Genesis 24:38 - Prayer Tents

A Wife for Isaac

24Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in everything he did.H85H2204H935H3117H3068H1288H85

2He said to his oldest servant, who was in charge of all that he had, "Place your hand between my thighs and make a vow.H85H559H2205H5650H1004H4910H7760H3027H3409

3I want you to make a vow in the name of the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the people here in Canaan.H7650H3068H430H8064H430H776H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H7130H3427

4You must go back to the country where I was born and get a wife for my son Isaac from among my relatives."H3212H776H4138H3947H802H1121H3327

5But the servant asked, "What if the young woman will not leave home to come with me to this land? Shall I send your son back to the land you came from?"H5650H559H802H14H3212H310H776H7725H1121H7725H776H3318

6Abraham answered, "Make sure that you don't send my son back there!H85H559H8104H7725H6435H1121H7725

7The LORD, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and from the land of my relatives, and he solemnly promised me that he would give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel before you, so that you can get a wife there for my son.H3068H430H8064H3947H1H1004H776H4138H1696H7650H559H2233H5414H776H7971H4397H6440H3947H802H1121

8If the young woman is not willing to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not under any circumstances take my son back there."H802H14H3212H310H5352H7621H7725H1121H7725

9So the servant put his hand between the thighs of Abraham, his master, and made a vow to do what Abraham had asked.H5650H7760H3027H3409H85H113H7650H5921H2088H1697

10The servant, who was in charge of Abraham's property, took ten of his master's camels and went to the city where Nahor had lived in northern Mesopotamia.H5650H3947H6235H1581H1581H113H3212H2898H113H3027H6965H3212H763H5892H5152

11When he arrived, he made the camels kneel down at the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when women came out to get water.H1288H1581H1288H2351H5892H413H875H4325H6256H6153H6256H3318H7579

12He prayed, " LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and keep your promise to my master.H559H3068H430H113H85H6440H7136H3117H6213H2617H5973H113H85

13Here I am at the well where the young women of the city will be coming to get water.H5324H5869H4325H1323H582H5892H3318H7579H4325

14I will say to one of them, 'Please, lower your jar and let me have a drink.' If she says, 'Drink, and I will also bring water for your camels,' may she be the one that you have chosen for your servant Isaac. If this happens, I will know that you have kept your promise to my master."H5291H559H5186H3537H8354H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H3198H5650H3327H3045H6213H2617H113

15Before he had finished praying, Rebecca arrived with a water jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah.H3615H1696H7259H3318H834H3205H1328H1121H4435H802H5152H85H251H3537H7926

16She was a very beautiful young woman and still a virgin. She went down to the well, filled her jar, and came back.H5291H3966H2896H4758H1330H376H3045H3381H5869H4390H3537H5927

17The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a drink of water from your jar."H5650H7323H7125H559H1572H4592H4325H3537

18She said, "Drink, sir," and quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.H559H8354H113H4116H3381H3537H3027H8248

19When he had finished, she said, "I will also bring water for your camels and let them have all they want."H3615H8248H559H7579H1581H3615H8354

20She quickly emptied her jar into the animals' drinking trough and ran to the well to get more water, until she had watered all his camels.H4116H6168H3537H8268H7323H875H7579H7579H1581

21The man kept watching her in silence, to see if the LORD had given him success.H376H7583H2790H3045H3068H6743H1870H6743H518

22When she had finished, the man took an expensive gold ring and put it in her nose and put two large gold bracelets on her arms.H1581H3615H8354H376H3947H2091H5141H1235H4948H8147H6781H3027H6235H4948H2091

23He said, "Please tell me who your father is. Is there room in his house for my men and me to spend the night?"H559H4310H1323H859H5046H3426H4725H1H1004H3885

24"My father is Bethuel son of Nahor and Milcah," she answered.H559H1323H1328H1121H4435H3205H5152

25"There is plenty of straw and fodder at our house, and there is a place for you to stay."H559H1571H8401H4554H7227H1571H4725H3885

26Then the man knelt down and worshiped the LORD.H376H6915H7812H3068

27He said, "Praise the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has faithfully kept his promise to my master. The LORD has led me straight to my master's relatives."H559H1288H3068H430H113H85H5800H5973H113H2617H571H1870H3068H5148H1004H113H251

28The young woman ran to her mother's house and told the whole story.H5291H7323H5046H517H1004H1697

29Now Rebecca had a brother named Laban, and he ran outside to go to the well where Abraham's servant was.H7259H251H8034H3837H3837H7323H2351H376H5869

30Laban had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms and had heard her say what the man had told her. He went to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well,H7200H5141H6781H269H3027H8085H1697H7259H269H559H3541H1696H376H935H376H5975H5921H1581H5869

31and said, "Come home with me. You are a man whom the LORD has blessed. Why are you standing out here? I have a room ready for you in my house, and there is a place for your camels."H559H935H1288H3068H5975H2351H6437H1004H4725H1581

32So the man went into the house, and Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and fodder. Then he brought water for Abraham's servant and his men to wash their feet.H376H935H1004H6605H1581H5414H8401H4554H1581H4325H7364H7272H582H7272

33When food was brought, the man said, "I will not eat until I have said what I have to say." Laban said, "Go on and speak."H7760H3455H6440H398H559H398H1696H1697H559H1696

34"I am the servant of Abraham," he began.H559H85H5650

35"The LORD has greatly blessed my master and made him a rich man. He has given him flocks of sheep and goats, cattle, silver, gold, male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.H3068H1288H113H3966H1431H5414H6629H1241H3701H2091H5650H8198H1581H2543

36Sarah, my master's wife, bore him a son when she was old, and my master has given everything he owns to him.H8283H113H802H3205H1121H113H310H2209H5414

37My master made me promise with a vow to obey his command. He said, 'Do not choose a wife for my son from the young women in the land of Canaan.H113H7650H559H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H776H3427

38Instead, go to my father's people, to my relatives, and choose a wife for him.'H518H3212H1H1004H4940H3947H802H1121

39And I asked my master, 'What if she will not come with me?'H559H113H802H3212H310

40He answered, 'The LORD, whom I have always obeyed, will send his angel with you and give you success. You will get for my son a wife from my own people, from my father's family.H559H3068H6440H1980H7971H4397H6743H1870H3947H802H1121H4940H1H1004

41There is only one way for you to be free from your vow: if you go to my relatives and they refuse you, then you will be free.'H5352H423H935H4940H5414H5355H423

42"When I came to the well today, I prayed, ' LORD, God of my master Abraham, please give me success in what I am doing.H935H3117H5869H559H3068H430H113H85H3426H6743H1870H1980

43Here I am at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I will ask her to give me a drink of water from her jar.H5324H5869H4325H5959H3318H7579H559H8248H4592H4325H3537H8248

44If she agrees and also offers to bring water for my camels, may she be the one that you have chosen as the wife for my master's son.'H559H8354H7579H1581H802H3068H3198H113H1121

45Before I had finished my silent prayer, Rebecca came with a water jar on her shoulder and went down to the well to get water. I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'H3615H1696H3820H7259H3318H3537H7926H3381H5869H7579H559H8248

46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she watered the camels.H4116H3381H3537H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H8354H8248H1581H8248

47I asked her, 'Who is your father?' And she answered, 'My father is Bethuel son of Nahor and Milcah.' Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms.H7592H559H1323H559H1323H1328H5152H1121H4435H3205H7760H5141H639H6781H3027

48I knelt down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me straight to my master's relative, where I found his daughter for my master's son.H6915H7812H3068H1288H3068H430H113H85H5148H571H1870H3947H113H251H1323H1121

49Now, if you intend to fulfill your responsibility toward my master and treat him fairly, please tell me; if not, say so, and I will decide what to do."H3426H6213H2617H571H113H5046H5046H6437H3225H176H8040

50Laban and Bethuel answered, "Since this matter comes from the LORD, it is not for us to make a decision.H3837H1328H6030H559H1697H3318H3068H3201H1696H7451H176H2896

51Here is Rebecca; take her and go. Let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD himself has said."H7259H6440H3947H3212H113H1121H802H3068H1696

52When the servant of Abraham heard this, he bowed down and worshiped the LORD.H85H5650H8085H1697H7812H3068H776

53Then he brought out clothing and silver and gold jewelry, and gave them to Rebecca. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and to her mother.H5650H3318H3627H3701H3627H2091H899H5414H7259H5414H251H517H4030

54Then Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, and spent the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, "Let me go back to my master."H398H8354H582H3885H6965H1242H559H7971H113

55But Rebecca's brother and her mother said, "Let her stay with us a week or ten days, and then she may go."H251H517H559H5291H3427H3117H176H6218H310H3212

56But he said, "Don't make us stay. The LORD has made my journey a success; let me go back to my master."H559H309H3068H6743H1870H7971H3212H113

57They answered, "Let's call her and find out what she has to say."H559H7121H5291H7592H6310

58So they called Rebecca and asked, "Do you want to go with this man?" "Yes," she answered.H7121H7259H559H3212H376H559H3212

59So they let Rebecca and her old family servant go with Abraham's servant and his men.H7971H7259H269H3243H85H5650H582

60And they gave Rebecca their blessing in these words: "May you, sister, become the mother of millions! May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!"H1288H7259H559H859H269H1961H505H7233H2233H3423H8179H8130

61Then Rebecca and her young women got ready and mounted the camels to go with Abraham's servant, and they all started out.H7259H6965H5291H7392H1581H3212H310H376H5650H3947H7259H3212

62Isaac had come into the wilderness of "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me" and was staying in the southern part of Canaan.H3327H935H935H883H3427H5045H776

63He went out in the early evening to take a walk in the fields and saw camels coming.H3327H3318H7742H7704H6437H6153H5375H5869H7200H1581H935

64When Rebecca saw Isaac, she got down from her camelH7259H5375H5869H7200H3327H5307H5921H1581

65and asked Abraham's servant, "Who is that man walking toward us in the field?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her scarf and covered her face.H559H5650H4310H376H1976H1980H7704H7125H5650H559H113H3947H6809H3680

66The servant told Isaac everything he had done.H5650H5608H3327H1697H6213

67Then Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in, and she became his wife. Isaac loved Rebecca, and so he was comforted for the loss of his mother.H3327H935H517H8283H168H3947H7259H802H157H3327H5162H310H517