Abraham: The Covenant

Neuertheles if the woman wil not follow thee, then shalt thou bee discharged of this mine othe: onely bring not my sonne thither againe.

Then the seruant put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him for this matter.

So the seruant tooke ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed: (for he had all his masters goods in his hand:) and so he arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, vnto the citie of Nahor.

And he made his camels to lye downe without the citie by a well of water, at euentide about the time that the women come out to draw water.

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I beseech thee, send me good speede this day, and shew mercy vnto my master Abraham.

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

Graunt therefore that ye maide, to whom I say, Bowe downe thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drinke: if she say, Drinke, and I will giue thy camels drinke also: may be she that thou hast ordeined for thy seruant Izhak: and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.

And nowe yer he had left speaking, beholde, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, sonne of Milcah the wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, and her pitcher vpon her shoulder.

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

Then the seruant ranne to meete her, and said, Let me drinke, I pray thee, a litle water of thy pitcher.

And she said, Drinke sir: and she hasted, and let downe her pitcher vpon her hand and gaue him drinke.

And when she had giuen him drinke, she said, I will drawe water for thy camels also vntill they haue drunken inough.

And she powred out her pitcher into the trough speedily; and ranne againe vnto the well to drawe water, and she drewe for all his camels.

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

And when the camels had left drinking, the man tooke a golden abillement of halfe a shekell weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of golde:

And he said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee, Is there roume in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?

Then she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the sonne of Milcah whom she bare vnto Nahor.

Moreouer she said vnto him, We haue litter also and prouender ynough, and roume to lodge in.

And the man bowed himselfe and worshipped the Lord,

And said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, which hath not withdrawen his mercie and his trueth from my master: for when I was in the way, the Lord brought me to my masters brethrens house.

And the maide ranne and tolde them of her mothers house according to these wordes.

Now Rebekah had a brother called Laban, and Laban ranne vnto the man to the well.

For when he had seene the earings and the bracelets in his sisters hands, and when he heard the wordes of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus said the man vnto me, then he went to the man, and loe, he stoode by the camels at the well.

And he saide, Come in thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, seeing I haue prepared the house, and roume for ye camels?

Then the man came into the house, and he vnsadled the camels, and brought litter and prouender for the camels, and water to wash his feete, and the mens feete that were with him.