Thursday in Season after Pentecost

1Verse 1. By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2Verse 2. So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, 3Verse 3. and 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, 4Verse 4. but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5Verse 5. The 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?” 6Verse 6. Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there. 7Verse 7. The 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. 8Verse 8. And 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.” 9Verse 9. So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. 10Verse 10. Then 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. 11Verse 11. As 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. 12Verse 12. “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13Verse 13. Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14Verse 14. Now 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.” 15Verse 15. Before 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. 16Verse 16. Now 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. 17Verse 17. So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.” 18Verse 18. “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19Verse 19. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” 20Verse 20. And 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. 21Verse 21. Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

9Verse 9. Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest. 10Verse 10. Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber. 11Verse 11. Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain: 12Verse 12. “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”