24Abraham was now old, getting on in years, and the LORD had blessed him in everything.H85H2204H935H3117H3068H1288H852Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, "Place your hand under my thigh,H85H559H2205H5650H1004H4910H7760H3027H34093and I will have you swear by the LORD, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,H7650H3068H430H8064H430H776H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H7130H34274but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac."H3212H776H4138H3947H802H1121H33275The servant said to him, "Suppose the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from?"H5650H559H802H14H3212H310H776H7725H1121H7725H776H33186Abraham answered him, "Make sure that you don't take my son back there.H85H559H8104H7725H6435H1121H77257The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, 'I will give this land to your offspring'— He will send His angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there.H3068H430H8064H3947H1H1004H776H4138H1696H7650H559H2233H5414H776H7971H4397H6440H3947H802H11218If the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are free from this oath to me, but don't let my son go back there."H802H14H3212H310H5352H7621H7725H1121H77259So the servant placed his hand under his master Abraham's thigh and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.H5650H7760H3027H3409H85H113H7650H5921H2088H169710The servant took 10 of his master's camels and departed with all kinds of his master's goods in hand. Then he set out for the town of Nahor, Aram-naharaim.H5650H3947H6235H1581H1581H113H3212H2898H113H3027H6965H3212H763H5892H515211He made the camels kneel beside a well of water outside the town at evening. [This was] the time when the women went out to draw water.H1288H1581H1288H2351H5892H413H875H4325H6256H6153H6256H3318H757912"LORD, God of my master Abraham," he prayed, "grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.H559H3068H430H113H85H6440H7136H3117H6213H2617H5973H113H8513I am standing here at the spring where the daughters of the men of the town are coming out to draw water.H5324H5869H4325H1323H582H5892H3318H7579H432514Let the girl to whom I say, 'Please lower your water jug so that I may drink,' and who responds, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels also'— 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."H5291H559H5186H3537H8354H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H3198H5650H3327H3045H6213H2617H11315Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah— daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor— coming with a jug on her shoulder.H3615H1696H7259H3318H834H3205H1328H1121H4435H802H5152H85H251H3537H792616Now the girl was very beautiful, a young woman who had not known a man intimately. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up.H5291H3966H2896H4758H1330H376H3045H3381H5869H4390H3537H592717Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me have a little water from your jug."H5650H7323H7125H559H1572H4592H4325H353718She replied, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink.H559H8354H113H4116H3381H3537H3027H824819When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I'll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink."H3615H8248H559H7579H1581H3615H835420She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and hurried to the well again to draw water. She drew water for all his camelsH4116H6168H3537H8268H7323H875H7579H7579H158121while the man silently watched her to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.H376H7583H2790H3045H3068H6743H1870H6743H51822After the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and for her wrists two bracelets weighing 10 shekels of gold.H1581H3615H8354H376H3947H2091H5141H1235H4948H8147H6781H3027H6235H4948H209123"Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"H559H4310H1323H859H5046H3426H4725H1H1004H388524She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."H559H1323H1328H1121H4435H3205H515225She also said to him, "We have plenty of straw and feed, and a place to spend the night."H559H1571H8401H4554H7227H1571H4725H388526Then the man bowed down, worshiped the LORD,H376H6915H7812H306827and said, "Praise the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."H559H1288H3068H430H113H85H5800H5973H113H2617H571H1870H3068H5148H1004H113H25128The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things.H5291H7323H5046H517H1004H169729Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the spring.H7259H251H8034H3837H3837H7323H2351H376H586930As soon as he had seen the ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he had heard his sister Rebekah's words— "The man said this to me!"— he went to the man. He was standing there by the camels at the spring.H7200H5141H6781H269H3027H8085H1697H7259H269H559H3541H1696H376H935H376H5975H5921H1581H586931Laban said, "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD. Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."H559H935H1288H3068H5975H2351H6437H1004H4725H158132So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.H376H935H1004H6605H1581H5414H8401H4554H1581H4325H7364H7272H582H727233A meal was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have said what I have to say." So Laban said, "Speak on."H7760H3455H6440H398H559H398H1696H1697H559H169634"I am Abraham's servant," he said.H559H85H565035"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, and camels and donkeys.H3068H1288H113H3966H1431H5414H6629H1241H3701H2091H5650H8198H1581H254336Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns.H8283H113H802H3205H1121H113H310H2209H541437My master put me under this oath: 'You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I liveH113H7650H559H3947H802H1121H1323H3669H776H342738but will go to my father's household and to my family to take a wife for my son.'H518H3212H1H1004H4940H3947H802H112139But I said to my master, 'Suppose the woman will not come back with me?'H559H113H802H3212H31040He said to me, 'The LORD before whom I have walked will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's household.H559H3068H6440H1980H7971H4397H6743H1870H3947H802H1121H4940H1H100441Then you will be free from my oath if you go to my family and they do not give [her] to you— you will be free from my oath.'H5352H423H935H4940H5414H5355H42342"Today when I came to the spring, I prayed: LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You will make my journey successful!H935H3117H5869H559H3068H430H113H85H3426H6743H1870H198043I am standing here at a spring. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, and I say to her: Please let me drink a little water from your jug,H5324H5869H4325H5959H3318H7579H559H8248H4592H4325H3537H824844and who responds to me, 'Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels also'— let her be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master's son.H559H8354H7579H1581H802H3068H3198H113H112145"Before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming with her jug on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her: Please let me have a drink.H3615H1696H3820H7259H3318H3537H7926H3381H5869H7579H559H824846She quickly lowered her jug from her [shoulder] and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels also.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels.H4116H3381H3537H559H8354H8248H1581H8248H8354H8248H1581H824847Then I asked her: Whose daughter are you? She responded, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.H7592H559H1323H559H1323H1328H5152H1121H4435H3205H7760H5141H639H6781H302748Then I bowed down, worshiped the LORD, and praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who guided me on the right way to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.H6915H7812H3068H1288H3068H430H113H85H5148H571H1870H3947H113H251H1323H112149Now, if you are going to show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; if not, tell me, and I will go elsewhere."H3426H6213H2617H571H113H5046H5046H6437H3225H176H804050Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.H3837H1328H6030H559H1697H3318H3068H3201H1696H7451H176H289651Rebekah is here in front of you. Take [her] and go, and let her be a wife for your master's son, just as the LORD has spoken."H7259H6440H3947H3212H113H1121H802H3068H169652When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed to the ground before the LORD.H85H5650H8085H1697H7812H3068H77653Then he brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave [them] to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.H5650H3318H3627H3701H3627H2091H899H5414H7259H5414H251H517H403054Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morning, he said, "Send me to my master."H398H8354H582H3885H6965H1242H559H7971H11355But her brother and mother said, "Let the girl stay with us for about 10 days. Then she can go."H251H517H559H5291H3427H3117H176H6218H310H321256But he responded to them, "Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me away so that I may go to my master."H559H309H3068H6743H1870H7971H3212H11357So they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her opinion."H559H7121H5291H7592H631058They called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She replied, "I will go."H7121H7259H559H3212H376H559H321259So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.H7971H7259H269H3243H85H5650H58260They blessed Rebekah, saying to her: Our sister, may you become thousands upon ten thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.H1288H7259H559H859H269H1961H505H7233H2233H3423H8179H813061Then Rebekah and her young women got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.H7259H6965H5291H7392H1581H3212H310H376H5650H3947H7259H321262Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev region.H3327H935H935H883H3427H5045H77663In the early evening, Isaac went out to walk in the field, and looking up, he saw camels coming.H3327H3318H7742H7704H6437H6153H5375H5869H7200H1581H93564Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from her camelH7259H5375H5869H7200H3327H5307H5921H158165and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" The servant answered, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself.H559H5650H4310H376H1976H1980H7704H7125H5650H559H113H3947H6809H368066Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.H5650H5608H3327H1697H621367And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother's [death].H3327H935H517H8283H168H3947H7259H802H157H3327H5162H310H517