The Preacher's Bible

Abraham was old, and well advanced in age. Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. ²Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh. ³I will make you swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. ⁴But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?”

⁶Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t bring my son there again. ⁷Jehovah, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring—he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. ⁸If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath to me. Only you shall not bring my son there again.”

⁹The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. ¹⁰The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. ¹¹He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. ¹²He said, “Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ then she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

¹⁵Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder. ¹⁶The young lady was very beautiful to look at, a virgin. No man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”

¹⁸She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. ¹⁹When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

²¹The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous or not. ²²As the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold, ²³and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?”

²⁴She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵She said moreover to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge in.”

²⁶The man bowed his head, and worshiped Jehovah. ²⁷He said, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Jehovah has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”

²⁸The young lady ran, and told her mother’s house about these words. ²⁹Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. ³⁰When he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he came to the man. Behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. ³¹He said, “Come in, you blessed of Jehovah. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”

³²The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels. He gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

³³Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.” Laban said, “Speak on.”

³⁴He said, “I am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵Jehovah has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Jehovah has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. ³⁶Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him. ³⁷My 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, ³⁸but you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ ³⁹I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ ⁴⁰He said to me, ‘Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my relatives, and of my father’s house. ⁴¹Then you will be clear from my oath, when you come to my relatives. If they don’t give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.’ ⁴²I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go— ⁴³behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” ⁴⁴then she tells me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Jehovah has appointed for my master’s son.’ ⁴⁵Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ ⁴⁶She hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. ⁴⁷I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands. ⁴⁸I bowed my head, and worshiped Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. ⁴⁹Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”

⁵⁰Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from Jehovah. We can’t speak to you bad or good. ⁵¹Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as Jehovah has spoken.”

⁵²When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to Jehovah. ⁵³The servant brought out jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her mother. ⁵⁴They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”

⁵⁵Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”

⁵⁶He said to them, “Don’t hinder me, since Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”

⁵⁷They said, “We will call the young lady, and ask her.”

⁵⁸They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

⁵⁹They sent away Rebekah, their sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. ⁶⁰They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.”

⁶¹Rebekah arose with her ladies. They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his way. ⁶²Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the land of the South. ⁶³Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the evening. He lifted up his eyes and looked. Behold, there were camels coming. ⁶⁴Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel.

⁶⁵She said to the servant, “Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” She took her veil, and covered herself.

⁶⁶The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.