Bible (King James)/Genesis/Chapter 24

1857.And Abraham ^[1] was old, and †† Heb. gone into days. well ſtricken in age: and the LORD ^[2] had bleſſed Abraham in all things.

2 And Abraham ſaid ^[3] unto his eldeſt ſervant of his houſe, that ^[4] ruled over all that he had, ^[5] Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

3 And I will make thee ^[6] ſwear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that ^[7] thou ſhalt not take a wife unto my ſon of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

4 ^[8] But thou ſhalt go ^[9] unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my ſon Iſaac.

5 And the ſervant ſaid unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: muſt I needs bring thy ſon again unto the land from whence thou cameſt?

6 And Abraham ſaid unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my ſon thither again.

7 The LORD God of heaven, which ^[10] took me from my father's houſe, and from the land of my kindred, and which ſpake unto me, and that ſware unto me, ſaying, ^[11] Unto thy ſeed will I give this land; ^[12] he ſhall ſend his angel before thee, and thou ſhalt take a wife unto my ſon from thence.

8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then ^[13] thou ſhalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my ſon thither again.

9 And the ſervant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his maſter, and ſware to him concerning that matter.

10 ¶ And the ſervant took ten camels of the camels of his maſter, and departed; ‖‖ Or, and. ^[14] for all the goods of his maſter were in his hand: and he aroſe, and went to Meſopotamia, unto ^[15] the city of Nahor.

11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time †† Heb. that women which draw water go forth. ^[16] that women go out to draw water.

12 ¶ And he ſaid, ^[17] O LORD God of my maſter Abraham, I pray thee, ^[18] ſend me good ſpeed this day, and ſhew kindneſs unto my maſter Abraham.

13 Behold, ^[19] I ſtand here by the well of water; ^[20] and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:

14 And let it come to paſs, that the damſel to whom I ſhall ſay, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and ſhe ſhall ſay, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink alſo: let the ſame be ſhe that thou haſt appointed for thy ſervant Iſaac; and ^[21] thereby ſhall I know that thou haſt ſhewed kindneſs unto my maſter.

15 ¶ And it came to paſs, before he had done ſpeaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, ſon of ^[22] Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her ſhoulder.

16 And the damſel ^[23] was †† Heb. good of countenance. very fair to look ​upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and ſhe went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17 And the ſervant ran to meet her, and ſaid, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

18 ^[24] And ſhe ſaid, Drink, my lord: and ſhe haſted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

19 And when ſhe had done giving him drink, ſhe ſaid, I will draw water for thy camels alſo, until they have done drinking.

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

21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether ^[25] the LORD had made his journey proſperous or not.

22 ¶ And it came to paſs, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ^[26] ‖‖ Or, jewel for the forehead. earring of half a ſhekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten ſhekels weight of gold;

23 And ſaid, Whoſe daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's houſe for us to lodge in?

24 And ſhe ſaid unto him, ^[27] I am the daughter of Bethuel the ſon of Milcah, which ſhe bare unto Nahor.

25 She ſaid moreover unto him, We have both ſtraw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.

26 And the man ^[28] bowed down his head, and worſhipped the LORD.

27 And he ſaid, ^[29] Bleſſed be the LORD God of my maſter Abraham, who hath not left deſtitute my maſter of ^[30] his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD ^[31] led me to the houſe of my maſter's brethren.

28 And the damſel ran, and told them of her mother's houſe theſe things.

29 ¶ And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was ^[32] Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

30 And it came to paſs, when he ſaw the earring and bracelets upon his ſiſter's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his ſiſter, ſaying, Thus ſpake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he ſtood by the camels at the well.

31 And he ſaid, Come in, ^[33] thou bleſſed of the LORD; wherefore ſtandeſt thou without? for I have prepared the houſe, and room for the camels.

32 And the man came into the houſe: and he ungirded his camels, and ^[34] gave ſtraw and provender for the camels, and water to waſh his feet, and the men's feet that were with him.

33 And there was ſet meat before him to eat: but he ſaid, ^[35] I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he ſaid, Speak on.

34 ¶ And he ſaid, I am Abraham's ſervant.

35 And the LORD ^[36] hath bleſſed my maſter greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and ſilver, and gold, and menſervants, and maidſervants, and camels, and aſſes.

36 And Sarah my maſter's wife ^[37] bare a ſon to my maſter when ſhe was old: and ^[38] unto him hath he given all that he hath.

37 And my maſter ^[39] made me ſwear, ſaying, Thou ſhalt not take a wife to my ſon of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whoſe land I dwell:

38 ^[40] But thou ſhalt go unto my father's houſe, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my ſon.

39 ^[41] And I ſaid unto my maſter, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

40 ^[42] And he ſaid unto me, The LORD, ^[43] before whom I walk, will ſend his angel with thee, and proſper thy way; and thou ſhalt take a wife for my ſon of my kindred, and of my father's houſe:

41 ^[44] Then ſhalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comeſt to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou ſhalt be clear from my oath.

42 And I came this day unto the well, and ſaid, ^[45] O LORD God of my maſter Abraham, if now thou do proſper my way which I go:

43 ^[46] Behold, I ſtand by the well of water; and it ſhall come to paſs, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I ſay to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;

44 And ſhe ſay to me, Both drink thou, and I will alſo draw for thy camels: let the ſame be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my maſter's ſon.

45 ^[47] And before I had done ^[48] ſpeaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her ſhoulder; and ſhe went down unto the well, and drew water: and I ſaid unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

46 And ſhe made haſte, and let down her pitcher from her ſhoulder, and ſaid, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink alſo: ſo I drank, and ſhe made the camels drink alſo.

47 And I aſked her, and ſaid, Whoſe daughter art thou? And ſhe ſaid, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's ſon, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I ^[49] put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.

48 ^[50] And I bowed down my head, and ​worſhipped the LORD, and bleſſed the LORD God of my maſter Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take ^[51] my maſter's brother's daughter unto his ſon.

49 And now if ye will ^[52] deal kindly and truly with my maſter, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.

50 ¶ Then Laban and Bethuel anſwered and ſaid, ^[53] The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot ^[54] ſpeak unto thee bad or good.

51 Behold, Rebekah ^[55] is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy maſter's ſon's wife, as the LORD hath ſpoken.

52 And it came to paſs, that, when Abraham's ſervant heard their words, he ^[56] worſhipped the LORD, bowing himſelf to the earth.

53 And the ſervant brought forth †† Heb. veſſels. ^[57] jewels of ſilver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave alſo to her brother and to her mother ^[58] precious things.

54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they roſe up in the morning, and he ſaid, ^[59] Send me away unto my maſter.

55 And her brother and her mother ſaid, Let the damſel abide with us ‖‖ Or, a full year, or ten months.
Judg. 14. 8. a few days, at the leaſt ten; after that ſhe ſhall go.

56 And he ſaid unto them, Hinder me not, ſeeing the LORD hath proſpered my way; ſend me away that I may go to my maſter.

57 And they ſaid, We will call the damſel, and enquire at her mouth.

58 And they called Rebekah, and ſaid unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And ſhe ſaid, I will go.

59 And they ſent away Rebekah their ſiſter, and ^[60] her nurſe, and Abraham's ſervant, and his men.

60 And they bleſſed Rebekah, and ſaid unto her, Thou art our ſiſter, be thou ^[61] the mother of thouſands of millions, and ^[62] let thy ſeed poſſeſs the gate of thoſe which hate them.

61 And Rebekah aroſe, and her damſels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the ſervant took Rebekah, and went his way.

62 ¶ And Iſaac came from the way of the ^[63] well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the ſouth country.

63 And Iſaac went out ‖‖ Or, to pray. ^[64] to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and ſaw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when ſhe ſaw Iſaac, ^[65] ſhe lighted off the camel.

65 For ſhe had ſaid unto the ſervant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the ſervant had ſaid, It is my maſter: therefore ſhe took a vail, and covered herſelf.

66 And the ſervant told Iſaac all things that he had done.

67 And Iſaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and ſhe became his wife; and he loved her: and Iſaac ^[66] was comforted after his mother's death.