The Book of Genesis

Now Abraham was old, and advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed him in all things.

And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,

That I may make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:

But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.

The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place from whence thou camest out?

And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again thither.

The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father's house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.

But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath: only bring not my son back thither again.

The servant, therefore, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his lord, and swore to him upon his word.

And he took ten camels of his master's herd, and departed, carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forward and went on to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nachor.

And when he had made the camels lie down without the town, near a well of water, in the evening, at the time when women are wont to come out to draw water, he said:

O Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, meet me today, I beseech thee, and shew kindness to my master, Abraham.

Behold, I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water:

Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let it be the same whom thou hast provided for thy servant Isaac: and by this, I shall understand that thou hast shewn kindness to my master.

He had not yet ended these words within himself, and behold Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder:

An exceeding comely maid, and a most beautiful virgin, and not known to man: and she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher, and was coming back.

And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little water to drink of thy pitcher.

And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink.

And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for thy camels also, till they all drink.

And pouring out the pitcher into the troughs, she ran back to the well to draw water; and having drawn, she gave to all the camels.

But he musing, beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden earrings, weighing two sicles; and as many bracelets, of ten sicles weight.

And he said to her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there any place in thy father's house to lodge?

And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.

And she said, moreover, to him: We have good store of both straw and hay, and a large place to lodge in.

The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord,

Saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not taken away his mercy and truth from my master, and hath brought me the straight way into the house of my master's brother.

Then the maid ran, and told in her mother's house all that she had heard.

And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban, who went out in haste to the man, to the well.

And when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister's hands, and had heard all that she related, saying, Thus and thus the man spoke to me: he came to the man who stood by the camels, and near to the spring of water,

And said to him: Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; why standest thou without? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.

And he brought him into his lodging; and he unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and hay, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were come with him.

And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat, till I tell my message. He answered him: Speak.

And he said: I am the servant of Abraham:

And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, and he is become great: and he hath given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men servants and women servants, camels and asses.

And Sara, my master's wife, hath borne my master a son in her old age, and he hath given him all that he had.

And my master made me swear, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the Chanaanites, in whose land I dwell:

But thou shalt go to my father's house, and shalt take a wife of my own kindred for my son:

But I answered my master: What if the woman will not come with me?

The Lord, said he, in whose sight I walk, will send his angel with thee, and will direct thy way: and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my own kindred, and of my father's house.

But thou shalt be clear from my curse, when thou shalt come to my kindred, if they will not give thee one.

And I came today to the well of water, and said: O Lord God of my master, Abraham, if thou hast prospered my way, wherein I now walk,