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my Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son from there. And he indeed commanded these things; but I, considering the difficulties, and reflecting on the hardship of the matter, asked my master, ‘What if the woman is not willing to go 63.665 with me?’ And he said to me: ‘The Lord, before whom I was well-pleasing, He will send his angel with you, and will prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my kindred, and from my father’s house.’ Having commanded these things, and having supplied me for the journey with these prayers, he sent me away. Since the prayers made by him have come to pass, and everything was so clearly arranged by God that I have reached you, it is now your turn to show what is on your part, and if you will show kindness to my master, tell me, so that I may know what I must do; but if not, so that I may make my way elsewhere. And the girl’s father and her brother say to him: ‘This word has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good; nor is it possible for this to come from us. Behold, you have the girl; take her and depart, and let her be a wife to the son of your master, as the Lord has spoken.’ When the servant heard these things from the father and the brother, he worshipped the Lord, bowing to the ground; and bringing out vessels of gold and silver and raiment, he gave them to Rebekah; and then he attends to her with confidence, as she was already betrothed to Isaac by their words; and he honors both the brother and the mother with gifts. And when he saw the command from his master come to pass in deed, then at last he takes his own rest. For they ate, it says, and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they slept. And rising early in the morning he said: ‘Send me away, that I may go to my master.’ And her brothers and her mother said, it says: ‘Let the maiden remain with us about ten days, and after that you shall depart.’ But he said to them: ‘For what reason do you delay and postpone, when God has granted me such ease in all things?’ And they said: ‘Let us call the girl, and ask her.’ And they called her and said to her: ‘Will you go with the man?’ And she said, ‘I will go.’ And they sent away Rebekah and her belongings, and the servant of Abraham, and those with him. And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her: ‘Become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the gates of their enemies.’ And Rebekah arose, and her maidservants, and they mounted the camels, and went with the man. Have you seen what kind of bride the patriarch takes, one who draws water, and carries the water jar on her shoulders, and mounts the camels? Were there mules with necks gleaming with silver? was there a swarm of servants, or the great indolence that happens now? Nowhere; but so great was the manliness of the women of old, that they even mounted the camels themselves, and so made their journey. Have you seen from what was done by Abraham for his son, how in ancient times parents were zealous to take wives for their own children? how 63.666 before money they sought nobility of soul? Were there contracts? were there agreements, and the other laughable things that happen now? For they had nothing of the sort, but the greatest and most secure contract was the girl's character. And you will know this, when you see the girl brought back to the bridegroom. For Isaac, it says, went out to meditate in the field; and lifting up his eyes, he saw the camels coming, on which Rebekah was riding. And Rebekah, seeing Isaac, leaped down from the camel, and said to the servant: ‘Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?’ And learning that he himself was the one who was to marry her, she put on, it says, her veil. And when the servant arrived, he related everything with accuracy to Isaac. Consider how nowhere are these superfluous and useless things; nowhere a diabolical procession, nowhere cymbals and flutes and

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μου Ἰσαὰκ ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων τῶν Χαναναίων, ἐν οἷς ἐγὼ παροικῶ· ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου πορεύσῃ, καὶ εἰς τὴν φυλήν μου, καὶ λήψῃ γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου ἐκεῖθεν. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ταῦτα ἐνετείλατο· ἐγὼ δὲ τὰς δυσκολίας ἐννοῶν, καὶ τοῦ πράγματος τὸ δυσχερὲς λογιζόμενος, ἐπυθόμην τοῦ κυρίου μου, Εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο ἡ γυνὴ πορευ 63.665 θῆναι μετ' ἐμοῦ; Καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Κύριος, ᾧ εὐηρέστησα ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς ἀποστελεῖ τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ εὐοδώσει τὴν ὁδόν σου, καὶ λήψῃ γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς μου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. Ταῦτα ἐντειλάμενος, καὶ ταύταις με ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἐφοδιάσας ἐξέπεμψεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ αἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ γενόμεναι προσευχαὶ ἐληλύθασι, καὶ οὕτως ἅπαντα ἐναργῶς ᾠκονομήθη παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥστε φθάσαι με πρὸς ὑμᾶς, λοιπὸν καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείκνυσθε, καὶ εἰ ποιεῖτε ἔλεος πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου, ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι, ἵνα εἰδέναι ἔχω ὅ τι δεῖ με διαπράξασθαι· εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἵνα ἑτέρωθι τὴν ὁδὸν ποιήσωμαι. Καί φησι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ τῆς κόρης, καὶ ὁ ἀδελφός· Παρὰ Κυρίου ἐξῆλθε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο· οὐ δυνησόμεθά σοι ἀντειπεῖν καλὸν, ἢ κακόν· οὐδὲ οἷόν τε τοῦτο παρ' ἡμῶν γενέσθαι. Ἰδοὺ ἔχεις τὴν κόρην· λαβὼν ἀπότρεχε, καὶ ἔσται γυνὴ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ κυρίου σου, καθὰ ἐλάλησε Κύριος. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ παῖς παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, Προσεκύνησε τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ ἐξενέγκας σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ ἱματισμὸν, ἔδωκε τῇ Ῥεβέκκᾳ· καὶ λοιπὸν μετὰ παῤῥησίας αὐτὴν θεραπεύει, ὡς ἤδη διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐγγυηθεῖσαν τῷ Ἰσαάκ· τιμᾷ δὲ δώροις καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ τὴν μητέρα. Καὶ ὅτε εἰς ἔργον εἶδεν ἐκβᾶσαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου ἐντολὴν, τότε λοιπὸν τῆς οἰκείας ἀναπαύσεως γίνεται. Ἔφαγον γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἔπιον αὐτὸς, καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν. Καὶ ἀναστὰς πρωῒ εἶπεν· Ἐκπέμψατέ με, ἵνα ἀπέλθω πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου. Εἶπαν δὲ, φησὶν, οἱ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ· Μεινάτω ἡ παρθένος μεθ' ἡμῶν ὡσεὶ ἡμέρας δέκα, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπελεύσεσθε. Ὁ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὑπερτίθεσθε καὶ ἀναβάλλεσθε, τοῦ Θεοῦ τοσαύτην εὐκολίαν ἐν πᾶσί μοι παρεσχηκότος; Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Καλέσωμεν τὴν παῖδα, καὶ ἐρωτήσωμεν αὐτήν. Καὶ ἐκάλεσαν καὶ εἶπον αὐτῇ· Πορεύσῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου; Ἡ δὲ εἶπε, Πορεύσομαι. Καὶ ἐξέπεμψαν Ῥεβέκκαν καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸν παῖδα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ εὐλόγησαν Ῥεβέκκαν, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῇ· Γενοῦ εἰς χιλιάδας μυριάδων, καὶ κληρονομησάτω τὸ σπέρμα σου τὰς πύλας τῶν ὑπεναντίων. Καὶ ἀναστᾶσα Ῥεβέκκα, καὶ αἱ ἅβραι αὐτῆς, ἐπέβησαν ἐπὶ τὰς καμήλους, καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Εἶδες οἵαν ἄγεται νύμφην ὁ πατριάρχης, ὑδρευομένην, καὶ τὴν ὑδρίαν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέρουσαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς καμήλους ἐπιβαίνουσαν; Μήπου ἡμίονοι ἀργύρῳ περιλαμπόμενοι τοὺς τραχήλους; μήπου οἰκετῶν ἐσμὸς, ἢ ἡ πολλὴ βλακεία ἡ νῦν γινομένη; Οὐδαμοῦ· ἀλλὰ τοσαύτη ἦν τῶν παλαιῶν γυναικῶν ἡ ἀνδρεία, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς καμήλους αὐτὰς ἐπιβαίνειν, καὶ οὕτως ὁδοιπορεῖν. Εἴδετε ἐκ τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν γεγενημένων, ὅπως τὸ παλαιὸν ἐσπούδαζον γυναῖκας ἄγεσθαι τοῖς ἑαυτῶν παισὶν οἱ γονεῖς; ὅπως 63.666 πρὸ τῶν χρημάτων ψυχῆς εὐγένειαν ἐπεζήτουν; Μήπου γραμματεῖα; μήπου συνθῆκαι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ καταγέλαστα, ἃ νῦν γίνεται; Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐκείνοις τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέγιστον καὶ ἀσφαλὲς γραμματεῖον τῆς κόρης ὁ τρόπος. Καὶ τοῦτο εἴσεσθε, ἐπειδὰν πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον εἰδῆτε τὴν κόρην ἐπαναχθεῖσαν. Ἐξῄει γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰσαὰκ ἀδολεσχῆσαι εἰς τὸ πεδίον· καὶ ἀναβλέψας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, εἶδε τὰς καμήλους ἐρχομένας, ἐν αἷς ἐπεκάθητο Ῥεβέκκα. Ἡ δὲ Ῥεβέκκα ἰδοῦσα τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, κατεπήδησεν ἀπὸ τῆς καμήλου, καὶ εἶπε τῷ παιδί· Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος ὁ πορευόμενος ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ εἰς συνάντησιν ἡμῶν; Καὶ μαθοῦσα, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων ταύτην ἀγαγέσθαι, Περιεβάλετο, φησὶ, τὸ θέριστρον. Καὶ παραγενόμενος ὁ παῖς διηγήσατο πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ Ἰσαάκ. Σκόπει πῶς οὐδαμοῦ τὰ περιττὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἀνόνητα· οὐδαμοῦ πομπὴ διαβολικὴ, οὐδαμοῦ κύμβαλα καὶ αὐλοὶ καὶ