Reformation Directory

2 Abrahám cauſeth his ſeruant to ſweare to take a wife for Izhák in his owne kinred. 12 The ſeruant prayeth to God. 34 His fidelitie towarde his maſter. 50 The friends of Rebekáh commit the matter to God. 58 They aſke her conſent and ſhe agreeth. 67 And is maryed to Izhák.

1.NOw Abrahám was olde, and ^a ſtriken in yeres, and the Lord had bleſſed Abrahám in all things.

2.Therefore Abrahám ſaid vnto his eldeſt ſeruant of his houſe, which had the rule ouer all that he had, ^* Put now thine hand ^b vnder my thigh,

3.And I will make thee ^c ſweare by the Lord God of ỹ heauen, & God of ỹ earth, that thou ſhalt not take a wife vnto my ſonne of the daughters of the Canaanites amõg whome I dwel.

4.But thou ſhalt go vnto my ^d countrie, & to my kinred, & take a wife vnto my ſonne Izhák.

5.And the ſeruant ſaid to him, What if the woman wil not come ẅ me to this land? ſhal I bring thy ſonne againe vnto the lãd from whence thou cameſt?

6.To whome Abrahám anſwered, Beware ỹ ỹ bring not my ſonne ^e thether againe.

7.The Lord God of heauen, who toke me from my fathers houſe, & from ỹ lãd where I was borne, and that ſpake vnto me, & that ſware vnto me, ſaying, ^* Vnto thy ſede wil I giue this land, he ſhal ſend his Angel before thee, and thou ſhalt take a wife vnto my ſonne from thence.

8.Neuertheles if the womá wil not followe thee, then ſhalt thou be ^" diſcharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my ſonne thether againe.

9.Then the ſeruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abrahám his maſter, & ſware to him for this matter.

10.¶ So the ſeruant toke ten camels of the camels of his maſter, and departed: for he had all his maſters goods in his hád, & so he aroſe, and went to ^" Arám Naharáim, vnto the citie of Nahór.

11.And he made his camels to ^" lie downe without the citie ^f by a well of water, at euen about the time that women come out to drawe water.

12.And he ſaid, O Lord God of my maſter Abrahám, I beſeche thee, ^g ſend ^" me good ſpede this day, and ſhewe mercie vnto my maſter Abrahám.

13.Lo, I ſtand by the well of water, whiles the mẽs daughters of this citie come out to drawe water.

14.^h Grant that ỹ maide, to whome I ſaie, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if ſhe ſay, Drinke, and I wil giue thy camels drinke alſo: may be ſhe ỹ thou haſt ordeined for thy ſeruant Izhák: & thereby ſhal I knowe ỹ thou haſt ſhewed mercie on my maſter.

15.¶ Now yer he had left ſpeaking, beholde, ⁱ Rebekáh came out, the daughter of Bethuél, ſonne of Milcáh the wife of Nahór Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon her ſhuldre.

16.(And the maide was very faire to loke vpon, a virgine and vnknowen of man) & ſhe went downe to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came vp.

17.Then the ſeruant ran to mete her, and ſaid, Let me drincke, I praye thee a little water of thy pitcher.

18.And ſhe ſaid, Drinke ^" my lord: and ſhe haſted, & let downe her pitcher vpon her hand & gaue him drinke.

19.And when ſhe had giuen him drinke, ſhe ſaid, I wil drawe water for thy camels alſo vntil thei ^" haue dronken ynough.

20.And ſhe poured out her pitcher into the trogh ſpedely, and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and ſhe drewe for all his camels.

21.So the man wondred at her, and helde his peace, to wit, whether the Lord had made his iourney proſperous or not.

22.And when the camels had left drinking, the man toke a golden ^k abillement of ^l halfe a ſhekel weight, & two bracelettes for her háds, of tē ſhekels weight of golde:

23.And he ſaid, Whoſe daughter art thou? tel me, I praie thee, Is there roume in thy fathers houſe for vs to lodge in?

24.Then ſhe ſaid to him, I am y^e daughter of Bethuél the ſonne of Milcáh whome ſhe bare vnto Nahór.

25.Moreouer ſhe ſaid vnto him, We haue lytter alſo and prouander ynough, and roume to lodge in.

26.And the man bowed him ſelfe and worſhipped the Lord,

27.And ſaid, Bleſſed be the Lord God of my maſter Abrahám, w^c hathe not withdrawen his mercie ^m and his trueth from my maſter: for whé I was in y^e waie, y^e Lord broght me to my maſters brethrēs houſe.

28.And the maide ran & tolde them of her mothers houſe according to theſe wordes.

29.¶ Now Rebekáh had a brother called Labán, & Labán ran vnto y^e mā to the well.

30.For when he had ſene the earrings & the bracelettes in his ſiſters hands, & when he heard the wordes of Rebekáh his ſiſter, ſaying, Thus ſaid the man vnto me, then he went to the man, & lo ⁿ he ſtode by the camels at the well.

31.And he ſaid, Come i ^o y^u bleſſed of y^e Lord: wherefore ſtandeſt y^u without, ſeing I haue prepared the houſe, & roume for ^p y^e camels?

32.Then y^e man came into y^e houſe, and he vnſadeled the ^p camels and broght lytter & prouander for the camels, and water to waſhe his fete, & the mens fete that were with him.

33.Afterward the meat was ſet before him: but he ſaid, I ^q wil not eat, vntil I haue ſaid my meſſage: And he ſaid, Speake on.

34.Then he ſaid, I am Abrahams ſeruant,

35.And the Lord hathe ^r bleſſed my maſter wonderfully, that he is become great: for he hathe giuen him ſhepe, and beues, & filuer, and golde, and men ſeruantes, & maide ſeruantes, and camels, and aſſes.

36.And Saráh my maſters wife hathe borne a ſonne to my maſter, whé ſhe was olde, & vnto him hathe he giué all that he hathe.

37.Now my maſter made me ſweare, ſaying, Thou ſhalt not take a wife to my ſonne of the daughters of the ^s Canaanites, in whoſe land I dwel:

38.But thou ſhalt go vnto my ^t fathers houſe and to my kinred, and take a wife vnto my ſonne.

39.Then I ſaid vnto my maſter, What if the woman wil not followe me?

40.Who anſwered me, The Lord, before whome I walke, wil ſend his Angel with thee, and proſper thy iourney, and thou ſhalt take a wife for my ſonne of my kīdred and my fathers houſe.

41.Then ſhalt y^u be diſcharged of ^u mine othe, when thou commeſt to my kinred: and if thei giue thee not one, thou ſhalt be fre from mine othe.

42.So I came this daie to the well, and ſaid, O Lord, the God of my maſter Abrahám, if y^u now proſper my ^" iourney which I go,

43.Beholde, ^* I ſtand by the well of water: when a virgine commeth forthe to drawe water, & I ſaie to her, Giue me, I praie thee, a litle water of thy pitcher to drinke,

44.And ſhe ſaie to me, Drinke y^u, and I wil alſo drawe for thy camels, let her be the wife, which the Lord hathe prepared for ^" my maſters ſonne.

45.And before I had made an end of ſpeakīg in mine ^x heart, beholde, Rebekáh came forthe, and her pitcher on her ſhuldre, & ſhe went downe vnto the well, and drewe water. Thé I ſaid vnto her, Giue me drīke, I praie thee.

46.And ſhe made haſte, and toke downe her pitcher from her ſhuldre, and ſaid, Drinke, & I wil giue thy camels drinke alſo. So I dranke, & ſhe gaue the camels drinke alſo.

47.Then I aſked her, & ſaid, Whoſe daughter art y^u? And ſhe anſwered, The daughter of Bethuél Nahors ſonne, whome Milcáh bare vnto him. Then I put the abillement vpon her face, and the bracelettes vpon her handes:

48.And I bowed downe & worſhipped ^y y^e Lord, and bleſſed the Lord God of my maſter Abrahám, which had broght me y^e ^" right waie to take my maſters brothers daughter vnto his ſonne.

49.Now therefore, if ye wil deale ^z mercifully and truely with my maſter, tel me: and if not, tel me that I maie turne me to the ^a right hand or to the left.

50.Then anſwered Labán and Bethuel, & ſaid, ^b This thing is proceded of the Lord: we can not therefore ſaie vnto thee, nether euil nor good.

51.Beholde, Rebekáh ^" before thee, take her & go, that ſhe maie be thy maſters ſonnes wife, euen as the Lord hathe ^" ſaid.

52.And when Abrahams ſeruant heard their wordes, he bowed him ſelfe towarde the earth vnto the Lord.

53.Then the ſeruãt toke forthe iewels of ſiluer, & iewels of golde, & raiment, & gaue to Rebekáh: alſo vnto her brother and to her mother he gaue giftes.

54.Afterwarde they did eat & drinke, bothe he and the men that were with him, and taried all night. and when they roſe vp in the morning, he ſaid, ^* Let me departe vnto my maſter.

55.Then her brother and her mother anſwered, Let the maide abide with vs, at the leaſt ^" ten dayes: then ſhal ſhe go.

56.But he ſaid vnto thẽ, Hidre you me not, ſeig y^t Lord hathe proſpered my iourney: ſend me away, y^t I may go to my maſter.

57.Then they ſaid, We wil call the maide, and aſke ^z her ^" conſent.

58.And they called Rebekáh, and ſaid vnto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And ſhe anſwered, I wil go.

59.So they let Rebekáh their ſiſter go, and her nourſe, with Abrahams ſeruant and his men.

60.And thei bleſſed Rebekáh, and ſaid vnto her, Thou art our ſiſter, growe into thouſand thouſandes, and thy ſede poſſeſſe the ^b gate of his ennemies.

61.¶ Then Rebekáh aroſe, and her maides, & rode vpon the camels, and followed y^e mã & y^e ſeruãt toke Rebekáh, & departed.

62.Now Izhák came from the way of ^* Beér-lahái-roí, (for he dwelt in the South countrey)

63.And Izhák went out to ^c pray in the field toward the euening: who lift vp his eies and loked, and beholde, the camels came.

64.Alſo Rebekáh lift vp her eies, and when ſhe ſawe Izhák, ſhe lighted downe from the camel.

65.(For ſhe had ſaid to the ſeruant, Who is yonder man, that commeth in the field to mete vs? And the ſeruãt had ſaid, It is my maſter) So ſhe toke ^f a vaile and couered her.

66.And the ſeruant tolde Izhák all things, that he had done.

67.Afterward Izhák broght her into the tẽt of Saráh his mother, & he toke Rebekáh, & ſhe was his wife, & he loued her: ſo Izhák was ^" cõforted after his mothers death.

Genesis 24

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