Through My Bible Year 03 – March 14

Genesis 24:1-60

genesis 24

a wife for isaac

¹ Abraham was very old, very close to old age. God Abraham was blessed in everything. ² Abraham said to his servant, who was in charge of his household and all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh. ³ you have to swear to it GodGod of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. ⁴ Instead, you will go to my country and my relatives and bring a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵ The servant said to him, “What if the woman is not willing to come with me to this country? In that case, should I take your son back to the country from where you came?”

⁶ Abraham said to him, “Let me make it clear to you that you must not take my son there again. ⁷ GodThe God of heaven took me away from my father’s house and from the land of my birth. He spoke to me and swore an oath, saying, I will give this land to your descendants. ⁽¹⁾ God He will send his messenger ahead of you, and you will find a wife for my son from there. ⁸ If the woman is not willing to accompany you then you will be released from this oath. But under no circumstances will you take my son back there.”

⁹ The servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him about this matter. ¹⁰ The servant took his master’s ten camels and set out. He took with him various kinds of goods from his master. He set out and went to Mesopotamia ⁽²⁾ To Nahor city. ¹¹ He made the camels kneel near a well outside the city. It was evening time, the time when women go out to fetch water. ¹² He said, “O GodO God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and have mercy on my master Abraham. ¹³ I am standing here near the spring of water, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Let the test be this: The girl to whom I say, ‘Put down your pitcher so that I may drink,’ she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also give drink to your camels.’ She will be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. This way I will know that you have shown mercy to my master.”

¹⁵ Before he could finish speaking, Rebekah came out carrying a pitcher of water on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ That girl was very beautiful to look at, was a virgin, who had never had intimate relations with any man. She went to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷ The servant ran to meet him and said, “Please give me some water to drink from your water pitcher.”

¹⁸ He said, “Drink, my lord.” He immediately put his water pitcher in her hand and gave her water to drink. ¹⁹ When she had finished giving him water to drink, she said, “I will also keep drawing water for your camels until they finish drinking.” ²⁰ She hurriedly emptied her water jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and filled water for all her camels.

²¹ The man remained silent and watched her carefully to find out whether God Whether his journey was successful or not. ²² Then when the camels had finished drinking water, the man took a gold earring worth half a shekel and two gold bracelets worth ten shekels. ⁽³⁾ For her wrists. ²³ Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room for us to stay in your father’s house?”

²⁴ She said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, who was born to Nahor. ²⁵ He also said to him, “We have straw and enough fodder, and enough room for you to spend the night.”

²⁶ The man bowed his head and saluted God. ²⁷ He said, “Blessed be GodThe God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. In fact, God He has taken me to the house of my master’s relatives.”

²⁸ The girl ran away and told these things to her mother’s family. ²⁹ Rebekah had a brother named Laban. Laban ran to the spring to meet the man. ³⁰ When he saw the earrings in his sister’s nose and the bracelets on her wrists, and when he heard these words from his sister Rebekah, who said, “This is what the man told me,” he went to find the man. And he was standing there by the spring near the camels. ³¹ Laban said, “O blessed people, come with me God. Why are you standing outside when I have prepared a house and a place for the camels?”

³² The man came home and unloaded the camels. Laban gave him straw, fodder for the camels, and water to wash the feet of him and his companions. ³³ Food was placed before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have delivered my message.”

Laban said, “Tell us.”

³⁴ He said, “I am the servant of Abraham. ³⁵ God My master has blessed me a lot. He has become great. God He has been given sheep and goats, cows and bulls, gold and silver, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. ³⁶ Sarah, my master’s wife, when she was old, gave birth to a son for my master. My master has given him everything that belongs to him. ³⁷ My master made me take an oath. He said, ‘You must not bring a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose country I live. ³⁸ Instead, you will have to go to my father’s house and my relatives and bring a wife for my son.’ ³⁹ I asked my teacher, ‘What if that woman doesn’t follow me?’ ⁴⁰ He told me, ‘The GodThe One before whom I walk will send His angel with you, and will make your journey successful, and you will bring a wife for my son from among my relatives and my father’s house. ⁴¹ But if you do not come to my relatives and give it to you, then you will be released from my oath. ⁴² Today I came near the waterfall and said, ‘O! GodO God of my master Abraham, if you now bless my journey with success, ⁴³ (I am standing here near this spring of water) Let this be the test: If a virgin comes out to draw water (to whom I say, “Please give me a little water from your water pitcher”) ⁴⁴ She says to me, “Drink, and I will draw water for your camels also,” she must be the same woman whom God Has been chosen for my master’s son. ⁴⁵ Before I could say this to myself, Rebekah came out carrying a pitcher of water on her shoulder. She went to the spring and started collecting water. I said to him, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ She quickly took down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, I will make your camels drink too.’ So I drank, and he also made the camels drink. ⁴⁷ I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ He said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, who was born to Milcah.’ I put a ring in her nose and bracelets on her wrists. ⁴⁸ I bowed my head and saluted God and blessed GodGod of my master Abraham, who guided me in finding the daughter of my master’s brother as a wife for his son. ⁴⁹ Now if you will show mercy and truth to my master here, then tell me. If not, tell me, so I can know whether to turn to the right or to the left.”

⁵⁰ Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter has been decided. God. We can’t say anything bad or good to you. ⁵¹ Look, Rebekah is right here in front of you. Take her away, and she may become the wife of your master’s son. God Has said.”

⁵² So when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he fell to the ground and worshiped. God. ⁵³ The servant took out silver and gold jewelry and clothes and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to his brother and his mother. ⁵⁴ He and his companions ate and drank, and spent the night there. They arose in the morning, and he said, Send me to my master.

⁵⁵ Her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us for a few days, at least ten days. After that she can go.”

⁵⁶ He said to them, “Don’t stop me, because God Has made my journey successful. Send me on my way so that I can go to my master.”

⁵⁷ He said, “We will call the girl and ask her.” ⁵⁸ He called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want to go with this man?”

She said, “I do.”

⁵⁹ So she sent them all away, including her sister Rebekah, her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his servants. ⁶⁰ They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “O our sister, may you be the mother of millions and millions, and may your descendants rule over the gates of your enemies.”