Eliezer went on to tell his hosts that when he arrived at the well near Haran, he prayed to Jehovah God. He asked Jehovah, in effect, to choose the young woman for Isaac to marry. How? Eliezer asked God to ensure that the girl He wanted Isaac to wed would come to the well. When asked for a drink, she should volunteer not only to give Eliezer a drink but to water his camels as well. (Genesis 24:12-14) And who had come along and done precisely that? Rebekah! Imagine how she might have felt if she overheard the story Eliezer told her family members!

Bethuel and Laban were moved by Eliezer’s account. They said: “This is from Jehovah.” As was the custom, they concluded a marriage covenant, betrothing Rebekah to Isaac. (Genesis 24:50-54)

One evening, after she had filled her jar, an elderly man ran up to meet her. He said to her: “Please give me a little sip of water from your jar.” It was such a modest request and so politely made! Rebekah could see that the man had traveled far. So she quickly swung her water jar from her shoulder and let the man drink, not a mere sip, but a real drink of the fresh, cool water. She noticed that he had a train of ten camels kneeling nearby and that the trough had not yet been filled to water them. She could see that his kind eyes were watching her attentively, and she wanted to be as generous as she could. So she said: “I will also draw water for your camels until they are done drinking.”​—Genesis 24:17-19.

Note that Rebekah offered not merely to give the ten camels a drink but to water them until they were satisfied. If very thirsty, one camel might drink over 25 gallons (95 L) of water! If all ten camels were that thirsty, Rebekah faced hours of hard work. As matters turned out, it seems unlikely that the camels were extremely thirsty.a But did Rebekah know that when she made her offer? No. She was willing, even eager, to work as hard as need be to show hospitality to this elderly stranger. He accepted her offer. Then he watched her intently as she ran back and forth, filling and refilling her jar and emptying it into the trough again and again.​—Genesis 24:20, 21.