1
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
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So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh,
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and I 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 dwell;
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but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
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And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?"
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But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there.
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The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
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And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there."
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So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
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Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
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And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
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Then he said, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
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Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
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Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."
15
And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
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Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.