Genesis 24
All 67 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.
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- 1Abraham had grown very old, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.
- 2Abraham spoke to the senior servant in his household, the one who managed everything he owned: "Please place your hand beneath my thigh."
- 3I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.
- 4"Instead, travel to my homeland and to my relatives, and find a wife for my son Isaac there."
- 5The servant asked him, "What if the woman refuses to come back with me to this land? Should I then take your son to the country you originally came from?"
- 6Abraham replied, "Make certain that you never take my son back there."
- 7"The LORD God of heaven, who brought me away from my father's household and from the land of my relatives, who spoke to me and made an oath to me, saying, 'I will give this land to your offspring' — he will send his angel ahead of you so that you can find a wife for my son from there."
- 8"If the woman is unwilling to come with you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Just do not take my son back there under any circumstances."
- 9So the servant placed his hand beneath the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him regarding this matter.
- 10The servant selected ten of his master's camels and set out, for all his master's goods were in his care. He traveled to Mesopotamia, to the city where Nahor lived.
- 11He had the camels kneel down outside the town beside a well during the evening hour, the time when women come out to get water.
- 12He prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham."
- 13"Here I am, standing beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water."
- 14"Let it happen that when I ask a young woman, 'Please lower your jar so I can have a drink,' and she responds, 'Go ahead and drink, and I will water your camels 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."
- 15Even before he finished praying, Rebekah appeared, carrying her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.
- 16The young woman was extremely beautiful, a virgin whom no man had been intimate with. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came back up.
- 17The servant hurried over to meet her and said, "Please, may I have a small drink of water from your jar?"
- 18She replied, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered the jar onto her hand and let him drink.
- 19After she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will also draw water for your camels until they have had their fill."
- 20She quickly poured her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw more water, continuing until she had provided for all his camels.
- 21The man watched her in silence, wondering whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.
- 22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold earring weighing half a shekel and two gold bracelets for her hands weighing ten shekels.
- 23He asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me — is there space in your father's house for us to spend the night?"
- 24She answered, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor."
- 25She added, "We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as space for you to stay overnight."
- 26The man bowed his head and worshipped the LORD.
- 27He said, "Praise the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withdrawn his mercy and his faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has guided me on this journey straight to the home of my master's relatives."
- 28The young woman ran and reported all of this to her mother's household.
- 29Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and Laban rushed out to the man at the well.
- 30When he noticed the earring and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard Rebekah say, "This is what the man told me," he went to the man and found him standing with the camels by the well.
- 31Laban said, "Come inside, you who are blessed by the LORD! Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house, and there is a place for the camels."
- 32So the man entered the house. The camels were unloaded and given straw and feed, and water was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men traveling with him.
- 33Food was placed in front of him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have explained why I am here." Laban said, "Go ahead and tell us."
- 34He said, "I am a servant of Abraham."
- 35"The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has been given flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys."
- 36"Sarah, my master's wife, gave birth to a son for my master in her old age, and he has given that son everything he owns."
- 37"My master made me take an oath, saying, 'You must not select a wife for my son from the Canaanite women in whose land I live.'"
- 38"'Instead, go to my father's family and to my relatives, and find a wife for my son there.'"
- 39"I said to my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?'"
- 40"He told me, 'The LORD, in whose presence I have lived my life, will send his angel with you and make your mission successful. You are to find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family.'"
- 41"'You will be freed from my oath once you reach my relatives. If they refuse to give her to you, then you will also be released from my oath.'"
- 42"When I arrived at the well today, I prayed, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you are willing, please make this journey of mine successful.'"
- 43"'Here I am, standing beside this spring. When a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, Please give me a small drink from your jar,'"
- 44"'and she tells me, Go ahead and drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well — let her be the woman the LORD has selected for my master's son.'"
- 45"Before I had even finished praying silently, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'"
- 46"She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I will water your camels too.' So I drank, and she gave the camels water as well."
- 47"I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' Then I placed the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists."
- 48I bowed my head and worshipped the LORD, praising the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me along the right path to find my master's brother's daughter for his son.
- 49"So now, if you intend to treat my master with kindness and faithfulness, tell me. If not, tell me that as well, so I can go one way or another."
- 50Laban and Bethuel answered, "This has come from the LORD. We have no power to argue for or against it."
- 51"Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, just as the LORD has directed."
- 52When Abraham's servant heard their response, he bowed down to the ground and worshipped the LORD.
- 53The servant then brought out silver jewelry, gold jewelry, and clothing, and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and her mother.
- 54Then he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed the night. In the morning when they got up, he said, "Let me return to my master."
- 55But her brother and mother said, "Let the young woman remain with us for a while, for at least ten days. After that, she will go."
- 56He replied, "Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey successful. Let me leave so I can go back to my master."
- 57They said, "We will call the young woman and ask her directly."
- 58So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Are you willing to go with this man?" She answered, "I will go."
- 59So they sent off their sister Rebekah along with her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.
- 60They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister, may you become the mother of countless multitudes, and may your seed possess the gate of those who hate them."
- 61Rebekah and her attendants got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
- 62Now Isaac had come from the direction of Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev region.
- 63Isaac had gone out into the field to meditate during the evening. He looked up and saw camels approaching.
- 64Rebekah also looked up, and when she noticed Isaac, she got down from her camel.
- 65She had asked the servant, "Who is that man walking through the field toward us?" The servant had answered, "That is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself.
- 66The servant reported to Isaac everything he had done.
- 67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah. He married Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac found comfort after the loss of his mother.