Genesis 24

A Wife for Isaac

1 Abraham was now a very old man. The Lord had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did.2 One day, Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said to him, “Solemnly promise me3 in the name of the Lord, who rules heaven and earth, that you won’t choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan.

4 Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for him from among my relatives.”

5 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?”
6 “No!” Abraham answered. “Don’t ever do that, no matter what.7 The Lord 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, the Lord will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son.8 If the woman refuses to come along, you don’t have to keep this promise. But don’t ever take my son back there.”

9 So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do.

10 Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria,t where Abraham’s brother Nahor lived.
11 When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water.12 The servant prayed: You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today.13 The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water,

14 and I’ll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I’ll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.
15-16 While he was still praying, a beautiful unmarried young woman came by with a water jar on her shoulder. She was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. Rebekah walked past Abraham’s servant, then went over to the well, and filled her water jar. When she started back,

17 Abraham’s servant ran to her and said, “Please let me have a drink of water.”
18 “I’ll be glad to,” she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank.19-20 After he had finished, she said, “Now I’ll give your camels all the water they want.” She quickly poured out water for them, and she kept going back for more, until his camels had drunk all they wanted.

21 Abraham’s servant did not say a word, but he watched everything Rebekah did, because he wanted to know for certain if this was the woman the Lord had chosen.
22 The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her noset and the bracelets for her arms.

23 Then he said, “Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?”
24 She answered, “My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah.

25 We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels.”
26 Then the servant bowed his head and prayed,

27 “I thank you, Lord God of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him.”
28 Rebekah ran straight home and told her family everything.29-30 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.

31 Then Laban said, “The Lord 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.”
32 Abraham’s servant 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 Abraham’s servant and his men could wash their feet.

33 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.

34 The servant explained: I am Abraham’s servant.35 The Lord 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 slaves.36 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.37 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.

38 Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives.”

39 I asked my master, “What if the young woman refuses to come with me?”
40 My master answered, “I have always obeyed the Lord, and he will send his angel to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives.

41 But if they refuse to let her come back with you, then you are freed from your promise.”
42 When I came to the well today, I silently prayed, “You, Lord, are the God my master Abraham worships, so please lead me to a wife for his son43 while I am here at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I’ll ask her to give me a drink.

44 If she gives me a drink and offers to get some water for my camels, I’ll know she is the one you have chosen.”
45 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.46 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.47 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.

48 Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the God my master Abraham worships. The Lord had led me straight to my master’s relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.

49 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?
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “The Lord has done this. We have no choice in the matter.51 Take Rebekah with you; she can marry your master’s son, just as the Lord has said.”52 Abraham’s servant bowed down and thanked the Lord.

53 Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.

54 Abraham’s servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah’s mother and brother, “I would like to go back to my master now.”

55 “Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days,” they answered. “Then she may go.”

56 But he said, “Don’t make me stay any longer. The Lord has already helped me find a wife for my master’s son. Now let us return.”
57 They answered, “Let’s ask Rebekah what she wants to do.”

58 They called her and asked, “Are you willing to leave with this man right now?” “Yes,” she answered.

59 So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant womant leave immediately with Abraham’s servant and his men.60 They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, “We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies.”

61 Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham’s servant and his men.
62 At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”t

63-65 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. t

66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.

67 Isaac took Rebekah into the tentt 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.

Genesis 25

Abraham Marries Keturah

1 Abraham married Keturah,2 and they had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.3 Later, Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan, and when Dedan grew up, he had three sons: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

4 Midian also had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
5-6 While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac, and when Abraham died, he left everything to Isaac.

The Death of Abraham

7-8 7-8 Abraham died at the ripe old age of one hundred seventy-five.9-10 t9-10 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebront in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah.11 God blessed Isaac after this, and Isaac moved to a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” t

Ishmael’s Descendants

12 Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the slave woman of Sarah.13 Ishmael had twelve sons, in this order: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 Each of Ishmael’s sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them.
17-18 Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sonst settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur.t Ishmael was one hundred thirty-seven when he died.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

19 Isaac was the son of Abraham,20 and he was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria. t Almost twenty years later,

21 Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the Lord to let her have a child, and the Lord answered his prayer.
22 Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, “Why is this happening to me?” Finally, she asked the Lord why her twins were fighting,

23 t23 and he told her: “Your two sons will become
two separate nations. t The younger of the two
will be stronger,
and the older son
will be his servant.”

24 When Rebekah gave birth,25 the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau.t26 The second baby grabbed on to his brother’s heel, so they named him Jacob.t Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son

27 As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob settled down and became a shepherd.

28 Esau would take the meat of wild animals to his father Isaac, and so Isaac loved him more, but Jacob was his mother’s favorite son.
29 One day, Jacob was cooking some stew, when Esau came home hungry

30 and said, “I’m starving to death! Give me some of that red stew right now!” That’s how Esau got the name “Edom.” t

31 Jacob replied, “Sell me your rights as the first-born son.” t

32 “I’m about to die,” Esau answered. “What good will those rights do me?”
33 t But Jacob said, “Promise me your birthrights, here and now!” And that’s what Esau did.

34 Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.

Genesis 26

Isaac and Abimelech

1 Once during Abraham’s lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar,2 because the Lord had appeared to Isaac and said: Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go.

3 t3 You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.
4 I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth,t

5 because Abraham did everything I told him to do.
6 Isaac moved to Gerar7 t7 with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister.8 After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah.

9 Abimelech called him in and said, “Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?” “Because I thought someone would kill me,” Isaac answered.

10 “Don’t you know what you’ve done?” Abimelech exclaimed. “If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!”

11 Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.
12 Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The Lord blessed him,13 and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich.14 In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned,15 and they stopped up the wells that Abraham’s servants had dug before his death.

16 Finally, Abimelech said, “Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here.”
17 Isaac left and settled in Gerar Valley,18 where he cleaned out those wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Isaac also gave each of the wells the same namet that Abraham had given to them.19 While his servants were digging in the valley, they found a spring-fed well.

20 But the shepherds of Gerar Valley quarreled with Isaac’s shepherds and claimed the water belonged to them. So the well was named “Quarrel,” because they had quarreled with Isaac.
21 Isaac’s servants dug another well, and the shepherds also quarreled about it. So that well was named “Jealous.”

22 Finally, they dug one more well. There was no quarreling this time, and the well was named “Lots of Room,” because the Lord had given them room and would make them very successful.
23 Isaac went on to Beersheba,24 where the Lord appeared to him that night and told him, “Don’t be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants.”

25 Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. Then he set up camp, and his servants started digging a well.
26 t Meanwhile, Abimelech had left Gerar and was taking his advisor Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol to see Isaac.

27 When they arrived, Isaac asked, “Why are you here? Didn’t you send me away because you hated me?”
28 They answered, “We now know for certain that the Lord is with you, and we have decided there needs to be a peace treaty between you and us. So let’s make a solemn agreement

29 not to harm each other. Remember, we have never hurt you, and when we sent you away, we let you go in peace. The Lord has truly blessed you.”
30 Isaac gave a big feast for them, and everyone ate and drank.

31 Early the next morning Isaac and the others made a solemn agreement, then he let them go in peace.
32 Later that same day Isaac’s servants came and said, “We’ve struck water!”33 So Isaac named the well Shibah,t and the town is still called Beersheba. t

Esau’s Foreign Wives

34 When Esau was forty, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35 But these two women brought a lot of grief to his parents Isaac and Rebekah.