Study Desk

And Abraham was old, going on in days, and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.

And Abraham said to his slave, oldest in his house, the one who governed in all that was to him, Please put your hand under my thigh.

And I will cause you to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, among whom I dwell.

But you shall go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.

And the slave said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to go after me to this land; shall I indeed bring back your son into the land from out of which you came?

And Abraham said to him, Take heed for yourself that you not take my son back there.

Jehovah, God of Heaven, who took me from the house of my father 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 shall send His Angel before you, and you shall take a wifefrom there for my son.

And if the woman will not be willing to go after you, then you shall be clear from this oath of mine; only do not take my son back there.

And the slave put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore to him concerning this thing.

And the slave took ten camels from his master's camels and left. And all his master's goods were in his hand. And he rose up and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

And he made the camels kneel outside the city, by a well of water at the time of the evening, the time that women go out to draw.

And he said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, I pray, cause her to meet before me this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Behold! I am standing by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

And let the girl to whom I shall speak this : Please let down your pitcher that I may drink; and she will say, Drink and also I will water your camels; let it be her You have approved for Your servant, for Isaac. And by this I shall know that You have shown kindness to my master.

And it happened before he had finished speaking. Behold! Rebekah came out, she who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham, with her pitcher on her shoulder.

And the girl was very good of form, a virgin, a man not having known her. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.

And the slave ran to meet her and said, Please let me sip a little water from your pitcher.

And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hurried and let down her pitcher on her hand and gave him a drink.

And she finished giving drink to him. And she said, I also will draw for your camels until they have finished drinking.

And she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough. And she again ran to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.

And watching her, the man kept silent in order to know if Jehovah had prospered his way, or not.

And it happened when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring, its weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her hands, ten of gold their weighing.

And he said, Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay in your father's house?

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, Both straw and fodder are plentiful with us, also a room to pass the night.

And the man bowed and worshiped Jehovah.

And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who has not left off His kindness and His truth with my master, I being in the way, Jehovah guided me to the house of the brother of my master.

And the girl ran and told these things to the house of her mother.

And Rebekah had a brother, his name being Laban. And Laban ran out to the man, to the fountain.

And it happened when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard his sister's words, Rebekah, saying, So the man spoke to me, then he came to the man and saw him standing by the camels at the fountain.

And he said, Come in, blessed of Jehovah! Why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.

And the man came into the house. And he unloaded the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

And food was set before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until I have spoken my message. And he said, Speak.

And he said, I am the slave of Abraham.

And Jehovah has blessed my master much, and he is great. And He has given to him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and slave-girls, and camels and asses.

And my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given to him all that is his.

And my master caused me to swear, saying, You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I live.

But you shall go to the house of my father and to my family and you shall take a wife for my son.

And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not go after me.

And he said to me, Jehovah, before whom I walk, will send His Angel with you and prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my family, from my father's house.

Then you shall be released from my oath, when you have come to my family, and if they do not give one to you; then you shall be released from my oath.

And today I came to the well. And I said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, I pray, if You will, prosper the way in which I am about to go.

Behold! I stand at the well of water, and when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher,

and she says to me, Both you drink and also I will draw for your camels, may she be the woman whom Jehovah has approved for my master's son.

Before I had finished speaking within my heart, even behold, Rebekah was coming out, her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the well and drew. And I said to her, Please let me drink.

And she hurried and let down her pitcher from her and said, Drink, and I also will water your camels. And I drank, and also she watered the camels.

And I asked her and I said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.

And I bowed and worshiped Jehovah, and I blessed Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the true way, to take for his son the daughter of the brother of my master.

And now, if you are going to do kindness and truth with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me so that I may turn to the right or to the left.

And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing has come from Jehovah; we are not able to speak to you good or evil.

Behold! Rebekah is before you, take her and go. And let her become the wife of the son of your master, as Jehovah has spoken.

And it happened when the slave of Abraham heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth to Jehovah.

And the slave brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments, and he gave to Rebekah. And he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him; and they stayed the night. And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away to my master.

And her brother and her mother said, Let the girl stay with us, perhaps ten days. Afterwards she may go.

And he said to them, Do not delay me, for Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.

And they said, we will call the girl and ask of her mouth.

And they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go.

And they sent away their sister Rebekah, and her nurse, and Abraham's slave and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Our sister, may you become myriads of thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of ones hating them.

And Rebekah and her young women rose up, and they rode on the camels and went after the man. And the slave took Rebekah and went.

And Isaac had come from the gate of the Well of the Living One My Beholder. And he was dwelling in the land of the Negeb.

And Isaac had gone out to meditate in the field as it turned evening. And he raised his eyes and looked. And behold, camels were coming.

And Rebekah lifted her eyes and she saw Isaac. And she dismounted from the camel.

And she said to the slave, Who is this man walking in the field to meet us? And the slave said, It is my master. And she took the veil and covered herself.

And the slave told Isaac all the things that he had done.

And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah. And he took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother.