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Genesis 24
Legacy Standard Bible

A Wife for Isaac

24 Now (A)Abraham was old, advanced in age; and Yahweh had (B)blessed Abraham in every way. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who (C)ruled over all that he owned, “(D)Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by Yahweh, (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 land and to my kin, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 And the servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I indeed take your son back to the land from where you came?” 6 Then Abraham said to him, “(I)Beware lest you take my son back there! 7 (J)Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kin, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘(K)To your seed I will give this land,’ He will send (L)His angel before 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 from 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 Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and he went with all kinds of (P)good things of his master’s in his hand. So he arose and went to [a]Mesopotamia, to (Q)the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by (R)the well of water at evening time, (S)the time when the women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “(T)O Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please (U)cause this to happen before me today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, (V)I am standing by the spring of water, 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 she says, ‘Drink, and I will give water to your camels to drink also’—may she be the one whom You have decided for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.”

Rebekah Goes with Abraham’s Servant

15 (W)And before he had finished speaking, behold, (X)Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of (Y)Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, was coming out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was (Z)very beautiful in appearance, a virgin, and no man had [b]known her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “(AA)Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18 (AB)And she said, “Drink, my lord”; and 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 draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she hurried and emptied her jar into the watering channel and ran again to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 (AD)Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her [c]in silence, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey successful or not.

22 Now it happened that when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a (AE)gold ring weighing a [d]half-shekel and two bracelets for her [e]wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there a place for us to lodge in your father’s house?” 24 And she said to him, “(AF)I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 And she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and a place to lodge in.” 26 Then the man (AG)bowed low and worshiped Yahweh. 27 And he said, “(AH)Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken (AI)His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, (AJ)Yahweh 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 Now it happened, when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s [f]wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “[g]This is what the man said to me,” he came out to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “(AM)Come in, (AN)blessed of Yahweh! Why do you stand outside since (AO)I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man came into the house. Then [h](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 Then food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have spoken my words.” And he said, “Speak!” 34 So he said, “I am (AQ)Abraham’s servant. 35 And Yahweh has greatly (AR)blessed my master, so he has become great; and He has given him (AS)flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now (AT)Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master [i]in her old age, and (AU)he has given him all that he has. 37 (AV)And 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 [j]live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 (AW)Then I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 And he said to me, ‘(AX)Yahweh, before whom I have (AY)walked, will send (AZ)His angel with you and will make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. 41 (BA)Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives. Now 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, ‘O Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go (BC)successful; 43 behold, (BD)I am standing by the spring of water, and may it be that the [k]maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “(BE)Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44 and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; she is the woman whom Yahweh has decided upon for my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished (BF)speaking in my heart, behold, (BG)Rebekah was coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew, and (BH)I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46 Then she hurried and lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘(BI)Drink, and I will also give water to your camels to drink’; so I drank, and she also gave water to the camels to drink. 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 [l]wrists. 48 And I (BL)bowed low and worshiped Yahweh; and I blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, (BM)who had guided me in the true way to take the daughter of my master’s [m]relative for his son. 49 So now if you are going to (BN)show lovingkindness and truth with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right or to the left.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “(BO)The matter comes from Yahweh; (BP)so we cannot 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 Yahweh has spoken.”

52 Now it happened that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he (BQ)bowed himself to the ground [n]before Yahweh. 53 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. And then they arose in the morning, and 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, or even ten; afterward she will go.” 56 And he said to them, “Do not delay me, since (BU)Yahweh has made my way successful. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the young woman and ask about [o]her wishes.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 Thus 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 seed possess
The gate of those who hate him.”

61 Then Rebekah arose with her young women, and they mounted the camels and went after the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went.

Rebekah Becomes Isaac’s Wife

62 Now Isaac had come from going to (BY)Beer-lahai-roi, for he [p]was living in (BZ)the land of the [q]Negev. 63 And Isaac went out (CA)to [r]muse in the field toward evening; and (CB)he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac and dismounted from the camel. 65 Then 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 [s]veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant recounted to 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. Thus, Isaac was comforted after (CE)his mother’s death.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 24:10 Heb Aram-naharaim; lit Aram of the two rivers
  2. Genesis 24:16 Or relations with
  3. Genesis 24:21 Lit keeping silent
  4. Genesis 24:22 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
  5. Genesis 24:22 Lit hands
  6. Genesis 24:30 Lit hands
  7. Genesis 24:30 Lit Thus the man
  8. Genesis 24:32 Lit he
  9. Genesis 24:36 Lit after she was old
  10. Genesis 24:37 Lit dwell
  11. Genesis 24:43 Or virgin
  12. Genesis 24:47 Lit hands
  13. Genesis 24:48 Lit brother
  14. Genesis 24:52 Lit to
  15. Genesis 24:57 Lit her mouth
  16. Genesis 24:62 Lit was dwelling
  17. Genesis 24:62 South country
  18. Genesis 24:63 Or stroll; meaning uncertain
  19. Genesis 24:65 Or shawl
Listen to Genesis 24
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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 24:10 Hebrew Aram-naharaim
  2. Genesis 24:14 Or By her
  3. Genesis 24:16 Or a woman of marriageable age
  4. Genesis 24:22 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  5. Genesis 24:48 Or faithfully
  6. Genesis 24:60 Or hate them
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