GENESIS 24 - THE BELOVED AND I

Genesis 24

1 Now Abraham was old, advanced

In age, and YHWH had blessed, enhanced

Him in all things. 2 Abraham then

Said to the foremost servant in

His house, who ruled all in the pen

And field, "Please, put your hand and pin

Under my thigh, 3 "and I will make

You swear by YHWH, the God of sky

As well as God of earth, your eye

Shall not seek my son's wife nor take

One from the daughters of the land

Of Canaan where I live. 4 "Your hand

Shall seek my own country and go

To my family, and take a wife

For my son Isaac for his life."

5 The servant said to him, "Perhaps

The woman fearing some mishaps

Will not be willing to come here.

Must I take your son back to see her

In the land from which you have come?"

6 But Abraham said to him, "Rum

Beware you don't take my son there.

7 "YHWH Ælohim of heaven was fair

And took me from my father's house

And from the land of my family,

And spoke to me and did not douse

My hopes but swore and said to me,

'To your descendants I shall give

This land for them a place to live,'

He will send His angel before

You, and you shall take on the chore

To get a wife for my son there.

8 "And if the woman does not care

To follow you, then you will be

Released from this oath and duty.

Only do not take my son there."

9 The servant put his hand under

The thigh of Abraham, master,

And swore to him of this matter.



Two things appal me in the way Your prophet,

O my Beloved, does things, enough to scoff at,

And someone might. The first is swearing with

A hand on thigh, that seems a local myth,

And none too savoury now. The second is

That enormously racist way of his

For choosing wives. Is not a Canaanite

Who had long chosen God of heaven and right

A better choice than Laban's clan with gods

And goddesses of hearth and gate and clods?

Why not search out a local girl with bright

Faith and good works? Or did the burning sight

Of Sodom spoil his faith in mission work?

A third trap's wedding by disguise and lurk.



10 The servant took ten of his master's

Camels and left without disasters,

With all his master's goods in hand.

He rose and went into the land

Of Mesopotamia, to where

The city of Nahor stood fair.

11 He made his camels kneel down out

Beside the city well about

The time of evening when the girls

Came to draw water in their curls.

12 Then he said "O YHWH God of him

Who is my master Abraham,

Give me success this day, and show

Kindness to my master's trousseau.

13 "Indeed, here I stand by the well

Where all the lassies come a spell

To draw their water. 14 "Now let be,

The lady of Your choice be she

To whom I say 'Let down your jug

For me to drink,' says 'Take a slug

And I will give your camels drink,'

Your servant Isaac's wife, and so

Your kindness shall be where I know."



The servant of the prophet Abraham

Had learned his prayers by prophet's epigram,

And so began to pray addressing You

As Sovereign and his master's God, great Huu,

And then went to petition for divine

Guidance, the leading in the way for sign.

So too today the faithful pray in name

Of God, and as they worship You they claim

The right to ask of You the guidance clear

In the right way, that of those blessed and dear,

Not of the earners of Your wrath nor those

Who go astray. And so the servant throws

His voice abroad to glorify Your power

And then petitions guidance for the hour.



15 It happened, while the man was speaking,

Rebekah Bethuel's daughter came,

Granddaughter of Milcah, came seeking,

Nahor's wife Milcah was the same,

Brother of Abraham Nahor,

Came with her pitcher on before,

Laid on her shoulder. 16 Now the girl

Was beautiful to see, no churl

Had ruined her virginity.

Down to fill up her pitcher she

Went and returning, the servant

Of Abraham marked where she went

To meet her and say "Please, let me

Drink just a bit from your lovely

Pitcher." 18 So she said "Drink, my lord."

Then quickly let her pitcher down

To her hand, and gave him a drink.

19 When she'd given him a drink, a word

More she said "I would never frown

To draw water and in a wink

Give to your camels too until

They've had enough and more to fill."

20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher

Into the trough, ran back no richer

To draw until she'd drawn for all.

21 And the man, wondering at her haul,

Stayed quiet to know whether YHWH

Had made his trip success or no.

22 So it was, when the camels finished

Their drinking from the well diminished,

He took a golden nose-ring that

Weighed half a shekel where it sat

And two bracelets for wrists that weighed

Ten more of gold if they were paid.

23 And said "Whose daughter are you? Say,

If your father has room to stay."



It seems perennial gold nose ring was then

As popular as now. I'd rather wen

Had graced my brow. Be as it may, I say,

The servant helped You find the wedded way.

He did not take a chance that You would choose

A lazy girl, he did not throw to lose.

Should I too weight my prayers with golden coin

And stipulations I require to join?

If Eliezer could not trust You to

Find wife without wealth and some task to do,

Can I trust You to fill my plate and store

With bounties promised without keeping score?

Ah, my Beloved, I give You free rein here,

No stipulations, no wealth and no gear!



24 "The daughter of Bethuel" she said

"I am, and he is Milcah's son,

To Nahor he was born and bred,

So genealogy is done."

25 Moreover she said to him, "We

Have straw enough and feed to be

A place of lodging." 26 Then the man

Bowed down his head and worshipped YHWH

In prostration. 27 He said "By plan

The blessed YHWH God, what does He do,

God of my master Abraham,

Has not forsaken by a gram

His mercy and His truth towards him.

And as for me, while on my way,

YHWH led me and led not astray

To the house of my master's brothers."

28 So the girl ran and told her mother's

Household these things. 29 Rebekah had

A brother whose name was Laban,

And Laban who was not a cad,

Ran out to the well and the man.

30 It happened, when he saw the ring

In her nose and the bracelets sing

On his sister's wrists, and when he

Heard the words of his sister free,

Rebekah saying "And so he

Spoke to me," that he went to see

The man beside the camels at

The well. 31 And he said "Come in, that

Blessed of YHWH! Why do you stand here

Outside? For I've prepared the place

For you, and for the camels space."



The leavening of gold unites the man

Of God to those whose thoughts must always span

The golden hope, the secret that for life

None so avails as gold to appease strife

And give man immortality. Each new

Born generation without fail believes

The divine body's made of gold voodoo

And having gold makes sure one never grieves.

So gold made greedy Laban quick agree,

And Eliezer found a pot of tea,

A stable and a bed, and what is more

The wife that Isaac would love and adore.

Lay gold aside, Beloved, and see how many

Still worship You, do You think there'll be any?



32 The man came to the house, and he

Unloaded all the camels free,

Provided straw and feed for them

And water to wash from the hem

And to his feet and of the men

Who had come along with him then.

33 They set before him spread to eat,

But he said "I must first repeat

My errand before taking bread."

"Speak on," the gracious host then said.

34 He said "I'm Abraham's servant.

35 "YHWH's blessed my master where he went,

And made him great and He has given

Him flocks and herds beneath the heaven,

Silver and gold, servants and maids,

Camels and donkeys, accolades,

36 "And Sarah my master's wife bore

A son to my master and for

Sarah's old age, and now to him

He's given all his gear and trim.

37 "Now my master made me swear, saying

'You shall not take a wife that's staying

Among the Canaanites for my

Son nor from their daughters where I

Am living, 38 'but you shall go to

My father's house and where I grew,

To my kin and there find a wife

For my son now and all his life.'

39 "And I said to my master, 'May

Be such a woman will not say

That she will follow me.' 40 "But he

Said to me, 'YHWH, before whom be

My steps, will send His angel with

You and prosper your way with kith

And you shall take a wife for my

Son from my kin or wonder why.

41 'You will be clear from this oath when

You come among my family, then

If they will not give her to you,

Then you are free from what you do

And from my oath.' 42 "This day I came

To the well and I said the same,

'O YHWH God of my master Abe

Raham, if You will now give luck

To me so I don't pass the buck,

43 'I stand beside the well, the babe

That comes to draw and I ask her

"Please quench my thirst with the liqueur

Of water in your pitcher there,"

44 'And she says to me, "Fair is fair,

Drink, and I'll give your camels too,"

Let her be the woman whom YHWH

Appointed for my master's son.'

45 "But before I had got quite done

The speaking in my heart, there was

Rebekah, coming out to pause

With pitcher on her shoulder, and

She went down to the well to stand

And draw. And I asked her, 'Please let

Me drink.' 46 "And she made haste and let

Her pitcher down and said 'Drink, and

I shall give your camels a hand.'

So I drank, and she gave the camels

A drink also faster than Tamils.

47 "Then I asked her, and said 'Whose child

Are you?' And she said meek and mild,

'The daughter of Bethuel, son

Of Nahor, whom Milcah, hard-won,

Bore to him.' So I put the nose

Ring on her nose and as it goes

The bracelets on her wrists. 48 "And I

Bowed down my head and worshipped YHWH,

Prostrating there, and then blessed YHWH

God of my master Abraham,

Who'd led me truly to come by

To take my master's brother's lamb

A wife for his son. 49 "Now if you

Will deal kindly and also true

With my master, tell me. And if

Not, tell me, that I may turn skiff

To right or left." 50 Then Laban and

Bethuel answered, "Understand,

The thing comes from YHWH, we cannot

Speak to you either bad or aught

Of good. 51 "Here is Rebekah now

Before you, you may take the frau

And let her be your master's son's

Wife, as YHWH said without refunds."

52 And so it happened, when he heard,

Did Abraham's servant their word,

That he prostrated before YHWH,

Bowing to earth. 53 Then it is true,

The servant brought out silver jewels,

Jewellery of gold, and other tools,

Fine clothing, and gave them to her,

Rebekah. He also gave things

Of precious worth and furniture,

Fit only for queens and for kings,

To her brother and mother too.

54 Then he and his, men not a few,

Ate, drank and stayed to sleep the night.

Then they arose early to say,

"Send me to my master today,

As it is but fitting and right."

55 But her brother and mother said

"Let the young woman stay instead

With us a few days, at least ten,

After that she may go again."

56 And he said to them, "Do not stop

Me from my task, since YHWH is prop

And stay to make my way the faster,

Send me away now to my master."

57 So they said "We will call the young

Woman and hear from her own tongue."

58 Then they called Rebekah and said

"Will you go with this man full fled?"

And she said "I will go." 59 So they

Sent their Rebekah then away,

Their sister and her nurse, and then

Abraham's servant and his men.

60 And they blessed Rebekah and said

"Our sister, may you be the mother

Of thousands of ten thousands other,

And may your children have each gate

Of anyone that's filled with hate."

61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose,

Rode on the camels they each chose,

Went with the man. The servant took

Rebekah, left, no backward look.



The call of love and duty intervenes

Between my soul and You for land and means,

To cast the blessèd vision in the way

Of future years without the light of day.

And so it would make that reality,

The taste of salt and sweet on tongue for me

A figure of imagination's dreams

That shadows what behind me only seems.

I shall not stop to play, not stop to sing,

But rush to taste the marrow of the thing.

Not cloistering nor losing in the play,

But penetrating veils of where I stay.

While others fly to heaven, I fling the boast

Behind me where I sit upon the coast.



The coast I sit upon looks out to see

The Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat’s wee

Port bringing in the slight and silver tide.

Beneath the palms are camels for a ride,

Upon the one of which my wife in stride

Would fulfil lifelong dream to drive aside.

To her chagrin the camel’s seat is higher

By twice the length a good horse would inspire,

With nothing to hold onto while the mast

Dips to the desert sand and then avast

With rolling that sea legs alone can bear.

I wonder that Rebekah sat down there

To ride two hundred miles and more to share

No twinge of fright on the echoing air.



62 Now Isaac came from the way of

Beer Lahai Roi from above

Where he lived in the south. 63 And he,

Isaac, walked in the field to be

In meditation as the night

Drew on, and raised his eyes to sight

The camels coming home. 64 And then

Rebekah lifted her eyes, when

She saw Isaac she got down from

Her camel, 65 for she had said to

The servant, "This man walking, who

Is he, along the fields' edge come

To meet us?" Then the servant said

"It is my master." So she sped

To take a veil and hide her face.

66 And then the servant told the case

To Isaac, all the things he'd done.

67 Then Isaac brought the bride he'd won

Into his mother Sarah's tent,

He took Rebekah with consent

To be his wife, and he loved her.

So Isaac found comfort after

His mother's death and was content.



I too at evening go abroad to find

The field of sacrifice, and there I bind

Myself to You, Beloved, I turn and whirl

A meditation on the sky of pearl.

You meet me veiled with hidden face withdrawn,

The face whose beauty none can look upon,

Fall from Your camel to come near to me,

Beloved, unseen, but seeing faithfully.

I take You to my mother's tent to sleep

And find no slumber can touch You, nor keep

You from Your vigil, my Beloved. Beware,

The gold and silver threads embroidered there

Make even thicker veils. I am content

Whatever veils to be Your cherishment.