Genesis — Chapter 24

, which {pake to mc , and {ware to me, faying: To thy feed will give this land; he thal fend his Angcl betore thee , and thou fhal take from thence a wife for my fonne : & but if the woman wil not folow thee , thou fhalt not be bound by the oath: only bring not my fonne thither againe. 9. The feruant therfore put his hand vnder the thigh of Abraham his Lord , and {ware to him vpon this word. 10. And: he tooke tcn camels of his Lords heard , and departed , of al his goods carying fomcthing with him , and fetting forward went on into Mefopotamia to the citie of Nachor. 11. And when he had made the camels lye downe without the towne befide a wel of watcr at euen , at the time when women are wont to come forth to draw water , he faid: 1:.O Lord God of my Lord Abraham, meet me to day ,1 befecch thee , and doe mercitully with my Maiter Abraham. 13. Behold I {tand nigh to the fountaine of water and the daughters of the inha- biters ot this citie wil come forth to draw watcr. 14. Therfore @ the maid , to whom I fal fay : Bow downe thy tankard that 1 may drinke ; and ihe thal anfwer: Drinke , yea to thy caimcls alfo vil i ciue drinke ; fhe it is, whom thou haft prouided tor thy feruant Ifaac: and by this I fhal vnderftand , that thou halt deit mercitully with A braham. GENESIS. 75 with my Matter. 1). Neither nad he yet ended thefe words witnia him felfe,8¢ behold Rebecca came forth,the daughter of Bathuel, the fonne of Melcha, wifeto Nachor the brother of Abraham , having a tankard on her thoulder; 16. a pafling comely maid,& moft beautiful vargin, & not knowen to man:and fhe was gone downeto the tountaine,and had filled her tankard and came backe. 17. And the feruantranne to meer her,and faid: Giue me alittle water to drinke of thy tankard, 12. Who j anfwered: Drinke my Lord. And quickly fe let downe the tankard vpon her arme,and gaue him drinke. 19. And when he had drunke,the added : but for thy “camels alfo I wil draw water , til al doe drinke.

Obseruation of speaches called ominous, which are interpreted to signifie good or euil luck, are sometimes superstitious & suggested by euil spirits, who now & then telling or insinuating some truth, get credit, & so allure men to attend to such vaine, vncertaine, and vnlawful signes, as S. Augustine testifieth li. 2. de Gen. ad lit. c. 17. & li 12. c. 12. Neuertheles such signes are sometimes lawfully obserued, & desired from God, as the same Doctour disputeth (li. quest. super Gen. q. 53) & S. Chrisostome teacheth more clerly (ho. 47. in Gen.) likewise S. Theodoret q. 73. in Gen. But whosoeuer wil not erre in particular cases, must follow either expresse Scripture, or the iudgement of the Church, which is alwayes directed by the spirit of truth. And touching this prayer of Abrahams seruant, & his desire of this determinate signe to know the maid, whom God had prouided to be Isaacs wife, the fathers generally hold that it was religious, deuout, and discrete. For he being careful of his Masters busines, and not trusting his owne iudgement, but relying vpon that Abraham had said, Our Lord shal send his Angel before thee, commended so weightie a cause to God by prayer, the Angel suggesting both to him to desire, & to the maid to performe (as the euent sheweth) such qualities and vertues in her, as were most agreable to the great charitie and hospitalitie dayly practized in Abrahams house, most conuenient and necessarie (as he discretely considered) for that familie, and good of manie. The like obseruations were approued in Gedeon, and Ionathas. And to pray for such signes in some case, or for manifest miracles is also approued by the Apostles example praying God To shew by lot which of the two he had chosen to the Apostleship, in place of Iudas. And that he would extend his hand to cures, and signes, and wonders, to be done by the name of his holy sonne IESVS.

itto al the camels. 21.Bur he mufing beheld her with filence , defirous to know whether our Lord had made his iourney profperous ornot, 22. And aftertharthe camels had drunke,the man plucked forth golden carcletre 8, weyshing two ficles , and as manie braceletts of tenne icles weight. 2;. And he {aid to her : Whofe daughter artthou 2 fhew me ; is there anie place in thy fathers houfe to lodge : 2 24. Who anfwered: 1 am the daughter of Bathuel, the fonne of Melcha, whom fhe bare to Nachor, 2<. And fhe added ,faying : : Of ftraw alfo and hay we haue good ftore , and alarge place to lodge in. 26. The man bowed himfelfe, and adored our Lord,

my Lord,and hath brought mc the ftreight way into the houfe of my Lords brother. 28. Themaid _ therfore ranne , and reported into ( ) her mothers houfe al things that he Her father fhe had heard. 2 y. And Rebecca had a brother named Laban who i inal haat oe haft went torth to the man, where the tountaine was, 3c. And when he wines & eueric had feen the earelets and bracelets in his fifters hands , and had heard al ‘onea feueral her words reporting : Thefe words fpake the man vnto me; he came to :houfe,fhe went the man which ftood betide the camels, and nigh tothe fountaine of ie! her mothers water: 31. and faid tohim: Comcin, thou bleffed of our Lord: Why houfe, {tandeft thou without : I haue prepared the houfe, anda place for the camels. 32. And he brought him in into his lodging : : and he vnharnefied the camels, and gaue ftraw and hay, and water to ‘wash his feet, and of the men that were come with him. 23. And bread was fet before him, Who faid : I wilnot eate til I fpeake my meflage. He anfwered him: Speake, 34. And he faid:] amthe feruantof Abraham: 35. and our Lord hath bleffed my I ord wondertully , and heis magnified: and he hath giuen him sheep, & oxen,liluer and ‘sold, men feruants & women feruants , camels , and affes. 36. And Sara my Lordes wite hath borne my Lord a fonne i in her old age,and he hath giuen him al things that he had. 37. And my Lord adiured me faying : Thou shalt nottake a wife for my fonne of the Chananites,in whofe land 1 dwel: 38. but thou shalt goeto my fathers houfe ,and of mine owne kindred shaltthou take awite tor my fonne:39. put I anfwered my Lord: What it the woman — ee a + wil not rT 7c) Aschildren ought not to ma y without their parents good liking;fo the parties Jowne confent is moft neceffa. ‘ rie. SweAmb, Epift.43. 76 GENESIS, Abraham. wil not come wihme? 4c. Out Lord faith he,in whofe fight I walke, [ wil fend his Angel with thee, & wildirect thy way: and thou shalt take a wite for my fonne of myne owne kindred , and of my fathers houfe, 41. Thou fhakt be innocent trom my curfe, when thou {halt come to my Kinne, and they wil not giue her thee. 42. I came therfore to day to the wel of water,and {aid : O- Lord. God of my Lord Abraham, if thou haft directed my way,wherin I now walke, 43. behold! ftand befides. the . wel of water,and thevirgin, that fhal-come forth to draw water, when fhe fhal heare mic fay.: Giue-mea litle water to drinke of thy. thankard? 44. and fhe fhal fay-to me =, Drinke both thou and for thy. camels I wil draw alfo ; thatis the woman, which our Lord hath prepared for my Mafters. fonne. 45. And whileft I pondered thefe things. feeretly with my felfe, Rebecca appeared comming with atankard, which she caried vpon her shoulder :.& she went downe to the fountaine,& drew water, And I faidto-her:Gine mea litle ta drinke. 46-Who fpeedily let downe . the tankard fram her fhoulder,and faid to me:Drinke both thou,and to thy camels I wilgiuedrinke, I dranke, and fhe watered the cammels;: 47-And I asked her,and faid : Whofe daughter art thou ? Who anfwe-’ red: 1 am che daughter of Bathuel,the fonne of Nachor, whom Melcha bare him.t hung tnerfore carelertessto adorne her face, and. I put brace- : lets.vpon her hands. 48. And proftrate I adored our Lord, bleffing the. , Lord God of my Lord Abraham, who hath brought me the ftraighe way. to take the daughter of my Lords brother for his fonne. 49. Wher- tore if you doe accordin to mercie and truth with my Lord, thew me: but ifit pleafe you othcrwife,that alfo tel me,chat I may goe to the right. hand or to thelett. 50. Aud Labanand Bathucl anfwered : From our Lord the word hath proceeded : we can:not {peake any other ching with thee betides his pleafure. 51. Bchold Rebecca is betore thec, take her and goe thy waies, & Ict her be the wite of thy Lordsfonne,.as.our Lord hath fpoken. 52. Which when.Abrahams feruant heard , falling downe he adored our Lord to the ground. 53. And taking forth veffels of filuer, and gold , and garments., gaue themto Rebecca for a prefent. _ To her brothers.alfo , and.ro.her mother he offered guifts.. 5 4.A banket was made,and eating and drinking together they lodged there.. And in the morning the feruant arefe , and faid : Difmiffe me,that I may goe to my Lord. 55~And her brother and mother anfwered:Let the maid tarie at the leaftrenne dayes with vs, & after fhe thal depart.56. Stay me not, faid he becaufe our Lord hath dire€tcd my way ? difmiffe me that I may goc en to my Lord, 5 7, And they faid : Let vs cal the maid,and (c)aske her wil. §8. And being called, when fhe was come , they asked : Wilt thou goe with this man? Who faid:I wil goe. 59. They difmiffed her therfore, and her nurce, and Abrahams {cruant, and his companie,

poffeffe the gates of their enemies. 61. Therfore Rebecca and her maids being Re vpon camels, oan 14, ludic.7. I, Reg, 74. AG, 1, a Abraham, GENESIS. ad camels, followed the man ; who wit. ipeed xeturned vato his Lord;.an

he faw camels com- ming a farre off. 64. Rebecca alfo , when she faw Ifaac, lighted off the camel, 65. and {aid to the feruant: Who isthat man which commeth towards vs along the field? And he faidto her : The fame is my Lord. But she quickly taking her cloake , couered her felte. 66. And the fer~ uant told Ifaac al things that he had done, 67. Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, & tooke her to wife:and he loued her fo much, that it did moderate the forrow which was chanced of his mothers death, ANNOTATION S&S CHAP XXIV.