Isaac and Rebekah.
Among the many beautiful things in the Bible, there are few stories more interesting than that of Isaac and Rebekah, as it is told in the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis.
Isaac was the son of Abraham, who had left his native place in Mesopotamia, and settled in the land of Canaan. Abraham was unwilling that his son should marry a Canaanite woman; so he sent his servant to his own native land, to find a wife for Isaac. The man set out with ten camels, and a great variety of things for presents, and at last came near to the city of Nahor, in Mesopotamia.
He stopped at a well without the city, and made his camels kneel by the side of it. He knew that the daughters of the men of the city would come out to draw water at the well, for this was the custom of the country; so he waited, and prayed to the Lord that the damsel to whom he should say, “Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink,” should be the woman designed to be the wife of Isaac.
Pretty soon a beautiful girl came to the well, and the servant spoke to her, and she let down her pitcher, and gave him some water; and she also gave water to his camels. She told him that her name was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah. The servant then gave her some golden ear-rings and some bracelets; and, upon her invitation, went, with his whole party, to her father’s house. Here he was kindly received; and after a space, he told the errand on which he had come. He closed his story in the following words: “And now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”
Then Bethuel and Laban, his son, answered and said, “The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken. And it came to pass that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night: and they rose up in the morning; and he said, Send me away unto my master. And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away, that I may go to my master. And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah, their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
“And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man, and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
“And Isaac came from the way of the well, Lahai-roi: for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide; and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes; and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”