A Wife for Isaac

¹By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.

²So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,

³and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,

⁴but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

⁵The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

⁶Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.

⁷The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there.

⁸And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”

⁹So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

¹¹As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.

¹²“O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

¹³Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

¹⁴Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Rebekah Is Chosen

¹⁵Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

¹⁶Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.

¹⁷So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”

¹⁸“Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

¹⁹After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”

²⁰And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.

²¹Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

²²And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka,and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

²³“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

²⁴She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”

²⁵Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”

²⁶Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,

²⁷saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

²⁸The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

²⁹Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.

³⁰As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

³¹“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

³²So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.

³³Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.”So Laban said, “Please speak.”

³⁴“I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied.

³⁵“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

³⁶My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.

³⁷My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,

³⁸but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’

³⁹Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’

⁴⁰And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.

⁴¹And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

⁴²So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success!

⁴³Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’

⁴⁴and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

⁴⁵And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

⁴⁶She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

⁴⁷Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.

⁴⁸Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.

⁴⁹Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”

⁵⁰Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.

⁵¹Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”

⁵²When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.

⁵³Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother.

⁵⁴Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there.When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

⁵⁵But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”

⁵⁶But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”

⁵⁷So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”

⁵⁸They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”“I will go,” she replied.

⁵⁹So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.

⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,“Our sister, may you become the motherof thousands upon thousands.May your offspring possessthe gates of their enemies.”

⁶¹Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Isaac Marries Rebekah

⁶²Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.

⁶³Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

⁶⁴And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel

⁶⁵and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”“It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done.

⁶⁷And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

The Doomed Flock

¹Open your doors, O Lebanon,that the fire may consume your cedars!

²Wail, O cypress,for the cedar has fallen;the majestic trees are ruined!Wail, O oaks of Bashan,for the dense forest has been cut down!

³Listen to the wailing of the shepherds,for their glory is in ruins.Listen to the roaring of the young lions,for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.

⁴This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,

⁵whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on them.

⁶For I will no longer have compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his neighbor and his king, who will devastate the land, and I will not deliver it from their hands.”

⁷So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock.

⁸And in one month I dismissed three shepherds.My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.

⁹Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”

Thirty Pieces of Silver

¹⁰Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two,revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations.

¹¹It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

¹²Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.

¹³And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

¹⁴Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵And the LORD said to me: “Take up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

¹⁶For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.

¹⁷Woe to the worthless shepherd,who deserts the flock!May a sword strike his armand his right eye!May his arm be completely witheredand his right eye utterly blinded!”

God’s Case against His People

¹Hear the word of the LORD,O children of Israel,for the LORD has a caseagainst the people of the land:“There is no truth, no loving devotion,and no knowledge of God in the land!

²Cursing and lying,murder and stealing,and adultery are rampant;one act of bloodshed follows another.

³Therefore the land mourns,and all who dwell in it will waste awaywith the beasts of the field and the birds of the air;even the fish of the sea disappear.

⁴But let no man contend;let no man offer reproof;for your people are like thosewho contend with a priest.

⁵You will stumble by day,and the prophet will stumble with you by night;so I will destroy your mother—

⁶My people are destroyedfor lack of knowledge.Because you have rejected knowledge,I will also reject you as My priests.Since you have forgotten the law of your God,I will also forget your children.

⁷The more they multiplied,the more they sinned against Me;they exchanged their Gloryfor a thing of disgrace.

⁸They feed on the sinsof My peopleand set their hearts on iniquity.

⁹And it shall belike people, like priest.I will punish both of them for their waysand repay them for their deeds.

¹⁰They will eat but not be satisfied;they will be promiscuous but not multiply.For they have abandoned the LORD to give themselves

¹¹to promiscuity, wine, and new wine,which take away understanding.

¹²My people consult their wooden idols,and their divining rods inform them.For a spirit of prostitution leads them astrayand they have played the harlot against their God.

¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintopsand burn offerings on the hills,under oak, poplar, and terebinth,because their shade is pleasant.And so your daughters turn to prostitutionand your daughters-in-law to adultery.

¹⁴I will not punish your daughterswhen they prostitute themselves,nor your daughters-in-lawwhen they commit adultery.For the men themselves go off with prostitutesand offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes.So a people without understandingwill come to ruin.

¹⁵Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,may Judah avoid such guilt!Do not journey to Gilgal,do not go up to Beth-aven,and do not swear on oath,‘As surely as the LORD lives!’

¹⁶For Israel is as obstinateas a stubborn heifer.Can the LORD now shepherd themlike lambs in an open meadow?

¹⁷Ephraimis joined to idols;leave him alone!

¹⁸When their liquor is gone,they turn to prostitution;their rulersdearly love disgrace.

¹⁹The whirlwind has wrapped themin its wings,and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

The Mighty One Calls

¹The Mighty One, God the LORD,speaks and summons the earthfrom where the sun rises to where it sets.

²From Zion, perfect in beauty,God shines forth.

³Our God approaches and will not be silent!Consuming fire precedes Him,and a tempest rages around Him.

⁴He summons the heavens above,and the earth, that He may judge His people:

⁵“Gather to Me My saints,who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

⁶And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,for God Himself is Judge.Selah

⁷“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,O Israel, and I will testify against you:I am God, your God.

⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices,and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

⁹I have no need for a bull from your stallor goats from your pens,

¹⁰for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know every bird in the mountains,and the creatures of the field are Mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you,for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls,or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Sacrifice a thank offering to God,and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵Call upon Me in the day of trouble;I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

¹⁶To the wicked, however, God says,“What right have you to recite My statutesand to bear My covenant on your lips?

¹⁷For you hate My instructionand cast My words behind you.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you befriend him,and throw in your lot with adulterers.

¹⁹You unleash your mouth for eviland harness your tongue to deceit.

²⁰You sit and malign your brother;you slander your own mother’s son.

²¹You have done these things, and I kept silent;you thought I wasjust like you.But now I rebuke youand accuse you to your face.

²²Now consider this, you who forget God,lest I tear you to pieces,with no one to rescue you:

²³He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,and to him who rightly orders his way,I will show the salvation of God.”