The woman was very beautiful, young, and had not had sexual relations with a man. Going down to the spring, she filled her jug and turned for home.

Then Abraham's servant ran to meet her and asked her, "Please, let me have a sip of water from your jug."

She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran to the well to draw again until she had drawn enough water for all ten of the servant's camels.

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a half shekel and two bracelets for her wrists, weighing 10 shekels and presented them to her.

"I am the daughter of Bethuel," she answered. "He's the son of Milcah and Nahor.

And yes," she continued, "we have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place to spend the night."

At this, the man bowed down and worshipped the LORD.

"Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hasn't held back his gracious love and faithfulness from my master! The LORD has led me to the house of my master's relatives!"

The young woman then ran ahead and informed her mother's household what had happened.

Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to the man and met him at the spring.

And so it was, as soon as he saw the nose ring and bracelets on his sister's wrists, and as soon as he heard what his sister Rebekah was saying about what the man had spoken to her, he went out to the man who was still standing by the camels at the spring!

"Come on," Laban said. "The LORD has blessed you! So why are you standing out here when I've prepared some space in the house and a place for the camels?"

So the servant went to the house and unbridled the camels. They provided straw and feed for the camels and water for washing his feet and those of the men with him.

But when they had prepared a meal and set it in front of him, he said, "I'm not eating until I've spoken." "Speak up!" Laban exclaimed.

"The LORD has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become wealthy. He has provided him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.

My master's wife Sarah gave birth to my master's son in her old age, and Abraham has given him everything that belongs to him.

Instead, you are to go to my father's household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.'

"So today I arrived at the spring and prayed, "LORD God of my master Abraham, if you wish to make the journey that I have traveled successful,

if she tells me to drink and also draws water for the camels, may she be the woman that the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'

"Before I had finished praying, along came Rebekah with her jug on her shoulder! She went to the spring and drew some water. I asked her to please let me have a drink.

She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and told me, "Have a drink while I also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also gave my camels water to drink.

"So I gave her a ring for her nose and bracelets for her wrists. I bowed down and worshipped the LORD, and I praised the LORD God of my master Abraham, who led me on the true way to request the daughter of my master's brother for his son.

So now, if you wish to show gracious love and truth toward my master, tell me so. But if not, tell me, so that I may go elsewhere."

"Since this has come from the LORD," Laban and Bethuel both replied, "we cannot speak one way or another.

So here's Rebekah she's right in front of you. Take her and go, so she can become a wife for your master's son, just as the LORD has decreed."

Then the servant brought out some silver and gold items, along with some clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave gifts to her brother and to her mother.

He and the men with him ate and drank, and then they spent the night. When they got up the next morning, the servant requested, "Send me off to my master."

But her brother and mother said, "Let the young lady stay with us a few days at least ten and after that she may go."

But they said, "We'll call the young lady and see what she has to say about this."

So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Do you want to go with this man?" "I will go," she replied.

So they sent off their sister Rebekah, along with her personal assistant, Abraham's servant, and his men.

Then Rebekah and her young servant women got up, mounted their camels, and followed Abraham's servant, who took Rebekah and went on his way.

Isaac went out walking in a field. He looked up, and all of a sudden there were some camels coming.

Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel

and asked the servant, "Who is that man coming in the field to meet us?"

"That's my master," the servant told her. So she reached for a veil and covered herself. Then the servant informed Isaac about everything he had done.

Later, Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah and married her. Isaac loved her, and that's how he was comforted following the loss of his mother.

She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's sons were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.

Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah's descendants.

While he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to his concubines and sent them to the east country in order to keep them away from his son Isaac.

then passed away, dying at a ripe old age, having lived a full life, and joined his ancestors.

His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field that used to belong to Zohar the Hittite's son Ephron.

This was the same field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites, where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.

Here's a list of the names of Ishmael's sons, recorded by their names and descendants: Nebaioth was the firstborn, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

These were Ishmael's children, listed by their names according to their villages and their camps. There were a total of twelve tribal chiefs, according to their clans.

Ishmael lived for 137 years, then he took his last breath, died, and joined his ancestors.

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, since she was unable to conceive children, and the LORD responded to him his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

"Two nations are in your womb," the LORD responded, "and two separate people will emerge. One people will be the stronger, and the older one will serve the younger."

As the boys were growing up, Esau became skilled at hunting and was a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was the quiet type who tended to stay indoors.

One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau happened to come in from being outdoors, and he was feeling famished.

But Jacob insisted, "Swear it by an oath right now." So he swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some of his food, along with some boiled stew. So Esau ate, drank, got up, and left, after having belittled his own birthright.

Later on, a famine swept through the land. This famine was different from the previous famine that had occurred earlier, during Abraham's lifetime. So Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

Remain in this land, and I'll be with and bless you by giving all these lands to you and to your descendants in fulfillment of my solemn promise that I made to your father Abraham.

I'll cause you to have as many descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I'll certainly give all these lands to your descendants. Later on, through your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless one another.

I'm going to do this because Abraham did what I told him to do. He kept my instructions, commands, statutes, and laws."

After he had been there awhile, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out through a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

So Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him. "She is definitely your wife!" he accused him, "So why did you claim, "She's my sister?'" Isaac responded, "Because I had thought ""otherwise, I'll die on account of her.'"

"What have you done to us?" Abimelech asked. "Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty."

He became very wealthy and lived a life of wealth, becoming more and more wealthy.

He owned so many sheep, cattle, and servants that the Philistines eventually became envious of him.

So Isaac moved from there and encamped in the Gerar Valley, where he settled.

Then he left that area and dug still another well. Because they did not quarrel over that one, Isaac named it Rehoboth, because he used to say, "The LORD has enlarged the territory for us. We will prosper in the land."

Later on, he left there and went to Beer-sheba,

where one night the LORD appeared to him. "I am the God of your father Abraham," he told him. "Don't be afraid, because I'm with you. I'm going to bless you and multiply your descendants on account of my servant Abraham."

In response, Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. He also pitched his tents there and his servants dug a well.

Later, Abimelech traveled from Gerar to visit Isaac. He arrived with Ahuzzath, his staff advisor, and Phicol, the commanding officer of his army.

"We've seen that the LORD is with you," they responded, "so we're proposing an agreement between us between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you

So Isaac held a festival for them, and they ate and drank.

They woke up early the next morning and made the treaty. After this, Isaac sent them off and they left on peaceful terms.

That very same day, Isaac's servants arrived and reported to him about a well that they had just completed digging. "We've found water!" they said.

When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

This brought extreme grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

so go find your weapons, take your bow and arrows, go outside, and hunt some game for me.

Then prepare some food, just the way I like it, and bring it to me so that I can eat and bless you before I die."

Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game,

"Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.'

So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I'm about to tell you.

Go to the flock and bring me two healthy young goats. I'll prepare some delicious food for your father, just the way he loves it.

Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies."

My father might touch me and he'll realize that I'm deceiving him. Then, I'll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing."

"My son," she replied, "let any curse against you fall on me. Just listen to me, then go and get them for me."

So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food, just the way his father liked it.

Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau the best ones available and put them on her younger son Jacob.

She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared to her son Jacob,

who went to his father and said, "My father"" "It's me!" he replied. "Which one are you, my son?"

"I'm Esau, your firstborn!" Jacob told his father. "I've done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me."

So Isaac told Jacob, "Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you're my son Esau."

So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, "It's Jacob's voice, but Esau's hands."

"Come closer to me," Isaac replied, "so I can eat some of the game, my son, and then bless you." So Jacob came closer, and Isaac ate. Jacob also brought wine so his father could drink.

After this, Jacob's father Isaac told him, "Come closer and kiss me, my son."

So Jacob drew closer to kiss him. When Isaac smelled the scent of his son's clothes, he blessed him and said, "How my son's scent is the fragrance of the field that the LORD has blessed.

May the LORD grant you dew from the skies, and from the fertile land; may he grant you abundant grain and fresh wine.

May people serve and bow before you; may you be master over your brothers; may your mother's sons bow before you; may anyone who curses you be cursed; and may anyone who blesses you be blessed."

Just after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left his father Isaac, Jacob's brother Esau returned from hunting,

prepared some delicious food, brought it to his father, and told him, "Can you get up now, father, so you may eat some of your son's game and then bless me?"