Genesis 24
24
Isaac and Rebekah
1#Ge 13:2; 12:2Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2#Ge 47:29; 39:4–6So Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who was in charge over all that he had, “Please, place your hand under my thigh, 3#Ge 26:34–35; 14:22and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. 4#Ge 28:2But you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5Then the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7#Ge 13:15; 15:18The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s family and from the land of my relatives, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He shall send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8#Jos 2:17–20If the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from my oath. Only do not take my son back there.” 9#Ge 24:2So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10#Ge 11:31; Dt 23:4Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to the city of Nahor in Aram Naharaim. 11#1Sa 9:11; Ex 2:16He made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water in the evening when the women came out to draw water.
12#Ge 24:27; 26:24Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please let me have success this day and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13#Ge 24:43See, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14#Jdg 6:17; 6:37Let it be that the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please lower your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water also’—let her be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. Then I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15#Ge 11:29; 24:45Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milkah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with a pitcher on her shoulder. 16#Ge 26:7The young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, and no man had ever been with her. She went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.
17#Jn 4:7Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let down her pitcher to her hand and gave him a drink.
19#Ge 24:14When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough and ran to the well to draw water and drew for all his camels. 21#Ge 24:12The man, gazing at her, remained silent, trying to discern whether the Lord had made his journey a success or not.
22#Ex 32:2–3When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose ring of half a shekel weight#About 1/5 ounce, or 5.7 grams. and two bracelets for her wrists of ten shekels weight#About 4 ounces, or 115 grams. in gold, 23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24#Ge 24:15; 22:23She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25Again she said to him, “We have both straw and provision enough, and room in which to lodge.”
26#Ge 24:48; 24:52Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. 27#Ge 24:48; 24:12; 32:10And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household of these things. 29#Ge 29:5Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man at the well. 30When he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister’s hands and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man who stood by the camels at the well. 31#Ge 26:29; Ru 3:10And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”
32#Ge 43:24; Jdg 19:21So the man came to the house. Then he unloaded his camels and gave straw and provision to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33He then set food before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.”
And he said, “Speak on.”
34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35#Ge 13:2; 24:1The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy. He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36#Ge 25:5; 21:1–7Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given to him all that he has. 37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live. 38#Ge 24:4But you shall go to my father’s house, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’
39“So I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
40#Ge 17:1; 24:7“Then he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house. 41#Ge 24:8You will be free from my oath, when you come to my family, if they will not give her to you; then you will be released from my oath.’
42#Ne 1:11“So today I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if You will now give me success in my task; 43#Ge 24:13–14I am standing by the well of water, and let it be that when the virgin comes forth to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44#Ge 24:14and she says to me, “Drink, and I will also draw for your camels,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. Then I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
46“She then quickly let down her pitcher from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47“Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milkah bore for him.’
“So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48#Ge 24:26–27; 24:52And I bowed down my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49#Ge 47:29; Jos 2:14And now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50#Ge 31:24; 31:29Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “This thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51#Ge 24:15Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52#Ge 24:26; 24:48When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. 53#Ex 3:22; 11:2Then the servant brought out jewels of silver and gold, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54#Ge 24:56; 24:59Then they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed all night.
The next morning they arose, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”
55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”
56So he said to them, “Do not delay me, seeing the Lord has given me success. Let me go that I may go to my master.”
57They said, “We will call the girl and ask her.” 58Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”
59#Ge 35:8So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60#Ge 17:16; 22:17They blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister, become the mother
of thousands of ten thousands;
and may your descendants possess
the gate of those who hate them.”
61Then Rebekah and her maids arose and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62#Ge 16:14; 25:11Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he lived in the Negev. 63#Ps 1:2; 119:15Isaac went out in the evening to meditate in the field; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and surely the camels were coming. 64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel 65and said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?”
The servant said, “It is my master.” Therefore she took a veil and covered herself.
66Then the servant told Isaac all the things he had done. 67#Ge 37:35; 38:12So Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
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Genesis 24: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Genesis 24
24
Isaac and Rebekah
1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord #ver. 35; ch. 13:2had blessed Abraham in all things. 2And Abraham said to his servant, #[ch. 15:2] the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, #ver. 9; ch. 47:29“Put your hand under my thigh, 3that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that #ch. 26:34, 35; 27:46; Deut. 7:3; [2 Cor. 6:14]you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4#[ch. 28:2]but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7The Lord, the God of heaven, #ch. 12:1 who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, #See ch. 12:7 ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ #Ex. 23:20, 23; 33:2; [Heb. 1:14]he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then #See Josh. 2:17-20you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9So the servant #ver. 2put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to #Deut. 23:4; Judg. 3:8Mesopotamia#24:10 Hebrew Aram-naharaim to the city of Nahor. 11And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when #1 Sam. 9:11; John 4:7women go out to draw water. 12And he said, “O Lord, #ver. 27, 42, 48 God of my master Abraham, #ch. 27:20please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13Behold, #ver. 43I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. #See ch. 15:8By this#24:14 Or By her I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”
15Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of #ch. 11:29; 22:23Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16The young woman #ch. 26:7was very attractive in appearance, a maiden#24:16 Or a woman of marriageable age whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” 18She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. 19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.
22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel,#24:22 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, 23and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24She said to him, #ver. 15; ch. 22:23“I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” 26#ver. 48, 52; Ex. 4:31The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 27and said, “Blessed be the Lord, #ver. 12, 42, 48 the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken #ch. 32:10; Ps. 98:3 his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord #ver. 48has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” 28Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
29Rebekah had a brother whose name was #ch. 25:20; 28:2; 29:5Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. 30As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31He said, “Come in, #[ch. 26:29; Judg. 17:2; Ruth 3:10]O blessed of the Lord. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32So the man came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave #ch. 43:24; Judg. 19:21 straw and fodder to the camels, and there was #See ch. 18:4water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”
34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35The Lord #ver. 1has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys. 36And Sarah my master’s wife #ch. 21:2 bore a son to my master when she was old, and #ch. 25:5to him he has given all that he has. 37#ver. 3-8My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, 38but you shall go to my father’s house and to my clan and take a wife for my son.’ 39I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40But he said to me, ‘The Lord, #ch. 17:1 before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and #ver. 21prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house. 41Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
42“I came today to the spring and said, #ver. 12, 27 ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you #[See ver. 40 above]are prospering the way that I go, 43behold, I am standing #ver. 13by the spring of water. Let the virgin who comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44#ver. 14, 18and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,” let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45“Before I had finished #1 Sam. 1:13speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 47Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ #[Ezek. 16:11, 12]So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. 48#ver. 26, 52 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, #[See ver. 42 above] the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way#24:48 Or faithfully to take #[ch. 22:23]the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49Now then, if you are going to #ch. 47:29; Josh. 2:14show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot #ch. 31:24; 2 Sam. 13:22speak to you bad or good. 51Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, #See ver. 13-15, 42-46as the Lord has spoken.”
52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, #[See ver. 48 above]he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord. 53And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, #ver. 56, 59“Send me away to my master.” 55Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and #ch. 35:8her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you #ch. 17:16 become
thousands of ten thousands,
and #ch. 22:17may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!”#24:60 Or hate them
61Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and went his way.
62Now Isaac had returned from #ch. 16:14; 25:11Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb. 63And Isaac went out #Ps. 77:12; 143:5to meditate in the field toward evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were camels coming. 64And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65and said to the servant, “Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was #ch. 37:35; 38:12 comforted after his mother’s #ch. 23:2death.
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