NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 40
J A N U A R Y
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“Please give me a little drink of water
from your jug.”
18“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a
drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug
from her shoulder and gave him a drink.
19 When she had given him a drink, she
said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too,
until they have had enough to drink.”
20So she quickly emptied her jug into the
watering trough and ran back to the well
to draw water for all his camels.
21The servant watched her in silence,
wondering whether or not the Lord
had given him success in his mission.
22 Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring
for her nose and two large gold bracelets* for her wrists.
23 “Whose daughter are you?” he
asked. “And please tell me, would your
father have any room to put us up for
the night?”
24“I am the daughter of Bethuel,” she
replied. “My grandparents are Nahor
and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty of
straw and feed for the camels, and we
have room for guests.”
26The man bowed low and worshiped
the Lord. 27“Praise the Lord, the God of
my master, Abraham,” he said. “The
L ord has shown unfailing love and
faithfulness to my master, for he has led
me straight to my master’s relatives.”
28The young woman ran home to tell
her family everything that had happened. 29Now Rebekah had a brother
named Laban, who ran out to meet the
man at the spring. 30He had seen the
nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell
what the man had said. So he rushed out
to the spring, where the man was still
standing beside his camels. 31Laban
said to him, “Come and stay with us, you
who are blessed by the Lord! Why are
you standing here outside the town
when I have a room all ready for you and
a place prepared for the camels?”
32 So the man went home with Laban,
and Laban unloaded the camels, gave
him straw for their bedding, fed them,
and provided water for the man and the
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camel drivers to wash their feet. 33 Then
food was served. But Abraham’s servant
said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told
you why I have come.”
“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”
34“I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. 35“And the Lord has greatly
blessed my master; he has become a
wealthy man. The Lord has given him
flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and
many male and female servants and
camels and donkeys.
36“When Sarah, my master’s wife, was
very old, she gave birth to my master’s
son, and my master has given him everything he owns. 37And my master made
me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow
my son to marry one of these local
Canaanite women. 38Go instead to my
father’s house, to my relatives, and find
a wife there for my son.’
39“But I said to my master, ‘What if I
can’t find a young woman who is willing
to go back with me?’ 40He responded,
‘The Lord, in whose presence I have
lived, will send his angel with you and
will make your mission successful. Yes,
you must find a wife for my son from
among my relatives, from my father’s
family. 41Then you will have fulfilled
your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with
you, you will be free from my oath.’
42“So today when I came to the spring,
I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my
master, Abraham, please give me success
on this mission. 43 See, I am standing
here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to
draw water, I will say to her, “Please give
me a little drink of water from your jug.”
44If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will
draw water for your camels, too,” let her
be the one you have selected to be the
wife of my master’s son.’
45“Before I had finished praying in
my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out
with her water jug on her shoulder. She
went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a
drink.’ 46She quickly lowered her jug
