11:29 The one who troubles 1 his family 2 will inherit nothing, 3
and the fool 4 will be a servant to the wise person. 5
14:35 The king shows favor 6 to a wise 7 servant,
but his wrath falls 8 on one who acts shamefully.
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 11 to this land? Must I then 12 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 13 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 14 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 15 promised me with a solemn oath, 16 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 17 before you so that you may find 18 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 19 you will be free 20 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 21
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 22 He journeyed 23 to the region of Aram Naharaim 24 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 25 outside the city. It was evening, 26 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 27 Be faithful 28 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 29 and the daughters of the people 30 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 31 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 32
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 33 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 34 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 35 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 36 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 37 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 38 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 39 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 40 if the Lord had made his journey successful 41 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 42 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 43 and gave them to her. 44 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 45 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 46 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 47 “and room for you 48 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 49 for my master! The Lord has led me 50 to the house 51 of my master’s relatives!” 52
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 53 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 54 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 55 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 56 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 57 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 58 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 59 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 60 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 61 went to the house and unloaded 62 the camels. Straw and feed were given 63 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 64 24:33 When food was served, 65 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 66 “Tell us,” Laban said. 67
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 68 The Lord 69 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 70 when she was old, 71 and my master 72 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 73 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 74 with me?’ 75 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 76 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 77 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 78 may events unfold as follows: 79 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 80 When 81 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 82 along came Rebekah 83 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 84 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 85 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 86
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 87 Our wishes are of no concern. 88 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 89 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 90
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 91 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 92
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 93 24:55 But Rebekah’s 94 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 95 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 96 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 97 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 98 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 99
“Our sister, may you become the mother 100 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 101 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 102 the man. So Abraham’s servant 103 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 104 Isaac came from 105 Beer Lahai Roi, 106 for 107 he was living in the Negev. 108 24:63 He 109 went out to relax 110 in the field in the early evening. 111 Then he looked up 112 and saw that 113 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 114 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 115 Abraham’s servant, 116 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 117 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 118 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 119 as his wife and loved her. 120 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 121
4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to receive advice.