THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH
CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE

Sarah died in Hebron in Chanaan and Abraham sough out a burial
	ground
in that land to lay his beloved wife that she might be set down
in the land the Lord had promised him and so he bought from Ephron
a piece of land for four hundred shekels of silver facing towards Hebron,
though Ephron offered to give it to him, "What is this amount between
	you and me?"
So Abraham bought that field and its cave as a tomb for Sarah and he.
And Abraham mourned and wept over his wife and then he laid her
	to rest.
For one hundred and twenty seven years life had filled her breast.




A WIFE FOR ISAAC
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Abraham was old and advanced in years. The Lord had blessed him 
	in every way.
And he said to his oldest servant whom he had given charge of the great 
	array
of possessions he had, "By the Lord, God of heaven and earth, I adjure
you not to obtain a wife for my son among the Chanaanite women.
	Assure
me that you'll go back to my land and kindred to obtain a mate
for my son Isaac." The servant answered, "Perhaps the woman will not
	forsake
that land to follow me to this land; shall I take your son back then
to the land which you came out of?" And Abraham said to him,
"Never take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, 
	who took me
from my father's house, from my kindred's land, who spoke and swore
	to me,
'I will give this land to your descendents,' will send His angel ahead
	of you
and you will obtain a wife for my son there. If she does not follow, you
will be relieved from the oath; but do not ever take my son back there."
So the servant swore an oath to him to obey his master's prayer.
The servant then took ten camels and treasures his master owned.
He set out to the city which Nahor in Aram-Haharaim called home.
And in the evening at the time when the women came out to draw
water, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside 
	the city's wall.
Then he said, "Lord, God of my Master, grant me success this day;
be gracious to my master Abraham. Now if I stand here and say
to a young woman, 'Lower your jar that I may drink,' and she replies
'Drink, and I'll water your camels as well,' then I shall know thereby
that you have shown favor to Abraham." He was not done speaking
	before
Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melca, 
	the wife of Nahor,
carrying a jar on her shoulder. She was very beautiful, a virgin
	untouched.
She went down to the spring and filled her jar, and as she came up,
	he rushed
to meet her and said, "If you please, let me drink water from your vase."
She answered, "Drink, sir," and quickly lowered the jar to her hand
	and then placed 
it out for him to take and drink. And when she had done this, she said,
"I will draw water for your camels as well," and quickly she went 
	on ahead
and did as she'd spoken. All the while the man was watching, waiting
	to learn
whether the Lord had blessed his trip. When the camels had drunk 
	in their turn,
he took out a gold ring and two bracelets and he put them on her wrists.
	Then he
said, "Tell me whose daughter you are! Is there room in your father's 
	house for me
to stay overnight?" She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bathuel,
who Melca bore to Melca. We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well,
and there is room to spend the night." Then the man bowed in worship
	to the Lord,
saying, "Blessed be the Lord of my Master, who has seen thus to afford
such blessings on me and Abraham, whose constant favor has not
	ceased
to Abraham. He has guided me also to his kinsmen's house." At this,.
the maiden hastened in to inform her mother's household what had
	occurred. 
He brother Laban rushed out to the man when he had seen the jewelry
	and heard,
and said, "Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why should you stay outdoors
when I have made ready the house, as well, as a place for the camels?"
	Assured,
the servant went in the house, Laban unloaded the camels and gave 
	them straw
and fodder. Then he brought water for the man and those with him 
	to wash their feet, then saw
food was placed before the man, but he said, "I will not eat
before I have delivered my message to you." They answered him,
	"Then, speak."
So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has blessed him
	bundantly
so that he has become a rich man. His wife Sarah bore him a son and he
has given him all his property. My Master has adjured me,
'You must not choose a wife for my son from the Chanaanites where we
live, but you shall go to my family to choose a wife for my son.'
I answered my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me, 
	but merely shun



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