1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age. And Yehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by Yehovah, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4 But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5 And the servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Should I take your son back to the land which you went out from?”
6 And Abraham said to him, “Take care that you don’t ever take my son back there! 7 Yehovah, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my relatives, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring—He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath to me. Just don’t take my son back there!” 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Now the servant took ten of his master’s camels and went, having all kinds of his master’s good things with him. And he got up and went to Aram-of-Two-Rivers, to the city of Naḥor. 11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, at the time that women go out to get water. 12 And he said, “Yehovah, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and do a kind favor for my master Abraham. 13 Look, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to get water. 14 And let it be that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have done a kind favor for my master.”
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, look, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Betuel the son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Naḥor. 16 And the young lady was very good looking, unmarried, and no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.”
18 And she said, “Drink, my master.” And she hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also get water for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” 20 And she hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran back to the well to get water, and got water for all his camels. 21 And the man watched her, remaining silent, to know whether Yehovah had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?”
24 And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Betuel the son of Milcah, whom she gave birth to for Naḥor.” 25 She also said to him, “We have both straw and plenty of feed, and room to lodge in.”
26 And the man bowed his head, and worshiped Yehovah. 27 And he said, “Blessed be Yehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his kind favor and his truth toward my master. As for me, Yehovah has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.” 28 And the young lady ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
29 Now Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. And Laban ran out to the man, to the spring. 30 And it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” that he went out to the man. And there he was, standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “Come in, you blessed of Yehovah. Why do you stand outside? For I have cleared the house, and a place for the camels.”
32 And the man came into the house. And he unloaded the camels, and gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was put in front of him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.”
And he said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 Yehovah has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great. And He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah, my master’s wife, gave birth to a son for my master when she was old. And he has given him all that he has. 37 Now 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 have settled, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house, and to my extended family, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 And I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’ 40 So he said to me, ‘Yehovah, who I walk in front of, will send His angel with you, and prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my extended family, and from my father’s house. 41 Then will you be clear from my oath, when you come to my extended family. If they don’t give her to you, you will be clear from my oath.’
42 Now today I came to the spring and said, ‘Yehovah, the God of my master Abraham, if You will please cause my trip on which I am going to be successful— 43 here I am standing by the spring of water. And let it be, that the unmarried girl who comes out to get water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 and she says to me, “You drink, and I will also get water for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Yehovah has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 I had not even finished speaking in my heart, and there was Rebekah coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the spring, and got water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 And she hurried and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels a drink. 47 And I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Betuel, Naḥor’s son, whom Milcah gave birth to for him.’ And I put the nose ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 And I bowed my head, and worshiped Yehovah, and blessed Yehovah, God of my master Abraham, who guided me on the true path to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 Now if you will do a kind and true favor for my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 And Laban and Betuel answered, “The thing has come from Yehovah. We can’t say anything bad or good to you. 51 Look, Rebekah is in front of you. Take her, and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as Yehovah has spoken.”
52 And it was, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he bowed himself down to the earth to Yehovah. 53 And the servant brought out items of silver, and items of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and her mother. 54 And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and spent the night. And they got up in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”
55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us some days, at least ten. After that she will go.”
56 And he said to them, “Don’t delay me, since Yehovah has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go back to my master.”
57 And they said, “We will call the young lady, and ask what she will say.” 58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”
59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring take possession of the gate of those who hate them.”
61 And Rebekah and her maids got up, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. And the servant took Rebekah, and went away.
62 Now Isaac had come back from going to the Well-of-the-Living-One-Seeing-Me, for he had settled in the Negev. 63 And Isaac went out to contemplate in the field in the evening. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming! 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. 65 And she said to the servant, “Who is that man who is walking in the field to meet us?”
And the servant said, “It is my master.” And she took a veil, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac overcame his grief after his mother’s death.