Genesis 24:5-9

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ¹  to this land? Must I then ²  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ³  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ⁴  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ⁵  promised me with a solemn oath, ⁶  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ⁷  before you so that you may find ⁸  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ⁹  you will be free ¹⁰  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ¹¹ 

[24:5]  ¹ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ² tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[24:6]  ³ tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ⁴ tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:7]  ⁵ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ⁷ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ⁸ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

[24:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”