24:5. 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?

24:6. And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again
thither.

24:7. 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.

He will send his angel before thee. . .This shows that the Hebrews
believed that God gave them guardian angels for their protection.

24:8. But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by
the oath: only bring not my son back thither again.

24:9. The servant, therefore, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham,
his lord, and swore to him upon his word.

24:10. 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.

24:11. 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:

24:12. O Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, meet me today, I beseech
thee, and shew kindness to my master, Abraham.

24:13. Behold, I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of
the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water:

24:14. 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.

24:15. 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:

24:16. 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.

24:17. And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little
water to drink of thy pitcher.

24:18. And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the
pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink.

24:19. And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for thy
camels also, till they all drink.

24:20. 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.

24:21. But he musing, beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether
the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

24:22. And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden
earrings, weighing two sicles; and as many bracelets, of ten sicles
weight.

24:23. And he said to her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there
any place in thy father's house to lodge?

24:24. And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of
Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.

24:25. And she said, moreover, to him: We have good store of both straw
and hay, and a large place to lodge in.

24:26. The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord,

24:27. 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.

24:28. Then the maid ran, and told in her mother's house all that she
had heard.

24:29. And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban, who went out in haste to
the man, to the well.

24:30. 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,

24:31. 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.

24:32. 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.


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