Genesis 24:38 - Prayer Tents

24Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.H85H2204H935H3117H3068H1288H85 2He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh.H85H559H2205H5650H1004H4910H7760H3027H3409 3I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,H7650H3068H430H8064H430H776H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H7130H3427 4but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."H3212H776H4138H3947H802H1121H3327 5The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"H5650H559H802H14H3212H310H776H7725H1121H7725H776H3318 6"Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said.H85H559H8104H7725H6435H1121H7725 7"The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'--he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.H3068H430H8064H3947H1H1004H776H4138H1696H7650H559H2233H5414H776H7971H4397H6440H3947H802H1121 8If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."H802H14H3212H310H5352H7621H7725H1121H7725 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.H5650H7760H3027H3409H85H113H7650H5921H2088H1697 10Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor.H5650H3947H6235H1581H1581H113H3212H2898H113H3027H6965H3212H763H5892H5152 11He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.H1288H1581H1288H2351H5892H413H875H4325H6256H6153H6256H3318H7579 12Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.H559H3068H430H113H85H6440H7136H3117H6213H2617H5973H113H85 13See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.H5324H5869H4325H1323H582H5892H3318H7579H4325 14May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."H5291H559H5186H3537H8354H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H3198H5650H3327H3045H6213H2617H113 15Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.H3615H1696H7259H3318H834H3205H1328H1121H4435H802H5152H85H251H3537H7926 16The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.H5291H3966H2896H4758H1330H376H3045H3381H5869H4390H3537H5927 17The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."H5650H7323H7125H559H1572H4592H4325H3537 18"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.H559H8354H113H4116H3381H3537H3027H8248 19After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."H3615H8248H559H7579H1581H3615H8354 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.H4116H6168H3537H8268H7323H875H7579H7579H1581 21Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.H376H7583H2790H3045H3068H6743H1870H6743H518 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.H1581H3615H8354H376H3947H2091H5141H1235H4948H8147H6781H3027H6235H4948H2091 23Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"H559H4310H1323H859H5046H3426H4725H1H1004H3885 24She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor."H559H1323H1328H1121H4435H3205H5152 25And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."H559H1571H8401H4554H7227H1571H4725H3885 26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,H376H6915H7812H3068 27saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."H559H1288H3068H430H113H85H5800H5973H113H2617H571H1870H3068H5148H1004H113H251 28The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.H5291H7323H5046H517H1004H1697 29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring.H7259H251H8034H3837H3837H7323H2351H376H5869 30As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring.H7200H5141H6781H269H3027H8085H1697H7259H269H559H3541H1696H376H935H376H5975H5921H1581H5869 31"Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."H559H935H1288H3068H5975H2351H6437H1004H4725H1581 32So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.H376H935H1004H6605H1581H5414H8401H4554H1581H4325H7364H7272H582H7272 33Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say." "Then tell us," Laban said.H7760H3455H6440H398H559H398H1696H1697H559H1696 34So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.H559H85H5650 35The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.H3068H1288H113H3966H1431H5414H6629H1241H3701H2091H5650H8198H1581H2543 36My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.H8283H113H802H3205H1121H113H310H2209H5414 37And my master made me swear an oath, and said, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,H113H7650H559H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H776H3427 38but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.'H518H3212H1H1004H4940H3947H802H1121 39"Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?'H559H113H802H3212H310 40"He replied, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family.H559H3068H6440H1980H7971H4397H6743H1870H3947H802H1121H4940H1H1004 41Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you--you will be released from my oath.'H5352H423H935H4940H5414H5355H423 42"When I came to the spring today, I said, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come.H935H3117H5869H559H3068H430H113H85H3426H6743H1870H1980 43See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar,"H5324H5869H4325H5959H3318H7579H559H8248H4592H4325H3537H8248 44and if she says to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'H559H8354H7579H1581H802H3068H3198H113H1121 45"Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came 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.'H3615H1696H3820H7259H3318H3537H7926H3381H5869H7579H559H8248 46"She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also.H4116H3381H3537H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H8354H8248H1581H8248 47"I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' "She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' "Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms,H7592H559H1323H559H1323H1328H5152H1121H4435H3205H7760H5141H639H6781H3027 48and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son.H6915H7812H3068H1288H3068H430H113H85H5148H571H1870H3947H113H251H1323H1121 49Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn."H3426H6213H2617H571H113H5046H5046H6437H3225H176H8040 50Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.H3837H1328H6030H559H1697H3318H3068H3201H1696H7451H176H2896 51Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed."H7259H6440H3947H3212H113H1121H802H3068H1696 52When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.H85H5650H8085H1697H7812H3068H776 53Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.H5650H3318H3627H3701H3627H2091H899H5414H7259H5414H251H517H4030 54Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master."H398H8354H582H3885H6965H1242H559H7971H113 55But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go."H251H517H559H5291H3427H3117H176H6218H310H3212 56But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."H559H309H3068H6743H1870H7971H3212H113 57Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it."H559H7121H5291H7592H6310 58So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Will you go with this man?" "I will go," she said.H7121H7259H559H3212H376H559H3212 59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men.H7971H7259H269H3243H85H5650H582 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies."H1288H7259H559H859H269H1961H505H7233H2233H3423H8179H8130 61Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.H7259H6965H5291H7392H1581H3212H310H376H5650H3947H7259H3212 62Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.H3327H935H935H883H3427H5045H776 63He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.H3327H3318H7742H7704H6437H6153H5375H5869H7200H1581H935 64Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camelH7259H5375H5869H7200H3327H5307H5921H1581 65and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.H559H5650H4310H376H1976H1980H7704H7125H5650H559H113H3947H6809H3680 66Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.H5650H5608H3327H1697H6213 67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.H3327H935H517H8283H168H3947H7259H802H157H3327H5162H310H517