1. Now Abraham was old; and advanced in age: and the Lord had blessed him in all things.
2. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,
3. That I may make thee swear by the Lord the God of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:
4. But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.
5. The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place, from whence thou camest out?
6. And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again thither.
7. The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father's house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.
8. But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath; only bring not my son back thither again.
9. The servant therefore put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him upon this word.
10. And he took ten camels of his master's herd, and departed, carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forth and went on to Mesopotamia to the city of Nachor.
11. And when he had made the camels lie down without the town near a well of water in Evening, at the time when women were wont to come out to draw water, he said:
12. O Lord the God of my master Abraham, meet me to day, I beseech thee, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13. Behold I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water.
14. Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let it be the same whom thou hast provided for thy servant Isaac: and by this I shall understand, that thou hast shown kindness to my master,
15. he had not yet ended these words within himself, and behold Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder: