Isaac and Rebekah

24 Abraham was now very old,(A) and the Lord had blessed(B) him in every way.(C) 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) 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) but will go to my country and my own relatives(M) and get a wife for my son Isaac.(N)

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)

“Make sure that you do not take my son back there,”(Q) Abraham said. “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. 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) 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)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 24:7 Or seed
  2. Genesis 24:10 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  3. Genesis 24:22 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams
  4. Genesis 24:22 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  5. Genesis 24:55 Or she
  6. Genesis 24:63 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

A Bride for Isaac

24 Now (A)Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had (B)blessed Abraham in every way. 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, 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; but you will go to (H)my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 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?” Then Abraham said to him, “(I)Beware that you do not take my son back there! (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. 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.” 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 24:7 Lit seed
  2. Genesis 24:10 Heb Aram-naharaim, Aram of the two rivers
  3. Genesis 24:11 Lit at time of evening
  4. Genesis 24:12 Lit cause to occur for me
  5. Genesis 24:13 Lit fountain of water
  6. Genesis 24:14 Lit she will say
  7. Genesis 24:16 Lit known her
  8. Genesis 24:21 Lit keeping silent
  9. Genesis 24:22 A shekel was about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
  10. Genesis 24:22 Lit hands
  11. Genesis 24:30 Lit hands
  12. Genesis 24:30 Lit Thus the man
  13. Genesis 24:32 Lit he
  14. Genesis 24:35 Lit great
  15. Genesis 24:36 Lit after she was old
  16. Genesis 24:43 Lit fountain of water
  17. Genesis 24:43 Or virgin
  18. Genesis 24:47 Lit hands
  19. Genesis 24:49 Lit show kindness and truth to
  20. Genesis 24:52 Lit to
  21. Genesis 24:57 Lit ask her mouth
  22. Genesis 24:60 Lit seed
  23. Genesis 24:62 Lit coming to
  24. Genesis 24:62 I.e., South country
  25. Genesis 24:63 Or stroll; meaning uncertain
  26. Genesis 24:65 Or shawl