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A Wife for Isaac
Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Isaac and Rebekah
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh.
And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,
Swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.
that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,
Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”
but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”
The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
“No!” Abraham responded. “Be careful never to take my son there.
Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.
The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.”
But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.”
So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions.
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled.
He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.
And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
“O LORD, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham.
And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.
See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water.
Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ — let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”
Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah.
Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.
Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again.
Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”
Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.”
“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink.
She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.
When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.”
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.
So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels.
The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission.
The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “And please tell me, would your father have any room to put us up for the night?”
and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she replied. “My grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.
She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
Yes, we have plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and we have room for guests.”
She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.”
“Praise the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The LORD has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”
and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”
The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened.
Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring.
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring.
He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels.
As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the LORD! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?”
He said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet.
So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.”
“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”
“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”
Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”
“And the LORD has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The LORD has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
“When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns.
And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.
And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.
My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell,
Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’
but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’
“But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’
I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
He responded, ‘The LORD, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family.
But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house.
Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’
Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
“So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O LORD, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission.
“I came today to the spring and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go,
See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”
behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”
If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’
and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
“Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels.
She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also.
“Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.
Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.
“Then I bowed low and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife.
So tell me — will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.”
Now then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The LORD has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say.
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good.
Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed.”
Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the LORD.
When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.
Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother.
And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.
But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”
But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”
And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.”
“But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”
Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.”
But he said, “Don’t delay me. The LORD has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”
But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”
“Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.”
They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.”
So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.
And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”
And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”
And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”
So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her.
So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men.
They gave her this blessing as she parted:
“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”
“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”
Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.
Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi.
Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb.
One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel.
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel
“Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.
And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.
Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.