Genesis Chapter 24
A Wife for Isaac
24:1Abraham was getting older, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He told his oldest servant that managed everything he owned,
“Put your hand under my thigh 3 and swear by the LORD God of earth and sky that you won’t choose a wife for my son from the Canaanites where I’m living. 4 Go to my relatives in my country to find him a wife.”
5 “What if she doesn’t want to come back with me? Should I take your son there?”
6 “Make sure you don’t! 7 The LORD God in heaven took me from my father’s family in the land where I was born. He swore to me he’d give my descendants this land. He’ll send his angel ahead of you. Choose a wife for my son from there. 8 If she doesn’t want to come with you, you’ll be free from this oath. Just don’t take my son back there.”
9 The servant put his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swore to him.
Gen 24:1-9
10 The servant took 10 camels and left with lots of his master’s good things and went to Nahor’s city in Mesopotamia. 11 He had the camels kneel down outside the city by the well in the evening when the women came out to draw water. 12 He said,
“LORD, my master’s God, make me successful today and be kind to my master. 13 I’m standing by the well, and the daughters of men in the city are coming out to draw water. 14 The girl I ask to let her jar down so I can have a drink, and she says, ‘Take a drink. I’ll water your camels too’—may she be the one you’ve chosen for Isaac. That way I’ll know you’ve been gracious to my master.”
15 Before he’d finished talking, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was a daughter of Bethuel, son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. 16 The girl was beautiful, a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up. 17 The servant hurried over to her, “Let me have a drink from your jar.”
Gen 24:10-17
18 “Take a drink, Sir.” Right away she lowered her jar and gave him a drink. 19 Then she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, till they finish drinking.” 20 She emptied her jar into the trough and hurried back to the well to draw water for his camels. 21 In the meantime, the man was gazing at her silently to know if the LORD had made his journey successful. 22 When the camels finished, he took a gold ring weighing .2 oz a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing 4 lbs ten shekels of gold, 23 and asked, “Who’s your father? Does he have room for us to stay?”
24 “Bethuel son of Milcah, Nahor’s wife. 25 We have plenty of straw and feed, and room for you to stay.”
26 The man bowed low in worship to the LORD 27 and said, “Bless the LORD God of Abraham, who hasn’t abandoned his kindness and truthfulness toward my master. He has guided me to my master’s relatives.”
Gen 24:18-27
28 The girl ran to tell her mother’s household. 29 Rebekah’s brother Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and heard her tell what the man had told her, he went to him standing with his camels. 31 “Come in, blessed by the LORD! Why stand out here? The house is ready, and there’s room for your camels.”
Gen 24:28-31
32 He went in. Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and feed. He brought water to wash the feet of Abraham’s servant and the ones that were with him. 33 But when Laban brought him food, Abraham’s servant said, “I won’t eat till I’ve told you my business.”
“Go ahead.”
34 “I’m Abraham’s servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so he’s become wealthy in flocks and herds, silver and gold, servants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. 36 His wife Sarah had a son when she was old, and Abraham has willed everything to him. 37 He made me swear, ‘Don’t choose a wife for my son from the Canaanites where I live. 38 Go to my father’s family to find him a wife.’ 39 I said, ‘What if she doesn’t want to come back with me?’ 40 He said, ‘The LORD I serve will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. 41 You’ll be free from my oath if you get to my relatives and they won’t give her to you.’
Gen 24:32-41
42 “I came to the spring today and said, ‘LORD, God of Abraham, make my journey successful. 43 I’m standing by the spring. The young woman who comes out to draw water, and I say, ‘Let me have a drink from your jar,’ 44 and she says, ‘Take a drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too’—may she be the woman you’ve chosen for my master’s son.’ 45 Before I’d finished talking to myself, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder and went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Let me have a drink.’ 46 Right away she lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Take a drink. I’ll water your camels too.’ I took a drink, and she watered them.
Gen 24:42-46
47 “Then I asked her whose daughter she was. She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son that Micah had.’ I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 I bowed in worship and blessed my master’s God, who had guided me on the right road to choose the daughter of my master’s relative for his son. 49 Tell me now if you’re going to deal graciously and honestly with my master. If not, let me know so I can decide what to do.”
50 Laban and Bethuel said,
“Since the thing comes from the LORD, there’s nothing for us to say. 51 Rebekah’s here; take her and go. She can be the wife of your master’s son, like the LORD has said.”
Gen 24:47-51
52 When Abraham’s servant heard it, he bowed to the ground in front of the LORD. 53 He brought out silver and gold articles, and clothes for Rebekah, and gave precious things to her brother and mother. 54 He and his men ate and spent the night. When they got up, he said, “Let me go to my master.”
55 Her brother and mother said, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, maybe ten. Then she can go.”
56 He said, “Let me leave so I can go to my master.”
57 They said, “We’ll call her and see what she says.”
58 “Will you go with this man?”
“Yes.”
59 They sent away their sister and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah,
“May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousands.
May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies.”
61 Rebekah got up with her servant girls and mounted the camels the man had with him. He took her and left.
Gen 24:52-61
62 Isaac had come from a trip to Beer-lahai-roi because he was living in the Negev. 63 He had gone out to meditate in the field toward evening and looked up and saw camels coming. 64 Rebekah saw him and got down from the camel. 65 She asked the servant, “Who is the man walking in the field to meet us?”
“He’s my master.”
She put on her veil.
66 The servant told Isaac what all he’d done. 67 Isaac took Rebekah into his mother’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her, and she was a comfort to him after his mother died.
Gen 24:62-67