Genesis 24 - Simple English

1Abraham was old, far on in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in everything.

2Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who looked after all that he had, "Please put your hand under my thigh."

3I 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 live.

4"Instead you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac."

5The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land you came from?"

6Abraham said to him, "Be careful that you do not take my son back there."

7The LORD God of heaven took me from my father's house and from the land of my relatives. He spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your seed I will give this land.' He will send his angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

8"If the woman is not willing to follow you, then you are free from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."

9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him about this matter.

10The servant took ten of his master's camels and left, for all his master's goods were in his care. He set out and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.

11He made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water. It was evening, the time when the women come out to draw water.

12He said, "LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham."

13Look, I am standing here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14"Let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your jar so that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

15Before he had finished speaking, look, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother.

16The young woman was very beautiful to look at, a virgin; no man had known her. She went down to the well, filled her jar, and came up.

17The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar."

18She said, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink.

19When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking."

20She quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

21The man watched her in wonder and said nothing, waiting to know whether the LORD had made his journey succeed or not.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels of gold.

23He said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father's house for us to stay the night?"

24She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."

25She also said to him, "We have plenty of straw and feed, and room to stay the night."

26The man bowed his head and worshipped the LORD.

27He said, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham. He has not left my master without his mercy and his truth. As for me, the LORD led me on the way to the house of my master's relatives."

28The young woman ran and told her mother's household about these things.

29Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man, to the well.

30When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man. And look, he was standing by the camels at the well.

31He said, "Come in, you who are blessed by the LORD. Why are you standing outside? I have made the house ready, and a place for the camels."

32So the man came into the house. Laban unloaded the camels and gave them straw and feed, and gave water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

33Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told my errand." And Laban said, "Speak on."

34He said, "I am Abraham's servant."

35The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

36Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given him all that he has.

37My master made me swear, saying, 'You will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live.

38Instead you will go to my father's house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.'

39I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'

40He said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your journey succeed. You will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father's house.

41Then you will be free from this oath of mine, when you come to my relatives. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.'

42Today I came to the well and said, 'LORD God of my master Abraham, if you will now make my journey succeed,

43look, I am standing by the well of water. Let it be that when the young woman comes out to draw water, and I say to her, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,"

44and she says to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels too" - let her be the woman the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'

45Before I had finished speaking in my heart, look, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the well and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please let me drink.'

46She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink too.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink as well.

47I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' Then I put the ring on her face and the bracelets on her hands.

48I bowed my head and worshipped the LORD. I blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.

49"Now, if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, so that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."

50Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "This comes from the LORD. We cannot say anything to you, bad or good."

51"Look, Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken."

52When Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the ground.

53The servant brought out jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.

54They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed the night. In the morning they got up, and he said, "Send me away to my master."

55Her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she may go."

56He said to them, "Do not hold me back, since the LORD has made my journey succeed. Send me away, so that I may go to my master."

57They said, "We will call the young woman and ask her what she says."

58So they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will go."

59So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.

60They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "You are our sister. May you be the mother of thousands of millions, and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate them."

61Rebekah and her young women got up, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

62Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi, for he lived in the south country.

63Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. He looked up and saw, and there were camels coming.

64Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from the camel.

65For she had said to the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" The servant had said, "It is my master." So she took a veil and covered herself.

66The servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.