THE WORD OF ELOHIM

GENESIS

Chapter 24

     Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and Yehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.   And Abraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by Yehovah, Elohim of heaven and Elohim of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kna’aniy among whom I dwell; but will go to the land of my birth and get a wife for my son Yischaq.”  And the servant said to him, “What if the woman does not consent to follow me to this land, shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”  Abraham answered him, “On no account must you take my son back there!  Yehovah, Elohim of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from my native land, who promised me on oath, saying, ‘I will assign this land to your offspring’—He will send His angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there.  And if the woman does not consent to follow you, you shall then be clear of this oath to me, but do not take my son back there.”  So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore to him as bidden.

     Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and set out, taking with him all the bounty of his master, and he made his way to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nachor.  He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city, at evening time, the time when women come out to draw water.  And he said, “O Yehovah, Elohim of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham: Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Yischaq.  Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.”

     He had scarcely finished speaking, when Rivqah, who was born to Bthuw’el, the son of Milkah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nachor, came out with her jar on her shoulder.  The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known.  She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.  The servant ran toward her and said, “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.”  “Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink.  When she had let him drink his fill, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.”  Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.

     The man, meanwhile, stood gazing at her, silently wondering whether Yehovah had made his errand successful or not.  When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel, and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight.  “Pray tell me,” He said, “whose daughter are you?  Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”  She replied, “I am the daughter of Bthuw’el the son of Milkah, whom she bore to Nachor.”  And she went on, “There is plenty of straw and feed at home, and also room to spend the night.”  The man bowed low in homage to Yehovah and said, “Blessed be Yehovah, Elohim of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast faithfulness from my master; for I have been guided on my errand by Yehovah, to the house of my master’s kinsmen.”

     The maiden ran and told all this to her mother’s household.  Now Rivqah had a brother whose name was Laban.  Laban ran out to the man at the spring—when he saw the nose-ring and the bands on his sister’s arms, and when he heard his sister Rivqah say, “Thus the man spoke to me.”  He went up to the man, who was still standing beside the camels at the spring.  “Come in, O blessed of Yehovah, “ he said, “why do you remain outside, when I have made ready the house and a place for the camels?”  

So the man entered the house, and the camels were unloaded.  The camels were given straw and feed, and water was brought to bathe his feet and the feet of the men with him.  But when food was set before him, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my tale.”  He said, “Speak, then.”

     I am Abraham’s servant,” he began, “Yehovah has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich:  He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and asses.  And Sarah, my master’s wife bore my master a son in her old age, and he has assigned to him everything he owns.  Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kna’aniy  in whose land I dwell; but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ And I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not follow me?” He replied to me, ‘Yehovah, whose ways I have followed, will send His angel with you and make your errand successful; and you will get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father’s house.  Thus only shall you be freed from my adjuration:  If, when you come to my kindred, they refuse you—only then shall you be freed from my adjuration.’

     “I came today, to the spring, and I said:  O Yehovah, Elohim of my master Abraham, if you would indeed grant success to the errand on which I am engaged!  As I stand by the spring of water, let the young woman who comes out to draw and to whom I say, ‘Please, let me drink a little water from your jar,’ and who answers, ‘You may drink, and I will also draw for your camels’—let her be the wife whom Yehovah has decreed for my master’s son.”  I had scarcely finished praying in my heart, when Rivqah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew.  And I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’  She quickly lowered her jar and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’  So I drank, and she also watered the camels.  I inquired of her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’  And she said, ‘The daughter of Bthuw’el, son of Nachor, whom Milkah bore to him.’  And I put the ring on her nose and the bands on her arms.  Then I bowed low in homage to Yehovah and blessed Yehovah, Elohim of my master Abraham, who led me on the right way to get the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.  And now, if you mean to treat my master with true kindness; tell me, and if not, tell me also, that I may turn right or left.”

     Then Laban and Bthuw’el answered, “The matter was decreed by Yehovah; we cannot speak to you bad or good.  Here is Rivqah before you; take her and go, and let her be a wife to your master’s son, as Yehovah has spoken.”  When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed low to the ground before Yehovah.  The servant brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rivqah; and he gave presents to her brother and her mother.  Then he and the men with him ate and drank, and they spent the night.  When they arose next morning, he said, “Give me leave to go to my master.”  But her brother and her mother said, “Let the maiden remain with us some ten days; then you may go.”  He said to them, “Do not delay me, now that Yehovah has made my errand successful.  Give me leave that I may go to my master.”  And they said, “Let us call the girl and ask for her reply.”  They called Rivqah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”  And she said, “I will.”  So they sent off their sister Rivqah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men.  And they blessed Rivqah and said to her,

“O sister!

May you grow into thousands of myriads;

May your offspring seize the gates of their foes.”

     Then Rivqah and her maids arose, mounted the camels, and followed the man.  So the servant took Rivqah and went his way.

     Yischaq had just come back from the vicinity of Beer Lachay Roi, for he was settled in the region of the Negeb.  And Yischaq went out walking in the field, toward evening, and, looking up, he saw camels approaching.  Raising her eyes, Rivqah saw Yischaq.  She alighted from the camel and said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?”  And the servant said, “That is my master,” So she took her veil and covered herself.  The servant told Yischaq all the things that he had done.  Yischaq then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rivqah as his wife.  Yischaq loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death.

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