The Daily Audio Bible

23 And the life of Sarah is a hundred and twenty and seven years -- years of the life of Sarah;

² and Sarah dieth in Kirjath-Arba, which [is] Hebron, in the land of Caanan, and Abraham goeth in to mourn for Sarah, and to bewail her.

³ And Abraham riseth up from the presence of his dead, and speaketh unto the sons of Heth, saying,

⁴ `A sojourner and a settler I [am] with you; give to me a possession of a burying-place with you, and I bury my dead from before me.'

⁵ And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

⁶ `Hear us, my lord; a prince of God [art] thou in our midst; in the choice of our burying-places bury thy dead: none of us his burying-place doth withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.'

⁷ And Abraham riseth and boweth himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth,

⁸ and he speaketh with them, saying, `If it is your desire to bury my dead from before me, hear me, and meet for me with Ephron, son of Zoar;

⁹ and he giveth to me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which [is] in the extremity of his field; for full money doth he give it to me, in your midst, for a possession of a burying-place.'

¹⁰ And Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answereth Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all those entering the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹ `Nay, my lord, hear me: the field I have given to thee, and the cave that [is] in it, to thee I have given it; before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to thee -- bury thy dead.'

¹² And Abraham boweth himself before the people of the land,

¹³ and speaketh unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, `Only -- if thou wouldst hear me -- I have given the money of the field -- accept from me, and I bury my dead there.'

¹⁴ And Ephron answereth Abraham, saying to him,

¹⁵ `My lord, hear me: the land -- four hundred shekels of silver; between me and thee, what [is] it? -- thy dead bury.'

¹⁶ And Abraham hearkeneth unto Ephron, and Abraham weigheth to Ephron the silver which he hath spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels, passing with the merchant.

¹⁷ And established are the field of Ephron, which [is] in Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, the field and the cave which [is] in it, and all the trees which [are] in the field, which [are] in all its border round about,

¹⁸ to Abraham by purchase, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, among all entering the gate of his city.

¹⁹ And after this hath Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (which [is] Hebron), in the land of Canaan;

²⁰ and established are the field, and the cave which [is] in it, to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place, from the sons of Heth.

24 And Abraham [is] old, he hath entered into days, and Jehovah hath blessed Abraham in all [things];

² and Abraham saith unto his servant, the eldest of his house, who is ruling over all that he hath, `Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh,

³ and I cause thee to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens, and God of the earth, that thou dost not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in the midst of whom I am dwelling;

⁴ but unto my land and unto my kindred dost thou go, and hast taken a wife for my son, for Isaac.'

⁵ And the servant saith unto him, `It may be the woman is not willing to come after me unto this land; do I at all cause thy son to turn back unto the land from whence thou camest out?'

⁶ And Abraham saith unto him, `Take heed to thyself, lest thou cause my son to turn back thither;

⁷ Jehovah, God of the heavens, who hath taken me from the house of my father, and from the land of my birth, and who hath spoken to me, and who hath sworn to me, saying, To thy seed I give this land, He doth send His messenger before thee, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from thence;

⁸ and if the woman be not willing to come after thee, then thou hast been acquitted from this mine oath: only my son thou dost not cause to turn back thither.'

⁹ And the servant putteth his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and sweareth to him concerning this matter.

¹⁰ And the servant taketh ten camels of the camels of his lord and goeth, also of all the goods of his lord in his hand, and he riseth, and goeth unto Aram-Naharaim, unto the city of Nahor;

¹¹ and he causeth the camels to kneel at the outside of the city, at the well of water, at even-time, at the time of the coming out of the women who draw water.

¹² And he saith, `Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, cause to meet, I pray Thee, before me this day -- (and do kindness with my lord Abraham;

¹³ lo, I am standing by the fountain of water, and daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water;

¹⁴ and it hath been, the young person unto whom I say, Incline, I pray thee, thy pitcher, and I drink, and she hath said, Drink, and I water also thy camels) -- her Thou hast decided for Thy servant, for Isaac; and by it I know that Thou hast done kindness with my lord.'

¹⁵ And it cometh to pass, before he hath finished speaking, that lo, Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham) is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder,

¹⁶ and the young person [is] of very good appearance, a virgin, and a man hath not known her; and she goeth down to the fountain, and filleth her pitcher, and cometh up.

¹⁷ And the servant runneth to meet her, and saith, `Let me swallow, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher;'

¹⁸ and she saith, `Drink, my lord;' and she hasteth, and letteth down her pitcher upon her hand, and giveth him drink.

¹⁹ And she finisheth giving him drink, and saith, `Also for thy camels I draw till they have finished drinking;'

²⁰ and she hasteth, and emptieth her pitcher into the drinking-trough, and runneth again unto the well to draw, and draweth for all his camels.

²¹ And the man, wondering at her, remaineth silent, to know whether Jehovah hath made his way prosperous or not.

²² And it cometh to pass when the camels have finished drinking, that the man taketh a golden ring (whose weight [is] a bekah), and two bracelets for her hands (whose weight [is] ten [bekahs] of gold),

²³ and saith, `Whose daughter [art] thou? declare to me, I pray thee, is the house of thy father a place for us to lodge in?'

²⁴ And she saith unto him, `I [am] daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she hath borne to Nahor.'

²⁵ She saith also unto him, `Both straw and provender [are] abundant with us, also a place to lodge in.'

²⁶ And the man boweth, and doth obeisance to Jehovah,

²⁷ and saith, `Blessed [is] Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, who hath not left off His kindness and His truth with my lord; -- I [being] in the way, Jehovah hath led me to the house of my lord's brethren.'

²⁸ And the young person runneth, and declareth to the house of her mother according to these words.

²⁹ And Rebekah hath a brother, and his name [is] Laban, and Laban runneth unto the man who [is] without, unto the fountain;

³⁰ yea, it cometh to pass, when he seeth the ring, and the bracelets on the hands of his sister, and when he heareth the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, `Thus hath the man spoken unto me,' that he cometh in unto the man, and lo, he is standing by the camels by the fountain.

³¹ And he saith, `Come in, O blessed one of Jehovah, why standest thou without, and I -- I have prepared the house and place for the camels!'

³² And he bringeth in the man into the house, and looseth the camels, and giveth straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who [are] with him:

³³ and setteth before him to eat; but he saith, `I do not eat till I have spoken my word;' and he saith, `Speak.'

³⁴ And he saith, `I [am] Abraham's servant;

³⁵ and Jehovah hath blessed my lord exceedingly, and he is great; and He giveth to him flock, and herd, and silver, and gold, and men-servants, and maid-servants, and camels, and asses;

³⁶ and Sarah, my lord's wife, beareth a son to my lord, after she hath been aged, and he giveth to him all that he hath.

³⁷ `And my lord causeth me to swear, saying, Thou dost not take a wife to my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling.

³⁸ If not -- unto the house of my father thou dost go, and unto my family, and thou hast taken a wife for my son.

³⁹ `And I say unto my lord, It may be the woman doth not come after me;

⁴⁰ and he saith unto me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked habitually, doth send His messenger with thee, and hath prospered thy way, and thou hast taken a wife for my son from my family, and from the house of my father;

⁴¹ then art thou acquitted from my oath, when thou comest unto my family, and if they give not [one] to thee; then thou hast been acquitted from my oath.

⁴² `And I come to-day unto the fountain, and I say, Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, if Thou art, I pray Thee, making prosperous my way in which I am going --

⁴³ (lo, I am standing by the fountain of water), then the virgin who is coming out to draw, and I have said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher,

⁴⁴ and she hath said unto me, Both drink thou, and also for thy camels I draw -- she is the woman whom Jehovah hath decided for my lord's son.

⁴⁵ `Before I finish speaking unto my heart, then lo, Rebekah is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder, and she goeth down to the fountain, and draweth; and I say unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee,

⁴⁶ and she hasteth and letteth down her pitcher from off her and saith, Drink, and thy camels also I water; and I drink, and the camels also she hath watered.

⁴⁷ `And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter [art] thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,

⁴⁸ and I bow, and do obeisance before Jehovah, and I bless Jehovah, God of my lord Abraham, who hath led me in the true way to receive the daughter of my lord's brother for his son.

⁴⁹ `And now, if ye are dealing kindly and truly with my lord, declare to me; and if not, declare to me; and I turn unto the right or unto the left.'

⁵⁰ And Laban answereth -- Bethuel also -- and they say, `The thing hath gone out from Jehovah; we are not able to speak unto thee bad or good;

⁵¹ lo, Rebekah [is] before thee, take and go, and she is a wife to thy lord's son, as Jehovah hath spoken.'

8 And when he came down from the mount, great multitudes did follow him,

² and lo, a leper having come, was bowing to him, saying, `Sir, if thou art willing, thou art able to cleanse me;'

³ and having stretched forth the hand, Jesus touched him, saying, `I will, be thou cleansed,' and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

⁴ And Jesus saith to him, `See, thou mayest tell no one, but go, thyself shew to the priest, and bring the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony to them.'

⁵ And Jesus having entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion calling upon him,

⁶ and saying, `Sir, my young man hath been laid in the house a paralytic, fearfully afflicted,'

⁷ and Jesus saith to him, `I, having come, will heal him.'

⁸ And the centurion answering said, `Sir, I am not worthy that thou mayest enter under my roof, but only say a word, and my servant shall be healed;

⁹ for I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doth [it].'

¹⁰ And Jesus having heard, did wonder, and said to those following, `Verily I say to you, not even in Israel so great faith have I found;

¹¹ and I say to you, that many from east and west shall come and recline (at meat) with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the reign of the heavens,

¹² but the sons of the reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness -- there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.'

¹³ And Jesus said to the centurion, `Go, and as thou didst believe let it be to thee;' and his young man was healed in that hour.

¹⁴ And Jesus having come into the house of Peter, saw his mother-in-law laid, and fevered,

¹⁵ and he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose, and was ministering to them.

¹⁶ And evening having come, they brought to him many demoniacs, and he did cast out the spirits with a word, and did heal all who were ill,

¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, `Himself took our infirmities, and the sicknesses he did bear.'

¹³ Favour me, O Jehovah, See mine affliction by those hating me, Thou who liftest me up from the gates of death,

¹⁴ So that I recount all Thy praise, In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I rejoice on Thy salvation.

¹⁵ Sunk have nations in a pit they made, In a net that they hid hath their foot been captured.

¹⁶ Jehovah hath been known, Judgment He hath done, By a work of his hands Hath the wicked been snared. Meditation. Selah.

¹⁷ The wicked do turn back to Sheol, All nations forgetting God.

¹⁸ For not for ever is the needy forgotten, The hope of the humble lost to the age.

¹⁹ Rise, O Jehovah, let not man be strong, Let nations be judged before Thy face.

²⁰ Appoint, O Jehovah, a director to them, Let nations know they [are] men! Selah.

3 My son! my law forget not, And my commands let thy heart keep,

² For length of days and years, Life and peace they do add to thee.

³ Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

⁴ And find grace and good understanding In the eyes of God and man.

⁵ Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.

⁶ In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.