Part 5

Abraham was old and stricken in days, and the LORD had blessed him in all things. And he said unto his eldest servant of his house which had the rule over all that he had: Put thy hand under my thigh that I may make thee swear by the LORD that is God of heaven and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son, of the daughters of the Cananites, among which I dwell. But shalt go unto my country and to my kindred, and there take a wife unto my son Isaac. Then said the servant unto him: what and if the woman will not agree to come with me unto this land, shall I bring thy son again unto the land which thou camest out of? And Abraham said unto him: beware of that, that thou bring not my son thither. The LORD God of heaven which took me from my father's house and from the land where I was born, and which spake unto me and sware unto me saying: unto thy seed will I give this land, he shall send his angel before thee, that thou mayest take a wife unto my son from thence. Nevertheless if the woman will not agree to come with thee then shalt thou be without danger of this oath. But above all things bring not my son thither again. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham and sware to him as concerning that matter. And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed, and had of all manner goods of his master with him, and stood up and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And made his camels to lie down without the city by a well's side of water, at even: about the time that women come out to draw water, and he said: LORD God of my master Abraham, send me good speed this day, and shew mercy unto my master Abraham. Lo I stond here by the well of water and the daughters of the men of this city will come out to draw water: Now the damsel to whom I say, stoop down thy pitcher, and let me drink. If she say: Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also, the same is she that thou hast ordained for thy servant Isaac: yea and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my master. And it came to pass yer he had left speaking, that Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bethuel, son to Milkah 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. 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 earing 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 Milkah 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. And {|For the LORDe|} 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 Rebecca had a brother called Laban. And Laban ran out unto the man, to the well: for as soon as he had seen the earings and the bracelets upon his sister's hands, and heard the words of Rebecca 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 stondest 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 Cananites 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 stond 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 Rebecca 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 Bathuel Nahor's son, whom Milkah bare unto him. And I put the earing 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 right hand or to the left. Then answered Laban and Bathuel saying: The thing is proceeded even out of the LORD, {lorde} we can not therefore say unto thee, either good or bad: Behold Rebecca 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 Rebecca: 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 {lorde} 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 Rebecca and said unto her: wilt thou go with this man? And she said: Yea. Then they brought Rebecca their sister on the way and her nurse and Abraham's servant, and the men that were with him. And they blessed Rebecca and said unto her: Thou art our sister, grow into thousand thousands, and thy seed possess the gates of their enemies. And Rebecca arose and her damsels, and sat them up upon the camels and went their way after the man. And the servant took Rebecca 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 Rebecca 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 Rebecca and she became his wife, and he loved her: and so was Isaac comforted over his mother.

Chapter .xxv.

Abraham took him another wife called Ketura, which bare him Simran, Iacksan, Medan, Midian, Iesback and Suah. And Iacksan begat Seba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Assurim, Letusim and Leumim. And the sons of Midian were Epha, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Elda. All these were the children of Bethura. {Ketura} But Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. And unto the sons of his concubines he gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son (while he yet lived) eastward, unto the east country. These are the days of the life of Abraham which he lived: an hundred and seventy five year and then fell sick and died, in a lusty age (when he had lived enough) and was put unto his people. And his sons Isaac and Ismael buried him in the double cave in the field of Ephron son, of Zoar the Hethite before Mamre. Which field Abraham bought of the sons of Heth: There was Abraham buried and Sara his wife. And after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son, which dwelt by the well of the living and seeing. These are the generations of Ismael Abraham's son, which Hagar the Egyptian Sara's handmaid bare unto Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ismael, with their names in their kindreds. The eldest son of Ismael, Nevatoth, then Redar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Misma, Duma, Masa, Hadar, Thema, Ietur, Naphis and Kedma. These are the sons of Ismael, and these are their names, in their towns and castles twelve princes of nations. And these are the years of the life of Ismael: an hundred and thirty seven years, and then he fell sick and died, and was laid unto his people. And he dwelt from Evila unto Sur that is before Egypt, as men go toward the Assyrians. And he died in the presence of all his brethren. And these are the generations of Isaac Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac. And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca to wife the daughter of Bethuel the Sirian of Mesopotamia and sister to Laban the Sirian. And Isaac made intercession unto the LORD for his wife: because she was barren: and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebecca 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. 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 an 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 Iacob. And Isaac was forty years old when she bare them: and the boys grew, and Esau became a cunning hunter and a tillman. But Iacob was a simple man and dwelled in the tents. Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison, but Rebecca loved Iacob. Iacob sod pottage, and Esau came from the field and was fainty, and said to Iacob: let me sip of that red pottage, for I am fainty. And therefore was his name called Edom. And Iacob said: sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau answered: Lo I am at the point to die, and what profit shall this birthright do me? And Iacob said, swear to me then this day. And he swore to him and sold his birthright unto Iacob. Then Iacob gave Esau bread and pottage of red rice. And he ate and drank and rose up and went his way. And so Esau regarded not his birthright.

Chapter .xxvi.

And there fell a dearth in the land, passing the first dearth that fell in the days of Abraham. Wherefore Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. Then the LORD appeared unto him and said: go not down into Egypt, but bide in the land which I say unto thee: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee: for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these countries. And I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father, and will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries. And thorow thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because that Abraham hearkened unto my voice and kept mine ordinances, commandments, statutes and laws. 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 Rebecca his wife. 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. And Isaac sowed in the land, and found in the same year an hundred bushels: for the LORD blessed him, and the man waxed mighty, and went forth and grew till he was exceeding great, that he had possession of sheep, of oxen and a mighty household: so that the Philistines had envy at him: Insomuch that they stopped and filled up with earth, all the wells which his father's servants digged in his father Abraham's time. Then said Abimelech unto Isaac: get thee from me, for thou art mightier than we a great deal. Then Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley Gerar and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again, the wells of water which they digged in the days of Abraham his father which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham, and gave them the same names which his father gave them. As Isaac's servants digged in the valley, they found a well of springing {living} water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen saying: the water is ours. Then called he the well Eseck because they strove with him. Then digged they another well, and they strove for that also. Therefore called he it Sitena. And then he departed thence, and digged another well for the which they strove not: therefore called he it Rehoboth, saying: the LORD hath now made us room, and we are increased upon the earth. Afterward departed he thence and came to Berseba. And the LORD appeared unto him the same night and said: I am the God of Abraham thy father, fear not for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. And then he builded an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD, and there pitched his tent. And there Isaac's servants digged a well. Then came Abimelech to him from Gerar and Ahusath his friend and Phicoll his chief captain. And Isaac said unto them: wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me and have put me away from you? Then said they: we saw that the LORD was with thee, and therefore we said that there should be an oath betwixt us and thee, and that we would make a bond with thee: that thou shouldest do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and have done unto thee nothing but good, and send thee away in peace: for thou art now the blessed of the LORD. And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. And they rose up by times in the morning and sware one to another. And Isaac sent them away. And they departed from him in peace. And the same day came Isaac's servants, and told him of a well which they had digged: and said unto him, that they had found water. And he called it Seba, wherefore the name of the city is called Berseba unto this day. When Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Iudith the daughter of Bery an Hethite, and Basmath the daughter of Elon an Hethite also, which were disobedient unto Isaac and Rebecca.

Chapter .xxvij.