The Bride Secured: Providence Confirmed and Covenant Advanced

²⁸The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

²⁹Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.

³⁰As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

³¹“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³²So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.

³³Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”

³⁴“I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied.

³⁵“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

³⁶My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.

³⁷My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,

³⁸but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’

³⁹Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’

⁴⁰And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.

⁴¹And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

⁴²So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!

⁴³Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’

⁴⁴and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

⁴⁵And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

⁴⁶She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

⁴⁷Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

⁴⁹Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”

⁵⁰Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.

⁵¹Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”

⁵²When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

⁵³Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁵⁴Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

⁵⁵But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

⁵⁶But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

⁵⁷So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”

⁵⁸They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.

⁵⁹So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

⁶¹Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

⁶²Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.

⁶³Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

⁶⁴And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel

⁶⁵and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.

⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.