This is the first human story (to my mind) since the beginning of the Torah. It starts with the crescendo of the Creation of the World, then Adam and Eve, followed by Noah and the flood, and then Abraham - whose life was dedicated to G-d. His story, up till now, is more about his relationship with G-d then anything, or anyone, else. But here it turns human, and is one of the few parashot in which women—Sarah and Rebecca—are at the centre of it.
One is regarding the burial place of Sarah, and the other is about a wife for Isaac. Interestingly enough, the parash endס with Ismael's giving birth to twelve sons - the twelve tribes of Arabia.
However, the language of the story is so stilted and weird I thought I would have a stab at writing it as a story that could be more easily digested by the modern vernacular.
Sarah died in Kiriath Arba. She was 127 years old. The people came from all around to honour her, and Abraham came out to eulogize and bewail her. He arose from his dead and spoke to the sons of Chet, "I am a stranger residing amongst you. My need is for ground for me to bury my dead."
The sons of Chet responded, saying: "Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of G-d who honours us by living in our midst. Choose the choicest of our graves to bury your dead. There is no one amongst us who will withold his grave for you to bury your dead."
And Abraham rose up and prostrated himself before the people of the land, the sons of Chet, in gratitude.
Then he continued, "If it is your will that I bury my dead before me, listen to me. Entreat Ephron, the son of Tzohar, to let me have the Machpelah Cave. It belongs to him, at the end of his field. I wish to purchase it from him for the full price in the midst of all you for my burial property."
Now Ephron, one of the Hittites was sitting amongst the sons of Chet. He answered Abraham so that all who had come into the gate of his city could hear, saying: "No, my lord, listen to me. I give you the field, and the cave that is in it. It is yours. Bury your dead."
Abraham prostrated himself again in front of the people of the land. Then he arose, and said: "Please, hear me. I will pay for the field. Take from me, so that I might bury my dead there."
Ephron replied, saying: "My lord, listen to me. This land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead."
But Abraham insisted, and weighing out the 400 shekels of silver that Ephron had named in front of everyone, completed the purchase. So the field of Ephron which was Machpelah, was established as Abraham's possession. This included the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, and everything within its entire boundary. It was acknowledged as Abraham's before the eyes of all who had entered within the gate of his city.
And afterwards, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave within it were established to Abraham as burial property, from the sons of Heth.
Abraham now was old, very advanced in age. The Lord had blessed Abraham with everything. Abraham called in his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that was his, and said "Please place your hand under my thigh."
"I am old, and I adjure you in the name of the Lord, the God of the heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in amongst whom I dwell. Go to my land, my birthplace, and find a wife for my son, Isaac."
n24:4] Where was his birthplace? Was it not Ur-Kadesh?
The servant said to him: "What if the woman does not want to come back with me to this land. Shall I return your son to the land from whence you came?"
Abraham replied: "Beware. Do not let my son return to there. The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my birth. He spoke to me and swore, saying: 'To your seed will I give this land'. He will send his angel in front of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.
n24:24]
"But if the woman does not wish to come with you, you will be absolved of this, my oath. Only do not return my son back there."
And the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his master, and he swore to him concerning this matter.
The servant took ten camels of his masters, and went with all the choicest gifts that his master had, and arose, and went to Aram Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
He stopped outside the city beside the well of water, and made the camels kneel there. It was eventide, the time the maidens go out to draw water. The servant stood there, awaiting the maidens, and prayed, saying: "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please let me be successful in my quest today, and perform this kindness for my master, Abraham.
v24:14]
"Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. When a maiden come to draw water, I will say to her, 'Lower your pitcher and I will drink'. And if she responds, saying: 'Drink, and I will also water your camels,' I will know that it is her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her I may know that You have performed a loving kindness for my master."
He had not yet finished praying when Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, appeared with her pitcher on her shoulder. He noticed that the maiden was of very comely appearance, and a virgin for no man had been intimate with her, as she went down to the fountain and filled her pitcher.
n24:16]
The servant approached her and said: "Please let me sip a little water from your pitcher."
She responded, "Drink, my lord." Then lowering her pitcher to her hand, she gave him some to drink." After had she finished drinking, she said, "I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking."
Hastily she emptied her pitcher into the trough, and hurried back to the well to draw water until she had drawn water for all his camels.
The man was astonished at her behaviour and stood by silently waiting to see whether the Lord had caused his way to prosper or not. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden nose ring, weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her hands, weighing ten gold shekels and said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there place for us for lodging in your father's house?"
She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. Both straw and fodder are plentiful with us. There is also a place to lodge." Then the maiden ran off to tell her mother's house what had happened.
The man kneeled and prostrated himself before the Lord, saying: "Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, Who has not forsaken His loving kindness and His truth from my master. As for me, the Lord led me on the road to the house of my master's kinsmen."
Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban.
When he heard the words of his sister Rebecca, saying, "So did the man speak to me," Laban ran to the man outside the city, who was waiting, standing over the camels by the fountain.
He said to him: "Come, you who are blessed of the Lord. Why should you stand outside, when I have cleared the house and have a place for the camels?"
So the man came to the house and unmuzzled the camels, and he gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
When he had finished, he came to the house. Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have spoken my words."
Laban said, "Speak".
And he said, "I am Abraham's servant. And the Lord blessed my master exceedingly, and he became great, and He gave him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, man servants and maid servants, camels and donkeys. Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had become old, and he gave him all that he possesses. My master adjured me, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. Instead, you must go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.'
"I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me?' And he said to me, 'The Lord, before Whom I walked, will send His angel with you and make your way prosper, and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house. You will then be absolved from my oath, when you come to my family, and if they do not give her to you, you will be absolved from my oath.'
So I came today to the fountain, and I said, 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You desire to prosper my way upon which I am going. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain. When a maiden comes out to draw water, I will say to her, 'Please, give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.'
And if she will say to me, 'You too may drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,' she is the woman whom the Lord has designated for my master's son.'
I had not yet finished speaking thus in my heart, and behold, Rebecca came out with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the fountain and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me to drink.'
She hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon her, and she said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
I asked her, and I said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' And I placed the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands.
I kneeled and prostrated myself to the Lord, and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who led me on the true path, to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
Now, if you will do loving kindness and truth with my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, and I will turn to the right or to the left."
Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The matter has emanated from the Lord. We cannot speak to you either bad or good. Behold Rebecca is before you, take [her] and go, and let her be a wife for your master's son, as the Lord has spoken."
When Abraham's servant heard their words, that he prostrated himself on the ground to the Lord. Then the servant took out silver articles and golden articles and garments, and he gave them to Rebecca, and he gave delicacies to her brother and to her mother.
They ate and drank, he and the men who were with him. They arose in the morning, and he said, "Send me away to my master."
Her brother and her mother said, "Let the maiden stay with us a year or ten months; afterwards she will go."
But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my way prosper. Send me away, and I will go to my master."
They said, "Let us call the maiden and ask her."
They summoned Rebecca, and they said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."
So they agreed to send away Rebecca, their sister, away with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men.
They blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the cities of their enemies."
Rebecca and her maidens arose and rode on the camels, and they followed the man; and the servant took Rebecca and left.
Now Isaac was on his way, coming from Be'er Lachai Ro'i, and he dwelt in the land of the south. Isaac went to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were approaching.
Rebecca lifted her eyes, and saw Isaac, and she let herself down from the camel. She said to the servant, "Who is that man walking in the field towards us?"
The servant said, "He is my master." So she took the veil and covered herself.
Then servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
So Isaac brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted for [the loss of] his mother.
Chapter 25
v1] Abraham has more children. We hear nothing of them.
v12] Genealogy of Ishmael.