And he said, "I am Abraham's servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and menservants and maidservants, and camels and a.s.ses. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master 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 for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.' And I said unto my master, 'Peradventure the woman will not follow me.' And he said unto me, 'The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house: then shalt thou be clear from my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give her not to thee, thou shalt be clear from my oath.'

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

REBEKAH By Goodall.

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"And I came this day unto the fountain, and said, 'O Lord, the G.o.d of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pa.s.s, that the maiden which cometh forth to draw, to whom I shall say, "Give me, I pray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher to drink"; and she shall say to me, "Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels": let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed for my master's son.' And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the fountain, and drew: and I said unto her, 'Let me drink, I pray thee.' And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also': so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter art thou?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore unto him': and I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the G.o.d of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The {56} thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken."

And it came to pa.s.s, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto the Lord. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

And they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, "Send me away unto my master."

And her brother and her mother said, "Let the maiden abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go."

And he said unto them, "Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master."

And they said, "We will call the maiden, and inquire of her."

And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, "Wilt thou go with this man?"

And she said, "I will go." And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.

And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, "Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy family possess the gate of those who hate them."

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

A CAMEL RIDER

From a photograph belonging to Miss Clara L. Bodman and used by her kind permission.

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And Rebekah arose, and her maidservants, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah and went his way.

And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the land of the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming.

And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel. And she said unto the servant, "What man is this who walketh in the field to meet us?"

And the servant said, "It is my master": and she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. And Isaac brought her to his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM.

And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. And Abraham died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hitt.i.te, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah, his wife. And it came to pa.s.s after the death of Abraham, that G.o.d blessed Isaac his son.

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JACOB

_The Story of the Man Who Struggled Much Between Right and Wrong and Who Suffered Many Things_.

THE STRIFE BETWEEN THE BROTHERS.

_Esau Sells His Birthright. Jacob Deceives His Father and Receives the Blessing Intended for Esau_.

(Isaac, the son of Abraham, and Rebekah, his wife, had twin sons, named Jacob and Esau. Esau was a bold, rough, reckless boy, fond of hunting and adventure. Jacob was more quiet, but also more cunning.

The recklessness of Esau and the cunning of Jacob many times cost them dear in later life.)

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison: and Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint."

And Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy birthright."

And Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point of death: and what profit shall the birthright be to me?"

And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day"; and he swore unto him: and he sold his birthright to Jacob.

And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and {61} he ate and drank, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.

And it came to pa.s.s, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son": and he said to him, "Here am I."

And he said, "Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death.

Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison; and make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die."

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying, 'Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.' Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death."

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing."

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And his mother said unto him, "Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them."

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: and she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father, and said, "My father": and he said, "Here am I; who art thou, my son?"

And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me."

And Isaac said unto his son, "How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?"

And he said, "Because the Lord thy G.o.d sent me good speed."