Listening A1: Genesis Chapter 1 - Genesis 24

Abraham was old and lived a long time.

God had given Abraham good things in all he did.

Abraham said to his main worker, the older man in his house.

Abraham told him to put his hand under his leg as a sign of promise.

He asked him to promise with the God of the sky and the earth.

He said, Do not get a wife for my son from the land where I live.

Go to my land and to my family and get a wife for my son Isaac.

The worker said, Maybe the woman will not want to come with me.

Do I have to bring my master's son back to the place he came from?

Abraham said, Be careful not to bring my son back there.

God, the God of the sky, who took me from my father's house and from my home land, spoke to me and said, I will give this land to your children.

He will send his angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there.

If the woman will not come with you, then you will not be bound by my promise, but do not bring my son there.

The worker put his hand under Abraham's leg and promised him.

The worker took ten camels from Abraham's camels and left with very good things from Abraham.

He went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor.

He made the camels sit down outside the city by the well in the evening when women go for water.

He said, Lord God of my master Abraham, please help me today and be kind to my master.

I am by the water and the women of the city are coming out to draw water.

Let the woman I ask to give me water be the one you chose for my master's son.

Let her say, Drink, and I will give your camels water too.

Then I will know you have helped my master.

Before he finished speaking, here came Rebekah with her water jar on her shoulder.

She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother.

Rebekah was very beautiful and had never been with a man.

She went down to the well, filled her jar, and came up.

The worker ran to her and said, Please give me some water.

She said, Drink, my lord, and she hurried, put down her jar, and gave him water.

After she gave him water she said, I will draw water for your camels too.

She hurried, poured her water into the trough, and went back to get more.

She drew water for all his camels.

The man watched her quietly to see if God had made his trip good.

When the camels had finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring and two gold bracelets.

He said, Whose daughter are you? Is there a place in your father's house for us to stay?

She said, I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who had Nahor.

She said, We have straw and food and a place to stay.

The man bowed his head and praised God.

He said, Blessed be God, the God of my master Abraham, who has not stopped being kind to him.

He led me in the way to my master's brothers.

Rebekah ran home and told her mother's house these words.

Rebekah had a brother named Laban.

Laban ran to the man at the well.

When he saw the ring and bracelets on his sister, and heard her words, he came to the man who stood by the camels.

He said, Come in, blessed by God, why do you stand outside? I have made a place for you and a place for the camels.

The man came in, untied the camels, and gave food and water for the camels and for the men's feet.

They put food before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until I tell you why I am here.

He said, Speak.

He said, I am Abraham's servant.

God has given my master much good; he is strong and has much cattle, silver, gold, servants, camels, and donkeys.

Sarah, my master's wife, had a son when she was old, and he has all that he has.

My master made me promise not to get a wife for his son from the women of this land.

He told me to go to his father's house and his family and get a wife for his son.

I said, Maybe the woman will not follow me.

He said, God, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your way good.

You will get a wife for my son from my family, and then you are free from my promise.

If they do not give her to you, then you are free from my promise.

I came to the well and said, Lord God of my master Abraham, if you make my way good today, let the woman who comes and gives me water and says, Drink, and I will give your camels water also, be the one you chose.

Before I finished speaking, Rebekah came with her jar, went down to the well, and drew water.

I said to her, Please let me drink.

She hurried, put down her jar, said, Drink, and I will give your camels water, so I drank and she made the camels drink.

I asked, Whose daughter are you?

She said, I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah had.

I put a ring on her nose and bracelets on her hands.

I bowed my head and praised God and said, Blessed be God, who led me in the right way to get my master's brother's daughter for his son.

Now if you will do good for my master, tell me; if not, tell me, so I can turn right or left.

Then Laban and Bethuel said, This thing comes from God, we cannot speak bad or good to you.

Rebekah is here, take her and let her be the wife of my master's son, as God said.

When Abraham's servant heard this, he bowed to the ground to God.

He gave Rebekah silver and gold and clothes and gave precious things to her brother and her mother.

They ate and drank with him and his men and stayed all night.

In the morning he said, Send me away to my master.

Her brother and her mother said, Let the girl stay with us at least ten days, then she can go.

He said, Do not stop me, God has made my way good, let me go to my master.

They said, We will ask her.

They called Rebekah and asked, Will you go with this man?

She said, I will go.

They sent her, her nurse, Abraham's servant, and his men.

They blessed Rebekah and said, Our sister, be the mother of many people and let your children rule over those who hate them.

Rebekah and her helpers got on the camels and followed the man.

The servant took Rebekah and left.

Isaac came from Beer-lahai-roi, for he lived in the south land.

He went out to think in the field in the evening.

He lifted his eyes and saw camels coming.

Rebekah lifted her eyes and saw Isaac and got down from the camel.

She said to the servant, Who is that man coming to meet us?

The servant said, That is my master.

She took her veil and covered herself.

The servant told Isaac all he had done.

Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent.

He took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.

Isaac was comforted after his mother died.