Genesis 24
Revised Geneva Translation
24 Now Abraham was old and stricken in years; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 Therefore Abraham said to his eldest servant of his house (who had the rule over all that he had), “Put now your hand under my thigh;
3 and I will make you swear by the LORD God of Heaven, and God of the Earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.
4 “But you shall go to my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son, Isaac.”
5 And the servant said to him, “What if the woman will not come with me to this land? Shall I take your son back to the land from where you came?”
6 To whom Abraham answered, “Beware that you do not take my son there again.
7 “The LORD God of Heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land where I was born; and Who spoke to me, and Who swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed I will give this land’, He shall send His Angel before you; and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 “Nevertheless, if the woman will not follow you, then you shall be discharged of this, my oath. Only do not bring my son there again.”
9 Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and swore to him over this matter.
10 So the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and departed (for he had all his master’s goods in his hand). So he arose and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels lie down outside the city, by a well of water, in the evening, about the time that the women come out to draw water.
12 And he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, I beg You, send me good speed this day; and show mercy to my master, Abraham.
13 “Lo, I stand by the well of water while the men’s daughters of this city come out to draw water.
14 “Grant, therefore, that the maid to whom I say, ‘Please bow down your pitcher, so that I may drink’, if she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels drink’, may she be the one You have ordained for Your servant, Isaac. And thereby I shall know that You have shown mercy on my master.”
15 And now — before he had left speaking — behold, Rebekah came out (the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother) with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the maid was very fair to look upon, a virgin and unknown by man. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.
17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 And she said, “Drink, sir.” And she hurried and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink.
19 And when she had given him drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have drunk enough.”
20 And she speedily poured out her pitcher into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water; and she drew for all his camels.
21 So the man wondered at her, and held his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden earring of half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels of gold.
23 And he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge in?”
24 Then she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
25 Moreover, she said to him, “We have straw, also, and enough provision and room to lodge in.”
26 And the man bowed himself and worshipped the LORD,
27 and said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master, Abraham; Who has not withdrawn His mercy and His truth from my master. When I was on the way, the LORD brought me to my master’s brother’s house.”
28 And the maid ran and told those of her mother’s house, according to these words.
29 Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban. And Laban ran to the man, to the well.
30 For when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “Thus said the man to me…”, then he went to the man; and lo, he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, “Come in you blessed of the LORD. Why do you stand outside, seeing I have prepared the house and room for the camels?”
32 Then the man came into the house; and he unsaddled the camels and brought straw and provision for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the men’s feet who were with him.
33 Afterward, the food was set before him. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said my message.” And he said, “Speak on.”
34 Then he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
35 “And the LORD has blessed my master wonderfully, so that he has become great. For He has given him sheep, and cattle, and silver, and gold, and men servants, and maid servants, and camels, and donkeys.
36 “And Sarah, my master’s wife, has borne a son to my master when she was old. And to him he has given all that he has.
37 “Now 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 dwell).
38 ‘But you shall go to my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.’
39 “Then I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’
40 “Who answered me, ‘The LORD, before Whom I walk, will send His Angel with you, and prosper your journey; and you shall take a wife for my son from my kindred and my father’s house.
41 ‘Thus shall you be discharged of my oath: If you come to my kindred and they do not give you one, you shall be free from my oath.’
42 “So I came this day to the well, and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, if You now prosper my journey on which I go,
43 ‘behold, I stand by the well of water when a virgin comes forth to draw water. And I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink.”
44 “And she says to me, ‘Drink, and I will also draw for your camels’, let her be the wife which the LORD has prepared for your master’s son.’
45 “And before I had made an end of speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the well, and drew water. Then I said to her, ‘Please give me drink.’
46 “And she quickly took down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels drink.
47 “Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she answered, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son (whom Milcah bore to him).’ Then I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 “And I bowed down and worshipped the LORD and blessed the LORD God of my master, Abraham, Who had brought me the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son.
49 “Now, therefore, if you will deal mercifully and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, and said, “This thing has proceeded from the LORD. Therefore, we cannot say to you evil or good.
51 “Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, so that she may be your master’s son’s wife, even as the LORD has said.”
52 And when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself toward the Earth, to the LORD.
53 Then the servant took forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother.
54 Afterward, they ate and drank — he, and the men who were with him — and remained all night. And when they rose up in the morning, he said, “Let me depart to my master.”
55 Then her brother and her mother answered, “Let the maid remain with us at least ten days; then she shall go.”
56 But he said to them, “Do not hinder me, seeing the LORD has prospered my journey. Send me away, so that I may go to my master.”
57 Then they said, “We will call the maid and ask her consent.”
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she answered, “I will go.”
59 So they let their sister Rebekah, and her nurse, go with Abraham’s servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “You are our sister. Grow into thousand thousand’s; and your seed possess the gate of his enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah arose, and her maids, and rode upon the camels, and followed the man; and the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi (for he dwelt in the South country).
63 And Isaac went out to pray in the field, toward the evening. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, the camels came.
64 Also, Rebekah lifted up her eyes. And when she saw Isaac, she dismounted the camel.
65 (For she had said to the servant, “Who is yonder man who comes in the field to meet us?” And the servant had said, “It is my master.”) So she took a veil and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
67 Afterward, Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother. And he took Rebekah. And she was his wife. And he loved her. So, Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 24
New International Version
Isaac and Rebekah
24 Abraham was now very old,(A) and the Lord had blessed(B) him in every way.(C) 2 He said to the senior servant(D) in his household, the one in charge of all that he had,(E) “Put your hand under my thigh.(F) 3 I want you to swear(G) by the Lord, the God of heaven(H) and the God of earth,(I) that you will not get a wife for my son(J) from the daughters of the Canaanites,(K) among whom I am living,(L) 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives(M) and get a wife for my son Isaac.(N)”
5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?(O) Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?(P)”
6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,”(Q) Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven,(R) who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land(S) and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring[a](T) I will give this land’(U)—he will send his angel before you(V) so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath(W) of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”(X) 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh(Y) of his master(Z) Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels(AA) loaded with all kinds of good things(AB) from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim[b](AC) and made his way to the town of Nahor.(AD) 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well(AE) outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.(AF)
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham,(AG) make me successful(AH) today, and show kindness(AI) to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.(AJ) 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink,(AK) and I’ll water your camels too’(AL)—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.(AM) By this I will know(AN) that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying,(AO) Rebekah(AP) came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel(AQ) son of Milkah,(AR) who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.(AS) 16 The woman was very beautiful,(AT) a virgin;(AU) no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”(AV)
18 “Drink,(AW) my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels(AX) too,(AY) until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.(AZ) 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.(BA)
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring(BB) weighing a beka[c] and two gold bracelets(BC) weighing ten shekels.[d] 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you?(BD) Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?(BE)”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.(BF)” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder,(BG) as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,(BH) 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord,(BI) the God of my master Abraham,(BJ) who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness(BK) to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey(BL) to the house of my master’s relatives.”(BM)
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.(BN) 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,(BO) and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms,(BP) and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,”(BQ) he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder(BR) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.(BS) 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
“Then tell us,” Laban said.
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.(BT) 35 The Lord has blessed(BU) my master abundantly,(BV) and he has become wealthy.(BW) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.(BX) 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age,(BY) and he has given him everything he owns.(BZ) 37 And my master made me swear an oath,(CA) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,(CB) 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’(CC)
39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’(CD)
40 “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully,(CE) will send his angel with you(CF) and make your journey a success,(CG) so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.(CH) 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’(CI)
42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success(CJ) to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring.(CK) If a young woman(CL) comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”(CM) 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’(CN)
45 “Before I finished praying in my heart,(CO) Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder.(CP) She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’(CQ)
46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’(CR) So I drank, and she watered the camels also.(CS)
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’(CT)
“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel(CU) son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’(CV)
“Then I put the ring in her nose(CW) and the bracelets on her arms,(CX) 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord.(CY) I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham,(CZ) who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.(DA) 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness(DB) to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”
50 Laban and Bethuel(DC) answered, “This is from the Lord;(DD) we can say nothing to you one way or the other.(DE) 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.(DF)”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.(DG) 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing(DH) and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts(DI) to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way(DJ) to my master.”
55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so;(DK) then you[e] may go.”
56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success(DL) to my journey. Send me on my way(DM) so I may go to my master.”
57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.”(DN) 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,”(DO) she said.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way,(DP) along with her nurse(DQ) and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed(DR) Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you increase
to thousands upon thousands;(DS)
may your offspring possess
the cities of their enemies.”(DT)
61 Then Rebekah and her attendants(DU) got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi,(DV) for he was living in the Negev.(DW) 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[f](DX) and as he looked up,(DY) he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel(DZ) 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil(EA) and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent(EB) of his mother Sarah,(EC) and he married Rebekah.(ED) So she became his wife, and he loved her;(EE) and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.(EF)
Footnotes
- Genesis 24:7 Or seed
- Genesis 24:10 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 24:22 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams
- Genesis 24:22 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
- Genesis 24:55 Or she
- Genesis 24:63 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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