A Bride for Isaac

24 Now Abraham ^(A)was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord ^(B)had blessed Abraham in all things. ² So Abraham said ^(C)to the oldest servant of his house, who ^(D)ruled over all that he had, “Please, ^(E)put your hand under my thigh, ³ and I will make you ^(F)swear^[a] by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that ^(G)you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; ^4 (H)but you shall go ^(I)to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵ And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”

⁶ But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. ⁷ The Lord God of heaven, who ^(J)took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ^(K)‘To your ^[b]descendants I give this land,’ ^(L)He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then ^(M)you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant 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, ^(N)for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to ^(O)the city of Nahor. ¹¹ And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time ^(P)when women go out to draw water. ¹² Then he ^(Q)said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please ^(R)give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Behold, here ^(S)I stand by the well of water, and ^(T)the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And ^(U)by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵ And it happened, ^(V)before he had finished speaking, that behold, ^(W)Rebekah,^[c] who was born to Bethuel, son of ^(X)Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. ¹⁶ Now the young woman ^(Y)was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

^18 (Z)So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. ²¹ And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether ^(AA)the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

²² So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden ^(AB)nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, ²³ and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us ^[d]to lodge?”

²⁴ So she said to him, ^(AC)“I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”

²⁶ Then the man ^(AD)bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. ²⁷ And he said, ^(AE)“Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken ^(AF)His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord ^(AG)led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” ²⁸ So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.

²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was ^(AH)Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. ³⁰ So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. ³¹ And he said, “Come in, ^(AI)O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”

³² Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and ^(AJ)provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to ^(AK)wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. ³³ Food was set before him to eat, but he said, ^(AL)“I will not eat until I have told about my errand.”

And he said, “Speak on.”

³⁴ So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵ The Lord ^(AM)has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶ And Sarah my master’s wife ^(AN)bore a son to my master when she was old; and ^(AO)to him he has given all that he has. ³⁷ Now my master ^(AP)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 (AQ)but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ ^39 (AR)And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ ^40 (AS)But he said to me, ‘The Lord, ^(AT)before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and ^[e]prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. ^41 (AU)You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

⁴² “And this day I came to the well and said, ^(AV)‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, ^43 (AW)behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out 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 draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

^45 (AX)“But before I had finished ^(AY)speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ ⁴⁶ And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. ⁴⁷ 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.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. ^48 (AZ)And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to ^(BA)take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ Now if you will ^(BB)deal kindly and truly with 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, ^(BC)“The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot ^(BD)speak to you either bad or good. ^51 (BE)Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”

⁵² And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that ^(BF)he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. ⁵³ Then the servant brought out ^(BG)jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave ^(BH)precious things to her brother and to her mother.

⁵⁴ And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, ^(BI)“Send me away to my master.”

⁵⁵ But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”

⁵⁶ And he said to them, “Do not ^[f]hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”

⁵⁷ So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” 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 Rebekah their sister ^(BJ)and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:

⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

⁶² Now Isaac came from the way of ^(BM)Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. ⁶³ And Isaac went out ^(BN)to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. ⁶⁴ Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac ^(BO)she dismounted from her camel; ⁶⁵ for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷ Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he ^(BP)took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac ^(BQ)was comforted after his mother’s death.

Abraham and Keturah^(BR)

25 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was ^(BS)Keturah. ² And ^(BT)she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴ And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

⁵ And ^(BU)Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. ⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he ^(BV)sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to ^(BW)the country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

⁷ This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. ⁸ Then Abraham breathed his last and ^(BX)died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and ^(BY)was gathered to his people. ⁹ And ^(BZ)his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of ^(CA)Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, ^10 (CB)the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. ^(CC)There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. ¹¹ And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at ^(CD)Beer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac^(CE)

¹² Now this is the ^(CF)genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. ¹³ And ^(CG)these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ^15 [g]Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their ^[h]settlements, ^(CH)twelve princes according to their nations. ¹⁷ These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and ^(CI)he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. ^18 (CJ)(They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He ^[i]died ^(CK)in the presence of all his brethren.

¹⁹ This is the ^(CL)genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. ^(CM)Abraham begot Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, ^(CN)the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, ^(CO)the sister of Laban the Syrian. ²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; ^(CP)and the Lord granted his plea, ^(CQ)and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” ^(CR)So she went to inquire of the Lord.

²³ And the Lord said to her:

²⁴ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red. He was ^(CV)like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name ^[j]Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out, and ^(CW)his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so ^(CX)his name was called ^[k]Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

²⁷ So the boys grew. And Esau was ^(CY)a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was ^(CZ)a ^[l]mild man, ^(DA)dwelling in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ^(DB)ate of his game, ^(DC)but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright^(DD)

²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^[m]Edom.

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so ^(DE)what is this birthright to me?”

³³ Then Jacob said, ^[n]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and ^(DF)sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then ^(DG)he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau ^(DH)despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelech

26 There was a famine in the land, besides ^(DI)the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to ^(DJ)Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

² Then the Lord appeared to him and said: ^(DK)“Do not go down to Egypt; live in ^(DL)the land of which I shall tell you. ^3 (DM)Dwell in this land, and ^(DN)I will be with you and ^(DO)bless you; for to you and your descendants ^(DP)I give all these lands, and I will perform ^(DQ)the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ And ^(DR)I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; ^(DS)and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; ^5 (DT)because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

⁶ So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. ⁷ And the men of the place asked about his wife. And ^(DU)he said, “She is my sister”; for ^(DV)he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is ^(DW)beautiful to behold.” ⁸ Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, ^[o]showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. ⁹ Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

¹⁰ And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and ^(DX)you would have brought guilt on us.” ¹¹ So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who ^(DY)touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

¹² Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year ^(DZ)a hundredfold; and the Lord ^(EA)blessed him. ¹³ The man ^(EB)began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines ^(EC)envied him. ¹⁵ Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells ^(ED)which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. ¹⁶ And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for ^(EE)you are much mightier than we.”

¹⁷ Then Isaac departed from there and ^[p]pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. ¹⁸ And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. ^(EF)He called them by the names which his father had called them.

¹⁹ Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. ²⁰ But the herdsmen of Gerar ^(EG)quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well ^[q]Esek, because they quarreled with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name ^[r]Sitnah. ²² And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name ^[s]Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall ^(EH)be fruitful in the land.”

²³ Then he went up from there to Beersheba. ²⁴ And the Lord ^(EI)appeared to him the same night and said, ^(EJ)“I am the God of your father Abraham; ^(EK)do not fear, for ^(EL)I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” ²⁵ So he ^(EM)built an altar there and ^(EN)called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

²⁶ Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, ^(EO)and Phichol the commander of his army. ²⁷ And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, ^(EP)since you hate me and have ^(EQ)sent me away from you?”

²⁸ But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord ^(ER)is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a ^[t]covenant with you, ²⁹ that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. ^(ES)You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”

^30 (ET)So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Then they arose early in the morning and ^(EU)swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

³² It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” ³³ So he called it ^[u]Shebah. ^(EV)Therefore the name of the city is ^[v]Beersheba to this day.

^34 (EW)When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵ And ^(EX)they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant^(A)

7 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He ^(B)entered Capernaum. ² And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵ “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

⁶ Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But ^(C)say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under ^(D)authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” ¹⁰ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well ^[a]who had been sick.

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

¹¹ Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹² And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had ^(E)compassion on her and said to her, ^(F)“Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, ^(G)arise.” ¹⁵ So he who was dead ^(H)sat up and began to speak. And He ^(I)presented him to his mother.

^16 (J)Then fear ^[b]came upon all, and they ^(K)glorified God, saying, ^(L)“A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, ^(M)“God has visited His people.” ¹⁷ And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(N)

^18 (O)Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. ¹⁹ And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to ^[c]Jesus, saying, “Are You ^(P)the Coming One, or ^[d]do we look for another?”

²⁰ When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” ²¹ And that very hour He cured many of ^[e]infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

^22 (Q)Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: ^(R)that the blind ^(S)see, the lame ^(T)walk, the lepers are ^(U)cleansed, the deaf ^(V)hear, the dead are raised, ^(W)the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³ And blessed is he who is not ^[f]offended because of Me.”

^24 (X)When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written:

²⁸ For I say to you, among those born of women there is ^[g]not a ^(Z)greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors ^[h]justified God, ^(AA)having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and ^[i]lawyers rejected ^(AB)the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

^31 [j]And the Lord said, ^(AC)“To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

³³ For ^(AD)John the Baptist came ^(AE)neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come ^(AF)eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[k]winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ^35 (AG)But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

^36 (AH)Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ^(AI)“This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(AJ)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” ⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no ^(AK)water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no ^(AL)kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ^46 (AM)You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ^47 (AN)Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then He said to her, ^(AO)“Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ^(AP)“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, ^(AQ)“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. ^(A)On ^[a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.