whence thou camest? 6. Then Abraham said, Be ware of taking my son thither. 7. The Eternal, the God of heaven and earth, who took me from my father's house, and the land of my kindred, and spake and sware to me, saying, To thy seed will I give this land, will send his angel to conduct thee; 8. And if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt be clear of this mine oath, only take not my son thither. 9. So the servant sware to his master according to his desire, after the usual manner.

10. Then he took ten of his master's camels, and the best things he had, for all his master's goods were in his power, and went to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia, 11. And he made his camels kneel at a well without the city in the evening, when they go out to draw water, 12. Then he said in his heart, O Eternal, God of my master Abraham, I pray thee do him the favour to grant me success this day, 13, As I stand by the well when the citizens' daughters come to draw water, may she to whom I say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink, and who will say, I will give thy camels drink also, 14. Be the one thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac, and thereby shall I experience thy favour to my master. 15. Then before he had done speaking, Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came with her pitcher on her shoulder, 16. And went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up: she was a comely virgin, 17. The servant ran to meet her; and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water out of thy pitcher; 18. Then she quickly lowered the pitcher on her arm, and gave him, saying, Drink, Sir. 19. And having drunk, she said, I will draw water enough for thy camels also. 20. Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well, and drew water for all his camels. 21. Now he was silent, wonderjug whether the Eternal had prospered his journey

or not.

22. But when the camels had drunk, he took a jewel for the forehead, half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets for her hands, ten shekels in weight, all of gold; 23. And said, Tell me, I pray thee, whose daughter thou art; and if there is room for us to lodge in thy father's house? 24. She said, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, and Milcah. 25. She said also, We have room to lodge in, and straw and provender enough. 26. Here he bowed his head, and worshipped the Eter. nal; 27. Saying, Blessed be the Eternal, the God of my master Abraham, who ceaseth not to shew him his kindness, and his truth, having led me in the right way to this house of my master's brother. 23. Then the girl ran and told these things in her mother's house, 29, 30. Now Rebekah's brother, Laban, having seen his sister's jewel and bracelets, and heard her tell what the man said to her, went out to him and his camels at the well; 31. And said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; why standest thou without? I have prepared room for these thy camels. 32. And having come into the house, and ungirded his camels, he received straw and provender for them, and water to bathe his and his mens' feet; 33. And meat was set before him; but he said, I will not eat, till I have told my busi

34. And Laban said, Do so: then he said, I am Abraham's servant; 35. And the Eternal hath greatly blessed my master, and given him flocks, herds, silver, gold, camels, asses, men-servants, and maid-servants; 36. And Sarah, his wife, had a son to him in his old age, to whom he hath given all that he hath. [37. And my master made me swear, saying, "Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the Canaanites daughters, in whose land I dwell; 38. But go to my father's house, and my kindred, for a wife to him. 39. Then I replied, Perhaps the woman will not come with me. 40. But he said, The Eternal whom I serve, will send

his angel with thee, to prosper thy way: 41. Then thou shalt be clear from this mine oath, 42. When thou comest to my kindred, though they do not give thee one. So I came this day to the well, and said, O Eternal, God of my master Abraham, if now thou dost prosper my way, 43. Lo, as I stand by the well, when the virgins come to draw, and I say to one, Give me, I pray thee, some water in thy pitcher to drink; 44. And she reply, Drink thou, and I will draw for thy camels also, let her be the one whom thou hast appointed for my master's son. 45. And before I had done speaking in my heart, lo, Rebekah came, with her pitcher on her shoulder, and descended to the well, and drew water; 46. Then I said to her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she quickly lowered her pitcher on her arm, saying, Drink; and I will give thy camels drink also. Which being done, 47. I asked her, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, and Milcah. Then I put on her the ear-rings, and the bracelets on her hands; 48. And, bowing myself, I worshipped the Eternal, blessing him who is the God of my master Abraham, who led me in the right way, to take my master's brother's daughter for a wife to his son."] 49. Now tell me, if ye will do a kindness to my master, or not? that I may know, whither I must go. 50. Then Laban and Bethuel said, This matter proceeds from the Eternal, we acquiesce in it: 51. There is Rebekah, take her with thee, to be thy master's son's wife, according to the will of the Eternal.

52. When Abraham's servant heard these words, he bowed, and worshipped the Eternal; 53. And then gave jewels of silver and gold, and garments, to Rebekah: he gave also valuable presents to her mother and to her brothers. 54. And he, with his men, having eat and drunk, lodged all night: and being risen in the morning, he said,

Let me return to my master. 55. But her brother, and her mother, said, Let her abide with us a few days, at least ten; then she shall go. 56. But he said, Detain me not, seeing the Eternal hath prospered my journey: 57. Then they said, We will call the damsel, and ask if she is willing. 58. So they called her, and asked, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59. So they sent her away, and her nurse, with Abraham's servant, and his men. 60. They also blessed Rebekah, saying, O our sister, be thou the mother of many thousands, and let their seed possess their enemies cities.

61. So the servant went away with Rebekah and her maid; they rode on camels after him.

62. Now Isaac came from the well of Vision (xvi. 4.-xxv. 11.) (i. e. Beersheba); for he lived in the south country. 63. Having gone out to meditate in the field, towards evening, he saw the camels, with the company, coming. 64. Then Rebekah, looking up, saw Isaac. 65. And asking the servant, who he was that walked in the field to meet them? and being told it was his master, she lighted from the camel, and vailed herself.

66. Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done. 67. And Isaac loved Rebekah, and brought her into his mother's tent, and she became his wife: thus he was comforted after his mother's death.

CHAP. XXV.

ABRAHAM'S POSTERITY, BY KETURAH, AND ISHMAEL; HIS DEATH.

ABRAHAM took yet another wife, named Keturah, 2. By whom he had Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishback, and Shuah. 3. Jokshan begat Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's posterity were the Ashurites, Letushites and Leummites. 4. Midian's sons were Ephalt and Apher, (hence Africa,

dusty), Hanoch, Abidah and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's offspring.

5. Abraham gave all his substance to Isaac; 6. But to Hagar's and Keturah's (his concubines) sons he gave gifts; and while he yet lived, sent them away, from his son Isaac, to the east country, Arabia. 7. Abraham was a hundred and seventy years old, 8. When he died, and was united to his people. 9, 10. And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave of the field where he buried Sarah his wife. 11. Now after Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, and he dwelt by the well of Vision (xvi. 14.)

12, 13, ¶ These are the names of Ishmael's sons. Nebajoth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam, 14. Mishma, Duma, Massa, 15. Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah; 16. Twelve chiefs of their nations, of their towns, and castles, so denominated according to their nations. 17. Ishmael was a hundred and thirty seven years old when he died, and was united to his people. 18. And his posterity inhabited from Shur to Havilah, on the borders of Egypt, on the way from Havilah to Assyria. 19. Thus he lived and died contiguous to the abodes of all his brethren (Isaac's and Keturah's sons.)

Isaac's History resumed.

20. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, Bethuel the Syrian's daughter of Padanaram, Laban's sister. 21. Isaac intreated the Eternal for his wife, because she was barren, and obtained his desire; 22. For she became prolific with twins, who had a conflict during pregnancy. So she went to enquire of the Eternal concerning this matter; 23. Who said, Thou shalt produce two nations, yea, two people of different manners, and the elder shall serve the younger. 24. So she produced twins. 25. The first as if covered with a red hairy gar ment, and therefore called Esau, 26. Whose heel