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CHAPTER 24
1 Forsooth Abraham was eld [or old], and of many days, and the Lord had blessed him in all things.
2 And he said to the elder servant of his house, that was sovereign on all things that he had, Put thou thine hand under mine hip,
3 that I conjure or adjure thee by the Lord God of heaven and of earth, that thou take not a wife to my son of the daughters of Canaan, among which I dwell;
4 but that thou go to my land and kindred, and thereof take a wife to my son Isaac.
5 The servant answered, If the woman will not come with me into this land, whether I owe to lead again thy son to the place, from which thou wentest out?
6 Abraham said, Beware, lest any time thou lead again thither my son;
7 the Lord God of heaven that took me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, which spake to me, and swore, and said, I shall give this land to thy seed, he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife to my son;
8 forsooth if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be holden by the oath; nevertheless lead not again my son thither.
9 Therefore the servant putted his hand under the hip of Abraham, his lord, and swore to him on this word.
10 And he took ten camels of the flock of his lord, and went forth, and bare with him of all the goods of his lord; and he went forth, and came to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 And when he had made the camels to rest without the city, beside a pit or well of water, in the eventide, in that time in which women be wont to go out to draw water,
12 he said, Lord God of my lord Abraham, I beseech, meet with me today, and do mercy with my lord Abraham.
13 Lo! I stand nigh the well of water, and the daughters of the dwellers of this city shall go out to draw water;
14 therefore the damsel to which I shall say, Bow down thy water pot that I drink, and [she] shall answer, Drink thou, but also I shall give drink to thy camels, that it is which thou hast made ready to thy servant Isaac; and by this I shall understand that thou hast done mercy to my lord Abraham.
15 And he had not yet [full-]filled the words within himself, and lo! Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham, went out, having a water pot in her shoulder;
16 a damsel full comely/full shapely, and fairest virgin, and unknown of man. Soothly she came down to the well, and filled the water pot, and turned again.
17 And the servant met her, and said, Give thou to me a little of the water of thy pot to drink.
18 Which answered, Drink thou, my lord. And anon she did down the water pot on her shoulder, and gave drink to him.
19 And when he had drunk, she said, But also I shall draw water to thy camels, till all have drunk.
20 And she poured out the water pot in[to] troughs, and ran again to the pit, to draw water, and she gave water drawn to all the camels.
21 Soothly he beheld her privily, and would wit whether the Lord had sped his way, or nay.
22 Therefore after that the camels had drunk, the man brought forth golden earrings, weighing two shekels, and as many bands of the arm, in the weight of ten shekels.
23 And he said to her, Whose daughter art thou? show thou to me, is [there] any place in the house of thy father to dwell in?
24 Which answered, I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah childed to him.
25 And she added, saying, Also full much of provender and of hay is at us, and a large place to dwell in.
26 The man bowed himself, and worshipped the Lord,
27 and said, Blessed be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which took not away his mercy and truth from my lord, and led me by the right way, into the house of the brother of my lord.
28 And so the damsel ran, and told in the house of her mother all things which she had heard.
29 Soothly Rebecca had a brother, Laban by name, which went out hastily to the man, where he was withoutforth.
30 And when he had seen the earrings, and bands of the arm in the hands of his sister, and had heard all the words of her, telling, The man spake to me these things, he came to the man that stood beside the camels, and nigh the well of water,
31 and said to him, Enter thou, the blessed of the Lord; why standest thou withoutforth? I have made ready the house, and a place to thy camels.
32 And he brought him into the inn, and unsaddled the camels, and gave provender, and hay, and water to wash the feet of the camels, and of men that came with him.
33 And bread was set forth in his sight, the which said, I shall not eat till I speak my words. He answered to the man, Speak thou.
34 And the man said, I am the servant of Abraham,
35 and the Lord hath blessed my lord greatly, and he is made great; and God gave to him sheep, and oxen, silver, and gold, servants, and handmaids, and camels, and asses.
36 And Sarah, my lord’s wife, childed a son to my lord in his eld age, and Abraham, my lord, hath given all things that he had to that son.
37 And my lord charged me greatly, and said, Thou shalt not take to my son a wife of the daughters of Canaan, in whose land I dwell,
38 but thou shalt go to the house of my father, and of my kindred thou shalt take a wife to my son.
39 Forsooth I answered to my lord, What if the woman will not come with me?
40 He said, The Lord, in whose sight I go, shall send his angel with thee, and shall dress thy way; and thou shalt take a wife to my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house.
41 Thou shalt be innocent from my curse, when thou comest to my kins-men, and they give not her to thee.
42 Therefore I came today to the well of water, and said, Lord God of my lord Abraham, if thou hast dressed my way in which I go now,
43 lo! I stand beside the well of water, and the maid[en] that shall go out to draw water, heareth me say to her, Give thou to me a little of water to drink of thy pot,
44 and she say to me, And thou drink, and I shall draw water to thy camels, that is the woman which the Lord hath made ready to the son of my lord.
45 While I turned in thought these things with me, Rebecca appeared, coming with a pot which she bare in her shoulder; and she went down to the well, and drew water. And I said to her, Give thou a little to me to drink;
46 and she hasted, and did down the pot off the shoulder, and said to me, And thou drink, and I shall give drink to thy camels; I drank, and she watered the camels.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? Which answered, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, whom Milcah childed to him. And so I hanged earrings to adorn her face, and I put bands of the arm in her hands,
48 and low-like I worshipped the Lord, and I blessed the Lord God of my lord Abraham, which God led me by the right way, that I should take the daughter of the brother of my lord to his son.
49 Wherefore if ye do mercy and truth with my lord, show ye to me; else if other thing pleaseth, also say ye this, that I go to the right side or to the left side.
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, The word is gone out of the Lord; we may not speak any other thing with thee without his pleasance [or pleasing].
51 Lo! Rebecca is before thee; take thou her, and go forth, and be she [the] wife of the son of thy lord, as the Lord spake.
52 And when the servant of Abraham had heard this, he felled down, and worshipped the Lord in earth.
53 And when vessels of silver, and of gold, and clothes were brought forth, he gave those to Rebecca for a gift, and he gave gifts to her brethren, and mother.
54 And when a feast was made, they ate and drank together, and dwelled there. Forsooth the servant rose early, and said, Deliver ye me, that I go to my lord.
55 Her brethren and mother answered, The damsel dwell namely ten days at us, and afterward she shall go forth.
56 The servant said, Do not ye hold me, for the Lord hath dressed my way; deliver ye me, that I go to my lord.
57 And they said, Call we the damsel, and ask we her will.
58 And when she was called, and came, they asked her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I shall go.
59 Therefore they delivered her, and her nurse, and the servant of Abraham, and his fellows,
60 and wished prosperities to their sister, and said, Thou art our sister, increase thou into a thousand thousands, and thy seed wield the gates of his enemies.
61 Therefore Rebecca and her damsels ascended [or went up] on the camels, and pursued [or followed] the man, which turned again hastily to his lord.
62 In that time Isaac walked by the way that leadeth to the pit or well, whose name is of him that liveth and seeth; for he dwelled in the south land.
63 And he went out to think in the field, for the day was bowed [down] then; and when he had raised [up] his eyes, he saw camels coming from afar.
64 And when Isaac was seen, Rebecca lighted down off the camel,
65 and said to the servant, Who is that man that cometh by the field into the meeting of us? And the servant said to her, It is my lord. And she took soon a mantle, and covered herself.
66 Forsooth the servant told to his lord Isaac all things which he had done;
67 Isaac led her into the tabernacle of Sarah, his mother, and took her to wife; and so much he loved her, that he assuaged the sorrow which befell to him of the death of his mother.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble