Abraham was already old, and had been blessed by Yah in every way. He asked his eldest servant named Eliezer, who was in charge of everything that he owned, to take an oath: “Swear by Yah, the Elohim of heaven and earth, that you will not take Isaac’s wife from among the Canaanites, but instead, you will go to the land of my relatives, and you will find a wife there for my son.” But the servant asked, “What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?”
“No!” Abraham answered. “Don’t ever do that, no matter what. Yah who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, Yah will send his heavenly messenger ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son. If the woman refuses to come along, you don’t have to keep this promise. But don’t ever take my son back there.” So Eliezer swore to Abraham that he would do as his master asked. Eliezer was allowed to take ten camels and other good things that belonged to his master so he could offer them as gifts to the wife and her family. Then he set out for the city of Nahor.
When he reached the city, he sat outside and made his camels kneel by a well. It was dusk, and at that hour the young women went out of the city to fetch water from that well. At the same time, Abraham’s servant prayed to Yah asking for His guidance in finding a wife worthy of his master Isaac.
He said to Yah, “I will say this to one of the young women, ‘Please bring down your pitcher, that I may drink.’ If she replies, ‘Yes, drink, and I will water your camels also,’ then may she be the one that you Yah, have chosen for your servant Isaac. This is how I will know that you’ve shown favor to my master.”
And it came to pass that before Eliezer finished praying, a very beautiful young woman came toward the well holding a pitcher on her shoulder. She filled it up with water and began to walk back to the entrance of the city. The servant ran to her and asked, “Please lower your pitcher so I may drink.”
The young woman quickly lowered it and said, “Please drink sir, and I will also draw more water for your camels until they have had enough to drink.” She continued running to the well to get water until all the camels had drunk.
Even though the young woman’s family was rich enough to give her a servant who could do everything for her, she never tried to get out of doing challenging work herself. She took her responsibilities seriously and cared about helping others. Eliezer was amazed when he saw that she was so willing to help a complete stranger, and he wondered if maybe Yah had answered his prayer by bringing this young woman, just as he had asked.
The young woman showed a generous and kind heart and was a servant of the Most High. Drawing water from the well by rope several times a day was a lot of work and took great strength, yet she watered all the camels without complaint! Eliezer understood that this kind of woman would be a great wife for Isaac.
Eliezer had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When the young woman had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose and the bracelets for her arms. Then he said, “Please tell me your name and whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
She responded, “My name is Rebekah and I’m the daughter of Bethuel, who is the son of Milcah and Nahor. We have plenty of straw and food for the camels, and a place for you to spend the night.”
Eliezer bowed again and praised the Most High saying, “I thank you, Yah Elohim of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him.”
Rebekah ran straight home and told her family everything that had happened. Her brother Laban heard her tell what the servant had said, and he saw the ring and the bracelets she was wearing. So Laban ran out to Abraham’s servant, who was standing by his camels at the well. Then Laban said, “Yah has brought you safely here. Come home with me. There’s no need for you to keep on standing outside. I have a room ready for you in our house, and there’s also a place for your camels.”
Eliezer went home with Laban, where Laban’s servants unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then they brought water into the house, so Eliezer and his men could wash their feet. After that, they brought in food. But the servant said, “Before I eat, I must tell you why I have come.”
“Go ahead and tell us,” Laban answered.
Eliezer went on to explain: “I am Abraham’s servant. Yah has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many servants. Sarah, my master’s wife, didn’t have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything. I solemnly promised my master that I would do what he said. And he told me, “Don’t choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan. Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives.
“I asked my master, ‘What if the young woman refuses to come with me?’
“My master answered, ‘I have always obeyed Yah, and he will send his heavenly messenger to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives. But if they refuse to let her come back with you, then you are freed from your promise.’
“When I came to the well today, I said a silent prayer. And even before I had finished praying, Rebekah came by with a water jar on her shoulder. When she had filled the jar, I asked her for a drink. She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Have a drink. Then I’ll get water for your camels.’ So I drank, and after that she got some water for my camels. I asked her who her father was, and she answered, ‘My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor and Milcah.’ Right away I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the Elohim my master Abraham worships. Yah had led me straight to my master’s relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.
“Now please tell me if you are willing to do the right thing for my master. Will you treat him fairly, or do I have to look for another young woman?”
Laban and Bethuel answered, “Yah has done this. We have no choice in the matter. Take Rebekah with you. She can marry your master’s son, just as Yah has said.”
Eliezer bowed down and thanked Yah. Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.
Eliezer and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and Eliezer told Rebekah’s mother and brother, “I would like to go back to my master now.”
“Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days,” they answered. “Then she may go.”
But he said, “Don’t make me stay any longer. Yah has already helped me find a wife for my master’s son. Now let us return.”
They answered, “Let’s ask Rebekah what she wants to do.” They called her and asked, “Are you willing to leave with this man right now?”
“Yes,” she answered.
So they agreed to let Rebekah and her nurse leave immediately with Eliezer and his men. They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, “We pray that Yah will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies.” Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Eliezer and his men.
At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called Beer-lahai-roi (or, “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me”). One evening he was walking out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, “Who is that man?”
“He is my master Isaac,” the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil.
The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
Isaac took Rebekah into the tent where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.
Read this story in Genesis chapter 24
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