창세기(Genesis) 24장

창세기(Genesis) 24장

1. Abraham was now old and well advanced
in years, and the LORD had blessed him in
every way.

2. He said to the chief servant in his
household, the one in charge of all
that he had, “Put your hand under
my thigh.

3. I want you to swear by the LORD, the
God of heaven and the God of earth,
that you will not get a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites,
among whom I am living,

4. but will go to my country and my own
relatives and get a wife for my son
Isaac.”

5. The servant asked him, “What if the
woman is unwilling to come back with
me to this land? Shall I then take your
son back to the country you came
from?”

6. “Make sure that you do not take my
son back there,” Abraham said.

7. “The LORD, the God of heaven, who
brought me out of my father’s
household and my native land and
who spoke to me and promised me
on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring
I will give this land’-he will send his
angel before you so that you can
get a wife for my son from there.

8. If the woman is unwilling to come
back with you, then you will be
released from this oath of mine.
Only do not take my son back
there.”

9. So the servant put his hand under
the thigh of his master Abraham and
swore an oath to him concerning
this matter.

10. Then the servant took ten of his
master’s camels and left, taking with
him all kinds of goof things from his
master. He set out for Aram
Naharaim and made his way to the
town of Nahor.

11. He had the camels kneel down near
the well outside the town; it was
toward evening, the time the women
go out to draw water.

12. Then he prayed, “O LORD, God of my
master Abraham, give me success
today, and show kindness to my
master Abraham.

13. See, I am standing beside this
spring, and the daughters of the
townspeople are coming out to
draw water.

14. May it be that when I say to a girl,
‘Please let down your jar that I may
have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink,
and I’ll 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.”

15. Before he had finished prating,
Rebekah came out with her jar on
her shoulder. She was the daughter
of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was
the wife of Abraham’s brother
Nahor.

16. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin;
no man had ever lain with her. She
went down to the spring, filled her jar
and came up again.

17. The servant hurried to meet her and
said, “Please give me a little water from
your jar.”

18. “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly
lowered the jar to her hands and gave
him a drink.

19. After she had given him a drink, she
said, “I’ll draw water for your camels
too, until they have finished drinking.”

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

21. Without saying a word, the man
watched her closely to learn whether
or not the LORD had made his
journey successful.

22. When the camels had finished
drinking, the man took out a gold
nose ring weighing a beka and two
gold bracelets weighing ten
shekels.

23. Then he asked, “Whose daughter
are you? Please tell me, is there room
in your father’s house for us to spend
the night?”

24. She answered him, “I am the daughter
of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to
Nahor.”

25. And she added, “We have plenty of
straw and fodder, as well as room for
you to spend the night.”

26. Then the man bowed down and
worshiped the LORD,

27. saying, “Praise be to the LORD, the
God of my master Abraham, who has
not abandoned his kindness and
faithfulness to my master. As for me,
the LORD has led me on the journey
to the house of my master’s
relatives.”

28. The girl ran and told her mother’s
household about these things.

29. Now Rebekah had a brother named
Laban, and he hurried out to the man
at the spring.

30. As soon as he had seen the nose
ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s
arms, and had heard Rebekah tell
what the man said to her, he went
out to the man and found him
standing by the camels near the
spring.

31. “Come, you who are blessed by the
LORD,” he said. “Why are you standing
out here? I have prepared the house
and a place for the camels.”

32. So the man went to the house, and
the camels were unloaded. Straw and
fodder were brought for the camels,
and water for him and his men to
wash their feet.

33. Then food was set before him, but
he said, “I will not eat until I have told
you what I have to say.” “Then tell us,”
Laban said.

34. So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.

35. The LORD has blessed my master
abundantly, and he has become
wealthy. He has given him sheep and
cattle, silver and gold, menservants
and maidservants, and camels and
donkeys.

36. My master’s wife Sarah has borne
him a son in her old age, and he has
given him everything he owns.

37. And my master made me swear an
oath, and said, ‘You must not get a
wife for my son from the daughters
of the Canaanites, in whose land I
live,

38. but go to my father’s family and to
my own clan, and get a wife for my
son.’

39. “Then I asked my master, ‘What if
the woman will not come back with
me?’

40. “He replied, ‘The LORD, before
whom I have walked, will send his
angel with you and make your
journey a success, so that you can
get a wife for my son from my own
clan and from my father’s family.

41. Then, when you go to my clan, you
will be released from my oath even if
they refuse to give her to you- -you
will be released from my oath.’

42. “When I came to the spring today,
I said, ‘O LORD, God of my master
Abraham, if you will, please grant
success to the journey on which
I have come.

43. See, I am standing beside this spring;
if a maiden comes out to draw water and
I say to her, “Please let me drink a little
water from your jar,”

44. and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll
draw water for your camels too,” let her
be the one the LORD has chosen for my
master’s son.’

45. “Before I finished praying in my
heart, Rebekah came out, with her
jar on her shoulder. She went down
to the spring and drew water, and
I said to her, ‘Please give me a
drink.’

46. “She quickly lowered her jar from
her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll
water your camels too.’ So I drank,
and she watered the camels also.

47. “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are
you?’ “She said, ‘The daughter of
Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah
bore to him.’ “Then I put the ring in
her nose and the bracelets on her
arms,

48. and I bowed down and worshiped
the LORD. I praised the LORD, the
God of my master Abraham, who had
led me on the right road to get the
granddaughter of my master’s
brother for his son.

49. Now if you will show kindness and
faithfulness to my master, tell me; and
if not, tell me, so I may know which
way to turn.”

50. Laban and Bethuel answered, “This
is from the LORD; we can say nothing
to you one way or the other.

51. Here is Rebekah; take her and go,
and let her become the wife of your
master’s son, as the LORD has
directed.”

52. When Abraham’s servant heard
what they said, he bowed down to
the ground before the LORD.

53. Then the servant brought out gold
and silver jewelry and articles of
clothing and gave them to Rebekah;
he also gave costly gifts to her
brother and to her mother.

54. Then he and the men who were
with him ate and drank and spent
the night there. When they got up
the next morning, he said, “Send
me on my way to my master.”

55. But her brother and her mother
replied, “Let the girl remain with us
ten days or so; then you may go.”

56. But he said to them, “Do not detain
me, now that the LORD has granted
success to my journey. Send me on
my way so I may go to my master.”

57. Then they said, “Let’s call the girl
and ask her about it.”

58. So they called Rebekah and asked
her, “Will you go with this man?” I will
go,” she said.

59. So they sent their sister Rebekah
on her way, along with her nurse and
Abraham’s servant and his men.

60. And they blessed Rebekah and
said to her, “Our sister, may you
increase to thousands upon
thousands; may your offspring
possess the gates of their
enemies.”

61. Then Rebekah and her maids got
ready and mounted their camels and
went back with the man. So the
servant took Rebekah and left.

62. Now Isaac had come from Beer
Lahai Roi, for he was living in the
Negev.

63. He went out to the field one evening
to meditate, and as he looked up, he
saw camels approaching.

64. Rebekah also looked up and saw
Isaac. She got down from her camel

65. and asked the servant, “Who is that
man in the field coming to meet us?”
“He is my master,” the servant
answered. So she took her veil and
covered herself.

66. Then the servant told Isaac all
he had done.

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