Genesis 24
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 24
The Marriage of Isaac.[a] 1 Abraham was now old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who supervised his property, “Place your hand under my thigh[b] 3 and swear to the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we live. 4 Rather, go to my homeland, to my family, and choose a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 The servant asked him, “If the woman does not wish to follow me to this land, should I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 Abraham answered him, “Never take my son back there! 7 The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, who called me out from the house of my father and the land of my birth, spoke to me and promised, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He himself will send an angel before you so that you can find a wife for my son. 8 If the woman does not wish to follow you, you will be absolved of the oath you have made to me. Only, you must not take my son back there.” 9 The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and he swore an oath to him concerning these things.
10 The servant took ten of his master’s camels along with all kinds of different precious objects and he set out and went to Aram-naharaim,[c] to the city of Nahor. 11 He rested the camels outside of the city, near the well, at evening time when the women would go out to draw water.
12 He said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today and be gracious to my master Abraham! 13 Behold, I am in front of the well and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 That young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jug and let me drink,’ and she responds, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels some water too,’ let her be the one you have chosen for Isaac, your servant. By this I will know that you have acted kindly to my master.”
15 He barely finished speaking when Rebekah, who was the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with a jug on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was very pretty and a virgin, never having slept with a man. She went down to the well and filled her jug and came back up.
17 The servant hurried up to her and said, “Please give me some of the water from your jug.”
18 She answered, “Drink, my lord,” and quickly lowered the jug unto her hand and gave him some water to drink.
19 When she had finished letting him drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels as well, until they have finished drinking.” 20 She quickly emptied her jug in the water trough and ran off to draw more water from the well until all the camels had drunk from it. 21 The man watched in silence to see whether or not the Lord would grant success to this quest.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, he took a gold ring weighing half a shekel and fastened it to her nose, and he placed upon her wrists two golden bracelets that weighed ten shekels. 23 Then he said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me. Do you have room in your house for us to pass the night?”
24 She answered, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son whom Milcah bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of hay and forage and also a place where you can sleep tonight.”
26 The man knelt and bowed down to the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, God of my master Abraham, who has not ceased being generous and faithful to my master. As for me, the Lord has guided me along the way to the house of the brother of my master.”
28 The young woman ran and reported all these things to her mother’s household. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban rushed out to the man at the well. 30 In fact, as soon as he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the wrists of his sister and heard what Rebekah, his sister, said, “This is what that man told me,” he went to the man who was still standing alongside the camels at the well. 31 He said, “Come, blessed one of the Lord! Why are you still standing out here when I have already prepared the house for you and a place for your camels?”
32 The man went into the house while his camels were unloaded and given hay and forage. Water was brought to wash his feet and those of his men. 33 Then food was placed in front of him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I must say.”
They answered, “Of course!”
34 He said, “I am the servant of Abraham. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become powerful. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 Sarah, the wife of my master, gave birth to a son when he was already old, and he has given all his possessions to him. 37 My master has made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we live. 38 You must go to the house of my father, to my kin, to take a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’
40 “He answered, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I walk, will send an angel with you and will assure the success of your journey. In this way, you will be able to take a wife for my son from my kin and the house of my father. 41 By going to my kin you will have fulfilled your oath. If they do not give her to you, you will have fulfilled your oath.’
42 “And so today I arrived at the well and said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you are going to grant success to this journey I am making, 43 since I am standing near the well, grant that when a young woman comes out to draw water and to whom I say, “Give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 and she answers, “Drink some, and I will draw water for your camels,” this will be the wife that the Lord has chosen for the son of my master.’
45 “I had not even finished thinking this when Rebekah came out with a jug on her shoulder. She went to the well and drew water. When I said to her, ‘Please give me some to drink,’ 46 she immediately lowered the jug and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water to drink as well.’ I drank and she even gave my camels water to drink.
47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“She answered, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah who bore a son to Nahor.’
“I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 Then I knelt and bowed down to the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me along the right path to find the daughter of the brother of my master to be the wife of my master’s son. 49 Now, if you intend to act kindly and loyally toward my master, let me know. If not, let me know as well, so that I may search elsewhere.”
50 Laban and Bethuel then answered, “This is from the Lord; there is nothing we can say. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go so that she may be the wife of the son of your master, just as the Lord has instructed you.”
52 When the servant of Abraham heard these words, he fell down to the earth before the Lord. 53 The servant then brought out silver and gold ornaments and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He gave precious gifts to her brother and mother as well. 54 He and his men then ate and drank and slept the night. When he rose in the morning, he said, “Let me go to my master.”
55 But the brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us for a little time, ten days or so, and afterward you can go on your way.”
56 He answered them, “Do not delay me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Let me leave and go to my master.”
57 They therefore said, “Let us call the girl and ask her.” 58 So they called Rebekah and said to her, “Do you wish to leave with this man?”
She answered, “I do.”
59 They therefore allowed Rebekah and her nurse to leave with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah and told her,
“May you, our sister,
become thousands upon thousands,
and may your descendants conquer
the gates of their enemies.”
61 Thus, Rebekah and her nurse got up, mounted their camels, and followed the servant. He took Rebekah with him and left.
62 Meanwhile Isaac was returning from the well of Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the territory of the Negeb. 63 Isaac went out toward evening. He was looking out over the countryside when he saw camels arriving. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac, and she got down off her camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man who is coming through the fields toward us?”
The servant answered, “It is my master.”
She took her veil[d] and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 67 Isaac then brought Rebekah into the tent that had been his mother’s. He married Rebekah and loved her. So Isaac found comfort after the death of his mother.
Footnotes
- Genesis 24:1 This Yahwist story is important for the People of God. It is not a good thing for the recipient of the promises to marry a Canaanite woman; since during the early years children are in the care of their mother, such a woman’s ties to a corrupt people would do harm to God’s work. A young woman from the man’s own stock is much preferable.
- Genesis 24:2 Under my thigh: a euphemism for touching the genitals; to do this is to ask God, the author of life, to be witness to the oath.
- Genesis 24:10 Aram-naharaim: “Land of the Two Rivers” (i.e., upper Mesopotamia), where Haran, residence of Abraham’s relatives, was located (Gen 11:31).
- Genesis 24:65 She took her veil: a betrothed woman did not remove her veil until the wedding night (see Gen 29:23-25).
Genesis 24
English Standard Version
Isaac and Rebekah
24 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord (A)had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, (B)the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, (C)“Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that (D)you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 (E)but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, (F)who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, (G)‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ (H)he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then (I)you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant (J)put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to (K)Mesopotamia[a] to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when (L)women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “O Lord, (M)God of my master Abraham, (N)please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, (O)I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. (P)By this[b] I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of (Q)Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman (R)was very attractive in appearance, a maiden[c] whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel,[d] and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23 and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?” 24 She said to him, (S)“I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26 (T)The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27 and said, “Blessed be the Lord, (U)the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken (V)his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord (W)has led me in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.” 28 Then the young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things.
29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was (X)Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said, “Come in, (Y)O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave (Z)straw and fodder to the camels, and there was (AA)water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham's servant. 35 The Lord (AB)has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master's wife (AC)bore a son to my master when she was old, and (AD)to him he has given all that he has. 37 (AE)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 clan and take a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, (AF)before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and (AG)prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father's house. 41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
42 “I came today to the spring and said, (AH)‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you (AI)are prospering the way that I go, 43 behold, I am standing (AJ)by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 (AK)and who will say to me, “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 (AL)speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ (AM)So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48 (AN)Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, (AO)the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way[e] to take (AP)the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you are going to (AQ)show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot (AR)speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, (AS)as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham's servant heard their words, (AT)he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, (AU)“Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and (AV)her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you (AW)become
thousands of ten thousands,
and (AX)may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”[f]
61 Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had returned from (AY)Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out (AZ)to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was (BA)comforted after his mother's (BB)death.
Footnotes
- Genesis 24:10 Hebrew Aram-naharaim
- Genesis 24:14 Or By her
- Genesis 24:16 Or a woman of marriageable age
- Genesis 24:22 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- Genesis 24:48 Or faithfully
- Genesis 24:60 Or hate them
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
