10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and set out, taking with him all the bounty of his master; and he made his way to Aram- naharaim, to the city of Nahor. 11He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city, at evening time, the time when women come out to draw water. 12And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham: 13Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; 14let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Isaac. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my mas- ter.”
15He had scarcely finished speaking, when Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17The servant ran toward her and said, “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.” 18“Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink. 19When she had let him drink his fill, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” 20Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
21The man, meanwhile, stood gazing at her, silently wondering whether the LORD had made his errand successful or not. 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel,b and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight. 23“Pray tell me,” he said, “whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25And she went on, “There is plenty of strawc and feed at home, and also room to spend the night.” 26The man bowed low in homage to the LORD 27and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast faithfulness from my master. For I have been guided on my errand by the LORD, to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”
28The maiden ran and told all this to her mother’s household. 29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man at the spring—30when he saw the nose-ring and the bands on his sister’s arms, and when he heard his sister Rebekah say, “Thus the man spoke to me.” He went up to the man, who was still standing beside the camels at the spring. 31“Come in, O blessed of the LORD,” he said, “why do you remain outside, when I have made ready the house and a place for the camels?” 32So the man entered the house, and the camels were unloaded. The camels were given straw and feed, and water was brought to bathe his feet and the feet of the men with him. 33But when food was set before him, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my tale.” He said, “Speak, then.”
34“I am Abraham’s servant,” he began. 35“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich: He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and asses. 36And Sarah, my master’s wife, bore my master a son in her old age, and he has assigned to him everything he owns. 37Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell; 38but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ 39And I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not follow me?’ 40He replied to me, ‘The LORD, whose ways I have followed, will send His angel with you and make your errand successful; and you will get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father’s house. 41Thus only shall you be freed from my adjuration: if, when you come to my kindred, they refuse you—only then shall you be freed from my adjuration.’
42“I came today to the spring, and I said: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if You would indeed grant success to the errand on which I am engaged! 43As I stand by the spring of water, let the young woman who comes out to draw and to whom I say, ‘Please, let me drink a little water from your jar,’ 44and who answers, ‘You may drink, and I will also draw for your camels’—let her be the wife whom the LORD has decreed for my master’s son.’ 45I had scarcely finished praying in my heart, when Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew. And I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 46She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47I inquired of her, ‘Whose daugh- ter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose and the bands on her arms. 48Then I bowed low in homage to the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way to get the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49And now, if you mean to treat my master with true kindness, tell me; and if not, tell me also, that I may turn right or left.”
50Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The matter was decreed by the LORD; we cannot speak 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 the LORD has spoken.” 52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed low to the ground before the LORD. 53The servant brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and he gave presents to her brother and her mother. 54Then he and the men with him ate and drank, and they spent the night. When they arose next morning, he said, “Give me leave to go to my master.” 55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the maiden remain with us d-some ten days;-d then you may go.” 56He said to them, “Do not delay me, now that the LORD has made my errand successful. Give me leave that I may go to my master.” 57And they said, “Let us call the girl and ask for her reply.” 58They called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will.” 59So they sent off their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“O sister!
May you grow
Into thousands of myriads;
May your offspring seize
The gates of their foes.”
61Then Rebekah and her maids arose, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62Isaac had just come back from the vicinity of Beer-lahai-roi, for he was settled in the region of the Negeb. 63And Isaac went out walkinge in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching. 64Raising her eyes, Rebekah saw Isaac. She alighted from the camel 65and said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” And the servant said, “That is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death.
25 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. 4The
