BERESHITH (GENESIS) 24

Gen 24:1 And Aḇraham was old, advanced in years. And יהוה had blessed
Aḇraham in every way.
Gen 24:2 And Aḇraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled
over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,
Gen 24:3 so that I make you swear by יהוה, the Elohim of the heavens and the
Elohim of the earth, that you do not take a wife for my son from the daughters
of the Kena‛anites, among whom I dwell,
Gen 24:4 but to go to my land and to my relatives, and take a wife for my
son Yitsḥaq.”
Gen 24:5 And the servant said to him, “What if the woman refuses to follow
me to this land? Do I then take your son back to the land from which you
came?”
Gen 24:6 And Aḇraham said to him, “Beware lest you take my son back
there!
Gen 24:7 “ יהוה, Elohim of the heavens, who took me from my father’s house
and from the land of my relatives, and who spoke to me and swore to me,
saying, ‘To your seed I give this land,’ He sends His messenger before you,
and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
Gen 24:8 “And if the woman refuses to follow you, then you shall be
released from this oath; only, do not take my son back there.”
Gen 24:9 Then the servant put his hand under the thigh of Aḇraham his
master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
Gen 24:10 And the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, for all
his master’s good gifts were in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram
Naharayim, to the city of Naḥor.
Gen 24:11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a fountain
of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
Gen 24:12 And he said, “ יהוה, Elohim of my master Aḇraham, please cause
her to meet before me this day, and show kindness to my master Aḇraham.
Gen 24:13 “See, I am standing here by the fountain of water, and the
daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
Gen 24:14 “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let
down your jar to let me drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and let me water your
camels too,’ let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant
Yitsḥaq. And let me know by this that You have shown kindness to my
master.”
Gen 24:15 And it came to be, before he had ended speaking, that see,
Riḇqah, who was born to Bethu’ĕl, son of Milkah, the wife of Naḥor,
Aḇraham’s brother, came out with her jar on her shoulder.
Gen 24:16 And the young woman was very good-looking, a maiden, no man
having known her. And she went down to the fountain, filled her jar, and
came up.
Gen 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a
little water from your jar.”
Gen 24:18 And she said, “Drink, my master.” And she hurried and let her jar
down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
Gen 24:19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “Let me
draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.”
Gen 24:20 And she hurried and emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to
the fountain to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Gen 24:21 And watching her, the man remained silent in order to know
whether יהוה had prospered his way or not.
Gen 24:22 And it came to be, when the camels had finished drinking, that the
man took a golden nose ring weighing half a sheqel, and two bracelets for her
wrists weighing ten sheqels of gold,
Gen 24:23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please inform me, is there
room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
Gen 24:24 And she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethu’ĕl, Milkah’s
son, whom she bore to Naḥor.”
Gen 24:25 And she said to him, “We have both straw and fodder enough,
and room to spend the night.”
Gen 24:26 And the man bowed down his head and worshipped יהוה.
Gen 24:27 And he said, “Blessed be יהוה Elohim of my master Aḇraham,
who has not forsaken His kindness and His truth toward my master. As for
me, being on the way, יהוה led me to the house of my master’s brothers.”
Gen 24:28 Then the young woman ran and informed those of her mother’s
house these matters.
Gen 24:29 And Riḇqah had a brother whose name was Laḇan, and Laḇan ran
out to the man, to the fountain.
Gen 24:30 And it came to be, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets
on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Riḇqah,
saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man and saw him
standing by the camels at the fountain.
Gen 24:31 And he said, “Come in, O blessed of יהוה ! Why do you stand
outside? I myself have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
Gen 24:32 So the man came into the house, while he unloaded the camels
and provided straw and fodder for the camels and water to wash his feet and
the feet of the men who were with him,
Gen 24:33 and set food before him to eat. But he said, “Let me not eat until I
have spoken my word.” And he said, “Speak on.”
Gen 24:34 And he said, “I am Aḇraham’s servant.
Gen 24:35 “And יהוה has blessed my master exceedingly, and he has become
great. And He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male
and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
Gen 24:36 “And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she
was old. And he has given to him all that he has.
Gen 24:37 “And my master made me swear, saying, ‘Do not take a wife for
my son from the daughters of the Kena‛anites, in whose land I dwell,
Gen 24:38 but go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife
for my son.’
Gen 24:39 “And I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not follow
me?’
Gen 24:40 “But he said to me, ‘ יהוה, before whom I walk, sends His
messenger with you and shall prosper your way. And you shall take a wife
for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house.
Gen 24:41 ‘Then, when you go to my relatives, you are to be released from
this oath. And if they do not give her to you, then you are released from my
oath.’
Gen 24:42 “And this day I came to the fountain and said, ‘ יהוה, Elohim of
my master Aḇraham, please, if You are prospering the way in which I am
going,
Gen 24:43 see, I am standing by the fountain of water, and when the maiden
comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from
your jar to drink,”
Gen 24:44 and she says to me, “Drink, and let me draw for your camels
too,” let her be the woman whom יהוה has appointed for my master’s son.’
Gen 24:45 “I had not yet ended speaking in my heart, then see, Riḇqah was
coming out with her jar on her shoulder. And she went down to the fountain
and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
Gen 24:46 “And she hurried and let her jar down from her shoulder, and
said, ‘Drink, and let me water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered
the camels too.
Gen 24:47 “And I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she
said, ‘The daughter of Bethu’ĕl, Naḥor’s son, whom Milkah bore to him.’
Then I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
Gen 24:48 “And I bowed my head and worshipped יהוה, and blessed יהוה,
Elohim of my master Aḇraham, who had led me in the true way to take the
daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
Gen 24:49 “And now, if you are going to show kindness and truth to my
master, let me know, and if not, let me know, so that I turn to the right or to
the left.”
Gen 24:50 And Laḇan answered – Bethu’ĕl too – and said, “The matter
comes from יהוה, we are not able to speak to you either evil or good.
Gen 24:51 “See, Riḇqah is before you. Take her and go, and let her be your
master’s son’s wife, as יהוה has spoken.”
Gen 24:52 And it came to be, when Aḇraham’s servant heard their words,
that he bowed himself towards the earth before יהוה.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought out ornaments of silver, and ornaments of
gold, and garments, and gave them to Riḇqah. He also gave costly gifts to her
brother and to her mother.
Gen 24:54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent
the night. When they arose in the morning he said, “Let me go to my master.”
Gen 24:55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay
with us a few days, at least ten, then you go.”
Gen 24:56 And he said to them, “Do not delay me, since יהוה has prospered
my way. Let me go so that I go to my master.”
Gen 24:57 And they said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.”
Gen 24:58 So they called Riḇqah and said to her, “Are you going with this
man?” And she said, “I shall go.”
Gen 24:59 So they let go Riḇqah their sister and her nurse, and Aḇraham’s
servant and his men.
Gen 24:60 And they blessed Riḇqah and said to her, “Let our sister become
the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your seed possess the gates
of those who hate them.”
Gen 24:61 And Riḇqah and her young women arose, and they rode on the
camels and followed the man. So the servant took Riḇqah and left.
Gen 24:62 And Yitsḥaq came from the way of Be’ĕr Laḥai Ro’i, for he
dwelt in the South.
Gen 24:63 And Yitsḥaq went out to meditate in the field in the evening. And
he lifted his eyes and looked and saw the camels coming.
Gen 24:64 And Riḇqah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Yitsḥaq she
dismounted from her camel,
Gen 24:65 and she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the
field to meet us?” And the servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil
and covered herself.
Gen 24:66 And the servant told Yitsḥaq all the matters he had done.
Gen 24:67 And Yitsḥaq brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. And he took
Riḇqah and she became his wife, and he loved her. Thus Yitsḥaq was
comforted after his mother’s death.