Thematic Bible: Rebekah (rebecca)


Thematic Bible



And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia and sister to Laban the Syrian.

And it came to pass, yer he had left speaking, that Rebekah came out - the daughter of Bethuel, son to Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother - and her pitcher upon her shoulder. The damsel was very fair to look upon, and yet a maid and unknown of man. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up again. Then the servant ran unto her and said, "Let me sip a little water of thy pitcher." read more.
And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hasted and let down her pitcher upon her arm and gave him drink. And when she had given him drink, she said, "I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have drunk enough." And she poured out her pitcher into the trough hastily, and ran again unto the well, to fetch water: and drew for all his camels. And the fellow wondered at her. But held his peace, to wete whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And as the camels had left drinking, he took an earring of half a sicle weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten sicles weight of gold, and said unto her, "Whose daughter art thou? tell me: 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," and said moreover unto him, "We have litter and provender enough and also room to lodge in." And the man bowed himself and worshipped the LORD, and said, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham which ceaseth not to deal mercifully and truly with my master. For the LORD hath brought me the way to my master's brother's house." And the damsel ran and told them of her mother's house these things. And Rebekah had a brother called Laban. And Laban ran out unto the man, to the well: for as soon as he had seen the earrings and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister saying "thus said the man unto me," then he went out unto the man. And lo, he stood yet with the camels by the well side. And Laban said, "Come in, thou blessed of the LORD. Wherefore standest thou without? I have dressed the house and made room for the camels." And then the man came in to the house: and he unbridled the camels: and brought litter and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and their feet that were with him, and there was meat set before him to eat. But he said, "I will not eat, until I have said mine errand." And he said, "Say on." And he said, "I am Abraham's servant, and the LORD hath blessed my master out of measure that he is become great and hath given him sheep, oxen, silver and gold, menservants, maidservants, camels and asses. And Sara my master's wife bare him a son, 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 to my son, among the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my father's house and to my kindred, and there take a wife unto my son.' And I said unto my master, 'What if the wife will not follow me?' And he said unto me, 'The LORD before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy journey that thou shalt take a wife for my son, of my kindred and of my father's house. But and if, when thou comest unto my kindred, they will not give thee one; then shalt thou bear no peril of mine oath.' And I came this day unto the well and said, 'O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if it be so that thou makest my journey which I go, prosperous: behold, I stand by this well of water, and when a virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her 'give me a little water of thy pitcher to drink,' and she say again to me, 'drink thou, and I will also draw water for thy camels,' that same is the wife, whom the LORD hath prepared for my master's son.' And before I had made an end of speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth, and her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well and drew. And I said unto her, 'give me drink.' And she made haste, and took down her pitcher from off her, and said, 'drink, and I will give thy camels drink also.' And I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. And I asked her, saying, 'whose daughter art thou?' And she answered, 'the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him.' And I put the earring upon her face and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed myself, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham which had brought me the right way, to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son. Now, therefore, if ye will deal mercifully and truly with my master, tell me - And if not, tell me also - that I may turn me to the righthand or to the left." Then answered Laban and Bethuel, saying, "The thing is proceeded even out of the LORD, we can not therefore say unto thee, either good or bad: Behold Rebekah before thy face: take her and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, even as the LORD hath said." And when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself unto the LORD, flat upon the earth. And the servant took forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: But unto her brother and to her mother, he gave spices. And then they ate and drank, both he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night and rose up in the morning. And he said, "Let me depart unto my master." But her brother and her mother said, "Let the damsel abide with us a while, and it be but even ten days, and then go thy ways." And he said unto them, "Hinder me not: for the LORD hath prospered my journey. Send me away that I may go unto my master." And they said, "Let us call the damsel, and wit what she saith to the matter." And they called forth Rebekah and said unto her, "Wilt thou go with this man?" And she said, "Yea." Then they brought Rebekah their sister on the way, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and the men that were with him. And they blessed Rebekah and said unto her, "Thou art our sister, grow into thousand thousands, and thy seed possess the gates of their enemies." And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and sat them up upon the camels and went their way after the man. And the servant took Rebekah and went his way. And Isaac was a coming from the well of the living and seeing, for he dwelt in the south country, and was gone out to walk in his meditations before the even tide. And he lift up his eyes and looked, and behold the camels were coming. And Rebekah lift up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel, and said unto the servant, "What man is this that cometh against us in the field?" And the servant said, "It is my master." And then she took her mantle, and put it about her. And the servant told Isaac all that he had done. Then Isaac brought her in to his mother Sara's tent, and took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her: and so was Isaac comforted over his mother.


And it chanced, after these things, that one told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor: Uz his eldest son and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of the Syrians, and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel." read more.
And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.


And these words of Esau her eldest son, were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called Jacob her youngest son, and said unto him, "Behold, thy brother Esau threateneth to kill thee. Now therefore my son hear my voice, make thee ready, and flee to Laban my brother at Haran: And tarry with him a while, until thy brother's fierceness be assuaged, read more.
and until thy brother's wrath turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then will I send and fetch thee away from thence. Why should I lose you both in one day?" And Rebekah spake to Isaac, "I am weary of my life, for fear of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such one as these are, or of the daughters of the land, what lust should I have to live?"


When Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri, an Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon, an Hittite also, which were disobedient unto Isaac and Rebekah.


And Isaac made intercession unto the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children strove together within her. Then she said, "If it should go so to pass, what helpeth it that I am with child?" And she went and asked the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, "There are two manner of people in thy womb, and two nations shall spring out of thy bowels, and the one nation shall be mightier than the other and the eldest shall be servant unto the younger." read more.
And when her time was come to be delivered, behold, there were two twins in her womb. And he that came out first was red and rough over all, as it were a hide: and they called his name Esau. And afterward his brother came out, and his hand holding Esau by the heel. Wherefore his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was forty years old when she bare them: and the boys grew, and Esau became a cunning hunter and a tillman. But Jacob was a simple man and dwelled in the tents. Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison, but Rebekah loved Jacob.


But Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And as soon as Esau was gone to the field to catch venison, and to bring it, she spake unto Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I have heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying, 'bring me venison and make me meat, that I may eat and bless thee before the LORD yer I die.' read more.
Now therefore, my son, hear my voice in that which I command thee: get thee to the flock, and bring me thence two good kids, and I will make meat of them for thy father, such as he loveth. And thou shalt bring it to thy father and he shall eat, that he may bless thee before his death." Then said Jacob to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is rough and I am smooth. My father shall peradventure feel me, and I shall seem unto him as though I went about to beguile him, and so shall he bring a curse upon me and not a blessing." And his mother said unto him, "Upon me be thy curse, my son, only hear my voice, and go and fetch me them." And Jacob went and fetched them and brought them to his mother. And his mother made meat of them, according as his father loved. And she went and fetched goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau which she had in the house with her, and put them upon Jacob her youngest son, and she put the skins upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck. And she put the meat and bread which she had made in the hand of her son Jacob. And he went in to his father saying, "My father." And he answered, "Here am I, who art thou my son?" And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau, thy eldest son. I have done according as thou baddest me: up and sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me." But Isaac said unto his son, "How cometh it that thou hast found it so quickly my son?" He answered, "The LORD thy God brought it to my hand." Then said Isaac unto Jacob, "Come near and let me feel thee my son, whether thou be my son Esau or not." Then went Jacob to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said the voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he knew him not, because his hands were rough as his brother Esau's hands and so he blessed him. And he asked him, "Art thou my son Esau?" And he said, "That I am." Then said he, "Bring me and let me eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee." And he brought him, and he ate. And he brought him wine also, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, "Come near and kiss me my son." And he went to him and kissed him. And he smelled the savour of his raiment and blessed him, and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed. God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn and wine. People be thy servants, and nations bow unto thee. Be lord over thy brethren, and thy mother's children stoop unto thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee."


And Isaac dwelled in Gerar. And the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said that she was his sister: for he feared to call her his wife lest the men of the place should have killed him for her sake, because she was beautiful to the eye. And it happened after he had been there long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife. read more.
And Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, "See, she is of a surety thy wife, and why saidest thou that she was thy sister?" And Isaac said unto him, "I thought that I might peradventure have died for her sake." Then said Abimelech, "Why hast thou done this unto us? One of the people might lightly have lain by thy wife and so shouldest thou have brought sin upon us." Then Abimelech charged all his people saying, "He that toucheth this man or his wife, shall surely die for it."


There they buried Abraham and Sara his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife. And there I buried Lea:


Neither was it so with her only: but also when Rebecca was with child by one, I mean by our father Isaac,