Genesis chapter .xxiiij.
¶ Abraham was old and stricken in days, and the LORD had blessed him in all things.
And he said unto his eldest servant of his house which had the rule over all that he had: Put thy hand under my thigh
that I may make thee swear by the LORD that is God of heaven and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son, of the daughters of the Cananites, among which I dwell.
But shalt go unto my country and to my kindred, and there take a wife unto my son Isaac.
Then said the servant unto him: what and if the woman will not agree to come with me unto this land, shall I bring thy son again unto the land which thou camest out of?
And Abraham said unto him: beware of that, that thou bring not my son thither.
The LORD God of heaven which took me from my father's house and from the land where I was born, and which spake unto me and sware unto me saying: unto thy seed will I give this land, he shall send his angel before thee, that thou mayest take a wife unto my son from thence.
Nevertheless if the woman will not agree to come with thee then shalt thou be without danger of this oath. But above all things bring not my son thither again.
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham and sware to him as concerning that matter.
¶ And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed, and had of all manner goods of his master with him, and stood up and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
And made his camels to lie down without the city by a well's side of water, at even: about the time that women come out to draw water,
and he said: LORD God of my master Abraham, send me good speed this day, and shew mercy unto my master Abraham.
Lo I stond here by the well of water and the daughters of the men of this city will come out to draw water:
Now the damsel to whom I say, stoop down thy pitcher, and let me drink. If she say: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also, the same is she that thou hast ordained for thy servant Isaac: yea and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.
And it came to pass yer he had left speaking, that Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bethuel, son to Milkah the wife of Nahor Abraham's brother, and her pitcher upon her shoulder:
The damsel was very fair to look upon, and yet a maid and unknown of man. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up again.
Then the servant ran unto her and said: let me sip a little water of thy pitcher.
And she said: drink my lord. And she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her arm and gave him drink.
And when she had given him drink, she said: I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have drunk enough.
And she poured out her pitcher into the trough hastily, and ran again unto the well, to fetch water: and drew for all his camels.
And the fellow wondered at her. But held his peace, to wete whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
And as the camels had left drinking, he took an earing of half a sicle weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten sicles weight of gold,
and said unto her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there room in thy father's house, for us to lodge in?
And she said unto him: I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milkah which she bare unto Nahor:
and said moreover unto him: we have litter and provender enough and also room to lodge in.
And the man bowed himself and worshipped the LORD,
and said: blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham which ceaseth not to deal mercifully and truly with my master. And hath brought me the way to my master's brother's house.
And the damsel ran and told them of her mother's house these things.
¶ And Rebecca had a brother called Laban. And Laban ran out unto the man, to the well:
for as soon as he had seen the earings and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and heard the words of Rebecca his sister saying thus said the man unto me, then he went out unto the man. And lo, he stood yet with the camels by the well side.
And Laban said: come in thou blessed of the LORD. Wherefore stondest thou without? I have dressed the house and made room for the camels.
And then the man came in to the house: and he unbridled the camels: and brought litter and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and their feet that were with him,
and there was meat set before him to eat. But he said: I will not eat, until I have said mine errand: And he said: say on;
And he said: I am Abraham's servant,
and the LORD hath blessed my master out of measure that he is become great and hath given him sheep, oxen, silver and gold, menservants, maidservants, camels and asses.
And Sara my master's wife bare him a son, when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.
And my master made me swear saying: Thou shalt not take a wife to my son, among the daughters of the Cananites in whose land I dwell.
But thou shalt go unto my father's house and to my kindred, and there take a wife unto my son.
And I said unto my master: What if the wife will not follow me?
And he said unto me: The LORD before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy journey that thou shalt take a wife for my son, of my kindred and of my father's house.
But and if (when thou comest unto my kindred) they will not give thee one, then shalt thou bear no peril of mine oath.
And I came this day unto the well and said: O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if it be so that thou makest my journey which I go, prosperous:
behold, I stond by this well of water, and when a virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her: give me a little water of thy pitcher to drink,
and she say again to me: drink thou, and I will also draw water for thy camels: that same is the wife, whom the LORD hath prepared for my master's son.
And before I had made an end of speaking in mine heart: behold Rebecca came forth, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down unto the well and drew. And I said unto her give me drink.
And she made haste, and took down her pitcher from off her, and said: drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. And I drank, and she gave the camels drink also.
And I asked her saying: whose daughter art thou? And she answered: the daughter of Bathuel Nahor's son, whom Milkah bare unto him. And I put the earing upon her face and the bracelets upon her hands.
And I bowed myself, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham which had brought me the right way, to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
Now therefore if ye will deal mercifully and truly with my master, tell me: And if not, tell me also: that I may turn me to the right hand or to the left.
Then answered Laban and Bathuel saying: The thing is proceeded even out of the LORD, we can not therefore say unto thee, either good or bad:
Behold Rebecca before thy face, take her and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, even as the LORD hath said.
And when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself unto the LORD, flat upon the earth.
And the servant took forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment, and gave them to Rebecca: But unto her brother and to her mother, he gave spices.
¶ And then they ate and drank, both he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night and rose up in the morning. And he said: let me depart unto my master.
But her brother and her mother said: let the damsel abide with us a while, and it be but even ten days, and then go thy ways.
And he said unto them, hinder me not: for the LORD hath prospered my journey. Send me away that I may go unto my master.
And they said: let us call the damsel, and wit what she saith to the matter.
And they called forth Rebecca and said unto her: wilt thou go with this man? And she said: Yea.
Then they brought Rebecca their sister on the way and her nurse and Abraham's servant, and the men that were with him.
And they blessed Rebecca and said unto her: Thou art our sister, grow into thousand thousands, and thy seed possess the gates of their enemies.
And Rebecca arose and her damsels, and sat them up upon the camels and went their way after the man. And the servant took Rebecca and went his way.
¶ And Isaac was a coming from the well of the living and seeing, for he dwelt in the south country,
and was gone out to walk in his meditations before the even tide. And he lift up his eyes and looked, and behold the camels were coming.
And Rebecca lift up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel,
and said unto the servant: what man is this that cometh against us in the field? And the servant said: it is my master. And then she took her mantle, and put it about her.
And the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
Then Isaac brought her in to his mother Sara's tent, and took Rebecca and she became his wife, and he loved her: and so was Isaac comforted over his mother.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.