Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac
1Abraham was old, well along in years, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in everything. 2Abraham said to his servant, the eldest of his household, who managed everything he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3I want to make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4Instead, you will go to my country, to my own kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5The servant said to him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I then take your son back to the land you came from?” 6Abraham said to him, “See to it that you never take my son back there. 7Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’ — he will send his angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8But if the woman is unwilling to follow you, you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him about this matter.
The servant’s journey and prayer at the well
10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and set out, carrying all sorts of his master’s goods with him. He made his way to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down outside the city, by the well of water, toward evening, at the time when women go out to draw water. 12Then he said, “Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13Here I stand by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please lower your jar, that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too’ — 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.”
Rebekah at the well
15Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah came out — she had been born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother — with her jar on her shoulder. 16The young woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up. 17The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18“Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. 19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.” 20She quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw more, and drew water for all his camels. 21The man watched her in silence, waiting to learn whether Yahweh had made his journey succeed or not. 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten shekels of gold, 23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she said to him, “the son Milcah bore to Nahor. 25We have plenty of straw and feed, and room to spend the night.” 26The man bowed low and worshiped Yahweh, 27and said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld his kindness and his faithfulness from my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the way, to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”
Welcomed into Laban’s household
28The young woman ran and told her mother’s household everything that had happened. 29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the spring. 30As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard his sister Rebekah say, “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to the man, and found him standing there by the camels at the spring. 31“Come in, blessed of Yahweh,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” 32So the man came into the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were given to 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 said what I have to say.” “Speak,” said Laban.
The servant retells his errand
34“I am Abraham’s servant. 35Yahweh has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. 36Sarah, my master’s wife, bore my master a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. 38Instead, go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.’ 39I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not follow me?’ 40He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey succeed, and you will take a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father’s house. 41Then you will be released from my oath, once you have gone to my kindred. And if they do not give her to you, you will be released from my oath.’ 42Today I came to the spring, and I said, ‘Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, if only you would make my journey succeed — 43here I stand by the spring of water. Let it be that when the young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw water for your camels too” — let her be the woman Yahweh has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels as well. 47I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48Then I bowed low and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the true path to take my master’s brother’s daughter for his son. 49Now, if you will deal kindly and faithfully with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me that too, so that I may turn to the right or to the left.”
Consent is given, and Rebekah departs
50“This matter has come from Yahweh,” Laban and Bethuel answered. “We can say nothing to you, bad or good. 51Here is Rebekah before you — take her and go, and let her be a wife to your master’s son, as Yahweh has spoken.” 52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before Yahweh. 53Then the servant brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He gave costly gifts also to her brother and her mother. 54Then he and the men with him ate and drank, and spent the night there. In the morning they rose, and he said, “Send me back to my master.” 55Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a while — say, ten days. After that she may go.” 56“Do not delay me,” he said to them, “since Yahweh has made my journey succeed. Send me on my way, that I may go to my master.” 57“Let us call the young woman,” they said, “and ask her what she thinks.” 58So they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. 59So they sent off their sister Rebekah, along with her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands upon ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.” 61Then Rebekah and her young women rose and mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.
Isaac and Rebekah
62Now Isaac had come from the direction of Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the region of the Negev. 63Isaac had gone out to walk in the field toward evening, and looking up, he saw camels approaching. 64Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from the camel. 65“Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” she asked the servant. “That is my master,” he answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. 66The servant told Isaac everything he had done. 67Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
