1. NOW ABRAHAM was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2. And Abraham said to the eldest servant of his house [Eliezer of Damascus], who ruled over all that he had, I beg of you, put your hand under my thigh; [Gen. 15:2.]
3. And you shall swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I have settled,
4. But you shall go to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son Isaac.
5. The servant said to him, But perhaps the woman will not be willing to come along after me to this country. Must I take your son to the country from which you came?
6. Abraham said to him, See to it that you do not take my son back there.
7. The Lord, the God of heaven, Who took me from my father's house, from the land of my family and my birth, Who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, To your offspring I will give this land–He will send His Angel before you, and you will take a wife from there for my son.
8. And if the woman should not be willing to go along after you, then you will be clear from this oath; only you must not take my son back there.
9. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.
10. And the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking some of all his master's treasures with him; thus he journeyed to Mesopotamia [between the Tigris and the Euphrates], to the city of Nahor [Abraham's brother].
11. And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening when women go out to draw water.
12. And he said, O Lord, God of my master Abraham, I pray You, cause me to meet with good success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13. See, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming to draw water.
14. And let it so be that the girl to whom I say, I pray you, let down your jar that I may drink, and she replies, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also–let her be the one whom You have selected and appointed and indicated for Your servant Isaac [to be a wife to him]; and by it I shall know that You have shown kindness and faithfulness to my master.
15. Before he had finished speaking, behold, out came Rebekah, who was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Nahor the brother of Abraham, with her water jar on her shoulder.
16. And the girl was very beautiful and attractive, chaste and modest, and unmarried. And she went down to the well, filled her water jar, and came up.
17. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, I pray you, let me drink a little water from your water jar.