Finding a Bride for Isaac

1Now Abraham had grown old, was well advanced in age, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way. 2So Abraham instructed his servant, who was the oldest member of his household and in charge of everything he owned, “Make this solemn oath to mea 3as a promise to the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you won’t acquire a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I’m living. 4Instead, you are to go to my country and to my family and acquire a wife for my son Isaac.”

5“What if the woman doesn’t want to come back with me to this land?” the servant asked. “Shouldn’t I have your son go to the land from which you came?”

6“Make sure not to take my son there,” Abraham replied. 7“The LORD God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and from my family’s land, who spoke to me and promised me ‘I will give this land to your descendants,’ will send his angel ahead of you, and you are to acquire a wife for my son from there. 8If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you’ll be free from this oath to me. Just don’t take my son back there!” 9So the servant made a solemn oathb to his master Abraham regarding this matter.

The Servant Encounters Rebekah

10Then Abraham’s servant took ten camels from his master’s herd ofc camels and left on his journey with all kinds of gifts from his master’s inventory. Eventually, he traveled as far as Aram-naharaim, Nahor’s home town. 11As evening approached, he had the camels kneel outside the town at the water well, right about the time when women customarily went out to draw water.

12That’s when he prayed, “LORD God of my master Abraham, help me to succeed today. Please show your gracious love to my master Abraham. 13I’ve stationed myself here by the spring as the women of the town come to draw water. 14May it be that the young woman to whom I ask, ‘Please, lower your jug so that I may drink,’ responds, ‘Have a drink, and I’ll water your camels as well.’ May she be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This is how I’ll know that you have shown your gracious love to my master.”

15Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah’s son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder. 16The woman was very beautiful, young, and had not had sexual relations with a man. Going down to the spring, she filled her jug and turned for home. 17Then Abraham’s servant ran to meet her and asked her, “Please, let me have a sip of water from your jug.”

18“Drink, sir!” she replied as she quickly lowered her jug on her arm to offer him a drink. 19When she had finished giving him a drink, she also said, “I’ll also draw waterd for your camels until they’ve had enough to drink.”

20She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran to the well to draw again until she had drawn enough watere for all ten of the servant’sf camels. 21The man stared at her in silence, waiting to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for her wrists, weighing 10 shekels and presented them to her.g

23He asked her, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she answered. “He’s the son of Milcah and Nahor. 25And yes,” she continued, “we have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night.”

26At this, the man bowed down and worshipped the LORD. 27“Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hasn’t held back his gracious love and faithfulness from my master! The LORD has led me to the house of my master’s relatives!”

28The young woman then ran ahead and informed her mother’s household what had happened.

Rebekah’s Brother Laban

29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to the man and met himh at the spring. 30And so it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and as soon as he heard what his sister Rebekah was saying about what the man had spoken to her,i he went out to the man who was still standing by the camels at the spring! 31“Come on,” Labanj said. “The LORD has blessed you! So why are you standing out here when I’ve prepared some space in the house and a place for the camels?”

32So the servant went to the house and unbridled the camels. They provided straw and feed for the camels and water for washing his feet and those of the men with him. 33But when they had prepared a meal and set it in front of him, he said, “I’m not eating until I’ve spoken.”

“Speak up!” Labank exclaimed.

The Servant Relates His Adventures

34“I’m Abraham’s servant,” he said. 35“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36My master’s wife Sarah gave birth to my master’s son in her old age, and Abrahaml has given him everything that belongs to him. 37My master made me swear this oath: ‘You are not to select a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in this land where I live. 38Instead, you are to go to my father’s household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.’

39“So I asked my master, ‘What if the woman won’t come back with me?’

40“Abrahamm told me, ‘The LORD, who is with me wherever I go, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. So you are to choose a wife for my son from my family, from my father’s household. 41Only then will you be released from fulfillingn my oath. However, when you come to my family, if they don’t give her to you, you’ll be released from fulfillingo my oath.’

42“So today I arrived at the spring and prayed, ‘LORD God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the journey that I have traveled successful, 43here I am standing by the spring. May it be that the young woman who comes out to draw water, from whom I request a little water from herp jug to drink, 44if she tells me to drink and also draws water for theq camels, may she be the woman that the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’

45“Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink. 46She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulderr and told me, ‘Have a drink while I also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also gave my camels waters to drink.

47“That’s when I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

“She replied, ‘I’m the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore for him.’

“So I gave her a ring for her nose and bracelets for her wrists. 48I bowed down and worshipped the LORD, and I praised the LORD God of my master Abraham, who led me on the true way to requestt the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49So now, if you wish to show gracious love and truth toward my master, tell me so. But if not, tell me, so that I may go elsewhere.”u

Laban and Bethuel Acquiesce

50“Since this has come from the LORD,” Laban and Bethuel both replied, “we cannot speak one way or another.v 51So here’s Rebekah—she’s right in front of you. Take her and go, so she can become a wife for your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”

52When Abraham’s servant heard what they had said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53Then the servant brought out some silver and gold items, along with some clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54He and the men with him ate and drank, and then they spent the night.

The Servant Prepares to Leave

When they got up the next morning, the servantw requested, “Send me off to my master.”

55But her brother and mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days—at least ten—and after that she may go.”

56“Please don’t delay me,” the servantx answered them. “The LORD has made my journey successful. Send me off so I can return to my master.”

57But they said, “We’ll call the young lady and see what she has to say about this.”y

58So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?”

“I will go,” she replied.

59So they sent off their sister Rebekah, along with her personal assistant,z Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60As they were leaving, they all blessed Rebekah byaa saying,

“Our sister, may you become the mother of tens of millions!bb

May your descendants take over

the city gatescc of those who hate them.”dd

61Then Rebekah and her young servant women got up, mounted their camels, and followed Abraham’s servant, who took Rebekah and went on his way.

Isaac Marries Rebekah

62Later on, as Isaac was returning one evening from Beer-lahai-roiee (he had been living in the Negevff ), 63Isaacgg went out walkinghh in a field. He looked up, and all of a sudden there were some camels coming. 64Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel 65and asked the servant, “Who is that man coming in the field to meet us?”

“That’s my master,” the servant told her. So she reached for a veil and covered herself. 66Then the servant informed Isaac about everything he had done. 67Later, Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah and married her. Isaac loved her, and that’s how he was comforted following the loss ofii his mother.