The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Geneva Bible 1599 ⭑

- Kapitel 24 -

Nowe Abraham was olde, and striken in yeeres, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

Therefore Abraham saide vnto his eldest seruant of his house, which had the rule ouer all that he had, Put nowe thine hand vnder my thigh,

And I will make thee sweare by ye Lord God of the heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites among who I dwel.

But thou shalt go vnto my countrey, and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sone Izhak.

And the seruant saide to him, What if the woman will not come with me to this land? shall I bring thy sonne againe vnto the lande from whence thou camest?

To whom Abraham answered, Beware that thou bring not my sonne thither againe.

The Lord God of heauen, who tooke me from my fathers house, and from the land where I was borne, and that spake vnto me, and that sware vnto me, saying, Vnto thy seede wil I giue this land, he shall send his Angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife vnto my sonne from thence.

Neuertheles if the woman wil not follow thee, then shalt thou bee discharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my sonne thither againe.

Then the seruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter.

So the seruant tooke ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his masters goods in his hand:) and so he arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, vnto the citie of Nahor.

And he made his camels to lye downe without the citie by a well of water, at euentide about the time that the women come out to draw water.

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, send me good speede this day, and shew mercy vnto my master Abraham.

Lo, I stand by the well of water, whiles the mens daughters of this citie come out to drawe water.

Graunt therefore that ye maide, to whom I say, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if she say, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also: may be she that thou hast ordeined for thy seruant Izhak: and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.

Rebekah Is Chosen

And nowe yer he had left speaking, beholde, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon her shoulder.

(And the maide was very faire to looke vpon, a virgine and vnknowen of man) and she went downe to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came vp.

Then the seruant ranne to meete her, and said, Let me drinke, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher.

And she said, Drinke sir: and she hasted, and let downe her pitcher vpon her hand and gaue him drinke.

And when she had giuen him drinke, she said, I will drawe water for thy camels also vntill they haue drunken inough.

And she powred out her pitcher into the trough speedily; and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and she drewe for all his camels.

So the man wondred at her, and helde his peace, to knowe whether the Lord had made his iourney prosperous or not.

And when the camels had left drinking, the man tooke a golden abillement of halfe a shekell weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of golde:

And he said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee, Is there roume in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?

Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcah whom she bare vnto Nahor.

Moreouer she said vnto him, We haue litter also and prouender ynough, and roume to lodge in.

And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the Lord,

And said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawen his mercie and his trueth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my masters brethrens house.

And the maide ranne and tolde them of her mothers house according to these wordes.

Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ranne vnto the man to the well.

For when he had seene the earings and the bracelets in his sisters hands, and when he heard the wordes of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man vnto me, then he went to the man, and loe, he stoode by the camels at the well.

And he saide, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I haue prepared the house, and roume for ye camels?

Then the man came into the house, and he vnsadled the camels, and brought litter and prouender for the camels, and water to wash his feete, and the mens feete that were with him.

Afterward the meate was set before him: but he saide, I will not eate, vntill I haue saide my message: And he said, Speake on.

Then he said, I am Abrahams seruant,

And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, that he is become great: for he hath giuen him sheepe, and beeues, and siluer, and golde, and men seruants, and maide seruants, and camels, and asses.

And Sarah my masters wife hath borne a sonne to my master, when she was olde, and vnto him hath he giuen all that he hath.

Now my master made me sweare, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:

But thou shalt go vnto my fathers house and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my sonne.

Then I saide vnto my master, What if the woman will not follow me?

Who answered me, The Lord, before who I walke, will send his Angel with thee, and prosper thy iourney, and thou shalt take a wife for my sonne of my kinred and my fathers house.

Then shalt thou be discharged of mine othe, when thou commest to my kinred: and if they giue thee not one, thou shalt be free from mine othe.

So I came this day to the well, and said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if thou nowe prosper my iourney which I goe,

Behold, I stand by the well of water: when a virgine commeth forth to drawe water, and I say to her, Giue me, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher to drinke,

And she say to me, Drinke thou, and I will also drawe for thy camels, let her be ye wife, which the Lord hath prepared for my masters sonne.

And before I had made an end of speaking in mine heart, beholde, Rebekah came foorth, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went downe vnto the well, and drewe water. Then I said vnto her, Giue me drinke, I pray thee.

And she made haste, and tooke downe her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also. So I dranke, and she gaue the camels drinke also.

Then I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she answered, The daughter of Bethuel Nahors sonne, whom Milcah bare vnto him. Then I put the abillement vpon her face, and the bracelets vpon her hands:

And I bowed downe and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had brought me the right way to take my masters brothers daughter vnto his sone.

Now therefore, if ye will deale mercifully and truely with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me that I may turne me to the right hand or to the left.

Then answered Laban and Bethuel, and said, This thing is proceeded of the Lord: we cannot therefore say vnto thee, neither euill nor good.

Beholde, Rebehak is before thee, take her and goe, that she may be thy masters sonnes wife, euen as the Lord hath said.

And when Abrahams seruant heard their wordes, he bowed himselfe toward the earth vnto the Lord.

Then the seruant tooke foorth iewels of siluer, and iewels of golde, and raiment, and gaue to Rebekah: also vnto her brother and to her mother he gaue gifts.

Afterward they did eate and drinke, both he, and the men that were with him, and taried all night. and when they rose vp in the morning, he said, Let me depart vnto my master.

Then her brother and her mother answered, Let the maide abide with vs, at the least ten dayes: then shall she goe.

But he said vnto them, Hinder you me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney: send me away, that I may goe to my master.

Then they said, We will call the maide, and aske her consent.

And they called Rebekah, and saide vnto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she answered, I will go.

So they let Rebekah their sister goe, and her nourse, with Abrahams seruant and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah, and sayde vnto her, Thou art our sister, growe into thousande thousands, and thy seede possesse the gate of his enemies.

Then Rebekah arose, and her maydes, and rode vpon the camels, and followed the man. and the seruant tooke Rebekah, and departed.

Isaac Marries Rebekah

Nowe Izhak came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi, (for he dwelt in the South countrey)

And Izhak went out. to pray in the fielde toward the euening: who lift vp his eyes and looked, and behold, the camels came.

Also Rebekah lift vp her eyes, and when she saw Izhak, she lighted downe from the camel.

(For shee had sayde to the seruant, Who is yonder man, that commeth in the fielde to meete vs? and the seruant had said, It is my master) So she tooke a vaile, and couered her.

And the seruant tolde Izhak all things, that he had done.

Afterward Izhak brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and he tooke Rebekah, and she was his wife, and he loued her: So Izhak was comforted after his mothers death.