me, and I die: behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: O let me escape thither (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live." And he said unto him, "See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither." Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. Then Yahweh rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abram got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Yahweh; and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father." And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, "Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father." And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when she Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab; the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. arose. And Yahweh visited Sarai as he had said. And Sarai conceived and bare Abram a son in his old age. And she said "Who would have said unto Abram, that Sarai should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age." And Abram reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, "I know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but today." And Abram set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abram, "What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?" And he said, "These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well." So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. And Abram planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. And Abram sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days. And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abram, saying, "Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram: and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abram's brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she also bare Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah. And Abram was old, and well-stricken in age; and Yahweh had blessed Abram in all things. And Abram said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had, "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear by Yahweh, 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 country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac." And the servant said unto him, "Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?" And Abram said unto him, "Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. Yahweh, the God of heaven, that took me from my father's house, and from the land of my nativity, and that spake unto me, and that swear 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 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 his hand under the thigh of Abram his master, and sware to him concerning this matter. And the servant took ten camels, of the camels 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 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 Yahweh, the God of my master Abram, send me, I pray thee, good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abram. Behold, I 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 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 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, Abram's brother, 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 came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, "Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little 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. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, " I will draw for thy camels also, until 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 all his camels. And the man looked steadfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not. 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 the 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 us to lodge in?" And she said unto him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor." She said moreover unto him, "We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in." And the man bowed his head, and worshipped Yahweh. And he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abram, who hath not forsaken his mercy and his truth toward my master: as for me, Yahweh hath led me in the way to the house of thy master's brethren." And the damsel ran, and told her mother's house according to these words. And Rebekah had 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, 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, "Come in, thou blessed of Yahweh; wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels." And the 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 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 Abram's servant. And Yahweh hath blessed 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 Sarai 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 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 my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.' And I said unto my master, 'Peradventure the woman will not follow me.' And he said unto me, 'Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house: Then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath.' And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, 'O Yahweh, the God of my master Abram, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the maiden which cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say, 'Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink'; and she shall say to me, 'Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels'; let the same be the woman whom Yahweh hath appointed for my master's son.' And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the fountain, and drew: and I said unto her, 'Let me drink, I pray thee.' And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also': so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter art thou?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him': and I put the ring upon her nose and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed my head, and worshipped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abram, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son. 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." |