One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 48
January 10
quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well
to draw water for all his camels.
21 The 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 Be
thuel,”
she replied. “My grandparents are Na
hor and Milcah. 25 Yes, we have plenty
of straw and feed for the camels, and
we have room for guests.”
26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord,
the God of my master, Abraham,” he
said. “The Lord has shown unfailing
love and faithfulness to my master, for
he has led me straight to my master’s
relatives.”
28 The young woman ran home to
tell her family everything that had
happened. 29 Now Re
bek
ah had a
brother named Laban, who ran out to
meet the man at the spring. 30 He 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. 31 Laban 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 La
ban, and Laban unloaded the camels,
gave him straw for their bedding, fed
them, and provided water for the man
and the 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
38
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. 37 And
my master made me take an oath. He
said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry
one of these local Canaanite women.
38 Go 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?’ 40 He 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. 41 Then 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 c omes to draw water, I
will say to her, “Please give me a little
drink of water from your jug.” 44 If 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.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jug
from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have
a drink, and I will water your camels,
too!’ So I drank, and then she watered
the camels.
47 “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the
