| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. | 1Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in everything. |
| 2So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, | 2Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, "Put your hand under my thigh |
| 3and 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 dwell; | 3so that I may make you solemnly promise by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. |
| 4but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” | 4You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac." |
| 5And 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?” | 5The servant asked him, "What if the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?" |
| 6But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. | 6"Be careful never to take my son back there!" Abraham told him. |
| 7The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. | 7"The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' He will send his angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there. |
| 8And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” | 8But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!" |
| 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. | 9So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. |
| 10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. | 10Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. |
| 11And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. | 11He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city. It was evening, the time when the women would go out to draw water. |
| 12Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. | 12He prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to my master Abraham. |
| 13Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. | 13Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water. |
| 14Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” | 14I 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.' In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master." |
| 15And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. | 15Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 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). |
| 16Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. | 16Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. |
| 17And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” | 17Abraham's servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a sip of water from your jug." |
| 18So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. | 18"Drink, my lord," she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. |
| 19And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” | 19When she had done so, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want." |
| 20Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. | 20She quickly emptied 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. |
| 21And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. | 21Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the LORD had made his journey successful or not. |
| 22So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, | 22After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them to her. |
| 23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” | 23"Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" |
| 24So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” | 24She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. |
| 25Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” | 25We have plenty of straw and feed," she added, "and room for you to spend the night." |
| 26Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. | 26The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD, |
| 27And 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, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” | 27saying "Praised be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master! The LORD has led me to the house of my master's relatives!" |
| 28So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things. | 28The young woman ran and told her mother's household all about these things. |
| 29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. | 29(Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. |
| 30So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. | 30When he saw the bracelets on his sister's wrists and the nose ring and heard his sister Rebekah say, "This is what the man said to me," he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing by the camels near the spring. |
| 31And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” | 31Laban said to him, "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD! Why are you standing out here when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?" |
| 32Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. | 32So Abraham's servant went to the house and unloaded the camels. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. |
| 33Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.” | 33When food was served, he said, "I will not eat until I have said what I want to say." "Tell us," Laban said. |
| 34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. | 34"I am the servant of Abraham," he began. |
| 35The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. | 35"The LORD has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. |
| 36And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. | 36My master's wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master has given him everything he owns. |
| 37Now my 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; | 37My 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, |
| 38but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ | 38but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.' |
| 39And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ | 39But I said to my master, 'What if the woman does not want to go with me?' |
| 40But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. | 40He answered, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, 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. |
| 41You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ | 41You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.' |
| 42“And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, | 42When I came to the spring today, I prayed, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, may events unfold as follows: |
| 43behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” | 43Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw water, I'll say, "Give me a little water to drink from your jug." |
| 44and she says 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.’ | 44Then 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.' |
| 45“But 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. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ | 45"Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah 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.' |
| 46And she made haste and let her pitcher down 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. | 46She 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. |
| 47Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. | 47Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.' I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. |
| 48And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. | 48Then 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 of my master's brother for his son. |
| 49Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” | 49Now, 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." |
| 50Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. | 50Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "This is the LORD's doing. Our wishes are of no concern. |
| 51Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the LORD has spoken.” | 51Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the wife of your master's son, just as the LORD has decided." |
| 52And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. | 52When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. |
| 53Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. | 53Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. |
| 54And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.” | 54After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. When they got up in the morning, he said, "Let me leave now so I can return to my master." |
| 55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.” | 55But Rebekah's brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go." |
| 56And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” | 56But he said to them, "Don't detain me--the LORD has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return to my master." |
| 57So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” | 57Then they said, "We'll call the girl and find out what she wants to do." |
| 58Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” | 58So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Do you want to go with this man?" She replied, "I want to go." |
| 59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. | 59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham's servant and his men. |
| 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become The mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates of those who hate them.” | 60They blessed Rebekah with these words: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies." |
| 61Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. | 61Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man. So Abraham's servant took Rebekah and left. |
| 62Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. | 62Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. |
| 63And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. | 63He went out to relax in the field in the early evening. Then he looked up and saw that there were camels approaching. |
| 64Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; | 64Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel |
| 65for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. | 65and asked Abraham's servant, "Who is that man walking in the field toward us?" "That is my master," the servant replied. So she took her veil and covered herself. |
| 66And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. | 66The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. |
| 67Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. | 67Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent. He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. |
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