1 By now Abraham was old, and Jehovah had blessed him in every way.

2 Abraham said to the senior servant of his household who was in charge of all that he owned: »Take a solemn oath.

3 »I want you to swear by Jehovah God of heaven and earth that you will not get my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living.

4 »Instead, you will go to the land of my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.«

5 The servant asked: »What if the young woman will not leave home to come with me to this land? Shall I send your son back to the land you came from?«

6 Abraham answered: »Make sure that you do not send my son back there!

7 »Jehovah, the God of heaven, took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth. He spoke to me and swore to me. He said: I will give this land to your descendants. He will send his angel before you. You will take a wife for my son from there.

8 »You will be free from this oath if the woman is not willing to follow you. Only do not take my son back there.«

9 The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master. He swore to him concerning this matter.

10 The servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and then set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand. He arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time. This is the time when women go out to draw water.

12 He said: »O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today. Show loving-kindness to my master Abraham.

13 »I am standing by the spring. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 »Let there be the girl to whom I say: ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,' and who answers: 'Drink, and I will water your camels also.' May she be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown loving-kindness to my master.«

15 Before he finished praying, Rebekah came with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

16 The girl was a very attractive virgin. No man had ever had sexual intercourse with her. She went to the spring and filled her jar, and came back.

17 The servant ran to meet her and said: »Please give me a drink of water.«

18 »Drink, my lord,« she said. She quickly lowered her jar to her hand and gave him a drink.

19 When she finished giving him a drink, she said: »I will also keep drawing water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.«

20 She quickly emptied her jar into the water trough. Then she ran back to the well to draw more water. She drew enough for all his camels.

21 The man quietly watched her to see whether or not Jehovah made his trip successful.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a fifth of an ounce and two gold bracelets weighing four ounces.

23 He said: »Please tell me who your father is. Is there room in his house for my men and me to spend the night?«

24 »My father is Bethuel son of Nahor and Milcah,« she answered.

25 »There is plenty of straw and fodder at our house. There is also a place for you to stay.«

26 The man knelt down and worshiped Jehovah.

27 He said: »Praise Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham. He has faithfully kept his promise to my master. Jehovah has led me straight to my master’s relatives.«

28 The young woman ran to her mother’s house and told the entire story.

29 Rebecca’s brother was named Laban. He ran outside to go to the well where Abraham’s servant was.

30 Laban had seen the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms and had heard her say what the man told her. He went to Abraham’s servant, who was standing by his camels at the well,

31 and said: »Come home with me. You are a man Jehovah has blessed. Why are you standing out here? I have a room ready for you in my house. There is a place for your camels.«

32 The man went into the house. Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and fodder. Then he brought water for Abraham’s servant and his men to wash their feet.

33 Food was brought. The man said: »I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.« Laban responded: »Go ahead and speak.«

34 »I am the servant of Abraham,« he began.

35 »Jehovah has greatly blessed my master and made him a rich man. He has given him flocks of sheep and goats, cattle, silver, gold, male and female slaves, camels, and donkeys.

36 »Sarah, my master’s wife, did not have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything.

37 »I solemnly promised my master I would do what he said. He told me: ‘Do not choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan.

38 »‘Go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives.’

39 »I asked my master: ‘What if the young woman refuses to come with me?’

40 »He said to me: ‘Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. You will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house.

41 »‘If my relatives do not give her to you, then you will be free from my oath.’«

42 »I came to the spring today. I prayed to Jehovah: ‘God of my master Abraham, if now you will make my journey successful,

43 »‘make it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, »Please let me drink a little water from your jar,«

44 »And she will say to me, »You drink, and I will draw for your camels also,« let her be the woman whom Jehovah has appointed for my master’s son.’

45 »Before I had finished speaking in my heart, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’

46 »She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also.

47 »Then I asked her: ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said: ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.

48 »I bowed low and worshiped Jehovah, and praised Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham. He guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.

49 »If you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. If not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.«

50 Laban and Bethuel replied: »The matter comes from Jehovah. We cannot speak to you bad or good.

51 »Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go. Let her be the wife of your master’s son, as Jehovah has spoken.«

52 Abraham’s servant heard their answer. Then he bowed down to Jehovah.

53 The servant took out gold and silver jewelry and clothes and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother.

54 He and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morning, he said: »Let me go back to my master.«

55 Her brother and mother replied: »Let the girl stay with us ten days or so. After that she may go.«

56 He said: »Do not make us stay. Jehovah has made my journey a success. Let me go back to my master.«

57 They answered: »Let us call her and find out what she has to say.«

58 They called Rebecca and asked: »Do you want to go with this man?« »Yes,« she answered.

59 They allowed Rebecca and her old family servant to go with Abraham’s servant and his men.«

60 They gave Rebecca their blessing in these words: »May you, sister, become the mother of millions! May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!«

61 Rebecca and her young women got ready. They mounted the camels to go with Abraham’s servant, and they all started out.

62 Isaac had come into the wilderness of »The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.« He was staying in the southern part of Canaan.

63 He went out in the early evening to take a walk in the fields. He saw camels coming.

64 Rebecca saw Isaac and she got down from her camel

65 She asked Abraham’s servant: »Who is that man walking toward us in the field?« »He is my master,« the servant answered. So she took her veil scarf and covered her face.

66 The servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67 Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent that his mother Sarah had lived in. She became his wife. Isaac loved Rebecca. He was comforted for the loss of his mother.