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to your servant Isaac, and by this I will know that you have shown mercy to my master Abraham. See the wisdom of the servant. For since he knew the patriarch's hospitality, and that the maiden who was to be brought from there ought to be of like character to the just man, he seeks no other proof, but wishes to discern the maiden's hospitality from her disposition; and he says: If when I ask her for water, she lowers her pitcher for me, and not only does what was asked, but also shows the service of her own volition, and says, ‘I will also draw water for your camels,’ she will have provided sufficient proof of the gentleness of her character through the provision of water. Then, since he saw through deeds the power of the patriarch's prayers? and he met the maiden, just as he desired, and saw her exceeding hospitality (For she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw water, and drew water for all his camels, and neither did she avoid him as a stranger, nor on the pretext of modesty did she refuse the request), he then observed and inquired carefully about her, and asked: Whose daughter are you? and, Is there room for us to lodge at your father's house? And observe the maiden's reply; for when the servant asked whose daughter she was, she not 63.664 only reveals her father, but also her father's father, and says: I am the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. And again concerning the place, when the servant asked if there was only room for them to lodge, she says: Not only is there room, but we also have plenty of straw and fodder. Have you seen at such an age how great the precision of her modesty, and the excess of her humility, and the intensity of her hospitality? Than how much wealth would she not be more precious? Than how many treasures would one consider these things more valuable? This is the greatest dowry, this is the myriad of good things, this is the treasure that is never spent. Hearing these things the servant and marveling at the lavish hospitality, and learning that he had not come to some strangers, but to the house of Nahor, who was the brother of Abraham his master, pleased at what was said by the maiden, he worshipped the Lord who, because of his favor toward the patriarch, had shown such care for him, and had thus made all things prosper for him with ease; and he says, Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withdrawn his righteousness and his truth from my master Abraham. And then he himself makes known to the maiden who he is, and through his thanksgiving to God he makes it clear to her that he has not come from a strange house, but that the one who sent him is the brother of Nahor. When the girl learned these things, running with great joy, she announced to her parents what she had heard from the servant. And Laban ran out to the man at the spring, and seeing him standing with the camels, said to him: Why are you standing outside? Come in; for I have already prepared the house, and a place for the camels. Then when he had entered, he unsaddled the camels; and gave straw and fodder, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him, and he set bread before them to eat. But here observe for me the great wisdom of the servant. For what does he say? I will not eat until I have told you the reason for which I was sent on such a long journey, and for what purpose I have come here from Canaan, and how I was led to your house, so that, having learned everything, you too may thus show your own goodwill toward my master. And beginning to relate, he says: I am a servant of Abraham; and the Lord has blessed my master greatly, and has given him sheep and oxen, gold and silver, male and female servants, camels and donkeys. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore one son to my master in his old age, and he has given him all that he has. And my master made me swear, saying: You shall not take a wife for my son

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παιδί σου Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γνώσομαι, ὅτι ἐποίησας ἔλεος μετὰ τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἀβραάμ. Ὅρα τοῦ οἰκέτου τὴν σύνεσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρᾔδει τοῦ πατριάρχου τὸ φιλόξενον, καὶ ὅτι τὴν κόρην τὴν ἐκεῖ μέλλουσαν ἀπάγεσθαι, ὁμότροπον προσήκει εἶναι τῷ δικαίῳ, οὐδὲν ἕτερον τεκμήριον ἐπιζητεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης τὴν φιλοξενίαν χαρακτηρίσαι βούλεται τῆς κόρης· καί φησιν· Ἐὰν ἐμοῦ αἰτήσαντος παρ' αὐτῆς τὸ ὕδωρ, ἐπικλίνῃ μοι τὴν ὑδρίαν, καὶ μὴ μόνον τὸ αἰτηθὲν ποιήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δουλείαν τῆς οἰκείας γνώμης ἐπιδείξηται, καὶ εἴπῃ. Καὶ ταῖς καμήλοις σου ἐφυδρεύσομαι· ἀρκοῦσαν ἀπόδειξιν παρέσχε διὰ τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος παροχῆς τῆς τῶν τρόπων ἐπιεικείας. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἶδε διὰ τῶν ἔργων τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῶν εὐχῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου; καὶ ἐπέτυχε, καθάπερ ἐπεθύμει, τῆς κόρης, καὶ εἶδεν αὐτῆς τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν φιλοξενίαν (Ἔσπευσε γὰρ καὶ ἐξεκένωσε τὴν ὑδρίαν εἰς τὸ ποτήριον, καὶ ἔδραμεν ἔτι ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἀντλῆσαι, καὶ ὑδρεύσασα πάσαις ταῖς καμήλοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὔτε ὡς ξένον ἀπέφυγεν, οὔτε προφάσει τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀνένευσε πρὸς τὴν αἴτησιν), κατεμάνθανε λοιπὸν καὶ περιειργάζετο μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν, καὶ ἠρώτα· Τίνος εἶ θυγάτηρ; καὶ, Εἰ ἔστι παρὰ τῷ πατρί σου τόπος ἡμῖν καταλῦσαι; Καὶ σκόπει τῆς κόρης τὴν ἀπόκρισιν· πυθομένου γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς, τίνος ἦν θυγάτηρ, οὐ 63.664 μόνον τὸν πατέρα καταμηνύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν πατέρα, καί φησι· Θυγάτηρ μέν εἰμι Βαθουὴλ τοῦ Μελχὰς, ὃν ἔτεκεν αὐτῷ Ναχώρ. Καὶ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ τόπου, εἰ ἔστι μόνον καταλῦσαι αὐτοὺς, πυθομένου τοῦ παιδὸς, φησίν· Οὐ μόνον τόπος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄχυρα καὶ χορτάσματα πολλὰ παρ' ἡμῖν. Εἶδες ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τοιαύτῃ πόση καὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἡ ἀκρίβεια, καὶ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης ἡ ὑπερβολὴ, καὶ τῆς φιλοξενίας ἡ ἐπίτασις; Πόσου πλούτου οὐκ ἂν εἴη τιμιωτέρα; πόσων θησαυρῶν προτιμότερά τις ταῦτα ἡγήσεται; Τοῦτο ἡ μεγίστη προὶξ, τοῦτο τὰ μυρία ἀγαθὰ, τοῦτο ὁ θησαυρὸς ὁ μηδέποτε δαπανώμενος. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ οἰκέτης καὶ θαυμάσας τῆς δαψιλοῦς φιλοξενίας, καὶ μαθὼν ὡς οὐ πρὸς ἀγνῶτάς τινας παραγέγονεν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Ναχὼρ, ὃς ἦν ἀδελφὸς Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, ἡσθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις παρὰ τῆς παιδὸς, προσεκύνησε τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν πατριάρχην εὔνοιαν τοσαύτην καὶ περὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιδειξαμένῳ τὴν κηδεμονίαν, οὕτω πάντα μετ' εὐκολίας αὐτῷ κατευοδώσαντι· καί φησιν, Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἀβραὰμ, ὃς οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπε τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου μου Ἀβραάμ. Καὶ λοιπὸν καὶ αὐτὸς γνωρίζει τῇ κόρῃ ὅστις ἐστὶ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐχαριστίας τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν κατάδηλον αὐτῇ ποιεῖ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἀλλοτρίας οἰκίας παραγέγονεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Ναχώρ ἐστιν ὁ τοῦτον διαπεμψάμενος. Ταῦτα πυθομένη ἡ παῖς, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιχαρείας δραμοῦσα, ἀπήγγειλε τοῖς γονεῦσιν αὐτῆς ἅπερ ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ παιδός. Καὶ ἔδραμε Λάβαν ἔξω πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἑστῶτα μετὰ τῶν καμήλων, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Τί ἕστηκας ἔξω; δεῦρο εἴσελθε· προλαβὼν γὰρ ἡτοίμασα τὴν οἰκίαν, καὶ τόπον ταῖς καμήλοις. Εἶτα εἰσελθόντος αὐτοῦ, Ἀπέσαξε τὰς καμήλους· καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄχυρα καὶ χορτάσματα, καὶ ὕδωρ νίψασθαι τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς ἄρτον φαγεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα σκόπει μοι τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ οἰκέτου σύνεσιν. Τί γάρ φησιν; Οὐ μὴ φάγω μέχρις ἂν τὴν αἰτίαν ὑμᾶς διδάξω, δι' ἣν ἐστειλάμην τὴν τοσαύτην ὁδὸν, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπὸ τῆς Χαναναίας ἐνταῦθα παραγέγονα, καὶ πῶς εἰς τὸν οἶκον τὸν ὑμέτερον ὡδηγήθην, ἵνα πάντα μαθόντες, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐπιδείξησθε πρὸς τὸν ἐμὸν δεσπότην. Καὶ ἀρξάμενος διηγεῖσθαι, φησί· Παῖς Ἀβραὰμ ἐγώ εἰμι· Κύριος δὲ εὐλόγησε τὸν κύριόν μου σφόδρα, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους, χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον, παῖδας καὶ παιδίσκας, καμήλους καὶ ὄνους. Καὶ ἔτεκε Σάῤῥα ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ κυρίου μου υἱὸν ἕνα τῷ κυρίῳ μου μετὰ τὸ γηρᾶσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ πάντα, ὅσα ἦν αὐτῷ. Καὶ ὥρκωσέ με ὁ κύριός μου λέγων· Οὐ λήψῃ γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ