Abraham's servant, sent by him into Mesopotamia, bringeth from thence
Rebecca, who is married to Isaac.
24:1. Now Abraham was old, and advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed
him in all things.
24:2. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over
all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,
24:3. That I may make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and
earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the
Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:
24:4. But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife
from thence for my son Isaac.
24:5. The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this
land, must I bring thy son back again to the place from whence thou
camest out?
24:6. And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again
thither.
24:7. The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father's house, and
out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To
thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and
thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.
He will send his angel before thee... This shows that the Hebrews
believed that God gave them guardian angels for their protection.
24:8. But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by
the oath: only bring not my son back thither again.
24:9. The servant, therefore, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham,
his lord, and swore to him upon his word.
24:10. And he took ten camels of his master's herd, and departed,
carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forward and
went on to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nachor.
24:11. And when he had made the camels lie down without the town, near a
well of water, in the evening, at the time when women are wont to come
out to draw water, he said:
24:12. O Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, meet me today, I beseech
thee, and shew kindness to my master, Abraham.
24:13. Behold, I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of
the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water:
24:14. Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down thy
pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give
thy camels drink also: let it be the same whom thou hast provided for
thy servant Isaac: and by this, I shall understand that thou hast shewn
kindness to my master.
24:15. He had not yet ended these words within himself, and behold
Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor
the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder:
24:16. An exceeding comely maid, and a most beautiful virgin, and not
known to man: and she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher,
and was coming back.
24:17. And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little water
to drink of thy pitcher.
24:18. And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the
pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink.
24:19. And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for thy camels
also, till they all drink.
24:20. And pouring out the pitcher into the troughs, she ran back to the
well to draw water; and having drawn, she gave to all the camels.
24:21. But he musing, beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether
the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
24:22. And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden
earrings, weighing two sicles; and as many bracelets, of ten sicles
weight.
24:23. And he said to her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there
any place in thy father's house to lodge?
24:24. And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of
Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.
24:25. And she said, moreover, to him: We have good store of both straw
and hay, and a large place to lodge in.
24:26. The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord,
24:27. Saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath
not taken away his mercy and truth from my master, and hath brought me
the straight way into the house of my master's brother.
24:28. Then the maid ran, and told in her mother's house all that she
had heard.
24:29. And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban, who went out in haste to
the man, to the well.
24:30. And when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister's
hands, and had heard all that she related, saying, Thus and thus the man
spoke to me: he came to the man who stood by the camels, and near to the
spring of water,
24:31. And said to him: Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; why standest
thou without? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.
24:32. And he brought him into his lodging; and he unharnessed the
camels, and gave straw and hay, and water to wash his feet, and the feet
of the men that were come with him.
24:33. And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat, till I
tell my message. He answered him: Speak.
24:34. And he said: I am the servant of Abraham:
24:35. And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, and he is become
great: and he hath given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men
servants and women servants, camels and asses.
24:36. And Sara, my master's wife, hath borne my master a son in her old
age, and he hath given him all that he had.
24:37. And my master made me swear, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife
for my son of the Chanaanites, in whose land I dwell:
24:38. But thou shalt go to my father's house, and shalt take a wife of
my own kindred for my son:
24:39. But I answered my master: What if the woman will not come with
me?
24:40. The Lord, said he, in whose sight I walk, will send his angel
with thee, and will direct thy way: and thou shalt take a wife for my
son of my own kindred, and of my father's house.
24:41. But thou shalt be clear from my curse, when thou shalt come to my
kindred, if they will not give thee one.
24:42. And I came today to the well of water, and said: O Lord God of my
master, Abraham, if thou hast prospered my way, wherein I now walk,
24:43. Behold, I stand by the well of water, and the virgin, that shall
come out to draw water, who shall hear me say: Give me a little water to
drink of thy pitcher:
24:44. And shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for
thy camels: let the same be the woman, whom the Lord hath prepared for
my master's son.
24:45. And whilst I pondered these things secretly with myself, Rebecca
appeared, coming with a pitcher, which she carried on her shoulder: and
she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her: Give me a
little to drink.
24:46. And she speedily let down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said
to me: Both drink thou, and to thy camels I will give drink. I drank,
and she watered the camels.
24:47. And I asked her, and said: Whose daughter art thou? And she
answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nachor, whom Melcha
bore to him. So I put earrings on her to adorn her face, and I put
bracelets on her hands.
24:48. And falling down, I adored the Lord, blessing the Lord God of my
master, Abraham, who hath brought me the straight way to take the
daughter of my master's brother for his son.
24:49. Wherefore, if you do according to mercy and truth with my master,
tell me: but if it please you otherwise, tell me that also, that I may
go to the right hand, or to the left.
24:50. And Laban and Bathuel answered: The word hath proceeded from the
Lord: we cannot speak any other thing to thee but his pleasure.
24:51. Behold, Rebecca is before thee, take her and go thy way, and let
her be the wife of thy master's son, as the Lord hath spoken.
24:52. Which when Abraham's servant heard, falling down to the ground,
he adored the Lord.
24:53. And bringing forth vessels of silver and gold, and garments, he
gave them to Rebecca, for a present. He offered gifts also to her
brothers, and to her mother.
24:54. And a banquet was made, and they ate and drank together, and
lodged there. And in the morning, the servant arose, and said: Let me
depart, that I may go to my master.
24:55. And her brother and mother answered: Let the maid stay, at least,
ten days with us, and afterwards she shall depart.
24:56. Stay me not, said he, because the Lord hath prospered my way:
send me away, that I may go to my master.
24:57. And they said: Let us call the maid, and ask her will.
Let us call the maid, and ask her will... Not as to her marriage, as she
had already consented, but of her quitting her parents and going to her
husband.
24:58. And they called her, and when she was come, they asked: Wilt thou
go with this man? She said: I will go.
24:59. So they sent her away, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and
his company.
24:60. Wishing prosperity to their sister, and saying: Thou art our
sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands; and may thy seed
possess the gates of their enemies.
24:61. So Rebecca and her maids, being set upon camels, followed the
man: who with speed returned to his master.
24:62. At the same time, Isaac was walking along the way to the well
which is called Of the living and the seeing: for he dwelt in the south
country:
24:63. And he was gone forth to meditate in the field, the day being now
well spent: and when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw camels coming
afar off.
24:64. Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel,
24:65. And said to the servant: Who is that man who cometh towards us
along the field? And he said to her: That man is my master. But she
quickly took her cloak, and covered herself.
24:66. And the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
24:67. Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and took her to
wife: and he loved her so much, that it moderated the sorrow which was
occasioned by his mother's death.