- Genesis 24:14 Lit she will say
- Genesis 24:16 Lit known her
- Genesis 24:21 Lit keeping silent
- Genesis 24:22 A shekel was about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
- Genesis 24:22 Lit hands
- Genesis 24:30 Lit hands
- Genesis 24:30 Lit Thus the man
- Genesis 24:32 Lit he
- Genesis 24:35 Lit great
- Genesis 24:36 Lit after she was old
- Genesis 24:43 Lit fountain of water
- Genesis 24:43 Or virgin
- Genesis 24:47 Lit hands
- Genesis 24:49 Lit show kindness and truth to
- Genesis 24:52 Lit to
- Genesis 24:57 Lit ask her mouth
- Genesis 24:60 Lit seed
- Genesis 24:62 Lit coming to
- Genesis 24:62 I.e., South country
- Genesis 24:63 Or stroll; meaning uncertain
- Genesis 24:65 Or shawl
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
