Now Abraham was old and well advanced in days, and Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.
And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house who was in charge of all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh,
and I will have you swear by Yahweh, 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,
but you are to go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant said to him, “What if the woman is not willing to follow me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land that you came out from?”
Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there again!
Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your seed,’ he himself will send his angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there.
But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be clear from this oath of mine. Only you must not take my son there again.”
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him concerning this matter.
Then the servant took ten camels of his lord’s camels and departed, having all kinds of good things of his lord’s with him. He arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor.
And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water.
And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of my lord Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
Let it happen that the girl to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your water jug that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have decided upon for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my lord.”
It came to pass that before he had finished speaking that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jug on her shoulder.
The girl was very beautiful to look at, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the spring, filled her water jug, and came up.
And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little drink—a little water from your water jug.”
And she said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried and let down her water jug onto her arm and gave him a drink.
And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.”
And she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
The man watched her closely, remaining silent, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not.
It came to pass when the camels had finished drinking that the man took a golden nose ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets weighing ten shekels of gold for her wrists,
and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there a place in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
And she said to him, “Yes, there is straw, and yes, plenty of feed, and yes, a place to spend the night.”
The man kneeled down and worshiped Yahweh.
And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my lord Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward my lord. As for me, Yahweh has guided me on the way to the house of my lord’s relatives.”
Then the girl ran and told her mother’s house about these things.
Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.
It came to pass when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” that he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
And he said, “Come in, blessed of Yahweh! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
So the man came into the house. And Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed for the camels, 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 spoken my words.” And he said, “Speak.”
So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.
Yahweh has blessed my lord abundantly, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold and male slaves and female slaves and camels and donkeys.
Sarah, my lord’s wife, bore a son to my lord when she was old, and he has given all that he has to him.
My lord made me swear, saying, ‘You are not to take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,
but you are to go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’
I asked my lord, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’
And he said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success. You will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house.
Only then will you be free from my oath: when you come to my relatives, if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
“I came this day to the spring and said, ‘Yahweh, the God of my lord Abraham, if now you wish to prosper the way that I am going,
behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen that the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I will say, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”
and she says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,”—let her be the woman whom Yahweh has decided on for my lord’s son.’
“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
And she quickly 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.
Then I asked her and said, ‘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 wrists,
and I kneeled down and worshiped Yahweh and blessed Yahweh, the God of my lord Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my lord’s brother’s daughter for his son.
Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my lord, tell me. If not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing has come from Yahweh. We cannot speak to you bad or good.
Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be your lord’s son’s wife, as Yahweh has spoken.”
It came to pass that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down on the ground before Yahweh.
Then the servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable things to her brother and her mother.
They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night. They rose up in the morning and he said, “Send me away to my lord.”
But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young girl stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”
But he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since Yahweh has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my lord.”
And they said, “We will call the young girl and ask her.”
Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”
So they sent away Rebekah their sister with the one who had nursed and raised her, and Abraham’s servant and his men.
They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and let your seed gain possession of the gate of those who hate them.”
Rebekah arose with her young women. They rode on the camels and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah and went his way.
Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi, for he lived in the region of the Negev.
Isaac went out to ponder in the field at the evening. He lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming.
Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted quickly from the camel.
She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my lord.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.