Genesis 24:1-67

Now, YAHWEH had wonderfully blessed Abraham in every way, and he became a very old man, well advanced in years. One day, Abraham called for his trusted head servant, who was in charge of all that he had, and said “Please, put your hand here under my thigh, and I will make you swear by YAHWEH, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not acquire a wife for my son among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living. Promise me you will go instead to my relatives in my native land and find a wife among them for my son Isaac.” The servant asked him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land. Should I then take your son back to your native land?” “Absolutely not,” Abraham answered, “make sure that you do not take my son back there. For YAHWEH, the God of heaven, took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth. He spoke to me and solemnly promised that he would give this land to my descendants. I know he will send his angel before you so that you can find a wife for my son from there. And if for any reason the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you are released from this oath that you swear to me. But no matter what, do not take my son back there!” So, the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to carry out his wishes. So the servant took ten of his master’s camels, loaded them with all sorts of gifts, some of the best things his master owned, and journeyed toward the distant land of Mesopotamia until he got to the village where Abraham’s brother Nahor had lived. He had his camels kneel by a well outside the village. It was evening, the time when the women came out to draw water. He prayed: “YAHWEH, God of my master Abraham, let my journey here be a success and show your gracious love to my master Abraham. I am standing here by this well, and the young women of the village are coming out to draw water. Give me a sign. I will say to one of the girls, ‘Please, lower your jar and give me a drink.’ And if she is the right one, the girl whom you have chosen to be a wife for your servant Isaac, then let her say to me, ‘Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels.’ By this sign I will know that you have shown your gracious love to my master.” Suddenly, before he had finished praying, there was Rebekah approaching the well with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Milcah and Abraham’s brother Nahor. The young woman was strikingly beautiful, unmarried, and still a virgin. She walked down to the well, filled her jar, and came back up. Abraham’s servant hurried over to meet her and said, “Please, lower your jar and give me a little drink.” She responded, “Drink, my lord.” She then quickly lowered her jar to give him a drink. Then, after she had finished giving him a drink, she added, “I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” She quickly emptied her jar into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water, until she had watered all the camels. Meanwhile, the servant stared at her, silently pondering whether YAHWEH had indeed made his journey successful. After the camels had finished drinking, he took a costly gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two solid gold bracelets weighing ten shekels, and gave them to Rebekah. Then he asked her, “Tell me, who is your father? Is there room in your father’s house for me and my men to stay tonight?” She replied, “My father’s name is Bethuel, and my grandparents are Milcah and Nahor.” She went on, “There is room for you to spend the night at our home, and plenty of straw and food for the camels.” Upon hearing this, the servant bowed down and worshiped YAHWEH, saying, “Praised be YAHWEH, the God of Abraham, for you have faithfully kept your promise to my master and displayed your wonderful kindness and love. YAHWEH, you led me straight to the very place of my master’s relatives!” Then the girl quickly ran to inform her mother and family about all that had happened. Now Rebekah had an older brother named Laban, and when he heard everything the man had told his sister and saw her gold nose ring and the costly bracelets dangling on her wrists, Laban ran out to meet the man waiting at the well—and there he was standing beside his camels. Then Laban said to the man, “Friend, YAHWEH has wonderfully blessed you; please, come to my home. Why are you standing out here when I have prepared the house for you and a place for your camels?” So the man came into the house, and his camels were unloaded and given straw and feed. The servants brought water to wash the man’s feet and the feet of the men with him. But when they set food before him, he said, “I won’t eat until I tell you why I’m here.” “Please, tell us,” Laban said. “I am Abraham’s servant,” he began. “YAHWEH has wonderfully blessed my master, and he has become extremely wealthy. YAHWEH has given him flocks and herds, camels and donkeys, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants. And my master’s wife, Sarah, has miraculously borne him a son in her old age, and my master’s son is the sole heir of his fortune. My master has put me under an oath saying, ‘Do not get a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living. Instead, go to my relatives in my native land and find a wife among them for my son.’ In reply I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman refuses to return with me.’ He answered me, ‘YAHWEH, in whose presence I have walked all these years, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. You will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, my father’s family. If you go to my relatives, and they will not give her to you, then and only then will you be released from this oath.’ So, when I arrived at the well today, I prayed, ‘O  YAHWEH, God of my master Abraham, make my mission a success. I’m here standing at this well. May the right girl for my master’s son come out to draw water. And when she does, I will say to her “Please give me a little drink from your jar.” And if she replies, saying, “Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,” then I might know that she is the young woman YAHWEH has chosen for my master’s son.’ “Before I had even finished my heartfelt prayer, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder! After she went down to the well and filled her jar, I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink, and I will also draw water for your camels.’ So, I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, ‘Tell me, who is your father?’ She said, ‘I’m the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ When I learned she was of my master’s family, I put a gold ring in her nose and gold bracelets on her wrists, and I bowed before YAHWEH and worshiped him. I praised YAHWEH, the God of my master Abraham, who led me perfectly on the right path to find the very daughter of my master’s brother to marry his son. Now, if you will show faithful love to my master and do what is right, then give me permission to take Rebekah back to his land. If not, tell me, and I will go on my way.” After hearing this, Laban and Bethuel said, “This was all planned by YAHWEH! If this is his plan, what can we say? Here stands our Rebekah before you. You may take her and go and let her marry your master’s son and fulfill YAHWEH’s plan for her.” When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed his face down to the ground and worshiped YAHWEH. Then he brought expensive jewelry of silver and gold and exquisitely embroidered garments, and gave them all to Rebekah, and he gave costly gifts to her brother and her mother. Afterward, the servant and his men ate and drank, and they spent the night in Laban’s home. First thing in the morning, he said to them, “Allow me now to return to my master.” Her brother and mother replied, “Please let Rebekah remain with us a while—for ten days or so, then she may go with you.” He responded, “Please, YAHWEH has made my mission successful. Send me off with her to my master, don’t make me wait.” They answered him, “We will call for Rebekah and see what she wants to do.” So they called for Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will gladly go with him,” she answered. So they sent their sister Rebekah away with her servant girls to go with Abraham’s servant and his men. As she departed, they blessed her with these words: “Our dear sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants gain possession of the city gates of their foes!” Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the servant and his men. Meanwhile, Isaac, who was living in the southern desert of Canaan, had just come back to his camp from the Well of the Living One Who Watches Over Me. Isaac went out in the evening into the field to meditate. He looked up, and saw camels coming in the distance. As Rebekah got closer, she raised her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she nearly fell off her camel! She whispered to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “Why, he’s the one about whom I told you, that’s my young master!” the servant said. So Rebekah quickly took her veil and covered her face. Then the servant began to explain to Isaac in detail all the amazing things that had happened. Isaac fell in love with Rebekah. He took her to be his wife, and they were married, and he brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. In this way, Isaac was greatly comforted after his mother’s death.