1 Heb. a

was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she
also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor;
Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and 21
Kemuel the father of Aram; and Chesed, and 22
Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight did 23
Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, 24
she also bare Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash,
and Maacah.

And the life of Sarah was an hundred and 1 23
seven and twenty years: these were the years of
the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiriath- 2
arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan:
and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to
weep for her. And Abraham rose up from 3
before his dead, and spake unto the children of
Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner 4
with you give me a possession of a burying-
place with you, that I may bury my dead out of
my sight. And the children of Heth answered 5
Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: 6
thou art a mighty prince among us: in the
prince of God. choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of
us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but
that thou mayest bury thy dead. And Abraham 7
rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the
land, even to the children of Heth. And he 8
communed with them, saying, If it be your mind
that I should bury my dead out of my sight,
hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son
of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of 9
Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end
of his field; for the full price let him give it to
me in the midst of you for a possession of a
buryingplace. Now Ephron was sitting in the 10
midst of the children of Heth and Ephron the
Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of

1

the children of Heth, even of all that went in at 11 the gate of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy 12 dead. And Abraham bowed himself down 13 before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto 15 him, My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy 16 dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, 17 current money with the merchant. So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, 18 were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all 19 that went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the 20 same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the children of Heth.

24 I

And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all 2 things. And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my

1 Or, for all the goods of

his master were in his hand

2 Heb. Aramnaharaim,

that is, Aram of the two rivers.

thigh and I will make thee swear by the 3
LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the
earth, that thou shalt not take a wife for my
son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among
whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my 4
country, and to my kindred, and take a wife
for my son Isaac. And the servant said unto 5
him, Peradventure the woman will not be will-
ing to follow me unto this land: must I needs
bring thy son again unto the land from whence
thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, 6
Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither
again. The LORD, the God of heaven, that 7
took me from my father's house, and from the
land of my nativity, and that spake unto me,
and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed
will I give this land; he shall send his angel
before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my
son from thence. And if the woman be not 8
willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear
from this my oath; only thou shalt not bring
my son thither again. And the servant put 9
his hand under the thigh of Abraham his
master, and sware to him concerning this matter.
And the servant took ten camels, of the camels 10
of his master, and departed; 'having all goodly
things of his master's in his hand: and he arose,
and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of
Nahor. And he made the camels to kneel 11
down without the city by the well of water
at the time of evening, the time that women
go out to draw water. And he said, O Lord, 12
the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray
thee, good speed this day, and shew kind-

ness

2

unto my master Abraham. Behold, I 13 stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the damsel 14

to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness 15 unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, 16 with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and 17 came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little 18 water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, until 20 they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for 21 all his camels. And the man looked stedfastly on her; holding his peace, to know wha

LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of 'half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for 23 her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room in thy father's house for 24 us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am

the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, 25 which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and pro26 vender enough, and room to lodge in. And

the man bowed his head, and worshipped the LORD. And he said, Blessed be the LORD, the 27 God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken his mercy and his truth toward my master: as for me, the LORD hath led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren. And 28 the damsel ran, and told her mother's house according to these words. And Rebekah had 29 a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the fountain. And it came to pass, when he saw the ring, 30 and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the fountain. And he said, 31 Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the 32 man came into the house, and he ungirded the camels; and he gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the men's feet that were with him. And there 33 was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. And he said, I am 34 Abraham's servant. And the LORD hath blessed 35 my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and asses. And Sarah 36 my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my master made me 37 swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but thou shalt go unto 38 my father's house, and to my kindred, and take