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[1]AndAbraam was old, advanced in days, and the Lord blessed Abraam in all things.
[2]AndAbraam said to his servant the elder of his house, who had rule over all his possessions, Put thy hand under my thigh,
[3]andI will adjure thee by the Lord the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou take not a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Chananites, with whom I dwell, in the midst of them.
[4]Butthou shalt go instead to my country, where I was born, and to my tribe, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son Isaac.
[5]Andthe servant said to him, Shall I carry back thy son to the land whence thou camest forth, if haply the woman should not be willing to return with me to this land?
[6]AndAbraam said to him, Take heed to thyself that thou carry not my son back thither.
[7]TheLord the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, who took me out of my father's house, and out of the land whence I sprang, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, I will give this land to thee and to thy seed, he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife to my son from thence.
[8]Andif the woman should not be willing to come with thee into this land, thou shalt be clear from my oath, only carry not my son thither again.
[9]Andthe servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraam, and swore to him concerning this matter.
[10]Andthe servant took ten camels of his master's camels, and he took of all the goods of his master with him, and he arose and went into Mesopotamia to the city of Nachor.
[11]Andhe rested his camels without the city by the well of water towards evening, when damsels go forth to draw water.
[12]Andhe said, O Lord God of my master Abraam, prosper my way before me to day, and deal mercifully with my master Abraam.
[13]Lo!I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of them that inhabit the city come forth to draw water.
[14]Andit shall be, the virgin to whomsoever I shall say, Incline thy water-pot, that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink thou, and I will give thy camels drink, until they shall have done drinking—even this one thou hast prepared for thy servant Isaac, and hereby shall I know that thou hast dealt mercifully with my master Abraam.
[15]Andit came to pass before he had done speaking in his mind, that behold, Rebecca the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, the wife of Nachor, and the same the brother of Abraam, came forth, having a water-pot on her shoulders.
[16]Andthe virgin was very beautiful in appearance, she was a virgin, a man had not known her; and she went down to the well, and filled her water-pot, and came up.
[17]Andthe servant ran up to meet her, and said, Give me a little water to drink out of thy pitcher;
[18]andshe said, Drink, Sir; and she hasted, and let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him to drink, till he ceased drinking.
[19]Andshe said, I will also draw water for thy camels, till they shall all have drunk.
[20]Andshe hasted, and emptied the water-pot into the trough, and ran to the well to draw again, and drew water for all the camels.
[21]Andthe man took great notice of her, and remained silent to know whether the Lord had made his way prosperous or not.
[22]Andit came to pass when all the camels ceased drinking, that the man took golden ear-rings, each of a drachm weight, and he put two bracelets on her hands, their weight was ten pieces of gold.
[23]Andhe asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me if there is room for us to lodge with thy father.
[24]Andshe said to him, I am the daughter of Bathuel the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.
[25]Andshe said to him, We have both straw and much provender, and a place for resting.
[26]Andthe man being well pleased, worshipped the Lord,
[27]andsaid, Blessed be the Lord the God of my master Abraam, who has not suffered his righteousness to fail, nor his truth from my master, and the Lord has brought me prosperously to the house of the brother of my lord.
[28]Andthe damsel ran and reported to the house of her mother according to these words.
[29]AndRebecca had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to meet the man, to the well.
[30]Andit came to pass when he saw the ear-rings and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he heard the words of Rebecca his sister, saying, Thus the man spoke to me, that he went to the man, as he stood by the camels at the well.
[31]Andhe said to him, Come in hither, thou blessed of the Lord, why standest thou without, whereas I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?
[32]Andthe man entered into the house, and unloaded the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were with him.
[33]Andhe set before them loaves to eat; but he said, I will not eat, until I have told my errand. And he said, Speak on.
[34]Andhe said, I am a servant of Abraam;
[35]andthe Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he is exalted, and he has given him sheep, and calves, and silver, and gold, servants and servant-maids, camels, and asses.
[36]AndSarrha my master's wife bore one son to my master after he had grown old; and he gave him whatever he had.
[37]Andmy master caused me to swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Chananites, among whom I sojourn in their land.
[38]Butthou shalt go to the house of my father, and to my tribe, and thou shalt take thence a wife for my son.
[39]AndI said to my master, Haply the woman will not go with me.
[40]Andhe said to me, The Lord God to whom I have been acceptable in his presence, himself shall send out his angel with thee, and shall prosper thy journey, and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my tribe, and of the house of my father.
[41]Thenshalt thou be clear from my curse, for whensoever thou shalt have come to my tribe, and they shall not give her to thee, then shalt thou be clear from my oath.
[42]Andhaving come this day to the well, I said, Lord God of my master Abraam, if thou prosperest my journey on which I am now going,
[43]behold,I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come forth to draw water, and it shall be that the damsel to whom I shall say, Give me a little water to drink out of thy pitcher,
[44]andshe shall say to me, Both drink thou, and I will draw water for thy camels, this shall be the wife whom the Lord has prepared for his own servant Isaac; and hereby shall I know that thou hast wrought mercy with my master Abraam.
[45]Andit came to pass before I had done speaking in my mind, straightway Rebecca came forth, having her pitcher on her shoulders; and she went down to the well, and drew water; and I said to her, Give me to drink.
[46]Andshe hasted and let down her pitcher on her arm from her head, and said, Drink thou, and I will give thy camels drink; and I drank, and she gave the camels drink.
[47]AndI asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me; and she said, I am daughter of Bathuel the son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him; and I put on her the ear-rings, and the bracelets on her hands.
[48]Andbeing well-pleased I worshipped the Lord, and I blessed the Lord the God of my master Abraam, who has prospered me in a true way, so that I should take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
[49]Ifthen ye will deal mercifully and justly with my lord, tell me, and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.
[50]AndLaban and Bathuel answered and said, This matter has come forth from the Lord, we shall not be able to answer thee bad or good.
[51]Behold,Rebecca is before thee, take her and go away, and let her be wife to the son of thy master, as the Lord has said.
[52]Andit came to pass when the servant of Abraam heard these words, he bowed himself to the Lord down to the earth.
[53]Andthe servant having brought forth jewels of silver and gold and raiment, gave them to Rebecca, and gave gifts to her brother, and to her mother.
[54]Andboth he and the men with him ate and drank and went to sleep. And he arose in the morning and said, Send me away, that I may go to my master.
[55]Andher brethren and her mother said, Let the virgin remain with us about ten days, and after that she shall depart.
[56]Buthe said to them, Hinder me not, for the Lord has prospered my journey for me; send me away, that I may depart to my master.
[57]Andthey said, Let us call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
[58]Andthey called Rebecca, and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? and she said, I will go.
[59]Sothey sent forth Rebecca their sister, and her goods, and the servant of Abraam, and his attendants.
[60]Andthey blessed Rebecca, and said to her, Thou art our sister; become thou thousands of myriads, and let thy seed possess the cities of their enemies.
[61]AndRebecca rose up and her maidens, and they mounted the camels and went with the man; and the servant having taken up Rebecca, departed.
[62]AndIsaac went through the wilderness to the well of the vision, and he dwelt in the land toward the south.
[63]AndIsaac went forth into the plain toward evening to meditate; and having lifted up his eyes, he saw camels coming.
[64]AndRebecca lifted up her eyes, and saw Isaac; and she alighted briskly from the camel,
[65]andsaid to the servant, Who is that man that walks in the plain to meet us? And the servant said, This is my master; and she took her veil and covered herself.
[66]Andthe servant told Isaac all that he had done.
[67]AndIsaac went into the house of his mother, and took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted for Sarrha his mother.
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