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Ch. XXIV.
GENESIS.

my master. The Lord hath indeed given me a prosperous journey to the house of my master's brother. Upon this the damsel ran to her mother's house and told all these thinsrs. Now Rebekka had a brother whose name was Laban. And Laban ran out to the man at the well. When he saw the ear rings and bracelets in his sister's hands and heard all the words of Rebekka his sister, saying, Thus spake the man to me, he went to the man who was standing by his camels at the well and said to him, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord, why hast thou tarried without? I have the house ready and a place for. the camels. So the man went in to the family, and Laban unsaddled the camels, and gave straw and provender to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him, and set bread before them to eat. But the man said I cannot eat till I have told my business. And Laban said, speak. Thereupon the man said, I am Abraham's servant. The Lord indeed hath blessed my master exceedingly, so that he is become great. He hath given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, men servants and maid servants, camels and asses. And Sarah, the wife of my master, hath born one son to my master when he was old, and he hath given him all that belonged to him. And my master made me sware saying. Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Chantinites in whose land I sojourn; but thou shalt go to the house of my father and to my tribe and take thence a wife for my son. Whereupon I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not come with me. And he said to me, The Lord God, to whom I have been well pleasing in his sight, will send his angel with thee, and make thy journey prosperous, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from my tribe and from my father's house. On this condition only thou shalt be absolved from my curse; when thou hast gone to my tribe, if they will not give thee, then shalt thou be clear from my oath. Now, when I came to day to the well, I said, Ο Lord the God of my master Abraham, if thou prosperest the journey in which I am now engaged, Behold I have stopped at this well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water, Let the virgin to whom I shall say, Let me drink a little water out of thy pitcher; and who shall say to me, Drink thou,