Study Desk

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

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: "Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them."

Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. [fn]

Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. [fn]

And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, [fn] because he said, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, "Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you,

So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

It came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water."

And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth.

Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.

And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran."

Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him."

So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep."

But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep."

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.