Great(i)
1 Abraham was olde and stryken in dayes, and the Lorde had blessed hym in all thynges.
2 And Abraham sayde vnto his eldest seruaunte of his house whych had the rule ouer all that he had: Put thy hande vnder my thygh,
3 & I wyll make the swere by the Lorde God of heauen and God of the erth, that thou shalt not take a wyfe vnto my sonne, of the daughters of Chanaan, amonge whych I dwell.
4 But thou shalt goo vnto my contrey and to my natyue londe, and take a wyfe vnto my sonne Isahac.
5 But the seruaunte sayde vnto hym: peraduenture the woman wyll not agree to come wyth me vnto thys lande, shall I bringe thy sonne agayne vnto the lande whych thou cammest out of?
6 To whom Abraham answered: be ware, that thou brynge not my sonne thyther agayne.
7 The Lorde God of heauen whych toke me from my fathers house and from the lande where I was borne, and whych spake vnto me and that sware vnto me, sayinge: vnto thy seed wyll I geue thys lande, he shall sende hys angell before the, and thou shalt take a wyfe vnto my sonne from thence.
8 Neuerthelesse yf the woman wyll not agree to folowe the, than shalt thou be wyth out daunger of thys my ooth. Onely brynge not my sonne thyther agayne.
9 And the seruaunt put hys hande vnder the thygh of Abraham his master, and sware to hym as concernynge that matter.
10 And the seruaunt toke .x. camels of the cameles of hys master and departed, and had of all maner goodes of hys master wyth hym, and stode vp and went to Mesopotamya, vnto the cytie of Nahor.
11 And made hys camels to lye downe wythout the cytie by a wels syde of water, at euen: aboute the tyme that women come out to drawe water,
12 and he sayde. Lorde God of my master Abraham, sende me good spede this daye, and shewe mercy vnto my master Abraham.
13 Lo I stonde here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of thys cytye come out to drawe water:
14 Nowe the damsell to whome I saye, stompe downe thy pytcher I praye the that I maye dryncke. If she saye also: Dryncke, and I wyll geue thy camels drincke: the same is she that thou hast ordeyned for thy seruaunte Isahac: yee, and therby shall I knowe that thou hast shewed mercy on my master.
15 And it came to passe yer he had left speakynge, beholde, Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bethuell, sonne to Milca the wyfe of Nahor Abrahams brother, and hyr pytcher vpon hyr shoulder:
16 The damsell was very fayre to loke vpon, and yet a mayde and vnknowen of man. And she went downe to the well, and fylled hyr pytcher and came vp.
17 And the seruaunte rennynge vnto her, sayde: let me suppe a lytle water of thy pytcher.
18 And she sayde: drincke my Lorde. And she hasted and lett downe her pytcher vpon hyr arme, and gaue hym dryncke.
19 And when she had gyuen hym dryncke, she sayde: I wyll drawe water for thy camels also, vntyll they haue droncke ynough.
20 And she powred out hyr pytcher in to the trough hastely, and ranne agayne vnto the well to fett water: and drewe for all hys camels.
21 And the man wondred at her: but helde his peace, to wete whether the Lorde had made hys iourney prosperous or not.
22 And it fortuned as the camelles had lefte drynkynge, the man toke a golden earynge of halfe a sicle waight, and two bracellettes for hyr handes, of .x. sycles weyght of golde,
23 and sayde: Whose daughter art thou? tell me I praye the, is there rowme in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in?
24 She answered him: I am the daughter of Bathuel the sonne of Milca which she bare vnto Nahor:
25 and sayde moreouer vnto hym: we haue litter and prouonder ynough, and also rowme to lodge i
26 And the man bowed him selfe, & worshypped the Lorde,
27 and sayde: blessed be the Lorde God of my master Abraham, whych ceasseth not to deale mercyfully and truly wyth my master, and hath brought me the waye to my masters brothers house.
28 And the damsell ranne and tolde them of her mothers house these thynges.
29 And Rebecca had a brother called Laban. And he ranne out vnto the man, euen to the well:
30 for as sone as he had sene the earynges and the bracelettes in hys systers handes (and hearde the wordes of Rebecca hys syster sayinge: thus sayde the man vnto me) he went out vnto the man. And loo, he stode wyth the camels by the well syde.
31 And he sayde: come in thou blessed of the Lorde. Wherfore stondest thou wythout? I haue dressed the house, and made rowme for the camels.
32 And than the man came into the house: and he vnbrydled the camels. and (Laban) brought lytter and prouonder for the camels, and water to washe hys fete and the mennes fete that were wt hym,
33 & set meate before hym to eate. But he sayde: I wyll not eate, vntyll I haue sayde myne arande. And he sayde: saye on.
34 And he sayd: I am Abrahams seruaunt,
35 & God hath blessed my master out of measure, that he is become greate, and hath geuen hym shepe, and oxen, syluer and golde, men seruauntes, and mayde seruauntes, camels and asses.
36 And Sara my masters wyfe bare hym a sonne, when she was olde: and vnto hym hath he geuen all that he hath.
37 And my master made me swere sayinge: thou shalt not take a wyfe to my sonne amonge the daughters of the Cananites in whose lande I dwell:
38 But thou shalt go vnto my fathers house & to my kynred, and take a wife vnto my sonne.
39 And I sayde vnto my master: peraduenture the wyfe wyll not folowe me?
40 And he answered me: The Lorde, before whome I walke, wyll sende hys angell wyth the, and prospere thy iourney and thou shalt take a wyfe for my sonne, of my kynred and of my fathers house.
41 Them shalt thou be gyltlesse of my curse, whan thou commest to my kynred. And yf they geue the not one, thou shalt be giltlesse of my curse.
42 And so I came thys daye vnto the well and sayde: O Lorde, the God of my master Abraham, yf it be so nowe that thou makest my iourney whych I go, prosperous:
43 beholde I stonde by thys well of water, and when a vyrgyn cometh forth to drawe water, and I saye to her: geue me (I praye the) a lytle water of thy pytcher to drincke,
44 and she saye to me: dryncke thou, and I wyll also drawe for thy camels: that same is the wyfe whom the Lorde hath prepared for my masters sonne.
45 And before I had made an ende of speakynge in myne harte: beholde Rebecca came forth, and hyr pytcher on hyr shulder, and she went downe vnto the well & drewe water. And I sayde vnto her: geue me dryncke I praye the.
46 And she made hast, & toke downe hyr pitcher from of hyr, and sayde dryncke, and I wyll geue thy camels dryncke also.
47 And I drancke, & she gaue the camels dryncke also. And I asked her, sayinge: whose daughter art thou? She answered: the daughter of Bathuel Nahors sonne whom Milca bare vnto hym. And I put the earing vpon hyr face, and the bracelettes vpon hyr handes.
48 And I bowed my selfe, and worshypped the Lorde, & blessed the Lorde God of my master Abraham whych had brought me the ryght waye, to take my masters brothers daughter vnto hys sonne.
49 Nowe also yf ye wyll deale mercyfully and truly wyth my master, tell me: and yf not, tell me also: that I maye turne me to the ryght hande or to the lefte.
50 Than answered Laban and Bathuel, sayinge. This sayenge is proceded euen out of the Lorde, we can not therfore saye vnto the, ether good or bad:
51 beholde, Rebecca is before the, take her and goo, that she maye be thy masters sonnes wyfe, euen as God hath sayde.
52 And when Abrahams seruaunt hearde theyr wordes, he worshypped the Lorde, flatt vpon the erth.
53 And the seruaunt toke forth iewelles of syluer and iewelles of golde and rayment, and gaue them to Rebecca. And vnto hyr brother and to hyr mother, he gaue gyftes.
54 And they dyd eate & dryncke, both he and the men that were with him, and taryed all nyght. And whan they rose vp in the mornynge. He sayde: let me departe vnto my master.
55 Hyr brother & hyr mother answered: let the damsell abyde wyth vs a whyle, and it be but euen .x. dayes, and than shall she go.
56 He sayde vnto them: hynder me not, beholde, the Lorde hath prospered my iourney. Sende me awaye therfore, that I maye goo vnto my master.
57 And they sayde: we wyll call the damsell, and enquere at hyr mouth.
58 And they called forth Rebecca, and sayde vnto her: wylt thou goo with this man? And she answered, I wyll goo.
59 So they let Rebecca theyr syster go and her norse & Abrahams seruaunte, & hys men.
60 And they blessed Rebecca, and sayde vnto her: Thou art oure syster, growe into thousande thousandes and thy seed possesse the gate of theyr enemyes.
61 And Rebecca arose and hyr damsels, and satt them vp vpon the camels, and went theyr waye after the man. And the seruaunt toke Rebecca, and went hys waye.
62 And Isahac was a commynge from the waye of the well of the lyuinge and seynge me, for he dwelt in the south contreye,
63 & Isahac was gone out to praye in the felde at the euen tyde. And he lyft vp hys eyes and sawe the camels commyng.
64 And Rebecca lyft vp hyr eyes, and when she sawe Isahac, she lyghted of the camell,
65 and sayd vnto the seruaunt: what man is thys that commeth walkynge agaynst vs in the felde? And the seruaunt sayde: it is my master. Therfore she toke hyr cloke, and put it about her.
66 And the seruaunt tolde Isahac all thynges that he had done.
67 And Isahac broughte her in to his mother Saraes tente, and toke Rebecca, and she became hys wyfe, and he loued her: and so Isahac receaued conforte after hys mother