24 2 Abraham causeth his servant to swear to take a wife for Isaac in his own kindred. 12 The servant prayeth to God. 33 His fidelity toward his master. 50 The friends of Rebekah commit the matter to God. 58 They ask her consent, and she agreeth.
1 Now Abraham was old, and [a]stricken in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 Therefore Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, which had the rule over all that he had, (A)[b]Put now thine hand under my thigh,
3 And I will make thee [c]swear by the Lord God of the heaven, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell:
4 But thou shalt go unto my [d]country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said to him, What if the woman will not come with me to this land? shall I bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 To whom Abraham answered, Beware that thou bring not my son [e]thither again.
7 ¶ The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land where I was born, and that spake unto me, and that swear unto me, saying, (B)Unto thy seed will I give this land, he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8 Nevertheless if the woman will not follow thee, then shalt thou be [f]discharged of this mine oath: only bring not my son thither again.
9 Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter.
10 ¶ So the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his master’s goods in his hand:) and so he arose, and went to [g]Aram Naharaim, unto the [h]city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels to [i]lie down without the city by a well of water, at eventide about the time that the women come out to draw water.
12 And he said, O [j]Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, [k]send me good speed this day, and show mercy unto my master Abraham.
13 Lo, I stand by the well of water while the men’s daughters of this city come out to draw water.
14 [l]Grant therefore that the maid, to whom I say: Bow down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink: if she say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: may be she that thou hast ordained for thy servant Isaac: and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed mercy on my master.
15 ¶ And now yet he had left speaking, behold, [m]Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abraham’s brother, and her Pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 (And the maid was very fair to look upon, a virgin and unknown of man) and she [n]went down to the well, and filled her pitcher and came up.
17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink [o]sir: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him drink.
19 And when she had given him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also until they [p]have drunken enough.
20 And she poured out her pitcher into the trough speedily, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
21 So the man wondered at her, and held his peace, to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And when the camels had left drinking, the man took a golden [q][r]abillement of [s]half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of gold:
23 And he said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee, Is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?
24 Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah whom she bare unto Nahor.
25 Moreover she said unto him, We have litter also and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed himself and worshipped the Lord,
27 And said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawn his mercy [t]and his truth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my master’s brethren’s house.
28 And the maid ran and told them of her mother’s house according to these words.
29 ¶ Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ran unto the man to the well.
30 For when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man unto me, then he went to the man, and lo, [u]he stood by the camels at the well.
31 And he said, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I have prepared the house, and room for the camels?
32 ¶ Then the man came into the house, and [v]he unsaddled the [w]camels, and brought litter and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.
33 Afterward the meat was set before him: but he said, I [x]will not eat, until I have said my message. And he said: Speak on.
34 Then he said, I am Abraham’s servant,
35 And the Lord hath [y]blessed my master wonderfully, that he is become great: for he hath given him sheep, and beeves, and silver, and gold, and men servants, and maid servants, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah my master’s wife hath borne a son to my master, when she was old, and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
37 Now my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the [z]Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go unto my [aa]father’s house and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
39 Then I said unto my master, What if the woman will not follow me?
40 Who answered me, The Lord, before who I walk, will send his Angel with thee, and prosper thy journey, and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred and my father’s house.
41 Then shalt thou be discharged of [ab]mine oath, when thou comest to my kindred: and if they give thee not one, thou shalt be free from mine oath.
42 So I came this day to the well, and said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if thou now prosper my [ac]journey which I go,
43 Behold, (C)I stand by the well of water when a virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink,
44 And she said to me, Drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels, let her be the wife, which the Lord hath [ad]prepared for thy master’s son.
45 And before I had made an end of speaking in mine [ae]heart, behold, Rebekah came forth and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the well, and drew water. Then I said unto her, Give me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and took down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also.
47 Then I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she answered, The daughter of Bethuel Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him. Then I put the abillement upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands:
48 [af]And I bowed down and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had brought me the [ag]right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son.
49 Now therefore, if ye will deal [ah]mercifully and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me, that I may turn me to the [ai]right hand or to the left.
50 Then answered Laban and Bethuel, and said, [aj]This thing is proceeded of the Lord: we cannot therefore say unto thee, neither evil nor good.
51 Behold, Rebekah is [ak]before thee, take her and go, that she may be thy master’s son’s wife, even as the Lord hath [al]said.
52 And when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself toward the earth unto the Lord.
53 Then the servant took forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave to Rebekah: also unto her brother and to her mother he gave gifts.
54 Afterward they did eat and drink, both he, and the men that were with him, and tarried all night, and when they rose up in the morning, he said, (D)Let me depart unto my master.
55 Then her brother and her mother answered, Let the maid abide with us, at the least [am]ten days: then shall she go.
56 But he said unto them, Hinder you me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my journey: send me away, that I may go to my master.
57 Then they said, We will call the maid, and ask [an]her consent.
58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her: Wilt thou go with this man? And [ao]she answered, I will go.
59 So they let Rebekah their sister go, and her nurse, with Abraham’s servant and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, grow into thousand thousand’s, and thy seed possess the [ap]gate of his enemies.
61 ¶ Then Rebekah arose, and her maids, and rode upon the camels, and followed the man, and the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac came from the way of (E)Beer Lahai Roi, (for he dwelt in the South country.)
63 And Isaac went out to [aq]pray in the field toward the evening: who lift up his eyes and looked, and behold, the camels came.
64 Also Rebekah lift up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted down from the camel.
65 (For she had said to the servant, Who is yonder man, that cometh in the field to meet us? and the servant had said, It is my master) So she took [ar]a veil, and covered her.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things, that he had done.
67 Afterward Isaac brought her into the tent, of Sarah his mother, and he took Rebekah, and she was his wife, and he loved her: So Isaac was [as]comforted after his mother’s death.
Footnotes
- Genesis 24:1 Hebrew, come into days.
- Genesis 24:2 Which ceremony declared, the servant’s obedience towards his master, and the master’s power over the servant.
- Genesis 24:3 This showeth that an oath may be required in a lawful cause.
- Genesis 24:4 He would not that his son should marry out of the godly family: for the inconveniences that come by marrying with the ungodly are set forth in sundry places of the Scriptures.
- Genesis 24:6 Lest he should lose the inheritance promised.
- Genesis 24:8 Hebrew, innocent.
- Genesis 24:10 Or, Mesopotamia, or, Syria of the two floods: to wit, of Tigris and Euphrates.
- Genesis 24:10 That is, to Haran.
- Genesis 24:11 Hebrew, to bow their knees.
- Genesis 24:12 He groundeth his prayer upon God’s promise made to his master.
- Genesis 24:12 Or, cause me to meet.
- Genesis 24:14 The servant moved by God’s spirit desired to be assured by a sign, whether God prospered his journey or no.
- Genesis 24:15 God giveth good success to all things that are undertaken for the glory of his name and according to his word.
- Genesis 24:16 Here is declared that God ever heareth the prayers of his, and granteth their requests.
- Genesis 24:18 Hebrew, my Lord.
- Genesis 24:19 Hebrew, have made an end of drinking.
- Genesis 24:22 Or, earring.
- Genesis 24:22 God permitted many things both in apparel and other things which are now forbid: specially when they appertain not to our mortification.
- Genesis 24:22 The golden shekel is here meant and not that of silver.
- Genesis 24:27 He boasteth not his good fortune (as do the wicked) but acknowledgeth that God hath dealt mercifully with his master in keeping promise.
- Genesis 24:30 For he waited on God’s hand, who had now heard his prayer.
- Genesis 24:32 To wit, Laban.
- Genesis 24:32 The gentle entertainment of strangers used among the godly fathers.
- Genesis 24:33 The fidelity that servants owe to their masters, causeth them to prefer their master’s business to their own necessity.
- Genesis 24:35 To bless, signifieth here to enrich, or increase with substance, as the text in the same verse declareth.
- Genesis 24:37 The Canaanites were accursed, and therefore the godly could not join with them in marriage.
- Genesis 24:38 Meaning among his kinsfolk, as verse 40.
- Genesis 24:41 Which by mine authority I caused thee to make.
- Genesis 24:42 Or, way.
- Genesis 24:44 Or, showed.
- Genesis 24:45 Signifying that this prayer was not spoken by the mouth, but only meditated in his heart.
- Genesis 24:48 He showeth what is our duty, when we have received any benefit of the Lord.
- Genesis 24:48 Hebrew, in the way of truth.
- Genesis 24:49 If you will freely and faithfully give your daughter to my master’s son.
- Genesis 24:49 That is, that I may provide elsewhere.
- Genesis 24:50 So soon as they perceive that it is God’s ordinance they yield.
- Genesis 24:51 Or, at thy commandment.
- Genesis 24:51 Or, ordained.
- Genesis 24:55 Hebrew, days, or ten.
- Genesis 24:57 This showeth that parents have not authority to marry their children without consent of the parties.
- Genesis 24:58 Hebrew, her mouth.
- Genesis 24:60 That is, let it be victorious over his enemies: which blessing is fully accomplished in Jesus Christ.
- Genesis 24:63 This was the exercise of the godly fathers to meditate God’s promises, and to pray for the accomplishment thereof.
- Genesis 24:65 The custom was that the spouse was brought to her husband, her head being covered, in token of shamefastness and chastity.
- Genesis 24:67 Or, had left mourning for his mother.