Daily Bread

²⁸ The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.^{(A) 29} Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,^(B) 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,^(C) 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,”^(D) 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^(E) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.^{(F) 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.^{(G) 35} The Lord has blessed^(H) my master abundantly,^(I) and he has become wealthy.^(J) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.^{(K) 36} My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age,^(L) and he has given him everything he owns.^{(M) 37} And my master made me swear an oath,^(N) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,^{(O) 38} but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’^(P)

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

⁴⁰ “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully,^(R) will send his angel with you^(S) and make your journey a success,^(T) so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.^{(U) 41} You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’^(V)

⁴² “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success^(W) to the journey on which I have come. ⁴³ See, I am standing beside this spring.^(X) If a young woman^(Y) comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”^{(Z) 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.’^(AA)

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

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

⁴⁷ “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’^(AG)

“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel^(AH) son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’^(AI)

“Then I put the ring in her nose^(AJ) and the bracelets on her arms,^{(AK) 48} and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord.^(AL) I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham,^(AM) who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.^{(AN) 49} Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness^(AO) to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”