How Rebekah Became The Wife Of I

When Abraham was very old and Jehovah had blessed him in every way,

Abraham said to the eldest of his household servants, who had charge of

all his affairs, "Put your hand under my hip, while I make you promise

by Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son

marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but

that you will go to my own country and to my relatives and there get a

w fe for my son Isaac." The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will

not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back

to the land from which you came?" Abraham said to him, "See to it that

you do not take my son back there. Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took

me from my father's house and from my native land and who solemnly

promised me, 'To your children I will give this land,' will send his

angel before you and there you will get a wife for my son. But if the

woman is not willing to come with you, then you will be free from this

promise to me; only never take my son back there." So the servant put

his hand under Abraham's hip and made the promise.



Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and set out with

precious gifts from his master. So he went to the town of Nahor. And he

made the camels kneel down outside the town by the well in the evening,

at the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, "O Jehovah,

the God of my master Abraham, give me, I pray thee, success to-day, and

show kindness to my master Abraham. Here I am standing by the spring of

water, and the daughters of the men of the town are coming out to draw

water. May that young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your

water-jar that I may drink'; and who answers, 'Drink and I will also

water your camels,' may she be the one thou hast chosen for thy servant

Isaac. By this I shall know that thou hast shown kindness to my master."



Then even before he was through speaking, Rebekah, who was the

grand-daughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water-jar

upon her shoulder. She was very beautiful and unmarried. She went down

to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. Then the servant ran to meet

her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar." She

answered, "Drink, sir," and quickly let down her water-jar from her

shoulder upon her hand and gave him a 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 jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water,

and drew for all his camels. Meanwhile the man was silently gazing at

her in order to find out whether Jehovah had made his journey successful

or not.



As soon as the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring,

five ounces in weight, and put it in her nose, and put on her arms two

golden bracelets weighing five ounces, and said, "Whose daughter are

you? Tell me, I beg of you. Is there room in your father's house for us

to spend the night?" She answered, "I am the grand-daughter of Milcah

and Nahor. We have plenty of straw and feed, and there is a place for

you to spend the night."



Then the man bowed his head and worshipped Jehovah, saying, "Blessed be

Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has continued to show his

mercy and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, Jehovah has led

me on the way to the house of my master's relatives."



Then the young woman ran and told these things to her mother's family.

Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man at

the spring. And when he saw the bracelets on his sister's hands and the

ring, and when he heard Rebekah say, "This is what the man said to me,"

he went to the man, who was still standing by the camels at the spring,

and said, "Come in, you who are blessed by Jehovah! Why do you stand

outside? For I have cleared the house and have room for the camels." So

he brought the man into the house and took the packs off the camels and

furnished straw and feed for them, and water to wash his feet and the

feet of the men who were with him.



But when food was set before him to eat, he said, "I will not eat until

I have made known my errand." They answered, "Speak." He said, "I am

Abraham's servant; and Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, so that he

has become very rich. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and

gold, servants, and camels and asses. Now Sarah, my master's wife, had a

son when she was old, and my master has given him all that he has. My

master also made me promise, saying, 'Do not let my son marry one of the

daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, but go to my father's

home and to my relatives and there find a wife for my son.'



"When I said to my master, 'What if the woman will not follow me?' he

said to me, 'Jehovah, whom I love and serve, will send his angel with

you and make you successful, and you will find for my son a wife from

among my relatives and my father's family. Then you shall be free from

your promise to me. But if you go to my family and they do not give her

to you, you shall also be free from your promise to me.' So I came

to-day to the spring and said, 'O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham,

see, I am standing by the spring of water, if thou wilt make the errand

on which I am going successful, then let the young woman who comes to

draw, to whom I say, Please give me a little water from your jar to

drink, and who shall say to me, Drink, and I will also draw for your

camels, let that one be the woman whom Jehovah has chosen for my

master's son.'



"Even before I was through speaking, Rebekah came out with her water-jar

on her shoulder and went down to the spring and drew water. And when I

said to her, 'Please let me drink,' she quickly let down her water-jar

from her shoulder and answered, 'Drink, and I will also water your

camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her,

'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The grand-daughter of Nahor and

Milcah.' So I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms.

And I bowed my head and worshipped and blessed Jehovah the God of my

master Abraham who had led me on the right way to find the daughter of

my master's brother for his son. Tell me whether or not you will deal

kindly and truly with my master, so that I shall know what to do!"



Then Laban and his family answered, "The matter is in the hands of

Jehovah. We cannot say either 'yes' or 'no.' See, Rebekah is before you;

take her and go and let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah

has said."



When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed to the ground before

Jehovah. Then he brought out gold and silver ornaments and clothing and

gave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and to

her mother. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent

the night there.



When they rose in the morning, the servant said, "Send me away to my

master." But Rebekah's brother and mother answered, "Let the young woman

stay with us a month or at least ten days; after that she may go." But

he said to them, "Do not delay me, for Jehovah has given me success.

Send me away that I may go to my master."



Then they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her." So they

called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She

answered, "I will go." So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her

nurse with Abraham's servant and his men.



They also blessed Rebekah, saying to her, "Our sister! may your children

and their children become thousands and thousands!" Then Rebekah set out

with her maids and, riding upon the camels, they followed the man. So

the servant took Rebekah and went away.



Now Abraham had given all that he had to Isaac and had breathed his

last, dying in a good old age, satisfied with living. In the evening,

when Isaac had gone out in the field to meditate, he looked up and saw

camels coming. Rebekah too looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she

quickly alighted from the camel and said to the servant, "Who is this

man walking in the field to meet us?" When the servant said, "It is my

master," she took her veil and covered her face. Then the servant told

Isaac all that he had done. And Isaac brought Rebekah to the tent of

Sarah his mother, and she became his wife; and he loved her.