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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+
+Author: Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+Editor: Logan Marshall
+
+Release Date: June 12, 2005 [EBook #16042]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WONDER BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Thomas Hutchinson and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE FINDING OF MOSES--The daughter of Pharaoh comes
+to the water's edge and finds the child. By chance the child's mother is
+called as nurse, and it grew and was brought to Pharaoh's daughter and
+became her son--(Exodus 2; 5-10.)]
+
+
+
+
+THE WONDER BOOK
+OF BIBLE STORIES
+
+
+EDITED AND ARRANGED BY
+LOGAN MARSHALL
+
+
+
+[Illustration: The baby in the manger]
+
+
+
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
+PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO
+
+TORONTO--THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, LIMITED
+Copyright, 1925, by
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.
+
+Copyright, 1925,
+in the Philippine Islands.
+
+Copyright, 1904, by
+THE J.C.W. CO.
+
+
+PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
+AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS
+
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PROPRIETORS, PHILADELPHIA
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                        PAGE
+INTRODUCTION                              1
+
+THE STORY OF ADAM AND EVE                 3
+
+THE STORY OF NOAH AND THE ARK             7
+
+THE STORY OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL            16
+
+THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC            22
+
+THE STORY OF JACOB                        28
+
+   THE SALE OF A BIRTHRIGHT               29
+
+   THE STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN         37
+
+THE STORY OF JOSEPH
+
+   THE COAT OF MANY COLORS                42
+
+   THE DREAMS OF A KING                   49
+
+   THE STORY OF THE MONEY IN THE SACKS    58
+
+   THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BROTHER        65
+
+THE STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE RIVER  73
+
+THE STORY OF THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN       82
+
+THE STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED SOLDIERS        88
+
+THE STORY OF SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN       98
+
+THE STORY OF RUTH, THE GLEANER            111
+
+THE STORY OF DAVID
+
+   THE SHEPHERD BOY                       117
+
+   THE STORY OF THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT  125
+
+THE STORY OF THE CAVE OF ADULLAM          131
+
+THE STORY OF SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE       133
+
+THE STORY OF ELIJAH, THE PROPHET          138
+
+THE STORY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE          142
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE            147
+
+THE STORY OF DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN     155
+
+THE STORY OF THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR       160
+
+THE STORY OF JESUS
+
+   THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM                     167
+
+   THE STORY OF THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN    172
+
+   THE STORY OF THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE      179
+
+   THE STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE   184
+
+   THE STORY OF THE STRANGER AT THE WELL     189
+
+   THE STORY OF THE FISHERMEN                195
+
+   THE STORY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT      199
+
+   THE STORY OF THE MIRACLE WORKER           206
+
+   THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN  215
+
+   THE STORY OF THE PALM BRANCHES            221
+
+   THE STORY OF THE BETRAYAL                 228
+
+   THE STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB               235
+
+THE STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE   243
+
+THE STORY OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR       249
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+                                         PAGE
+The Finding of Moses                       i
+
+Title Plate                                ii
+
+They were driven forth by an angel         3
+
+Cain and Abel                              5
+
+The water rose higher and higher           12
+
+So Noah opened the door of the ark         14
+
+In some way she lost the road              19
+
+Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow    20
+
+For two days they walked                   24
+
+"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering"      25
+
+"Sell me your birthright"                  29
+
+"Now, my son, do what I tell you"          32
+
+"May nations bow down to you"              34
+
+Angels were upon the stairs                38
+
+Jacob went onward in his long journey      40
+
+Back to the Land of Canaan                 43
+
+Walking northward over the mountains       45
+
+For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph           47
+
+"The two dreams have the same meaning"                 56
+
+"What wicked thing is this that you have done?"        70
+
+They made the Israelites work hard                     75
+
+She placed her baby in the ark                         76
+
+Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian    79
+
+God fed them day by day with manna                     81
+
+A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it   83
+
+The angel touched the offering with his staff          89
+
+The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise        95
+
+He carried off the gates of the city                   105
+
+He bowed forward with all his might and pulled
+the pillars with him                                   109
+
+Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain       114
+
+Then Samuel poured oil on David's head                 122
+
+The giant looked down on the youth and despised him    128
+
+David drew out the giant's own sword                   129
+
+Solomon on his throne                                  136
+
+Supposed form of Solomon's Temple                      137
+
+Ship in Solomon's time                                 137
+
+Denounced Ahab and Jezebel                             139
+
+Made king when he was only seven years old             140
+
+"This is the arrow of victory"                         141
+
+To shade Jonah from the sun                            145
+
+Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage                    150
+
+An angel befriended them                               152
+
+Thrown into the den of lions                           157
+
+Daniel's Answer to the King                            158
+
+"Do not be afraid, Zacharias"                          162
+
+They were filled with fear                             169
+
+The baby in the manger                                 170
+
+The Shepherds in the Field                             171
+
+The wise men went their way                            173
+
+He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt       176
+
+Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law         181
+
+"Fill the jars with water"                             185
+
+"Take these things away"                               187
+
+The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up  196
+
+"I came not to call those who think themselves to be good"  201
+
+Then, on the mountain, he preached                     203
+
+"Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"         207
+
+The children loved to gather around him                210
+
+Then he lifted him up                                  219
+
+Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary lived  221
+
+She wiped his feet with her hair                       223
+
+They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon   225
+
+The great city was deaf to his pleadings               227
+
+Peter Denies Christ                                    232
+
+He heard their complaints                              235
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The Bible is one of the two or three oldest books in the world, but
+unlike most of the ancient books, it is found not only in great
+libraries, but in almost every home of the civilized world; and it is
+not only studied by learned scholars, but read by the common people; and
+its many stories grasp and hold the attention of little children. Happy
+is that child who has heard, over and over again, the Bible stories
+until they have become fixed in his mind and memory, to become the
+foundations of a noble life.
+
+It is with the desire of aiding parents and teachers in telling these
+stories, and aiding children to understand them, also in the hope that
+they may be read in many schools, that a few among the many interesting
+stories in the Bible have been chosen, brought together and as far as
+necessary simplified to meet the minds of the young.
+
+[Signature: Jesse Lyman Hurlbut]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ADAM AND EVE
+
+
+The first man's name was Adam and his wife he called Eve. They lived in
+a beautiful Garden away in the East Country which was called Eden,
+filled with beautiful trees and flowers of all kinds. But they did not
+live in Eden long for they did not obey God's command, but ate the fruit
+of a tree which had been forbidden them. They were driven forth by an
+angel and had to give up their beautiful home.
+
+[Illustration: _They were driven forth by an angel_]
+
+So Adam and his wife went out into the world to live and to work. For a
+time they were all alone, but after a while God gave them a little child
+of their own, the first baby that ever came into the world. Eve named
+him Cain; and after a time another baby came, whom she named Abel.
+
+When the two boys grew up, they worked, as their father worked before
+them. Cain, the older brother, chose to work in the fields, and to raise
+grain and fruits. Abel, the younger brother, had a flock of sheep and
+became a shepherd.
+
+While Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden, they could talk
+with God and hear God's voice speaking to them. But now that they were
+out in the world, they could no longer talk with God freely, as before.
+So when they came to God, they built an altar of stones heaped up, and
+upon it, they laid something as a gift to God, and burned it, to show
+that it was not their own, but was given to God, whom they could not
+see. Then before the altar they made their prayer to God, and asked God
+to forgive their sins, all that they had done was wrong; and prayed God
+to bless them and do good to them.
+
+Each of these brothers, Cain and Abel, offered upon the altar to God his
+own gift. Cain brought the fruits and the grain which he had grown; and
+Abel brought a sheep from his flock, and killed it and burned it upon
+the altar. For some reason God was pleased with Abel and his offering,
+but was not pleased with Cain and his offering. Perhaps God wished Cain
+to offer something that had life, as Abel offered; perhaps Cain's heart
+was not right when he came before God.
+
+And God showed that He was not pleased with Cain; and Cain, instead of
+being sorry for his sin, and asking God to forgive him, was very angry
+with God, and angry also toward his brother Abel. When they were out in
+the field together Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him. So the
+first baby in the world grew up to be the murderer of his own brother.
+
+And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?"
+
+[Illustration: _Cain and Abel_]
+
+And Cain answered, "I do not know; why should I take care of my
+brother?"
+
+Then the Lord said to Cain, "What is this that you have done? Your
+brother's blood is like a voice crying to me from the ground. Do you see
+how the ground has opened, like a mouth, to drink your brother's blood?
+As long as you live, you shall be under God's curse for the murder of
+your brother. You shall wander over the earth, and shall never find a
+home, because you have done this wicked deed."
+
+And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
+Thou hast driven me out from among men; and thou hast hid thy face from
+me. If any man finds me he will kill me, because I shall be alone, and
+no one will be my friend."
+
+And God said to Cain, "If any one harms Cain, he shall be punished for
+it." And the Lord God placed a mark on Cain, so that whoever met him
+should know him and should know also that God had forbidden any man to
+harm him. Then Cain and his wife went away from Adam's home to live in a
+place by themselves, and there they had children. And Cain's family
+built a city in that land; and Cain named the city after his first
+child, whom he had called Enoch.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF NOAH AND THE ARK
+
+
+After Abel was slain, and his brother Cain had gone into another land,
+again God gave a child to Adam and Eve. This child they named Seth; and
+other sons and daughters were given to them; for Adam and Eve lived many
+years. But at last they died, as God had said they must die, because
+they had eaten of the tree that God had forbidden them to eat.
+
+By the time that Adam died, there were many people on the earth; for the
+children of Adam and Eve had many other children; and when these grew up
+they had other children; and these had children also. These men and
+women and children lived in tents. They owned sheep and cattle, and they
+moved about with them, wherever they could find pasture. The children
+played around the tent doors, and sat beside the camp-fires in the
+evenings, where they all sang together, and the older people told them
+stories. And after a time this land where Adam's sons lived began to be
+full of people.
+
+It is sad to tell that as time went on more and more of these people
+became wicked, and fewer and fewer of them grew up to become good men
+and women. All the people lived near together, and few went away to
+other lands; so it came to pass that even the children of good men and
+women learned to be bad, like the people around them, and no longer did
+what was right and good.
+
+And as God looked down on the world that he had made, he saw how wicked
+the men in it had become, and that every thought and every act of man
+was evil and only evil continually.
+
+But while most of the people in the world were very wicked, there were
+some good people also, though they were very few. The best of all the
+men who lived at that time was a man whose name was Enoch. He was not
+the son of Cain, but another Enoch, who came from the family of Seth,
+the son of Adam, who was born after the death of Abel. While so many
+around Enoch were doing evil, this man did only what was right. He
+walked with God and God walked with him, and talked with him. And at
+last, when Enoch was a very old man and weary with life, God took him
+away from earth to heaven. He did not die, as all the people have since
+Adam disobeyed God, but "he was not, for God took him." This means that
+Enoch was taken up from earth without dying.
+
+All the people in the time of Enoch were not shepherds. Some of them had
+learned how to make rude bows and arrows and axes and plows. And after a
+long time they melted iron, and they made knives and swords and dishes
+to use in their homes. They sowed grain in the fields and reaped
+harvests, and they planted vines and fruit trees. But God looked down on
+the earth and said:
+
+"I will take away all men from the earth that I have made; because the
+men of the world are evil, and do evil continually."
+
+But even in those bad times God saw one good man. His name was Noah.
+Noah tried to do right in the sight of God. As Enoch had walked with
+God, so Noah walked with God, and talked with him. And Noah had three
+sons; their names were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth.
+
+God said to Noah, "The time has come when all the men and women on the
+earth are to be destroyed. Every one must die, because they are all
+wicked. But you and your family shall be saved, because you alone are
+trying to do right."
+
+Then God told Noah how he might save his life and the lives of his sons.
+He was to build a very large boat, as large as the largest ships that
+are made in our time; very long, and very wide and very deep; with a
+roof over it; and made like a long, wide house in three stories; but so
+built that it would float on the water. Such a ship as this was called
+"an ark." God told Noah to build this ark, and to have it ready for the
+time when he would need it.
+
+"For," said God to Noah, "I am going to bring a great flood of water on
+the earth to cover all the land and to drown all the people on the
+earth. And as the animals on the earth will be drowned with the people,
+you must make the ark large enough to hold a pair of each kind of
+animals and several pairs of some animals that are needed by men, like
+sheep and goats and oxen; so that there will be animals as well as men
+to live upon the earth after the flood has passed away. And you must
+take in the ark food for yourself and your family, and for all the
+animals with you; enough food to last for a year, while the flood shall
+stay on the earth."
+
+And Noah did what God told him to do, although it must have seemed very
+strange to all the people around, to build this great ark where there
+was no water for it to sail upon. And it was a long time, because this
+ship was so big, that Noah and his sons were at work building the ark,
+which God had told them to build, while the wicked people around
+wondered, and no doubt laughed at Noah for building a great ship where
+there was no sea.
+
+At last the ark was finished, and stood like a great house on the land.
+There was a door on one side, and a window on the roof, to let in the
+light. Then God said to Noah:
+
+"Come into the ark, you and your wife, and your three sons, and their
+wives with them; for the flood of waters will come very soon. And take
+with you animals of all kinds, and birds, and things that creep; seven
+pairs of these that will be needed by men, and one pair of all the rest,
+so that all kinds of animals may be kept alive upon the earth."
+
+So Noah and his wife, and his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, with
+their wives, went into the ark. And God brought to the door of the ark
+the animals, and the birds, and the creeping things of all kinds; and
+they went into the ark. And Noah and his sons put them in their places,
+and brought in food enough to feed them all for many days. And then the
+door of the ark was shut and no more people and no more animals could
+come in.
+
+In a few days the rain began to fall, as it had never rained before. It
+seemed as though the heavens were opened to pour great floods upon the
+earth. The streams filled, and the rivers rose higher and higher, and
+the ark began to float on the water. The people left their houses and
+ran up to the hills; but soon the hills were covered, and all the people
+on them were drowned.
+
+Some had climbed up to the tops of higher mountains, but the water rose
+higher and higher, until even the mountains were covered and all the
+people, wicked as they had been, were drowned in the great sea that now
+rolled over all the earth where man had lived. And all the animals, the
+tame animals, cattle, and sheep, and oxen, were drowned; and the wild
+animals, lions, and tigers, and all the rest were drowned also. Even the
+birds were drowned, for their nests in the trees were swept away, and
+there was no place where they could fly from the terrible storm. For
+forty days and nights the rain kept on, until there was no breath of
+life remaining outside of the ark.
+
+[Illustration: _The water rose higher and higher_]
+
+After forty days the rain stopped, but the water stayed upon the earth
+for more than six months, and the ark with all that were in it floated
+over the great sea that covered the land. Then God sent a wind to blow
+over the waters, and to dry them up; so by degrees the waters grew less
+and less. First mountains rose above the waters, then the hills rose
+up, and finally the ark ceased to float and lay aground on a mountain
+which is called Mount Ararat.
+
+But Noah could not see what had happened on the earth, because the door
+was shut, and the only window was up in the roof. But he felt that the
+ark was no longer moving, and he knew that the water must have gone
+down. So, after waiting for a time, Noah opened a window, and let loose
+a bird called a raven. Now the raven has strong wings; and this raven
+flew round and round until the waters had gone down, and it could find a
+place to rest, and it did not come back to the ark.
+
+After Noah had waited for it awhile, he sent out a dove; but the dove
+could not find any place to rest, so it flew back to the ark, and Noah
+took it into the ark again. Then Noah waited a week longer, and
+afterward he sent out the dove again. And at the evening, the dove came
+back to the ark, which was its home; and in its bill was a fresh leaf
+which it had picked off from an olive tree.
+
+So Noah knew that the water had gone down enough to let the trees grow
+again. He waited another week, and sent out the dove again; but this
+time the dove flew away and never came back. And Noah knew that the
+earth was becoming dry again. So he took off a part of the roof, and
+looked out, and saw that there was dry land all around the ark, and the
+waters were no longer everywhere.
+
+Noah had now lived in the ark a little more than a year, and he was glad
+to see the green land and the trees once more. And God said to Noah:
+
+"Come out of the ark, with your wife, and your sons, and their wives,
+and all the living things that are with you in the ark."
+
+[Illustration: _So Noah opened the door of the Ark_]
+
+So Noah opened the door of the ark, and with his family came out, and
+stood once more on the ground. And the animals, and birds, and creeping
+things in the ark, came out also, and began again to bring life to the
+earth.
+
+The first thing that Noah did when he came out of the ark, was to give
+thanks to God for saving all his family when the rest of the people on
+the earth were destroyed. He built an altar, and laid upon it an
+offering to the Lord, and gave himself and his family to God and
+promised to do God's will.
+
+And God was pleased with Noah's offering, and God said:
+
+"I will not again destroy the earth on account of men, no matter how bad
+they may be. From this time no flood shall again cover the earth; but
+the seasons of spring and summer and fall and winter, shall remain
+without change. I give to you the earth; you shall be the rulers of the
+ground and of every living thing upon it."
+
+Then God caused a rainbow to appear in the sky, and he told Noah and his
+sons that whenever they or the people after them should see the rainbow,
+they should remember that God had placed it in the sky and over the
+clouds as a sign of his promise, that he would always remember the
+earth, and the people upon it, and would never again send a flood to
+destroy man from the earth.
+
+So as often as we see the beautiful rainbow, we are to remember that it
+is the sign of God's promise to the world.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL
+
+
+After the great flood the family of Noah and those who came after him
+grew in number, until, as the years went on, the earth began to be full
+of people once more. But there was one great difference between the
+people who had lived before the flood and those who lived after it.
+Before the flood, all the people stayed close together, so that very
+many lived in one land, and no one lived in other lands. After the flood
+families began to move from one place to another, seeking for themselves
+new homes. Some went one way, and some another, so that as the number of
+people grew, they covered much more of the earth than those who had
+lived before the flood.
+
+Part of the people went up to the north and built a city called Nineveh,
+which became the ruling city of a great land called Assyria, whose
+people were called Assyrians.
+
+Another company went away to the west and settled by the great river
+Nile, and founded the land of Egypt, with its strange temples and
+pyramids, its sphinx and its monuments.
+
+Another company wandered northwest until they came to the shore of the
+great sea which they called the Mediterranean Sea. There they founded
+the cities of Sidon and Tyre, where the people were sailors, sailing to
+countries far away, and bringing home many things from other lands to
+sell to the people of Babylon, and Assyria, and Egypt, and other
+countries.
+
+Among the many cities which the people built were two called Sodom and
+Gomorrah. The people in these cities were very wicked and were nearly
+all destroyed. One good man named Lot and his family escaped. There was
+another good man named Abraham who did not live in these cities. He
+tried to do God's will and was promised a son to bring joy into his
+family.
+
+After Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Abraham moved his tent and his
+camp away from that part of the land, and went to live near a place
+called Gerar, in the southwest, not far from the Great Sea. And there at
+last, the child whom God had promised to Abraham and Sarah, his wife,
+was born, when Abraham, his father, was a very old man.
+
+They named this child Isaac, as the angel had told them he should be
+named. And Abraham and Sarah were so happy to have a little boy, that
+after a time they gave a great feast and invited all the people to come
+and rejoice with them, and all in honor of the little Isaac.
+
+Now Sarah had a maid named Hagar, an Egyptian woman, who ran away from
+her mistress, and saw an angel by a well, and afterward came back to
+Sarah. She, too, had a child and his name was Ishmael. So now there were
+two boys in Abraham's tent, the older boy, Ishmael, the son of Hagar,
+and the younger boy, Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.
+
+Ishmael did not like the little Isaac, and did not treat him kindly.
+This made his mother Sarah very angry, and she said to her husband:
+
+"I do not wish to have this boy Ishmael growing up with my son Isaac.
+Send away Hagar and her boy, for they are a trouble to me."
+
+And Abraham felt very sorry to have trouble come between Sarah and
+Hagar, and between Isaac and Ishmael; for Abraham was a kind and good
+man, and he was friendly to them all.
+
+But the Lord said to Abraham, "Do not be troubled about Ishmael and his
+mother. Do as Sarah has asked you to do, and send them away. It is best
+that Isaac should be left alone in your tent, for he is to receive
+everything that is yours. I the Lord will take care of Ishmael, and will
+make a great people of his descendants, those who shall come from him."
+
+So the next morning Abraham sent Hagar and her boy away, expecting them
+to go back to the land of Egypt, from which Hagar had come. He gave them
+some food for the journey, and a bottle of water to drink by the way.
+The bottles in that country are not like ours, made of glass. They are
+made from the skin of a goat. One of these skin-bottles Abraham filled
+with water and gave to Hagar.
+
+And Hagar went away from Abraham's tent, leading her little boy. But in
+some way she lost the road, and wandered over the desert, not knowing
+where she was, until all the water in the bottle was used up; and her
+poor boy in the hot sun and the burning sand had nothing to drink. She
+thought that he would die of his terrible thirst; and she laid him down
+under a little bush; and then she went away, for she said to herself:
+
+[Illustration: _In some way she lost the road_]
+
+"I cannot bear to look at my poor boy suffering and dying for want of
+water."
+
+And just at that moment, while Hagar was crying, and her boy was
+moaning with thirst, she heard a voice saying to her:
+
+"Hagar, what is your trouble? Do not be afraid. God has heard your cry
+and the cry of your child. God will take care of you both, and will make
+of your boy a great nation of people."
+
+It was the voice of an angel from heaven; and then Hagar looked, and
+there, close at hand, was a spring of water in the desert. How glad
+Hagar was as she filled the bottle with water and took it to her
+suffering boy under the bush!
+
+[Illustration: _Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow_]
+
+After this Hagar did not go down to Egypt. She found a place where she
+lived and brought up her son in the wilderness, far from other people.
+And Ishmael grew up in the desert and learned to shoot with the bow and
+arrow. He became a wild man, and his children after him grew up to be
+wild men also. They were the Arabians of the desert, who even to this
+day have never been ruled by any other people, but wander through the
+desert, and live as they please. So Ishmael came to be the father of
+many people, and his descendants, the wild Arabians of the desert, are
+living unto this day in that land.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
+
+
+You remember that in those times of which we are telling, when men
+worshipped God, they built an altar of earth or of stone, and laid an
+offering upon it as a gift to God. The offering was generally a sheep,
+or a goat, or a young ox--some animal that was used for food. Such an
+offering was called "a sacrifice."
+
+But the people who worshipped idols often did what seems to us strange
+and very terrible. They thought that it would please their gods if they
+would offer as a sacrifice the most precious living things that were
+their own; and they would take their own little children and kill them
+upon their altars as offerings to the gods of wood and stone, that were
+no real gods, but only images.
+
+God wished to show Abraham and all his descendants, those who should
+come after him, that he was not pleased with such offerings as those of
+living people, killed on the altars. And God took a way to teach
+Abraham, so that he and his children after him would never forget it.
+Then at the same time he wished to see how faithful and obedient Abraham
+would be to his commands; how fully Abraham would trust in God, or, as
+we would say, how great was Abraham's faith in God.
+
+So God gave to Abraham a command which he did not mean to have obeyed,
+though this he did not tell to Abraham. He said:
+
+"Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love so greatly, and
+go to the land of Moriah, and there on a mountain that I will show you,
+offer him for a burnt-offering to me."
+
+Though this command filled Abraham's heart with pain, yet he would not
+be as surprised to receive it as a father would in our day; for such
+offerings were very common among all those people in the land where
+Abraham lived. Abraham never for one moment doubted or disobeyed God's
+word. He knew that Isaac was the child whom God had promised, and that
+God had promised, too, that Isaac should have children, and that those
+coming from Isaac should be a great nation. He did not see how God could
+keep his promise with regard to Isaac, if Isaac should be killed as an
+offering; unless indeed God should raise him up from the dead afterward.
+
+But Abraham undertook at once to obey. God's command. He took two young
+men with him and an ass laden with wood for the fire; and he went toward
+the mountain in the north, Isaac, his son, walking by his side. For two
+days they walked, sleeping under the trees at night in the open country.
+And on the third day Abraham saw the mountain far away. And as they drew
+near to the mountain Abraham said to the young men:
+
+[Illustration: _For two days they walked_]
+
+"Stay here with the ass, while I go up yonder mountain with Isaac to
+worship; and when we have worshipped, we will come back to you." For
+Abraham believed that in some way God would bring back Isaac to life. He
+took the wood from the ass and placed it on Isaac, and they two walked
+up the mountain together. As they were walking, Isaac said:
+
+"Father, here is the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?"
+
+And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt
+offering."
+
+And they came to the place on the top of the mountain. There Abraham
+built an altar of stones and earth heaped up; and on it he placed the
+wood. Then he tied the hands and the feet of Isaac, and laid him on the
+altar, on the wood. And Abraham lifted up his hand, holding a knife to
+kill his son. Another moment longer and Isaac would be slain by his own
+father's hand.
+
+[Illustration: _"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
+offering"_]
+
+But just at that moment the angel of the Lord out of heaven called to
+Abraham, and said:
+
+"Abraham! Abraham!"
+
+And Abraham answered, "Here I am, Lord." Then the angel of the Lord
+said:
+
+"Do not lay your hand upon your son. Do no harm to him. Now I know that
+you love God more than you love your only son, and that you are obedient
+to God, since you are ready to give up your son, your only son, to God."
+
+What a relief and a joy these words from heaven brought to the heart of
+Abraham! How glad he was to know that it was not God's will for him to
+kill his son! Then Abraham looked around, and there in the thicket was a
+ram caught by his horns. And Abraham took the ram and offered him up for
+a burnt-offering in place of his son. So Abraham's words came true when
+he said that God would provide for himself a lamb.
+
+The place where this altar was built Abraham named Jehovah-jireh, words
+in the language that Abraham spoke meaning, "The Lord will provide."
+
+This offering, which seems so strange, did much good. It showed to
+Abraham, and to Isaac also, that Isaac belonged to God, for to God he
+had been offered; and in Isaac all those who should come from him, his
+descendants, had been given to God. Then it showed to Abraham and to
+all the people after him, that God did not wish children or men killed
+as offerings for worship; and while all the people around offered such
+sacrifices, the Israelites, who came from Abraham and from Isaac, never
+offered them, but offered oxen and sheep and goats instead.
+
+These gifts, which cost so much toil, they felt must be pleasing to God,
+because they expressed their thankfulness to him. But they were glad to
+be taught that God does not desire men's lives to be taken, but loves
+our living gifts of love and kindness.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JACOB
+
+
+After Abraham died, his son Isaac lived in the land of Canaan. Like his
+father, Isaac had his home in a tent; around him were the tents of his
+people, and many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle feeding wherever
+they could find grass to eat and water to drink.
+
+Isaac and his wife Rebekah had two children. The older was named Esau
+and the younger Jacob.
+
+Esau was a man of the woods and very fond of hunting; and he was rough
+and covered with hair.
+
+Jacob was quiet and thoughtful, staying at home, dwelling in a tent, and
+caring for the flocks of his father.
+
+Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, because Esau brought to his father
+that which he had killed in his hunting; but Rebekah liked Jacob,
+because she saw that he was wise and careful in his work.
+
+Among the people in those lands, when a man dies, his older son receives
+twice as much as the younger of what the father has owned. This was
+called his "birthright," for it was his right as the oldest born. So
+Esau, as the older, had a "birthright" to more of Isaac's possessions
+than Jacob. And besides this, there was the privilege of the promise of
+God that the family of Isaac should receive great blessings.
+
+
+
+THE SALE OF A BIRTHRIGHT
+
+Now Esau, when he grew up, did not care for his birthright or the
+blessing which God had promised. But Jacob, who was a wise man, wished
+greatly to have the birthright which would come to Esau when his father
+died. Once, when Esau came home, hungry and tired from hunting in the
+fields, he saw that Jacob had a bowl of something that he had just
+cooked for dinner. And Esau said:
+
+"Give me some of that red stuff in the dish. Will you not give me some?
+I am hungry."
+
+[Illustration: _"Sell me your birthright"_]
+
+And Jacob answered, "I will give it to you, if you will first of all
+sell to me your birthright."
+
+And Esau said, "What is the use of the birthright to me now, when I am
+almost starving to death? You can have my birthright if you will give me
+something to eat."
+
+Then Esau made Jacob a solemn promise to give to Jacob his birthright,
+all for a bowl of food. It was not right for Jacob to deal so selfishly
+with his brother; but it was very wrong in Esau to care so little for
+his birthright and God's blessing.
+
+Some time after this, when Esau was forty years old, he married two
+wives. Though this would be very wicked in our times, it was not
+supposed to be wrong then; for even good men then had more than one
+wife. But Esau's two wives were women from the people of Canaan, who
+worshipped idols, and not the true God. And they taught their children
+also to pray to idols; so that those who came from Esau, the people who
+were his descendants, lost all knowledge of God, and became very wicked.
+But this was long after that time.
+
+Isaac and Rebekah were very sorry to have their son Esau marry women who
+prayed to idols and not to God; but still Isaac loved his active son
+Esau more than his quiet son Jacob. But Rebekah loved Jacob more than
+Esau.
+
+Isaac became at last very old and feeble, and so blind that he could
+see scarcely anything. One day he said to Esau:
+
+"My son, I am very old, and do not know how soon I must die. But before
+I die, I wish to give to you, as my older son, God's blessing upon you,
+and your children, and your descendants. Go out into the fields, and
+with your bow and arrows shoot some animal that is good for food, and
+make for me a dish of cooked meat such as you know I love; and after I
+have eaten it I will give you the blessing."
+
+Now Esau ought to have told his father that the blessing did not belong
+to him, for he had sold it to his brother Jacob. But he did not tell his
+father. He went out into the fields hunting, to find the kind of meat
+which his father liked the most.
+
+Now Rebekah was listening, and heard all that Isaac had said to Esau.
+She knew that it would be better for Jacob to have the blessing than for
+Esau; and she loved Jacob more than Esau. So she called to Jacob and
+told him what Isaac had said to Esau, and she said:
+
+"Now, my son, do what I tell you, and you will get the blessing instead
+of your brother. Go to the flocks and bring to me two little kids from
+the goats, and I will cook them just like the meat which Esau cooks for
+your father. And you will bring it to your father, and he will think
+that you are Esau, and will give you the blessing; and it really belongs
+to you."
+
+[Illustration: _"Now, my son, do what I tell you"_]
+
+But Jacob said, "You know that Esau and I are not alike. His neck and
+arms are covered with hairs, while mine are smooth. My father will feel
+of me, and he will find that I am not Esau; and then, instead of giving
+me a blessing, I am afraid that he will curse me."
+
+But Rebekah answered her son, "Never mind; you do as I have told you,
+and I will take care of you. If any harm comes it will come to me; so do
+not be afraid, but go and bring the meat."
+
+Then Jacob went and brought a pair of little kids from the flocks, and
+from them his mother made a dish of food, so that it would be to the
+taste just as Isaac liked it. Then Rebekah found some of Esau's clothes,
+and dressed Jacob in them; and she placed on his neck and hands some of
+the skins of the kids, so that his neck and his hands would feel rough
+and hairy to the touch.
+
+Then Jacob came into his father's tent, bringing the dinner, and
+speaking as much like Esau as he could, he said:
+
+"Here I am, my father."
+
+And Isaac said, "Who are you, my son?"
+
+And Jacob answered, "I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done as you bade
+me; now sit up and eat the dinner that I have made, and then give me
+your blessing as you promised me."
+
+And Isaac said, "How is it that you found it so quickly?"
+
+Jacob answered, "Because the Lord your God showed me where to go and
+gave me good success."
+
+Isaac did not feel certain that it was his son Esau, and he said, "Come
+near and let me feel you, so that I may know that you are really my son
+Esau."
+
+And Jacob went up close to Isaac's bed, and Isaac felt of his face, and
+his neck, and his hands, and he said:
+
+[Illustration: _"May nations bow down to you."_]
+
+"The voice sounds like Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Are
+you really my son Esau?"
+
+And Jacob told a lie to his father, and said, "I am."
+
+Then the old man ate the food that Jacob had brought to him; and he
+kissed Jacob, believing him to be Esau; and he gave him the blessing,
+saying to him:
+
+"May God give you the dew of heaven, and the richness of the earth, and
+plenty of grain and wine. May nations bow down to you and peoples become
+your servants. May you be the master over your brother, and may your
+family and descendants that shall come from you rule over his family and
+his descendants. Blessed be those that bless you, and cursed be those
+that curse you."
+
+Just as soon as Jacob had received the blessing he rose up and hastened
+away. He had scarcely gone out, when Esau came in from hunting, with the
+dish of food that he had cooked. And he said:
+
+"Let my father sit up and eat the food that I have brought, and give me
+the blessing."
+
+And Isaac said, "Why, who are you?"
+
+Esau answered, "I am your son; your oldest son, Esau."
+
+And Isaac trembled, and said, "Who then is the one that came in and
+brought to me food? and I have eaten his food and have blessed him; yes,
+and he shall be blessed."
+
+When Esau heard this, he knew that he had been cheated; and he cried
+aloud, with a bitter cry, "O, my father, my brother has taken away my
+blessing, just as he took away my birthright! But cannot you give me
+another blessing, too? Have you given everything to my brother?"
+
+And Isaac told him all that he had said to Jacob, making him the ruler
+over his brother.
+
+But Esau begged for another blessing; and Isaac said:
+
+"My son, your dwelling shall be of the riches of the earth and of the
+dew of heaven. You shall live by your sword and your descendants shall
+serve his descendants. But in time to come they shall break loose and
+shall shake off the yoke of your brother's rule and shall be free."
+
+All this came to pass many years afterward. The people who came from
+Esau lived in a land called Edom, on the south of the land of Israel,
+where Jacob's descendants lived. And after a time the Israelites became
+rulers over the Edomites; and later still, the Edomites made themselves
+free from the Israelites. But all this took place hundreds of years
+afterward.
+
+It was better that Jacob's descendants, those who came after him, should
+have the blessing, than that Esau's people should have it; for Jacob's
+people worshipped God, and Esau's people walked in the way of the idols
+and became wicked.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN
+
+After Esau found that he had lost his birthright and his blessing, he
+was very angry against his brother Jacob; and he said to himself, and
+told others:
+
+"My father Isaac is very old and cannot live long. As soon as he is
+dead, then I shall kill Jacob for having robbed me of my right."
+
+When Rebekah heard this, she said to Jacob, "Before it is too late, do
+you go away from home and get out of Esau's sight. Perhaps when Esau
+sees you no longer, he will forget his anger, and then you can come home
+again. Go and visit my brother Laban, your uncle, in Haran, and stay
+with him for a little while."
+
+We must remember that Rebekah came from the family of Nahor, Abraham's
+younger brother, who lived in Haran, a long distance to the northeast of
+Canaan, and that Laban was Rebekah's brother.
+
+So Jacob went out of Beersheba, on the border of the desert, and walked
+alone, carrying his staff in his hand. One evening, just about sunset,
+he came to a place among the mountains, more than sixty miles distant
+from his home. And as he had no bed to lie down upon, he took a stone
+and rested his head upon it for a pillow, and lay down to sleep.
+
+[Illustration: _Angels were upon the stairs_]
+
+And on that night Jacob had a wonderful dream. In his dream he saw
+stairs leading from the earth where he lay up to heaven; and angels were
+going up and coming down upon the stairs. And above the stairs, he saw
+the Lord God standing. And God said to Jacob:
+
+"I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac your father;
+and I will be your God, too. The land where you are lying all alone,
+shall belong to you and to your children after you; and your children
+shall spread abroad over the lands, east and west, and north and south,
+like the dust of the earth; and in your family all the world shall
+receive a blessing. And I am with you in your journey, and I will keep
+you where you are going, and will bring you back to this land. I will
+never leave you, and I will surely keep my promise to you."
+
+And in the morning Jacob awakened from his sleep, and he said:
+
+"Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it! I thought
+that I was all alone, but God has been with me. This place is the house
+of God; it is the gate of heaven!"
+
+And Jacob took the stone on which his head had rested, and he set it up
+as a pillar, and poured oil on it as an offering to God. And Jacob named
+that place Bethel, which in the language that Jacob spoke means "The
+House of God."
+
+And Jacob made a promise to God at that time, and said:
+
+"If God really will go with me and will keep me in the way that I go,
+and will give me bread to eat and will bring me to my father's house in
+peace, then the Lord shall be my God: and this stone shall be the house
+of God, and of all that God gives me I will give back to God one-tenth
+as an offering."
+
+Then Jacob went onward in his long journey. He walked across the river
+Jordan in a shallow place, feeling his way with his staff; he climbed
+mountains and journeyed beside the great desert on the east, and at last
+came to the city of Haran. Beside the city was the well, where Abraham's
+servant had met Jacob's mother, Rebekah; and there, after Jacob had
+waited for a time, he saw a young woman coming with her sheep to give
+them water.
+
+Then Jacob took off the flat stone that was over the mouth of the well,
+and drew water and gave it to the sheep. And when he found that this
+young woman was his own cousin Rachel, the daughter of Laban, he was so
+glad that he wept for joy. And at that moment he began to love Rachel,
+and longed to have her for his wife.
+
+[Illustration: _Jacob went onward in his long journey_]
+
+Rachel's father, Laban, who was Jacob's uncle, gave a welcome to Jacob,
+and took him into his home.
+
+And Jacob asked Laban if he would give his daughter, Rachel, to him as
+his wife; and Jacob said, "If you give me Rachel, I will work for you
+seven years."
+
+And Laban said, "It is better that you should have her, than that a
+stranger should marry her."
+
+So Jacob lived seven years in Laban's house, caring for his sheep and
+oxen and camels; but his love for Rachel made the time seem short.
+
+At last the day came for the marriage; and they brought in the bride,
+who, after the manner of that land, was covered with a thick veil, so
+that her face could not be seen. And she was married to Jacob, and when
+Jacob lifted up her veil he found that he had married, not Rachel, but
+her older sister, Leah, who was not beautiful, and whom Jacob did not
+love at all.
+
+Jacob was very angry that he had been deceived,--though that was just
+the way in which Jacob himself had deceived his father and cheated his
+brother Esau. But his uncle Laban said:
+
+"In our land we never allow the younger daughter to be married before
+the older daughter. Keep Leah for your wife, and work for me seven years
+longer, and you shall have Rachel also."
+
+For in those times, as we have seen, men often had two wives, or even
+more than two. So Jacob stayed seven years more, fourteen years in all,
+before he received Rachel as his wife.
+
+While Jacob was living at Haran, eleven sons were born to him. But only
+one of these was the child of Rachel, whom Jacob loved. This son was
+Joseph, who was dearer to Jacob than any other of his children, partly
+because he was the youngest, and because he was the child of his beloved
+Rachel.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS COAT OF MANY COLORS
+
+
+After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan with his eleven sons,
+another son was born to him, the second child of his wife Rachel, whom
+Jacob loved so well. But soon after the baby came, his mother Rachel
+died, and Jacob was filled with sorrow. Even to this day you can see the
+place where Rachel was buried, on the road between Jerusalem and
+Bethlehem. Jacob named the child whom Rachel left, Benjamin; and now
+Jacob had twelve sons. Most of them were grown-up men; but Joseph was a
+boy seventeen years old, and his brother Benjamin was almost a baby.
+
+[Illustration: _Back to the Land of Canaan_]
+
+Of all his children, Jacob loved Joseph the best, because he was
+Rachel's child; because he was so much younger than most of his
+brothers; and because he was good, and faithful, and thoughtful. Jacob
+gave to Joseph a robe or coat of bright colors, made somewhat like a
+long cloak with wide sleeves. This was a special mark of Jacob's favor
+to Joseph, and it made his older brothers envious of him.
+
+Then, too, Joseph did what was right, while his older brothers often did
+very wrong acts, of which Joseph sometimes told their father; and this
+made them very angry at Joseph. But they hated him still more because of
+two strange dreams he had, and of which he told them. He said one day:
+"Listen to this dream that I have dreamed. I dreamed that we were out in
+the field binding sheaves, when suddenly my sheaf stood up, and all your
+sheaves came around it and bowed down to my sheaf!"
+
+And they said scornfully, "Do you suppose that the dream means that you
+will some time rule over us, and that we shall bow down to you?"
+
+Then, a few days after, Joseph said, "I have dreamed again. This time, I
+saw in my dream the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars, all come and
+bow to me!"
+
+And his father said to him, "I do not like you to dream such dreams.
+Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers, come and bow down before
+you as if you were a king?"
+
+His brothers hated Joseph, and would not speak kindly to him; but his
+father thought much of what Joseph had said.
+
+At one time, Joseph's ten brothers were taking care of the flock in the
+fields near Shechem, which was nearly fifty miles from Hebron, where
+Jacob's tents were spread. And Jacob wished to send a message to his
+sons, and he called Joseph, and said to him:
+
+"Your brothers are near Shechem with the flock. I wish that you would go
+to them, and take a message, and find if they are well, and if the
+flocks are doing well; and bring me word from them."
+
+That was quite an errand, for a boy to go alone over the country, and
+find his way, for fifty miles, and then walk home again. But Joseph was
+a boy who could take care of himself, and could be trusted; so he went
+forth on his journey, walking northward over the mountains, past
+Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, and Bethel--though we are not sure those
+cities were then built, except Jerusalem, which was already a strong
+city.
+
+When Joseph reached Shechem, he could not find his brothers, for they
+had taken their flocks to another place. A man met Joseph wandering in
+the field, and asked him, "Whom are you seeking?"
+
+Joseph said, "I am looking for my brothers; the sons of Jacob. Can you
+tell me where I will find them?"
+
+And the man said, "They are at Dothan; for I heard them say that they
+were going there."
+
+Then Joseph walked over the hills to Dothan, which was fifteen miles
+further. And his brothers saw him afar off coming toward them. They knew
+him by his bright garment; and one said to another: "Look, that dreamer
+is coming! Come, let us kill him, and throw his body into a pit, and
+tell his father that some wild beast has eaten him; and then we will see
+what becomes of his dreams."
+
+[Illustration: _Walking northward over the mountains_]
+
+One of his brothers, whose name was Reuben, felt more kindly toward
+Joseph than the others. He said:
+
+"Let us not kill him, but let us throw him into this pit, in the
+wilderness, and leave him there to die."
+
+But Reuben intended, after they had gone away, to lift Joseph out of the
+pit, and take him home to his father. The brothers did as Reuben told
+them; they threw Joseph into the pit, which was empty. He cried, and
+begged them to save him; but they would not. They calmly sat down to eat
+their dinner on the grass, while their brother was calling to them from
+the pit.
+
+After the dinner, Reuben chanced to go to another part of the field; so
+that he was not at hand when a company of men passed by with their
+camels, going from Gilead, on the east of the river Jordan, to Egypt, to
+sell spices and fragrant gum from trees to the Egyptians.
+
+Then Judah, another of Joseph's brothers, said, "What good will it do us
+to kill our brother? Would it not be better for us to sell him to these
+men, and let them carry him away? After all, he is our brother, and we
+would better not kill him."
+
+His brothers agreed with him; so they stopped the men who were passing,
+and drew up Joseph from the pit, and for twenty pieces of silver they
+sold Joseph to these men; and they took him away with them down to
+Egypt.
+
+After a while, Reuben came to the pit, where they had left Joseph, and
+looked into it; but Joseph was not there. Then Reuben was in great
+trouble; and he came back to his brothers, saying: "The boy is not
+there! What shall I do!"
+
+Then his brothers told Reuben what they had done; and they all agreed
+together to deceive their father. They killed one of the goats, and
+dipped Joseph's coat in its blood; and they brought it to their father,
+and they said to him: "We found this coat out in the wilderness. Look at
+it, father, and tell us if you think it was the coat of your son."
+
+[Illustration: _For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph_]
+
+And Jacob knew it at once. He said: "It is my son's coat. Some wild
+beast has eaten him. There is no doubt that Joseph has been torn in
+pieces!"
+
+And Jacob's heart was broken over the loss of Joseph, all the more
+because he had sent Joseph alone on the journey through the wilderness.
+They tried to comfort him, but he would not be comforted. He said: "I
+will go down to the grave mourning for my poor lost son."
+
+So the old man sorrowed for his son Joseph; and all the time his wicked
+brothers knew that Joseph was not dead; but they would not tell their
+father the dreadful deed they had done to their brother, in selling him
+as a slave.
+
+
+
+THE DREAMS OF A KING
+
+The men who bought Joseph from his brothers were called Ishmaelites,
+because they belonged to the family of Ishmael, who, you remember, was
+the son of Hagar, the servant of Sarah. These men carried Joseph
+southward over the plain which lies beside the great sea on the west of
+Canaan; and after many days they brought Joseph to Egypt. How strange it
+must have seemed to the boy who had lived in tents to see the great
+river Nile, and the cities thronged with people, and the temples, and
+the mighty pyramids!
+
+The Ishmaelites sold Joseph as a slave to a man named Potiphar, who was
+an officer in the army of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph was a
+beautiful boy, and cheerful and willing in his spirit, and able in all
+that he undertook; so that his master Potiphar became very friendly to
+him, and after a time, he placed Joseph in charge of his house, and
+everything in it. For some years Joseph continued in the house of
+Potiphar, a slave in name, but in reality the master of all his affairs,
+and ruler over his fellow-servants.
+
+But Potiphar's wife, who at first was very friendly to Joseph,
+afterward became his enemy, because Joseph would not do wrong to please
+her. She told her husband falsely, that Joseph had done a wicked deed.
+Her husband believed her, and was very angry at Joseph, and put him in
+the prison with those who had been sent to that place for breaking the
+laws of the land. How hard it was for Joseph to be charged with a crime,
+when he had done no wrong, and to be thrust into a dark prison among
+wicked people!
+
+But Joseph had faith in God, that at some time all would come out right;
+and in the prison he was cheerful, and kind, and helpful, as he had
+always been. The keeper of the prison saw that Joseph was not like the
+other men around him, and he was kind to Joseph. In a very little while,
+Joseph was placed in charge of all his fellow-prisoners, and took care
+of them, just as he had taken care of everything in Potiphar's house.
+The keeper of the prison scarcely looked into the prison at all; for he
+had confidence in Joseph, that he would be faithful and wise in doing
+the work given to him. Joseph did right, and served God, and God blessed
+Joseph in everything.
+
+While Joseph was in the prison, two men were sent there by the king of
+Egypt, because he was displeased with them. One was the king's chief
+butler, who served the king with wine; the other was the chief baker,
+who served him with bread. These two men were under Joseph's care; and
+Joseph waited on them, for they were men of rank.
+
+One morning, when Joseph came into the room where the butler and the
+baker were kept, he found them looking quite sad. Joseph said to them:
+
+"Why do you look so sad today?" Joseph was cheerful and happy in his
+spirit; and he wished others to be happy also, even in prison.
+
+And one of them said, "Each one of us dreamed last night a very strange
+dream, and there is no one to tell us what our dreams mean."
+
+For in those times, before God gave the Bible to men, he often spoke to
+men in dreams; and there were wise men who could sometimes tell what the
+dreams meant.
+
+"Tell me," said Joseph, "what your dreams are. Perhaps my God will help
+me to understand them."
+
+Then the chief butler told his dream. He said, "In my dream I saw a
+grape-vine with three branches; and as I looked, the branches shot out
+buds; and the buds became blossoms; and the blossoms turned into
+clusters of ripe grapes. And I picked the grapes, and squeezed their
+juice into king Pharaoh's cup, and it became wine; and I gave it to king
+Pharaoh to drink, just as I used to do when I was beside his table."
+
+Then Joseph said, "This is what your dream means. The three branches
+mean three days. In three days, king Pharaoh shall call you out of
+prison and shall put you back in your place; and you shall stand at his
+table, and shall give him his wine, as you have given it before. But
+when you go out of prison, please to remember me, and try to find some
+way to get me, too, out of this prison. For I was stolen out of the land
+of Canaan, and sold as a slave; and I have done nothing wrong to deserve
+being put in this prison. Do speak to the king for me, that I may be set
+free."
+
+Of course, the chief butler felt very happy to hear that his dream had
+so pleasant a meaning. And the chief baker spoke, hoping to have an
+answer as good:
+
+"In my dream," said the baker, "there were three baskets of white bread
+on my head, one above another, and on the topmost basket were all kinds
+of roasted meat and food for Pharaoh; and the birds came, and ate the
+food from the baskets on my head."
+
+And Joseph said to the baker:
+
+"This is the meaning of your dream, and I am sorry to tell it to you.
+The three baskets are three days. In three days, by order of the king
+you shall be lifted up, and hanged upon a tree; and the birds shall eat
+your flesh from your bones as you are hanging in the air."
+
+And it came to pass just as Joseph had said. Three days after that, king
+Pharaoh sent his officers to the prison. They came and took out both the
+chief butler and the chief baker. The baker they hung up by his neck to
+die, and left his body for the birds to pick in pieces. The chief butler
+they brought back to his old place, where he waited at the king's table,
+and handed him his wine to drink.
+
+You would have supposed that the butler would remember Joseph, who had
+given him the promise of freedom, and had shown such wisdom. But in his
+gladness, he forgot all about Joseph. And two full years passed by,
+while Joseph was still in prison, until he was a man thirty years old.
+
+But one night, king Pharaoh himself dreamed a dream--in fact, two dreams
+in one. And in the morning he sent for all the wise men of Egypt, and
+told to them his dreams; but there was not a man who could give the
+meaning of them. And the king was troubled, for he felt that the dreams
+had some meaning which it was important for him to know.
+
+Then suddenly the chief butler who was by the king's table remembered
+his own dream in the prison two years before, and remembered, too, the
+young man who had told its meaning so exactly. And he said:
+
+"I do remember my faults this day. Two years ago king Pharaoh was angry
+with his servants, with me and the chief baker; and he sent us to the
+prison. While we were in the prison, one night each of us dreamed a
+dream; and the next day a young man in the prison, a Hebrew from the
+land of Canaan, told us what our dreams meant; and in three days they
+came true, just as the young Hebrew had said. I think that if this young
+man is in the prison still, he could tell the king the meaning of his
+dreams."
+
+You notice that the butler spoke of Joseph as "a Hebrew." The people of
+Israel, to whom Joseph belonged, were called Hebrews as well as
+Israelites. The word Hebrew means, "One who crossed over," and it was
+given to the Israelites because Abraham, their father, had come from a
+land on the other side of the great river Euphrates, and had crossed
+over the river on his way to Canaan.
+
+Then king Pharaoh sent in haste to the prison for Joseph; and Joseph was
+taken out, and he was dressed in new garments, and was led in to Pharaoh
+in the palace. And Pharaoh said:
+
+"I have dreamed a dream; and there is no one who can tell what it
+means. And I have been told that you have power to understand dreams and
+what they mean."
+
+And Joseph answered Pharaoh:
+
+"The power is not in me; but God will give Pharaoh a good answer. What
+is the dream that the king has dreamed?"
+
+"In my first dream," said Pharaoh, "I was standing by the river: and I
+saw seven fat and handsome cows come up from the river to feed in the
+grass. And while they were feeding, seven other cows followed them up
+from the river, very thin, and poor, and lean--such miserable creatures
+as I had never seen before. And the seven lean cows ate up the seven fat
+cows; and after they had eaten them up, they were as lean and miserable
+as before. Then I awoke.
+
+"And I fell asleep again, and dreamed again. In my second dream, I saw
+seven heads of grain growing up on one stalk, large, and strong, and
+good. And then seven heads came up after them, that were thin, and poor,
+and withered. And the seven thin heads swallowed up the seven good
+heads; and afterward were as poor and withered as before.
+
+"And I told these two dreams to all the wise men, and there is no one
+who can explain them. Can you tell me what these dreams mean?"
+
+And Joseph said to the king:
+
+"The two dreams have the same meaning. God has been showing to king
+Pharaoh what he will do in this land. The seven good cows mean seven
+years, and the seven good heads of grain mean the same seven years. The
+seven lean cows and the seven thin heads of grain also mean seven years.
+The good cows and the good grain mean seven years of plenty, and the
+seven thin cows and thin heads of grain mean seven poor years. There are
+coming upon the land of Egypt seven years of such plenty as have never
+been seen; when the fields shall bring greater crops than ever before;
+and after those years shall come seven years when the fields shall bring
+no crops at all. And then for seven years there shall be such need, that
+the years of plenty will be forgotten, for the people will have nothing
+to eat."
+
+[Illustration: _"The two dreams have the same meaning"_]
+
+"Now, let king Pharaoh find some man who is able and wise, and let him
+set this man to rule over the land. And during the seven years of
+plenty, let a part of the crops be put away for the years of need. If
+this shall be done, then when the years of need come, there will be
+plenty of food for all the people, and no one will suffer, for all will
+have enough."
+
+And king Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Since God has shown you all this,
+there is no other man as wise as you. I will appoint you to do this
+work, and to rule over the land of Egypt. All the people shall be under
+you; only on the throne of Egypt I will be above you."
+
+And Pharaoh took from his own hand the ring which held his seal, and put
+on Joseph's hand, so that he could sign for the king, and seal in the
+king's place. And he dressed Joseph in robes of fine linen, and put
+around his neck a gold chain. And he made Joseph ride in a chariot which
+was next in rank to his own. And they cried out before Joseph, "Bow the
+knee." And thus Joseph was ruler over all the land of Egypt.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MONEY IN THE SACKS
+
+When Joseph was made ruler over the land of Egypt, he did just as he had
+always done. It was not Joseph's way to sit down, to rest and enjoy
+himself, and make others wait on him. He found his work at once, and
+began to do it faithfully and thoroughly. He went out over all the land
+of Egypt, and saw how rich and abundant were the fields of grain, giving
+much more than the people could use for their own needs. He told the
+people not to waste it, but to save it for the coming time of need.
+
+And he called upon the people to give him for the king one bushel of
+grain out of every five, to be stored up. The people brought their
+grain, after taking for themselves as much as they needed, and Joseph
+stored it up in great storehouses in the cities; so much at last that no
+one could keep account of it.
+
+The king of Egypt gave a wife to Joseph from the noble young women of
+his kingdom. Her name was Asenath; and to Joseph and his wife God gave
+two sons. The oldest son he named Manasseh, a word which means "Making
+to Forget."
+
+"For," said Joseph, "God has made me to forget all my troubles and my
+toil as a slave."
+
+The second son he named Ephraim, a word that means "Fruitful."
+"Because," said Joseph, "God has not only made the land fruitful; but he
+has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles."
+
+The seven years of plenty soon passed by, and then came the years of
+need. In all the lands around people were hungry, and there was no food
+for them to eat; but in the land of Egypt everybody had enough. Most of
+the people soon used up the grain that they had saved; many had saved
+none at all, and they all cried to the king to help them.
+
+"Go to Joseph!" said king Pharaoh, "and do whatever he tells you to do."
+
+Then the people came to Joseph, and Joseph opened the storehouses, and
+sold to the people all the grain that they wished to buy. And not only
+the people of Egypt came to buy grain, but people of all the lands
+around as well, for there was great need and famine everywhere. And the
+need was as great in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lived, as in other
+lands. Jacob was rich in flocks and cattle, and gold and silver, but his
+fields gave no grain, and there was danger that his family and his
+people would starve. And Jacob--who was now called Israel also--heard
+that there was food in Egypt and he said to his sons: "Why do you look
+at each other, asking what to do to find food? I have been told that
+there is grain in Egypt. Go down to that land, and take money with you,
+and bring grain, so that we may have bread, and may live."
+
+Then the ten older brothers of Joseph went down to the land of Egypt.
+They rode upon asses, for horses were not much used in those times, and
+they brought money with them. But Jacob would not let Benjamin, Joseph's
+younger brother, go with them, for he was all the more dear to his
+father, now that Joseph was no longer with him; and Jacob feared that
+harm might come to him.
+
+Then Joseph's brothers came to Joseph to buy food. They did not know
+him, grown up to be a man, dressed as a prince, and seated on a throne.
+Joseph was now nearly forty years old, and it had been almost
+twenty-three years since they had sold him. But Joseph knew them all, as
+soon as he saw them. He wished to be sharp and stern with them, not
+because he hated them; but because he wished to see what their spirit
+was, and whether they were as selfish, and cruel, and wicked as they had
+been in other days.
+
+They came before him, and bowed, with their faces to the ground. Then,
+no doubt, Joseph thought of the dream that had come to him while he was
+a boy, of his brothers' sheaves bending down around his sheaf. He spoke
+to them as a stranger, as if he did not understand their language, and
+he had their words explained to him in the language of Egypt.
+
+"Who are you? And from what place do you come?" said Joseph, in a harsh,
+stern manner.
+
+They answered him very meekly: "We have come from the land of Canaan to
+buy food."
+
+"No," said Joseph, "I know what you have come for. You have come as
+spies, to see how helpless the land is, so that you can bring an army
+against us, and make war on us."
+
+"No, no," said Joseph's ten brothers. "We are no spies. We are the sons
+of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan; and we have come for food,
+because we have none at home."
+
+"You say that you are the sons of one man, who is your father? Is he
+living? Have you any more brothers? Tell me all about yourselves."
+
+And they said: "Our father is an old man in Canaan. We did have a
+younger brother, but he was lost; and we have one brother still, who is
+the youngest of all, but his father could not spare him to come with
+us."
+
+"No," said Joseph. "You are not good, honest men. You are spies. I
+shall put you all in prison, except one of you; and he shall go and
+bring that youngest brother of yours; and when I see him, then I will
+believe that you tell the truth."
+
+So Joseph put all the ten men in prison, and kept them under guard for
+three days; then he sent for them again. They did not know that he could
+understand their language, and they said to each other, while Joseph
+heard, but pretended not to hear: "This has come upon us because of the
+wrong that we did to our brother Joseph, more than twenty years ago. We
+heard him cry, and plead with us, when we threw him into the pit, and we
+would not have mercy on him. God is giving us only what we have
+deserved."
+
+And Reuben, who had tried to save Joseph, said: "Did I not tell you not
+to harm the boy? and you would not listen to me. God is bringing our
+brother's blood upon us all."
+
+When Joseph heard this, his heart was touched, for he saw that his
+brothers were really sorry for the wrong that they had done to him. He
+turned away from them, so that they could not see his face, and he wept.
+Then he turned again to them and spoke roughly as before, and said:
+
+"This I will do, for I serve God. I will let you all go home, except
+one man. One of you I will shut up in prison; but the rest of you can go
+home and take food for your people. And you must come back and bring
+your youngest brother with you, and I shall know then that you have
+spoken the truth."
+
+Then Joseph gave orders, and his servants seized one of his brothers,
+whose name was Simeon, and bound him in their sight and took him away to
+prison. And he ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain,
+and to put every man's money back into the sack before it was tied up,
+so that they would find the money as soon as they opened the sack. Then
+the men loaded their asses with the sacks of grain, and started to go
+home, leaving their brother Simeon a prisoner.
+
+When they stopped on the way to feed their asses, one of the brothers
+opened his sack, and there he found his money lying on the top of the
+grain. He called out to his brothers: "See, here is my money given again
+to me!" And they were frightened, but they did not dare to go back to
+Egypt and meet the stern ruler of the land. They went home and told
+their old father all that had happened to them, and how their brother
+Simeon was in prison, and must stay there until they should return,
+bringing Benjamin with them.
+
+When they opened their sacks of grain, there in the mouth of each sack
+was the money that they had given; and they were filled with fear. Then
+they spoke of going again to Egypt and taking Benjamin, but Jacob said
+to them:
+
+"You are taking my sons away from me. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is
+gone, and now you would take Benjamin away. All these things are against
+me!" Reuben said: "Here are my own two boys. You may kill them, if you
+wish, in case I do not bring Benjamin back to you." But Jacob said: "My
+youngest son shall not go with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is
+left to me. If harm should come to him, it would bring down my gray
+hairs with sorrow to the grave."
+
+
+
+
+THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BROTHER
+
+
+The food which Jacob's sons had brought from Egypt did not last long,
+for Jacob's family was large. Most of his sons were married and had
+children of their own; so that the children and grandchildren were
+sixty-six, besides the servants who waited on them, and the men who
+cared for Jacob's flocks. So around the tent of Jacob was quite a camp
+of other tents and an army of people.
+
+When the food that had come from Egypt was nearly eaten up, Jacob said
+to his sons:
+
+"Go down to Egypt again, and buy some food for us."
+
+And Judah, Jacob's son, the man who years before had urged his brothers
+to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, said to his father: "It is of no use
+for us to go to Egypt, unless we take Benjamin with us. The man who
+rules in that land said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your
+youngest brother be with you'."
+
+And Israel said, "Why did you tell the man that you had a brother? You
+did me great harm when you told him."
+
+"Why," said Jacob's sons, "we could not help telling him. The man asked
+us all about our family, 'Is your father yet living? Have you any more
+brothers?' And we had to tell him, his questions were so close. How
+should we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother here, for me to
+see him'?"
+
+And Judah said, "Send Benjamin with me, and I will take care of him. I
+promise you that I will bring him safely home. If he does not come back,
+let me bear the blame forever. He must go, or we shall die for want of
+food; and we might have gone down to Egypt and come home again, if we
+had not been kept back."
+
+And Jacob said, "If he must go, then he must. But take a present to the
+man, some of the choicest fruits of the land, some spices, and perfumes,
+and nuts, and almonds. And take twice as much money, besides the money
+that was in your sacks. Perhaps that was a mistake, when the money was
+given back to you. And take your brother Benjamin, and may the Lord God
+make the man kind to you, so that he will set Simeon free, and let you
+bring Benjamin back. But if it is God's will that I lose my children, I
+cannot help it."
+
+So ten brothers of Joseph went down a second time to Egypt, Benjamin
+going in place of Simeon. They came to Joseph's office, the place where
+he sold grain to the people; and they stood before their brother, and
+bowed as before. Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, and he said to
+his steward, the man who was over his house:
+
+"Make ready a dinner, for all these men shall dine with me today."
+
+When Joseph's brothers found that they were taken into Joseph's house,
+they were filled with fear. They said to each other:
+
+"We have been taken here on account of the money in our sacks. They will
+say that we have stolen it, and then they will sell us all for slaves."
+
+But Joseph's steward, the man who was over his house, treated the men
+kindly; and when they spoke of the money in their sacks, he would not
+take it again, saying:
+
+"Never fear; your God must have sent you this as a gift. I had your
+money."
+
+The stewards received the men into Joseph's house, and washed their
+feet, according to the custom of the land. And at noon, Joseph came in
+to meet them. They brought him the present from their father, and again
+they bowed before him, with their faces on the ground.
+
+And Joseph asked them if they were well, and said: "Is your father still
+living, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he well?"
+
+And they said, "Our father is well and he is living." And again they
+bowed to Joseph.
+
+And Joseph looked at his younger brother Benjamin, the child of his own
+mother Rachel, and said:
+
+"Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious
+unto you, my son."
+
+And Joseph's heart was so full that he could not keep back the tears. He
+went in haste to his own room, and wept there. Then he washed his face,
+and came out again, and ordered the table to be set for dinner. They set
+Joseph's table for himself, as the ruler, and another table for his
+Egyptian officers, and another for the eleven men from Canaan; for
+Joseph had brought Simeon out of the prison, and had given him a place
+with his brothers.
+
+Joseph himself arranged the order of the seats for his brothers, the
+oldest at the head, and all in order of age down to the youngest. The
+men wondered at this, and could not see how the ruler of Egypt could
+know the order of their ages. And Joseph sent dishes from his table to
+his brothers, and he gave to Benjamin five times as much as to the
+others. Perhaps he wished to see whether they were as jealous of
+Benjamin as in other days they had been toward him.
+
+After dinner, Joseph said to his steward: "Fill the men's sacks with
+grain, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in his sack.
+And put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest, with his money."
+
+The steward did as Joseph had said; and early in the morning the
+brothers started to go home. A little while afterward, Joseph said to
+his steward:
+
+"Hasten, follow after the men from Canaan, and say, 'Why have you
+wronged me, after I had treated you kindly? You have stolen my master's
+silver cup, out of which he drinks'."
+
+The steward followed the men, and overtook them, and charged them with
+stealing. And they said to him:
+
+"Why should you talk to us in this manner? We have stolen nothing. Why,
+we brought back to you the money that we found in our sacks; and is it
+likely that we would steal from your lord his silver or gold? You may
+search us, and if you find your master's cup on any of us, let him die,
+and the rest of us may be sold as slaves."
+
+Then they took down the sacks from the asses, and opened them; and in
+each man's sack was his money, for the second time. And when they came
+to Benjamin's sack, there was the ruler's silver cup! Then, in the
+greatest sorrow, they tied up their bags again, and laid them on the
+asses, and came back to Joseph's palace.
+
+And Joseph said to them:
+
+"What wicked thing is this that you have done? Did you not know that I
+would surely find out your deeds?"
+
+Then Judah said, "O, my lord, what can we say? God has punished us for
+our sins; and now we must all be slaves, both we that are older, and the
+younger in whose sack the cup was found."
+
+[Illustration: _"What wicked thing is this that you have done?"_]
+
+"No," said Joseph. "Only one of you is guilty; the one who has taken
+away my cup. I will hold him as a slave, and the rest of you can go home
+to your father."
+
+Joseph wished to see whether his brothers were still selfish, and were
+willing to let Benjamin suffer, if they could escape.
+
+Then Judah, the very man who had urged his brothers to sell Joseph as a
+slave, came forward, and fell at Joseph's feet, and pleaded with him to
+let Benjamin go. He told again the whole story, how Benjamin was the one
+whom his father loved the most of all his children, now that his brother
+was lost. He said:
+
+"I promised to bear the blame, if this boy was not brought home in
+safety. If he does not go back it will kill my poor old father, who has
+seen much trouble. Now let my youngest brother go home to his father,
+and I will stay here as a slave in his place!"
+
+Joseph knew now, what he had longed to know, that his brothers were no
+longer cruel nor selfish, but one of them was willing to suffer, so that
+his brother might be spared. And Joseph could not any longer keep his
+secret, for his heart longed after his brothers; and he was ready to
+weep again, with tears of love and joy. He sent all of his Egyptian
+servants out of the room, so that he might be alone with his brothers,
+and then he said:
+
+"Come near to me; I wish to speak with you." And they came near,
+wondering. Then Joseph said:
+
+"I am Joseph; is my father really alive?"
+
+How frightened his brothers were, as they heard these words spoken in
+their own language by the ruler of Egypt and for the first time knew
+that this stern man, who had their lives in his hand, was their own
+brother whom they had wronged! Then Joseph said again:
+
+"I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But do not feel
+troubled because of what you did. For God sent me before you to save
+your lives. There have been already two years of need and famine, and
+there are to be five years more, when there shall neither be plowing of
+the fields nor harvest. It was not you who sent me here, but God; and he
+sent me to save your lives. God has made me like a father to Pharaoh and
+ruler over all the land of Egypt. Now I wish you to go home, and to
+bring down to me my father and all his family."
+
+Then Joseph placed his arms around Benjamin's neck, and kissed him, and
+wept upon him. And Benjamin wept on his neck. And Joseph kissed all his
+brothers, to show them that he had fully forgiven them; and after that
+his brothers began to lose their fear of Joseph and talked with him more
+freely.
+
+Afterward Joseph sent his brothers home with good news, and rich gifts,
+and abundant food. He sent also wagons in which Jacob and his sons'
+wives and the little ones of their families might ride from Canaan down
+to Egypt. And Joseph's brothers went home happier than they had been for
+many years.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE RIVER
+
+
+The children of Israel stayed in the land of Egypt much longer than they
+had expected to stay. They were in that land about four hundred years.
+And the going down to Egypt proved a great blessing to them. It saved
+their lives during the years of famine and need. After the years of need
+were over, they found the soil in the land of Goshen, that part of Egypt
+where they were living, very rich, so that they could gather three or
+four crops every year.
+
+Then, too, the sons of Israel, before they came to Egypt, had begun to
+marry the women in the land of Canaan who worshipped idols, and not the
+Lord. If they had stayed there, their children would have grown up like
+the people around them and soon would have lost all knowledge of God.
+
+But in Goshen they lived alone and apart from the people of Egypt. They
+worshipped the Lord God, and were kept away from the idols of Egypt. And
+in that land, as the years went on, from being seventy people, they grew
+in number until they became a great multitude. Each of the twelve sons
+of Jacob was the father of a tribe, and Joseph was the father of two
+tribes, named after his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
+
+As long as Joseph lived, and for some time after, the people of Israel
+were treated kindly by the Egyptians, out of their love for Joseph, who
+had saved Egypt from suffering by famine. But after a long time another
+king began to rule over Egypt, who cared nothing for Joseph or Joseph's
+people. He saw that the Israelites (as the children of Israel were
+called) were very many, and he feared that they would soon become
+greater in number and in power than the Egyptians.
+
+He said to his people: "Let us rule these Israelites more strictly. They
+are growing too strong."
+
+Then they set harsh rules over the Israelites, and laid heavy burdens on
+them. They made the Israelites work hard for the Egyptians, and build
+cities for them, and give to the Egyptians a large part of the crops
+from their fields. They set them at work in making brick and in building
+storehouses. They were so afraid that the Israelites would grow in
+number that they gave orders to kill all the little boys that were born
+to the Israelites; though their little girls might be allowed to live.
+
+But in the face of all this hate, and wrong, and cruelty, the people of
+Israel were growing in number, and becoming greater and greater.
+
+At this time, when the wrongs of the Israelites were the greatest, and
+when their little children were being killed, one little boy was born.
+
+[Illustration: _They made the Israelites work hard_]
+
+He was such a lovely child that his mother kept him hid, so that the
+enemies did not find him. When she could no longer hide him, she formed
+a plan to save his life; believing that God would help her and save her
+beautiful little boy.
+
+She made a little box like a boat and covered it with something that
+would not let the water into it. Such a boat as this covered over was
+called "an ark." She knew that at certain times the daughter of king
+Pharaoh--all the kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh, for Pharaoh means
+a king--would come down to the river for a bath. She placed her baby
+boy in the ark, and let it float down the river where the princess,
+Pharaoh's daughter, would see it. And she sent her own daughter, a
+little girl named Miriam, twelve years old, to watch close at hand. How
+anxious the mother and the sister were as they saw the little ark
+floating away from them on the river!
+
+[Illustration: _She placed her baby in the ark_]
+
+Pharaoh's daughter, with her maids, came down to the river, and they saw
+the ark floating on the water, among the reeds. She sent one of her
+maids to bring it to her so that she might see what was in the curious
+box. They opened it, and there was a beautiful little baby, who began to
+cry to be taken up.
+
+The princess felt kind toward the little one, and loved it at once. She
+said: "This is one of the Hebrews' children." You have heard how the
+children of Israel came to be called Hebrews. Pharaoh's daughter
+thought that it would be cruel to let such a lovely baby as this die out
+on the water. And just then a little girl came running up to her, as if
+by accident, and she looked at the baby also, and she said: "Shall I go
+and find some woman of the Hebrews to be a nurse to the child for you
+and take care of it?"
+
+"Yes," said the princess. "Go and find a nurse for me."
+
+The little girl--who was Miriam, the baby's sister--ran as quickly as
+she could and brought the baby's own mother to the princess. Miriam
+showed in this act that she was a wise and thoughtful little girl. The
+princess said to the little baby's mother: "Take this child to your home
+and nurse it for me, and I will pay you wages for it."
+
+How glad the Hebrew mother was to take her child home! No one could harm
+her boy now, for he was protected by the princess of Egypt, the daughter
+of the king.
+
+When the child was large enough to leave his mother Pharaoh's daughter
+took him into her own house in the palace. She named him "Moses," a word
+that means "drawn out," because he was drawn out of the water.
+
+So Moses, the Hebrew boy, lived in the palace among the nobles of the
+land, as the son of the princess. There he learned much more than he
+could have learned among his own people; for there were very wise
+teachers. Moses gained all the knowledge that the Egyptians had to give.
+There in the court of the cruel king who had made slaves of the
+Israelites, God's people, was growing up our Israelite boy who should at
+some time set his people free!
+
+Although Moses grew up among the Egyptians, and gained their learning,
+he loved his own people. They were poor and were hated, and were slaves,
+but he loved them, because they were the people who served the Lord God,
+while the Egyptians worshipped idols and animals. Strange it was that so
+wise a people as these should bow down and pray to an ox, or to a cat,
+or to a snake, as did the Egyptians.
+
+When Moses became a man, he went among his own people, leaving the
+riches and ease that he might have enjoyed among the Egyptians. He felt
+a call from God to lift up the Israelites and set them free. But at that
+time he found that he could do nothing to help them. They would not let
+him lead them, and as the king of Egypt had now become his enemy, Moses
+went away from Egypt into a country in Arabia, called Midian.
+
+He was sitting by a well, in that land, tired from his long journey,
+when he saw some young women come to draw water for their flocks of
+sheep. But some rough men came, and drove the women away, and took the
+water for their own flocks. Moses saw it, and helped the women and drew
+the water for them.
+
+These young women were sisters, the daughters of a man named Jethro, who
+was a priest in the land of Midian. He asked Moses to live with him, and
+to help him in the care of his flocks. Moses stayed with Jethro and
+married one of his daughters. So from being a prince in the king's
+palace in Egypt, Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian.
+
+[Illustration: _Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of
+Midian_]
+
+But Moses did not remain a shepherd. While he was tending his sheep God
+appeared to him in a burning bush and told him that he should return to
+Egypt and become the leader of his people. The Lord told him that the
+wicked Egyptians would be punished for the ill-treatment they were
+giving the Israelites. In your Bible you will find in the book of Exodus
+how God wonderfully fulfilled his promise. The Egyptians were punished
+by many plagues, and finally allowed the Israelites to go. They crossed
+the Red Sea in a wonderful way, and traveled for a long time through a
+wilderness, where God fed them day by day with manna from heaven. God
+also gave them rules as a guide for their daily living; these rules we
+call the Ten Commandments; yet they forgot the Lord so far as to make
+images and worship them.
+
+[Illustration: _God fed them day by day with manna_]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN
+
+
+The Israelites stayed in their camp before Mount Sinai almost a year,
+while they were building the Tabernacle and learning God's laws given
+through Moses. At last the cloud over the Tabernacle rose up, and the
+people knew that this was the sign for them to move. They took down the
+Tabernacle and their own tents, and journeyed toward the land of Canaan
+for many days.
+
+At last they came to a place just on the border between the desert and
+Canaan, called Kadesh, or Kadesh-barnea. Here they stopped to rest, for
+there were many springs of water and some grass for their cattle. While
+they were waiting at Kadesh-barnea and were expecting soon to march into
+the land which was to be their home, God told Moses to send onward some
+men who should walk through the land and look at it, and then come back
+and tell what they had found; what kind of a land it was, and what
+fruits grew in it, and what people were living in it. The Israelites
+could more easily win the land if these men, after walking through it,
+could act as their guides and point out the best places in it and the
+best plans of making war upon it.
+
+[Illustration: _A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried
+it_]
+
+So Moses chose out some men of high rank among the people, one ruler
+from each tribe, twelve men in all. One of these was Joshua, who was the
+helper of Moses in caring for the people, and another was Caleb, who
+belonged to the tribe of Judah. These twelve men went out and walked
+over the mountains of Canaan and looked at the cities and saw the
+fields. In one place, just before they came back to the camp, they cut
+down a cluster of ripe grapes which was so large that two men carried it
+between them, hanging from a staff. They named the place where they
+found this bunch of grapes Eshcol, a word which means "a cluster." These
+twelve men were called "spies," because they went "to spy out the land";
+and after forty days they came back to the camp, and this was what they
+said:
+
+"We walked all over the land and found it a rich land. There is grass
+for all our flocks, and fields where we can raise grain, and trees
+bearing fruits, and streams running down the sides of the hills. But we
+found that the people who live there are very strong and are men of war.
+They have cities with walls that reach almost up to the sky; and some of
+the men are giants, so tall that we felt that we were like grasshoppers
+beside them."
+
+One of the spies, who was Caleb, said, "All that is true, yet we need
+not be afraid to go up and take the land. It is a good land, well worth
+fighting for; God is on our side, and he will help us to overcome those
+people."
+
+But all the other spies, except Joshua, said, "No, there is no use in
+trying to make war upon such strong people. We can never take those
+walled cities, and we dare not fight those tall giants."
+
+And the people, who had journeyed all the way through the wilderness to
+find this very land, were so frightened by the words of the ten spies
+that now, on the very border of Canaan, they dared not enter it. They
+forgot that God had led them out of Egypt, that he had kept them in the
+dangers of the desert, that he had given them water out of the rock, and
+bread from the sky, and his law from the mountain.
+
+All that night, after the spies had brought back their report, the
+people were so frightened that they could not sleep. They cried out
+against Moses, and blamed him for bringing them out of the land of
+Egypt. They forgot all their troubles in Egypt, their toil and their
+slavery, and resolved to go back to that land. They said:
+
+"Let us choose a ruler in place of Moses, who has brought us into all
+these evils, and let us turn back to the land of Egypt!"
+
+But Caleb and Joshua, two of the spies, said, "Why should we fear? The
+land of Canaan is a good land; it is rich with milk and honey. If God is
+our friend and is with us, we can easily conquer the people who live
+there. Above all things, let us not rebel against the Lord, or disobey
+him, and make him our enemy."
+
+But the people were so angry with Caleb and Joshua that they were ready
+to stone them and kill them. Then suddenly the people saw a strange
+sight. The glory of the Lord, which stayed in the Holy of Holies, the
+inner room of the Tabernacle, now flashed out, and shone from the door
+of the Tabernacle.
+
+And the Lord, out of this glory, spoke to Moses, and said, "How long
+will this people disobey me and despise me? They shall not go into the
+good land that I have promised them. Not one of them shall enter in,
+except Caleb and Joshua, who have been faithful to me. All the people
+who are twenty years old and over it shall die in the desert; but their
+little children shall grow up in the wilderness, and when they become
+men they shall enter in and own the land that I promised to their
+fathers. You people are not worthy of the land that I have been keeping
+for you. Now turn back into the desert and stay there until you die.
+After you are dead, Joshua shall lead your children into the land of
+Canaan. And because Caleb showed another spirit and was true to me, and
+followed my will fully, Caleb shall live to go into the land, and shall
+have his choice of a home there. To-morrow, turn back into the desert by
+the way of the Red Sea."
+
+And God told Moses that for every day that the spies had spent in
+Canaan, looking at the land the people should spend a year in the
+wilderness; so that they should live in the desert forty years, instead
+of going at once into the promised land.
+
+When Moses told all God's words to the people they felt worse than
+before. They changed their minds as suddenly as they had made up their
+minds.
+
+"No," they all said, "we will not go back to the wilderness; we will go
+straight into the land, and see if we are able to take it, as Joshua and
+Caleb have said."
+
+"You must not go into the land," said Moses.
+
+But the people would not obey. They marched up the mountain and tried to
+march at once into the land. But they were without leaders and without
+order--a mob of men, untrained and in confusion. And the people in that
+part of the land, the Canaanites and the Amorites, came down upon them
+and killed many of them and drove them away. Then, discouraged and
+beaten, they obeyed the Lord and Moses, and went once more into the
+desert.
+
+And in the desert of Paran, on the south of the land of Canaan, the
+children of Israel stayed nearly forty years; and all because they would
+not trust in the Lord.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED SOLDIERS
+
+
+At last the people of Israel came into the promised land, but they did
+evil in the sight of the Lord in worshipping Baal; and the Lord left
+them to suffer for their sins. Once the Midianites, living near the
+desert on the east of Israel, came against the tribes. The two tribes
+that suffered the hardest fate were Ephraim, and the part of Manasseh on
+the west of Jordan. For seven years the Midianites swept over their land
+every year, just at the time of harvest, and carried away all the crops
+of grain, until the Israelites had no food for themselves, and none for
+their sheep and cattle. The Midianites brought also their own flocks and
+camels without number, which ate all the grass of the field.
+
+The people of Israel were driven away from their villages and their
+farms, and were compelled to hide in the caves of the mountains. And if
+any Israelite could raise any grain, he buried it in pits covered with
+earth, or in empty winepresses, where the Midianites could not find it.
+
+One day, a man named Gideon was threshing out wheat in a hidden place,
+when he saw an angel sitting-under an oak-tree. The angel said to him:
+"You are a brave man, Gideon, and the Lord is with you. Go out boldly,
+and save your people from the power of the Midianites." Gideon answered
+the angel:
+
+[Illustration: _The angel touched the offering with his staff_]
+
+"O, Lord, how can I save Israel? Mine is a poor family in Manasseh, and
+I am the least in my father's house."
+
+And the Lord said to him: "Surely I will be With you, and I will help
+you drive out the Midianites."
+
+Gideon felt that it was the Lord who was talking with him, in the form
+of an angel. He brought an offering, and laid it on a rock before the
+angel. Then the angel touched the offering with his staff. At once, a
+fire leaped up and burned the offering; and then the angel vanished from
+his sight. Gideon was afraid when he saw this; but the Lord said to him:
+"Peace be unto you, Gideon, do not fear, for I am with you."
+
+On the spot where the Lord appeared to Gideon, under an oak tree, near
+the village of Ophrah, in the tribe-land of Manasseh, Gideon built an
+altar and called it by a name which means: "The Lord is peace." This
+altar was standing long afterward in that place.
+
+Then the Lord told Gideon that before setting his people free from the
+Midianites, he must first set them free from the service of Baal and
+Asherah, the two idols most worshipped among them. Near the house of
+Gideon's own father stood an altar to Baal, and the image of Asherah.
+
+On that night, Gideon went out with ten men, and threw down the image of
+Baal, and cut in pieces the wooden image of Asherah, and destroyed the
+altar before these idols. And in its place he built an altar to the God
+of Israel; and on it laid the broken pieces of the idols for wood, and
+with them offered a young ox as a burnt-offering.
+
+On the next morning, when the people of the village went out to worship
+their idols, they found them cut in pieces, the altar taken away; in its
+place an altar of the Lord, and on it the pieces of the Asherah were
+burning as wood under a sacrifice to the Lord. The people looked at the
+broken and burning idols; and they said: "Who has done this?"
+
+Some one said: "Gideon, the son of Joash, did this last night."
+
+Then they came to Joash, Gideon's father, and said:
+
+"We are going to kill your son because he has destroyed the image of
+Baal, who is our god."
+
+And Joash, Gideon's father, said: "If Baal is a god, he can take care of
+himself, and punish the man who has destroyed his image. Why should you
+help Baal? Let Baal help himself."
+
+And when they saw that Baal could not harm the man who had broken down
+his altar and his image, the people turned from Baal, back to their own
+Lord God.
+
+Gideon sent messengers through all Manasseh on the west of Jordan, and
+the tribes near on the north; and the men of the tribes gathered around
+him, with a few swords and spears, but very few, for the Israelites were
+not ready for war. They met beside a great spring on Mount Gilboa,
+called "the fountain of Harod." Mount Gilboa is one of the three
+mountains on the east of the plain of Esdraelon, or the plain of
+Jezreel, where once there had been a great battle. On the plain,
+stretching up the side of another of these mountains, called "the Hill
+of Moreh," was the camp of a vast Midianite army. For as soon as the
+Midianites heard that Gideon had undertaken to set his people free, they
+came against him with a mighty host.
+
+Gideon was a man of faith. He wished to be sure that God was leading
+him, and he prayed to God and said:
+
+"O Lord God, give me some sign that thou wilt save Israel through me.
+Here is a fleece of wool on this threshing floor. If to-morrow morning
+the fleece is wet with dew, while the grass around it is dry, then I
+shall know that thou art with me; and that thou wilt give me victory
+over the Midianites."
+
+Very early the next morning, Gideon came to look at the fleece. He found
+it wringing wet with dew, while all around the grass was dry. But Gideon
+was not yet satisfied. He said to the Lord:
+
+"O Lord, be not angry with me; but give me just one more sign. To-morrow
+morning let the fleece be dry, and let the dew fall all around it, and
+then I will doubt no more."
+
+The next morning, Gideon found the grass, and the bushes wet with dew,
+while the fleece of wool was dry. And Gideon was now sure that God had
+called him, and that God would give him victory over the enemies of
+Israel.
+
+The Lord said to Gideon: "Your army is too large. If Israel should win
+the victory, they would say, 'we won it by our own might.' Send home all
+those who are afraid to fight."
+
+For many of the people were frightened, as they looked at the host of
+their enemies, and the Lord knew that these men would only hinder the
+rest in the battle. So Gideon sent word through the camp:
+
+"Whoever is afraid of the enemy may go home." And twenty-two thousand
+people went away, leaving only ten thousand in Gideon's army. But the
+army was stronger though it was smaller, for the cowards had gone, and
+only the brave men were left.
+
+But the Lord said to Gideon: "The people are yet too many. You need only
+a few of the bravest and best men to fight in this battle. Bring the men
+down the mountain, past the water, and I will show you there how to find
+the men whom you need."
+
+In the morning Gideon, by God's command called his ten thousand men out,
+and made them march down the hill, just as though they were going to
+attack the enemy. And as they were beside the water, he noticed how they
+drank, and set them apart in two companies, according to their way of
+drinking.
+
+When they came to the water, most of the men threw aside their shields
+and spears, and knelt down and scooped up a draft of the water with both
+hands together like a cup. These men Gideon commanded to stand in one
+company.
+
+There were a few men who did not stop to take a large draft of water.
+Holding spear and shield in the right hand, to be ready for the enemy if
+one should suddenly appear, they merely caught up a handful of the water
+in passing and marched on, lapping up the water from one hand. God said
+to Gideon:
+
+"Set by themselves these men who lapped up each a handful of water.
+These are the men whom I have chosen to set Israel free."
+
+Gideon counted these men, and found that there were only three hundred
+of them, while all the rest bowed down on their faces to drink. The
+difference between them was that the three hundred were earnest men, of
+one purpose; not turning aside from their aim even to drink, as the
+others did. Then, too, they were watchful men, always ready to meet
+their enemies.
+
+So Gideon, at God's command, sent back to the camp on Mount Gilboa all
+the rest of his army, nearly ten thousand men, keeping with himself only
+his little band of three hundred.
+
+Gideon's plan did not need a large army; but it needed a few careful,
+bold men, who should do exactly as their leader commanded them. He gave
+to each man a lamp, a pitcher, and a trumpet, and told the men just what
+was to be done with them. The lamp was lighted, but was placed inside
+the pitcher, so that it could not be seen. He divided his men into three
+companies, and very quietly led them down the mountain in the middle of
+the night, and arranged them all in order around the camp of the
+Midianites.
+
+[Illustration: _The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise_]
+
+Then at one moment a great shout rang out in the darkness, "The sword of
+the Lord and of Gideon," and after it came a crash of breaking pitchers,
+and then a flash of light in every direction. The three hundred men had
+given the shout, and broken their pitchers, so that on every side
+lights were shining. The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise;
+and the Midianites were roused from sleep, to see enemies all round
+them, lights beaming and swords flashing, while everywhere the sharp
+sound of the trumpets was heard.
+
+They were filled with sudden terror, and thought only of escape, not of
+fighting. But wherever they turned, their enemies seemed to be standing
+with swords drawn. They trampled each other down to death, flying from
+the Israelites. Their own land was in the east, across the river Jordan,
+and they fled in that direction, down one of the valleys between the
+mountains.
+
+Gideon had thought that the Midianites would turn toward their own land,
+if they should be beaten in the battle, and he had already planned to
+cut off their flight. The ten thousand men in the camp he had placed on
+the sides of the valley leading to the Jordan. There they slew very many
+of the Midianites as they fled down the steep pass toward the river. And
+Gideon had also sent to the men of the tribe of Ephraim, who had thus
+far taken no part in the war, to hold the only place at the river where
+men could wade through the water. Those of the Midianites who had
+escaped from Gideon's men on either side of the valley were now met by
+the Ephraimites at the river, and many more of them were slain. Among
+the slain were two of the princes of the Midianites, named Oreb and
+Zeeb.
+
+A part of the Midianite army was able to get across the river, and to
+continue its flight toward the desert; but Gideon and his brave three
+hundred men followed closely after them, fought another battle with
+them, destroyed them utterly, and took their two kings, Zebah and
+Zalmunna, whom he killed. After this great victory the Israelites were
+freed forever from the Midianites. They never again ventured to leave
+their home in the desert to make war on the tribes of Israel.
+
+After this, as long as Gideon lived, he ruled as Judge in Israel. The
+people wished him to make himself a king.
+
+"Rule over us as king," they said, "and let your son be king after you,
+and his son king after him."
+
+But Gideon said:
+
+"No, you have a king already; for the Lord God is the King of Israel. No
+one but God shall be king over these tribes."
+
+Of all the fifteen men who ruled as Judges of Israel, Gideon, the fifth
+Judge, was the greatest, in courage, in wisdom, and in faith in God.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN
+
+
+Now we are to learn of three judges who ruled Israel in turn. Their
+names were Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. None of these were men of war, and in
+their days the land was quiet.
+
+But the people of Israel again began to worship idols; and as a
+punishment God allowed them once more to pass under the power of their
+enemies. The seventh oppression, which now fell upon Israel, was by far
+the hardest, the longest and the most widely spread of any, for it was
+over all the tribes. It came from the Philistines, a strong and warlike
+people who lived on the west of Israel upon the plain beside the Great
+Sea. They worshipped an idol called Dagon, which was made in the form of
+a fish's head on a man's body.
+
+These people, the Philistines, sent their armies up from the plain
+beside the sea to the mountains of Israel and overran all the land. They
+took away from the Israelites all their swords and spears, so that they
+could not fight; and they robbed their land of all the crops, so that
+the people suffered for want of food. And as before, the Israelites in
+their trouble, cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard their prayer.
+
+In the tribe-land of Dan, which was next to the country of the
+Philistines, there was living a man named Manoah. One day an angel came
+to his wife and said:
+
+"You shall have a son, and when he grows up he will begin to save Israel
+from the hand of the Philistines. But your son must never drink any wine
+or strong drink as long as he lives. And his hair must be allowed to
+grow long and must never be cut, for he shall be a Nazarite under a vow
+to the Lord."
+
+When a child was given especially to God, or when a man gave himself to
+some work for God, he was forbidden to drink wine, and as a sign, his
+hair was left to grow long while the vow or promise to God was upon him.
+Such a person as this was called a Nazarite, a word which means "one who
+has a vow"; and Manoah's child was to be a Nazarite, and under a vow, as
+long as he lived.
+
+The child was born and was named Samson. He grew up to become the
+strongest man of whom the Bible tells. Samson was no general, like
+Gideon or Jephthah, to call out his people and lead them in war. He did
+much to set his people free; but all that he did was by his own
+strength.
+
+When Samson became a young man he went down to Timnath, in the land of
+the Philistines. There he saw a young Philistine woman whom he loved,
+and wished to have as his wife. His father and mother were not pleased
+that he should marry among the enemies of his own people. They did not
+know that God would make this marriage the means of bringing harm upon
+the Philistines and of helping the Israelites.
+
+As Samson was going down to Timnath to see this young woman, a hungry
+lion came out of the mountain, roaring against him. Samson seized the
+lion, and tore him in pieces as easily as another man would have killed
+a little kid of the goats, and then went on his way. He made his visit
+and came home, but said nothing to any one about the lion.
+
+After a time Samson went again to Timnath for his marriage with the
+Philistine woman. On his way he stopped to look at the dead lion; and in
+its body he found a swarm of bees, and honey which they had made. He
+took some of the honey and ate it as he walked, but told no one of it.
+
+At the wedding-feast, which lasted a whole week, there were many
+Philistine young men, and they amused each other with questions and
+riddles.
+
+"I will give you a riddle," said Samson. "If you answer it during the
+feast, I will give you thirty suits of clothing; and if you cannot
+answer it then you must give me the thirty suits of clothing." "Let us
+hear your riddle," they said. And this was Samson's riddle:
+
+"Out of the eater came forth meat,
+And out of the strong came forth sweetness."
+
+They could not find the answer, though they tried to find it all that
+day and the two days that followed. And at last they came to Samson's
+wife and said to her:
+
+"Coax your husband to tell you the answer. If you do not find it out, we
+will set your house on fire, and burn you and all your people."
+
+And Samson's wife urged him to tell her the answer. She cried and
+pleaded with him and said:
+
+"If you really loved me, you would not keep this a secret from me."
+
+At last Samson yielded, and told his wife how he had killed the lion and
+afterward found the honey in its body. She told her people, and just
+before the end of the feast they came to Samson with the answer. They
+said:
+
+"What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" And
+Samson said to them:
+
+    "If you had not plowed with my heifer,
+    You had not found out my riddle."
+
+By his "heifer,"--which is a young cow,--of course Samson meant his
+wife. Then Samson was required to give them thirty suits of clothing. He
+went out among the Philistines, killed the first thirty men whom he
+found, took off their clothes, and gave them to the guests at the feast.
+But all this made Samson very angry. He left his wife and went home to
+his father's house. Then the parents of his wife gave her to another
+man.
+
+But after a time Samson's anger passed away, and he went again to
+Timnath to see his wife. But her father said to him:
+
+"You went away angry, and I supposed that you cared nothing for her. I
+gave her to another man, and now she is his wife. But here is her
+younger sister; you can have her for your wife, instead."
+
+But Samson would not take his wife's sister. He went out very angry;
+determined to do harm to the Philistines, because they had cheated him.
+He caught all the wild foxes that he could find, until he had three
+hundred of them. Then he tied them together in pairs, by their tails;
+and between each pair of foxes he tied to their tails a piece of dry
+wood which he set on fire. These foxes with firebrands on their tails he
+turned loose among the fields of the Philistines when the grain was
+ripe. They ran wildly over the fields, set the grain on fire, and
+burned it; and with the grain the olive trees in the fields.
+
+When the Philistines saw their harvests destroyed, they said, "Who has
+done this?"
+
+And the people said, "Samson did this, because his wife was given by her
+father to another man."
+
+The Philistines looked on Samson's father-in-law as the cause of their
+loss; and they came and set his home on fire, and burned the man and his
+daughter whom Samson had married. Then Samson came down again, and alone
+fought a company of Philistines, and killed them all, as a punishment
+for burning his wife.
+
+After this Samson went to live in a hollow place in a split rock, called
+the rock of Etam. The Philistines came up in a great army, and overran
+the fields in the tribe-land of Judah.
+
+"Why do you come against us?" asked the men of Judah, "what do you want
+from us?"
+
+"We have come," they said, "to bind Samson, and to deal with him as he
+has dealt with us."
+
+The men of Judah said to Samson:
+
+"Do you not know that the Philistines are ruling over us? Why do you
+make them angry by killing their people? You see that we suffer through
+your pranks. Now we must bind you and give you to the Philistines, or
+they will ruin us all."
+
+And Samson said, "I will let you bind me, if you will promise not to
+kill me yourselves; but only to give me safely into the hands of the
+Philistines."
+
+They made the promise; and Samson gave himself up to them, and allowed
+them to tie him up fast with new ropes. The Philistines shouted for joy
+as they saw their enemy brought to them, led in bonds by his own people.
+But as soon as Samson came among them, he burst the bonds as though they
+had been light strings; and picked up from the ground the jawbone of an
+ass, and struck right and left with it as with a sword. He killed almost
+a thousand of the Philistines with this strange weapon. Afterward he
+sang a song about it, thus:
+
+    "With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,
+    With the jawbone of an ass, have I slain a thousand men."
+
+After this Samson went down to the chief city of the Philistines, which
+was named Gaza. It was a large city; and like all large cities, was
+surrounded with a high wall. When the men of Gaza found Samson in their
+city, they shut the gates, thinking that they could now hold him as a
+prisoner. But in the night Samson rose up, went to the gates, pulled
+their posts out of the ground, and put the gates with their posts upon
+his shoulder. He carried off the gates of the city and left them on the
+top of a hill not far from the city of Hebron.
+
+After this Samson saw another woman among the Philistines, and he loved
+her. The name of this woman was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines
+came to Delilah and said to her:
+
+"Find out, if you can, what it is that makes Samson so strong, and tell
+us. If you help us to get control of him, so that we can have him in our
+power, we will give you a great sum of money."
+
+[Illustration: _He carried off the gates of the city_]
+
+And Delilah coaxed and pleaded with Samson to tell her what it was that
+made him so strong. Samson said to her:
+
+"If they will tie me with seven green twigs from a tree, then I shall
+not be strong any more."
+
+They brought her seven green twigs, like those of a willow tree; and she
+bound Samson with them while he was asleep. Then she called out to him:
+
+"Wake up, Samson, the Philistines are coming against you!"
+
+And Samson rose up and broke the twigs as easily as if they had been
+charred in the fire, and went away with ease.
+
+And Delilah tried again to find his secret. She said:
+
+"You are only making fun of me. Now tell me truly how you can be bound."
+And Samson said:
+
+"Let them bind me with new ropes that have never been used before; and
+then I cannot get away."
+
+While Samson was asleep again, Delilah bound him with new ropes. Then
+she called out as before:
+
+"Get up, Samson, for the Philistines are coming!" And when Samson rose
+up, the ropes broke as if they were thread. And Delilah again urged him
+to tell her; and he said:
+
+"You notice that my long hair is in seven locks. Weave it together in
+the loom, just as if it were the threads in a piece of cloth."
+
+Then, while he was asleep, she wove his hair in the loom, and fastened
+it with a large pin to the weaving-frame. But when he awoke, he rose up,
+and carried away the pin and the beam of the weaving-frame; for he was
+as strong as before.
+
+And Delilah, who was anxious to serve her people, said:
+
+"Why do you tell me that you love me, as long as you deceive me and keep
+from me your secret?" And she pleaded with him day after day, until at
+last he yielded to her and told her the real secret of his strength. He
+said:
+
+"I am a Nazarite, under a vow to the Lord, not to drink wine, and not to
+allow my hair to be cut. If I should let my hair be cut short, then the
+Lord would forsake me, and my strength would go from me, and I would be
+like other men."
+
+Then Delilah knew that she had found the truth at last. She sent for the
+rulers of the Philistines, saying:
+
+"Come up this once, and you shall have your enemy; for he has told me
+all that is in his heart."
+
+Then while the Philistines were watching outside, Delilah let Samson go
+to sleep, with his head upon her knees. While he was sound asleep, they
+took a razor and shaved off all his hair. Then she called out as at
+other times.
+
+"Rise up, Samson, the Philistines are upon you."
+
+He awoke, and rose up, expecting to find himself strong as before; for
+he did not at first know that his long hair had been cut off. But the
+vow to the Lord was broken, and the Lord had left him. He was now as
+weak as other men, and helpless in the hands of his enemies. The
+Philistines easily made him their prisoner; and that he might never do
+them more harm, they put out his eyes. Then they chained him with
+fetters, and sent him to prison at Gaza. And in the prison they made
+Samson turn a heavy millstone to grind grain, just as though he were a
+beast of burden.
+
+But while Samson was in prison, his hair grew long again; and with his
+hair his strength came back to him; for Samson renewed his vow to the
+Lord.
+
+One day, a great feast was held by the Philistines in the temple of
+their fish-god, Dagon. For they said:
+
+"Our god has given Samson, our enemy, into our hand. Let us be glad
+together and praise Dagon."
+
+And the temple was thronged with people, and the roof over it was also
+crowded with more than three thousand men and women. They sent for
+Samson, to rejoice over him; and Samson was led into the court of the
+temple, before all the people, to amuse them. After a time, Samson said
+to the boy who was leading him:
+
+[Illustration: _He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the
+pillars with him_]
+
+"Take me up to the front of the temple, so that I may stand by one of
+the pillars, and lean against it."
+
+And while Samson stood between the two pillars, he prayed:
+
+"O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and give me strength, only this
+once, O God: and help me, that I may obtain vengeance upon the
+Philistines for my two eyes!"
+
+Then he placed one arm around the pillar on one side, and the other arm
+around the pillar on the other side; and he said: "Let me die with the
+Philistines."
+
+And he bowed forward with all his might, and pulled the pillars over
+with him, bringing down the roof and all upon it upon those that were
+under it. Samson himself was among the dead; but in his death he killed
+more of the Philistines than he had killed during his life.
+
+Then in the terror which came upon the Philistines the men of Samson's
+tribe came down and found his dead body, and buried it in their own
+land. After that it was years before the Philistines tried again to rule
+over the Israelites.
+
+Samson did much to set his people free; but he might have done much
+more, if he had led his people, instead of trusting alone to his own
+strength; and if he had lived more earnestly, and not done his deeds as
+though he was playing pranks. There were deep faults in Samson, but at
+the end he sought God's help, and found it, and God used Samson to set
+his people free.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF RUTH, THE GLEANER
+
+
+In the time of the Judges in Israel, a man named Elimelech was living in
+the town of Bethlehem, in the tribe of Judah, about six miles south of
+Jerusalem. His wife's name was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and
+Chilion. For some years the crops were poor, and food was scarce in
+Judah; and Elimelech with his family went to live in the land of Moab,
+which was on the east of the Dead Sea, as Judah was on the west.
+
+There they stayed ten years, and in that time Elimelech died. His two
+sons married women of the country of Moab, one named Orpah, the other
+named Ruth. But the two young men also died in the land of Moab; so that
+Naomi and her two daughters-in-law were all left widows.
+
+Naomi heard that God had again given good harvests and bread to the land
+of Judah, and she rose up to go from Moab back to her own land and her
+own town of Bethlehem. The two daughters-in-law loved her, and both
+would have gone with her, though the land of Judah was a strange land to
+them, for they were of the Moabite people.
+
+Naomi said to them: "Go back, my daughters, to your own mothers' homes.
+May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have been kind to your
+husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you may yet find
+another husband and a happy home."
+
+Then Naomi kissed them in farewell, and the three women all wept
+together. The two young widows said to her:
+
+"You have been a good mother to us, and we will go with you, and live
+among your people."
+
+"No, no," said Naomi. "You are young, and I am old. Go back and be happy
+among your own people."
+
+Then Orpah kissed Naomi, and went back to her people; but Ruth would not
+leave her. She said:
+
+"Do not ask me to leave you, for I never will. Where you go, I will go;
+where you live, I will live; your people shall be my people; and your
+God shall be my God. Where you die, I will die, and be buried. Nothing
+but death itself shall part you and me."
+
+When Naomi saw that Ruth was firm in her purpose, she ceased trying to
+persuade her; so the two women went on together. They walked around the
+Dead Sea, and crossed the river Jordan, and climbed the mountains of
+Judah, and came to Bethlehem.
+
+Naomi had been absent from Bethlehem for ten years, but her friends
+were all glad to see her again. They said:
+
+"Is this Naomi, whom we knew years ago?"
+
+Now the name Naomi means "pleasant." And Naomi said:
+
+"Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Lord has made my life bitter.
+I went out full, with my husband and two sons; now I come home empty,
+without them. Do not call me 'Pleasant,' call me 'Bitter.'"
+
+The name "Mara," by which Naomi wished to be called means "bitter." But
+Naomi learned later that "Pleasant" was the right name after all.
+
+There was living in Bethlehem at that time a very rich man named Boaz.
+He owned large fields that were abundant in their harvests; and he was
+related to the family of Elimelech, Naomi's husband, who had died.
+
+It was the custom in Israel when they reaped the grain not to gather all
+the stalks, but to leave some for the poor people, who followed after
+the reapers with their sickles, and gathered what was left. When Naomi
+and Ruth came to Bethlehem, it was the time of the barley harvest; and
+Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain which the reapers had
+left. It so happened that she was gleaning in the field that belonged to
+Boaz, this rich man.
+
+Boaz came out from the town to see his men reaping, and he said to
+them, "The Lord be with you"; and they answered him, "The Lord bless
+you."
+
+And Boaz said to his master of the reapers: "Who is this young woman
+that I see gleaning in the field?"
+
+The man answered: "It is the young woman from the land of Moab, who came
+with Naomi. She asked leave to glean after the reapers, and has been
+here gathering grain since yesterday."
+
+Then Boaz said to Ruth: "Listen to me, my daughter. Do not go to any
+other field, but stay here with my young women. No one shall harm you;
+and when you are thirsty, go and drink at our vessels of water."
+
+[Illustration: _Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain_]
+
+Then Ruth bowed to Boaz, and thanked him for his kindness, all the more
+kind because she was a stranger in Israel. Boaz said: "I have heard how
+true you have been to your mother-in-law Naomi, in leaving your own
+land and coming with her to this land. May the Lord, under whose wings
+you have come, give you a reward!"
+
+And at noon, when they sat down to rest and to eat, Boaz gave her some
+of the food. And he said to the reapers:
+
+"When you are reaping, leave some of the sheaves for her; and drop out
+some sheaves from the bundles, where she may gather them."
+
+That evening, Ruth showed Naomi how much she had gleaned, and told her
+of the rich man Boaz, who had been so kind to her. And Naomi said:
+
+"This man is a near relation of ours. Stay in his fields, as long as the
+harvest lasts." And so Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz until the
+harvest had been gathered.
+
+At the end of the harvest, Boaz held a feast on the threshing-floor. And
+after the feast, by the advice of Naomi, Ruth went to him, and said to
+him:
+
+"You are a near relation of my husband and of his father, Elimelech. Now
+will you not do good to us for his sake?"
+
+And when Boaz saw Ruth, he loved her; and soon after this he took her as
+his wife. And Naomi and Ruth went to live in his home; so that Naomi's
+life was no more bitter, but pleasant. And Boaz and Ruth had a son,
+whom they named Obed; and later Obed had a son named Jesse; and Jesse
+was the father of David, the shepherd boy who became king. So Ruth, the
+young woman of Moab, who chose the people and the God of Israel, became
+the mother of kings.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY
+
+
+Living at Ramah, in the mountains of Ephraim, there was a man whose name
+was Elkanah. He had two wives, as did many men in that time. One of
+these wives had children, but the other wife, whose name was Hannah, had
+no child.
+
+Every year Elkanah and his family went up to worship at the house of the
+Lord in Shiloh, which was about fifteen miles from his home. And at one
+of these visits Hannah prayed to the Lord, saying:
+
+"O Lord, if thou wilt look upon me, and give me a son, he shall be given
+to the Lord as long as he lives."
+
+The Lord heard Hannah's prayer, and gave her a little boy, and she
+called his name Samuel, which means "Asked of God"; because he had been
+given in answer to her prayer.
+
+Samuel grew up to be a good man and a wise Judge, and he made his sons
+Judges in Israel, to help him in the care of the people. But Samuel's
+sons did not walk in his ways. They did not try always to do justly.
+
+The elders of all the tribes of Israel came to Samuel at his home in
+Ramah; and they said to him: "You are growing old, and your sons do not
+rule as well as you ruled. All the lands around us have kings. Let us
+have a king also; and do you choose the king for us."
+
+This was not pleasing to Samuel. He tried to make the people change
+their minds, and showed them what trouble a king would bring them.
+
+But they would not follow his advice. They said: "No; we will have a
+king to reign over us."
+
+So Samuel chose as their king a tall young man named Saul, who was a
+farmer's son of the tribe of Benjamin. When Saul was brought before the
+people he stood head and shoulders above them all. And Samuel said:
+
+"Look at the man whom the Lord has chosen! There is not another like him
+among all the people!"
+
+And all the people shouted, "God save the king! Long live the king!"
+
+Then Samuel told the people what should be the laws for the king and for
+the people to obey. He wrote them down in a book, and placed the book
+before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home; and Saul went back to
+his own house at a place called Gibeah; and with Saul went a company of
+men to whose hearts God had given a love for the king.
+
+So after three hundred years under the fifteen Judges, Israel now had a
+king. But among the people there were some who were not pleased with the
+new king, because he was an unknown man from the farm. They said:
+
+"Can such a man as this save us?"
+
+They showed no respect to the king, and in their hearts looked down upon
+him. But Saul said nothing, and showed his wisdom by appearing not to
+notice them. But in another thing he was not so wise. He forgot to heed
+the old prophet's advice and instructions about ruling wisely and doing
+as the Lord said. It was not long before Samuel told him that he had
+disobeyed God and would lose his kingdom.
+
+When Samuel told Saul that the Lord would take away the kingdom from
+him, he did not mean that Saul should lose the kingdom at once. He was
+no longer God's king; and as soon as the right man in God's sight should
+be found, and should be trained for his duty as king, then God would
+take away Saul's power, and would give it to the man whom God had
+chosen. But it was years before this came to pass.
+
+The Lord said to Samuel: "Do not weep and mourn any longer over Saul,
+for I have refused him as king. Fill the horn with oil, and go to
+Bethlehem in Judah. There find a man named Jesse, for I have chosen a
+king among his sons."
+
+But Samuel knew that Saul would be very angry, if he should learn that
+Samuel had named any other man as king. He said to the Lord:
+
+"How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me."
+
+The Lord said to Samuel: "Take a young cow with you; and tell the people
+that you have come to make an offering to the Lord. And call Jesse and
+his sons to the sacrifice. I will tell you what to do, and you shall
+anoint the one whom I name to you."
+
+Samuel went over the mountains southward from Ramah to Bethlehem, about
+ten miles, leading a cow. The rulers of the town were alarmed at his
+coming, for they feared that he had come to judge the people for some
+evil-doing. But Samuel said:
+
+"I have come in peace to make an offering and to hold a feast to the
+Lord. Prepare yourselves and come to the sacrifice."
+
+And he invited Jesse and his sons to the service. When they came, he
+looked at the sons of Jesse very closely. The oldest was named Eliab,
+and he was so tall and noble-looking that Samuel thought:
+
+"Surely this young man must be the one whom God has chosen."
+
+But the Lord said to Samuel:
+
+"Do not look on his face, nor on the height of his body, for I have not
+chosen him. Man judges by the outward looks, but God looks at the
+heart."
+
+Then Jesse's second son, named Abinadab, passed by. And the Lord said:
+"I have not chosen this one." Seven young men came and Samuel said:
+
+"None of these is the man whom God has chosen. Are these all your
+children?"
+
+"There is one more," said Jesse. "The youngest of all. He is a boy, in
+the field caring for the sheep."
+
+And Samuel said:
+
+"Send for him; for we will not sit down until he comes." So after a time
+the youngest son was brought in. His name was David, a word that means
+"darling," and he was a beautiful boy, perhaps fifteen years old, with
+fresh cheeks and bright eyes.
+
+As soon as the young David came, the Lord said to Samuel:
+
+"Arise, anoint him, for this is the one whom I have chosen."
+
+Then Samuel poured oil on David's head, in the presence of all his
+brothers. But no one knew at that time the anointing to mean that David
+was to be the king. Perhaps they thought that David was chosen to be a
+prophet like Samuel.
+
+From that time the Spirit of God came upon David, and he began to show
+signs of coming greatness. He went back to his sheep on the hillsides
+around Bethlehem, but God was with him.
+
+David grew up strong and brave, not afraid of the wild beasts which
+prowled around and tried to carry away his sheep. More than once he
+fought with lions, and bears, and killed them, when they seized the
+lambs of his flock. And David, alone all day, practiced throwing stones
+in a sling, until he could strike exactly the place for which he aimed.
+When he swung his sling, he knew that the stone would go to the very
+spot at which he was throwing it.
+
+[Illustration: _Then Samuel poured oil on David's head_]
+
+And young as he was, David thought of God, and talked with God, and God
+talked with David, and showed to David His will.
+
+After Saul had disobeyed the voice of the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord
+left Saul, and no longer spoke to him. And Saul became very sad of
+heart. At times a madness would come upon him, and at all times he was
+very unhappy. The servants of Saul noticed that when some one played on
+the harp and sang, Saul's spirit was made more cheerful; and the sadness
+of soul left him. At one time Saul said: "Find some one who can play
+well, and bring him to me. Let me listen to music; for it drives away my
+sadness."
+
+One of the young men said: "I have seen a young man, a son of Jesse in
+Bethlehem, who can play well. He is handsome in his looks, and agreeable
+in talking. I have also heard that he is a brave young man, who can
+fight as well as he can play, and the Lord is with him."
+
+Then Saul sent a message to Jesse, David's father. He said: "Send me
+your son David, who is with the sheep. Let him come and play before me."
+
+Then David came to Saul, bringing with him a present for the king from
+Jesse. When Saul saw him, he loved him, as did everybody who saw the
+young David. And David played on the harp, and sang before Saul. And
+David's music cheered Saul's heart, and drove away his sad feelings.
+
+Saul liked David so well that he made him his armorbearer; and David
+carried the shield and spear, and sword for Saul, when the king was
+before his army. But Saul did not know that David had been anointed by
+Samuel.
+
+After a time, Saul seemed well; and David returned to Bethlehem and was
+once more among his sheep in the field. Perhaps it was at this time that
+David sang his shepherd song, or it may have been long afterward, when
+David looked back in thought to those days when he was leading his
+sheep. This is the song, which you have heard often:
+
+"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
+He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
+He leadeth me beside the still waters,
+He restoreth my soul;
+He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
+Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
+I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;
+Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
+Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
+Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
+Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
+And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT
+
+All through the reign of Saul, there was constant war with the
+Philistines, who lived upon the lowlands west of Israel. At one time,
+when David was still with his sheep, a few years after he had been
+anointed by Samuel, the camps of the Philistines and the Israelites were
+set against each other on opposite sides of the valley of Elah. In the
+army of Israel were the three oldest brothers of David.
+
+Every day a giant came out of the camp of the Philistines, and dared
+some one to come from the Israelites' camp and fight with him. The
+giant's name was Goliath. He was nine feet high; and he wore armor from
+head to foot, and carried a spear twice as long and as heavy as any
+other man could hold; and his shield bearer walked before him. He came
+every day and called out across the little valley:
+
+"I am a Philistine, and you are servants of Saul. Now choose one of your
+men, and let him come out and fight with me. If I kill him; then you
+shall submit to us; and if he kills me, then we will give up to you.
+Come, now, send out your man!"
+
+But no man in the army, not even King Saul, dared to go out and fight
+with the giant. Forty days the camps stood against each other, and the
+Philistine giant continued his call.
+
+One day, old Jesse, the father of David, sent David from Bethlehem to
+visit his three brothers in the army. David came, and spoke to his
+brothers; and while he was talking with them, Goliath the giant came out
+as before in front of the camp calling for some one to fight with him.
+
+They said one to another:
+
+"If any man will go out and kill this Philistine, the king will give him
+a great reward and a high rank; and the king's daughter shall be his
+wife."
+
+And David said:
+
+"Who is this man that speaks in this proud manner against the armies of
+the living God? Why does not some one go out and kill him?"
+
+David's brother Eliab said to him:
+
+"What are you doing here, leaving your sheep in the field? I know that
+you have come down just to see the battle."
+
+But David did not care for his brother's words. He thought he saw a way
+to kill this boasting giant; and he said:
+
+"If no one else will go, I will go out and fight with this enemy of the
+Lord's people."
+
+They brought David before King Saul. Some years had passed since Saul
+had met David, and he had grown from a boy to a man, so that Saul did
+not know him as the shepherd who had played on the harp before him in
+other days.
+
+Saul said to David:
+
+"You cannot fight with this great giant. You are very young; and he is a
+man of war, trained from his youth."
+
+And David answered King Saul:
+
+"I am only a shepherd, but I have fought with lions and bears, when they
+have tried to steal my sheep. And I am not afraid to fight with this
+Philistine."
+
+Then Saul put his own armor on David--a helmet on his head, and a coat
+of mail on his body, and a sword at his waist. But Saul was almost a
+giant, and his armor was far too large for David. David said:
+
+"I am not used to fighting with such weapons as these. Let me fight in
+my own way."
+
+So David took off Saul's armor. While everybody in the army had been
+looking on the giant with fear, David had been thinking out the best way
+for fighting him; and God had given to David a plan. It was to throw the
+giant off his guard, by appearing weak and helpless; and while so far
+away that the giant could not reach him with sword or spear, to strike
+him down with a weapon which the giant would not expect and would not
+be prepared for.
+
+David took his shepherd's staff in his hand, as though that were to be
+his weapon. But out of sight, in a bag under his mantle, he had five
+smooth stones carefully chosen, and a sling,--the weapon that he knew
+how to use. Then he came out to meet the Philistine.
+
+The giant looked down on the youth and despised him, and laughed.
+
+[Illustration: _The giant looked down on the youth and despised
+him_]
+
+"Am I a dog?" he said, "that this boy comes to me with a staff? I will
+give his body to the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field."
+
+And the Philistine cursed David by the gods of his people. And David
+answered him:
+
+"You come against me with a sword, and a spear, and a dart; but I come
+to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
+Israel. This day will the Lord give you into my hand. I will strike you
+down, and take off your head, and the host of the Philistines shall be
+dead bodies, to be eaten by the birds and the beasts; so that all may
+know that there is a God in Israel, and that He can save in other ways
+besides with sword and spear."
+
+[Illustration: _David drew out the giant's own sword_]
+
+And David ran toward the Philistine, as if to fight him with his
+shepherd's staff. But when he was just near enough for a good aim, he
+took out his sling, and hurled a stone aimed at the giant's forehead.
+David's aim was good; the stone struck the Philistine in his forehead.
+It stunned him, and he fell to the ground.
+
+While the two armies stood wondering, and scarcely knowing what had
+caused the giant to fall so suddenly, David ran forward, drew out the
+giant's own sword, and cut off his head. Then the Philistines knew that
+their great warrior in whom they trusted was dead. They turned to flee
+to their own land; and the Israelites followed after them, and killed
+them by the hundred and the thousand, even to the gates of their own
+city of Gath.
+
+So in that day David won a great victory and stood before all the land
+as the one who had saved his people from their enemies.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE CAVE OF ADULLAM
+
+
+Now Saul had a son, Jonathan, near David's own age. He and David became
+fast friends and loved one another as brothers. Saul the king became
+very jealous of David because the people praised him after his fight
+with Goliath. He even threatened to take David's life. He tried to catch
+him in his own house, but David's wife let him down from a window by a
+rope and he escaped. He met his friend Jonathan, who told him that he
+should flee. They renewed their promises of friendship, which they kept
+ever afterward.
+
+From his meeting with Jonathan, David went forth to be a wanderer,
+having no home as long as Saul lived. He found a great cave, called the
+cave of Adullam, and hid in it. Soon people heard where he was, and from
+all parts of the land, especially from his own tribe of Judah, men who
+were not satisfied with the rule of King Saul gathered around David.
+
+Saul soon heard that David, with a band of men, was hiding among the
+mountains of Judah, and that among those who aided him were certain
+priests.
+
+This enraged King Saul, and he ordered his guards to kill all the
+priests. The guards would not obey him, for they felt that it was a
+wicked thing to lay hands upon the priests of the Lord.
+
+But he found one man whose name was Doeg, an Edomite, who was willing to
+obey the king. And Doeg, the Edomite, killed eighty-five men who wore
+the priestly garments.
+
+All through the land went the news of Saul's dreadful deed, and
+everywhere the people began to turn from Saul, and to look toward David
+as the only hope of the nation.
+
+When Saul died he was followed by David, the shepherd boy, now grown to
+manhood and greatly loved by the people. He had many battles to fight
+with the Philistines and was nearly always victorious. He was a warrior
+king; but he was more than a warrior. He played on his harp and composed
+many beautiful hymns and songs, which are collected in the book of
+Psalms. He was a good king and tried to obey God's command. He had a
+long reign and his people were happy and prosperous. He had many sons
+and daughters and beautiful palaces for them to live in.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE
+
+
+During the later years of David's reign, he laid up great treasure of
+gold and silver, and brass, and iron, for the building of a house to the
+Lord on Mount Moriah. This house was to be called "The Temple"; and it
+was to be made very beautiful, the most beautiful building, and the
+richest in all the land. David had greatly desired to build this house
+while he was king of Israel, but God said to him:
+
+"You have been a man of war, and have fought many battles, and shed much
+blood. My house shall be built by a man of peace. When you die, your son
+Solomon shall reign, and he shall have peace, and shall build my house."
+
+So David made ready great store of precious things for the temple; also
+stone and cedar to be used in the building. And David said to Solomon,
+his son: "God has promised that there shall be rest and peace to the
+land while you are king; and the Lord will be with you, and you shall
+build a house, where God shall live among His people."
+
+But David had other sons who were older than Solomon; and one of these
+sons, whose name was Adonijah, formed a plan to make himself king.
+David was now very old; and he was no longer able to go out of his
+palace, and to be seen among the people.
+
+Adonijah gathered his friends; and among them were Joab, the general of
+the army, and Abiathar, one of the two high-priests. They met at a place
+outside the wall, and had a great feast, and were about to crown
+Adonijah as king, when word came to David in the palace. David, though
+old and feeble, was still wise. He said:
+
+"Let us make Solomon king at once, and thus put an end to the plans of
+these men."
+
+So at David's command they brought out the mule on which no one but the
+king was allowed to ride; and they placed Solomon upon it; and with the
+king's guards, and the nobles, and the great men, they brought the young
+Solomon down to the valley of Gihon, south of the city.
+
+And Zadok, the priest, took from the Tabernacle the horn filled with
+holy oil, that was used for anointing or pouring oil on the head of the
+priests when they were set apart for their work. He poured oil from this
+horn on the head of Solomon, and then the priests blew the trumpets, and
+all the people cried aloud, "God save King Solomon."
+
+All this time Adonijah and Joab, and their friends were not far away,
+almost in the same valley, feasting and making merry, intending to make
+Adonijah king. They heard the sound of the trumpets, and the shouting of
+the people. Joab said: "What is the cause of all this noise and uproar?"
+
+A moment later, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, came running in. Jonathan
+said to the men who were feasting:
+
+"Our lord King David has made Solomon king, and he has just been
+anointed in Gihon; and all the princes, and the heads of the army, are
+with him, and the people are shouting, 'God save King Solomon!' And
+David has sent from his bed a message to Solomon, saying, 'May the Lord
+make your name greater than mine has been! Blessed be the Lord, who has
+given me a son to sit this day on my throne!'"
+
+When Adonijah and his friends heard this they were filled with fear.
+Every man went at once to his house, except Adonijah. He hastened to the
+altar of the Lord, and knelt before it, and took hold of the horns that
+were on its corners in front. This was a holy place, and he hoped that
+there Solomon might have mercy on him. And Solomon said:
+
+"If Adonijah will do right, and be faithful to me as the king of Israel,
+no harm shall come to him; but if he does wrong, he shall die."
+
+Then Adonijah came and bowed down before King Solomon, and promised to
+obey him, and Solomon said, "Go to your own house."
+
+[Illustration: _Solomon on his throne_]
+
+Not long after this David sent for Solomon, and from his bed he gave his
+last advice to Solomon. And soon after that David died, an old man,
+having reigned in all forty years, seven years over the tribe of Judah,
+at Hebron, and thirty-three years over all Israel, in Jerusalem. He was
+buried in great honor on Mount Zion, and his tomb remained standing for
+many years.
+
+The great work of Solomon's reign was the building of the House of God.
+It was generally called the Temple. It was built on Mount Moriah, one of
+the hills of Jerusalem. King David had prepared for it by gathering
+great stores of silver, stone and cedar-wood. The walls were made of
+stone and the roof of cedar. Solomon had great ships which visited other
+lands and brought precious stones and fine woods for the building.
+Seven years were spent in building the Temple, and it was set apart to
+the worship of God with beautiful ceremonies in which Solomon, in his
+robes of state, took part.
+
+[Illustration: _Supposed form of Solomon's temple_]
+
+Solomon was indeed a great king, and it was said that he was also the
+wisest man in all the world. He wrote many of the wise sayings in the
+Book of Proverbs, and many more that have been lost.
+
+[Illustration: _Ship in Solomon's time_]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ELIJAH, THE PROPHET
+
+
+One of the greatest of all the kings of the Ten Tribes was Jeroboam the
+second. Under him the kingdom of Israel grew rich and strong. He
+conquered nearly all Syria, and made Samaria the greatest city of all
+those lands.
+
+But though Syria went down, another nation was now rising to
+power--Assyria, on the eastern side of the river Tigris. Its capital was
+Nineveh, a great city, so vast that it would take three days for a man
+to walk around its walls. The Assyrians were beginning to conquer all
+the lands near them, and Israel was in danger of falling under their
+power.
+
+One of the kings who ruled over Israel was named Ahab. He provoked the
+anger of the Lord. His wife, Jezebel, who was a worshiper of Baal,
+persuaded him to build an altar to the false god.
+
+Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, was sent to him and proposed a test. Two
+altars were built; one to Jehovah and one to Baal. The priests of Baal
+called upon their god to send down fire; but there was no answer. Then
+Elijah called upon the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and fire
+came down and burnt up the offering.
+
+The people turned upon the priests of Baal and killed them all. Later
+the wicked queen, Jezebel, coveted a vineyard for Ahab, and she caused
+Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, to be placed in front of the battle.
+When he was slain Ahab took the vineyard.
+
+[Illustration: _Denounced Ahab and Jezebel_]
+
+Once more Elijah came and denounced Ahab and Jezebel, telling them that
+they had done wickedly, and that the Lord would punish them.
+
+[Illustration: _Made king when he was only seven years old_]
+
+In a little while the prophet's words came true, for Ahab was slain in
+battle and Jezebel was put to death by order of King Jehu. Elijah was
+taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
+
+There was another prophet, a companion of Elijah, whose name was Elisha,
+a brave and courageous man who did not fail to deliver God's message.
+
+It happened that when Elisha was an old man there can to him King Joash,
+who had been made king when he was only seven years old. Joash was now a
+young man and was trying to do right in the sight of the Lord. But he
+felt the need of the prophet's aid, and he came to Elisha and said:
+
+"My father, my father, you are more to Israel than its chariots and
+horsemen."
+
+[Illustration: _"This is the arrow of victory"_]
+
+Elisha, though weak in body, was yet strong in soul. He told Joash to
+bring him a bow and arrows, and to open the window to the east, looking
+toward the land of Syria. Then Elisha caused the king to draw the bow;
+and he placed his hands on the king's hands. And as the king shot an
+arrow, Elisha said:
+
+"This is the arrow of victory; of victory over Syria; for you shall
+smite the Syrians in Aphek and shall destroy them."
+
+It happened as Elisha had foretold and the Syrians were defeated and
+their cities taken.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE
+
+
+At this time another prophet, named Jonah, was giving the word of the
+Lord to the Israelites. To Jonah the Lord spoke, saying:
+
+"Go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it; for its wickedness
+rises up before me."
+
+But Jonah did not wish to preach to the people of Nineveh; for they were
+the enemies of his land, the land of Israel. He wished Nineveh to die in
+its sins, and not to turn to God and live. So Jonah tried to go away
+from the city where God had sent him. He went down to Joppa and took a
+ship for Tarshish.
+
+But the Lord saw Jonah on the ship; and the Lord sent a great storm upon
+the sea, so that the ship seemed as though it would go to pieces. The
+sailors threw overboard everything on the ship; and when they could do
+no more, every man prayed to his god to save the ship and themselves.
+Jonah was now lying fast asleep, and the ship's captain came to him, and
+said:
+
+"What do you mean by sleeping in such a time as this? Awake, rise up,
+and call upon your God. Perhaps He will hear you and save our lives."
+
+But the storm continued to rage around the ship; and they said:
+
+"There is some man on this ship who has brought upon us this trouble.
+Let us cast lots and find who it is."
+
+Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. They said to him, all at
+once:
+
+"Tell us, who are you? From what country do you come? What is your
+business? To what people do you belong? Why have you brought all this
+trouble upon us?"
+
+Then Jonah told them the whole story, how he came from the land of
+Israel, and that he had fled away from the presence of the Lord. And
+they said to him:
+
+"What shall we do to you, that the storm may cease?"
+
+Then said Jonah:
+
+"Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the storm will cease and the
+waters will be calm; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is
+upon you."
+
+But the men were not willing to throw Jonah into the sea. They rowed
+hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not. Then they cried
+unto the Lord, and said:
+
+"We pray thee, O Lord, we pray thee, let us not die for this man's life;
+for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee."
+
+At last, when they could do nothing else to save themselves, they threw
+Jonah into the sea.
+
+At once the storm ceased, and the waves became still. Then the men on
+the ship feared the Lord greatly. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord,
+and made promises to serve him.
+
+And the Lord caused a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was
+alive within the fish for three days and three nights. In the fish Jonah
+cried to the Lord; and the Lord caused the great fish to throw up Jonah
+upon the dry land.
+
+Notice all through this story that, although Jonah was God's servant, he
+was always thinking about himself. God protected Jonah and saved him,
+not because he was such a good man, but because he wanted to teach him a
+great lesson.
+
+By this time Jonah had learned that some men who worshipped idols were
+kind in their hearts, and were dear to the Lord. This was the lesson
+that God meant Jonah to learn; and now the call of the Lord came to
+Jonah a second time:
+
+"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it what I command
+you." So Jonah went to the city of Nineveh; and as he entered into it,
+he called out to the people:
+
+"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."
+
+And he walked through the city all day crying out only this:
+
+"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."
+
+And the people of Nineveh believed the word of the Lord as spoken by
+Jonah. They turned away from their sins and fasted and sought the Lord,
+from the greatest of them even to the least. The king of Nineveh arose
+from his throne, and laid aside his royal robes, and covered himself
+with sack-cloth and sat in ashes, as a sign of his sorrow. And the king
+sent out a command to his people that they should fast, and seek the
+Lord, and turn from sin.
+
+[Illustration: _To shade Jonah from the sun_]
+
+And God saw that the people of Nineveh were sorry for their wickedness,
+and he forgave them, and did not destroy their city. But this made Jonah
+very angry. He did not wish to have Nineveh spared, because it was the
+enemy of his own land; and also he feared that men would call him a
+false prophet when his word did not come to pass. And Jonah said to the
+Lord:
+
+"O Lord, I was sure that it would be thus, that thou wouldest spare the
+city; and for that reason I tried to flee away; for I know that thou
+wast a gracious God, full of pity, slow to anger, and rich in mercy.
+Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to
+live."
+
+And Jonah went out of the city, and built a little hut on the east side
+of it, and sat under its roof, to see whether God would keep the word
+that he had spoken. Then the Lord caused a plant with thick leaves to
+grow up, and to shade Jonah from the sun; and Jonah was glad, and sat
+under its shadow. But a worm destroyed the plant; and the next day a hot
+wind blew, and Jonah suffered from the heat; and again Jonah wished that
+he might die. And the Lord said to Jonah:
+
+"You were sorry to see the plant die, though you did not make it grow,
+and though it came up in a night and died in a night. And should not I
+have pity on Nineveh, that great city, where are more than a hundred
+thousand little children, and also many cattle,--all helpless and
+knowing nothing?"
+
+And Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children, are all
+precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they know not God.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE
+
+
+There was in the land of Judah a wicked king-named Jehoiakim, son of the
+good Josiah. While Jehoiakim was ruling over the land of Judah,
+Nebuchadnezzar, a great conqueror of the nations, came from Babylon with
+his army of Chaldean soldiers. He took the city of Jerusalem, and made
+Jehoiakim promise to submit to him as his master. And when he went back
+to his own land he took with him all the gold and silver that he could
+find in the Temple; and he carried away as captives very many of the
+princes and nobles, the best people in the land of Judah.
+
+When these Jews were brought to the land of Chaldea or Babylon, King
+Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the prince, who had charge of his palace,
+to choose among these Jewish captives some young men who were of noble
+rank, and beautiful in their looks, and also quick and bright in their
+minds; young men who would be able to learn readily. These young men
+were to be placed under the care of wise men, who should teach them all
+that they knew, and fit them to stand before the king of Babylon, so
+that they might be his helpers to carry out his orders; and the king
+wished them to be wise, so that they might give him advice in ruling his
+people.
+
+Among the young men thus chosen were four Jews, men who had been brought
+from Judah. By order of the king the names of these men were changed.
+One of them, named Daniel, was to be called Belteshazzer; the other
+three young men were called Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They were
+taught in all the knowledge of the Chaldeans; and after three years of
+training they were taken into the king's palace.
+
+King Nebuchadnezzar was pleased with them, more than with any others who
+stood before him. He found them wise and faithful in the work given to
+them, and able to rule over men under them. And these four men came to
+the highest places in the kingdom of the Chaldeans.
+
+At one time King Nebuchadnezzar caused a great image to be made, and to
+be covered with gold. This image he set up, as an idol to be worshipped,
+on the plain of Dura, near the city of Babylon. When it was finished, it
+stood upon its base or foundation almost a hundred feet high; so that
+upon the plain it could be seen far away. Then the king sent out a
+command for all the princes, and rulers, and nobles in the land, to come
+to a great gathering, when the image was to be set apart for worship.
+
+The great men of the kingdom came from far and near and stood around
+the image. Among them, by command of the king, were Daniel's three
+friends, the young Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. For some
+reason, Daniel himself was not there. He may have been busy with the
+work of the kingdom in some other place.
+
+At one moment in the service before the image, all the trumpets sounded,
+the drums were beaten, and music was made upon musical instruments of
+all kinds, as a signal for all the people to kneel down and worship the
+great golden image. But while the people were kneeling, there were three
+men who stood up, and would not bow down. These were the three young
+Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They knelt down before the Lord
+God only.
+
+Many of the nobles had been jealous of these young men, because they had
+been lifted to high places in the rule of the kingdom; and these men who
+hated Daniel and his friends, were glad to find that these three men had
+not obeyed the command of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had said that if
+any one did not worship the golden image he should be thrown into a
+furnace of fire. These men who hated the Jews came to the king and said:
+
+"O king, may you live for ever! You gave orders that when the music
+sounded, every one should bow down and worship the golden image; and
+that if any man did not worship, he should be thrown into a furnace of
+fire. There are some Jews, whom you have made rulers in the land, who
+have not done as you commanded. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and
+Abed-nego. They do not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image
+that you have set up."
+
+[Illustration: _Nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage_]
+
+Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage and fury at knowing that any
+one should dare to disobey his words. He sent for these three men and
+said to them:
+
+"O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, was it by purpose that you did not
+fall down and worship the image of gold? The music shall sound once
+more, and if you then will worship the image, it will be well. But if
+you will not, then you shall be thrown into the furnace of fire, to
+die."
+
+These three young men were not afraid of the king. They said:
+
+"O King Nebuchadnezzar, we are ready to answer you at once. The God whom
+we serve is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and we know that he
+will save us. But if it is God's will that we should die, even then you
+may understand, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship
+the golden image."
+
+This answer made the king more furious than before. He said to his
+servants:
+
+"Make a fire in the furnace hotter than ever it has been before, as hot
+as fire can be made; and throw these three men into it."
+
+Then the soldiers of the king's army seized the three young Jews, as
+they stood in their loose robes, with their turbans on their heads. They
+tied them with ropes, and dragged them to the mouth of the furnace, and
+threw them into the fire. The flames rushed from the opened door with
+such fury that they burned even to death the soldiers who were holding
+these men; and the men themselves fell down bound into the middle of the
+fiery furnace.
+
+But an angel befriended them and they were unhurt.
+
+[Illustration: _An angel befriended them_]
+
+King Nebuchadnezzar stood in front of the furnace, and looked into the
+open door. As he looked, he was filled with wonder at what he saw; and
+he said to the nobles around him:
+
+"Did we not throw three men bound into the fire? How is it then that I
+see four men loose walking in the furnace; and the fourth man looks as
+though he were a son of the gods?"
+
+And the nobles who stood by could scarcely speak, so great was their
+surprise.
+
+"It is true, O king," at last they said to Nebuchadnezzar, "that we cast
+these men into the flames, expecting them to be burned up; and we cannot
+understand how it happens that they have not been destroyed."
+
+The king came near to the door of the furnace, as the fire became lower;
+and he called out to the three men within it:
+
+"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye who serve the Most High God, come
+out of the fire, and come to me."
+
+They came out and stood before the king, in the sight of all the
+princes, and nobles, and rulers; and every one could see that they were
+alive.
+
+Their garments had not been scorched, nor their hair singed, nor was
+there even the smell of fire upon them.
+
+Then King Nebuchadnezzar said before all his rulers:
+
+"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent
+his angel, and has saved the lives of these men who trusted in him. _I_
+make a law that no man in all my kingdoms shall say a word against
+their God, for there is no other god who can save in this manner those
+who worship him. And if any man speaks a word against their God, the
+Most High God, that man shall be cut in pieces, and his house shall be
+torn down."
+
+After King Nebuchadnezzar died, his kingdom became weak, and the city of
+Babylon was taken by the Medes and Persians, under Cyrus, a great
+warrior.
+
+THE STORY OF DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN
+
+
+The lands which had been the Babylonian or Chaldean empire, now became
+the empire of Persia; and over these Darius was the king. King Darius
+gave to Daniel, who was now a very old man, a high place in honor and in
+power. Among all the rulers over the land, Daniel stood first, for the
+king saw that he was wise and able to rule. This made the other princes
+and rulers very jealous, and they tried to find something evil in
+Daniel, so that they could speak to the king against him.
+
+These men saw that three times every day Daniel went to his room and
+opened the window that was toward the city of Jerusalem, and looking
+toward Jerusalem, made his prayer to God. Jerusalem was at that time in
+ruins, and the Temple was no longer standing; but Daniel prayed three
+times each day with his face toward the place where the house of God had
+once stood, although it was many hundreds of miles away.
+
+These nobles thought that in Daniel's prayers they could find a chance
+to do him harm, and perhaps cause him to be put to death. They came to
+King Darius, and said to him:
+
+"All the rulers have agreed together to have a law made that for thirty
+days no one shall ask anything of any god or of any man, except from
+you, O king; and that if any one shall pray to any god, or shall ask
+anything from any man during the thirty days, except from you, O king,
+he shall be thrown into the den where the lions are kept. Now, O king,
+make the law, and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, for no
+law among the Medes and the Persians can be altered."
+
+The king was not a wise man; and being foolish and vain, he was pleased
+with this law which would set him even above the gods. So without asking
+Daniel's advice, he signed the writing; and the law was made, and the
+word was sent out through the kingdom, that for thirty days no one
+should pray to any god.
+
+Daniel knew that the law had been made, but every day he went to his
+room three times, and opened the window that looked toward Jerusalem,
+and offered his prayers to the Lord, just as he had prayed in other
+times. These rulers were watching near by, and they saw Daniel kneeling
+in prayer to God. Then they came to the king, and said:
+
+"O King Darius, have you not made a law, that if any one in thirty days
+offers a prayer, he shall be thrown into the den of lions?"
+
+"It is true," said the king. "The law has been made, and it must
+stand."
+
+They said to the king: "There is one man who does not obey the law which
+you have made. It is that Daniel, one of the captive Jews. Every day
+Daniel prays to his God three times, just as he did before you signed
+the writing of the law."
+
+[Illustration: _Thrown into the den of lions_]
+
+Then the king was very sorry for what he had done, for he loved Daniel,
+and knew that no one could take his place in the kingdom. All day, until
+the sun went down, he tried in vain to find some way to save Daniel's
+life; but when evening came, these men again told him of the law that he
+had made, and said to him that it must be kept. Very unwillingly the
+king sent for Daniel, and gave an order that he should be thrown into
+the den of lions. He said to Daniel: "Perhaps your God, whom you serve
+so faithfully, will save you from the lions."
+
+They led Daniel to the mouth of the pit where the lions were kept, and
+they threw him in; and over the mouth they placed a stone; and the king
+sealed it with his own seal, and with the seals of his nobles; so that
+no one might take away the stone and let Daniel out of the den.
+
+Then the king went again to his palace; but that night he was so sad
+that he could not eat, nor did he listen to music as he was used to
+listen. He could not sleep, for all through the night he was thinking of
+Daniel. Very early in the morning he rose up from his bed and went in
+haste to the den of lions. He broke the seal and took away the stone,
+and in a voice full of sorrow he called out, scarcely hoping to have an
+answer:
+
+"O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you
+from the lions?"
+
+And out of the darkness in the den came the voice of Daniel, saying:
+
+"O king, may you live forever! My God has sent his angel and has shut
+the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because my God saw that
+I had done no wrong. And I have done no wrong toward you, O king!"
+
+[Illustration: DANIEL'S ANSWER TO THE KING--"Then said Daniel unto
+the King, O King, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath
+shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me."--(Daniel 6:
+21-22.)]
+
+Then the king was glad. He gave to his servants orders to take Daniel
+out of the den. Daniel was brought out safe and without harm, because
+he had trusted fully in the Lord God. Then by the king's command, they
+brought those men who had spoken against Daniel, and with them their
+wives and their children, for the king was exceedingly angry with them.
+They were all thrown into the den, and the hungry lions leaped upon
+them, and tore them in pieces, so soon as they fell upon the floor of
+the den.
+
+After this king Darius wrote to all the lands and the peoples in the
+many kingdoms under his rule:
+
+"May peace be given to you all abundantly! I make a law that everywhere
+among my kingdoms men fear and worship the Lord God of Daniel; for he is
+the living God, above all other gods, who only can save men."
+
+And Daniel stood beside king Darius until the end of his reign, and
+afterward while Cyrus the Persian was king over all the lands.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR
+
+
+At the time when the story of the New Testament begins, the land of
+Israel, called also the land of Judea, was ruled by a king named Herod.
+He was the first of several Herods, who at different times ruled either
+the whole of the land, or parts of it. But Herod was not the highest
+ruler. Many years before this time, the Romans, who came from the city
+of Rome in Italy, had won all the lands around the Great Sea, the sea
+which we call the Mediterranean; and above king Herod of Judea was the
+great king of Rome, ruling over all the lands, and over the land of
+Judea among them. So Herod, though king of Judea, obeyed his overlord,
+the emperor at Rome. At the time when this story begins, the emperor at
+Rome was named Augustus C�sar.
+
+At this time, the land where the Jews lived was full of people.
+Jerusalem was its largest city, and in Jerusalem was standing the Temple
+of the Lord, which king Herod had lately built anew, taking the place of
+the old Temple built very many years before, which had long needed
+repair. There were also many other large cities besides Jerusalem. In
+the south was Hebron among the mountains; on the shore of the Great Sea
+were Gaza, and Joppa, and C�sarea; in the middle of the land were
+Shechem and Samaria; and in the north were Nazareth, and Cana; down by
+the shore of the Sea of Galilee were Tiberias, and Capernaum, and
+Bethsaida. Far up in the north, at the foot of snowy Mount Hermon, was
+another C�sarea; but so that it might not be confused with C�sarea upon
+the seacoast this city was called C�sarea-Philippi, or "Philip's
+C�sarea," from the name of one of Herod's sons.
+
+One day, an old priest named Zacharias was leading the service of
+worship in the Temple. He was standing in front of the golden altar of
+incense, in the Holy Place, and was holding in his hand a censer, or
+cup, full of burning coals and incense; while all the people were
+worshipping in the court of the Temple, outside the court of the
+Priests, where the great altar of burnt-offering stood.
+
+Suddenly, Zacharias saw an angel from the Lord, standing on the right
+side of the altar of incense. He felt a great fear when he saw this
+strange being with shining face; but the angel said to him:
+
+[Illustration: _"Do not be afraid, Zacharias"_]
+
+"Do not be afraid, Zacharias; for I have come from the Lord to bring
+good news. Your wife Elizabeth shall have a son, and you shall name him
+John. You shall be made glad, for your son John shall bring joy and
+gladness to many. He shall be great in the sight of the Lord; and he
+shall never taste wine nor strong drink as long as he lives; but he
+shall be filled with God's Holy Spirit. He shall lead many of the
+people of Israel to the Lord, for he shall go before the Lord in the
+power of Elijah the prophet, as was promised by Malachi, the last of the
+old prophets. He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
+and those who are disobeying the Lord to do his will."
+
+As Zacharias heard these words, he was filled with wonder, and could
+hardly believe them true. He was now an old man, and his wife Elizabeth
+was also old; so that they could not expect to have a child. He said to
+the angel:
+
+"How shall I know that your words are true, for I am an old man, and my
+wife is old?"
+
+"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God," said the angel. "And
+I was sent from the Lord to speak to you, and to bring you this good
+news. But because you did not believe my words, you shall become dumb,
+and shall not be able to speak, until this which I have said comes to
+pass."
+
+All this time the people outside in the court were wondering why the
+priest stayed so long in the Temple. When at last he came out, they
+found that he could not speak a word; but he made signs to them, to tell
+them that he had seen a vision in the Temple.
+
+After the days of his service were over, Zacharias went to his own home,
+which was near Hebron, a city of the priests, among the mountains in
+the south of Judea. When his wife Elizabeth found that God was soon to
+give her a child, she was very happy, and praised the Lord.
+
+About six months after Zacharias saw the vision in the Temple, the same
+angel Gabriel was sent from the Lord to a city in the part of the land
+called Galilee, which was in the north. The city to which the angel was
+sent was Nazareth. There the angel found a young girl named Mary, who
+was a cousin to Elizabeth. Mary was soon to be married to a good man who
+had sprung from the line of king David, though he was not himself a
+king, nor a rich man. He was a carpenter, living in Nazareth, and his
+name was Joseph. The angel came into the room where Mary was, and said
+to her: "Hail, woman favored by the Lord; the Lord is with you!"
+
+Mary was surprised at the angel's words, and wondered what they could
+mean. Then the angel spoke again, and said: "Do not be afraid, Mary. The
+Lord has given to you his favor, and has chosen you to be the mother of
+a son whose name shall be Jesus, which means 'salvation,' because he
+shall save his people from their sins. He shall be great, and shall be
+called the Son of God; and the Lord shall give to him the throne of his
+father David. He shall be a king, and shall reign over the people of
+God forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
+
+But Mary could not see how all this was to come to pass. And the angel
+said to her:
+
+"The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High God
+shall be over you; and the child which you shall have shall be called
+holy, the Son of God."
+
+Then the angel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was soon to have a
+child, through the power of the Lord. And when Mary heard all this, she
+said: "I am the servant of the Lord, to do his will. Let it be to me as
+you have said."
+
+When the angel had given his message and had gone away, Mary rose up in
+haste and made a journey to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth. When
+Elizabeth saw Mary, she was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and
+said:
+
+"Blessed are you among women, and blessed among men shall be your son!
+And why is it that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me? Blessed is
+the woman who believed that the promise of the Lord to her shall be made
+true!"
+
+Then Mary was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and broke out into a
+song of praise. She stayed with Elizabeth for nearly three months, and
+then went again to her own home at Nazareth.
+
+As the angel had said, to the aged woman Elizabeth was given a son.
+They were going to name him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother
+said: "No, his name shall be John."
+
+"Why," they said, "none of your family have ever been named John!"
+
+They asked his father Zacharias, by signs, what name he wished to be
+given to the child. He asked for something to write upon; and when they
+brought it, he wrote, "His name is John." Then all at once, the power to
+hear and to speak came back to Zacharias. He spoke, praising and
+blessing God; and he sang a song of thanks to God, in which he said:
+
+"You O child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; to go before
+the Lord, and to make ready his ways."
+
+When John was growing up, they sent him out into the desert on the south
+of the land, and there he stayed until the time came for him to preach
+to the people; for this child became the great prophet John the Baptist.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JESUS, THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM
+
+
+Soon after the time when John the Baptist was born, Joseph the carpenter
+of Nazareth had a dream. In his dream he saw an angel from the Lord
+standing beside him. The angel said to him:
+
+"Joseph, sprung from the line of king David, I have come to tell you,
+that Mary, the young woman whom you are to marry, will have a son, sent
+by the Lord God. You shall call his name Jesus, which means 'salvation,'
+because he shall save his people from their sins."
+
+God's people had had several kings. Some of them had been selfish and
+cruel, but Jesus was to be a new kind of king, one who would save, not
+destroy men.
+
+Soon after Joseph and Mary were married in Nazareth, a command went
+forth from the emperor Augustus C�sar through all the lands of the Roman
+empire, for all the people to go to the cities and towns from which
+their families had come, and there to have their names written down upon
+a list, for the emperor wished a list to be made of all the people under
+his rule. As both Joseph and Mary had come from the family of David the
+king, they went together from Nazareth to Bethlehem, there to have their
+names written upon the list. For you remember that Bethlehem in Judea,
+six miles south of Jerusalem, was the place where David was born, and
+where his father's family had lived for many years.
+
+It was a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; down the mountains to
+the river Jordan, then following the Jordan almost to its end, and then
+climbing the mountains of Judah to the town of Bethlehem. When Joseph
+and Mary came to Bethlehem they found the city full of people who, like
+themselves, had come to have their names enrolled or written upon the
+list. The inn or hotel was full, and there was no room for them; for no
+one but themselves knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother
+of the Lord of all the earth. The best that they could do was to go to a
+stable where the cattle were kept. There the little baby was born, and
+was laid in a manger, where the cattle were fed.
+
+On that night, some shepherds were tending their sheep in a field near
+Bethlehem. Suddenly, a great light shone upon them, and they saw an
+angel of the Lord standing before them. They were filled with fear, as
+they saw how glorious the angel was. But the angel said to them:
+
+"Be not afraid; for behold I bring you news of great joy, which shall
+be to all the people; for there is born to you this day in Bethlehem,
+the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, the anointed king.
+You may see him there; and you may know him by this sign: He is a
+new-born baby, lying in a manger, at the inn."
+
+[Illustration: _They were filled with fear_]
+
+And then they saw that the air around and the sky above them were filled
+with angels, praising God and singing:
+
+"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men in whom God
+is well pleased."
+
+While they looked with wonder, and listened, the angels went out of
+sight as suddenly as they had come. Then the shepherds said one to
+another:
+
+"Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this wonderful thing that has
+come to pass, and which the Lord has made known to us."
+
+[Illustration: _The baby in the manger_]
+
+Then as quickly as they could go to Bethlehem, they went, and found
+Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and his young wife Mary, and the
+little baby lying in the manger. They told Mary and Joseph, and others
+also, how they had seen the angels, and what they had heard about this
+baby. All who heard their story wondered at it; Mary, the mother of the
+child, said nothing. She thought over all these things, and silently
+kept them in her heart. After their visit, the shepherds went back to
+their flocks, praising God for the good news that he had sent to them.
+
+When the little one was eight days old, they gave him a name; and the
+name given was "Jesus," a word which means "salvation," as the angel had
+told both Mary and Joseph that he should be named. So the very name of
+this child told what he should do for men; for he was to bring salvation
+to the world.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN
+
+For some time after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary stayed with him in
+Bethlehem. The little baby was not kept long in the stable sleeping in a
+manger; for after a few days they found room in a house; and there
+another visit was made to Jesus by strange men from a land far away.
+
+In a country east of Judea, and many miles distant, were living some
+very wise men who studied the stars. One night they saw a strange star
+shining in the sky, and in some way they learned that the coming of this
+star meant that a king was soon to be born in the land of Judea. These
+men felt a call of God to go to Judea, far to the west of their own
+home, and there to see this new-born king. They took a long journey,
+with camels and horses, and at last they came to, the land of Judea,
+just at the time when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. As soon as they were
+in Judea, they supposed that every one would know all about the king,
+and they said:
+
+"Where is he that is born king of the Jews? In the east we have seen his
+star, and we have come to worship him."
+
+[Illustration: THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD--"And there were in the
+same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
+flock by night.... And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold,
+I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For
+unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
+Christ the Lord.'"--(Luke 2: 8-10-11.)]
+
+But no one of whom they asked had ever seen this king, or had heard of
+him. The news of their coming was sent to Herod the king, who was now a
+very old man. He ruled the land of Judea, as you know, under the emperor
+at Rome, Augustus C�sar. Herod was a very wicked man, and when he heard
+of some one born to be a king, he feared that he might lose his own
+kingdom. He made up his mind to kill this new king.
+
+He sent for the priests and scribes, the men who studied and taught the
+books of the Old Testament, and asked them about this Christ for whom
+all the people were looking. He said: "Can you tell me where Christ, the
+king of Israel, is to be born?" They looked at the books of the
+prophets, and then they said: "He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea;
+for thus it is written by the prophet, 'And thou Bethlehem in the land
+of Judah are not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee
+shall come forth one who shall rule my people Israel.'"
+
+Then Herod sent for the wise men from the east, and met them alone, and
+found from them at what time the star was first seen. Then he said to
+them:
+
+"Go to Bethlehem; and there search carefully for the little child; and
+when you have found him, bring me word again, so that I also may come
+and worship him."
+
+[Illustration: _The wise men went their way_]
+
+Then the wise men went on their way toward Bethlehem; and suddenly they
+saw the star again shining upon the road before them. At this they were
+glad, and followed the star until it led them to the very house where
+the little child was. They came in, and there they saw the little one,
+with Mary, its mother. They knew at once that this was the king; and
+they fell down on their faces and worshipped him as the Lord. Then they
+brought out gifts of gold and precious perfumes, frankincense and myrrh,
+which were used in offering sacrifices; and they gave them as presents
+to the royal child.
+
+That night God sent a dream to the wise men, telling them not to go back
+to Herod, but to go home at once to their own land by another way. They
+obeyed the Lord, and found another road to their own country without
+passing through Jerusalem where Herod was living. So Herod could not
+learn from those men who the child was that was born to be a king.
+
+And very soon after these wise men had gone away, the Lord sent another
+dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary. He saw an angel, who spoke to him,
+saying:
+
+"Rise up quickly; take the little child and his mother, and go down to
+the land of Egypt, for Herod will try to find the child to kill him."
+
+Then at once Joseph rose up in the night, without waiting even for the
+morning. He took his wife and her baby, and quietly and quickly went
+with them down to Egypt, which was on the southwest of Judea. There they
+all stayed in safety, as long as the wicked king Herod lived, which was
+not many months.
+
+King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from their visit
+to Bethlehem; but he soon found that they had gone to their home
+without bringing to him any word. Then Herod was very angry. He sent out
+his soldiers to Bethlehem. They came, and by the cruel king's command
+they seized all the little children in Bethlehem who were three years
+old, or younger, and killed them all. What a cry went up to God from the
+mothers in Bethlehem, as their children were torn from their arms and
+slain!
+
+[Illustration: _He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt_]
+
+But all this time, the child Jesus whom they were seeking was safe with
+his mother in the land of Egypt.
+
+Soon after this king Herod died, a very old man, cruel to the last. Then
+the angel of the Lord came again and spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying:
+"You may now take the young child back to his own land, for the king who
+sought to kill him is dead."
+
+Then Joseph took his wife and the little child Jesus, and started to go
+again to the land of Judea. Perhaps it was his thought to go again to
+Bethlehem, the city of David, and there bring up the child. But he heard
+that in that part of the land Archelaus, a son of Herod, was now ruling,
+and who was as wicked and cruel as his father.
+
+He feared to go under Archelaus' rule, and instead took his wife and the
+child to Nazareth, which had been his own home and that of Mary his wife
+before the child was born. Nazareth was in the part of the land called
+Galilee, which at that time was ruled by another son of king Herod, a
+king named Herod Antipas. He was not a good man, but was not so cruel
+nor bloody as his wicked father had been.
+
+So again Joseph the carpenter and Mary his wife were living in Nazareth.
+And there they stayed for many years while Jesus was growing up. Jesus
+was not the only child in their house, and he had many other playmates
+among the boys of Nazareth.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE
+
+Jesus was brought to Nazareth when he was a little child not more than
+three years old; there he grew up as a boy and a young man, and there he
+lived until he was thirty years of age. We should like to know many
+things about his boyhood, but the Bible tells us very little. As Joseph
+was a working man, it is likely that he lived in a house with only one
+room, with no floor except the earth, no window except a hole in the
+wall, no pictures upon the walls, and neither bedstead, nor chair, nor
+looking-glass. They sat upon the floor or upon cushions; they slept upon
+rolls of matting, and their meals were taken from a low table not much
+larger than a stool.
+
+Jesus may have learned to read at the village school, which was
+generally held in the house used for worship, called the "synagogue."
+The lessons were from rolls on which were written parts of the Old
+Testament; but Jesus never had a Bible of his own. From a child he went
+with Joseph to the worship in the synagogue twice every week. There they
+sat on the floor and heard the Old Testament read and explained, while
+Mary and the younger sisters of Jesus listened from a gallery behind a
+lattice-screen. The Jewish boys of that time were taught to know almost
+the whole of the Old Testament by heart.
+
+It was the custom of the Jews from all parts of the land to go up to
+Jerusalem to worship at least once every year, at the feast of the
+Passover, which was held in the spring. Some families also stayed to the
+feast of Pentecost, which was fifty days after Passover; and some went
+again in the fall to the feast of Tabernacles, when for a week all the
+families slept out of doors, under roofs made of green twigs and bushes.
+
+When Jesus was a boy twelve years old, he was taken up to the feast of
+the Passover, and there for the first time he saw the holy city
+Jerusalem, and the Temple of the Lord on Mount Moriah. Young as he was,
+his soul was stirred, as he walked among the courts of the Temple and
+saw the altar with its smoking sacrifice, the priests in their white
+robes, and the Levites with their silver trumpets. Though a boy, Jesus
+began to feel that he was the Son of God, and that this was his Father's
+house.
+
+[Illustration: _Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law_]
+
+His heart was so filled with the worship of the Temple, with the words
+of the scribes or teachers whom he heard in the courts, and with his own
+thoughts, that when it was time to go home to Nazareth, he stayed
+behind, held fast by his love for the house of the Lord. The company of
+people who were traveling together was large, and at first he was not
+missed. But when night came and the boy Jesus could not be found, his
+mother was alarmed. The next day Joseph and Mary left their company and
+hastened back to Jerusalem. They did not at first think to go to the
+Temple. They sought him among their friends and kindred who were living
+in the city, but could not find him.
+
+On the third day, they went up to the Temple with heavy hearts, still
+looking for their boy. And there they found him sitting in a company of
+the doctors of the law, listening to their words and asking them
+questions. Everybody who stood near was surprised to find how deep was
+the knowledge of this boy in the word of the Lord.
+
+His mother spoke to him a little sharply, for she felt that her son had
+not been thoughtful of his duty. She said: "Child, why have you treated
+us in this way? Do you not know that your father and I have been looking
+for you with troubled hearts?"
+
+"Why did you seek for me," said Jesus. "Did you not know that I must be
+in my Father's house?"
+
+They did not understand these words; but Mary thought often about them
+afterward; for she felt her son was no common child, and that his words
+had a deep meaning. Though Jesus was wise beyond his years, he obeyed
+Joseph and his mother in all things. He went with them to Nazareth, and
+lived contented with the plain life of their country home.
+
+As the years went on, Jesus grew from a boy to a young man. He grew,
+too, in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in the favor of God. He won the
+love of all who knew him, for there was something in his nature that
+drew all hearts, both young and old.
+
+Jesus learned the trade of a carpenter with Joseph; and when Joseph
+died, while Jesus was still a young man, Jesus worked as a carpenter,
+and helped his mother take care of the family. And so in the carpenter
+shop, and the quiet life of a country village, and the worship of the
+synagogue, the years passed until Jesus was thirty years of age.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE
+
+A few days after Jesus met his followers or disciples at the river
+Jordan, he came with these men to a town in Galilee called Cana, to be
+present at a wedding. In those lands a feast was always held at a
+wedding, and often the friends of those who were married stayed several
+days, eating and drinking together.
+
+The mother of Jesus was at this wedding as a friend of the family; for
+Nazareth, where she lived, was quite near to Cana. Before the wedding
+feast was over, all the wine had been used, and there was no more for
+the guests to drink. The mother of Jesus knew that her son had power to
+do whatever he chose; and she said to him; "They have no wine."
+
+Jesus said to her: "O woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not
+yet come."
+
+But his mother knew that Jesus would in some way help the people in
+their need, and she said to the servants who were waiting at the table:
+
+"Whatever he tells you to do, be sure to do it."
+
+In the dining hall were standing six large stone jars, each about as
+large as a barrel, holding twenty-five gallons. These jars held water
+for washing, as the Jews washed their hands before every meal, and
+washed their feet as often as they came from walking in the street,
+since they wore no shoes, but only sandals. Jesus said to the servants:
+
+"Fill the jars with water."
+
+[Illustration: _"Fill the jars with water"_]
+
+The servants obeyed Jesus, and filled the jars up to the brim. Then
+Jesus spoke to them again, and said:
+
+"Now draw out some of the water, and take it to the ruler of the feast."
+
+They drew out water from the jars, and saw that it had been turned into
+wine. The ruler did not know from what place the wine had come; but he
+said to the young man who had just been married, the bridegroom:
+
+"At a feast everybody gives his best wine at the beginning, and
+afterward, when his guests have drunk freely, he brings on wine that is
+not so good; but you have kept the good wine until now."
+
+This was the first time that Jesus used the power that God had given
+him, to do what no other man could do. Such works as these were called
+"miracles"; and Jesus did them as signs of his power as the Son of God.
+When the disciples saw this miracle, they believed in Jesus more fully
+than before.
+
+After this Jesus went with his mother and his younger brothers to a
+place called Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. But they
+stayed there only a few days, for the feast of the Passover was near,
+and Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend it. You remember that the feast
+of the Passover was held every year, to keep in mind how God had led the
+people of Israel out of Egypt long before.
+
+When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he found in the courts of the Temple men
+who were selling oxen and sheep and doves for the sacrifices, and other
+men sitting at tables changing the money of Jews who came from other
+lands into the money of Judea. All this made the courts around the
+Temple seem like a market, and not a place for the worship of God.
+
+[Illustration: _"Take these things away"_]
+
+Jesus picked up some cord and made from it a little whip. With it he
+began to drive out of the Temple all the buyers and sellers. He was but
+one, and they were many; but such power was in his look, that they ran
+before him. He drove the men and the sheep and the oxen; he overturned
+the tables and threw on the floor the money, and to those who were
+selling the doves he said: "Take these things away; make not my Father's
+house a house for selling and buying!"
+
+The acts of Jesus were not pleasing to the rulers of the Jews, for many
+of them were making money by this selling of sacrifices and changing of
+money. Some of the rulers came to Jesus and said to him: "What right
+have you to come here and do such things as these? What sign can you
+show that God has given to you power to rule in this place?"
+
+Jesus said to them: "I will give you a sign. Destroy this house of God,
+and in three days I will raise it up."
+
+Then said the Jews, "It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple,
+and it is not finished yet. Will you raise it up in three days?"
+
+But Jesus did not mean that Temple on Mount Moriah. He was speaking of
+himself, for in him God was dwelling as in a temple, and he meant that
+when they should put him to death, he would rise again in three days.
+Afterward, when Jesus had died and risen again, his followers, the
+disciples, thought of what he had said, and understood these words.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE STRANGER AT THE WELL
+
+
+While Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem and in the country places near it,
+John the Baptist was still preaching and baptizing. But already the
+people were leaving John and going to hear Jesus. Some of the followers
+of John the Baptist were not pleased as they saw that fewer people came
+to their master, and that the crowds were seeking Jesus. But John said
+to them: "I told you that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before
+him. Jesus is the Christ, the king. He must grow greater, while I must
+grow less; and I am glad that it is so."
+
+Soon after this, Herod Antipas, the king of the province or land of
+Galilee, put John in prison. Herod had taken for his wife a woman named
+Herodias, who had left her husband to live with Herod, which was very
+wicked. John sent word to Herod, that it was not right for him to have
+this woman as his wife. These words of John made Herodias very angry.
+She hated John, and tried to kill him. Herod himself did not hate John
+so greatly, for he knew that John had spoken the truth. But he was weak,
+and yielded to his wife Herodias. To please her, he sent John the
+Baptist to a lonely prison among the mountains east of the Dead Sea; for
+the land in that region, as well as Galilee, was under Herod's rule.
+There in prison Herod hoped to keep John safe from the hate of his wife
+Herodias.
+
+Soon after John the Baptist was thrown into prison, Jesus left the
+country near Jerusalem with his disciples, and went toward Galilee, the
+province in the north. Between Judea in the south and Galilee in the
+north, lay the land of Samaria, where the Samaritans lived, who hated
+the Jews. They worshipped the Lord as the Jews worshipped him, but they
+had their own Temple and their own priests. And they had their own
+Bible, which was only the five books of Moses; for they would not read
+the other books of the old Testament. The Jews and the Samaritans would
+scarcely ever speak to each other, so great was the hate between them.
+
+When Jews went from Galilee to Jerusalem, or from Jerusalem to Galilee,
+they would not pass through Samaria, but went down the mountains to the
+river Jordan, and walked beside the river, in order to go around
+Samaria. But Jesus, when he would go from Jerusalem to Galilee, walked
+over the mountains straight through Samaria. One morning while he was on
+his journey, he stopped to rest beside an old well at the foot of Mount
+Gerizim, not far from the city of Shechem, but nearer to a little
+village that was called Sychar. This well had been dug by Jacob, the
+great father or ancestor of the Israelites, many hundreds of years
+before. It was an old well then in the days of Jesus; and it is much
+older now; for the same well may be seen in that place still. Even now
+travelers may have a drink from Jacob's well.
+
+It was early in the morning, about sunrise, when Jesus was sitting by
+Jacob's well. He was very tired, for he had walked a long journey; he
+was hungry, and his disciples had gone to the village near at hand to
+buy food. He was thirsty, too; and as he looked into the well he could
+see the water a hundred feet below, but he had no rope with which to let
+down a cup or a jar to draw up some water to drink.
+
+Just at this moment a Samaritan woman came to the well, with her
+water-jar upon her head, and her rope in her hand. Jesus looked at her,
+and in one glance read her soul, and saw all her life.
+
+He knew that Jews did not often speak to Samaritans, but he said to her:
+
+"Please to give me a drink?"
+
+The woman saw from his looks and his dress that he was a Jew, and she
+said to him:
+
+"How is it that you, who are a Jew, ask drink of me, a Samaritan
+woman?"
+
+Jesus answered her:
+
+"If you knew what God's free gift is, and if you knew who it is that
+says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would ask him to give you living
+water, and he would give it to you."
+
+There was something in the words and the looks of Jesus which made the
+woman feel that he was not a common man. She said to him: "Sir, you have
+nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where can you get that
+living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who drank from this
+well, and who gave it to us?"
+
+"Whoever drinks of this water," said Jesus, "shall thirst again, but
+whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst;
+but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
+springing up unto everlasting life."
+
+"Sir," said the woman, "give me some of this water of yours, so that I
+will not thirst any more, nor come all the way to this well."
+
+Jesus looked at the woman, and said to her, "Go home, and bring your
+husband, and come here."
+
+"I have no husband," answered the woman.
+
+"Yes," said Jesus, "you have spoken the truth. You have no husband. But
+you have had five husbands, and the man whom you now have is not your
+husband."
+
+The woman was filled with wonder as she heard this. She saw that here
+was a man who knew what others could not know. She felt that God had
+spoken to him, and she said:
+
+"Sir, I see that you are a prophet of God. Tell me whether our people or
+the Jews are right. Our fathers have worshipped on this mountain. The
+Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where men should go to worship.
+Now, which of these is the right place?"
+
+"Woman, believe me," said Jesus, "there is coming a time when men shall
+worship God in other places besides on this mountain and in Jerusalem.
+The time is near; it has even now come, when the true worshippers
+everywhere shall pray to God in spirit and in truth; for God himself is
+a Spirit."
+
+The woman said: "I know that the Anointed one is coming, the Christ.
+When he comes, he will teach us all things."
+
+Jesus said to her:
+
+"I that speak to you now am he, the Christ!"
+
+Just at this time the disciples of Jesus came back from the village.
+They wondered to see Jesus talking with this Samaritan woman, but they
+said nothing.
+
+The woman had come to draw water, but in her interest in this wonderful
+stranger, she forgot her errand. Leaving her water-jar, she ran back to
+her village, and said to the people:
+
+"Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done in all my life!
+Is not this man the Christ whom we are looking for?"
+
+Soon the woman came back to the well with many of her people. They asked
+Jesus to come to their town, and to stay there and teach them. He went
+with them, and stayed there two days, teaching the people, who were
+Samaritans. And many of the people in that place believed in Jesus, and
+said:
+
+"We have heard for ourselves; now we know that this is indeed the
+Saviour of the world."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FISHERMEN
+
+When Jesus began to teach the people by the river Jordan, a few young
+men came to him as followers, or disciples. Some of these men were
+Andrew and John, Peter and Philip and Nathanael. While Jesus was
+teaching near Jerusalem and in Samaria, these men stayed with Jesus; but
+when he came to Galilee, they went to their homes and work, for most of
+them were fishermen from the Sea of Galilee.
+
+One morning, soon after Jesus came to Capernaum, he went out of the
+city, by the sea, followed by a great throng of people, who had come
+together to see him and to hear him. On the shore were lying two fishing
+boats, one of which belonged to Simon and Andrew, the other to James and
+John and their father Zebedee. The men themselves were not in the boats,
+but were washing their nets near by.
+
+Jesus stepped into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter and his brother
+Andrew, and asked them to push it out a little into the lake, so that he
+could talk to the people from it without being crowded too closely. They
+pushed it out, and then Jesus sat in the boat, and spoke to the people,
+as they stood upon the beach. After he had finished speaking to the
+people, and had sent them away, he said to Simon Peter:
+
+"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets to catch some fish."
+
+[Illustration: _The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it
+up_]
+
+"Master," said Simon, "we have been fishing all night, and have caught
+nothing; but if it is your will, I will let down the net again."
+
+They did as Jesus bade them; and now the net caught so many fishes that
+Simon and Andrew could not pull it up, and it was in danger of breaking.
+They made signs to the two brothers, James and John, who were in the
+other boat, for them to come and help them. They came, and lifted the
+net, and poured out the fish. There were so many of them that both the
+boats were filled, and began to sink.
+
+When Simon Peter saw this, he was struck with wonder, and felt that it
+was by the power of God. He fell down at the feet of Jesus, saying: "Oh
+Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy of all this! Leave me, O
+Lord."
+
+But Jesus said to Simon, and to the others, "Fear not; but follow me,
+and I will make you from this time fishers of men."
+
+From that time these four men, Simon and Andrew, James and John, gave up
+their nets and their work, and became disciples of Jesus.
+
+On the Sabbath, after this, Jesus and his disciples went together to the
+synagogue, and spoke to the people. They listened to him and were
+surprised at his teaching; for while the scribes always repeated what
+other scribes had said before, Jesus never spoke of what the men of old
+time had taught, but spoke in his own name, and by his own power,
+saying, "I say unto you," as one who had the right to speak. Men felt
+that Jesus was speaking to them as the voice of God.
+
+On one Sabbath, while Jesus was preaching, a man came into the synagogue
+who had in him an evil spirit; for sometimes evil spirits came into men,
+and lived in them and spoke out from them. The evil spirit in this man
+cried out, saying:
+
+"Let us alone, thou Jesus of Nazareth! What have we to do with thee?
+Hast thou come to destroy us? I know thee; and I know who thou art, the
+Holy one of God!"
+
+Then Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man:
+
+"Be still; and come out of this man!"
+
+Then the evil spirit threw the man down, and seemed as if he would tear
+him apart; but he left the man lying on the ground, without harm.
+
+Then wonder fell upon all the people. They were filled with fear, and
+said: "What mighty word is this? This man speaks even to the evil
+spirits, and they obey him!"
+
+After the meeting in the synagogue, Jesus went into the house where
+Simon Peter lived. There he saw lying upon a bed the mother of Simon's
+wife, who was very ill with a burning fever. He stood over her, and
+touched her hand. At once the fever left her; she rose up from her bed
+and waited upon them.
+
+At sunset, the Sabbath day was over; and then they brought to Jesus from
+all parts of the city those that were sick, and some that had evil
+spirits in them. Jesus laid his hands upon the sick, and they became
+well; he drove out the evil spirits by a word, and would not allow them
+to speak.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
+
+Among the Jews there was one class of men hated and despised by the
+people more than any other. That was "the publicans." These were the men
+who took from the people the tax which the Roman rulers had laid upon
+the land. Many of these publicans were selfish, grasping, and cruel.
+They robbed the people, taking more than was right. Some of them were
+honest men, dealing fairly, and taking no more for the tax than was
+needful; but because so many were wicked, all the publicans were hated
+alike; and they were called "sinners" by the people.
+
+One day, when Jesus was going out of Capernaum, to the seaside, followed
+by a great crowd of people, he passed a publican, or tax-gatherer, who
+was seated at his table taking money from the people who came to pay
+their taxes. This man was named Matthew, or Levi; for many Jews had two
+names. Jesus could look into the hearts of men, and he saw that Matthew
+was one who might help him as one of his disciples. He looked upon
+Matthew, and said:
+
+"Follow me!"
+
+At once, the publican rose up from his table, and left it to go with
+Jesus. All the people wondered, as they saw one of the hated publicans
+among the disciples, with Peter, and John, and the rest. But Jesus
+believed that there is good in all kinds of people. Most of the men who
+followed him were poor fishermen. None of them, so far as we know, was
+rich. And when he called Matthew he saw a man with a true and loving
+heart, whose rising up to follow Jesus just as soon as he was called
+showed what a brave and faithful friend he would be. The first of the
+four books about Jesus bears Matthew's name.
+
+A little while after Jesus called him, Matthew made a great feast for
+Jesus at his house; and to the feast he invited many publicans, and
+others whom the Jews called sinners. The Pharisees saw Jesus sitting
+among these people, and they said with scorn to his disciples:
+
+"Why does your Master sit at the table with publicans and sinners?"
+
+Jesus heard of what these men had said, and he said:
+
+"Those that are well do not need a doctor to cure them, but those that
+are sick do need one. I go to these people because they know that they
+are sinners and need to be saved. I came not to call those who think
+themselves to be good, but those who wish to be made better."
+
+One evening Jesus went alone to a mountain not far from Capernaum. A
+crowd of people and his disciples followed him; but Jesus left them all,
+and went up to the top of the mountain, where he could be alone. There
+he stayed all night, praying to God, his Father and our Father. In the
+morning, out of all his followers, he chose twelve men who should walk
+with him and listen to his words, so that they might be able to teach
+others in turn. Some of these men he had called before; but now he
+called them again, and others with them. They were called "The Twelve,"
+or "the disciples"; and after Jesus went to heaven, they were called
+"The Apostles," a word which means "those who were sent out," because
+Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel to the world.
+
+[Illustration: _"I came not to call those who think themselves to be
+good"_]
+
+The names of the twelve disciples, or apostles, were these: Simon Peter
+and his brother Andrew; James and John, the two sons of Zebedee; Philip
+of Bethsaida, and Nathanael, who was also called Bartholomew, a name
+which means "the son of Tholmai"; Thomas, who was also called Didymus, a
+name which means "a twin," and Matthew the publican, or tax-gatherer;
+another James, the son of Alpheus, who was called "James the Less," to
+keep his name apart from the first James, the brother of John; and
+Lebbeus, who was also called Thaddeus. Lebbeus was also called Judas,
+but he was a different man from another Judas, whose name is always
+given last. The eleventh name was another Simon, who was called "the
+Cananean" or "Simon Zelotes"; and the last name was Judas Iscariot, who
+was afterward the traitor. We know very little about most of these men,
+but some of them in later days did a great work. Simon Peter was a
+leader among them, but most of them were common sort of men of whom the
+best we know is that they loved Jesus and followed him to the end. Some
+died for him, and some served him in distant and dangerous places.
+
+[Illustration: _Then, on the mountain, he preached_]
+
+Before all the people who had come to hear him, Jesus called these
+twelve men to stand by his side. Then, on the mountain, he preached to
+these disciples and to the great company of people. The disciples stood
+beside him, and the great crowd of people stood in front, while Jesus
+spoke. What he said on that day is called "The Sermon on the Mount."
+Matthew wrote it down, and you can read it in his gospel, in the fifth,
+sixth, and seventh chapters. Jesus began with these words to his
+disciples:
+
+"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
+
+"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
+
+"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
+
+"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
+they shall be filled.
+
+"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
+
+"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
+
+"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
+God.
+
+"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
+theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
+
+"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
+say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
+
+"Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
+for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
+
+"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor,
+wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to
+be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
+
+"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
+hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
+glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+It was in this Sermon on the Mount that Jesus told the people how they
+should pray, and he gave them the prayer which we all know as the Lord's
+Prayer.
+
+And this was the end of the Sermon:
+
+"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
+will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
+
+"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
+beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.
+
+"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
+shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
+sand:
+
+"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
+beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MIRACLE WORKER
+
+There was at Capernaum an officer of the Roman army, a man who had under
+him a company of a hundred men. They called him "a centurion," a word
+which means "commanding a hundred"; but we should call him "a captain."
+This man was not a Jew, but was what the Jews called "a Gentile," "a
+foreigner"; a name which the Jews gave to all people outside their own
+race. All the world except the Jews themselves were Gentiles.
+
+This Roman centurion was a good man, and he loved the Jews, because
+through them he had heard of God, and had learned how to worship God.
+Out of his love for the Jews, he had built for them with his own money a
+synagogue, which may have been the very synagogue in which Jesus taught
+on the Sabbath days.
+
+The centurion had a young servant, a boy whom he loved greatly; and this
+boy was very sick with a palsy, and near to death. The centurion had
+heard that Jesus could cure those who were sick; and he asked the chief
+men of the synagogue, who were called its "elders," to go to Jesus and
+ask him to come and cure his young servant.
+
+[Illustration: _"Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"_]
+
+The elders spoke to Jesus, just as he came again to Capernaum, after the
+Sermon on the Mount. They asked Jesus to go with them to the centurion's
+house; and they said:
+
+"He is a worthy man, and it is fitting that you should help him, for,
+though a Gentile, he loves our people, and he has built for us our
+synagogue."
+
+Then Jesus said, "I will go and heal him."
+
+But while he was on his way--and with him were the elders, and his
+disciples, and a great crowd of people, who hoped to see the work of
+healing--the centurion sent some other friends to Jesus with this
+message:
+
+"Lord, do not take the trouble to come to my house; for I am not worthy
+that one so high as you are should come under my roof; and I did not
+think that I was worthy to go and speak to you. But speak only a word
+where you are, and my servant shall be made well. For I also am a man
+under rule, and I have soldiers under me; and I say to one 'Go,' and he
+goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do
+this,' and he does it. You, too, have power to speak and to be obeyed.
+Speak the word, and my servant shall be cured."
+
+When Jesus heard this, he wondered at this man's faith. He turned to the
+people following him, and said:
+
+"In truth I say to you, I have not found such faith as this in all
+Israel!"
+
+Then he spoke to the friends of the centurion who had brought the word
+from him:
+
+"Go and say to this man, 'As you have believed in me, so shall it be
+done to you.'"
+
+Then those who had been sent, went again to the centurion's house, and
+found that in that very hour his servant had been made perfectly well.
+
+On the day after this, Jesus with his disciples and many people went out
+from Capernaum, and turned southward, and came to a village called Nain.
+Just as Jesus and his disciples came near to the gate of the city, they
+were met by a company who were carrying out a dead man to be buried. He
+was a young man, and the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
+
+When the Lord Jesus saw the mother in her grief, he pitied her, and
+said, "Do not weep."
+
+He drew near, and touched the frame on which they were carrying the
+body, wrapped round and round with long strips of linen. The bearers
+looked with wonder on this stranger, and set down the frame with its
+body, and stood still. Standing beside the body, Jesus said:
+
+"Young man, I say to you, Rise up!"
+
+And in a moment the young man sat up and began to speak. Jesus gave him
+to his mother, who now saw that her son who had been dead, was alive
+again.
+
+And Jesus went through all that part of Galilee, working miracles and
+preaching and teaching in all the villages, telling the people
+everywhere the good news of the kingdom of God.
+
+The children loved to gather around him, and when his disciples would
+have driven them away he said, "Suffer the little children to come unto
+me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
+
+[Illustration: _The children loved to gather around him_]
+
+One Sabbath day, as Jesus and his disciples were walking in Jerusalem,
+they met a blind man begging. This man in all his life had never seen;
+for he had been born blind. The disciples said to Jesus as they were
+passing him: "Master, whose fault was it that this man was born blind?
+Was it because he has sinned, or did his parents sin?"
+
+For the Jews thought that when any evil came, it was caused by some
+one's sin. But Jesus said:
+
+"This man was born blind, not because of his parents' sin, nor because
+of his own, but so that God might show his power in him. We must do
+God's work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can
+work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
+
+When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground, and mixed up the
+spittle with earth, making a little lump of clay. This clay Jesus spread
+on the eyes of the blind man; and then he said to him: "Go wash in the
+pool of Siloam."
+
+The pool of Siloam was a large cistern, or, reservoir, on the southeast
+of Jerusalem, outside the wall, where the valley of Gihon and the valley
+of Kedron come together. To go to this pool, the blind man, with two
+great blotches of mud on his face, must walk through the streets of the
+city, out of the gate, and into the valley. He went, and felt his way
+down the steps into the pool of Siloam. There he washed, and then at
+once his life-long blindness passed away, and he could see.
+
+When the man came back to the part of the city where he lived, his
+neighbors could scarcely believe that he was the same man. They said:
+"Is not this the man who used to sit on the street begging?"
+
+"This must be the same man," said some; but others said: "No, it is some
+one who looks like him."
+
+But the man said, "I am the very same man who was blind!"
+
+"Why, how did this come to pass?" they asked. "How were your eyes
+opened?"
+
+"The man, named Jesus," he answered, "mixed clay, and put it on my eyes,
+and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash,' and I went and
+washed, and then I could see."
+
+"Where is this man?" they asked him.
+
+"I do not know," said the man.
+
+Some of the Pharisees, the men who made a show of always obeying the
+law, asked the man how he had been made to see. He said to them, as he
+had said before:
+
+"A man put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and my sight came to me."
+
+Some of the Pharisees said:
+
+"The man who did this is not a man of God, because he does not keep the
+Sabbath. He makes clay, and puts it on men's eyes, working on the
+Sabbath day. He is a sinner!"
+
+Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such wonderful works?"
+
+And thus the people were divided in what they thought of Jesus. They
+asked the man who had been blind: "What do you think of this man who has
+opened your eyes?"
+
+"He is a prophet of God," said the man.
+
+But the leading Jews would not believe that this man had gained his
+sight, until they had sent for his father and his mother. The Jews asked
+them:
+
+"Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it that he can now
+see?"
+
+His parents were afraid to tell all they knew; for the Jews had agreed
+that if any man should say Jesus was the Christ, the Saviour, he should
+be turned out of the synagogue, and not be allowed to worship any more
+with the people. So his parents said to the Jews:
+
+"We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born blind. But
+how he was made to see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we
+do not know. He is of age; ask him, and let him speak for himself."
+
+Then again the rulers of the Jews called the man who had been blind; and
+they said to him:
+
+"Give God the praise for your sight. We know that this man who made
+clay on the Sabbath day is a sinner."
+
+"Whether that man is a sinner, or not, I do not know," answered the man;
+"but one thing I do know, that once I was blind, and now I see. We know
+that God does not hear sinners; but God hears only those who worship
+him, and do his will. Never before has any one opened the eyes of a man
+born blind. If this man were not from God, he could not do such works as
+these!"
+
+The rulers of the Jews, these Pharisees, then said to the man: "You were
+born in sin, and do you try to teach us?"
+
+And they turned him out of the synagogue, and would not let any one
+worship with him. Jesus heard of this; and when Jesus found him, he said
+to him:
+
+"Do you believe on the Son of God?"
+
+The man said:
+
+"And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?"
+
+"You have seen him," said Jesus, "and it is he who now talks with you!"
+
+The man said, "Lord, I believe."
+
+And he fell down before Jesus, and worshipped him.
+
+
+
+THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN
+
+Soon afterward Jesus gave to the people in Jerusalem the parable or
+story of "The Good Shepherd."
+
+"Verily, verily (that is, 'in truth, in truth'), I say to you, if any
+one does not go into the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other
+way, it is a sign that he is a thief and a robber. But the one who comes
+in by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. The porter opens the door to
+him, and the sheep know him, and listen to his call, for he calls his
+own sheep by name and leads them out to the pasture-field. And when he
+has led out his sheep, he goes in front of them, and the sheep follow
+him, for they know his voice. The sheep will not follow a stranger, for
+they do not know the stranger's voice."
+
+The people did not understand what all this meant, and as Jesus
+explained it to them, he said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the
+door that leads to the sheepfold. If any man comes to the sheep in any
+other way than through me and in my name, he is a thief and a robber;
+but those who are the true sheep will not hear such. I am the door; if
+any man goes into the fold through me, he shall be saved, and shall go
+in and go out, and shall find pasture.
+
+"The thief comes to the fold that he may steal and rob the sheep, and
+kill them; but I came to the fold that they may have life, and may have
+all that they need. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd will give
+up his own life to save his sheep; and I will give up my life that my
+sheep may be saved.
+
+"I am the good shepherd; and just as a true shepherd knows all the sheep
+in his fold, so I know my own, and my own know me, even as I know the
+Father, and the Father knows me; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
+And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must
+lead; and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock and one
+shepherd."
+
+The Jews could not understand these words of Jesus; but they became very
+angry with him, because he spoke of God as his Father. They took up
+stones to throw them at him, and tried to seize him, intending to kill
+him. But Jesus escaped from their hands, and went away to the land
+beyond Jordan, at the place called "Bethabara," or "Bethany beyond
+Jordan," the same place where he had been baptized by John the Baptist
+more than two years before. From this place Jesus wished to go out
+through the land in the east of the Jordan, a land which is called
+"Perea," a word that means "beyond." But before going out through this
+land, Jesus sent out seventy chosen men from among his followers to go
+to all the villages, and to make the people ready for his own coming
+afterward. He gave to these seventy the same commands that he had given
+to the twelve disciples when he sent them through Galilee, and sent them
+out in pairs, two men to travel and to preach together. He said:
+
+"I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no bag for
+food, no shoes except those that you are wearing. Do not stop to talk
+with people by the way; but go through the towns and villages, healing
+the sick, and preaching to the people, 'The kingdom of God is coming,'
+He that hears you, hears me; and he that refuses you, refuses me; and he
+that will not hear me, will not hear him that sent me."
+
+And after a time the seventy men came again to Jesus, saying:
+
+"Lord, even the evil spirits obey our words in thy name!"
+
+And Jesus said to them:
+
+"I saw Satan, the king of the evil spirits, falling down like lightning
+from heaven. I have given you power to tread upon serpents and
+scorpions, and nothing shall harm you. Still, do not rejoice because the
+evil spirits obey you; but rejoice that your names are written in
+heaven."
+
+And at that time, one of the scribes--men who wrote copies of the books
+of the Old Testament, and studied them, and taught them--came to Jesus
+and asked him a question, to see what answer he would give. He said:
+"Master, what shall I do to have everlasting life?"
+
+Jesus said to the scribe: "What is written in the law? You are a reader
+of God's law; tell me what it says."
+
+Then the man gave this answer:
+
+"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
+soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thou shalt
+love thy neighbor as thyself."
+
+Jesus said to the man: "You have answered right; do this, and you shall
+have everlasting life."
+
+But the man was not satisfied. He asked another question: "And who is my
+neighbor?"
+
+To answer this question, Jesus gave the parable or story of "The Good
+Samaritan." He said: "A certain man was going down the lonely road from
+Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who stripped him of all
+that he had and beat him; and then went away, leaving him almost dead.
+It happened that a certain priest was going down that road; and when he
+saw the man lying there, he passed by on the other side. And a Levite,
+also, when he came to the place, and saw the man, he too went by on the
+other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he was going down, came where
+this man was; and as soon as he saw him, he felt a pity for him. He came
+to the man, and dressed his wounds, pouring oil and wine into them. Then
+he lifted him up, and set him on his own beast of burden, and walked
+beside him to an inn. There he took care of him all night; and the next
+morning he took out from his purse two shillings, and gave them to the
+keeper of the inn, and said: 'Take care of him; and if you need to spend
+more than this, do so; and when I come again I will pay it to you.'"
+
+[Illustration: _Then he lifted him up_]
+
+"Which one of these three, do you think, showed himself a neighbor to
+the man who fell among the robbers?"
+
+The scribe said: "The one who showed mercy on him."
+
+Then Jesus said to him: "Go and do thou likewise."
+
+By this parable, Jesus showed that "our neighbor" is the one who needs
+the help that we can give him, whoever he may be.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE PALM BRANCHES
+
+[Illustration: _Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary
+lived_]
+
+From Jericho, Jesus and his disciples went up the mountains, and came to
+Bethany, where his friends Martha and Mary lived, and where he had
+raised Lazarus to life. Many people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was
+there, and they went out of the city to see him, for Bethany was only
+two miles from Jerusalem. Some came also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had
+raised from the dead; but the rulers of the Jews said to each other:
+
+"We must not only kill Jesus, but Lazarus, also; because on his account
+so many of the people are going after Jesus and are believing on him."
+
+The friends of Jesus in Bethany made a supper for Jesus, at the house of
+a man named Simon. He was called "Simon the leper"; and perhaps he was
+one whom Jesus had cured of leprosy. Jesus and his disciples, with
+Lazarus, leaned upon the couches around the table, as the guests; and
+Martha was one of those who waited upon them. While they were at the
+supper, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, came into the room, carrying a
+sealed jar of very precious perfume. She opened the jar, and poured some
+of the perfume upon the head of Jesus, and some upon his feet; and she
+wiped his feet with her long hair. And the whole house was filled with
+the fragrance of the perfume.
+
+But one of the disciples of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, was not pleased at
+this. He said: "Why was such a waste of the perfume made? This might
+have been sold for more than forty-five dollars, and the money given to
+the poor!"
+
+This he said, but not because he cared for the poor. Judas was the one
+who kept the bag of money for Jesus and the twelve; and he was a thief,
+and took away for his own use all the money that he could steal. But
+Jesus said:
+
+"Let her alone; why do you find fault with the woman? She has done a
+good work upon me. You have the poor always with you, and whenever you
+wish, you can give to them. But you will have me with you only a little
+while. She has done what she could; for she has come to perfume my body
+for its burial. And truly I say to you, that wherever the gospel shall
+be preached throughout all the world, what this woman has done shall be
+told in memory of her."
+
+[Illustration: _She wiped his feet with her hair_]
+
+Perhaps Mary knew what others did not believe, that Jesus was soon to
+die; and she showed her love for him, and her sorrow for his coming
+death, by this rich gift. But Judas, the disciple who carried the bag,
+was very angry at Jesus; and from that time he was looking for a chance
+to betray Jesus, or to give him up to his enemies. He went to the chief
+priests, and said: "What will you give me, if I will put Jesus in your
+hands?"
+
+They said, "We will give you thirty pieces of silver."
+
+And for thirty pieces of silver Judas promised to help them take Jesus,
+and make him their prisoner.
+
+On the morning after the supper at Bethany, Jesus called two of his
+disciples, and said to them:
+
+"Go into the next village, and at a place where two roads cross; and
+there you will find an ass tied, and a colt with it. Loose them, and
+bring them to me. And if any one says to you, 'Why do you do this?' say,
+'The Lord has need of them,' and they will let them go."
+
+They went to the place and found the ass and the colt, and were loosing
+them, when the owner said:
+
+"What are you doing, untying the ass?"
+
+And they said, as Jesus had told them to say:
+
+"The Lord has need of it."
+
+Then the owner gave them the ass and the colt for the use of Jesus.
+They brought them to Jesus on the Mount of Olives; and they laid some of
+their own clothes on the colt for a cushion, and set Jesus upon it. Then
+all the disciples and a very great multitude threw their garments upon
+the ground for Jesus to ride upon. Others cut down branches from the
+trees and laid them on the ground. And as Jesus rode over the mountain
+toward Jerusalem, many walked before him waving branches of palm trees.
+And they all cried together:
+
+[Illustration: _They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus
+to ride upon_]
+
+"Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
+the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the
+name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
+
+These things they said, because they believed that Jesus was the Christ,
+the Anointed King; and they hoped that he would now set up his throne in
+Jerusalem. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd, who did not believe in
+Jesus, said to him:
+
+"Master, stop your disciples!"
+
+But Jesus said:
+
+"I tell you, that if these should be still, the very stones would cry
+out!"
+
+And when he came into Jerusalem with all this multitude, all the city
+was filled with wonder. They said: "Who is this?"
+
+And the multitude answered:
+
+"This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee!"
+
+And Jesus went into the Temple, and looked around it; but he did not
+stay, because the hour was late. He went again to Bethany, and there
+stayed at night with his friends.
+
+These things took place on Sunday, the first day of the week; and that
+Sunday in the year is called Palm Sunday, because of the palm branches
+which the people carried before Jesus.
+
+Many people heard him gladly, but the great city was deaf to his
+pleadings. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," he cried, "thou that killest the
+prophets, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as
+a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
+
+[Illustration: _The great city was deaf to his pleadings_]
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE BETRAYAL
+
+At the foot of the Mount of Olives, near the path over the hill toward
+Bethany, there was an orchard of olive trees, called "The Garden of
+Gethsemane." The word "Gethsemane" means "oil press." Jesus often went
+to this place with his disciples, because of its quiet shade. At this
+garden he stopped, and outside he left eight of his disciples, saying to
+them, "Sit here while I go inside and pray."
+
+He took with him the three chosen ones, Peter, James, and John, and went
+within the orchard. Jesus knew that in a little while Judas would be
+there with a band of men to seize him; that in a few hours he would be
+beaten, and stripped, and led out to die. The thought of what he was to
+suffer came upon him and filled his soul with grief. He said to Peter
+and James and John:
+
+"My soul is filled with sorrow, a sorrow that almost kills me. Stay here
+and watch while I am praying."
+
+He went a little further among the trees, and flung himself down upon
+the ground, and cried out:
+
+"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me;
+nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willest!"
+
+So earnest was his feeling and so great his suffering that there came
+out upon his face great drops of sweat like blood, falling upon the
+ground. After praying for a time, he rose up from the earth and went to
+his three disciples, and found them all asleep. He awaked them, and said
+to Peter: "What, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray
+that you may not go into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but
+the flesh is weak."
+
+He left them, and went a second time into the woods, and fell on his
+face, and prayed again, saying:
+
+"O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away, and I must drink it, then
+thy will be done."
+
+He came again to the three disciples, and found them sleeping; but this
+time he did not awake them. He went once more into the woods, and
+prayed, using the same words. And an angel from heaven came to him and
+gave him strength. He was now ready for the fate that was soon to come,
+and his heart was strong. Once more he went to the three disciples, and
+said to them: "You may as well sleep on now, and take your rest, for the
+hour is at hand; and already the Son of man is given by the traitor into
+the hands of sinners. But rise up and let us be going. See, the traitor
+is here!"
+
+The disciples awoke; they heard the noise of a crowd, and saw the
+flashing of torches and the gleaming of swords and spears. In the throng
+they saw Judas standing, and they knew now that he was the traitor of
+whom Jesus had spoken the night before. Judas came rushing forward, and
+kissed Jesus, as though he were glad to see him. This was a signal that
+he had given beforehand to the band; for the men of the guard did not
+know Jesus, and Judas had said to them:
+
+"The one that I shall kiss is the man that you are to take; seize him
+and hold him fast."
+
+Jesus said to Judas, "Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?"
+
+Then he turned to the crowd, and said, "Whom do you seek?"
+
+They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."
+
+Jesus said, "I am he."
+
+When Jesus said this, a sudden fear came upon his enemies; they drew
+back and fell upon the ground.
+
+After a moment, Jesus said again, "Whom do you seek?"
+
+And again they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."
+
+And Jesus said, pointing to his disciples, "I told you that I am he. If
+you are seeking me, let these disciples go their own way."
+
+[Illustration: PETER DENIES CHRIST--"And Peter remembered the word of
+Jesus, which said unto him, 'Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me
+thrice.'"--(Matt. 26:75.)]
+
+But as they came forward to seize Jesus, Peter drew his sword, and
+struck at one of the men in front, and cut off his right ear. The man
+was a servant of the high-priest, and his name was Malchus. Jesus said
+to Peter:
+
+"Put up the sword into its sheath; the cup which my Father has given me,
+shall I not drink it? Do you not know that I could call upon my Father,
+and he would send to me armies upon armies of angels?"
+
+Then he spoke to the crowd, "Let me do this." And he touched the place
+where the ear had been cut off, and it came on again and was well. Jesus
+said to the rulers and leaders of the armed men:
+
+"Do you come out against me with swords and clubs as though I were a
+robber? I was with you every day in the Temple, and you did not lift
+your hands against me. But the words in the scriptures must come to
+pass; and this is your hour."
+
+When the disciples of Jesus saw that he would not allow them to fight
+for him, they did not know what to do. In their sudden alarm they all
+ran away, and left their Master alone with his enemies. These men laid
+their hands on Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to the house of
+the high-priest. There were at that time two men called high-priests by
+the Jews. One was Annas, who had been high-priest until his office had
+been taken from him by the Romans, and given to Caiphas, his son-in-law.
+But Annas still had great power among the people; and they brought
+Jesus, all bound as he was, first to Annas.
+
+Simon Peter, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had followed after
+the crowd of those who carried Jesus away; and they came to the door of
+the high-priest's house. John knew the high-priest and went in; but
+Peter at first stayed outside, until John went out and brought him in.
+He came in, but did not dare to go into the room where Jesus stood
+before the high-priest Annas. In the court-yard of the house, they had
+made a fire of charcoal, and Peter stood among those who were warming
+themselves at the fire.
+
+Annas in the inner room asked Jesus about his disciples and his
+teaching. Jesus answered him:
+
+"What I have taught has been open in the synagogues and in the Temple.
+Why do you ask me? Ask those that heard me; they know what I said."
+
+Then one of the officers struck Jesus on the mouth, saying to him:
+
+"Is this the way that you answer the high-priest?"
+
+Jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly:
+
+"If I have said anything evil, tell what the evil is; but if I have
+spoken the truth, why do you strike me?"
+
+While Annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward Jesus, who
+stood bound and alone among his enemies, Peter was still in the
+court-yard warming himself at the fire. A woman, who was a serving-maid
+in the house, looked at Peter sharply, and finally said to him:
+
+"You were one of those men with this Jesus of Nazareth!"
+
+Peter was afraid to tell the truth, and he answered her:
+
+"Woman, I do not know the man; and I do not know what you are talking
+about."
+
+And to get away from her, he went out into the porch of the house. There
+another woman-servant saw him and said: "This man was one of those with
+Jesus!"
+
+And Peter swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus at all. Soon a
+man came by, who was of kin to Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off. He
+looked at Peter, and heard him speak, and said:
+
+"You are surely one of this man's disciples; for your speech shows that
+you came from Galilee."
+
+Then Peter began again to curse and to swear, declaring that he did not
+know the man.
+
+Just at that moment the loud, shrill crowing of a cock startled Peter;
+and at the same time he saw Jesus, who was being dragged through the
+hall from Annas to the council-room of Caiphas, the other high-priest.
+And the Lord turned as he was passing and looked at Peter.
+
+Then there flashed into Peter's mind what Jesus had said on the evening
+before!
+
+"Before the cock crows to-morrow morning, you will three times deny that
+you have ever known me."
+
+Then Peter went out of the high-priest's house into the street; and he
+wept bitterly because he had denied his Lord.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB
+
+After Jesus was taken before the high-priest where he was ridiculed and
+the people spat upon him, he was taken before the Roman Governor,
+Pontius Pilate, who ruled over Judea. He heard their complaints, but did
+not find any cause for putting him to death. But at last he yielded to
+their demands, although he declared Jesus was innocent of all wrong.
+
+[Illustration: _He heard their complaints_]
+
+And so Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, gave command that Jesus
+should die by the cross. The Roman soldiers then took Jesus and beat him
+most cruelly; and then led him out of the city to the place of death.
+This was a place called "Golgotha" in the Jewish language, "Calvary" in
+that of the Romans; both words meaning "The Skull Place."
+
+With the soldiers, went out of the city a great crowd of people; some of
+them enemies of Jesus, glad to see him suffer; others of them friends of
+Jesus, and the women who had helped him, now weeping as they saw him,
+all covered with his blood and going out to die. But Jesus turned to
+them and said:
+
+"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and
+for your children. For the days are coming when they shall count those
+happy who have no little ones to be slain; when they shall wish that the
+mountain might fall on them, and the hills might cover them, and hide
+them from their enemies!"
+
+They had tried to make Jesus bear his own cross, but soon found that he
+was too weak from his sufferings, and could not carry it. They seized on
+a man who was coming out of the country into the city, a man named
+Simon, and they made him carry the cross to its place at Calvary.
+
+It was the custom among the Jews to give to men about to die by the
+cross some medicine to deaden their feelings, so that they would not
+suffer so greatly. They offered this to Jesus, but when he had tasted it
+and found what it was, he would not take it. He knew that he would die,
+but he wished to have his mind clear, and to understand what was done
+and what was said, even though his sufferings might be greater.
+
+At the place Calvary, they laid the cross down, and stretched Jesus upon
+it, and drove nails through his hands and feet to fasten him to the
+cross; and then they stood it upright with Jesus upon it. While the
+soldiers were doing this dreadful work, Jesus prayed for them to God,
+saying: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing."
+
+The soldiers also took the clothes that Jesus had worn, giving to each
+one a garment. But when they came to his undergarment, they found that
+it was woven and had no seams; so they said, "Let us not tear it, but
+cast lots for it, to see who shall have it." So at the foot of the cross
+the soldiers threw lots for the garment of Christ.
+
+Two men who had been robbers and had been sentenced to die by the cross,
+were led out to die at the same time with Jesus. One was placed on a
+cross at his right side, and the other at his left; and to make Jesus
+appear as the worst, his cross stood in the middle. Over the head of
+Jesus on his cross, they placed, by Pilate's order, a sign, on which was
+written:
+
+    "This is Jesus of Nazareth,
+    The King of the Jews."
+
+This was written in three languages; in Hebrew, which was the language
+of the Jews; in Latin, the language of the Romans, and in Greek. Many of
+the people read this writing; but the chief priests were not pleased
+with it. They urged Pilate to have it changed from "The King of the
+Jews" to "He said, I am King of the Jews." But Pilate would not change
+it. He said:
+
+"What I have written, I have written."
+
+And the people who passed by on the road, as they looked at Jesus on the
+cross, mocked at him. Some called out to him:
+
+"You that would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save
+yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"
+
+And the priests and scribes said:
+
+"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Come down from the cross,
+and we will believe in you!"
+
+And one of the robbers, who was on his own cross beside that of Jesus,
+joined in the cry, and said: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and
+save us!"
+
+But the other robber said to him: "Have you no fear of God, to speak
+thus, while you are suffering the same fate with this man? And we
+deserve to die, but this man has done nothing wrong."
+
+Then this man said to Jesus: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into
+thy kingdom!"
+
+And Jesus answered him, as they were both hanging on their crosses:
+"To-day you shall be with me in heaven."
+
+Before the cross of Jesus his mother was standing, filled with sorrow
+for her son, and beside her was one of his disciples, John, the disciple
+whom he loved best. Other women besides his mother were there--his
+mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and a woman named Mary
+Magdalene, out of whom a year before Jesus had sent an evil spirit.
+Jesus wished to give his mother, now that he was leaving her, into the
+care of John, and he said to her, as he looked from her to John: "Woman,
+see your son."
+
+And then to John he said: "Son, see your mother."
+
+And on that day John took the mother of Jesus home to his own house, and
+cared for her as his own mother.
+
+At about noon, a sudden darkness came over the land, and lasted for
+three hours. And in the middle of the afternoon, when Jesus had been on
+the cross six hours of terrible pain, he cried out aloud words which
+meant:
+
+"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" words which are the
+beginning of the twenty-second psalm, a psalm which long before had
+spoken of many of Christ's sufferings.
+
+After this he spoke again, saying, "I thirst!"
+
+And some one dipped a sponge in a cup of vinegar, and put it upon a
+reed, and gave him a drink of it. Then Jesus spoke his last words upon
+the cross:
+
+"It is finished! Father, into thy hands I give my spirit!"
+
+And then Jesus died. And at that moment, the veil in the Temple between
+the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, was torn apart by unseen hands
+from the top to the bottom. And when the Roman officer, who had charge
+of the soldiers around the cross, saw what had taken place, and how
+Jesus died, he said: "Surely this was a righteous man; he was the Son of
+God."
+
+After Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, to be sure that he was no
+longer living, ran his spear into the side of his dead body; and out of
+the wound came pouring both water and blood.
+
+There were even among the rulers of the Jews a few who were friends of
+Jesus, though they did not dare to follow Jesus openly. One of these
+was Nicodemus, the ruler who came to see Jesus at night. Another was a
+rich man who came from the town of Arimathea, and was named Joseph.
+Joseph of Arimathea went boldly in to Pilate, and asked that the body of
+Jesus might be given to him. Pilate wondered that he had died so soon,
+for often men lived on the cross two or three days. But when he found
+that Jesus was really dead, he gave his body to Joseph.
+
+Then Joseph and his friends took down the body of Jesus from the cross,
+and wrapped it in fine linen. And Nicodemus brought some precious
+spices, myrrh and aloes, which they wrapped up with the body. Then they
+placed the body in Joseph's own new tomb, which was a cave dug out of
+the rock, in a garden near the place of the cross. And before the
+opening of the cave they rolled a great stone.
+
+And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and some other women, saw the
+tomb, and watched while they laid the body of Jesus in it. On the next
+morning, some of the rulers of the Jews came to Pilate, and said:
+
+"Sir, we remember that that man Jesus of Nazareth, who deceived the
+people, said while he was yet alive, 'After three days I will rise
+again.' Give orders that the tomb shall be watched and made sure for
+three days, or else his disciples may steal his body, and then say, 'He
+is risen from the dead'; and thus even after his death he may do more
+harm than he did while he was alive."
+
+Pilate said to them:
+
+"Set a watch, and make it as sure as you can."
+
+Then they placed a seal upon the stone, so that no one might break it;
+and they set a watch of soldiers at the door.
+
+And in the tomb the body of Jesus lay from the evening of Friday, the
+day when he died on the cross, to the dawn of Sunday, the first day of
+the week, when he arose from the dead and appeared unto his disciples.
+
+But the brightest day in all the world was this Sunday morning. For on
+that day the stone was rolled away from the tomb and Jesus came forth
+from the dead to gladden his disciples. This he had told them he would
+do. On this Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary, called
+Salome, came to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and an angel
+standing by the open tomb. He told them that Jesus was not there, but
+had risen.
+
+Afterward Jesus was with his disciples for forty days, after which he
+was taken up into heaven.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE
+
+
+Soon after Jesus was taken up into heaven, his disciples began to
+preach, as he had told them to do. They stood up in the streets, and in
+the Temple, and spoke to the people all the words that Jesus had given
+to them. And although they could no longer see Jesus, he was with them,
+and helped them, and gave them great power.
+
+The two apostles, Peter and John, were one day going up to the temple at
+the afternoon hour of prayer, about three o'clock. They walked across
+the court of the Gentiles, which was a large, open square paved with
+marble, having on its eastern side a double row of pillars with a roof
+above them, called Solomon's Porch. In front of this porch was the
+principal entrance to the Temple, through a gate which was called "The
+Beautiful Gate." In front of this gate they saw a lame man sitting. He
+was one who in all his life had never been able to walk; and as he was
+very poor, his friends carried him every day to this place; and there he
+sat, hoping that some of those who went into the Temple might take pity
+on him, and give him a little money.
+
+In front of this man Peter and John stopped; and Peter said: "Look at
+us!"
+
+The lame man looked earnestly on the two apostles, thinking they were
+about to give him something. But Peter said:
+
+"Silver and gold have I none; but what I have that I will give you. In
+the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"
+
+And Peter took hold of the lame man's right hand, and raised him up. At
+once the lame man felt a new power entering into his feet and
+ankle-bones. He leaped up, and stood upon his feet, and began to walk,
+as he had never done before in all his life. He walked up the steps with
+the two apostles, and went by their side into the Temple, walking, and
+leaping, and praising God. The people who now saw him leaping up and
+running knew him, for they had seen him every day sitting as a beggar at
+the Beautiful Gate: and every one was filled with wonder at the change
+which had come over him.
+
+After worshipping and praising God in the Temple, the man, still holding
+fast to Peter and John, went out with them through the Beautiful Gate,
+into Solomon's Porch. And in a very few minutes a great crowd of people
+were drawn together to the place to see the man who had been made well,
+and to see also the two men who had healed him.
+
+Then Peter stood up before the throng of people, and spoke to them:
+
+"Ye men of Israel," he said, "why do you look wondering on this man? or
+why do you fix your eyes upon us, as though by our own power or goodness
+we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
+Jacob, has in this way shown the power and the glory of his Son Jesus,
+whom you gave up to his enemies, and whom you refused before Pontius
+Pilate, when Pilate was determined to set him free. But you refused the
+Holy One and the Righteous One, and chose a murderer, Barabbas, to be
+set free in his place; and you killed the Prince of Life, whom God
+raised from the dead. We who have seen him risen, declare that this is
+true. And the power of Jesus, through faith in his name, has made this
+man strong. Yes, it is faith in Christ that has given him this perfect
+soundness before you all. Now, my brothers, I am sure that you did not
+know that it was the Son of God and your own Saviour whom you sent to
+the cross. Therefore turn to God in sorrow for this great sin, and God
+will forgive you, and in his own time he will send again Jesus Christ.
+God, who has raised up his Son, is ready to bless you, and turn away
+every one of you from his sins."
+
+While Peter was speaking, the priests, and the captain of the Temple,
+and the rulers, came upon them; for they were angry as they heard Peter
+speak these words. They laid hold of Peter and John, and put them into
+the guardroom for the night. But many of those who had heard Peter
+speaking believed on Jesus, and sought the Lord; and the number of the
+followers of Christ rose from three thousand to five thousand.
+
+On the next day the rulers came together; and Annas and Caiphas, the
+high priests, were there, and with them many of their friends. They
+brought Peter and John, and set them before the company. The lame man
+who had been healed was still by the side of the two apostles. The
+rulers asked them:
+
+"By what power, or through whom have you done this?"
+
+Then Peter spoke boldly:
+
+"Ye rulers of the people and elders, if you are asking us about the good
+deed done to this man who was so helpless, how it was that he was made
+well, I will tell you that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom you put
+to death on the cross, whom God raised from the dead; even by him this
+man stands here before you all strong and well. And there is no
+salvation except through Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under
+heaven given among men that can save us from our sins."
+
+When these rulers saw how bold and strong were the words of Peter and
+John, they wondered, especially as they knew that they were plain men,
+not learned in books, and not used to speaking. They remembered that
+they had seen these men among the followers of Jesus, and they felt that
+in some way Jesus had given them his power. And as the man who had been
+healed was standing beside them, they could say nothing to deny that a
+wonderful work had been done.
+
+The rulers sent Peter and John out of the council-room, while they
+talked together. They said to each other:
+
+"What shall we do to these men? We cannot deny that a wonderful work has
+been done by them, for every one knows it. But we must stop this from
+spreading any more among the people. Let us command them not to speak to
+any man about the name of Jesus; and let us tell them, that if they do
+speak, we will punish them."
+
+So they called the two apostles into the room again, and said to them:
+"We forbid you to speak about Jesus, and the power of his name, to any
+man. If you do not stop talking about Jesus, we will lay hands on you,
+and put you in prison, and will have you beaten."
+
+But Peter and John answered the rulers: "Whether it is right to obey
+you or to obey God, you can judge. As for ourselves we cannot keep
+silent; we must speak of what we have seen and heard."
+
+The rulers were afraid to do any harm to Peter and John, because they
+knew that the people praised God for the good work that they had done;
+and they would be angry to have harm come to them. For fear of the
+people, they let them go. And being let go, they went to their own
+friends, the company who met in the upper room, and there they gave
+thanks to God for helping them to speak his word without fear.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR
+
+
+In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, you will learn how the
+members of the church in Jerusalem gave their money freely to help the
+poor. This free giving led to trouble, as the church grew so fast; for
+some of the widows who were poor were passed by, and their friends made
+complaints to the apostles. The twelve apostles called the whole church
+together, and said:
+
+"It is not well that we should turn aside from preaching and teaching
+the word of God to sit at tables and give out money. But, brethren,
+choose from among yourselves seven good men; men who have the Spirit of
+God and are wise, and we will give this work to them; so that we can
+spend our time in prayer and in preaching the gospel."
+
+This plan was pleasing to all the church, and they chose seven men to
+take charge of the gifts of the people, and to see that they were sent
+to those who were in need. The first man chosen was Stephen, a man full
+of faith and of the Spirit of God; and with him was Philip and five
+other good men. These seven men they brought before the apostles; and
+the apostles laid their hands on their heads, setting them apart for
+their work of caring for the poor.
+
+But Stephen did more than to look after the needy ones. He began to
+preach the gospel of Christ, and to preach with such power as made every
+one who heard him feel the truth. Stephen saw before any other man in
+the church saw, that the gospel of Christ was not for Jews only, but was
+for all men; that all men might be saved if they would believe in Jesus;
+and this great truth Stephen began to preach with all his power. Such
+preaching as this, that men who were not Jews might be saved by
+believing in Christ, made many of the Jews very angry. They called all
+the people who were not Jews "Gentiles," and they looked upon them with
+hate and scorn; but they could not answer the words that Stephen spoke.
+They roused up the people and the rulers, and set them against Stephen,
+and at last they seized Stephen, and brought him before the great
+council of the rulers. They said to the rulers:
+
+"This man is always speaking evil words against the Temple and against
+the law of Moses. We have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth shall
+destroy this place, and shall change the laws that Moses gave to us!"
+
+This was partly true and partly false; but no lie is so harmful as that
+which has a little truth with it. Then the high-priest said to Stephen:
+
+"Are these things so?"
+
+And as Stephen stood up to answer the high-priest, all fixed their eyes
+upon him; and they saw that his face was shining, as though it was the
+face of an angel. Then Stephen began to speak of the great things that
+God had done for his people Israel in the past; how he had called
+Abraham, their father, to go forth into a new land; how he had given
+them great men, as Joseph, and Moses, and the prophets. He showed them
+how the Israelites had not been faithful to God, who had given them such
+wonderful blessings.
+
+Then Stephen said:
+
+"You are a people with hard hearts and stiff necks, who will not obey
+the words of God and his Spirit. As your fathers did, so you do, also.
+Your fathers killed the prophets whom God sent to them; and you have
+slain Jesus, the Righteous One!"
+
+As they heard these things, they became so angry against Stephen, that
+they gnashed on him with their teeth, like wild beasts. But Stephen,
+full of the Holy Spirit, looked up toward heaven with his shining face;
+and he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on God's right hand, and
+he said:
+
+"I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right
+hand of God!"
+
+But they cried out with angry voices, and rushed upon him, and dragged
+him out of the council-room, and outside the wall of the city. And there
+they threw stones upon him to kill him, while Stephen was kneeling down
+among the falling stones, and praying:
+
+"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, lay not this sin up against them!"
+
+And when he had said this, he fell asleep in death, the first to be
+slain for the gospel of Christ.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+<head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
+          content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
+
+    <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Wonderbook of Bible
+    Stories, by Logan Marshall.</title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+    /*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+    <!--
+    p {  margin-top: .75em;
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+         text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+         clear: both;
+         }
+    hr { width: 33%;
+         margin-top: 2em;
+         margin-bottom: 2em;
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+         margin-right: auto;
+         clear: both;
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+
+    body{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
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+
+    .author    {text-align: right; margin-right: 5%;}
+    .center   {text-align: center;}
+    .sc    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+    .figure, .figcenter, .figright
+    {padding: 1em; margin: 0; text-align: center; font-size: 0.8em;}
+    .figure img, .figcenter img, .figright img
+                       {border: none;}
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+                       {margin: 0; text-indent: 1em;}
+    .figcenter           {margin: auto;}
+    .figright            {float: right;}
+
+    .poem
+    {margin-left:5%; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;}
+    .poem .stanza        {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem p              {margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
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+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
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+</head>
+
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+
+Author: Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+Editor: Logan Marshall
+
+Release Date: June 12, 2005 [EBook #16042]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WONDER BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Thomas Hutchinson and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <p><a name="Page_1"
+       id="Page_1"></a></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a href="./images/cover.jpg"
+             name="COVER_PLATE"
+             id="COVER_PLATE"><img src="./images/cover_th.jpg"
+             width="280"
+             title="Cover"
+             alt="Cover" /></a>
+    </div><br />
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <p><a name="Page_2"
+       id="Page_2"></a></p>
+
+    <p><a name="THE_WONDER_BOOK"
+       id="THE_WONDER_BOOK"></a></p>
+
+    <h1>THE WONDER BOOK</h1>
+
+    <h1>OF BIBLE STORIES</h1><br />
+
+    <h3 class="sc">edited and arranged by</h3>
+
+    <h2>LOGAN MARSHALL</h2>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="TITLE_PAGE"
+             id="TITLE_PAGE"><img src="./images/002.png"
+             title="Title Page"
+             alt="Title Page" /></a>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <h4>THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY,
+    <span class="sc">Publishers</span></h4>
+
+    <h4>
+    PHILADELPHIA&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
+    CHICAGO</h4>
+
+    <h4>TORONTO&mdash;THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY,
+    <span class="sc">Limited</span></h4>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_3"
+       id="Page_3"></a></p>
+
+    <p class="center">Copyright, 1925, by<br />
+    <span class="sc">The John C. Winston Co.</span><br /></p>
+
+    <p class="center">Copyright, 1925,<br />
+    in the Philippine Islands.</p>
+
+    <p class="center">Copyright, 1904, by<br />
+    <span class="sc">THE J.C.W. Co.</span></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <p class="center">PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.<br />
+    AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS<br />
+    <span class="sc">The John C. Winston Company, Proprietors,
+    Philadelphia</span><br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <p>Bible Stories</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <p><br /></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter"
+         style="width:273px">
+        <a href="./images/264.jpg"
+             name="THE_FINDING_OF_MOSES"
+             id="THE_FINDING_OF_MOSES"><img width="273"
+             src="./images/264_th.jpg"
+             title="THE FINDING OF MOSES."
+             alt="THE FINDING OF MOSES." /></a>
+
+        <p><b>THE FINDING OF MOSES</b>&mdash;The daughter of
+        Pharaoh comes to the water's edge and finds the child. By
+        chance the child's mother is called as nurse, and it grew
+        and was brought to Pharaoh's daughter and became her
+        son.&mdash;(Exodus 2; 5-10).</p>
+    </div>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <p><br />
+    <a name="Page_4"
+       id="Page_4"></a></p>
+
+    <h2><a name="CONTENTS"
+       id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+    <p><a href="#THE_STORY_OF_ADAM_AND_EVE"><b>THE STORY OF ADAM
+    AND EVE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_NOAH_AND_THE_ARK"><b>THE STORY OF NOAH
+    AND THE ARK</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_HAGAR_AND_ISHMAEL"><b>THE STORY OF HAGAR
+    AND ISHMAEL</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_ABRAHAM_AND_ISAAC"><b>THE STORY OF
+    ABRAHAM AND ISAAC</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JACOB"><b>THE STORY OF
+    JACOB</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_SALE_OF_A_BIRTHRIGHT">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE
+    SALE OF A BIRTHRIGHT</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_LADDER_THAT_REACHED_TO_HEAVEN">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JOSEPH_AND_HIS_COAT_OF_MANY_COLORS"><b>THE
+    STORY OF JOSEPH</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JOSEPH_AND_HIS_COAT_OF_MANY_COLORS">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE COAT OF MANY COLORS</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_DREAMS_OF_A_KING">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE DREAMS
+    OF A KING</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_MONEY_IN_THE_SACKS">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE MONEY IN THE SACKS</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_MYSTERY_OF_THE_LOST_BROTHER">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BROTHER</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_MOSES_THE_CHILD_WHO_WAS_FOUND_IN_THE_RIVER">
+    <b>THE STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE
+    RIVER</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_GRAPES_FROM_CANAAN"><b>THE STORY OF
+    THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_GIDEON_AND_HIS_THREE_HUNDRED_SOLDIERS"><b>
+    THE STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED
+    SOLDIERS</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_SAMSON_THE_STRONG_MAN"><b>THE STORY OF
+    SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_RUTH_THE_GLEANER"><b>THE STORY OF RUTH,
+    THE GLEANER</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_DAVID_THE_SHEPHERD_BOY"><b>THE STORY OF
+    DAVID</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_DAVID_THE_SHEPHERD_BOY">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE SHEPHERD BOY</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIGHT_WITH_THE_GIANT">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_CAVE_OF_ADULLAM"><b>THE STORY OF THE
+    CAVE OF ADULLAM</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_SOLOMON_AND_HIS_TEMPLE"><b>THE STORY OF
+    SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_ELIJAH_THE_PROPHET"><b>THE STORY OF
+    ELIJAH, THE PROPHET</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JONAH_AND_THE_WHALE"><b>THE STORY OF
+    JONAH AND THE WHALE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIERY_FURNACE"><b>THE STORY OF THE
+    FIERY FURNACE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_DANIEL_IN_THE_LIONS_DEN"><b>THE STORY OF
+    DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_ANGEL_BY_THE_ALTAR"><b>THE STORY OF
+    THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JESUS_THE_BABE_OF_BETHLEHEM"><b>THE
+    STORY OF JESUS</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_JESUS_THE_BABE_OF_BETHLEHEM">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_STAR_AND_THE_WISE_MEN">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_CHILD_IN_THE_TEMPLE">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_WATER_THAT_WAS_TURNED_INTO_WINE">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_STRANGER_AT_THE_WELL">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE STRANGER AT THE WELL</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_FISHERMEN">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE
+    STORY OF THE FISHERMEN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_SERMON_ON_THE_MOUNT">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_MIRACLE_WORKER">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE STORY OF THE MIRACLE WORKER</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_GOOD_SHEPHERD_AND_THE_GOOD_SAMARITAN">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>
+    THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_PALM_BRANCHES">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE
+    STORY OF THE PALM BRANCHES</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_BETRAYAL">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE
+    STORY OF THE BETRAYAL</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_EMPTY_TOMB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>THE
+    STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_THE_MAN_AT_THE_BEAUTIFUL_GATE"><b>THE
+    STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_STORY_OF_STEPHEN_THE_FIRST_MARTYR"><b>THE STORY
+    OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR</b></a><br /></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_6"
+       id="Page_6"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS"
+       id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+    <p><a href="#COVER_PLATE"><b>Cover Plate</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#TITLE_PAGE"><b>Title Page</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_FINDING_OF_MOSES"><b>The Finding of
+    Moses</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEY_WERE_DRIVEN_FORTH_BY_AN_ANGEL"><b>They were
+    driven forth by an angel</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#CAIN_AND_ABEL"><b>Cain and Abel</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_WATER_ROSE_HIGHER_AND_HIGHER"><b>The water rose
+    higher and higher</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SO_NOAH_OPENED_THE_DOOR_OF_THE_ARK"><b>So Noah opened
+    the door of the ark</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#IN_SOME_WAY_SHE_LOST_THE_ROAD"><b>In some way she
+    lost the road</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#LEARNED_TO_SHOOT_WITH_THE_BOW_AND_ARROW"><b>Learned
+    to shoot with the bow and arrow</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#FOR_TWO_DAYS_THEY_WALKED"><b>For two days they
+    walked</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#GOD_WILL_PROVIDE_HIMSELF_A_LAMB_FOR_A_BURNT_OFFERING">
+    <b>"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
+    offering"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SELL_ME_YOUR_BIRTHRIGHT"><b>"Sell me your
+    birthright"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#NOW_MY_SON_DO_WHAT_I_TELL_YOU"><b>"Now, my son, do
+    what I tell you"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#MAY_NATIONS_BOW_DOWN_TO_YOU"><b>"May nations bow down
+    to you"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#ANGELS_WERE_UPON_THE_STAIRS"><b>Angels were upon the
+    stairs</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#JACOB_WENT_ONWARD_IN_HIS_LONG_JOURNEY"><b>Jacob went
+    onward in his long journey</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#BACK_TO_THE_LAND_OF_CANAAN"><b>Back to the Land of
+    Canaan</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#WALKING_NORTHWARD_OVER_THE_MOUNTAINS"><b>Walking
+    northward over the mountains</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#FOR_TWENTY_PIECES_OF_SILVER_THEY_SOLD_JOSEPH"><b>For
+    twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_TWO_DREAMS_HAVE_THE_SAME_MEANING"><b>The two
+    dreams have the same meaning</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#WHAT_WICKED_THING_IS_THIS_THAT_YOU_HAVE_DONE"><b>What
+    wicked thing is this that you have done?</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEY_MADE_THE_ISRAELITES_WORK_HARD"><b>They made the
+    Israelites work hard</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SHE_PLACED_HER_BABY_IN_THE_ARK"><b>She placed her
+    baby in the ark</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#MOSES_BECAME_A_SHEPHERD_IN_THE_WILDERNESS_OF_MIDIAN"><b>
+    Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of
+    Midian</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#GOD_FED_THEM_DAY_BY_DAY_WITH_MANNA"><b>God fed them
+    day by day with manna</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#A_CLUSTER_OF_GRAPES_SO_LARGE_THAT_TWO_MEN_CARRIED_IT">
+    <b>A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried
+    it</b></a><br />
+    <a name="Page_7"
+       id="Page_7"></a>
+       <a href="#THE_ANGEL_TOUCHED_THE_OFFERING_WITH_HIS_STAFF"><b>The
+       angel touched the offering with his staff</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_MEN_BLEW_THEIR_TRUMPETS_WITH_A_MIGHTY_NOISE"><b>The
+    men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#HE_CARRIED_OFF_THE_GATES_OF_THE_CITY"><b>He carried
+    off the gates of the city</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#HE_BOWED_FORWARD_WITH_ALL_HIS_MIGHT_AND_PULLED_THE_PILLARS_WITH_HIM">
+    <b>He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the pillars
+    with him</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#RUTH_WENT_OUT_INTO_THE_FIELDS_TO_GLEAN_THE_GRAIN"><b>Ruth
+    went out into the fields to glean the grain</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEN_SAMUEL_POURED_OIL_ON_DAVIDS_HEAD"><b>Then Samuel
+    poured oil on David's head</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_GIANT_LOOKED_DOWN_ON_THE_YOUTH_AND_DESPISED_HIM"><b>
+    The giant looked down on the youth and despised
+    him</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#DAVID_DREW_OUT_THE_GIANTS_OWN_SWORD"><b>David drew
+    out the giant's own sword</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SOLOMON_ON_HIS_THRONE"><b>Solomon on his
+    throne</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SUPPOSED_FORM_OF_SOLOMONS_TEMPLE"><b>Supposed form of
+    Solomon's Temple</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SHIP_IN_SOLOMONS_TIME"><b>Ship in Solomon's
+    time</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#DENOUNCED_AHAB_AND_JEZEBEL"><b>Denounced Ahab and
+    Jezebel</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#MADE_KING_WHEN_HE_WAS_ONLY_SEVEN_YEARS_OLD"><b>Made
+    king when he was only seven years old</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THIS_IS_THE_ARROW_OF_VICTORY"><b>"This is the arrow
+    of victory"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#TO_SHADE_JONAH_FROM_THE_SUN"><b>To shade Jonah from
+    the sun</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#NEBUCHADNEZZAR_WAS_FILLED_WITH_RAGE"><b>Nebuchadnezzar
+    was filled with rage</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#AN_ANGEL_BEFRIENDED_THEM"><b>An angel befriended
+    them</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THROWN_INTO_THE_DEN_OF_LIONS"><b>Thrown into the den
+    of lions</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#DANIELS_ANSWER_TO_THE_KING"><b>Daniel's Answer to the
+    King</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#DO_NOT_BE_AFRAID_ZACHARIAS"><b>"Do not be afraid,
+    Zacharias"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEY_WERE_FILLED_WITH_FEAR"><b>They were filled with
+    fear</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_BABY_IN_THE_MANGER"><b>The baby in the
+    manger</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_SHEPHERDS_IN_THE_FIELD"><b>The Shepherds in the
+    Field</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_WISE_MEN_WENT_THEIR_WAY"><b>The wise men went
+    their way</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#HE_TOOK_HIS_WIFE_AND_BABY_AND_WENT_DOWN_TO_EGYPT"><b>He
+    took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SITTING_IN_A_COMPANY_OF_THE_DOCTORS_OF_THE_LAW"><b>Sitting
+    in a company of the doctors of the law</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#FILL_THE_JARS_WITH_WATER"><b>"Fill the jars with
+    water"</b></a><br />
+    <a name="Page_8"
+       id="Page_8"></a> <a href="#TAKE_THESE_THINGS_AWAY"><b>"Take
+       these things away"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_NET_CAUGHT_SO_MANY_FISHES_THEY_COULD_NOT_PULL_IT_UP">
+    <b>The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it
+    up</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#I_CAME_NOT_TO_CALL_THOSE_WHO_THINK_THEMSELVES_TO_BE_GOOD">
+    <b>"I came not to call those who think themselves to be
+    good"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEN_ON_THE_MOUNTAIN_HE_PREACHED"><b>Then, on the
+    mountain, he preached</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SPEAK_THE_WORD_AND_MY_SERVANT_SHALL_BE_CURED"><b>"Speak
+    the word and my servant shall be cured"</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_CHILDREN_LOVED_TO_GATHER_AROUND_HIM"><b>The
+    children loved to gather around him</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEN_HE_LIFTED_HIM_UP"><b>Then he lifted him
+    up</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#CAME_TO_BETHANY_WHERE_HIS_FRIENDS_MARTHA_AND_MARY_LIVED">
+    <b>Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary
+    lived</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#SHE_WIPED_HIS_FEET_WITH_HER_HAIR"><b>She wiped his
+    feet with her hair</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THEY_THREW_THEIR_GARMENTS_UPON_THE_GROUND_FOR_JESUS_TO_RIDE_UPON">
+    <b>They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride
+    upon</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#THE_GREAT_CITY_WAS_DEAF_TO_HIS_PLEADINGS"><b>The
+    great city was deaf to his pleadings</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#PETER_DENIES_CHRIST"><b>Peter Denies
+    Christ</b></a><br />
+    <a href="#HE_HEARD_THEIR_COMPLAINTS"><b>He heard their
+    complaints</b></a><br /></p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_9"
+       id="Page_9"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="INTRODUCTION"
+       id="INTRODUCTION"></a> INTRODUCTION</h2>
+
+    <p>The Bible is one of the two or three oldest books in the
+    world, but unlike most of the ancient books, it is found not
+    only in great libraries, but in almost every home of the
+    civilized world; and it is not only studied by learned
+    scholars, but read by the common people; and its many stories
+    grasp and hold the attention of little children. Happy is that
+    child who has heard, over and over again, the Bible stories
+    until they have become fixed in his mind and memory, to become
+    the foundations of a noble life.</p>
+
+    <p>It is with the desire of aiding parents and teachers in
+    telling these stories, and aiding children to understand them,
+    also in the hope that they may be read in many schools, that a
+    few among the many interesting stories in the Bible have been
+    chosen, brought together and as far as necessary simplified to
+    meet the minds of the young.</p>
+
+    <div class="figright">
+        <img width="350"
+             src="images/signature.png"
+             alt="Jesse Lyman Hurlbut" />
+
+        <p>Jesse Lyman Hurlbut</p><br />
+        <br />
+        <br />
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_10"
+       id="Page_10"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_ADAM_AND_EVE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_ADAM_AND_EVE"></a>THE STORY OF ADAM AND
+       EVE</h2>
+
+    <p>The first man's name was Adam and his wife he called Eve.
+    They lived in a beautiful Garden away in the East Country which
+    was called Eden, filled with beautiful trees and flowers of all
+    kinds. But they did not live in Eden long for they did not obey
+    God's command, but ate the fruit of a tree which had been
+    forbidden them. They were driven forth by an angel and had to
+    give up their beautiful home.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEY_WERE_DRIVEN_FORTH_BY_AN_ANGEL"
+             id="THEY_WERE_DRIVEN_FORTH_BY_AN_ANGEL"><img src="./images/figure3_th.jpg"
+             title="They were driven forth by an angel"
+             alt="They were driven forth by an angel" /></a><br />
+        <i>They were driven forth by an angel</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>So Adam and his wife went out into the world to live and to
+    work. For a time they were all alone, but after a while God
+    gave them a little child of their own, <a name="Page_11"
+       id="Page_11"></a>the first baby that ever came into the
+       world. Eve named him Cain; and after a time another baby
+       came, whom she named Abel.</p>
+
+    <p>When the two boys grew up, they worked, as their father
+    worked before them. Cain, the older brother, chose to work in
+    the fields, and to raise grain and fruits. Abel, the younger
+    brother, had a flock of sheep and became a shepherd.</p>
+
+    <p>While Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden, they
+    could talk with God and hear God's voice speaking to them. But
+    now that they were out in the world, they could no longer talk
+    with God freely, as before. So when they came to God, they
+    built an altar of stones heaped up, and upon it, they laid
+    something as a gift to God, and burned it, to show that it was
+    not their own, but was given to God, whom they could not see.
+    Then before the altar they made their prayer to God, and asked
+    God to forgive their sins, all that they had done was wrong;
+    and prayed God to bless them and do good to them.</p>
+
+    <p>Each of these brothers, Cain and Abel, offered upon the
+    altar to God his own gift. Cain brought the fruits and the
+    grain which he had grown; and Abel brought a sheep from his
+    flock, and killed it and burned it upon the altar. For some
+    reason God was pleased with Abel and his offering, but was not
+    pleased with Cain and his offering. Perhaps God wished Cain to
+    offer something <a name="Page_12"
+       id="Page_12"></a>that had life, as Abel offered; perhaps
+       Cain's heart was not right when he came before God.</p>
+
+    <p>And God showed that He was not pleased with Cain; and Cain,
+    instead of being sorry for his sin, and asking God to forgive
+    him, was very angry with God, and angry also toward his brother
+    Abel. When they were out in the field together Cain struck his
+    brother Abel and killed him. So the first baby in the world
+    grew up to be the murderer of his own brother.</p>
+
+    <p>And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your
+    brother?"</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="CAIN_AND_ABEL"
+             id="CAIN_AND_ABEL"><img src="./images/figure4_th.jpg"
+             title="Cain and Abel"
+             alt="Cain and Abel" /></a><br />
+        <i>Cain and Abel</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And Cain answered, "I do not know; why should I take care of
+    my brother?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then the Lord said to Cain, "What is this that you have
+    done? Your brother's blood is like a voice crying to me from
+    the ground. Do you see how the ground has opened, like a mouth,
+    to drink your brother's blood? As long as you live, you shall
+    be under God's curse for the murder of your brother. You shall
+    wander over the earth, and <a name="Page_13"
+       id="Page_13"></a>shall never find a home, because you have
+       done this wicked deed."</p>
+
+    <p>And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I
+    can bear. Thou hast driven me out from among men; and thou hast
+    hid thy face from me. If any man finds me he will kill me,
+    because I shall be alone, and no one will be my friend."</p>
+
+    <p>And God said to Cain, "If any one harms Cain, he shall be
+    punished for it." And the Lord God placed a mark on Cain, so
+    that whoever met him should know him and should know also that
+    God had forbidden any man to harm him. Then Cain and his wife
+    went away from Adam's home to live in a place by themselves,
+    and there they had children. And Cain's family built a city in
+    that land; and Cain named the city after his first child, whom
+    he had called Enoch.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_14"
+       id="Page_14"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_NOAH_AND_THE_ARK"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_NOAH_AND_THE_ARK"></a>THE STORY OF NOAH AND
+       THE ARK</h2>
+
+    <p>After Abel was slain, and his brother Cain had gone into
+    another land, again God gave a child to Adam and Eve. This
+    child they named Seth; and other sons and daughters were given
+    to them; for Adam and Eve lived many years. But at last they
+    died, as God had said they must die, because they had eaten of
+    the tree that God had forbidden them to eat.</p>
+
+    <p>By the time that Adam died, there were many people on the
+    earth; for the children of Adam and Eve had many other
+    children; and when these grew up they had other children; and
+    these had children also. These men and women and children lived
+    in tents. They owned sheep and cattle, and they moved about
+    with them, wherever they could find pasture. The children
+    played around the tent doors, and sat beside the camp-fires in
+    the evenings, where they all sang together, and the older
+    people told them stories. And after a time this land where
+    Adam's sons lived began to be full of people.</p>
+
+    <p>It is sad to tell that as time went on more and more of
+    these people became wicked, and fewer and fewer of them grew up
+    to become good men and women. All the people lived near
+    together, and few went away to other lands; so it came to
+    <a name="Page_15"
+       id="Page_15"></a>pass that even the children of good men and
+       women learned to be bad, like the people around them, and no
+       longer did what was right and good.</p>
+
+    <p>And as God looked down on the world that he had made, he saw
+    how wicked the men in it had become, and that every thought and
+    every act of man was evil and only evil continually.</p>
+
+    <p>But while most of the people in the world were very wicked,
+    there were some good people also, though they were very few.
+    The best of all the men who lived at that time was a man whose
+    name was Enoch. He was not the son of Cain, but another Enoch,
+    who came from the family of Seth, the son of Adam, who was born
+    after the death of Abel. While so many around Enoch were doing
+    evil, this man did only what was right. He walked with God and
+    God walked with him, and talked with him. And at last, when
+    Enoch was a very old man and weary with life, God took him away
+    from earth to heaven. He did not die, as all the people have
+    since Adam disobeyed God, but "he was not, for God took him."
+    This means that Enoch was taken up from earth without
+    dying.</p>
+
+    <p>All the people in the time of Enoch were not shepherds. Some
+    of them had learned how to make rude bows and arrows and axes
+    and plows. And after a long time they melted iron, and they
+    <a name="Page_16"
+       id="Page_16"></a>made knives and swords and dishes to use in
+       their homes. They sowed grain in the fields and reaped
+       harvests, and they planted vines and fruit trees. But God
+       looked down on the earth and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I will take away all men from the earth that I have made;
+    because the men of the world are evil, and do evil
+    continually."</p>
+
+    <p>But even in those bad times God saw one good man. His name
+    was Noah. Noah tried to do right in the sight of God. As Enoch
+    had walked with God, so Noah walked with God, and talked with
+    him. And Noah had three sons; their names were Shem, and Ham,
+    and Japheth.</p>
+
+    <p>God said to Noah, "The time has come when all the men and
+    women on the earth are to be destroyed. Every one must die,
+    because they are all wicked. But you and your family shall be
+    saved, because you alone are trying to do right."</p>
+
+    <p>Then God told Noah how he might save his life and the lives
+    of his sons. He was to build a very large boat, as large as the
+    largest ships that are made in our time; very long, and very
+    wide and very deep; with a roof over it; and made like a long,
+    wide house in three stories; but so built that it would float
+    on the water. Such a ship as this was called "an ark." God told
+    Noah to build this ark, and to have it ready for the time when
+    he would need it.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_17"
+       id="Page_17"></a>For," said God to Noah, "I am going to
+       bring a great flood of water on the earth to cover all the
+       land and to drown all the people on the earth. And as the
+       animals on the earth will be drowned with the people, you
+       must make the ark large enough to hold a pair of each kind
+       of animals and several pairs of some animals that are needed
+       by men, like sheep and goats and oxen; so that there will be
+       animals as well as men to live upon the earth after the
+       flood has passed away. And you must take in the ark food for
+       yourself and your family, and for all the animals with you;
+       enough food to last for a year, while the flood shall stay
+       on the earth."</p>
+
+    <p>And Noah did what God told him to do, although it must have
+    seemed very strange to all the people around, to build this
+    great ark where there was no water for it to sail upon. And it
+    was a long time, because this ship was so big, that Noah and
+    his sons were at work building the ark, which God had told them
+    to build, while the wicked people around wondered, and no doubt
+    laughed at Noah for building a great ship where there was no
+    sea.</p>
+
+    <p>At last the ark was finished, and stood like a great house
+    on the land. There was a door on one side, and a window on the
+    roof, to let in the light. Then God said to Noah:</p>
+
+    <p>"Come into the ark, you and your wife, and <a name="Page_18"
+       id="Page_18"></a>your three sons, and their wives with them;
+       for the flood of waters will come very soon. And take with
+       you animals of all kinds, and birds, and things that creep;
+       seven pairs of these that will be needed by men, and one
+       pair of all the rest, so that all kinds of animals may be
+       kept alive upon the earth."</p>
+
+    <p>So Noah and his wife, and his three sons, Shem, Ham and
+    Japheth, with their wives, went into the ark. And God brought
+    to the door of the ark the animals, and the birds, and the
+    creeping things of all kinds; and they went into the ark. And
+    Noah and his sons put them in their places, and brought in food
+    enough to feed them all for many days. And then the door of the
+    ark was shut and no more people and no more animals could come
+    in.</p>
+
+    <p>In a few days the rain began to fall, as it had never rained
+    before. It seemed as though the heavens were opened to pour
+    great floods upon the earth. The streams filled, and the rivers
+    rose higher and higher, and the ark began to float on the
+    water. The people left their houses and ran up to the hills;
+    but soon the hills were covered, and all the people on them
+    were drowned.</p>
+
+    <p>Some had climbed up to the tops of higher mountains, but the
+    water rose higher and higher, until even the mountains were
+    covered and all the people, wicked as they had been, were
+    <a name="Page_19"
+       id="Page_19"></a>drowned in the great sea that now rolled
+       over all the earth where man had lived. And all the animals,
+       the tame animals, cattle, and sheep, and oxen, were drowned;
+       and the wild animals, lions, and tigers, and all the rest
+       were drowned also. Even the birds were drowned, for their
+       nests in the trees were swept away, and there was no place
+       where they could fly from the terrible storm. For forty days
+       and nights the rain kept on, until there was no breath of
+       life remaining outside of the ark.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_WATER_ROSE_HIGHER_AND_HIGHER"
+             id="THE_WATER_ROSE_HIGHER_AND_HIGHER"><img src="./images/figure5_th.jpg"
+             title="The water rose higher and higher"
+             alt="The water rose higher and higher" /></a><br />
+        <i>The water rose higher and higher</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>After forty days the rain stopped, but the water stayed upon
+    the earth for more than six months, and the ark with all that
+    were in it floated over the great sea that covered the land.
+    Then God sent a wind to blow over the waters, and to dry them
+    up; so by degrees the waters grew less and less. First
+    mountains rose above the waters, <a name="Page_20"
+       id="Page_20"></a>then the hills rose up, and finally the ark
+       ceased to float and lay aground on a mountain which is
+       called Mount Ararat.</p>
+
+    <p>But Noah could not see what had happened on the earth,
+    because the door was shut, and the only window was up in the
+    roof. But he felt that the ark was no longer moving, and he
+    knew that the water must have gone down. So, after waiting for
+    a time, Noah opened a window, and let loose a bird called a
+    raven. Now the raven has strong wings; and this raven flew
+    round and round until the waters had gone down, and it could
+    find a place to rest, and it did not come back to the ark.</p>
+
+    <p>After Noah had waited for it awhile, he sent out a dove; but
+    the dove could not find any place to rest, so it flew back to
+    the ark, and Noah took it into the ark again. Then Noah waited
+    a week longer, and afterward he sent out the dove again. And at
+    the evening, the dove came back to the ark, which was its home;
+    and in its bill was a fresh leaf which it had picked off from
+    an olive tree.</p>
+
+    <p>So Noah knew that the water had gone down enough to let the
+    trees grow again. He waited another week, and sent out the dove
+    again; but this time the dove flew away and never came back.
+    And Noah knew that the earth was becoming dry again. So he took
+    off a part of the roof, and looked out, and saw that there was
+    dry land all <a name="Page_21"
+       id="Page_21"></a>around the ark, and the waters were no
+       longer everywhere.</p>
+
+    <p>Noah had now lived in the ark a little more than a year, and
+    he was glad to see the green land and the trees once more. And
+    God said to Noah:</p>
+
+    <p>"Come out of the ark, with your wife, and your sons, and
+    their wives, and all the living things that are with you in the
+    ark."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SO_NOAH_OPENED_THE_DOOR_OF_THE_ARK"
+             id="SO_NOAH_OPENED_THE_DOOR_OF_THE_ARK"><img src="./images/figure6_th.jpg"
+             title="So Noah opened the door of the Ark"
+             alt="So Noah opened the door of the Ark" /></a><br />
+        <i>So Noah opened the door of the Ark</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>So Noah opened the door of the ark, and with his family came
+    out, and stood once more on the ground. And the animals, and
+    birds, and creeping things in the ark, came out also, and began
+    again to bring life to the earth.</p>
+
+    <p>The first thing that Noah did when he came out of the ark,
+    was to give thanks to God for saving all his family when the
+    rest of the people on <a name="Page_22"
+       id="Page_22"></a>the earth were destroyed. He built an
+       altar, and laid upon it an offering to the Lord, and gave
+       himself and his family to God and promised to do God's
+       will.</p>
+
+    <p>And God was pleased with Noah's offering, and God said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I will not again destroy the earth on account of men, no
+    matter how bad they may be. From this time no flood shall again
+    cover the earth; but the seasons of spring and summer and fall
+    and winter, shall remain without change. I give to you the
+    earth; you shall be the rulers of the ground and of every
+    living thing upon it."</p>
+
+    <p>Then God caused a rainbow to appear in the sky, and he told
+    Noah and his sons that whenever they or the people after them
+    should see the rainbow, they should remember that God had
+    placed it in the sky and over the clouds as a sign of his
+    promise, that he would always remember the earth, and the
+    people upon it, and would never again send a flood to destroy
+    man from the earth.</p>
+
+    <p>So as often as we see the beautiful rainbow, we are to
+    remember that it is the sign of God's promise to the world.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_23"
+       id="Page_23"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_HAGAR_AND_ISHMAEL"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_HAGAR_AND_ISHMAEL"></a>THE STORY OF HAGAR
+       AND ISHMAEL</h2>
+
+    <p>After the great flood the family of Noah and those who came
+    after him grew in number, until, as the years went on, the
+    earth began to be full of people once more. But there was one
+    great difference between the people who had lived before the
+    flood and those who lived after it. Before the flood, all the
+    people stayed close together, so that very many lived in one
+    land, and no one lived in other lands. After the flood families
+    began to move from one place to another, seeking for themselves
+    new homes. Some went one way, and some another, so that as the
+    number of people grew, they covered much more of the earth than
+    those who had lived before the flood.</p>
+
+    <p>Part of the people went up to the north and built a city
+    called Nineveh, which became the ruling city of a great land
+    called Assyria, whose people were called Assyrians.</p>
+
+    <p>Another company went away to the west and settled by the
+    great river Nile, and founded the land of Egypt, with its
+    strange temples and pyramids, its sphinx and its monuments.</p>
+
+    <p>Another company wandered northwest until they came to the
+    shore of the great sea which <a name="Page_24"
+       id="Page_24"></a>they called the Mediterranean Sea. There
+       they founded the cities of Sidon and Tyre, where the people
+       were sailors, sailing to countries far away, and bringing
+       home many things from other lands to sell to the people of
+       Babylon, and Assyria, and Egypt, and other countries.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the many cities which the people built were two called
+    Sodom and Gomorrah. The people in these cities were very wicked
+    and were nearly all destroyed. One good man named Lot and his
+    family escaped. There was another good man named Abraham who
+    did not live in these cities. He tried to do God's will and was
+    promised a son to bring joy into his family.</p>
+
+    <p>After Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Abraham moved his
+    tent and his camp away from that part of the land, and went to
+    live near a place called Gerar, in the southwest, not far from
+    the Great Sea. And there at last, the child whom God had
+    promised to Abraham and Sarah, his wife, was born, when
+    Abraham, his father, was a very old man.</p>
+
+    <p>They named this child Isaac, as the angel had told them he
+    should be named. And Abraham and Sarah were so happy to have a
+    little boy, that after a time they gave a great feast and
+    invited all the people to come and rejoice with them, and all
+    in honor of the little Isaac.</p>
+
+    <p>Now Sarah had a maid named Hagar, an<a name="Page_25"
+       id="Page_25"></a> Egyptian woman, who ran away from her
+       mistress, and saw an angel by a well, and afterward came
+       back to Sarah. She, too, had a child and his name was
+       Ishmael. So now there were two boys in Abraham's tent, the
+       older boy, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, and the younger boy,
+       Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.</p>
+
+    <p>Ishmael did not like the little Isaac, and did not treat him
+    kindly. This made his mother Sarah very angry, and she said to
+    her husband:</p>
+
+    <p>"I do not wish to have this boy Ishmael growing up with my
+    son Isaac. Send away Hagar and her boy, for they are a trouble
+    to me."</p>
+
+    <p>And Abraham felt very sorry to have trouble come between
+    Sarah and Hagar, and between Isaac and Ishmael; for Abraham was
+    a kind and good man, and he was friendly to them all.</p>
+
+    <p>But the Lord said to Abraham, "Do not be troubled about
+    Ishmael and his mother. Do as Sarah has asked you to do, and
+    send them away. It is best that Isaac should be left alone in
+    your tent, for he is to receive everything that is yours. I the
+    Lord will take care of Ishmael, and will make a great people of
+    his descendants, those who shall come from him."</p>
+
+    <p>So the next morning Abraham sent Hagar and her boy away,
+    expecting them to go back to the land of Egypt, from which
+    Hagar had come. He gave them some food for the journey, and
+    <a name="Page_26"
+       id="Page_26"></a>a bottle of water to drink by the way. The
+       bottles in that country are not like ours, made of glass.
+       They are made from the skin of a goat. One of these
+       skin-bottles Abraham filled with water and gave to
+       Hagar.</p>
+
+    <p>And Hagar went away from Abraham's tent, leading her little
+    boy. But in some way she lost the road, and wandered over the
+    desert, not knowing where she was, until all the water in the
+    bottle was used up; and her poor boy in the hot sun and the
+    burning sand had nothing to drink. She thought that he would
+    die of his terrible thirst; and she laid him down under a
+    little bush; and then she went away, for she said to
+    herself:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="IN_SOME_WAY_SHE_LOST_THE_ROAD"
+             id="IN_SOME_WAY_SHE_LOST_THE_ROAD"><img src="./images/figure7_th.jpg"
+             title="In some way she lost the road"
+             alt="In some way she lost the road" /></a><br />
+        <i>In some way she lost the road</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"I cannot bear to look at my poor boy suffering and dying
+    for want of water."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_27"
+       id="Page_27"></a>And just at that moment, while Hagar was
+       crying, and her boy was moaning with thirst, she heard a
+       voice saying to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"Hagar, what is your trouble? Do not be afraid. God has
+    heard your cry and the cry of your child. God will take care of
+    you both, and will make of your boy a great nation of
+    people."</p>
+
+    <p>It was the voice of an angel from heaven; and then Hagar
+    looked, and there, close at hand, was a spring of water in the
+    desert. How glad Hagar was as she filled the bottle with water
+    and took it to her suffering boy under the bush!</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="LEARNED_TO_SHOOT_WITH_THE_BOW_AND_ARROW"
+             id="LEARNED_TO_SHOOT_WITH_THE_BOW_AND_ARROW"><img src="./images/figure8_th.jpg"
+             title="Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow"
+             alt="Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>After this Hagar did not go down to Egypt. She found a place
+    where she lived and brought up her son in the wilderness, far
+    from other people. And Ishmael grew up in the desert and
+    learned to shoot with the bow and arrow. He became
+    <a name="Page_28"
+       id="Page_28"></a>a wild man, and his children after him grew
+       up to be wild men also. They were the Arabians of the
+       desert, who even to this day have never been ruled by any
+       other people, but wander through the desert, and live as
+       they please. So Ishmael came to be the father of many
+       people, and his descendants, the wild Arabians of the
+       desert, are living unto this day in that land.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_29"
+       id="Page_29"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_ABRAHAM_AND_ISAAC"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_ABRAHAM_AND_ISAAC"></a>THE STORY OF ABRAHAM
+       AND ISAAC</h2>
+
+    <p>You remember that in those times of which we are telling,
+    when men worshipped God, they built an altar of earth or of
+    stone, and laid an offering upon it as a gift to God. The
+    offering was generally a sheep, or a goat, or a young
+    ox&mdash;some animal that was used for food. Such an offering
+    was called "a sacrifice."</p>
+
+    <p>But the people who worshipped idols often did what seems to
+    us strange and very terrible. They thought that it would please
+    their gods if they would offer as a sacrifice the most precious
+    living things that were their own; and they would take their
+    own little children and kill them upon their altars as
+    offerings to the gods of wood and stone, that were no real
+    gods, but only images.</p>
+
+    <p>God wished to show Abraham and all his descendants, those
+    who should come after him, that he was not pleased with such
+    offerings as those of living people, killed on the altars. And
+    God took a way to teach Abraham, so that he and his children
+    after him would never forget it. Then at the same time he
+    wished to see how faithful and obedient Abraham would be to his
+    <a name="Page_30"
+       id="Page_30"></a>commands; how fully Abraham would trust in
+       God, or, as we would say, how great was Abraham's faith in
+       God.</p>
+
+    <p>So God gave to Abraham a command which he did not mean to
+    have obeyed, though this he did not tell to Abraham. He
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love so
+    greatly, and go to the land of Moriah, and there on a mountain
+    that I will show you, offer him for a burnt-offering to
+    me."</p>
+
+    <p>Though this command filled Abraham's heart with pain, yet he
+    would not be as surprised to receive it as a father would in
+    our day; for such offerings were very common among all those
+    people in the land where Abraham lived. Abraham never for one
+    moment doubted or disobeyed God's word. He knew that Isaac was
+    the child whom God had promised, and that God had promised,
+    too, that Isaac should have children, and that those coming
+    from Isaac should be a great nation. He did not see how God
+    could keep his promise with regard to Isaac, if Isaac should be
+    killed as an offering; unless indeed God should raise him up
+    from the dead afterward.</p>
+
+    <p>But Abraham undertook at once to obey. God's command. He
+    took two young men with him and an ass laden with wood for the
+    fire; and he went toward the mountain in the
+    north,<a name="Page_31"
+       id="Page_31"></a> Isaac, his son, walking by his side. For
+       two days they walked, sleeping under the trees at night in
+       the open country. And on the third day Abraham saw the
+       mountain far away. And as they drew near to the mountain
+       Abraham said to the young men:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="FOR_TWO_DAYS_THEY_WALKED"
+             id="FOR_TWO_DAYS_THEY_WALKED"><img src="./images/figure9_th.jpg"
+             title="For two days they walked"
+             alt="For two days they walked" /></a><br />
+        <i>For two days they walked</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Stay here with the ass, while I go up yonder mountain with
+    Isaac to worship; and when we have worshipped, we will come
+    back to you."<a name="Page_32"
+       id="Page_32"></a> For Abraham believed that in some way God
+       would bring back Isaac to life. He took the wood from the
+       ass and placed it on Isaac, and they two walked up the
+       mountain together. As they were walking, Isaac said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Father, here is the wood, but where is the lamb for the
+    offering?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a Lamb
+    for a burnt offering."</p>
+
+    <p>And they came to the place on the top of the mountain. There
+    Abraham built an altar of stones and earth heaped up; and on it
+    he placed the wood. Then he tied the hands and the feet of
+    Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. And Abraham
+    lifted up his hand, holding a knife to kill his son. Another
+    moment longer and Isaac would be slain by his own father's
+    hand.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="GOD_WILL_PROVIDE_HIMSELF_A_LAMB_FOR_A_BURNT_OFFERING"
+             id="GOD_WILL_PROVIDE_HIMSELF_A_LAMB_FOR_A_BURNT_OFFERING"><img src="./images/figure10_th.jpg"
+             title="God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering"
+             alt="God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
+        offering"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>But just at that moment the angel of the<a name="Page_33"
+       id="Page_33"></a> Lord out of heaven called to Abraham, and
+       said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Abraham! Abraham!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Abraham answered, "Here I am, Lord." Then the angel of
+    the Lord said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do not lay your hand upon your son. Do no harm to him. Now
+    I know that you love God more than you love your only son, and
+    that you are obedient to God, since you are ready to give up
+    your son, your only son, to God."</p>
+
+    <p>What a relief and a joy these words from heaven brought to
+    the heart of Abraham! How glad he was to know that it was not
+    God's will for him to kill his son! Then Abraham looked around,
+    and there in the thicket was a ram caught by his horns. And
+    Abraham took the ram and offered him up for a burnt-offering in
+    place of his son. So Abraham's words came true when he said
+    that God would provide for himself a lamb.</p>
+
+    <p>The place where this altar was built Abraham named
+    Jehovah-jireh, words in the language that Abraham spoke
+    meaning, "The Lord will provide."</p>
+
+    <p>This offering, which seems so strange, did much good. It
+    showed to Abraham, and to Isaac also, that Isaac belonged to
+    God, for to God he had been offered; and in Isaac all those who
+    should come from him, his descendants, had <a name="Page_34"
+       id="Page_34"></a>been given to God. Then it showed to
+       Abraham and to all the people after him, that God did not
+       wish children or men killed as offerings for worship; and
+       while all the people around offered such sacrifices, the
+       Israelites, who came from Abraham and from Isaac, never
+       offered them, but offered oxen and sheep and goats
+       instead.</p>
+
+    <p>These gifts, which cost so much toil, they felt must be
+    pleasing to God, because they expressed their thankfulness to
+    him. But they were glad to be taught that God does not desire
+    men's lives to be taken, but loves our living gifts of love and
+    kindness.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_35"
+       id="Page_35"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_JACOB"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_JACOB"></a>THE STORY OF JACOB</h2>
+
+    <p>After Abraham died, his son Isaac lived in the land of
+    Canaan. Like his father, Isaac had his home in a tent; around
+    him were the tents of his people, and many flocks of sheep and
+    herds of cattle feeding wherever they could find grass to eat
+    and water to drink.</p>
+
+    <p>Isaac and his wife Rebekah had two children. The older was
+    named Esau and the younger Jacob.</p>
+
+    <p>Esau was a man of the woods and very fond of hunting; and he
+    was rough and covered with hair.</p>
+
+    <p>Jacob was quiet and thoughtful, staying at home, dwelling in
+    a tent, and caring for the flocks of his father.</p>
+
+    <p>Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, because Esau brought to
+    his father that which he had killed in his hunting; but Rebekah
+    liked Jacob, because she saw that he was wise and careful in
+    his work.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the people in those lands, when a man dies, his older
+    son receives twice as much as the younger of what the father
+    has owned. This was called his "birthright," for it was his
+    right as the oldest born. So Esau, as the older, had a
+    "birthright" to more of Isaac's possessions
+    than<a name="Page_36"
+       id="Page_36"></a> Jacob. And besides this, there was the
+       privilege of the promise of God that the family of Isaac
+       should receive great blessings.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_SALE_OF_A_BIRTHRIGHT"
+       id="THE_SALE_OF_A_BIRTHRIGHT"></a>THE SALE OF A
+       BIRTHRIGHT</h2>
+
+    <p>Now Esau, when he grew up, did not care for his birthright
+    or the blessing which God had promised. But Jacob, who was a
+    wise man, wished greatly to have the birthright which would
+    come to Esau when his father died. Once, when Esau came home,
+    hungry and tired from hunting in the fields, he saw that Jacob
+    had a bowl of something that he had just cooked for dinner. And
+    Esau said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Give me some of that red stuff in the dish. Will you not
+    give me some? I am hungry."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SELL_ME_YOUR_BIRTHRIGHT"
+             id="SELL_ME_YOUR_BIRTHRIGHT"><img src="./images/figure11_th.jpg"
+             title="Sell me your birthright"
+             alt="Sell me your birthright" /></a><br />
+        <i>"Sell me your birthright"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_37"
+       id="Page_37"></a>And Jacob answered, "I will give it to you,
+       if you will first of all sell to me your birthright."</p>
+
+    <p>And Esau said, "What is the use of the birthright to me now,
+    when I am almost starving to death? You can have my birthright
+    if you will give me something to eat."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Esau made Jacob a solemn promise to give to Jacob his
+    birthright, all for a bowl of food. It was not right for Jacob
+    to deal so selfishly with his brother; but it was very wrong in
+    Esau to care so little for his birthright and God's
+    blessing.</p>
+
+    <p>Some time after this, when Esau was forty years old, he
+    married two wives. Though this would be very wicked in our
+    times, it was not supposed to be wrong then; for even good men
+    then had more than one wife. But Esau's two wives were women
+    from the people of Canaan, who worshipped idols, and not the
+    true God. And they taught their children also to pray to idols;
+    so that those who came from Esau, the people who were his
+    descendants, lost all knowledge of God, and became very wicked.
+    But this was long after that time.</p>
+
+    <p>Isaac and Rebekah were very sorry to have their son Esau
+    marry women who prayed to idols and not to God; but still Isaac
+    loved his active son Esau more than his quiet son Jacob. But
+    Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_38"
+       id="Page_38"></a>Isaac became at last very old and feeble,
+       and so blind that he could see scarcely anything. One day he
+       said to Esau:</p>
+
+    <p>"My son, I am very old, and do not know how soon I must die.
+    But before I die, I wish to give to you, as my older son, God's
+    blessing upon you, and your children, and your descendants. Go
+    out into the fields, and with your bow and arrows shoot some
+    animal that is good for food, and make for me a dish of cooked
+    meat such as you know I love; and after I have eaten it I will
+    give you the blessing."</p>
+
+    <p>Now Esau ought to have told his father that the blessing did
+    not belong to him, for he had sold it to his brother Jacob. But
+    he did not tell his father. He went out into the fields
+    hunting, to find the kind of meat which his father liked the
+    most.</p>
+
+    <p>Now Rebekah was listening, and heard all that Isaac had said
+    to Esau. She knew that it would be better for Jacob to have the
+    blessing than for Esau; and she loved Jacob more than Esau. So
+    she called to Jacob and told him what Isaac had said to Esau,
+    and she said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Now, my son, do what I tell you, and you will get the
+    blessing instead of your brother. Go to the flocks and bring to
+    me two little kids from the goats, and I will cook them just
+    like the meat which Esau cooks for your father. And you will
+    <a name="Page_39"
+       id="Page_39"></a>bring it to your father, and he will think
+       that you are Esau, and will give you the blessing; and it
+       really belongs to you."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="NOW_MY_SON_DO_WHAT_I_TELL_YOU"
+             id="NOW_MY_SON_DO_WHAT_I_TELL_YOU"><img src="./images/figure12_th.jpg"
+             title="Now, my son, do what I tell you"
+             alt="Now, my son, do what I tell you" /></a><br />
+        <i>"Now, my son, do what I tell you"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>But Jacob said, "You know that Esau and I are not alike. His
+    neck and arms are covered with hairs, while mine are smooth. My
+    father will feel of me, and he will find that I am
+    not<a name="Page_40"
+       id="Page_40"></a> Esau; and then, instead of giving me a
+       blessing, I am afraid that he will curse me."</p>
+
+    <p>But Rebekah answered her son, "Never mind; you do as I have
+    told you, and I will take care of you. If any harm comes it
+    will come to me; so do not be afraid, but go and bring the
+    meat."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jacob went and brought a pair of little kids from the
+    flocks, and from them his mother made a dish of food, so that
+    it would be to the taste just as Isaac liked it. Then Rebekah
+    found some of Esau's clothes, and dressed Jacob in them; and
+    she placed on his neck and hands some of the skins of the kids,
+    so that his neck and his hands would feel rough and hairy to
+    the touch.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jacob came into his father's tent, bringing the dinner,
+    and speaking as much like Esau as he could, he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Here I am, my father."</p>
+
+    <p>And Isaac said, "Who are you, my son?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob answered, "I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done
+    as you bade me; now sit up and eat the dinner that I have made,
+    and then give me your blessing as you promised me."</p>
+
+    <p>And Isaac said, "How is it that you found it so
+    quickly?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jacob answered, "Because the Lord your God showed me where
+    to go and gave me good success."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_41"
+       id="Page_41"></a>Isaac did not feel certain that it was his
+       son Esau, and he said, "Come near and let me feel you, so
+       that I may know that you are really my son Esau."</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob went up close to Isaac's bed, and Isaac felt of
+    his face, and his neck, and his hands, and he said:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="MAY_NATIONS_BOW_DOWN_TO_YOU"
+             id="MAY_NATIONS_BOW_DOWN_TO_YOU"><img src="./images/figure13_th.jpg"
+             title="May nations bow down to you."
+             alt="May nations bow down to you." /></a><br />
+        <i>"May nations bow down to you."</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"The voice sounds like Jacob, but the hands are the hands of
+    Esau. Are you really my son Esau?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob told a lie to his father, and said, "I am."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the old man ate the food that Jacob had
+    <a name="Page_42"
+       id="Page_42"></a>brought to him; and he kissed Jacob,
+       believing him to be Esau; and he gave him the blessing,
+       saying to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"May God give you the dew of heaven, and the richness of the
+    earth, and plenty of grain and wine. May nations bow down to
+    you and peoples become your servants. May you be the master
+    over your brother, and may your family and descendants that
+    shall come from you rule over his family and his descendants.
+    Blessed be those that bless you, and cursed be those that curse
+    you."</p>
+
+    <p>Just as soon as Jacob had received the blessing he rose up
+    and hastened away. He had scarcely gone out, when Esau came in
+    from hunting, with the dish of food that he had cooked. And he
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Let my father sit up and eat the food that I have brought,
+    and give me the blessing."</p>
+
+    <p>And Isaac said, "Why, who are you?"</p>
+
+    <p>Esau answered, "I am your son; your oldest son, Esau."</p>
+
+    <p>And Isaac trembled, and said, "Who then is the one that came
+    in and brought to me food? and I have eaten his food and have
+    blessed him; yes, and he shall be blessed."</p>
+
+    <p>When Esau heard this, he knew that he had been cheated; and
+    he cried aloud, with a bitter cry, "O, my father, my brother
+    has taken away <a name="Page_43"
+       id="Page_43"></a>my blessing, just as he took away my
+       birthright! But cannot you give me another blessing, too?
+       Have you given everything to my brother?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Isaac told him all that he had said to Jacob, making him
+    the ruler over his brother.</p>
+
+    <p>But Esau begged for another blessing; and Isaac said:</p>
+
+    <p>"My son, your dwelling shall be of the riches of the earth
+    and of the dew of heaven. You shall live by your sword and your
+    descendants shall serve his descendants. But in time to come
+    they shall break loose and shall shake off the yoke of your
+    brother's rule and shall be free."</p>
+
+    <p>All this came to pass many years afterward. The people who
+    came from Esau lived in a land called Edom, on the south of the
+    land of Israel, where Jacob's descendants lived. And after a
+    time the Israelites became rulers over the Edomites; and later
+    still, the Edomites made themselves free from the Israelites.
+    But all this took place hundreds of years afterward.</p>
+
+    <p>It was better that Jacob's descendants, those who came after
+    him, should have the blessing, than that Esau's people should
+    have it; for Jacob's people worshipped God, and Esau's people
+    walked in the way of the idols and became
+    wicked.<a name="Page_44"
+       id="Page_44"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_LADDER_THAT_REACHED_TO_HEAVEN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_LADDER_THAT_REACHED_TO_HEAVEN"></a>THE
+       STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN</h2>
+
+    <p>After Esau found that he had lost his birthright and his
+    blessing, he was very angry against his brother Jacob; and he
+    said to himself, and told others:</p>
+
+    <p>"My father Isaac is very old and cannot live long. As soon
+    as he is dead, then I shall kill Jacob for having robbed me of
+    my right."</p>
+
+    <p>When Rebekah heard this, she said to Jacob, "Before it is
+    too late, do you go away from home and get out of Esau's sight.
+    Perhaps when Esau sees you no longer, he will forget his anger,
+    and then you can come home again. Go and visit my brother
+    Laban, your uncle, in Haran, and stay with him for a little
+    while."</p>
+
+    <p>We must remember that Rebekah came from the family of Nahor,
+    Abraham's younger brother, who lived in Haran, a long distance
+    to the northeast of Canaan, and that Laban was Rebekah's
+    brother.</p>
+
+    <p>So Jacob went out of Beersheba, on the border of the desert,
+    and walked alone, carrying his staff in his hand. One evening,
+    just about sunset, he came to a place among the mountains, more
+    than sixty miles distant from his home.<a name="Page_45"
+       id="Page_45"></a> And as he had no bed to lie down upon, he
+       took a stone and rested his head upon it for a pillow, and
+       lay down to sleep.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="ANGELS_WERE_UPON_THE_STAIRS"
+             id="ANGELS_WERE_UPON_THE_STAIRS"><img src="./images/figure14_th.jpg"
+             title="Angels were upon the stairs"
+             alt="Angels were upon the stairs" /></a><br />
+        <i>Angels were upon the stairs</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And on that night Jacob had a wonderful dream. In his dream
+    he saw stairs leading from the earth where he lay up to heaven;
+    and angels were going up and coming down upon the stairs. And
+    above the stairs, he saw the Lord God standing. And God said to
+    Jacob:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac
+    your father; and I will be your God, too. The land where you
+    are lying all alone, shall belong to you and to your children
+    after you; and your children shall spread abroad over the
+    lands, east and west, and north and south, like the dust of the
+    earth; and in your family all the world shall receive a
+    blessing. And I am with you in your journey, and I will keep
+    you where you are going, and will bring you back to this land.
+    I will never leave you, and I will surely keep my promise to
+    you."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_46"
+       id="Page_46"></a>And in the morning Jacob awakened from his
+       sleep, and he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it! I
+    thought that I was all alone, but God has been with me. This
+    place is the house of God; it is the gate of heaven!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob took the stone on which his head had rested, and
+    he set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on it as an offering
+    to God. And Jacob named that place Bethel, which in the
+    language that Jacob spoke means "The House of God."</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob made a promise to God at that time, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"If God really will go with me and will keep me in the way
+    that I go, and will give me bread to eat and will bring me to
+    my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God: and
+    this stone shall be the house of God, and of all that God gives
+    me I will give back to God one-tenth as an offering."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jacob went onward in his long journey. He walked across
+    the river Jordan in a shallow place, feeling his way with his
+    staff; he climbed mountains and journeyed beside the great
+    desert on the east, and at last came to the city of Haran.
+    Beside the city was the well, where Abraham's servant had met
+    Jacob's mother, Rebekah; and there, after Jacob had waited for
+    <a name="Page_47"
+       id="Page_47"></a>a time, he saw a young woman coming with
+       her sheep to give them water.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jacob took off the flat stone that was over the mouth
+    of the well, and drew water and gave it to the sheep. And when
+    he found that this young woman was his own cousin Rachel, the
+    daughter of Laban, he was so glad that he wept for joy. And at
+    that moment he began to love Rachel, and longed to have her for
+    his wife.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="JACOB_WENT_ONWARD_IN_HIS_LONG_JOURNEY"
+             id="JACOB_WENT_ONWARD_IN_HIS_LONG_JOURNEY"><img src="./images/figure15_th.jpg"
+             title="Jacob went onward in his long journey"
+             alt="Jacob went onward in his long journey" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Jacob went onward in his long journey</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Rachel's father, Laban, who was Jacob's uncle, gave a
+    welcome to Jacob, and took him into his home.</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob asked Laban if he would give his daughter, Rachel,
+    to him as his wife; and Jacob said, "If you give me Rachel, I
+    will work for you seven years."</p>
+
+    <p>And Laban said, "It is better that you should have her, than
+    that a stranger should marry her."</p>
+
+    <p>So Jacob lived seven years in Laban's house, caring for his
+    sheep and oxen and camels; but his love for Rachel made the
+    time seem short.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_48"
+       id="Page_48"></a>At last the day came for the marriage; and
+       they brought in the bride, who, after the manner of that
+       land, was covered with a thick veil, so that her face could
+       not be seen. And she was married to Jacob, and when Jacob
+       lifted up her veil he found that he had married, not Rachel,
+       but her older sister, Leah, who was not beautiful, and whom
+       Jacob did not love at all.</p>
+
+    <p>Jacob was very angry that he had been deceived,&mdash;though
+    that was just the way in which Jacob himself had deceived his
+    father and cheated his brother Esau. But his uncle Laban
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"In our land we never allow the younger daughter to be
+    married before the older daughter. Keep Leah for your wife, and
+    work for me seven years longer, and you shall have Rachel
+    also."</p>
+
+    <p>For in those times, as we have seen, men often had two
+    wives, or even more than two. So Jacob stayed seven years more,
+    fourteen years in all, before he received Rachel as his
+    wife.</p>
+
+    <p>While Jacob was living at Haran, eleven sons were born to
+    him. But only one of these was the child of Rachel, whom Jacob
+    loved. This son was Joseph, who was dearer to Jacob than any
+    other of his children, partly because he was the youngest, and
+    because he was the child of his beloved Rachel.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_49"
+       id="Page_49"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_JOSEPH_AND_HIS_COAT_OF_MANY_COLORS"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_JOSEPH_AND_HIS_COAT_OF_MANY_COLORS"></a>THE
+       STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS COAT OF MANY COLORS</h2>
+
+    <p>After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan with his eleven
+    sons, another son was born to him, the second child of his wife
+    Rachel, whom Jacob loved so well. But soon after the baby came,
+    his mother Rachel died, and Jacob was filled with sorrow. Even
+    to this day you can see the place where Rachel was buried, on
+    the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jacob named the child
+    whom Rachel left, Benjamin; and now Jacob had twelve sons. Most
+    of them were grown-up men; but Joseph was a boy seventeen years
+    old, and his brother Benjamin was almost a
+    baby.<a name="Page_50"
+       id="Page_50"></a></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="BACK_TO_THE_LAND_OF_CANAAN"
+             id="BACK_TO_THE_LAND_OF_CANAAN"><img src="./images/figure16_th.jpg"
+             title="Back to the Land of Canaan"
+             alt="Back to the Land of Canaan" /></a><br />
+        <i>Back to the Land of Canaan</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Of all his children, Jacob loved Joseph the best, because he
+    was Rachel's child; because he was so much younger than most of
+    his brothers; and because he was good, and faithful, and
+    thoughtful. Jacob gave to Joseph a robe or coat of bright
+    colors, made somewhat like a long cloak with wide sleeves. This
+    was a special mark of Jacob's favor to Joseph, and it made his
+    older brothers envious of him.</p>
+
+    <p>Then, too, Joseph did what was right, while his older
+    brothers often did very wrong acts, of which Joseph sometimes
+    told their father; and this made them very angry at Joseph. But
+    they hated him still more because of two strange dreams he had,
+    and of which he told them. He said one day: "Listen to this
+    dream that I have dreamed. I dreamed that we were out in the
+    field binding sheaves, when suddenly my sheaf stood up, and all
+    your sheaves came around it and bowed down to my sheaf!"</p>
+
+    <p>And they said scornfully, "Do you suppose that the dream
+    means that you will some time rule over us, and that we shall
+    bow down to you?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then, a few days after, Joseph said, "I have dreamed again.
+    This time, I saw in my dream the sun, and the moon, and eleven
+    stars, all come and bow to me!"</p>
+
+    <p>And his father said to him, "I do not like you
+    <a name="Page_51"
+       id="Page_51"></a>to dream such dreams. Shall I, and your
+       mother, and your brothers, come and bow down before you as
+       if you were a king?"</p>
+
+    <p>His brothers hated Joseph, and would not speak kindly to
+    him; but his father thought much of what Joseph had said.</p>
+
+    <p>At one time, Joseph's ten brothers were taking care of the
+    flock in the fields near Shechem, which was nearly fifty miles
+    from Hebron, where Jacob's tents were spread. And Jacob wished
+    to send a message to his sons, and he called Joseph, and said
+    to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Your brothers are near Shechem with the flock. I wish that
+    you would go to them, and take a message, and find if they are
+    well, and if the flocks are doing well; and bring me word from
+    them."</p>
+
+    <p>That was quite an errand, for a boy to go alone over the
+    country, and find his way, for fifty miles, and then walk home
+    again. But Joseph was a boy who could take care of himself, and
+    could be trusted; so he went forth on his journey, walking
+    northward over the mountains, past Bethlehem, and Jerusalem,
+    and Bethel&mdash;though we are not sure those cities were then
+    built, except Jerusalem, which was already a strong city.</p>
+
+    <p>When Joseph reached Shechem, he could not find his brothers,
+    for they had taken their flocks <a name="Page_52"
+       id="Page_52"></a>to another place. A man met Joseph
+       wandering in the field, and asked him, "Whom are you
+       seeking?"</p>
+
+    <p>Joseph said, "I am looking for my brothers; the sons of
+    Jacob. Can you tell me where I will find them?"</p>
+
+    <p>And the man said, "They are at Dothan; for I heard them say
+    that they were going there."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph walked over the hills to Dothan, which was
+    fifteen miles further. And his brothers saw him afar off coming
+    toward them. They knew him by his bright garment; and one said
+    to another: "Look, that dreamer is coming! Come, let us kill
+    him, and throw his body into a pit, and tell his father that
+    some wild beast has eaten him; and then we will see what
+    becomes of his dreams."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="WALKING_NORTHWARD_OVER_THE_MOUNTAINS"
+             id="WALKING_NORTHWARD_OVER_THE_MOUNTAINS"><img src="./images/figure17_th.jpg"
+             title="Walking northward over the mountains"
+             alt="Walking northward over the mountains" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Walking northward over the mountains</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>One of his brothers, whose name was Reuben, felt more kindly
+    toward Joseph than the others. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_53"
+       id="Page_53"></a>Let us not kill him, but let us throw him
+       into this pit, in the wilderness, and leave him there to
+       die."</p>
+
+    <p>But Reuben intended, after they had gone away, to lift
+    Joseph out of the pit, and take him home to his father. The
+    brothers did as Reuben told them; they threw Joseph into the
+    pit, which was empty. He cried, and begged them to save him;
+    but they would not. They calmly sat down to eat their dinner on
+    the grass, while their brother was calling to them from the
+    pit.</p>
+
+    <p>After the dinner, Reuben chanced to go to another part of
+    the field; so that he was not at hand when a company of men
+    passed by with their camels, going from Gilead, on the east of
+    the river Jordan, to Egypt, to sell spices and fragrant gum
+    from trees to the Egyptians.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Judah, another of Joseph's brothers, said, "What good
+    will it do us to kill our brother? Would it not be better for
+    us to sell him to these men, and let them carry him away? After
+    all, he is our brother, and we would better not kill him."</p>
+
+    <p>His brothers agreed with him; so they stopped the men who
+    were passing, and drew up Joseph from the pit, and for twenty
+    pieces of silver they sold Joseph to these men; and they took
+    him away with them down to Egypt.</p>
+
+    <p>After a while, Reuben came to the pit, where
+    <a name="Page_54"
+       id="Page_54"></a>they had left Joseph, and looked into it;
+       but Joseph was not there. Then Reuben was in great trouble;
+       and he came back to his brothers, saying: "The boy is not
+       there! What shall I do!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then his brothers told Reuben what they had done; and they
+    all agreed together to deceive their father. They killed one of
+    the goats, and dipped Joseph's coat in its blood; and they
+    brought it to their father, and they said to him: "We found
+    this coat out in the wilderness. Look at it, father, and tell
+    us if you think it was the coat of your son."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="FOR_TWENTY_PIECES_OF_SILVER_THEY_SOLD_JOSEPH"
+             id="FOR_TWENTY_PIECES_OF_SILVER_THEY_SOLD_JOSEPH"><img src="./images/figure18_th.jpg"
+             title="For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph"
+             alt="For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And Jacob knew it at once. He said: "It is my son's coat.
+    Some wild beast has eaten him. There is no doubt that Joseph
+    has been torn in pieces!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob's heart was broken over the loss of Joseph, all
+    the more because he had sent Joseph <a name="Page_55"
+       id="Page_55"></a>alone on the journey through the
+       wilderness. They tried to comfort him, but he would not be
+       comforted. He said: "I will go down to the grave mourning
+       for my poor lost son."</p>
+
+    <p>So the old man sorrowed for his son Joseph; and all the time
+    his wicked brothers knew that Joseph was not dead; but they
+    would not tell their father the dreadful deed they had done to
+    their brother, in selling him as a slave.<a name="Page_56"
+       id="Page_56"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_DREAMS_OF_A_KING"
+       id="THE_DREAMS_OF_A_KING"></a>THE DREAMS OF A KING</h2>
+
+    <p>The men who bought Joseph from his brothers were called
+    Ishmaelites, because they belonged to the family of Ishmael,
+    who, you remember, was the son of Hagar, the servant of Sarah.
+    These men carried Joseph southward over the plain which lies
+    beside the great sea on the west of Canaan; and after many days
+    they brought Joseph to Egypt. How strange it must have seemed
+    to the boy who had lived in tents to see the great river Nile,
+    and the cities thronged with people, and the temples, and the
+    mighty pyramids!</p>
+
+    <p>The Ishmaelites sold Joseph as a slave to a man named
+    Potiphar, who was an officer in the army of Pharaoh, the king
+    of Egypt. Joseph was a beautiful boy, and cheerful and willing
+    in his spirit, and able in all that he undertook; so that his
+    master Potiphar became very friendly to him, and after a time,
+    he placed Joseph in charge of his house, and everything in it.
+    For some years Joseph continued in the house of Potiphar, a
+    slave in name, but in reality the master of all his affairs,
+    and ruler over his fellow-servants.</p>
+
+    <p>But Potiphar's wife, who at first was very <a name="Page_57"
+       id="Page_57"></a>friendly to Joseph, afterward became his
+       enemy, because Joseph would not do wrong to please her. She
+       told her husband falsely, that Joseph had done a wicked
+       deed. Her husband believed her, and was very angry at
+       Joseph, and put him in the prison with those who had been
+       sent to that place for breaking the laws of the land. How
+       hard it was for Joseph to be charged with a crime, when he
+       had done no wrong, and to be thrust into a dark prison among
+       wicked people!</p>
+
+    <p>But Joseph had faith in God, that at some time all would
+    come out right; and in the prison he was cheerful, and kind,
+    and helpful, as he had always been. The keeper of the prison
+    saw that Joseph was not like the other men around him, and he
+    was kind to Joseph. In a very little while, Joseph was placed
+    in charge of all his fellow-prisoners, and took care of them,
+    just as he had taken care of everything in Potiphar's house.
+    The keeper of the prison scarcely looked into the prison at
+    all; for he had confidence in Joseph, that he would be faithful
+    and wise in doing the work given to him. Joseph did right, and
+    served God, and God blessed Joseph in everything.</p>
+
+    <p>While Joseph was in the prison, two men were sent there by
+    the king of Egypt, because he was displeased with them. One was
+    the king's chief <a name="Page_58"
+       id="Page_58"></a>butler, who served the king with wine; the
+       other was the chief baker, who served him with bread. These
+       two men were under Joseph's care; and Joseph waited on them,
+       for they were men of rank.</p>
+
+    <p>One morning, when Joseph came into the room where the butler
+    and the baker were kept, he found them looking quite sad.
+    Joseph said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Why do you look so sad today?" Joseph was cheerful and
+    happy in his spirit; and he wished others to be happy also,
+    even in prison.</p>
+
+    <p>And one of them said, "Each one of us dreamed last night a
+    very strange dream, and there is no one to tell us what our
+    dreams mean."</p>
+
+    <p>For in those times, before God gave the Bible to men, he
+    often spoke to men in dreams; and there were wise men who could
+    sometimes tell what the dreams meant.</p>
+
+    <p>"Tell me," said Joseph, "what your dreams are. Perhaps my
+    God will help me to understand them."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the chief butler told his dream. He said, "In my dream
+    I saw a grape-vine with three branches; and as I looked, the
+    branches shot out buds; and the buds became blossoms; and the
+    blossoms turned into clusters of ripe grapes. And I picked the
+    grapes, and squeezed <a name="Page_59"
+       id="Page_59"></a>their juice into king Pharaoh's cup, and it
+       became wine; and I gave it to king Pharaoh to drink, just as
+       I used to do when I was beside his table."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph said, "This is what your dream means. The three
+    branches mean three days. In three days, king Pharaoh shall
+    call you out of prison and shall put you back in your place;
+    and you shall stand at his table, and shall give him his wine,
+    as you have given it before. But when you go out of prison,
+    please to remember me, and try to find some way to get me, too,
+    out of this prison. For I was stolen out of the land of Canaan,
+    and sold as a slave; and I have done nothing wrong to deserve
+    being put in this prison. Do speak to the king for me, that I
+    may be set free."</p>
+
+    <p>Of course, the chief butler felt very happy to hear that his
+    dream had so pleasant a meaning. And the chief baker spoke,
+    hoping to have an answer as good:</p>
+
+    <p>"In my dream," said the baker, "there were three baskets of
+    white bread on my head, one above another, and on the topmost
+    basket were all kinds of roasted meat and food for Pharaoh; and
+    the birds came, and ate the food from the baskets on my
+    head."</p>
+
+    <p>And Joseph said to the baker:</p>
+
+    <p>"This is the meaning of your dream, and I am
+    <a name="Page_60"
+       id="Page_60"></a>sorry to tell it to you. The three baskets
+       are three days. In three days, by order of the king you
+       shall be lifted up, and hanged upon a tree; and the birds
+       shall eat your flesh from your bones as you are hanging in
+       the air."</p>
+
+    <p>And it came to pass just as Joseph had said. Three days
+    after that, king Pharaoh sent his officers to the prison. They
+    came and took out both the chief butler and the chief baker.
+    The baker they hung up by his neck to die, and left his body
+    for the birds to pick in pieces. The chief butler they brought
+    back to his old place, where he waited at the king's table, and
+    handed him his wine to drink.</p>
+
+    <p>You would have supposed that the butler would remember
+    Joseph, who had given him the promise of freedom, and had shown
+    such wisdom. But in his gladness, he forgot all about Joseph.
+    And two full years passed by, while Joseph was still in prison,
+    until he was a man thirty years old.</p>
+
+    <p>But one night, king Pharaoh himself dreamed a dream&mdash;in
+    fact, two dreams in one. And in the morning he sent for all the
+    wise men of Egypt, and told to them his dreams; but there was
+    not a man who could give the meaning of them. And the king was
+    troubled, for he felt that the dreams had some meaning which it
+    was important for him to know.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_61"
+       id="Page_61"></a>Then suddenly the chief butler who was by
+       the king's table remembered his own dream in the prison two
+       years before, and remembered, too, the young man who had
+       told its meaning so exactly. And he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I do remember my faults this day. Two years ago king
+    Pharaoh was angry with his servants, with me and the chief
+    baker; and he sent us to the prison. While we were in the
+    prison, one night each of us dreamed a dream; and the next day
+    a young man in the prison, a Hebrew from the land of Canaan,
+    told us what our dreams meant; and in three days they came
+    true, just as the young Hebrew had said. I think that if this
+    young man is in the prison still, he could tell the king the
+    meaning of his dreams."</p>
+
+    <p>You notice that the butler spoke of Joseph as "a Hebrew."
+    The people of Israel, to whom Joseph belonged, were called
+    Hebrews as well as Israelites. The word Hebrew means, "One who
+    crossed over," and it was given to the Israelites because
+    Abraham, their father, had come from a land on the other side
+    of the great river Euphrates, and had crossed over the river on
+    his way to Canaan.</p>
+
+    <p>Then king Pharaoh sent in haste to the prison for Joseph;
+    and Joseph was taken out, and he was dressed in new garments,
+    and was led in to Pharaoh in the palace. And Pharaoh said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_62"
+       id="Page_62"></a>I have dreamed a dream; and there is no one
+       who can tell what it means. And I have been told that you
+       have power to understand dreams and what they mean."</p>
+
+    <p>And Joseph answered Pharaoh:</p>
+
+    <p>"The power is not in me; but God will give Pharaoh a good
+    answer. What is the dream that the king has dreamed?"</p>
+
+    <p>"In my first dream," said Pharaoh, "I was standing by the
+    river: and I saw seven fat and handsome cows come up from the
+    river to feed in the grass. And while they were feeding, seven
+    other cows followed them up from the river, very thin, and
+    poor, and lean&mdash;such miserable creatures as I had never
+    seen before. And the seven lean cows ate up the seven fat cows;
+    and after they had eaten them up, they were as lean and
+    miserable as before. Then I awoke.</p>
+
+    <p>"And I fell asleep again, and dreamed again. In my second
+    dream, I saw seven heads of grain growing up on one stalk,
+    large, and strong, and good. And then seven heads came up after
+    them, that were thin, and poor, and withered. And the seven
+    thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads; and afterward
+    were as poor and withered as before.</p>
+
+    <p>"And I told these two dreams to all the wise men, and there
+    is no one who can explain them. Can you tell me what these
+    dreams mean?"</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_63"
+       id="Page_63"></a>And Joseph said to the king:</p>
+
+    <p>"The two dreams have the same meaning. God has been showing
+    to king Pharaoh what he will do in this land. The seven good
+    cows mean seven years, and the seven good heads of grain mean
+    the same seven years. The seven lean cows and the seven thin
+    heads of grain also mean seven years. The good cows and the
+    good grain mean seven years of plenty, and the seven thin cows
+    and thin heads of grain mean seven poor years. There are coming
+    upon the land of Egypt seven years of such plenty as have never
+    been seen; when the fields shall bring greater crops than ever
+    before; and after those years shall come seven years when the
+    fields shall bring no crops at all. And then for seven years
+    there shall be such need, that the years of plenty will be
+    forgotten, for the people will have nothing to eat.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_TWO_DREAMS_HAVE_THE_SAME_MEANING"
+             id="THE_TWO_DREAMS_HAVE_THE_SAME_MEANING"><img src="./images/figure19_th.jpg"
+             title="The two dreams have the same meaning"
+             alt="The two dreams have the same meaning" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>The two dreams have the same meaning</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Now, let king Pharaoh find some man who is
+    <a name="Page_64"
+       id="Page_64"></a>able and wise, and let him set this man to
+       rule over the land. And during the seven years of plenty,
+       let a part of the crops be put away for the years of need.
+       If this shall be done, then when the years of need come,
+       there will be plenty of food for all the people, and no one
+       will suffer, for all will have enough."</p>
+
+    <p>And king Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Since God has shown you
+    all this, there is no other man as wise as you. I will appoint
+    you to do this work, and to rule over the land of Egypt. All
+    the people shall be under you; only on the throne of Egypt I
+    will be above you."</p>
+
+    <p>And Pharaoh took from his own hand the ring which held his
+    seal, and put on Joseph's hand, so that he could sign for the
+    king, and seal in the king's place. And he dressed Joseph in
+    robes of fine linen, and put around his neck a gold chain. And
+    he made Joseph ride in a chariot which was next in rank to his
+    own. And they cried out before Joseph, "Bow the knee." And thus
+    Joseph was ruler over all the land of Egypt.<a name="Page_65"
+       id="Page_65"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MONEY_IN_THE_SACKS"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MONEY_IN_THE_SACKS"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE MONEY IN THE SACKS</h2>
+
+    <p>When Joseph was made ruler over the land of Egypt, he did
+    just as he had always done. It was not Joseph's way to sit
+    down, to rest and enjoy himself, and make others wait on him.
+    He found his work at once, and began to do it faithfully and
+    thoroughly. He went out over all the land of Egypt, and saw how
+    rich and abundant were the fields of grain, giving much more
+    than the people could use for their own needs. He told the
+    people not to waste it, but to save it for the coming time of
+    need.</p>
+
+    <p>And he called upon the people to give him for the king one
+    bushel of grain out of every five, to be stored up. The people
+    brought their grain, after taking for themselves as much as
+    they needed, and Joseph stored it up in great storehouses in
+    the cities; so much at last that no one could keep account of
+    it.</p>
+
+    <p>The king of Egypt gave a wife to Joseph from the noble young
+    women of his kingdom. Her name was Asenath; and to Joseph and
+    his wife God gave two sons. The oldest son he
+    named<a name="Page_66"
+       id="Page_66"></a> Manasseh, a word which means "Making to
+       Forget."</p>
+
+    <p>"For," said Joseph, "God has made me to forget all my
+    troubles and my toil as a slave."</p>
+
+    <p>The second son he named Ephraim, a word that means
+    "Fruitful." "Because," said Joseph, "God has not only made the
+    land fruitful; but he has made me fruitful in the land of my
+    troubles."</p>
+
+    <p>The seven years of plenty soon passed by, and then came the
+    years of need. In all the lands around people were hungry, and
+    there was no food for them to eat; but in the land of Egypt
+    everybody had enough. Most of the people soon used up the grain
+    that they had saved; many had saved none at all, and they all
+    cried to the king to help them.</p>
+
+    <p>"Go to Joseph!" said king Pharaoh, "and do whatever he tells
+    you to do."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the people came to Joseph, and Joseph opened the
+    storehouses, and sold to the people all the grain that they
+    wished to buy. And not only the people of Egypt came to buy
+    grain, but people of all the lands around as well, for there
+    was great need and famine everywhere. And the need was as great
+    in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lived, as in other lands.
+    Jacob was rich in flocks and cattle, and gold and silver, but
+    his fields gave no grain, and there was danger
+    <a name="Page_67"
+       id="Page_67"></a>that his family and his people would
+       starve. And Jacob&mdash;who was now called Israel
+       also&mdash;heard that there was food in Egypt and he said to
+       his sons: "Why do you look at each other, asking what to do
+       to find food? I have been told that there is grain in Egypt.
+       Go down to that land, and take money with you, and bring
+       grain, so that we may have bread, and may live."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the ten older brothers of Joseph went down to the land
+    of Egypt. They rode upon asses, for horses were not much used
+    in those times, and they brought money with them. But Jacob
+    would not let Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother, go with them,
+    for he was all the more dear to his father, now that Joseph was
+    no longer with him; and Jacob feared that harm might come to
+    him.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph's brothers came to Joseph to buy food. They did
+    not know him, grown up to be a man, dressed as a prince, and
+    seated on a throne. Joseph was now nearly forty years old, and
+    it had been almost twenty-three years since they had sold him.
+    But Joseph knew them all, as soon as he saw them. He wished to
+    be sharp and stern with them, not because he hated them; but
+    because he wished to see what their spirit was, and whether
+    they were as selfish, and cruel, and wicked as they had been in
+    other days.</p>
+
+    <p>They came before him, and bowed, with their
+    <a name="Page_68"
+       id="Page_68"></a>faces to the ground. Then, no doubt, Joseph
+       thought of the dream that had come to him while he was a
+       boy, of his brothers' sheaves bending down around his sheaf.
+       He spoke to them as a stranger, as if he did not understand
+       their language, and he had their words explained to him in
+       the language of Egypt.</p>
+
+    <p>"Who are you? And from what place do you come?" said Joseph,
+    in a harsh, stern manner.</p>
+
+    <p>They answered him very meekly: "We have come from the land
+    of Canaan to buy food."</p>
+
+    <p>"No," said Joseph, "I know what you have come for. You have
+    come as spies, to see how helpless the land is, so that you can
+    bring an army against us, and make war on us."</p>
+
+    <p>"No, no," said Joseph's ten brothers. "We are no spies. We
+    are the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan; and
+    we have come for food, because we have none at home."</p>
+
+    <p>"You say that you are the sons of one man, who is your
+    father? Is he living? Have you any more brothers? Tell me all
+    about yourselves."</p>
+
+    <p>And they said: "Our father is an old man in Canaan. We did
+    have a younger brother, but he was lost; and we have one
+    brother still, who is the youngest of all, but his father could
+    not spare him to come with us."</p>
+
+    <p>"No," said Joseph. "You are not good, honest
+    <a name="Page_69"
+       id="Page_69"></a>men. You are spies. I shall put you all in
+       prison, except one of you; and he shall go and bring that
+       youngest brother of yours; and when I see him, then I will
+       believe that you tell the truth."</p>
+
+    <p>So Joseph put all the ten men in prison, and kept them under
+    guard for three days; then he sent for them again. They did not
+    know that he could understand their language, and they said to
+    each other, while Joseph heard, but pretended not to hear:
+    "This has come upon us because of the wrong that we did to our
+    brother Joseph, more than twenty years ago. We heard him cry,
+    and plead with us, when we threw him into the pit, and we would
+    not have mercy on him. God is giving us only what we have
+    deserved."</p>
+
+    <p>And Reuben, who had tried to save Joseph, said: "Did I not
+    tell you not to harm the boy? and you would not listen to me.
+    God is bringing our brother's blood upon us all."</p>
+
+    <p>When Joseph heard this, his heart was touched, for he saw
+    that his brothers were really sorry for the wrong that they had
+    done to him. He turned away from them, so that they could not
+    see his face, and he wept. Then he turned again to them and
+    spoke roughly as before, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"This I will do, for I serve God. I will let you
+    <a name="Page_70"
+       id="Page_70"></a>all go home, except one man. One of you I
+       will shut up in prison; but the rest of you can go home and
+       take food for your people. And you must come back and bring
+       your youngest brother with you, and I shall know then that
+       you have spoken the truth."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph gave orders, and his servants seized one of his
+    brothers, whose name was Simeon, and bound him in their sight
+    and took him away to prison. And he ordered his servants to
+    fill the men's sacks with grain, and to put every man's money
+    back into the sack before it was tied up, so that they would
+    find the money as soon as they opened the sack. Then the men
+    loaded their asses with the sacks of grain, and started to go
+    home, leaving their brother Simeon a prisoner.</p>
+
+    <p>When they stopped on the way to feed their asses, one of the
+    brothers opened his sack, and there he found his money lying on
+    the top of the grain. He called out to his brothers: "See, here
+    is my money given again to me!" And they were frightened, but
+    they did not dare to go back to Egypt and meet the stern ruler
+    of the land. They went home and told their old father all that
+    had happened to them, and how their brother Simeon was in
+    prison, and must stay there until they should return, bringing
+    Benjamin with them.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_71"
+       id="Page_71"></a>When they opened their sacks of grain,
+       there in the mouth of each sack was the money that they had
+       given; and they were filled with fear. Then they spoke of
+       going again to Egypt and taking Benjamin, but Jacob said to
+       them:</p>
+
+    <p>"You are taking my sons away from me. Joseph is gone, and
+    Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away. All these
+    things are against me!" Reuben said: "Here are my own two boys.
+    You may kill them, if you wish, in case I do not bring Benjamin
+    back to you." But Jacob said: "My youngest son shall not go
+    with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is left to me. If
+    harm should come to him, it would bring down my gray hairs with
+    sorrow to the grave."</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_72"
+       id="Page_72"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_MYSTERY_OF_THE_LOST_BROTHER"
+       id="THE_MYSTERY_OF_THE_LOST_BROTHER"></a>THE MYSTERY OF THE
+       LOST BROTHER</h2>
+
+    <p>The food which Jacob's sons had brought from Egypt did not
+    last long, for Jacob's family was large. Most of his sons were
+    married and had children of their own; so that the children and
+    grandchildren were sixty-six, besides the servants who waited
+    on them, and the men who cared for Jacob's flocks. So around
+    the tent of Jacob was quite a camp of other tents and an army
+    of people.</p>
+
+    <p>When the food that had come from Egypt was nearly eaten up,
+    Jacob said to his sons:</p>
+
+    <p>"Go down to Egypt again, and buy some food for us."</p>
+
+    <p>And Judah, Jacob's son, the man who years before had urged
+    his brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, said to his
+    father: "It is of no use for us to go to Egypt, unless we take
+    Benjamin with us. The man who rules in that land said to us,
+    'You shall not see my face, unless your youngest brother be
+    with you'."</p>
+
+    <p>And Israel said, "Why did you tell the man that you had a
+    brother? You did me great harm when you told him."</p>
+
+    <p>"Why," said Jacob's sons, "we could not help telling him.
+    The man asked us all about our <a name="Page_73"
+       id="Page_73"></a>family, 'Is your father yet living? Have
+       you any more brothers?' And we had to tell him, his
+       questions were so close. How should we know that he would
+       say, 'Bring your brother here, for me to see him'?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Judah said, "Send Benjamin with me, and I will take care
+    of him. I promise you that I will bring him safely home. If he
+    does not come back, let me bear the blame forever. He must go,
+    or we shall die for want of food; and we might have gone down
+    to Egypt and come home again, if we had not been kept
+    back."</p>
+
+    <p>And Jacob said, "If he must go, then he must. But take a
+    present to the man, some of the choicest fruits of the land,
+    some spices, and perfumes, and nuts, and almonds. And take
+    twice as much money, besides the money that was in your sacks.
+    Perhaps that was a mistake, when the money was given back to
+    you. And take your brother Benjamin, and may the Lord God make
+    the man kind to you, so that he will set Simeon free, and let
+    you bring Benjamin back. But if it is God's will that I lose my
+    children, I cannot help it."</p>
+
+    <p>So ten brothers of Joseph went down a second time to Egypt,
+    Benjamin going in place of Simeon. They came to Joseph's
+    office, the place where he sold grain to the people; and they
+    stood before their brother, and bowed as
+    before.<a name="Page_74"
+       id="Page_74"></a> Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them,
+       and he said to his steward, the man who was over his
+       house:</p>
+
+    <p>"Make ready a dinner, for all these men shall dine with me
+    today."</p>
+
+    <p>When Joseph's brothers found that they were taken into
+    Joseph's house, they were filled with fear. They said to each
+    other:</p>
+
+    <p>"We have been taken here on account of the money in our
+    sacks. They will say that we have stolen it, and then they will
+    sell us all for slaves."</p>
+
+    <p>But Joseph's steward, the man who was over his house,
+    treated the men kindly; and when they spoke of the money in
+    their sacks, he would not take it again, saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Never fear; your God must have sent you this as a gift. I
+    had your money."</p>
+
+    <p>The stewards received the men into Joseph's house, and
+    washed their feet, according to the custom of the land. And at
+    noon, Joseph came in to meet them. They brought him the present
+    from their father, and again they bowed before him, with their
+    faces on the ground.</p>
+
+    <p>And Joseph asked them if they were well, and said: "Is your
+    father still living, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he
+    well?"</p>
+
+    <p>And they said, "Our father is well and he is living." And
+    again they bowed to Joseph.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_75"
+       id="Page_75"></a>And Joseph looked at his younger brother
+       Benjamin, the child of his own mother Rachel, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God
+    be gracious unto you, my son."</p>
+
+    <p>And Joseph's heart was so full that he could not keep back
+    the tears. He went in haste to his own room, and wept there.
+    Then he washed his face, and came out again, and ordered the
+    table to be set for dinner. They set Joseph's table for
+    himself, as the ruler, and another table for his Egyptian
+    officers, and another for the eleven men from Canaan; for
+    Joseph had brought Simeon out of the prison, and had given him
+    a place with his brothers.</p>
+
+    <p>Joseph himself arranged the order of the seats for his
+    brothers, the oldest at the head, and all in order of age down
+    to the youngest. The men wondered at this, and could not see
+    how the ruler of Egypt could know the order of their ages. And
+    Joseph sent dishes from his table to his brothers, and he gave
+    to Benjamin five times as much as to the others. Perhaps he
+    wished to see whether they were as jealous of Benjamin as in
+    other days they had been toward him.</p>
+
+    <p>After dinner, Joseph said to his steward: "Fill the men's
+    sacks with grain, as much as they can carry, and put each man's
+    money in his <a name="Page_76"
+       id="Page_76"></a>sack. And put my silver cup in the sack of
+       the youngest, with his money."</p>
+
+    <p>The steward did as Joseph had said; and early in the morning
+    the brothers started to go home. A little while afterward,
+    Joseph said to his steward:</p>
+
+    <p>"Hasten, follow after the men from Canaan, and say, 'Why
+    have you wronged me, after I had treated you kindly? You have
+    stolen my master's silver cup, out of which he drinks'."</p>
+
+    <p>The steward followed the men, and overtook them, and charged
+    them with stealing. And they said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Why should you talk to us in this manner? We have stolen
+    nothing. Why, we brought back to you the money that we found in
+    our sacks; and is it likely that we would steal from your lord
+    his silver or gold? You may search us, and if you find your
+    master's cup on any of us, let him die, and the rest of us may
+    be sold as slaves."</p>
+
+    <p>Then they took down the sacks from the asses, and opened
+    them; and in each man's sack was his money, for the second
+    time. And when they came to Benjamin's sack, there was the
+    ruler's silver cup! Then, in the greatest sorrow, they tied up
+    their bags again, and laid them on the asses, and came back to
+    Joseph's palace.</p>
+
+    <p>And Joseph said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"What wicked thing is this that you have <a name="Page_77"
+       id="Page_77"></a>done? Did you not know that I would surely
+       find out your deeds?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Judah said, "O, my lord, what can we say? God has
+    punished us for our sins; and now we must all be slaves, both
+    we that are older, and the younger in whose sack the cup was
+    found."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="WHAT_WICKED_THING_IS_THIS_THAT_YOU_HAVE_DONE"
+             id="WHAT_WICKED_THING_IS_THIS_THAT_YOU_HAVE_DONE"><img src="./images/figure20_th.jpg"
+             title="What wicked thing is this that you have done?"
+             alt="What wicked thing is this that you have done?" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>"What wicked thing is this that you have done?"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"No," said Joseph. "Only one of you is guilty; the one who
+    has taken away my cup. I will hold him as a slave, and the rest
+    of you can go home to your father.</p>
+
+    <p>Joseph wished to see whether his brothers were still
+    selfish, and were willing to let Benjamin suffer, if they could
+    escape.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Judah, the very man who had urged his <a name="Page_78"
+       id="Page_78"></a>brothers to sell Joseph as a slave, came
+       forward, and fell at Joseph's feet, and pleaded with him to
+       let Benjamin go. He told again the whole story, how Benjamin
+       was the one whom his father loved the most of all his
+       children, now that his brother was lost. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I promised to bear the blame, if this boy was not brought
+    home in safety. If he does not go back it will kill my poor old
+    father, who has seen much trouble. Now let my youngest brother
+    go home to his father, and I will stay here as a slave in his
+    place!"</p>
+
+    <p>Joseph knew now, what he had longed to know, that his
+    brothers were no longer cruel nor selfish, but one of them was
+    willing to suffer, so that his brother might be spared. And
+    Joseph could not any longer keep his secret, for his heart
+    longed after his brothers; and he was ready to weep again, with
+    tears of love and joy. He sent all of his Egyptian servants out
+    of the room, so that he might be alone with his brothers, and
+    then he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Come near to me; I wish to speak with you." And they came
+    near, wondering. Then Joseph said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am Joseph; is my father really alive?"</p>
+
+    <p>How frightened his brothers were, as they heard these words
+    spoken in their own language by the ruler of Egypt and for the
+    first time knew <a name="Page_79"
+       id="Page_79"></a>that this stern man, who had their lives in
+       his hand, was their own brother whom they had wronged! Then
+       Joseph said again:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But do
+    not feel troubled because of what you did. For God sent me
+    before you to save your lives. There have been already two
+    years of need and famine, and there are to be five years more,
+    when there shall neither be plowing of the fields nor harvest.
+    It was not you who sent me here, but God; and he sent me to
+    save your lives. God has made me like a father to Pharaoh and
+    ruler over all the land of Egypt. Now I wish you to go home,
+    and to bring down to me my father and all his family."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph placed his arms around Benjamin's neck, and
+    kissed him, and wept upon him. And Benjamin wept on his neck.
+    And Joseph kissed all his brothers, to show them that he had
+    fully forgiven them; and after that his brothers began to lose
+    their fear of Joseph and talked with him more freely.</p>
+
+    <p>Afterward Joseph sent his brothers home with good news, and
+    rich gifts, and abundant food. He sent also wagons in which
+    Jacob and his sons' wives and the little ones of their families
+    might ride from Canaan down to Egypt. And Joseph's brothers
+    went home happier than they had been for many years.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_80"
+       id="Page_80"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2>
+    <a name="THE_STORY_OF_MOSES_THE_CHILD_WHO_WAS_FOUND_IN_THE_RIVER"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_MOSES_THE_CHILD_WHO_WAS_FOUND_IN_THE_RIVER"></a>THE
+       STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE RIVER</h2>
+
+    <p>The children of Israel stayed in the land of Egypt much
+    longer than they had expected to stay. They were in that land
+    about four hundred years. And the going down to Egypt proved a
+    great blessing to them. It saved their lives during the years
+    of famine and need. After the years of need were over, they
+    found the soil in the land of Goshen, that part of Egypt where
+    they were living, very rich, so that they could gather three or
+    four crops every year.</p>
+
+    <p>Then, too, the sons of Israel, before they came to Egypt,
+    had begun to marry the women in the land of Canaan who
+    worshipped idols, and not the Lord. If they had stayed there,
+    their children would have grown up like the people around them
+    and soon would have lost all knowledge of God.</p>
+
+    <p>But in Goshen they lived alone and apart from the people of
+    Egypt. They worshipped the Lord God, and were kept away from
+    the idols of Egypt. And in that land, as the years went on,
+    from being seventy people, they grew in number until they
+    became a great multitude. Each of <a name="Page_81"
+       id="Page_81"></a>the twelve sons of Jacob was the father of
+       a tribe, and Joseph was the father of two tribes, named
+       after his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.</p>
+
+    <p>As long as Joseph lived, and for some time after, the people
+    of Israel were treated kindly by the Egyptians, out of their
+    love for Joseph, who had saved Egypt from suffering by famine.
+    But after a long time another king began to rule over Egypt,
+    who cared nothing for Joseph or Joseph's people. He saw that
+    the Israelites (as the children of Israel were called) were
+    very many, and he feared that they would soon become greater in
+    number and in power than the Egyptians.</p>
+
+    <p>He said to his people: "Let us rule these Israelites more
+    strictly. They are growing too strong."</p>
+
+    <p>Then they set harsh rules over the Israelites, and laid
+    heavy burdens on them. They made the Israelites work hard for
+    the Egyptians, and build cities for them, and give to the
+    Egyptians a large part of the crops from their fields. They set
+    them at work in making brick and in building storehouses. They
+    were so afraid that the Israelites would grow in number that
+    they gave orders to kill all the little boys that were born to
+    the Israelites; though their little girls might be allowed to
+    live.</p>
+
+    <p>But in the face of all this hate, and wrong, and
+    <a name="Page_82"
+       id="Page_82"></a>cruelty, the people of Israel were growing
+       in number, and becoming greater and greater.</p>
+
+    <p>At this time, when the wrongs of the Israelites were the
+    greatest, and when their little children were being killed, one
+    little boy was born.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEY_MADE_THE_ISRAELITES_WORK_HARD"
+             id="THEY_MADE_THE_ISRAELITES_WORK_HARD"><img width="473"
+             src="./images/082.png"
+             title="They made the Israelites work hard"
+             alt="They made the Israelites work hard" /></a><br />
+        <i>They made the Israelites work hard</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>He was such a lovely child that his mother kept him hid, so
+    that the enemies did not find him. When she could no longer
+    hide him, she formed a plan to save his life; believing that
+    God would help her and save her beautiful little boy.</p>
+
+    <p>She made a little box like a boat and covered it with
+    something that would not let the water into it. Such a boat as
+    this covered over was called "an ark." She knew that at certain
+    times the daughter of king Pharaoh&mdash;all the kings of Egypt
+    were called Pharaoh, for Pharaoh means <a name="Page_83"
+       id="Page_83"></a>a king&mdash;would come down to the river
+       for a bath. She placed her baby boy in the ark, and let it
+       float down the river where the princess, Pharaoh's daughter,
+       would see it. And she sent her own daughter, a little girl
+       named Miriam, twelve years old, to watch close at hand. How
+       anxious the mother and the sister were as they saw the
+       little ark floating away from them on the river!</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SHE_PLACED_HER_BABY_IN_THE_ARK"
+             id="SHE_PLACED_HER_BABY_IN_THE_ARK"><img src="./images/figure22_th.jpg"
+             title="She placed her baby in the ark"
+             alt="She placed her baby in the ark" /></a><br />
+        <i>She placed her baby in the ark</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Pharaoh's daughter, with her maids, came down to the river,
+    and they saw the ark floating on the water, among the reeds.
+    She sent one of her maids to bring it to her so that she might
+    see what was in the curious box. They opened it, and there was
+    a beautiful little baby, who began to cry to be taken up.</p>
+
+    <p>The princess felt kind toward the little one, and loved it
+    at once. She said: "This is one of the Hebrews' children." You
+    have heard how the children of Israel came to be called
+    Hebrews.<a name="Page_84"
+       id="Page_84"></a> Pharaoh's daughter thought that it would
+       be cruel to let such a lovely baby as this die out on the
+       water. And just then a little girl came running up to her,
+       as if by accident, and she looked at the baby also, and she
+       said: "Shall I go and find some woman of the Hebrews to be a
+       nurse to the child for you and take care of it?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes," said the princess. "Go and find a nurse for me."</p>
+
+    <p>The little girl&mdash;who was Miriam, the baby's
+    sister&mdash;ran as quickly as she could and brought the baby's
+    own mother to the princess. Miriam showed in this act that she
+    was a wise and thoughtful little girl. The princess said to the
+    little baby's mother: "Take this child to your home and nurse
+    it for me, and I will pay you wages for it."</p>
+
+    <p>How glad the Hebrew mother was to take her child home! No
+    one could harm her boy now, for he was protected by the
+    princess of Egypt, the daughter of the king.</p>
+
+    <p>When the child was large enough to leave his mother
+    Pharaoh's daughter took him into her own house in the palace.
+    She named him "Moses," a word that means "drawn out," because
+    he was drawn out of the water.</p>
+
+    <p>So Moses, the Hebrew boy, lived in the palace among the
+    nobles of the land, as the son of the princess. There he
+    learned much more than he <a name="Page_85"
+       id="Page_85"></a>could have learned among his own people;
+       for there were very wise teachers. Moses gained all the
+       knowledge that the Egyptians had to give. There in the court
+       of the cruel king who had made slaves of the Israelites,
+       God's people, was growing up our Israelite boy who should at
+       some time set his people free!</p>
+
+    <p>Although Moses grew up among the Egyptians, and gained their
+    learning, he loved his own people. They were poor and were
+    hated, and were slaves, but he loved them, because they were
+    the people who served the Lord God, while the Egyptians
+    worshipped idols and animals. Strange it was that so wise a
+    people as these should bow down and pray to an ox, or to a cat,
+    or to a snake, as did the Egyptians.</p>
+
+    <p>When Moses became a man, he went among his own people,
+    leaving the riches and ease that he might have enjoyed among
+    the Egyptians. He felt a call from God to lift up the
+    Israelites and set them free. But at that time he found that he
+    could do nothing to help them. They would not let him lead
+    them, and as the king of Egypt had now become his enemy, Moses
+    went away from Egypt into a country in Arabia, called
+    Midian.</p>
+
+    <p>He was sitting by a well, in that land, tired from his long
+    journey, when he saw some young women come to draw water for
+    their flocks of <a name="Page_86"
+       id="Page_86"></a>sheep. But some rough men came, and drove
+       the women away, and took the water for their own flocks.
+       Moses saw it, and helped the women and drew the water for
+       them.</p>
+
+    <p>These young women were sisters, the daughters of a man named
+    Jethro, who was a priest in the land of Midian. He asked Moses
+    to live with him, and to help him in the care of his flocks.
+    Moses stayed with Jethro and married one of his daughters. So
+    from being a prince in the king's palace in Egypt, Moses became
+    a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="MOSES_BECAME_A_SHEPHERD_IN_THE_WILDERNESS_OF_MIDIAN"
+             id="MOSES_BECAME_A_SHEPHERD_IN_THE_WILDERNESS_OF_MIDIAN"><img src="./images/figure23_th.jpg"
+             title="Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian"
+             alt="Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_87"
+       id="Page_87"></a>But Moses did not remain a shepherd. While
+       he was tending his sheep God appeared to him in a burning
+       bush and told him that he should return to Egypt and become
+       the leader of his people. The Lord told him that the wicked
+       Egyptians would be punished for the ill-treatment they were
+       giving the Israelites. In your Bible you will find in the
+       book of Exodus how God wonderfully fulfilled his promise.
+       The Egyptians were punished by many plagues, and finally
+       allowed the Israelites to go. They crossed the Red Sea in a
+       wonderful way, and traveled for a long time through a
+       wilderness, <a name="Page_88"
+       id="Page_88"></a>where God fed them day by day with manna
+       from heaven. God also gave them rules as a guide for their
+       daily living; these rules we call the Ten Commandments; yet
+       they forgot the Lord so far as to make images and worship
+       them.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="GOD_FED_THEM_DAY_BY_DAY_WITH_MANNA"
+             id="GOD_FED_THEM_DAY_BY_DAY_WITH_MANNA"><img src="./images/figure24_th.jpg"
+             title="God fed them day by day with manna."
+             alt="God fed them day by day with manna." /></a><br />
+        <i>God fed them day by day with manna</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_89"
+       id="Page_89"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_GRAPES_FROM_CANAAN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_GRAPES_FROM_CANAAN"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN</h2>
+
+    <p>The Israelites stayed in their camp before Mount Sinai
+    almost a year, while they were building the Tabernacle and
+    learning God's laws given through Moses. At last the cloud over
+    the Tabernacle rose up, and the people knew that this was the
+    sign for them to move. They took down the Tabernacle and their
+    own tents, and journeyed toward the land of Canaan for many
+    days.</p>
+
+    <p>At last they came to a place just on the border between the
+    desert and Canaan, called Kadesh, or Kadesh-barnea. Here they
+    stopped to rest, for there were many springs of water and some
+    grass for their cattle. While they were waiting at
+    Kadesh-barnea and were expecting soon to march into the land
+    which was to be their home, God told Moses to send onward some
+    men who should walk through the land and look at it, and then
+    come back and tell what they had found; what kind of a land it
+    was, and what fruits grew in it, and what people were living in
+    it. The Israelites could more easily win the land if these men,
+    after walking through it, could act as their guides and point
+    out the best places in it and the best plans of making war upon
+    it.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_90"
+       id="Page_90"></a></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="A_CLUSTER_OF_GRAPES_SO_LARGE_THAT_TWO_MEN_CARRIED_IT"
+             id="A_CLUSTER_OF_GRAPES_SO_LARGE_THAT_TWO_MEN_CARRIED_IT"><img src="./images/figure25_th.jpg"
+             title="A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it."
+             alt="A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it." />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried
+        it.</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>So Moses chose out some men of high rank among the people,
+    one ruler from each tribe, twelve men in all. One of these was
+    Joshua, who was the helper of Moses in caring for the people,
+    and another was Caleb, who belonged to the <a name="Page_91"
+       id="Page_91"></a>tribe of Judah. These twelve men went out
+       and walked over the mountains of Canaan and looked at the
+       cities and saw the fields. In one place, just before they
+       came back to the camp, they cut down a cluster of ripe
+       grapes which was so large that two men carried it between
+       them, hanging from a staff. They named the place where they
+       found this bunch of grapes Eshcol, a word which means "a
+       cluster." These twelve men were called "spies," because they
+       went "to spy out the land"; and after forty days they came
+       back to the camp, and this was what they said:</p>
+
+    <p>"We walked all over the land and found it a rich land. There
+    is grass for all our flocks, and fields where we can raise
+    grain, and trees bearing fruits, and streams running down the
+    sides of the hills. But we found that the people who live there
+    are very strong and are men of war. They have cities with walls
+    that reach almost up to the sky; and some of the men are
+    giants, so tall that we felt that we were like grasshoppers
+    beside them."</p>
+
+    <p>One of the spies, who was Caleb, said, "All that is true,
+    yet we need not be afraid to go up and take the land. It is a
+    good land, well worth fighting for; God is on our side, and he
+    will help us to overcome those people."</p>
+
+    <p>But all the other spies, except Joshua,
+    said,<a name="Page_92"
+       id="Page_92"></a> "No, there is no use in trying to make war
+       upon such strong people. We can never take those walled
+       cities, and we dare not fight those tall giants."</p>
+
+    <p>And the people, who had journeyed all the way through the
+    wilderness to find this very land, were so frightened by the
+    words of the ten spies that now, on the very border of Canaan,
+    they dared not enter it. They forgot that God had led them out
+    of Egypt, that he had kept them in the dangers of the desert,
+    that he had given them water out of the rock, and bread from
+    the sky, and his law from the mountain.</p>
+
+    <p>All that night, after the spies had brought back their
+    report, the people were so frightened that they could not
+    sleep. They cried out against Moses, and blamed him for
+    bringing them out of the land of Egypt. They forgot all their
+    troubles in Egypt, their toil and their slavery, and resolved
+    to go back to that land. They said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Let us choose a ruler in place of Moses, who has brought us
+    into all these evils, and let us turn back to the land of
+    Egypt!"</p>
+
+    <p>But Caleb and Joshua, two of the spies, said, "Why should we
+    fear? The land of Canaan is a good land; it is rich with milk
+    and honey. If God is our friend and is with us, we can easily
+    conquer the people who live there. Above all <a name="Page_93"
+       id="Page_93"></a>things, let us not rebel against the Lord,
+       or disobey him, and make him our enemy."</p>
+
+    <p>But the people were so angry with Caleb and Joshua that they
+    were ready to stone them and kill them. Then suddenly the
+    people saw a strange sight. The glory of the Lord, which stayed
+    in the Holy of Holies, the inner room of the Tabernacle, now
+    flashed out, and shone from the door of the Tabernacle.</p>
+
+    <p>And the Lord, out of this glory, spoke to Moses, and said,
+    "How long will this people disobey me and despise me? They
+    shall not go into the good land that I have promised them. Not
+    one of them shall enter in, except Caleb and Joshua, who have
+    been faithful to me. All the people who are twenty years old
+    and over it shall die in the desert; but their little children
+    shall grow up in the wilderness, and when they become men they
+    shall enter in and own the land that I promised to their
+    fathers. You people are not worthy of the land that I have been
+    keeping for you. Now turn back into the desert and stay there
+    until you die. After you are dead, Joshua shall lead your
+    children into the land of Canaan. And because Caleb showed
+    another spirit and was true to me, and followed my will fully,
+    Caleb shall live to go into the land, and shall have his choice
+    of a home there. To-morrow, turn back into the desert by the
+    way of the Red Sea."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_94"
+       id="Page_94"></a>And God told Moses that for every day that
+       the spies had spent in Canaan, looking at the land the
+       people should spend a year in the wilderness; so that they
+       should live in the desert forty years, instead of going at
+       once into the promised land.</p>
+
+    <p>When Moses told all God's words to the people they felt
+    worse than before. They changed their minds as suddenly as they
+    had made up their minds.</p>
+
+    <p>"No," they all said, "we will not go back to the wilderness;
+    we will go straight into the land, and see if we are able to
+    take it, as Joshua and Caleb have said."</p>
+
+    <p>"You must not go into the land," said Moses.</p>
+
+    <p>But the people would not obey. They marched up the mountain
+    and tried to march at once into the land. But they were without
+    leaders and without order&mdash;a mob of men, untrained and in
+    confusion. And the people in that part of the land, the
+    Canaanites and the Amorites, came down upon them and killed
+    many of them and drove them away. Then, discouraged and beaten,
+    they obeyed the Lord and Moses, and went once more into the
+    desert.</p>
+
+    <p>And in the desert of Paran, on the south of the land of
+    Canaan, the children of Israel stayed nearly forty years; and
+    all because they would not trust in the Lord.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_95"
+       id="Page_95"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2>
+    <a name="THE_STORY_OF_GIDEON_AND_HIS_THREE_HUNDRED_SOLDIERS"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_GIDEON_AND_HIS_THREE_HUNDRED_SOLDIERS"></a>THE
+       STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED SOLDIERS</h2>
+
+    <p>At last the people of Israel came into the promised land,
+    but they did evil in the sight of the Lord in worshipping Baal;
+    and the Lord left them to suffer for their sins. Once the
+    Midianites, living near the desert on the east of Israel, came
+    against the tribes. The two tribes that suffered the hardest
+    fate were Ephraim, and the part of Manasseh on the west of
+    Jordan. For seven years the Midianites swept over their land
+    every year, just at the time of harvest, and carried away all
+    the crops of grain, until the Israelites had no food for
+    themselves, and none for their sheep and cattle. The Midianites
+    brought also their own flocks and camels without number, which
+    ate all the grass of the field.</p>
+
+    <p>The people of Israel were driven away from their villages
+    and their farms, and were compelled to hide in the caves of the
+    mountains. And if any Israelite could raise any grain, he
+    buried it in pits covered with earth, or in empty winepresses,
+    where the Midianites could not find it.</p>
+
+    <p>One day, a man named Gideon was threshing <a name="Page_96"
+       id="Page_96"></a>out wheat in a hidden place, when he saw an
+       angel sitting-under an oak-tree. The angel said to him: "You
+       are a brave man, Gideon, and the Lord is with you. Go out
+       boldly, and save your people from the power of the
+       Midianites." Gideon answered the angel:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_ANGEL_TOUCHED_THE_OFFERING_WITH_HIS_STAFF"
+             id="THE_ANGEL_TOUCHED_THE_OFFERING_WITH_HIS_STAFF"><img src="./images/figure26_th.jpg"
+             title="The angel touched the offering with his staff."
+             alt="The angel touched the offering with his staff." />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>The angel touched the offering with his staff.</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"O, Lord, how can I save Israel? Mine is a poor family in
+    Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."</p>
+
+    <p>And the Lord said to him: "Surely I will be With you, and I
+    will help you drive out the Midianites."</p>
+
+    <p>Gideon felt that it was the Lord who was talking with him,
+    in the form of an angel. He <a name="Page_97"
+       id="Page_97"></a>brought an offering, and laid it on a rock
+       before the angel. Then the angel touched the offering with
+       his staff. At once, a fire leaped up and burned the
+       offering; and then the angel vanished from his sight. Gideon
+       was afraid when he saw this; but the Lord said to him:
+       "Peace be unto you, Gideon, do not fear, for I am with
+       you."</p>
+
+    <p>On the spot where the Lord appeared to Gideon, under an oak
+    tree, near the village of Ophrah, in the tribe-land of
+    Manasseh, Gideon built an altar and called it by a name which
+    means: "The Lord is peace." This altar was standing long
+    afterward in that place.</p>
+
+    <p>Then the Lord told Gideon that before setting his people
+    free from the Midianites, he must first set them free from the
+    service of Baal and Asherah, the two idols most worshipped
+    among them. Near the house of Gideon's own father stood an
+    altar to Baal, and the image of Asherah.</p>
+
+    <p>On that night, Gideon went out with ten men, and threw down
+    the image of Baal, and cut in pieces the wooden image of
+    Asherah, and destroyed the altar before these idols. And in its
+    place he built an altar to the God of Israel; and on it laid
+    the broken pieces of the idols for wood, and with them offered
+    a young ox as a burnt-offering.</p>
+
+    <p>On the next morning, when the people of the
+    <a name="Page_98"
+       id="Page_98"></a>village went out to worship their idols,
+       they found them cut in pieces, the altar taken away; in its
+       place an altar of the Lord, and on it the pieces of the
+       Asherah were burning as wood under a sacrifice to the Lord.
+       The people looked at the broken and burning idols; and they
+       said: "Who has done this?"</p>
+
+    <p>Some one said: "Gideon, the son of Joash, did this last
+    night."</p>
+
+    <p>Then they came to Joash, Gideon's father, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"We are going to kill your son because he has destroyed the
+    image of Baal, who is our god."</p>
+
+    <p>And Joash, Gideon's father, said: "If Baal is a god, he can
+    take care of himself, and punish the man who has destroyed his
+    image. Why should you help Baal? Let Baal help himself."</p>
+
+    <p>And when they saw that Baal could not harm the man who had
+    broken down his altar and his image, the people turned from
+    Baal, back to their own Lord God.</p>
+
+    <p>Gideon sent messengers through all Manasseh on the west of
+    Jordan, and the tribes near on the north; and the men of the
+    tribes gathered around him, with a few swords and spears, but
+    very few, for the Israelites were not ready for war. They met
+    beside a great spring on Mount Gilboa, called "the fountain of
+    Harod." Mount Gilboa is one of the three mountains on the east
+    of the <a name="Page_99"
+       id="Page_99"></a>plain of Esdraelon, or the plain of
+       Jezreel, where once there had been a great battle. On the
+       plain, stretching up the side of another of these mountains,
+       called "the Hill of Moreh," was the camp of a vast Midianite
+       army. For as soon as the Midianites heard that Gideon had
+       undertaken to set his people free, they came against him
+       with a mighty host.</p>
+
+    <p>Gideon was a man of faith. He wished to be sure that God was
+    leading him, and he prayed to God and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Lord God, give me some sign that thou wilt save Israel
+    through me. Here is a fleece of wool on this threshing floor.
+    If to-morrow morning the fleece is wet with dew, while the
+    grass around it is dry, then I shall know that thou art with
+    me; and that thou wilt give me victory over the
+    Midianites."</p>
+
+    <p>Very early the next morning, Gideon came to look at the
+    fleece. He found it wringing wet with dew, while all around the
+    grass was dry. But Gideon was not yet satisfied. He said to the
+    Lord:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Lord, be not angry with me; but give me just one more
+    sign. To-morrow morning let the fleece be dry, and let the dew
+    fall all around it, and then I will doubt no more."</p>
+
+    <p>The next morning, Gideon found the grass, and the bushes wet
+    with dew, while the fleece of <a name="Page_100"
+       id="Page_100"></a>wool was dry. And Gideon was now sure that
+       God had called him, and that God would give him victory over
+       the enemies of Israel.</p>
+
+    <p>The Lord said to Gideon: "Your army is too large. If Israel
+    should win the victory, they would say, 'we won it by our own
+    might.' Send home all those who are afraid to fight."</p>
+
+    <p>For many of the people were frightened, as they looked at
+    the host of their enemies, and the Lord knew that these men
+    would only hinder the rest in the battle. So Gideon sent word
+    through the camp:</p>
+
+    <p>"Whoever is afraid of the enemy may go home." And twenty-two
+    thousand people went away, leaving only ten thousand in
+    Gideon's army. But the army was stronger though it was smaller,
+    for the cowards had gone, and only the brave men were left.</p>
+
+    <p>But the Lord said to Gideon: "The people are yet too many.
+    You need only a few of the bravest and best men to fight in
+    this battle. Bring the men down the mountain, past the water,
+    and I will show you there how to find the men whom you
+    need."</p>
+
+    <p>In the morning Gideon, by God's command called his ten
+    thousand men out, and made them march down the hill, just as
+    though they were going to attack the enemy. And as they were
+    beside the water, he noticed how they drank, and
+    <a name="Page_101"
+       id="Page_101"></a>set them apart in two companies, according
+       to their way of drinking.</p>
+
+    <p>When they came to the water, most of the men threw aside
+    their shields and spears, and knelt down and scooped up a draft
+    of the water with both hands together like a cup. These men
+    Gideon commanded to stand in one company.</p>
+
+    <p>There were a few men who did not stop to take a large draft
+    of water. Holding spear and shield in the right hand, to be
+    ready for the enemy if one should suddenly appear, they merely
+    caught up a handful of the water in passing and marched on,
+    lapping up the water from one hand. God said to Gideon:</p>
+
+    <p>"Set by themselves these men who lapped up each a handful of
+    water. These are the men whom I have chosen to set Israel
+    free."</p>
+
+    <p>Gideon counted these men, and found that there were only
+    three hundred of them, while all the rest bowed down on their
+    faces to drink. The difference between them was that the three
+    hundred were earnest men, of one purpose; not turning aside
+    from their aim even to drink, as the others did. Then, too,
+    they were watchful men, always ready to meet their enemies.</p>
+
+    <p>So Gideon, at God's command, sent back to the camp on Mount
+    Gilboa all the rest of his army, nearly ten thousand men,
+    keeping with himself only his little band of three hundred.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_102"
+       id="Page_102"></a>Gideon's plan did not need a large army;
+       but it needed a few careful, bold men, who should do exactly
+       as their leader commanded them. He gave to each man a lamp,
+       a pitcher, and a trumpet, and told the men just what was to
+       be done with them. The lamp was lighted, but was placed
+       inside the pitcher, so that it could not be seen. He divided
+       his men into three companies, and very quietly led them down
+       the mountain in the middle of the night, and arranged them
+       all in order around the camp of the Midianites.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_MEN_BLEW_THEIR_TRUMPETS_WITH_A_MIGHTY_NOISE"
+             id="THE_MEN_BLEW_THEIR_TRUMPETS_WITH_A_MIGHTY_NOISE"><img src="./images/figure27_th.jpg"
+             title="The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise."
+             alt="The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise." />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise.</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then at one moment a great shout rang out in the darkness,
+    "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon," and after it came a
+    crash of breaking pitchers, and then a flash of light in every
+    direction. The three hundred men had given the shout, and
+    broken their pitchers, <a name="Page_103"
+       id="Page_103"></a>so that on every side lights were shining.
+       The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise; and the
+       Midianites were roused from sleep, to see enemies all round
+       them, lights beaming and swords flashing, while everywhere
+       the sharp sound of the trumpets was heard.</p>
+
+    <p>They were filled with sudden terror, and thought only of
+    escape, not of fighting. But wherever they turned, their
+    enemies seemed to be standing with swords drawn. They trampled
+    each other down to death, flying from the Israelites. Their own
+    land was in the east, across the river Jordan, and they fled in
+    that direction, down one of the valleys between the
+    mountains.</p>
+
+    <p>Gideon had thought that the Midianites would turn toward
+    their own land, if they should be beaten in the battle, and he
+    had already planned to cut off their flight. The ten thousand
+    men in the camp he had placed on the sides of the valley
+    leading to the Jordan. There they slew very many of the
+    Midianites as they fled down the steep pass toward the river.
+    And Gideon had also sent to the men of the tribe of Ephraim,
+    who had thus far taken no part in the war, to hold the only
+    place at the river where men could wade through the water.
+    Those of the Midianites who had escaped from Gideon's men on
+    either side of the valley were now met by the Ephraimites at
+    the river, and many more of them were slain.<a name="Page_104"
+       id="Page_104"></a> Among the slain were two of the princes
+       of the Midianites, named Oreb and Zeeb.</p>
+
+    <p>A part of the Midianite army was able to get across the
+    river, and to continue its flight toward the desert; but Gideon
+    and his brave three hundred men followed closely after them,
+    fought another battle with them, destroyed them utterly, and
+    took their two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, whom he killed. After
+    this great victory the Israelites were freed forever from the
+    Midianites. They never again ventured to leave their home in
+    the desert to make war on the tribes of Israel.</p>
+
+    <p>After this, as long as Gideon lived, he ruled as Judge in
+    Israel. The people wished him to make himself a king.</p>
+
+    <p>"Rule over us as king," they said, "and let your son be king
+    after you, and his son king after him."</p>
+
+    <p>But Gideon said:</p>
+
+    <p>"No, you have a king already; for the Lord God is the King
+    of Israel. No one but God shall be king over these tribes."</p>
+
+    <p>Of all the fifteen men who ruled as Judges of Israel,
+    Gideon, the fifth Judge, was the greatest, in courage, in
+    wisdom, and in faith in God.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_105"
+       id="Page_105"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_SAMSON_THE_STRONG_MAN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_SAMSON_THE_STRONG_MAN"></a>THE STORY OF
+       SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN</h2>
+
+    <p>Now we are to learn of three judges who ruled Israel in
+    turn. Their names were Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. None of these
+    were men of war, and in their days the land was quiet.</p>
+
+    <p>But the people of Israel again began to worship idols; and
+    as a punishment God allowed them once more to pass under the
+    power of their enemies. The seventh oppression, which now fell
+    upon Israel, was by far the hardest, the longest and the most
+    widely spread of any, for it was over all the tribes. It came
+    from the Philistines, a strong and warlike people who lived on
+    the west of Israel upon the plain beside the Great Sea. They
+    worshipped an idol called Dagon, which was made in the form of
+    a fish's head on a man's body.</p>
+
+    <p>These people, the Philistines, sent their armies up from the
+    plain beside the sea to the mountains of Israel and overran all
+    the land. They took away from the Israelites all their swords
+    and spears, so that they could not fight; and they robbed their
+    land of all the crops, so that the people suffered for want of
+    food. And as <a name="Page_106"
+       id="Page_106"></a>before, the Israelites in their trouble,
+       cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard their prayer.</p>
+
+    <p>In the tribe-land of Dan, which was next to the country of
+    the Philistines, there was living a man named Manoah. One day
+    an angel came to his wife and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You shall have a son, and when he grows up he will begin to
+    save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. But your son must
+    never drink any wine or strong drink as long as he lives. And
+    his hair must be allowed to grow long and must never be cut,
+    for he shall be a Nazarite under a vow to the Lord."</p>
+
+    <p>When a child was given especially to God, or when a man gave
+    himself to some work for God, he was forbidden to drink wine,
+    and as a sign, his hair was left to grow long while the vow or
+    promise to God was upon him. Such a person as this was called a
+    Nazarite, a word which means "one who has a vow"; and Manoah's
+    child was to be a Nazarite, and under a vow, as long as he
+    lived.</p>
+
+    <p>The child was born and was named Samson. He grew up to
+    become the strongest man of whom the Bible tells. Samson was no
+    general, like Gideon or Jephthah, to call out his people and
+    lead them in war. He did much to set his people free; but all
+    that he did was by his own strength.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_107"
+       id="Page_107"></a>When Samson became a young man he went
+       down to Timnath, in the land of the Philistines. There he
+       saw a young Philistine woman whom he loved, and wished to
+       have as his wife. His father and mother were not pleased
+       that he should marry among the enemies of his own people.
+       They did not know that God would make this marriage the
+       means of bringing harm upon the Philistines and of helping
+       the Israelites.</p>
+
+    <p>As Samson was going down to Timnath to see this young woman,
+    a hungry lion came out of the mountain, roaring against him.
+    Samson seized the lion, and tore him in pieces as easily as
+    another man would have killed a little kid of the goats, and
+    then went on his way. He made his visit and came home, but said
+    nothing to any one about the lion.</p>
+
+    <p>After a time Samson went again to Timnath for his marriage
+    with the Philistine woman. On his way he stopped to look at the
+    dead lion; and in its body he found a swarm of bees, and honey
+    which they had made. He took some of the honey and ate it as he
+    walked, but told no one of it.</p>
+
+    <p>At the wedding-feast, which lasted a whole week, there were
+    many Philistine young men, and they amused each other with
+    questions and riddles.</p>
+
+    <p>"I will give you a riddle," said Samson. "If
+    <a name="Page_108"
+       id="Page_108"></a>you answer it during the feast, I will
+       give you thirty suits of clothing; and if you cannot answer
+       it then you must give me the thirty suits of clothing." "Let
+       us hear your riddle," they said. And this was Samson's
+       riddle:</p>
+
+    <p>"Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong
+    came forth sweetness."</p>
+
+    <p>They could not find the answer, though they tried to find it
+    all that day and the two days that followed. And at last they
+    came to Samson's wife and said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"Coax your husband to tell you the answer. If you do not
+    find it out, we will set your house on fire, and burn you and
+    all your people."</p>
+
+    <p>And Samson's wife urged him to tell her the answer. She
+    cried and pleaded with him and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"If you really loved me, you would not keep this a secret
+    from me."</p>
+
+    <p>At last Samson yielded, and told his wife how he had killed
+    the lion and afterward found the honey in its body. She told
+    her people, and just before the end of the feast they came to
+    Samson with the answer. They said:</p>
+
+    <p>"What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a
+    lion?" And Samson said to them:</p>
+
+    <p><span style="margin-left: 2em;">"If you had not plowed with
+    my heifer,</span><br />
+    <span style="margin-left: 2em;">You had not found out my
+    riddle."</span><br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_109"
+       id="Page_109"></a>By his "heifer,"&mdash;which is a young
+       cow,&mdash;of course Samson meant his wife. Then Samson was
+       required to give them thirty suits of clothing. He went out
+       among the Philistines, killed the first thirty men whom he
+       found, took off their clothes, and gave them to the guests
+       at the feast. But all this made Samson very angry. He left
+       his wife and went home to his father's house. Then the
+       parents of his wife gave her to another man.</p>
+
+    <p>But after a time Samson's anger passed away, and he went
+    again to Timnath to see his wife. But her father said to
+    him:</p>
+
+    <p>"You went away angry, and I supposed that you cared nothing
+    for her. I gave her to another man, and now she is his wife.
+    But here is her younger sister; you can have her for your wife,
+    instead."</p>
+
+    <p>But Samson would not take his wife's sister. He went out
+    very angry; determined to do harm to the Philistines, because
+    they had cheated him. He caught all the wild foxes that he
+    could find, until he had three hundred of them. Then he tied
+    them together in pairs, by their tails; and between each pair
+    of foxes he tied to their tails a piece of dry wood which he
+    set on fire. These foxes with firebrands on their tails he
+    turned loose among the fields of the Philistines when the grain
+    was ripe. They ran wildly over the <a name="Page_110"
+       id="Page_110"></a>fields, set the grain on fire, and burned
+       it; and with the grain the olive trees in the fields.</p>
+
+    <p>When the Philistines saw their harvests destroyed, they
+    said, "Who has done this?"</p>
+
+    <p>And the people said, "Samson did this, because his wife was
+    given by her father to another man."</p>
+
+    <p>The Philistines looked on Samson's father-in-law as the
+    cause of their loss; and they came and set his home on fire,
+    and burned the man and his daughter whom Samson had married.
+    Then Samson came down again, and alone fought a company of
+    Philistines, and killed them all, as a punishment for burning
+    his wife.</p>
+
+    <p>After this Samson went to live in a hollow place in a split
+    rock, called the rock of Etam. The Philistines came up in a
+    great army, and overran the fields in the tribe-land of
+    Judah.</p>
+
+    <p>"Why do you come against us?" asked the men of Judah, "what
+    do you want from us?"</p>
+
+    <p>"We have come," they said, "to bind Samson, and to deal with
+    him as he has dealt with us."</p>
+
+    <p>The men of Judah said to Samson:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you not know that the Philistines are ruling over us?
+    Why do you make them angry by killing their people? You see
+    that we suffer through your pranks. Now we must bind you and
+    give you to the Philistines, or they will ruin us all."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_111"
+       id="Page_111"></a>And Samson said, "I will let you bind me,
+       if you will promise not to kill me yourselves; but only to
+       give me safely into the hands of the Philistines."</p>
+
+    <p>They made the promise; and Samson gave himself up to them,
+    and allowed them to tie him up fast with new ropes. The
+    Philistines shouted for joy as they saw their enemy brought to
+    them, led in bonds by his own people. But as soon as Samson
+    came among them, he burst the bonds as though they had been
+    light strings; and picked up from the ground the jawbone of an
+    ass, and struck right and left with it as with a sword. He
+    killed almost a thousand of the Philistines with this strange
+    weapon. Afterward he sang a song about it, thus:</p>
+
+    <p><span style="margin-left: 2em;">"With the jawbone of an ass,
+    heaps upon heaps,</span><br />
+    <span style="margin-left: 2em;">With the jawbone of an ass,
+    have I slain a thousand men."</span><br />
+    <br /></p>
+
+    <p>After this Samson went down to the chief city of the
+    Philistines, which was named Gaza. It was a large city; and
+    like all large cities, was surrounded with a high wall. When
+    the men of Gaza found Samson in their city, they shut the
+    gates, thinking that they could now hold him as a prisoner. But
+    in the night Samson rose up, went to the gates, pulled their
+    posts out of <a name="Page_112"
+       id="Page_112"></a>the ground, and put the gates with their
+       posts upon his shoulder. He carried off the gates of the
+       city and left them on the top of a hill not far from the
+       city of Hebron.</p>
+
+    <p>After this Samson saw another woman among the Philistines,
+    and he loved her. The name of this woman was Delilah. The
+    rulers of the Philistines came to Delilah and said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"Find out, if you can, what it is that makes Samson so
+    strong, and tell us. If you help us to get control of him, so
+    that we can have him in our power, we will give you a great sum
+    of money."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="HE_CARRIED_OFF_THE_GATES_OF_THE_CITY"
+             id="HE_CARRIED_OFF_THE_GATES_OF_THE_CITY"><img src="./images/figure28_th.jpg"
+             title="He carried off the gates of the city"
+             alt="He carried off the gates of the city" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>He carried off the gates of the city</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And Delilah coaxed and pleaded with Samson to tell her what
+    it was that made him so strong. Samson said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"If they will tie me with seven green twigs
+    <a name="Page_113"
+       id="Page_113"></a>from a tree, then I shall not be strong
+       any more."</p>
+
+    <p>They brought her seven green twigs, like those of a willow
+    tree; and she bound Samson with them while he was asleep. Then
+    she called out to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Wake up, Samson, the Philistines are coming against
+    you!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Samson rose up and broke the twigs as easily as if they
+    had been charred in the fire, and went away with ease.</p>
+
+    <p>And Delilah tried again to find his secret. She said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You are only making fun of me. Now tell me truly how you
+    can be bound." And Samson said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Let them bind me with new ropes that have never been used
+    before; and then I cannot get away."</p>
+
+    <p>While Samson was asleep again, Delilah bound him with new
+    ropes. Then she called out as before:</p>
+
+    <p>"Get up, Samson, for the Philistines are coming!" And when
+    Samson rose up, the ropes broke as if they were thread. And
+    Delilah again urged him to tell her; and he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You notice that my long hair is in seven locks. Weave it
+    together in the loom, just as if it were the threads in a piece
+    of cloth."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_114"
+       id="Page_114"></a>Then, while he was asleep, she wove his
+       hair in the loom, and fastened it with a large pin to the
+       weaving-frame. But when he awoke, he rose up, and carried
+       away the pin and the beam of the weaving-frame; for he was
+       as strong as before.</p>
+
+    <p>And Delilah, who was anxious to serve her people, said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Why do you tell me that you love me, as long as you deceive
+    me and keep from me your secret?" And she pleaded with him day
+    after day, until at last he yielded to her and told her the
+    real secret of his strength. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am a Nazarite, under a vow to the Lord, not to drink
+    wine, and not to allow my hair to be cut. If I should let my
+    hair be cut short, then the Lord would forsake me, and my
+    strength would go from me, and I would be like other men."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Delilah knew that she had found the truth at last. She
+    sent for the rulers of the Philistines, saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Come up this once, and you shall have your enemy; for he
+    has told me all that is in his heart."</p>
+
+    <p>Then while the Philistines were watching outside, Delilah
+    let Samson go to sleep, with his head upon her knees. While he
+    was sound asleep, they took a razor and shaved off all his
+    hair. Then she called out as at other times.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_115"
+       id="Page_115"></a>Rise up, Samson, the Philistines are upon
+       you."</p>
+
+    <p>He awoke, and rose up, expecting to find himself strong as
+    before; for he did not at first know that his long hair had
+    been cut off. But the vow to the Lord was broken, and the Lord
+    had left him. He was now as weak as other men, and helpless in
+    the hands of his enemies. The Philistines easily made him their
+    prisoner; and that he might never do them more harm, they put
+    out his eyes. Then they chained him with fetters, and sent him
+    to prison at Gaza. And in the prison they made Samson turn a
+    heavy millstone to grind grain, just as though he were a beast
+    of burden.</p>
+
+    <p>But while Samson was in prison, his hair grew long again;
+    and with his hair his strength came back to him; for Samson
+    renewed his vow to the Lord.</p>
+
+    <p>One day, a great feast was held by the Philistines in the
+    temple of their fish-god, Dagon. For they said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Our god has given Samson, our enemy, into our hand. Let us
+    be glad together and praise Dagon."</p>
+
+    <p>And the temple was thronged with people, and the roof over
+    it was also crowded with more than three thousand men and
+    women. They sent for Samson, to rejoice over him; and Samson
+    <a name="Page_116"
+       id="Page_116"></a>was led into the court of the temple,
+       before all the people, to amuse them. After a time, Samson
+       said to the boy who was leading him:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="HE_BOWED_FORWARD_WITH_ALL_HIS_MIGHT_AND_PULLED_THE_PILLARS_WITH_HIM"
+             id="HE_BOWED_FORWARD_WITH_ALL_HIS_MIGHT_AND_PULLED_THE_PILLARS_WITH_HIM">
+        <img src="./images/figure29_th.jpg"
+             title="He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the pillars with him"
+             alt="He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the pillars with him" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the
+        pillars with him</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Take me up to the front of the temple, so that I may stand
+    by one of the pillars, and lean against it."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_117"
+       id="Page_117"></a>And while Samson stood between the two
+       pillars, he prayed:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and give me strength,
+    only this once, O God: and help me, that I may obtain vengeance
+    upon the Philistines for my two eyes!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then he placed one arm around the pillar on one side, and
+    the other arm around the pillar on the other side; and he said:
+    "Let me die with the Philistines."</p>
+
+    <p>And he bowed forward with all his might, and pulled the
+    pillars over with him, bringing down the roof and all upon it
+    upon those that were under it. Samson himself was among the
+    dead; but in his death he killed more of the Philistines than
+    he had killed during his life.</p>
+
+    <p>Then in the terror which came upon the Philistines the men
+    of Samson's tribe came down and found his dead body, and buried
+    it in their own land. After that it was years before the
+    Philistines tried again to rule over the Israelites.</p>
+
+    <p>Samson did much to set his people free; but he might have
+    done much more, if he had led his people, instead of trusting
+    alone to his own strength; and if he had lived more earnestly,
+    and not done his deeds as though he was playing pranks. There
+    were deep faults in Samson, but at the end he sought God's
+    help, and found it, and God used Samson to set his people
+    free.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_118"
+       id="Page_118"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_RUTH_THE_GLEANER"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_RUTH_THE_GLEANER"></a>THE STORY OF RUTH,
+       THE GLEANER</h2>
+
+    <p>In the time of the Judges in Israel, a man named Elimelech
+    was living in the town of Bethlehem, in the tribe of Judah,
+    about six miles south of Jerusalem. His wife's name was Naomi,
+    and his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. For some years the
+    crops were poor, and food was scarce in Judah; and Elimelech
+    with his family went to live in the land of Moab, which was on
+    the east of the Dead Sea, as Judah was on the west.</p>
+
+    <p>There they stayed ten years, and in that time Elimelech
+    died. His two sons married women of the country of Moab, one
+    named Orpah, the other named Ruth. But the two young men also
+    died in the land of Moab; so that Naomi and her two
+    daughters-in-law were all left widows.</p>
+
+    <p>Naomi heard that God had again given good harvests and bread
+    to the land of Judah, and she rose up to go from Moab back to
+    her own land and her own town of Bethlehem. The two
+    daughters-in-law loved her, and both would have gone with her,
+    though the land of Judah was a strange land to them, for they
+    were of the Moabite people.</p>
+
+    <p>Naomi said to them: "Go back, my daughters,
+    <a name="Page_119"
+       id="Page_119"></a>to your own mothers' homes. May the Lord
+       deal kindly with you, as you have been kind to your husbands
+       and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you may yet find
+       another husband and a happy home."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Naomi kissed them in farewell, and the three women all
+    wept together. The two young widows said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"You have been a good mother to us, and we will go with you,
+    and live among your people."</p>
+
+    <p>"No, no," said Naomi. "You are young, and I am old. Go back
+    and be happy among your own people."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Orpah kissed Naomi, and went back to her people; but
+    Ruth would not leave her. She said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do not ask me to leave you, for I never will. Where you go,
+    I will go; where you live, I will live; your people shall be my
+    people; and your God shall be my God. Where you die, I will
+    die, and be buried. Nothing but death itself shall part you and
+    me."</p>
+
+    <p>When Naomi saw that Ruth was firm in her purpose, she ceased
+    trying to persuade her; so the two women went on together. They
+    walked around the Dead Sea, and crossed the river Jordan, and
+    climbed the mountains of Judah, and came to Bethlehem.</p>
+
+    <p>Naomi had been absent from Bethlehem for <a name="Page_120"
+       id="Page_120"></a>ten years, but her friends were all glad
+       to see her again. They said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Is this Naomi, whom we knew years ago?"</p>
+
+    <p>Now the name Naomi means "pleasant." And Naomi said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Lord has made my
+    life bitter. I went out full, with my husband and two sons; now
+    I come home empty, without them. Do not call me 'Pleasant,'
+    call me 'Bitter.'"</p>
+
+    <p>The name "Mara," by which Naomi wished to be called means
+    "bitter." But Naomi learned later that "Pleasant" was the right
+    name after all.</p>
+
+    <p>There was living in Bethlehem at that time a very rich man
+    named Boaz. He owned large fields that were abundant in their
+    harvests; and he was related to the family of Elimelech,
+    Naomi's husband, who had died.</p>
+
+    <p>It was the custom in Israel when they reaped the grain not
+    to gather all the stalks, but to leave some for the poor
+    people, who followed after the reapers with their sickles, and
+    gathered what was left. When Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem,
+    it was the time of the barley harvest; and Ruth went out into
+    the fields to glean the grain which the reapers had left. It so
+    happened that she was gleaning in the field that belonged to
+    Boaz, this rich man.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_121"
+       id="Page_121"></a>Boaz came out from the town to see his men
+       reaping, and he said to them, "The Lord be with you"; and
+       they answered him, "The Lord bless you."</p>
+
+    <p>And Boaz said to his master of the reapers: "Who is this
+    young woman that I see gleaning in the field?"</p>
+
+    <p>The man answered: "It is the young woman from the land of
+    Moab, who came with Naomi. She asked leave to glean after the
+    reapers, and has been here gathering grain since
+    yesterday."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Boaz said to Ruth: "Listen to me, my daughter. Do not
+    go to any other field, but stay here with my young women. No
+    one shall harm you; and when you are thirsty, go and drink at
+    our vessels of water."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="RUTH_WENT_OUT_INTO_THE_FIELDS_TO_GLEAN_THE_GRAIN"
+             id="RUTH_WENT_OUT_INTO_THE_FIELDS_TO_GLEAN_THE_GRAIN"><img src="./images/figure30_th.jpg"
+             title="Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain"
+             alt="Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then Ruth bowed to Boaz, and thanked him for his kindness,
+    all the more kind because she was a stranger in Israel. Boaz
+    said: "I have heard how true you have been to your
+    <a name="Page_122"
+       id="Page_122"></a>mother-in-law Naomi, in leaving your own
+       land and coming with her to this land. May the Lord, under
+       whose wings you have come, give you a reward!"</p>
+
+    <p>And at noon, when they sat down to rest and to eat, Boaz
+    gave her some of the food. And he said to the reapers:</p>
+
+    <p>"When you are reaping, leave some of the sheaves for her;
+    and drop out some sheaves from the bundles, where she may
+    gather them."</p>
+
+    <p>That evening, Ruth showed Naomi how much she had gleaned,
+    and told her of the rich man Boaz, who had been so kind to her.
+    And Naomi said:</p>
+
+    <p>"This man is a near relation of ours. Stay in his fields, as
+    long as the harvest lasts." And so Ruth gleaned in the fields
+    of Boaz until the harvest had been gathered.</p>
+
+    <p>At the end of the harvest, Boaz held a feast on the
+    threshing-floor. And after the feast, by the advice of Naomi,
+    Ruth went to him, and said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"You are a near relation of my husband and of his father,
+    Elimelech. Now will you not do good to us for his sake?"</p>
+
+    <p>And when Boaz saw Ruth, he loved her; and soon after this he
+    took her as his wife. And Naomi and Ruth went to live in his
+    home; so that Naomi's life was no more bitter, but
+    pleasant.<a name="Page_123"
+       id="Page_123"></a> And Boaz and Ruth had a son, whom they
+       named Obed; and later Obed had a son named Jesse; and Jesse
+       was the father of David, the shepherd boy who became king.
+       So Ruth, the young woman of Moab, who chose the people and
+       the God of Israel, became the mother of kings.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_124"
+       id="Page_124"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_DAVID_THE_SHEPHERD_BOY"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_DAVID_THE_SHEPHERD_BOY"></a>THE STORY OF
+       DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY</h2>
+
+    <p>Living at Ramah, in the mountains of Ephraim, there was a
+    man whose name was Elkanah. He had two wives, as did many men
+    in that time. One of these wives had children, but the other
+    wife, whose name was Hannah, had no child.</p>
+
+    <p>Every year Elkanah and his family went up to worship at the
+    house of the Lord in Shiloh, which was about fifteen miles from
+    his home. And at one of these visits Hannah prayed to the Lord,
+    saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Lord, if thou wilt look upon me, and give me a son, he
+    shall be given to the Lord as long as he lives."</p>
+
+    <p>The Lord heard Hannah's prayer, and gave her a little boy,
+    and she called his name Samuel, which means "Asked of God";
+    because he had been given in answer to her prayer.</p>
+
+    <p>Samuel grew up to be a good man and a wise Judge, and he
+    made his sons Judges in Israel, to help him in the care of the
+    people. But Samuel's sons did not walk in his ways. They did
+    not try always to do justly.</p>
+
+    <p>The elders of all the tribes of Israel came
+    to<a name="Page_125"
+       id="Page_125"></a> Samuel at his home in Ramah; and they
+       said to him: "You are growing old, and your sons do not rule
+       as well as you ruled. All the lands around us have kings.
+       Let us have a king also; and do you choose the king for
+       us."</p>
+
+    <p>This was not pleasing to Samuel. He tried to make the people
+    change their minds, and showed them what trouble a king would
+    bring them.</p>
+
+    <p>But they would not follow his advice. They said: "No; we
+    will have a king to reign over us."</p>
+
+    <p>So Samuel chose as their king a tall young man named Saul,
+    who was a farmer's son of the tribe of Benjamin. When Saul was
+    brought before the people he stood head and shoulders above
+    them all. And Samuel said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Look at the man whom the Lord has chosen! There is not
+    another like him among all the people!"</p>
+
+    <p>And all the people shouted, "God save the king! Long live
+    the king!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Samuel told the people what should be the laws for the
+    king and for the people to obey. He wrote them down in a book,
+    and placed the book before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the
+    people home; and Saul went back to his own house at a place
+    called Gibeah; and with Saul went a company of men to whose
+    hearts God had given a love for the king.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_126"
+       id="Page_126"></a>So after three hundred years under the
+       fifteen Judges, Israel now had a king. But among the people
+       there were some who were not pleased with the new king,
+       because he was an unknown man from the farm. They said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Can such a man as this save us?"</p>
+
+    <p>They showed no respect to the king, and in their hearts
+    looked down upon him. But Saul said nothing, and showed his
+    wisdom by appearing not to notice them. But in another thing he
+    was not so wise. He forgot to heed the old prophet's advice and
+    instructions about ruling wisely and doing as the Lord said. It
+    was not long before Samuel told him that he had disobeyed God
+    and would lose his kingdom.</p>
+
+    <p>When Samuel told Saul that the Lord would take away the
+    kingdom from him, he did not mean that Saul should lose the
+    kingdom at once. He was no longer God's king; and as soon as
+    the right man in God's sight should be found, and should be
+    trained for his duty as king, then God would take away Saul's
+    power, and would give it to the man whom God had chosen. But it
+    was years before this came to pass.</p>
+
+    <p>The Lord said to Samuel: "Do not weep and mourn any longer
+    over Saul, for I have refused him as king. Fill the horn with
+    oil, and go to Bethlehem in Judah. There find a man named
+    Jesse, for I have chosen a king among his sons."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_127"
+       id="Page_127"></a>But Samuel knew that Saul would be very
+       angry, if he should learn that Samuel had named any other
+       man as king. He said to the Lord:</p>
+
+    <p>"How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me."</p>
+
+    <p>The Lord said to Samuel: "Take a young cow with you; and
+    tell the people that you have come to make an offering to the
+    Lord. And call Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. I will tell
+    you what to do, and you shall anoint the one whom I name to
+    you."</p>
+
+    <p>Samuel went over the mountains southward from Ramah to
+    Bethlehem, about ten miles, leading a cow. The rulers of the
+    town were alarmed at his coming, for they feared that he had
+    come to judge the people for some evil-doing. But Samuel
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I have come in peace to make an offering and to hold a
+    feast to the Lord. Prepare yourselves and come to the
+    sacrifice."</p>
+
+    <p>And he invited Jesse and his sons to the service. When they
+    came, he looked at the sons of Jesse very closely. The oldest
+    was named Eliab, and he was so tall and noble-looking that
+    Samuel thought:</p>
+
+    <p>"Surely this young man must be the one whom God has
+    chosen."</p>
+
+    <p>But the Lord said to Samuel:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do not look on his face, nor on the height of
+    <a name="Page_128"
+       id="Page_128"></a>his body, for I have not chosen him. Man
+       judges by the outward looks, but God looks at the
+       heart."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jesse's second son, named Abinadab, passed by. And the
+    Lord said: "I have not chosen this one." Seven young men came
+    and Samuel said:</p>
+
+    <p>"None of these is the man whom God has chosen. Are these all
+    your children?"</p>
+
+    <p>"There is one more," said Jesse. "The youngest of all. He is
+    a boy, in the field caring for the sheep."</p>
+
+    <p>And Samuel said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Send for him; for we will not sit down until he comes." So
+    after a time the youngest son was brought in. His name was
+    David, a word that means "darling," and he was a beautiful boy,
+    perhaps fifteen years old, with fresh cheeks and bright
+    eyes.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as the young David came, the Lord said to
+    Samuel:</p>
+
+    <p>"Arise, anoint him, for this is the one whom I have
+    chosen."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Samuel poured oil on David's head, in the presence of
+    all his brothers. But no one knew at that time the anointing to
+    mean that David was to be the king. Perhaps they thought that
+    David was chosen to be a prophet like Samuel.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_129"
+       id="Page_129"></a>From that time the Spirit of God came upon
+       David, and he began to show signs of coming greatness. He
+       went back to his sheep on the hillsides around Bethlehem,
+       but God was with him.</p>
+
+    <p>David grew up strong and brave, not afraid of the wild
+    beasts which prowled around and tried to carry away his sheep.
+    More than once he fought with lions, and bears, and killed
+    them, when they seized the lambs of his flock. And David, alone
+    all day, practiced throwing stones in a sling, until he could
+    strike exactly the place for which he aimed. When he swung his
+    sling, he knew that the stone would go to the very spot at
+    which he was throwing it.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEN_SAMUEL_POURED_OIL_ON_DAVIDS_HEAD"
+             id="THEN_SAMUEL_POURED_OIL_ON_DAVIDS_HEAD"><img src="./images/figure31_th.jpg"
+             title="Then Samuel poured oil on David's head"
+             alt="Then Samuel poured oil on David's head" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Then Samuel poured oil on David's head</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And young as he was, David thought of God,
+    <a name="Page_130"
+       id="Page_130"></a>and talked with God, and God talked with
+       David, and showed to David His will.</p>
+
+    <p>After Saul had disobeyed the voice of the Lord, the Spirit
+    of the Lord left Saul, and no longer spoke to him. And Saul
+    became very sad of heart. At times a madness would come upon
+    him, and at all times he was very unhappy. The servants of Saul
+    noticed that when some one played on the harp and sang, Saul's
+    spirit was made more cheerful; and the sadness of soul left
+    him. At one time Saul said: "Find some one who can play well,
+    and bring him to me. Let me listen to music; for it drives away
+    my sadness."</p>
+
+    <p>One of the young men said: "I have seen a young man, a son
+    of Jesse in Bethlehem, who can play well. He is handsome in his
+    looks, and agreeable in talking. I have also heard that he is a
+    brave young man, who can fight as well as he can play, and the
+    Lord is with him."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Saul sent a message to Jesse, David's father. He said:
+    "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep. Let him come
+    and play before me."</p>
+
+    <p>Then David came to Saul, bringing with him a present for the
+    king from Jesse. When Saul saw him, he loved him, as did
+    everybody who saw the young David. And David played on the
+    harp, and sang before Saul. And David's music<a name="Page_131"
+       id="Page_131"></a> cheered Saul's heart, and drove away his
+       sad feelings.</p>
+
+    <p>Saul liked David so well that he made him his armorbearer;
+    and David carried the shield and spear, and sword for Saul,
+    when the king was before his army. But Saul did not know that
+    David had been anointed by Samuel.</p>
+
+    <p>After a time, Saul seemed well; and David returned to
+    Bethlehem and was once more among his sheep in the field.
+    Perhaps it was at this time that David sang his shepherd song,
+    or it may have been long afterward, when David looked back in
+    thought to those days when he was leading his sheep. This is
+    the song, which you have heard often:</p>
+
+    <div class="poem">
+        <div class="stanza">
+            <p>"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.</p>
+
+            <p>He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;</p>
+
+            <p>He leadeth me beside the still waters,</p>
+
+            <p>He restoreth my soul;</p>
+
+            <p>He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
+            name's sake.</p>
+
+            <p>Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
+            of death,</p>
+
+            <p>I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;</p>
+
+            <p>Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.</p>
+
+            <p>Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
+            mine enemies;</p>
+
+            <p>Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
+            over.</p>
+
+            <p>Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
+            days of my life:</p>
+
+            <p>And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
+            forever."<a name="Page_132"
+               id="Page_132"></a></p>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIGHT_WITH_THE_GIANT"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIGHT_WITH_THE_GIANT"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT</h2>
+
+    <p>All through the reign of Saul, there was constant war with
+    the Philistines, who lived upon the lowlands west of Israel. At
+    one time, when David was still with his sheep, a few years
+    after he had been anointed by Samuel, the camps of the
+    Philistines and the Israelites were set against each other on
+    opposite sides of the valley of Elah. In the army of Israel
+    were the three oldest brothers of David.</p>
+
+    <p>Every day a giant came out of the camp of the Philistines,
+    and dared some one to come from the Israelites' camp and fight
+    with him. The giant's name was Goliath. He was nine feet high;
+    and he wore armor from head to foot, and carried a spear twice
+    as long and as heavy as any other man could hold; and his
+    shield bearer walked before him. He came every day and called
+    out across the little valley:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am a Philistine, and you are servants of Saul. Now choose
+    one of your men, and let him come out and fight with me. If I
+    kill him; then you shall submit to us; and if he kills me, then
+    we will give up to you. Come, now, send out your man!"</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_133"
+       id="Page_133"></a>But no man in the army, not even King
+       Saul, dared to go out and fight with the giant. Forty days
+       the camps stood against each other, and the Philistine giant
+       continued his call.</p>
+
+    <p>One day, old Jesse, the father of David, sent David from
+    Bethlehem to visit his three brothers in the army. David came,
+    and spoke to his brothers; and while he was talking with them,
+    Goliath the giant came out as before in front of the camp
+    calling for some one to fight with him.</p>
+
+    <p>They said one to another:</p>
+
+    <p>"If any man will go out and kill this Philistine, the king
+    will give him a great reward and a high rank; and the king's
+    daughter shall be his wife."</p>
+
+    <p>And David said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Who is this man that speaks in this proud manner against
+    the armies of the living God? Why does not some one go out and
+    kill him?"</p>
+
+    <p>David's brother Eliab said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"What are you doing here, leaving your sheep in the field? I
+    know that you have come down just to see the battle."</p>
+
+    <p>But David did not care for his brother's words. He thought
+    he saw a way to kill this boasting giant; and he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"If no one else will go, I will go out and fight with this
+    enemy of the Lord's people."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_134"
+       id="Page_134"></a>They brought David before King Saul. Some
+       years had passed since Saul had met David, and he had grown
+       from a boy to a man, so that Saul did not know him as the
+       shepherd who had played on the harp before him in other
+       days.</p>
+
+    <p>Saul said to David:</p>
+
+    <p>"You cannot fight with this great giant. You are very young;
+    and he is a man of war, trained from his youth."</p>
+
+    <p>And David answered King Saul:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am only a shepherd, but I have fought with lions and
+    bears, when they have tried to steal my sheep. And I am not
+    afraid to fight with this Philistine."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Saul put his own armor on David&mdash;a helmet on his
+    head, and a coat of mail on his body, and a sword at his waist.
+    But Saul was almost a giant, and his armor was far too large
+    for David. David said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am not used to fighting with such weapons as these. Let
+    me fight in my own way."</p>
+
+    <p>So David took off Saul's armor. While everybody in the army
+    had been looking on the giant with fear, David had been
+    thinking out the best way for fighting him; and God had given
+    to David a plan. It was to throw the giant off his guard, by
+    appearing weak and helpless; and while so far away that the
+    giant could not reach him with sword or spear, to strike him
+    down <a name="Page_135"
+       id="Page_135"></a>with a weapon which the giant would not
+       expect and would not be prepared for.</p>
+
+    <p>David took his shepherd's staff in his hand, as though that
+    were to be his weapon. But out of sight, in a bag under his
+    mantle, he had five smooth stones carefully chosen, and a
+    sling,&mdash;the weapon that he knew how to use. Then he came
+    out to meet the Philistine.</p>
+
+    <p>The giant looked down on the youth and despised him, and
+    laughed.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_GIANT_LOOKED_DOWN_ON_THE_YOUTH_AND_DESPISED_HIM"
+             id="THE_GIANT_LOOKED_DOWN_ON_THE_YOUTH_AND_DESPISED_HIM"><img src="./images/figure32_th.jpg"
+             title="The giant looked down on the youth and despised him"
+             alt="The giant looked down on the youth and despised him" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>The giant looked down on the youth and despised him</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Am I a dog?" he said, "that this boy comes to me with a
+    staff? I will give his body to the birds of the air, and the
+    beasts of the field."</p>
+
+    <p>And the Philistine cursed David by the gods of his people.
+    And David answered him:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_136"
+       id="Page_136"></a>You come against me with a sword, and a
+       spear, and a dart; but I come to you in the name of the Lord
+       of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. This day will the
+       Lord give you into my hand. I will strike you down, and take
+       off your head, and the host of the Philistines shall be dead
+       bodies, to be eaten by the birds and the beasts; so that all
+       may know that there is a God in Israel, and that He can save
+       in other ways besides with sword and spear."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="DAVID_DREW_OUT_THE_GIANTS_OWN_SWORD"
+             id="DAVID_DREW_OUT_THE_GIANTS_OWN_SWORD"><img src="./images/figure33_th.jpg"
+             title="David drew out the giant's own sword"
+             alt="David drew out the giant's own sword" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>David drew out the giant's own sword</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And David ran toward the Philistine, as if to fight him with
+    his shepherd's staff. But when he was just near enough for a
+    good aim, he took out his sling, and hurled a stone aimed at
+    the giant's forehead. David's aim was good; the stone struck
+    the Philistine in his forehead. It stunned him, and he fell to
+    the ground.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_137"
+       id="Page_137"></a>While the two armies stood wondering, and
+       scarcely knowing what had caused the giant to fall so
+       suddenly, David ran forward, drew out the giant's own sword,
+       and cut off his head. Then the Philistines knew that their
+       great warrior in whom they trusted was dead. They turned to
+       flee to their own land; and the Israelites followed after
+       them, and killed them by the hundred and the thousand, even
+       to the gates of their own city of Gath.</p>
+
+    <p>So in that day David won a great victory and stood before
+    all the land as the one who had saved his people from their
+    enemies.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_138"
+       id="Page_138"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_CAVE_OF_ADULLAM"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_CAVE_OF_ADULLAM"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       CAVE OF ADULLAM</h2>
+
+    <p>Now Saul had a son, Jonathan, near David's own age. He and
+    David became fast friends and loved one another as brothers.
+    Saul the king became very jealous of David because the people
+    praised him after his fight with Goliath. He even threatened to
+    take David's life. He tried to catch him in his own house, but
+    David's wife let him down from a window by a rope and he
+    escaped. He met his friend Jonathan, who told him that he
+    should flee. They renewed their promises of friendship, which
+    they kept ever afterward.</p>
+
+    <p>From his meeting with Jonathan, David went forth to be a
+    wanderer, having no home as long as Saul lived. He found a
+    great cave, called the cave of Adullam, and hid in it. Soon
+    people heard where he was, and from all parts of the land,
+    especially from his own tribe of Judah, men who were not
+    satisfied with the rule of King Saul gathered around David.</p>
+
+    <p>Saul soon heard that David, with a band of men, was hiding
+    among the mountains of Judah, and that among those who aided
+    him were certain priests.</p>
+
+    <p>This enraged King Saul, and he ordered his
+    <a name="Page_139"
+       id="Page_139"></a>guards to kill all the priests. The guards
+       would not obey him, for they felt that it was a wicked thing
+       to lay hands upon the priests of the Lord.</p>
+
+    <p>But he found one man whose name was Doeg, an Edomite, who
+    was willing to obey the king. And Doeg, the Edomite, killed
+    eighty-five men who wore the priestly garments.</p>
+
+    <p>All through the land went the news of Saul's dreadful deed,
+    and everywhere the people began to turn from Saul, and to look
+    toward David as the only hope of the nation.</p>
+
+    <p>When Saul died he was followed by David, the shepherd boy,
+    now grown to manhood and greatly loved by the people. He had
+    many battles to fight with the Philistines and was nearly
+    always victorious. He was a warrior king; but he was more than
+    a warrior. He played on his harp and composed many beautiful
+    hymns and songs, which are collected in the book of Psalms. He
+    was a good king and tried to obey God's command. He had a long
+    reign and his people were happy and prosperous. He had many
+    sons and daughters and beautiful palaces for them to live
+    in.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_140"
+       id="Page_140"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_SOLOMON_AND_HIS_TEMPLE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_SOLOMON_AND_HIS_TEMPLE"></a>THE STORY OF
+       SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE</h2>
+
+    <p>During the later years of David's reign, he laid up great
+    treasure of gold and silver, and brass, and iron, for the
+    building of a house to the Lord on Mount Moriah. This house was
+    to be called "The Temple"; and it was to be made very
+    beautiful, the most beautiful building, and the richest in all
+    the land. David had greatly desired to build this house while
+    he was king of Israel, but God said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"You have been a man of war, and have fought many battles,
+    and shed much blood. My house shall be built by a man of peace.
+    When you die, your son Solomon shall reign, and he shall have
+    peace, and shall build my house."</p>
+
+    <p>So David made ready great store of precious things for the
+    temple; also stone and cedar to be used in the building. And
+    David said to Solomon, his son: "God has promised that there
+    shall be rest and peace to the land while you are king; and the
+    Lord will be with you, and you shall build a house, where God
+    shall live among His people."</p>
+
+    <p>But David had other sons who were older than Solomon; and
+    one of these sons, whose name was<a name="Page_141"
+       id="Page_141"></a> Adonijah, formed a plan to make himself
+       king. David was now very old; and he was no longer able to
+       go out of his palace, and to be seen among the people.</p>
+
+    <p>Adonijah gathered his friends; and among them were Joab, the
+    general of the army, and Abiathar, one of the two high-priests.
+    They met at a place outside the wall, and had a great feast,
+    and were about to crown Adonijah as king, when word came to
+    David in the palace. David, though old and feeble, was still
+    wise. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Let us make Solomon king at once, and thus put an end to
+    the plans of these men."</p>
+
+    <p>So at David's command they brought out the mule on which no
+    one but the king was allowed to ride; and they placed Solomon
+    upon it; and with the king's guards, and the nobles, and the
+    great men, they brought the young Solomon down to the valley of
+    Gihon, south of the city.</p>
+
+    <p>And Zadok, the priest, took from the Tabernacle the horn
+    filled with holy oil, that was used for anointing or pouring
+    oil on the head of the priests when they were set apart for
+    their work. He poured oil from this horn on the head of
+    Solomon, and then the priests blew the trumpets, and all the
+    people cried aloud, "God save King Solomon."</p>
+
+    <p>All this time Adonijah and Joab, and their friends were not
+    far away, almost in the same <a name="Page_142"
+       id="Page_142"></a>valley, feasting and making merry,
+       intending to make Adonijah king. They heard the sound of the
+       trumpets, and the shouting of the people. Joab said: "What
+       is the cause of all this noise and uproar?"</p>
+
+    <p>A moment later, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, came running
+    in. Jonathan said to the men who were feasting:</p>
+
+    <p>"Our lord King David has made Solomon king, and he has just
+    been anointed in Gihon; and all the princes, and the heads of
+    the army, are with him, and the people are shouting, 'God save
+    King Solomon!' And David has sent from his bed a message to
+    Solomon, saying, 'May the Lord make your name greater than mine
+    has been! Blessed be the Lord, who has given me a son to sit
+    this day on my throne!'"</p>
+
+    <p>When Adonijah and his friends heard this they were filled
+    with fear. Every man went at once to his house, except
+    Adonijah. He hastened to the altar of the Lord, and knelt
+    before it, and took hold of the horns that were on its corners
+    in front. This was a holy place, and he hoped that there
+    Solomon might have mercy on him. And Solomon said:</p>
+
+    <p>"If Adonijah will do right, and be faithful to me as the
+    king of Israel, no harm shall come to him; but if he does
+    wrong, he shall die."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Adonijah came and bowed down before<a name="Page_143"
+       id="Page_143"></a> King Solomon, and promised to obey him,
+       and Solomon said, "Go to your own house."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SOLOMON_ON_HIS_THRONE"
+             id="SOLOMON_ON_HIS_THRONE"><img src="./images/figure34_th.jpg"
+             title="Solomon on his throne"
+             alt="Solomon on his throne" /></a><br />
+        <i>Solomon on his throne</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Not long after this David sent for Solomon, and from his bed
+    he gave his last advice to Solomon. And soon after that David
+    died, an old man, having reigned in all forty years, seven
+    years over the tribe of Judah, at Hebron, and thirty-three
+    years over all Israel, in Jerusalem. He was buried in great
+    honor on Mount Zion, and his tomb remained standing for many
+    years.</p>
+
+    <p>The great work of Solomon's reign was the building of the
+    House of God. It was generally called the Temple. It was built
+    on Mount Moriah, one of the hills of Jerusalem. King David had
+    prepared for it by gathering great stores of silver, stone and
+    cedar-wood. The walls were made of stone and the roof of cedar.
+    Solomon had great ships which visited other lands and brought
+    precious stones and fine woods for the
+    building.<a name="Page_144"
+       id="Page_144"></a> Seven years were spent in building the
+       Temple, and it was set apart to the worship of God with
+       beautiful ceremonies in which Solomon, in his robes of
+       state, took part.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SUPPOSED_FORM_OF_SOLOMONS_TEMPLE"
+             id="SUPPOSED_FORM_OF_SOLOMONS_TEMPLE"><img src="./images/figure35_th.jpg"
+             title="Supposed form of Solomon's temple"
+             alt="Supposed form of Solomon's temple" /></a><br />
+        <i>Supposed form of Solomon's temple</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Solomon was indeed a great king, and it was said that he was
+    also the wisest man in all the world. He wrote many of the wise
+    sayings in the Book of Proverbs, and many more that have been
+    lost.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SHIP_IN_SOLOMONS_TIME"
+             id="SHIP_IN_SOLOMONS_TIME"><img src="./images/figure36_th.jpg"
+             title="Ship in Solomon's time"
+             alt="Ship in Solomon's time" /></a><br />
+        <i>Ship in Solomon's time</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_145"
+       id="Page_145"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_ELIJAH_THE_PROPHET"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_ELIJAH_THE_PROPHET"></a>THE STORY OF
+       ELIJAH, THE PROPHET</h2>
+
+    <p>One of the greatest of all the kings of the Ten Tribes was
+    Jeroboam the second. Under him the kingdom of Israel grew rich
+    and strong. He conquered nearly all Syria, and made Samaria the
+    greatest city of all those lands.</p>
+
+    <p>But though Syria went down, another nation was now rising to
+    power&mdash;Assyria, on the eastern side of the river Tigris.
+    Its capital was Nineveh, a great city, so vast that it would
+    take three days for a man to walk around its walls. The
+    Assyrians were beginning to conquer all the lands near them,
+    and Israel was in danger of falling under their power.</p>
+
+    <p>One of the kings who ruled over Israel was named Ahab. He
+    provoked the anger of the Lord. His wife, Jezebel, who was a
+    worshiper of Baal, persuaded him to build an altar to the false
+    god.</p>
+
+    <p>Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, was sent to him and proposed
+    a test. Two altars were built; one to Jehovah and one to Baal.
+    The priests of Baal called upon their god to send down fire;
+    but there was no answer. Then Elijah called upon the Lord God
+    of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and fire came down and burnt up
+    the offering.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_146"
+       id="Page_146"></a>The people turned upon the priests of Baal
+       and killed them all. Later the wicked queen, Jezebel,
+       coveted a vineyard for Ahab, and she caused Naboth, the
+       owner of the vineyard, to be placed in front of the battle.
+       When he was slain Ahab took the vineyard.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="DENOUNCED_AHAB_AND_JEZEBEL"
+             id="DENOUNCED_AHAB_AND_JEZEBEL"><img src="./images/figure37_th.jpg"
+             title="Denounced Ahab and Jezebel"
+             alt="Denounced Ahab and Jezebel" /></a><br />
+        <i>Denounced Ahab and Jezebel</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_147"
+       id="Page_147"></a>Once more Elijah came and denounced Ahab
+       and Jezebel, telling them that they had done wickedly, and
+       that the Lord would punish them.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="MADE_KING_WHEN_HE_WAS_ONLY_SEVEN_YEARS_OLD"
+             id="MADE_KING_WHEN_HE_WAS_ONLY_SEVEN_YEARS_OLD"><img src="./images/figure38_th.jpg"
+             title="Made king when he was only seven years old"
+             alt="Made king when he was only seven years old" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Made king when he was only seven years old</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>In a little while the prophet's words came true, for Ahab
+    was slain in battle and Jezebel was put to death by order of
+    King Jehu. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of
+    fire.</p>
+
+    <p>There was another prophet, a companion of Elijah, whose name
+    was Elisha, a brave and courageous man who did not fail to
+    deliver God's message.</p>
+
+    <p>It happened that when Elisha was an old man there can to him
+    King Joash, who had been made king when he was only seven years
+    old. Joash was now a young man and was trying to do right in
+    the sight of the Lord. But he felt the need of the prophet's
+    aid, and he came to Elisha and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_148"
+       id="Page_148"></a>My father, my father, you are more to
+       Israel than its chariots and horsemen."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THIS_IS_THE_ARROW_OF_VICTORY"
+             id="THIS_IS_THE_ARROW_OF_VICTORY"><img src="./images/figure39_th.jpg"
+             title="This is the arrow of victory"
+             alt="This is the arrow of victory" /></a><br />
+        <i>This is the arrow of victory</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Elisha, though weak in body, was yet strong in soul. He told
+    Joash to bring him a bow and arrows, and to open the window to
+    the east, looking toward the land of Syria. Then Elisha caused
+    the king to draw the bow; and he placed his hands on the king's
+    hands. And as the king shot an arrow, Elisha said:</p>
+
+    <p>"This is the arrow of victory; of victory over Syria; for
+    you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek and shall destroy
+    them."</p>
+
+    <p>It happened as Elisha had foretold and the Syrians were
+    defeated and their cities taken.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_149"
+       id="Page_149"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_JONAH_AND_THE_WHALE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_JONAH_AND_THE_WHALE"></a>THE STORY OF JONAH
+       AND THE WHALE</h2>
+
+    <p>At this time another prophet, named Jonah, was giving the
+    word of the Lord to the Israelites. To Jonah the Lord spoke,
+    saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it; for its
+    wickedness rises up before me."</p>
+
+    <p>But Jonah did not wish to preach to the people of Nineveh;
+    for they were the enemies of his land, the land of Israel. He
+    wished Nineveh to die in its sins, and not to turn to God and
+    live. So Jonah tried to go away from the city where God had
+    sent him. He went down to Joppa and took a ship for
+    Tarshish.</p>
+
+    <p>But the Lord saw Jonah on the ship; and the Lord sent a
+    great storm upon the sea, so that the ship seemed as though it
+    would go to pieces. The sailors threw overboard everything on
+    the ship; and when they could do no more, every man prayed to
+    his god to save the ship and themselves. Jonah was now lying
+    fast asleep, and the ship's captain came to him, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"What do you mean by sleeping in such a time as this? Awake,
+    rise up, and call upon your God. Perhaps He will hear you and
+    save our lives."</p>
+
+    <p>But the storm continued to rage around the ship; and they
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_150"
+       id="Page_150"></a>There is some man on this ship who has
+       brought upon us this trouble. Let us cast lots and find who
+       it is."</p>
+
+    <p>Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. They said to
+    him, all at once:</p>
+
+    <p>"Tell us, who are you? From what country do you come? What
+    is your business? To what people do you belong? Why have you
+    brought all this trouble upon us?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jonah told them the whole story, how he came from the
+    land of Israel, and that he had fled away from the presence of
+    the Lord. And they said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"What shall we do to you, that the storm may cease?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then said Jonah:</p>
+
+    <p>"Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the storm will
+    cease and the waters will be calm; for I know that for my sake
+    this great tempest is upon you."</p>
+
+    <p>But the men were not willing to throw Jonah into the sea.
+    They rowed hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could
+    not. Then they cried unto the Lord, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"We pray thee, O Lord, we pray thee, let us not die for this
+    man's life; for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased
+    thee."</p>
+
+    <p>At last, when they could do nothing else to save themselves,
+    they threw Jonah into the sea.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_151"
+       id="Page_151"></a>At once the storm ceased, and the waves
+       became still. Then the men on the ship feared the Lord
+       greatly. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and made
+       promises to serve him.</p>
+
+    <p>And the Lord caused a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and
+    Jonah was alive within the fish for three days and three
+    nights. In the fish Jonah cried to the Lord; and the Lord
+    caused the great fish to throw up Jonah upon the dry land.</p>
+
+    <p>Notice all through this story that, although Jonah was God's
+    servant, he was always thinking about himself. God protected
+    Jonah and saved him, not because he was such a good man, but
+    because he wanted to teach him a great lesson.</p>
+
+    <p>By this time Jonah had learned that some men who worshipped
+    idols were kind in their hearts, and were dear to the Lord.
+    This was the lesson that God meant Jonah to learn; and now the
+    call of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:</p>
+
+    <p>"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it
+    what I command you." So Jonah went to the city of Nineveh; and
+    as he entered into it, he called out to the people:</p>
+
+    <p>"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."</p>
+
+    <p>And he walked through the city all day crying out only
+    this:</p>
+
+    <p>"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_152"
+       id="Page_152"></a>And the people of Nineveh believed the
+       word of the Lord as spoken by Jonah. They turned away from
+       their sins and fasted and sought the Lord, from the greatest
+       of them even to the least. The king of Nineveh arose from
+       his throne, and laid aside his royal robes, and covered
+       himself with sack-cloth and sat in ashes, as a sign of his
+       sorrow. And the king sent out a command to his people that
+       they should fast, and seek the Lord, and turn from sin.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="TO_SHADE_JONAH_FROM_THE_SUN"
+             id="TO_SHADE_JONAH_FROM_THE_SUN"><img src="./images/figure40_th.jpg"
+             title="To shade Jonah from the sun"
+             alt="To shade Jonah from the sun" /></a><br />
+        <i>To shade Jonah from the sun</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And God saw that the people of Nineveh were sorry for their
+    wickedness, and he forgave them, and did not destroy their
+    city. But this made Jonah very angry. He did not wish to have
+    Nineveh spared, because it was the enemy of his own land; and
+    also he feared that men would call him a false prophet when his
+    word did not come to pass. And Jonah said to the Lord:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Lord, I was sure that it would be thus, that thou
+    wouldest spare the city; and for that reason I tried to flee
+    away; for I know that thou <a name="Page_153"
+       id="Page_153"></a>wast a gracious God, full of pity, slow to
+       anger, and rich in mercy. Now, O Lord, take away my life,
+       for it is better for me to die than to live."</p>
+
+    <p>And Jonah went out of the city, and built a little hut on
+    the east side of it, and sat under its roof, to see whether God
+    would keep the word that he had spoken. Then the Lord caused a
+    plant with thick leaves to grow up, and to shade Jonah from the
+    sun; and Jonah was glad, and sat under its shadow. But a worm
+    destroyed the plant; and the next day a hot wind blew, and
+    Jonah suffered from the heat; and again Jonah wished that he
+    might die. And the Lord said to Jonah:</p>
+
+    <p>"You were sorry to see the plant die, though you did not
+    make it grow, and though it came up in a night and died in a
+    night. And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city,
+    where are more than a hundred thousand little children, and
+    also many cattle,&mdash;all helpless and knowing nothing?"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children,
+    are all precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they
+    know not God.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_154"
+       id="Page_154"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIERY_FURNACE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FIERY_FURNACE"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       FIERY FURNACE</h2>
+
+    <p>There was in the land of Judah a wicked king-named
+    Jehoiakim, son of the good Josiah. While Jehoiakim was ruling
+    over the land of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, a great conqueror of
+    the nations, came from Babylon with his army of Chaldean
+    soldiers. He took the city of Jerusalem, and made Jehoiakim
+    promise to submit to him as his master. And when he went back
+    to his own land he took with him all the gold and silver that
+    he could find in the Temple; and he carried away as captives
+    very many of the princes and nobles, the best people in the
+    land of Judah.</p>
+
+    <p>When these Jews were brought to the land of Chaldea or
+    Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the prince, who had
+    charge of his palace, to choose among these Jewish captives
+    some young men who were of noble rank, and beautiful in their
+    looks, and also quick and bright in their minds; young men who
+    would be able to learn readily. These young men were to be
+    placed under the care of wise men, who should teach them all
+    that they knew, and fit them to stand before the king of
+    Babylon, so that they might be his helpers to carry out his
+    <a name="Page_155"
+       id="Page_155"></a>orders; and the king wished them to be
+       wise, so that they might give him advice in ruling his
+       people.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the young men thus chosen were four Jews, men who had
+    been brought from Judah. By order of the king the names of
+    these men were changed. One of them, named Daniel, was to be
+    called Belteshazzer; the other three young men were called
+    Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They were taught in all the
+    knowledge of the Chaldeans; and after three years of training
+    they were taken into the king's palace.</p>
+
+    <p>King Nebuchadnezzar was pleased with them, more than with
+    any others who stood before him. He found them wise and
+    faithful in the work given to them, and able to rule over men
+    under them. And these four men came to the highest places in
+    the kingdom of the Chaldeans.</p>
+
+    <p>At one time King Nebuchadnezzar caused a great image to be
+    made, and to be covered with gold. This image he set up, as an
+    idol to be worshipped, on the plain of Dura, near the city of
+    Babylon. When it was finished, it stood upon its base or
+    foundation almost a hundred feet high; so that upon the plain
+    it could be seen far away. Then the king sent out a command for
+    all the princes, and rulers, and nobles in the land, to come to
+    a great gathering, when the image was to be set apart for
+    worship.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_156"
+       id="Page_156"></a>The great men of the kingdom came from far
+       and near and stood around the image. Among them, by command
+       of the king, were Daniel's three friends, the young Jews,
+       Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. For some reason, Daniel
+       himself was not there. He may have been busy with the work
+       of the kingdom in some other place.</p>
+
+    <p>At one moment in the service before the image, all the
+    trumpets sounded, the drums were beaten, and music was made
+    upon musical instruments of all kinds, as a signal for all the
+    people to kneel down and worship the great golden image. But
+    while the people were kneeling, there were three men who stood
+    up, and would not bow down. These were the three young Jews,
+    Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They knelt down before the
+    Lord God only.</p>
+
+    <p>Many of the nobles had been jealous of these young men,
+    because they had been lifted to high places in the rule of the
+    kingdom; and these men who hated Daniel and his friends, were
+    glad to find that these three men had not obeyed the command of
+    King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had said that if any one did not
+    worship the golden image he should be thrown into a furnace of
+    fire. These men who hated the Jews came to the king and
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"O king, may you live for ever! You gave <a name="Page_157"
+       id="Page_157"></a>orders that when the music sounded, every
+       one should bow down and worship the golden image; and that
+       if any man did not worship, he should be thrown into a
+       furnace of fire. There are some Jews, whom you have made
+       rulers in the land, who have not done as you commanded.
+       Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They do not
+       serve your gods, nor worship the golden image that you have
+       set up."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="NEBUCHADNEZZAR_WAS_FILLED_WITH_RAGE"
+             id="NEBUCHADNEZZAR_WAS_FILLED_WITH_RAGE"><img src="./images/figure41_th.jpg"
+             title="Nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage"
+             alt="Nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage" /></a><br />
+        <i>Nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage and fury at knowing
+    that any one should dare to disobey his words. He sent for
+    these three men and said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, was it by purpose that
+    you did not fall down and <a name="Page_158"
+       id="Page_158"></a>worship the image of gold? The music shall
+       sound once more, and if you then will worship the image, it
+       will be well. But if you will not, then you shall be thrown
+       into the furnace of fire, to die."</p>
+
+    <p>These three young men were not afraid of the king. They
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"O King Nebuchadnezzar, we are ready to answer you at once.
+    The God whom we serve is able to save us from the fiery
+    furnace, and we know that he will save us. But if it is God's
+    will that we should die, even then you may understand, O king,
+    that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden
+    image."</p>
+
+    <p>This answer made the king more furious than before. He said
+    to his servants:</p>
+
+    <p>"Make a fire in the furnace hotter than ever it has been
+    before, as hot as fire can be made; and throw these three men
+    into it."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the soldiers of the king's army seized the three young
+    Jews, as they stood in their loose robes, with their turbans on
+    their heads. They tied them with ropes, and dragged them to the
+    mouth of the furnace, and threw them into the fire. The flames
+    rushed from the opened door with such fury that they burned
+    even to death the soldiers who were holding these men; and the
+    men themselves fell down bound into the middle of the fiery
+    furnace.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_159"
+       id="Page_159"></a>But an angel befriended them and they were
+       unhurt.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="AN_ANGEL_BEFRIENDED_THEM"
+             id="AN_ANGEL_BEFRIENDED_THEM"><img src="./images/figure42_th.jpg"
+             title="An angel befriended them"
+             alt="An angel befriended them" /></a><br />
+        <i>An angel befriended them</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>King Nebuchadnezzar stood in front of the furnace, and
+    looked into the open door. As he looked, he was filled with
+    wonder at what he saw; and he said to the nobles around
+    him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Did we not throw three men bound into the
+    <a name="Page_160"
+       id="Page_160"></a>fire? How is it then that I see four men
+       loose walking in the furnace; and the fourth man looks as
+       though he were a son of the gods?"</p>
+
+    <p>And the nobles who stood by could scarcely speak, so great
+    was their surprise.</p>
+
+    <p>"It is true, O king," at last they said to Nebuchadnezzar,
+    "that we cast these men into the flames, expecting them to be
+    burned up; and we cannot understand how it happens that they
+    have not been destroyed."</p>
+
+    <p>The king came near to the door of the furnace, as the fire
+    became lower; and he called out to the three men within it:</p>
+
+    <p>"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye who serve the Most
+    High God, come out of the fire, and come to me."</p>
+
+    <p>They came out and stood before the king, in the sight of all
+    the princes, and nobles, and rulers; and every one could see
+    that they were alive.</p>
+
+    <p>Their garments had not been scorched, nor their hair singed,
+    nor was there even the smell of fire upon them.</p>
+
+    <p>Then King Nebuchadnezzar said before all his rulers:</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who
+    has sent his angel, and has saved the lives of these men who
+    trusted in him. <i>I</i> make a law that no man in all my
+    kingdoms <a name="Page_161"
+       id="Page_161"></a>shall say a word against their God, for
+       there is no other god who can save in this manner those who
+       worship him. And if any man speaks a word against their God,
+       the Most High God, that man shall be cut in pieces, and his
+       house shall be torn down."</p>
+
+    <p>After King Nebuchadnezzar died, his kingdom became weak, and
+    the city of Babylon was taken by the Medes and Persians, under
+    Cyrus, a great warrior.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_162"
+       id="Page_162"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_DANIEL_IN_THE_LIONS_DEN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_DANIEL_IN_THE_LIONS_DEN"></a>THE STORY OF
+       DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN</h2>
+
+    <p>The lands which had been the Babylonian or Chaldean empire,
+    now became the empire of Persia; and over these Darius was the
+    king. King Darius gave to Daniel, who was now a very old man, a
+    high place in honor and in power. Among all the rulers over the
+    land, Daniel stood first, for the king saw that he was wise and
+    able to rule. This made the other princes and rulers very
+    jealous, and they tried to find something evil in Daniel, so
+    that they could speak to the king against him.</p>
+
+    <p>These men saw that three times every day Daniel went to his
+    room and opened the window that was toward the city of
+    Jerusalem, and looking toward Jerusalem, made his prayer to
+    God. Jerusalem was at that time in ruins, and the Temple was no
+    longer standing; but Daniel prayed three times each day with
+    his face toward the place where the house of God had once
+    stood, although it was many hundreds of miles away.</p>
+
+    <p>These nobles thought that in Daniel's prayers they could
+    find a chance to do him harm, and perhaps cause him to be put
+    to death. They came to King Darius, and said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_163"
+       id="Page_163"></a>All the rulers have agreed together to
+       have a law made that for thirty days no one shall ask
+       anything of any god or of any man, except from you, O king;
+       and that if any one shall pray to any god, or shall ask
+       anything from any man during the thirty days, except from
+       you, O king, he shall be thrown into the den where the lions
+       are kept. Now, O king, make the law, and sign the writing,
+       so that it cannot be changed, for no law among the Medes and
+       the Persians can be altered."</p>
+
+    <p>The king was not a wise man; and being foolish and vain, he
+    was pleased with this law which would set him even above the
+    gods. So without asking Daniel's advice, he signed the writing;
+    and the law was made, and the word was sent out through the
+    kingdom, that for thirty days no one should pray to any
+    god.</p>
+
+    <p>Daniel knew that the law had been made, but every day he
+    went to his room three times, and opened the window that looked
+    toward Jerusalem, and offered his prayers to the Lord, just as
+    he had prayed in other times. These rulers were watching near
+    by, and they saw Daniel kneeling in prayer to God. Then they
+    came to the king, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"O King Darius, have you not made a law, that if any one in
+    thirty days offers a prayer, he shall be thrown into the den of
+    lions?"</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_164"
+       id="Page_164"></a>It is true," said the king. "The law has
+       been made, and it must stand."</p>
+
+    <p>They said to the king: "There is one man who does not obey
+    the law which you have made. It is that Daniel, one of the
+    captive Jews. Every day Daniel prays to his God three times,
+    just as he did before you signed the writing of the law."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THROWN_INTO_THE_DEN_OF_LIONS"
+             id="THROWN_INTO_THE_DEN_OF_LIONS"><img src="./images/figure43_th.jpg"
+             title="Thrown into the den of lions"
+             alt="Thrown into the den of lions" /></a><br />
+        <i>Thrown into the den of lions</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then the king was very sorry for what he had done, for he
+    loved Daniel, and knew that no one could take his place in the
+    kingdom. All day, until the sun went down, he tried in vain to
+    find some way to save Daniel's life; but when evening came,
+    these men again told him of the law that he had made, and said
+    to him that it must be kept. Very unwillingly the king sent for
+    Daniel, and gave an order that he should be thrown into the den
+    of lions. He said to Daniel:<a name="Page_165"
+       id="Page_165"></a> "Perhaps your God, whom you serve so
+       faithfully, will save you from the lions."</p>
+
+    <p>They led Daniel to the mouth of the pit where the lions were
+    kept, and they threw him in; and over the mouth they placed a
+    stone; and the king sealed it with his own seal, and with the
+    seals of his nobles; so that no one might take away the stone
+    and let Daniel out of the den.</p>
+
+    <p>Then the king went again to his palace; but that night he
+    was so sad that he could not eat, nor did he listen to music as
+    he was used to listen. He could not sleep, for all through the
+    night he was thinking of Daniel. Very early in the morning he
+    rose up from his bed and went in haste to the den of lions. He
+    broke the seal and took away the stone, and in a voice full of
+    sorrow he called out, scarcely hoping to have an answer:</p>
+
+    <p>"O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able
+    to save you from the lions?"</p>
+
+    <p>And out of the darkness in the den came the voice of Daniel,
+    saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"O king, may you live forever! My God has sent his angel and
+    has shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me,
+    because my God saw that I had done no wrong. And I have done no
+    wrong toward you, O king!"</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter"
+         style="width:400px">
+        <a href="./images/265.jpg"
+             name="DANIELS_ANSWER_TO_THE_KING"
+             id="DANIELS_ANSWER_TO_THE_KING"><img width="400"
+             src="./images/265_th.jpg"
+             title="DANIEL'S ANSWER TO THE KING"
+             alt="DANIEL'S ANSWER TO THE KING" /></a>
+
+        <p><b>DANIEL'S ANSWER TO THE KING</b>&mdash;Then said
+        Daniel unto the King, O King, live forever. My God hath
+        sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they
+        have not hurt me.&mdash;(Daniel 6: 21-22.)</p>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then the king was glad. He gave to his servants orders to
+    take Daniel out of the den. Daniel <a name="Page_166"
+       id="Page_166"></a><a name="Page_167"
+       id="Page_167"></a>was brought out safe and without harm,
+       because he had trusted fully in the Lord God. Then by the
+       king's command, they brought those men who had spoken
+       against Daniel, and with them their wives and their
+       children, for the king was exceedingly angry with them. They
+       were all thrown into the den, and the hungry lions leaped
+       upon them, and tore them in pieces, so soon as they fell
+       upon the floor of the den.</p>
+
+    <p>After this king Darius wrote to all the lands and the
+    peoples in the many kingdoms under his rule:</p>
+
+    <p>"May peace be given to you all abundantly! I make a law that
+    everywhere among my kingdoms men fear and worship the Lord God
+    of Daniel; for he is the living God, above all other gods, who
+    only can save men."</p>
+
+    <p>And Daniel stood beside king Darius until the end of his
+    reign, and afterward while Cyrus the Persian was king over all
+    the lands.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_168"
+       id="Page_168"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_ANGEL_BY_THE_ALTAR"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_ANGEL_BY_THE_ALTAR"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR</h2>
+
+    <p>At the time when the story of the New Testament begins, the
+    land of Israel, called also the land of Judea, was ruled by a
+    king named Herod. He was the first of several Herods, who at
+    different times ruled either the whole of the land, or parts of
+    it. But Herod was not the highest ruler. Many years before this
+    time, the Romans, who came from the city of Rome in Italy, had
+    won all the lands around the Great Sea, the sea which we call
+    the Mediterranean; and above king Herod of Judea was the great
+    king of Rome, ruling over all the lands, and over the land of
+    Judea among them. So Herod, though king of Judea, obeyed his
+    overlord, the emperor at Rome. At the time when this story
+    begins, the emperor at Rome was named Augustus C�sar.</p>
+
+    <p>At this time, the land where the Jews lived was full of
+    people. Jerusalem was its largest city, and in Jerusalem was
+    standing the Temple of the Lord, which king Herod had lately
+    built anew, taking the place of the old Temple built very many
+    years before, which had long needed repair. There were also
+    many other <a name="Page_169"
+       id="Page_169"></a>large cities besides Jerusalem. In the
+       south was Hebron among the mountains; on the shore of the
+       Great Sea were Gaza, and Joppa, and C�sarea; in the middle
+       of the land were Shechem and Samaria; and in the north were
+       Nazareth, and Cana; down by the shore of the Sea of Galilee
+       were Tiberias, and Capernaum, and Bethsaida. Far up in the
+       north, at the foot of snowy Mount Hermon, was another
+       C�sarea; but so that it might not be confused with C�sarea
+       upon the seacoast this city was called C�sarea-Philippi, or
+       "Philip's C�sarea," from the name of one of Herod's
+       sons.</p>
+
+    <p>One day, an old priest named Zacharias was leading the
+    service of worship in the Temple. He was standing in front of
+    the golden altar of incense, in the Holy Place, and was holding
+    in his hand a censer, or cup, full of burning coals and
+    incense; while all the people were worshipping in the court of
+    the Temple, outside the court of the Priests, where the great
+    altar of burnt-offering stood.</p>
+
+    <p>Suddenly, Zacharias saw an angel from the Lord, standing on
+    the right side of the altar of incense. He felt a great fear
+    when he saw this strange being with shining face; but the angel
+    said to him:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="DO_NOT_BE_AFRAID_ZACHARIAS"
+             id="DO_NOT_BE_AFRAID_ZACHARIAS"><img src="./images/figure45_th.jpg"
+             title="Do not be afraid, Zacharias"
+             alt="Do not be afraid, Zacharias" /></a><br />
+        <i>"Do not be afraid, Zacharias"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Do not be afraid, Zacharias; for I have come from the Lord
+    to bring good news. Your wife<a name="Page_170"
+       id="Page_170"></a> Elizabeth shall have a son, and you shall
+       name him John. You shall be made glad, for your son John
+       shall bring joy and gladness to many. He shall be great in
+       the sight of the Lord; and he shall never taste wine nor
+       strong drink as long as he lives; but he shall be filled
+       with God's Holy<a name="Page_171"
+       id="Page_171"></a> Spirit. He shall lead many of the people
+       of Israel to the Lord, for he shall go before the Lord in
+       the power of Elijah the prophet, as was promised by Malachi,
+       the last of the old prophets. He shall turn the hearts of
+       the fathers to the children, and those who are disobeying
+       the Lord to do his will."</p>
+
+    <p>As Zacharias heard these words, he was filled with wonder,
+    and could hardly believe them true. He was now an old man, and
+    his wife Elizabeth was also old; so that they could not expect
+    to have a child. He said to the angel:</p>
+
+    <p>"How shall I know that your words are true, for I am an old
+    man, and my wife is old?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God," said the
+    angel. "And I was sent from the Lord to speak to you, and to
+    bring you this good news. But because you did not believe my
+    words, you shall become dumb, and shall not be able to speak,
+    until this which I have said comes to pass."</p>
+
+    <p>All this time the people outside in the court were wondering
+    why the priest stayed so long in the Temple. When at last he
+    came out, they found that he could not speak a word; but he
+    made signs to them, to tell them that he had seen a vision in
+    the Temple.</p>
+
+    <p>After the days of his service were over, Zacharias went to
+    his own home, which was near<a name="Page_172"
+       id="Page_172"></a> Hebron, a city of the priests, among the
+       mountains in the south of Judea. When his wife Elizabeth
+       found that God was soon to give her a child, she was very
+       happy, and praised the Lord.</p>
+
+    <p>About six months after Zacharias saw the vision in the
+    Temple, the same angel Gabriel was sent from the Lord to a city
+    in the part of the land called Galilee, which was in the north.
+    The city to which the angel was sent was Nazareth. There the
+    angel found a young girl named Mary, who was a cousin to
+    Elizabeth. Mary was soon to be married to a good man who had
+    sprung from the line of king David, though he was not himself a
+    king, nor a rich man. He was a carpenter, living in Nazareth,
+    and his name was Joseph. The angel came into the room where
+    Mary was, and said to her: "Hail, woman favored by the Lord;
+    the Lord is with you!"</p>
+
+    <p>Mary was surprised at the angel's words, and wondered what
+    they could mean. Then the angel spoke again, and said: "Do not
+    be afraid, Mary. The Lord has given to you his favor, and has
+    chosen you to be the mother of a son whose name shall be Jesus,
+    which means 'salvation,' because he shall save his people from
+    their sins. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of
+    God; and the Lord shall give to him the throne of his father
+    David. He shall be a king, and <a name="Page_173"
+       id="Page_173"></a>shall reign over the people of God
+       forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."</p>
+
+    <p>But Mary could not see how all this was to come to pass. And
+    the angel said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the
+    Most High God shall be over you; and the child which you shall
+    have shall be called holy, the Son of God."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the angel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was soon
+    to have a child, through the power of the Lord. And when Mary
+    heard all this, she said: "I am the servant of the Lord, to do
+    his will. Let it be to me as you have said."</p>
+
+    <p>When the angel had given his message and had gone away, Mary
+    rose up in haste and made a journey to the home of Zacharias
+    and Elizabeth. When Elizabeth saw Mary, she was filled with the
+    Spirit of the Lord, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are you among women, and blessed among men shall be
+    your son! And why is it that the mother of my Lord comes to
+    visit me? Blessed is the woman who believed that the promise of
+    the Lord to her shall be made true!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Mary was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and broke
+    out into a song of praise. She stayed with Elizabeth for nearly
+    three months, and then went again to her own home at
+    Nazareth.</p>
+
+    <p>As the angel had said, to the aged woman<a name="Page_174"
+       id="Page_174"></a> Elizabeth was given a son. They were
+       going to name him Zacharias, after his father. But his
+       mother said: "No, his name shall be John."</p>
+
+    <p>"Why," they said, "none of your family have ever been named
+    John!"</p>
+
+    <p>They asked his father Zacharias, by signs, what name he
+    wished to be given to the child. He asked for something to
+    write upon; and when they brought it, he wrote, "His name is
+    John." Then all at once, the power to hear and to speak came
+    back to Zacharias. He spoke, praising and blessing God; and he
+    sang a song of thanks to God, in which he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You O child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; to
+    go before the Lord, and to make ready his ways."</p>
+
+    <p>When John was growing up, they sent him out into the desert
+    on the south of the land, and there he stayed until the time
+    came for him to preach to the people; for this child became the
+    great prophet John the Baptist.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_175"
+       id="Page_175"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_JESUS_THE_BABE_OF_BETHLEHEM"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_JESUS_THE_BABE_OF_BETHLEHEM"></a>THE STORY
+       OF JESUS, THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM</h2>
+
+    <p>Soon after the time when John the Baptist was born, Joseph
+    the carpenter of Nazareth had a dream. In his dream he saw an
+    angel from the Lord standing beside him. The angel said to
+    him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Joseph, sprung from the line of king David, I have come to
+    tell you, that Mary, the young woman whom you are to marry,
+    will have a son, sent by the Lord God. You shall call his name
+    Jesus, which means 'salvation,' because he shall save his
+    people from their sins."</p>
+
+    <p>God's people had had several kings. Some of them had been
+    selfish and cruel, but Jesus was to be a new kind of king, one
+    who would save, not destroy men.</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after Joseph and Mary were married in Nazareth, a
+    command went forth from the emperor Augustus C�sar through all
+    the lands of the Roman empire, for all the people to go to the
+    cities and towns from which their families had come, and there
+    to have their names written down upon a list, for the emperor
+    wished a list to be made of all the people under his rule. As
+    both Joseph and Mary had come from the family
+    <a name="Page_176"
+       id="Page_176"></a>of David the king, they went together from
+       Nazareth to Bethlehem, there to have their names written
+       upon the list. For you remember that Bethlehem in Judea, six
+       miles south of Jerusalem, was the place where David was
+       born, and where his father's family had lived for many
+       years.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; down the
+    mountains to the river Jordan, then following the Jordan almost
+    to its end, and then climbing the mountains of Judah to the
+    town of Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem they
+    found the city full of people who, like themselves, had come to
+    have their names enrolled or written upon the list. The inn or
+    hotel was full, and there was no room for them; for no one but
+    themselves knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother
+    of the Lord of all the earth. The best that they could do was
+    to go to a stable where the cattle were kept. There the little
+    baby was born, and was laid in a manger, where the cattle were
+    fed.</p>
+
+    <p>On that night, some shepherds were tending their sheep in a
+    field near Bethlehem. Suddenly, a great light shone upon them,
+    and they saw an angel of the Lord standing before them. They
+    were filled with fear, as they saw how glorious the angel was.
+    But the angel said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Be not afraid; for behold I bring you news of
+    <a name="Page_177"
+       id="Page_177"></a>great joy, which shall be to all the
+       people; for there is born to you this day in Bethlehem, the
+       city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, the
+       anointed king. You may see him there; and you may know him
+       by this sign: He is a new-born baby, lying in a manger, at
+       the inn."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEY_WERE_FILLED_WITH_FEAR"
+             id="THEY_WERE_FILLED_WITH_FEAR"><img src="./images/figure46_th.jpg"
+             title="They were filled with fear"
+             alt="They were filled with fear" /></a><br />
+        <i>They were filled with fear</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And then they saw that the air around and the sky above them
+    were filled with angels, praising God and singing:</p>
+
+    <p>"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men
+    in whom God is well pleased."</p>
+
+    <p>While they looked with wonder, and listened,
+    <a name="Page_178"
+       id="Page_178"></a>the angels went out of sight as suddenly
+       as they had come. Then the shepherds said one to
+       another:</p>
+
+    <p>"Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this wonderful
+    thing that has come to pass, and which the Lord has made known
+    to us."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_BABY_IN_THE_MANGER"
+             id="THE_BABY_IN_THE_MANGER"><img src="./images/002.png"
+             title="The baby in the manger"
+             alt="The baby in the manger" /></a><br />
+        <i>The baby in the manger</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then as quickly as they could go to Bethlehem, they went,
+    and found Joseph, the carpenter of<a name="Page_179"
+       id="Page_179"></a> Nazareth, and his young wife Mary, and
+       the little baby lying in the manger. They told Mary and
+       Joseph, and others also, how they had seen the angels, and
+       what they had heard about this baby. All who heard their
+       story wondered at it; Mary, the mother of the child, said
+       nothing. She thought over all these things, and silently
+       kept them in her heart. After their visit, the shepherds
+       went back to their flocks, praising God for the good news
+       that he had sent to them.</p>
+
+    <p>When the little one was eight days old, they gave him a
+    name; and the name given was "Jesus," a word which means
+    "salvation," as the angel had told both Mary and Joseph that he
+    should be named. So the very name of this child told what he
+    should do for men; for he was to bring salvation to the
+    world.<a name="Page_180"
+       id="Page_180"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_STAR_AND_THE_WISE_MEN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_STAR_AND_THE_WISE_MEN"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN</h2>
+
+    <p>For some time after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary stayed
+    with him in Bethlehem. The little baby was not kept long in the
+    stable sleeping in a manger; for after a few days they found
+    room in a house; and there another visit was made to Jesus by
+    strange men from a land far away.</p>
+
+    <p>In a country east of Judea, and many miles distant, were
+    living some very wise men who studied the stars. One night they
+    saw a strange star shining in the sky, and in some way they
+    learned that the coming of this star meant that a king was soon
+    to be born in the land of Judea. These men felt a call of God
+    to go to Judea, far to the west of their own home, and there to
+    see this new-born king. They took a long journey, with camels
+    and horses, and at last they came to, the land of Judea, just
+    at the time when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. As soon as they
+    were in Judea, they supposed that every one would know all
+    about the king, and they said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Where is he that is born king of the Jews? In the east we
+    have seen his star, and we have come to worship him."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_181"
+       id="Page_181"></a></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter"
+         style="width:400px">
+        <a href="./images/267.jpg"
+             name="THE_SHEPHERDS_IN_THE_FIELD"
+             id="THE_SHEPHERDS_IN_THE_FIELD"><img width="400"
+             src="./images/267_th.jpg"
+             title="THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD"
+             alt="THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD" /></a>
+
+        <p><b>THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD</b>&mdash;And there were
+        in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
+        watch over their flock by night.... And the angel said unto
+        them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
+        great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is
+        born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
+        Christ the Lord.'&mdash;(Luke 2: 8-10-11.)</p>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_182"
+       id="Page_182"></a>But no one of whom they asked had ever
+       seen this king, or had heard of him. The news of their
+       coming was sent to Herod the king, who was now a very old
+       man. He ruled the land of Judea, as you know, under the
+       emperor at Rome, Augustus C�sar. Herod was a very wicked
+       man, and when he heard of some one born to be a king, he
+       feared that he might lose his own kingdom. He made up his
+       mind to kill this new king.</p>
+
+    <p>He sent for the priests and scribes, the men who studied and
+    taught the books of the Old Testament, and asked them about
+    this Christ for whom all the people were looking. He said: "Can
+    you tell me where Christ, the king of Israel, is to be born?"
+    They looked at the books of the prophets, and then they said:
+    "He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written
+    by the prophet, 'And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah are
+    not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall
+    come forth one who shall rule my people Israel.'"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Herod sent for the wise men from the east, and met them
+    alone, and found from them at what time the star was first
+    seen. Then he said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Go to Bethlehem; and there search carefully for the little
+    child; and when you have found him, bring me word again, so
+    that I also may come and worship him."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_183"
+       id="Page_183"></a></p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_WISE_MEN_WENT_THEIR_WAY"
+             id="THE_WISE_MEN_WENT_THEIR_WAY"><img src="./images/figure49_th.jpg"
+             title="The wise men went their way"
+             alt="The wise men went their way" /></a><br />
+        <i>The wise men went their way</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Then the wise men went on their way toward Bethlehem; and
+    suddenly they saw the star again shining upon the road before
+    them. At this they were glad, and followed the star until it
+    led them to the very house where the little child was. They
+    came in, and there they saw the little one, with Mary, its
+    mother. They knew at once that this was the king; and they fell
+    down <a name="Page_184"
+       id="Page_184"></a>on their faces and worshipped him as the
+       Lord. Then they brought out gifts of gold and precious
+       perfumes, frankincense and myrrh, which were used in
+       offering sacrifices; and they gave them as presents to the
+       royal child.</p>
+
+    <p>That night God sent a dream to the wise men, telling them
+    not to go back to Herod, but to go home at once to their own
+    land by another way. They obeyed the Lord, and found another
+    road to their own country without passing through Jerusalem
+    where Herod was living. So Herod could not learn from those men
+    who the child was that was born to be a king.</p>
+
+    <p>And very soon after these wise men had gone away, the Lord
+    sent another dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary. He saw an
+    angel, who spoke to him, saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Rise up quickly; take the little child and his mother, and
+    go down to the land of Egypt, for Herod will try to find the
+    child to kill him."</p>
+
+    <p>Then at once Joseph rose up in the night, without waiting
+    even for the morning. He took his wife and her baby, and
+    quietly and quickly went with them down to Egypt, which was on
+    the southwest of Judea. There they all stayed in safety, as
+    long as the wicked king Herod lived, which was not many
+    months.</p>
+
+    <p>King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from
+    their visit to Bethlehem; but <a name="Page_185"
+       id="Page_185"></a>he soon found that they had gone to their
+       home without bringing to him any word. Then Herod was very
+       angry. He sent out his soldiers to Bethlehem. They came, and
+       by the cruel king's <a name="Page_186"
+       id="Page_186"></a>command they seized all the little
+       children in Bethlehem who were three years old, or younger,
+       and killed them all. What a cry went up to God from the
+       mothers in Bethlehem, as their children were torn from their
+       arms and slain!</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="HE_TOOK_HIS_WIFE_AND_BABY_AND_WENT_DOWN_TO_EGYPT"
+             id="HE_TOOK_HIS_WIFE_AND_BABY_AND_WENT_DOWN_TO_EGYPT"><img src="./images/figure50_th.jpg"
+             title="He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt"
+             alt="He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>But all this time, the child Jesus whom they were seeking
+    was safe with his mother in the land of Egypt.</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after this king Herod died, a very old man, cruel to
+    the last. Then the angel of the Lord came again and spoke to
+    Joseph in a dream, saying: "You may now take the young child
+    back to his own land, for the king who sought to kill him is
+    dead."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph took his wife and the little child Jesus, and
+    started to go again to the land of Judea. Perhaps it was his
+    thought to go again to Bethlehem, the city of David, and there
+    bring up the child. But he heard that in that part of the land
+    Archelaus, a son of Herod, was now ruling, and who was as
+    wicked and cruel as his father.</p>
+
+    <p>He feared to go under Archelaus' rule, and instead took his
+    wife and the child to Nazareth, which had been his own home and
+    that of Mary his wife before the child was born. Nazareth was
+    in the part of the land called Galilee, which at that time was
+    ruled by another son of king Herod, a king named Herod Antipas.
+    He was <a name="Page_187"
+       id="Page_187"></a>not a good man, but was not so cruel nor
+       bloody as his wicked father had been.</p>
+
+    <p>So again Joseph the carpenter and Mary his wife were living
+    in Nazareth. And there they stayed for many years while Jesus
+    was growing up. Jesus was not the only child in their house,
+    and he had many other playmates among the boys of
+    Nazareth.<a name="Page_188"
+       id="Page_188"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_CHILD_IN_THE_TEMPLE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_CHILD_IN_THE_TEMPLE"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE</h2>
+
+    <p>Jesus was brought to Nazareth when he was a little child not
+    more than three years old; there he grew up as a boy and a
+    young man, and there he lived until he was thirty years of age.
+    We should like to know many things about his boyhood, but the
+    Bible tells us very little. As Joseph was a working man, it is
+    likely that he lived in a house with only one room, with no
+    floor except the earth, no window except a hole in the wall, no
+    pictures upon the walls, and neither bedstead, nor chair, nor
+    looking-glass. They sat upon the floor or upon cushions; they
+    slept upon rolls of matting, and their meals were taken from a
+    low table not much larger than a stool.</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus may have learned to read at the village school, which
+    was generally held in the house used for worship, called the
+    "synagogue." The lessons were from rolls on which were written
+    parts of the Old Testament; but Jesus never had a Bible of his
+    own. From a child he went with Joseph to the worship in the
+    synagogue twice every week. There they sat on the floor and
+    heard the Old Testament read and explained, <a name="Page_189"
+       id="Page_189"></a>while Mary and the younger sisters of
+       Jesus listened from a gallery behind a lattice-screen. The
+       Jewish boys of that time were taught to know almost the
+       whole of the Old Testament by heart.</p>
+
+    <p>It was the custom of the Jews from all parts of the land to
+    go up to Jerusalem to worship at least once every year, at the
+    feast of the Passover, which was held in the spring. Some
+    families also stayed to the feast of Pentecost, which was fifty
+    days after Passover; and some went again in the fall to the
+    feast of Tabernacles, when for a week all the families slept
+    out of doors, under roofs made of green twigs and bushes.</p>
+
+    <p>When Jesus was a boy twelve years old, he was taken up to
+    the feast of the Passover, and there for the first time he saw
+    the holy city Jerusalem, and the Temple of the Lord on Mount
+    Moriah. Young as he was, his soul was stirred, as he walked
+    among the courts of the Temple and saw the altar with its
+    smoking sacrifice, the priests in their white robes, and the
+    Levites with their silver trumpets. Though a boy, Jesus began
+    to feel that he was the Son of God, and that this was his
+    Father's house.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SITTING_IN_A_COMPANY_OF_THE_DOCTORS_OF_THE_LAW"
+             id="SITTING_IN_A_COMPANY_OF_THE_DOCTORS_OF_THE_LAW"><img src="./images/figure51_th.jpg"
+             title="Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law"
+             alt="Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>His heart was so filled with the worship of the Temple, with
+    the words of the scribes or teachers whom he heard in the
+    courts, and with his own <a name="Page_190"
+       id="Page_190"></a>thoughts, that when it was time to go home
+       to Nazareth, he stayed behind, held fast by his love for the
+       house of the Lord. The company of people who were traveling
+       together was large, and at first he was not missed. But when
+       night came and the boy Jesus could not be found, his mother
+       was alarmed. The next day Joseph and Mary left their company
+       and hastened back to Jerusalem. They did not at first think
+       to go to the Temple. They sought him among their friends and
+       kindred who were living in the city, but could not find
+       him.</p>
+
+    <p>On the third day, they went up to the Temple with heavy
+    hearts, still looking for their boy. And there they found him
+    sitting in a company <a name="Page_191"
+       id="Page_191"></a>of the doctors of the law, listening to
+       their words and asking them questions. Everybody who stood
+       near was surprised to find how deep was the knowledge of
+       this boy in the word of the Lord.</p>
+
+    <p>His mother spoke to him a little sharply, for she felt that
+    her son had not been thoughtful of his duty. She said: "Child,
+    why have you treated us in this way? Do you not know that your
+    father and I have been looking for you with troubled
+    hearts?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Why did you seek for me," said Jesus. "Did you not know
+    that I must be in my Father's house?"</p>
+
+    <p>They did not understand these words; but Mary thought often
+    about them afterward; for she felt her son was no common child,
+    and that his words had a deep meaning. Though Jesus was wise
+    beyond his years, he obeyed Joseph and his mother in all
+    things. He went with them to Nazareth, and lived contented with
+    the plain life of their country home.</p>
+
+    <p>As the years went on, Jesus grew from a boy to a young man.
+    He grew, too, in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in the favor of
+    God. He won the love of all who knew him, for there was
+    something in his nature that drew all hearts, both young and
+    old.</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus learned the trade of a carpenter
+    with<a name="Page_192"
+       id="Page_192"></a> Joseph; and when Joseph died, while Jesus
+       was still a young man, Jesus worked as a carpenter, and
+       helped his mother take care of the family. And so in the
+       carpenter shop, and the quiet life of a country village, and
+       the worship of the synagogue, the years passed until Jesus
+       was thirty years of age.<a name="Page_193"
+       id="Page_193"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_WATER_THAT_WAS_TURNED_INTO_WINE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_WATER_THAT_WAS_TURNED_INTO_WINE"></a>THE
+       STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE</h2>
+
+    <p>A few days after Jesus met his followers or disciples at the
+    river Jordan, he came with these men to a town in Galilee
+    called Cana, to be present at a wedding. In those lands a feast
+    was always held at a wedding, and often the friends of those
+    who were married stayed several days, eating and drinking
+    together.</p>
+
+    <p>The mother of Jesus was at this wedding as a friend of the
+    family; for Nazareth, where she lived, was quite near to Cana.
+    Before the wedding feast was over, all the wine had been used,
+    and there was no more for the guests to drink. The mother of
+    Jesus knew that her son had power to do whatever he chose; and
+    she said to him; "They have no wine."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to her: "O woman, what have I to do with thee? My
+    hour is not yet come."</p>
+
+    <p>But his mother knew that Jesus would in some way help the
+    people in their need, and she said to the servants who were
+    waiting at the table:</p>
+
+    <p>"Whatever he tells you to do, be sure to do it."</p>
+
+    <p>In the dining hall were standing six large stone jars, each
+    about as large as a barrel, holding twenty-five gallons. These
+    jars held water <a name="Page_194"
+       id="Page_194"></a>for washing, as the Jews washed their
+       hands before every meal, and washed their feet as often as
+       they came from walking in the street, since they wore no
+       shoes, but only sandals. Jesus said to the servants:</p>
+
+    <p>"Fill the jars with water."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="FILL_THE_JARS_WITH_WATER"
+             id="FILL_THE_JARS_WITH_WATER"><img src="./images/figure52.png"
+             title="Fill the jars with water"
+             alt="Fill the jars with water" /></a><br />
+        <i>"Fill the jars with water"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>The servants obeyed Jesus, and filled the jars up to the
+    brim. Then Jesus spoke to them again, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Now draw out some of the water, and take it to the ruler of
+    the feast."</p>
+
+    <p>They drew out water from the jars, and saw that it had been
+    turned into wine. The ruler did not know from what place the
+    wine had come; <a name="Page_195"
+       id="Page_195"></a>but he said to the young man who had just
+       been married, the bridegroom:</p>
+
+    <p>"At a feast everybody gives his best wine at the beginning,
+    and afterward, when his guests have drunk freely, he brings on
+    wine that is not so good; but you have kept the good wine until
+    now."</p>
+
+    <p>This was the first time that Jesus used the power that God
+    had given him, to do what no other man could do. Such works as
+    these were called "miracles"; and Jesus did them as signs of
+    his power as the Son of God. When the disciples saw this
+    miracle, they believed in Jesus more fully than before.</p>
+
+    <p>After this Jesus went with his mother and his younger
+    brothers to a place called Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea
+    of Galilee. But they stayed there only a few days, for the
+    feast of the Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem
+    to attend it. You remember that the feast of the Passover was
+    held every year, to keep in mind how God had led the people of
+    Israel out of Egypt long before.</p>
+
+    <p>When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he found in the courts of the
+    Temple men who were selling oxen and sheep and doves for the
+    sacrifices, and other men sitting at tables changing the money
+    of Jews who came from other lands into the money of Judea. All
+    this made the courts <a name="Page_196"
+       id="Page_196"></a>around the Temple seem like a market, and
+       not a place for the worship of God.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="TAKE_THESE_THINGS_AWAY"
+             id="TAKE_THESE_THINGS_AWAY"><img src="./images/figure53_th.jpg"
+             title="Take these things away"
+             alt="Take these things away" /></a><br />
+        <i>"Take these things away"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Jesus picked up some cord and made from it a little whip.
+    With it he began to drive out of the Temple all the buyers and
+    sellers. He was but one, and they were many; but such power was
+    in his look, that they ran before him. He <a name="Page_197"
+       id="Page_197"></a>drove the men and the sheep and the oxen;
+       he overturned the tables and threw on the floor the money,
+       and to those who were selling the doves he said: "Take these
+       things away; make not my Father's house a house for selling
+       and buying!"</p>
+
+    <p>The acts of Jesus were not pleasing to the rulers of the
+    Jews, for many of them were making money by this selling of
+    sacrifices and changing of money. Some of the rulers came to
+    Jesus and said to him: "What right have you to come here and do
+    such things as these? What sign can you show that God has given
+    to you power to rule in this place?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to them: "I will give you a sign. Destroy this
+    house of God, and in three days I will raise it up."</p>
+
+    <p>Then said the Jews, "It has taken forty-six years to build
+    this Temple, and it is not finished yet. Will you raise it up
+    in three days?"</p>
+
+    <p>But Jesus did not mean that Temple on Mount Moriah. He was
+    speaking of himself, for in him God was dwelling as in a
+    temple, and he meant that when they should put him to death, he
+    would rise again in three days. Afterward, when Jesus had died
+    and risen again, his followers, the disciples, thought of what
+    he had said, and understood these words.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_198"
+       id="Page_198"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_STRANGER_AT_THE_WELL"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_STRANGER_AT_THE_WELL"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE STRANGER AT THE WELL</h2>
+
+    <p>While Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem and in the country
+    places near it, John the Baptist was still preaching and
+    baptizing. But already the people were leaving John and going
+    to hear Jesus. Some of the followers of John the Baptist were
+    not pleased as they saw that fewer people came to their master,
+    and that the crowds were seeking Jesus. But John said to them:
+    "I told you that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before
+    him. Jesus is the Christ, the king. He must grow greater, while
+    I must grow less; and I am glad that it is so."</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after this, Herod Antipas, the king of the province or
+    land of Galilee, put John in prison. Herod had taken for his
+    wife a woman named Herodias, who had left her husband to live
+    with Herod, which was very wicked. John sent word to Herod,
+    that it was not right for him to have this woman as his wife.
+    These words of John made Herodias very angry. She hated John,
+    and tried to kill him. Herod himself did not hate John so
+    greatly, for he knew that John had spoken the truth. But he was
+    weak, and <a name="Page_199"
+       id="Page_199"></a>yielded to his wife Herodias. To please
+       her, he sent John the Baptist to a lonely prison among the
+       mountains east of the Dead Sea; for the land in that region,
+       as well as Galilee, was under Herod's rule. There in prison
+       Herod hoped to keep John safe from the hate of his wife
+       Herodias.</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after John the Baptist was thrown into prison, Jesus
+    left the country near Jerusalem with his disciples, and went
+    toward Galilee, the province in the north. Between Judea in the
+    south and Galilee in the north, lay the land of Samaria, where
+    the Samaritans lived, who hated the Jews. They worshipped the
+    Lord as the Jews worshipped him, but they had their own Temple
+    and their own priests. And they had their own Bible, which was
+    only the five books of Moses; for they would not read the other
+    books of the old Testament. The Jews and the Samaritans would
+    scarcely ever speak to each other, so great was the hate
+    between them.</p>
+
+    <p>When Jews went from Galilee to Jerusalem, or from Jerusalem
+    to Galilee, they would not pass through Samaria, but went down
+    the mountains to the river Jordan, and walked beside the river,
+    in order to go around Samaria. But Jesus, when he would go from
+    Jerusalem to Galilee, walked over the mountains straight
+    through Samaria. One morning while he was on his journey,
+    <a name="Page_200"
+       id="Page_200"></a>he stopped to rest beside an old well at
+       the foot of Mount Gerizim, not far from the city of Shechem,
+       but nearer to a little village that was called Sychar. This
+       well had been dug by Jacob, the great father or ancestor of
+       the Israelites, many hundreds of years before. It was an old
+       well then in the days of Jesus; and it is much older now;
+       for the same well may be seen in that place still. Even now
+       travelers may have a drink from Jacob's well.</p>
+
+    <p>It was early in the morning, about sunrise, when Jesus was
+    sitting by Jacob's well. He was very tired, for he had walked a
+    long journey; he was hungry, and his disciples had gone to the
+    village near at hand to buy food. He was thirsty, too; and as
+    he looked into the well he could see the water a hundred feet
+    below, but he had no rope with which to let down a cup or a jar
+    to draw up some water to drink.</p>
+
+    <p>Just at this moment a Samaritan woman came to the well, with
+    her water-jar upon her head, and her rope in her hand. Jesus
+    looked at her, and in one glance read her soul, and saw all her
+    life.</p>
+
+    <p>He knew that Jews did not often speak to Samaritans, but he
+    said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"Please to give me a drink?"</p>
+
+    <p>The woman saw from his looks and his dress that he was a
+    Jew, and she said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_201"
+       id="Page_201"></a>How is it that you, who are a Jew, ask
+       drink of me, a Samaritan woman?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus answered her:</p>
+
+    <p>"If you knew what God's free gift is, and if you knew who it
+    is that says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would ask him to
+    give you living water, and he would give it to you."</p>
+
+    <p>There was something in the words and the looks of Jesus
+    which made the woman feel that he was not a common man. She
+    said to him: "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the
+    well is deep. Where can you get that living water? Are you
+    greater than our father Jacob, who drank from this well, and
+    who gave it to us?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Whoever drinks of this water," said Jesus, "shall thirst
+    again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him,
+    shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall
+    be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting
+    life."</p>
+
+    <p>"Sir," said the woman, "give me some of this water of yours,
+    so that I will not thirst any more, nor come all the way to
+    this well."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus looked at the woman, and said to her, "Go home, and
+    bring your husband, and come here."</p>
+
+    <p>"I have no husband," answered the woman.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes," said Jesus, "you have spoken the
+    truth.<a name="Page_202"
+       id="Page_202"></a> You have no husband. But you have had
+       five husbands, and the man whom you now have is not your
+       husband."</p>
+
+    <p>The woman was filled with wonder as she heard this. She saw
+    that here was a man who knew what others could not know. She
+    felt that God had spoken to him, and she said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Sir, I see that you are a prophet of God. Tell me whether
+    our people or the Jews are right. Our fathers have worshipped
+    on this mountain. The Jews say that Jerusalem is the place
+    where men should go to worship. Now, which of these is the
+    right place?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Woman, believe me," said Jesus, "there is coming a time
+    when men shall worship God in other places besides on this
+    mountain and in Jerusalem. The time is near; it has even now
+    come, when the true worshippers everywhere shall pray to God in
+    spirit and in truth; for God himself is a Spirit."</p>
+
+    <p>The woman said: "I know that the Anointed one is coming, the
+    Christ. When he comes, he will teach us all things."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to her:</p>
+
+    <p>"I that speak to you now am he, the Christ!"</p>
+
+    <p>Just at this time the disciples of Jesus came back from the
+    village. They wondered to see Jesus talking with this Samaritan
+    woman, but they said nothing.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_203"
+       id="Page_203"></a>The woman had come to draw water, but in
+       her interest in this wonderful stranger, she forgot her
+       errand. Leaving her water-jar, she ran back to her village,
+       and said to the people:</p>
+
+    <p>"Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done in
+    all my life! Is not this man the Christ whom we are looking
+    for?"</p>
+
+    <p>Soon the woman came back to the well with many of her
+    people. They asked Jesus to come to their town, and to stay
+    there and teach them. He went with them, and stayed there two
+    days, teaching the people, who were Samaritans. And many of the
+    people in that place believed in Jesus, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"We have heard for ourselves; now we know that this is
+    indeed the Saviour of the world."<a name="Page_204"
+       id="Page_204"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FISHERMEN"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_FISHERMEN"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       FISHERMEN</h2>
+
+    <p>When Jesus began to teach the people by the river Jordan, a
+    few young men came to him as followers, or disciples. Some of
+    these men were Andrew and John, Peter and Philip and Nathanael.
+    While Jesus was teaching near Jerusalem and in Samaria, these
+    men stayed with Jesus; but when he came to Galilee, they went
+    to their homes and work, for most of them were fishermen from
+    the Sea of Galilee.</p>
+
+    <p>One morning, soon after Jesus came to Capernaum, he went out
+    of the city, by the sea, followed by a great throng of people,
+    who had come together to see him and to hear him. On the shore
+    were lying two fishing boats, one of which belonged to Simon
+    and Andrew, the other to James and John and their father
+    Zebedee. The men themselves were not in the boats, but were
+    washing their nets near by.</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus stepped into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter and
+    his brother Andrew, and asked them to push it out a little into
+    the lake, so that he could talk to the people from it without
+    being crowded too closely. They pushed it out, and then Jesus
+    sat in the boat, and spoke to the people, as they stood upon
+    the beach. After he had <a name="Page_205"
+       id="Page_205"></a>finished speaking to the people, and had
+       sent them away, he said to Simon Peter:</p>
+
+    <p>"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets to catch
+    some fish."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_NET_CAUGHT_SO_MANY_FISHES_THEY_COULD_NOT_PULL_IT_UP"
+             id="THE_NET_CAUGHT_SO_MANY_FISHES_THEY_COULD_NOT_PULL_IT_UP">
+        <img src="./images/figure54_th.jpg"
+             title="The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up"
+             alt="The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it
+        up</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Master," said Simon, "we have been fishing all night, and
+    have caught nothing; but if it is your will, I will let down
+    the net again."</p>
+
+    <p>They did as Jesus bade them; and now the net caught so many
+    fishes that Simon and Andrew could not pull it up, and it was
+    in danger of breaking. They made signs to the two brothers,
+    James and John, who were in the other boat, for them to come
+    and help them. They came, and lifted the net, and poured out
+    the fish. There <a name="Page_206"
+       id="Page_206"></a>were so many of them that both the boats
+       were filled, and began to sink.</p>
+
+    <p>When Simon Peter saw this, he was struck with wonder, and
+    felt that it was by the power of God. He fell down at the feet
+    of Jesus, saying: "Oh Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy
+    of all this! Leave me, O Lord."</p>
+
+    <p>But Jesus said to Simon, and to the others, "Fear not; but
+    follow me, and I will make you from this time fishers of
+    men."</p>
+
+    <p>From that time these four men, Simon and Andrew, James and
+    John, gave up their nets and their work, and became disciples
+    of Jesus.</p>
+
+    <p>On the Sabbath, after this, Jesus and his disciples went
+    together to the synagogue, and spoke to the people. They
+    listened to him and were surprised at his teaching; for while
+    the scribes always repeated what other scribes had said before,
+    Jesus never spoke of what the men of old time had taught, but
+    spoke in his own name, and by his own power, saying, "I say
+    unto you," as one who had the right to speak. Men felt that
+    Jesus was speaking to them as the voice of God.</p>
+
+    <p>On one Sabbath, while Jesus was preaching, a man came into
+    the synagogue who had in him an evil spirit; for sometimes evil
+    spirits came into men, and lived in them and spoke out from
+    them. The evil spirit in this man cried out, saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_207"
+       id="Page_207"></a>Let us alone, thou Jesus of Nazareth! What
+       have we to do with thee? Hast thou come to destroy us? I
+       know thee; and I know who thou art, the Holy one of
+       God!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man:</p>
+
+    <p>"Be still; and come out of this man!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then the evil spirit threw the man down, and seemed as if he
+    would tear him apart; but he left the man lying on the ground,
+    without harm.</p>
+
+    <p>Then wonder fell upon all the people. They were filled with
+    fear, and said: "What mighty word is this? This man speaks even
+    to the evil spirits, and they obey him!"</p>
+
+    <p>After the meeting in the synagogue, Jesus went into the
+    house where Simon Peter lived. There he saw lying upon a bed
+    the mother of Simon's wife, who was very ill with a burning
+    fever. He stood over her, and touched her hand. At once the
+    fever left her; she rose up from her bed and waited upon
+    them.</p>
+
+    <p>At sunset, the Sabbath day was over; and then they brought
+    to Jesus from all parts of the city those that were sick, and
+    some that had evil spirits in them. Jesus laid his hands upon
+    the sick, and they became well; he drove out the evil spirits
+    by a word, and would not allow them to speak.<a name="Page_208"
+       id="Page_208"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_SERMON_ON_THE_MOUNT"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_SERMON_ON_THE_MOUNT"></a>THE STORY OF
+       THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT</h2>
+
+    <p>Among the Jews there was one class of men hated and despised
+    by the people more than any other. That was "the publicans."
+    These were the men who took from the people the tax which the
+    Roman rulers had laid upon the land. Many of these publicans
+    were selfish, grasping, and cruel. They robbed the people,
+    taking more than was right. Some of them were honest men,
+    dealing fairly, and taking no more for the tax than was
+    needful; but because so many were wicked, all the publicans
+    were hated alike; and they were called "sinners" by the
+    people.</p>
+
+    <p>One day, when Jesus was going out of Capernaum, to the
+    seaside, followed by a great crowd of people, he passed a
+    publican, or tax-gatherer, who was seated at his table taking
+    money from the people who came to pay their taxes. This man was
+    named Matthew, or Levi; for many Jews had two names. Jesus
+    could look into the hearts of men, and he saw that Matthew was
+    one who might help him as one of his disciples. He looked upon
+    Matthew, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Follow me!"</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_209"
+       id="Page_209"></a>At once, the publican rose up from his
+       table, and left it to go with Jesus. All the people
+       wondered, as they saw one of the hated publicans among the
+       disciples, with Peter, and John, and the rest. But Jesus
+       believed that there is good in all kinds of people. Most of
+       the men who followed him were poor fishermen. None of them,
+       so far as we know, was rich. And when he called Matthew he
+       saw a man with a true and loving heart, whose rising up to
+       follow Jesus just as soon as he was called showed what a
+       brave and faithful friend he would be. The first of the four
+       books about Jesus bears Matthew's name.</p>
+
+    <p>A little while after Jesus called him, Matthew made a great
+    feast for Jesus at his house; and to the feast he invited many
+    publicans, and others whom the Jews called sinners. The
+    Pharisees saw Jesus sitting among these people, and they said
+    with scorn to his disciples:</p>
+
+    <p>"Why does your Master sit at the table with publicans and
+    sinners?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus heard of what these men had said, and he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Those that are well do not need a doctor to cure them, but
+    those that are sick do need one. I go to these people because
+    they know that they are sinners and need to be saved. I came
+    not to call those who think themselves to be good, but those
+    who wish to be made better."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_210"
+       id="Page_210"></a>One evening Jesus went alone to a mountain
+       not far from Capernaum. A crowd of people and his disciples
+       followed him; but Jesus left them all, and went up to the
+       top of the mountain, where he could be alone. There he
+       stayed all night, praying to God, his Father and our Father.
+       In the morning, out of all his followers, he chose twelve
+       men who should walk with him and listen to his words, so
+       that they might be able to teach others in turn. Some of
+       these men he had called before; but now he called them
+       again, and others with them. They were called "The Twelve,"
+       or "the disciples"; and after Jesus went to heaven, they
+       were called "The Apostles," a word which means "those who
+       were sent out," because Jesus sent them out to preach the
+       gospel to the world.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="I_CAME_NOT_TO_CALL_THOSE_WHO_THINK_THEMSELVES_TO_BE_GOOD"
+             id="I_CAME_NOT_TO_CALL_THOSE_WHO_THINK_THEMSELVES_TO_BE_GOOD">
+        <img src="./images/figure55_th.jpg"
+             title="I came not to call those who think themselves to be good"
+             alt="I came not to call those who think themselves to be good" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>"I came not to call those who think themselves to be
+        good"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_211"
+       id="Page_211"></a>The names of the twelve disciples, or
+       apostles, were these: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew;
+       James and John, the two sons of Zebedee; Philip of
+       Bethsaida, and Nathanael, who was also called Bartholomew, a
+       name which means "the son of Tholmai"; Thomas, who was also
+       called Didymus, a name which means "a twin," and Matthew the
+       publican, or tax-gatherer; another James, the son of
+       Alpheus, who was called "James the Less," to keep his name
+       apart from the first James, the brother of John; and
+       Lebbeus, who was also called Thaddeus. Lebbeus was also
+       called Judas, but he was a different man from another Judas,
+       whose name is always given last. The eleventh name was
+       another Simon, who was called "the Cananean" or "Simon
+       Zelotes"; and the last name was Judas Iscariot, who was
+       afterward the traitor. We know very little about most of
+       these men, but some of them in later days did a great work.
+       Simon Peter was a leader among them, but most of them were
+       common sort of men of whom the best we know is that they
+       loved Jesus and followed him to the end. Some died for him,
+       and some served him in distant and dangerous places.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEN_ON_THE_MOUNTAIN_HE_PREACHED"
+             id="THEN_ON_THE_MOUNTAIN_HE_PREACHED"><img src="./images/figure56_th.jpg"
+             title="Then, on the mountain, he preached"
+             alt="Then, on the mountain, he preached" /></a><br />
+        <i>Then, on the mountain, he preached</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Before all the people who had come to hear him, Jesus called
+    these twelve men to stand by his side. Then, on the mountain,
+    he preached to these disciples and to the great company of
+    <a name="Page_212"
+       id="Page_212"></a>people. The disciples stood beside him,
+       and the great crowd of people stood in front, while Jesus
+       spoke. What he said on that day is called "The Sermon on the
+       Mount." Matthew wrote it down, and you can read it in his
+       gospel, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters. Jesus
+       began with these words to his disciples:</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom
+    of heaven.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_213"
+       id="Page_213"></a>Blessed are they that mourn: for they
+       shall be comforted.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
+    righteousness: for they shall be filled.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
+    children of God.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
+    sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</p>
+
+    <p>"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute
+    you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
+    my sake.</p>
+
+    <p>"Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward
+    in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were
+    before you.</p>
+
+    <p>"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his
+    savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
+    nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of
+    men.</p>
+
+    <p>"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an
+    hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it
+    under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto
+    all that <a name="Page_214"
+       id="Page_214"></a>are in the house. Let your light so shine
+       before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
+       your Father which is in heaven."</p>
+
+    <p>It was in this Sermon on the Mount that Jesus told the
+    people how they should pray, and he gave them the prayer which
+    we all know as the Lord's Prayer.</p>
+
+    <p>And this was the end of the Sermon:</p>
+
+    <p>"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
+    doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his
+    house upon a rock:</p>
+
+    <p>"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
+    blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was
+    founded upon a rock.</p>
+
+    <p>"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
+    them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
+    house upon the sand:</p>
+
+    <p>"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
+    blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the
+    fall of it."<a name="Page_215"
+       id="Page_215"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MIRACLE_WORKER"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MIRACLE_WORKER"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       MIRACLE WORKER</h2>
+
+    <p>There was at Capernaum an officer of the Roman army, a man
+    who had under him a company of a hundred men. They called him
+    "a centurion," a word which means "commanding a hundred"; but
+    we should call him "a captain." This man was not a Jew, but was
+    what the Jews called "a Gentile," "a foreigner"; a name which
+    the Jews gave to all people outside their own race. All the
+    world except the Jews themselves were Gentiles.</p>
+
+    <p>This Roman centurion was a good man, and he loved the Jews,
+    because through them he had heard of God, and had learned how
+    to worship God. Out of his love for the Jews, he had built for
+    them with his own money a synagogue, which may have been the
+    very synagogue in which Jesus taught on the Sabbath days.</p>
+
+    <p>The centurion had a young servant, a boy whom he loved
+    greatly; and this boy was very sick with a palsy, and near to
+    death. The centurion had heard that Jesus could cure those who
+    were sick; and he asked the chief men of the synagogue, who
+    were called its "elders," to go to Jesus and ask him to come
+    and cure his young servant.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SPEAK_THE_WORD_AND_MY_SERVANT_SHALL_BE_CURED"
+             id="SPEAK_THE_WORD_AND_MY_SERVANT_SHALL_BE_CURED"><img src="./images/figure57_th.jpg"
+             title="Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"
+             alt="Speak the word and my servant shall be cured" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>"Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>The elders spoke to Jesus, just as he came again to
+    Capernaum, after the Sermon on the Mount. They asked Jesus to
+    go with them to the centurion's house; and they said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_217"
+       id="Page_217"></a>He is a worthy man, and it is fitting that
+       you should help him, for, though a Gentile, he loves our
+       people, and he has built for us our synagogue."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jesus said, "I will go and heal him."</p>
+
+    <p>But while he was on his way&mdash;and with him were the
+    elders, and his disciples, and a great crowd of people, who
+    hoped to see the work of healing&mdash;the centurion sent some
+    other friends to Jesus with this message:</p>
+
+    <p>"Lord, do not take the trouble to come to my house; for I am
+    not worthy that one so high as you are should come under my
+    roof; and I did not think that I was worthy to go and speak to
+    you. But speak only a word where you are, and my servant shall
+    be made well. For I also am a man under rule, and I have
+    soldiers under me; and I say to one 'Go,' and he goes; and to
+    another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,'
+    and he does it. You, too, have power to speak and to be obeyed.
+    Speak the word, and my servant shall be cured."</p>
+
+    <p>When Jesus heard this, he wondered at this man's faith. He
+    turned to the people following him, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"In truth I say to you, I have not found such faith as this
+    in all Israel!"</p>
+
+    <p>Then he spoke to the friends of the centurion who had
+    brought the word from him:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_218"
+       id="Page_218"></a>Go and say to this man, 'As you have
+       believed in me, so shall it be done to you.'"</p>
+
+    <p>Then those who had been sent, went again to the centurion's
+    house, and found that in that very hour his servant had been
+    made perfectly well.</p>
+
+    <p>On the day after this, Jesus with his disciples and many
+    people went out from Capernaum, and turned southward, and came
+    to a village called Nain. Just as Jesus and his disciples came
+    near to the gate of the city, they were met by a company who
+    were carrying out a dead man to be buried. He was a young man,
+    and the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.</p>
+
+    <p>When the Lord Jesus saw the mother in her grief, he pitied
+    her, and said, "Do not weep."</p>
+
+    <p>He drew near, and touched the frame on which they were
+    carrying the body, wrapped round and round with long strips of
+    linen. The bearers looked with wonder on this stranger, and set
+    down the frame with its body, and stood still. Standing beside
+    the body, Jesus said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Young man, I say to you, Rise up!"</p>
+
+    <p>And in a moment the young man sat up and began to speak.
+    Jesus gave him to his mother, who now saw that her son who had
+    been dead, was alive again.</p>
+
+    <p>And Jesus went through all that part of Galilee, working
+    miracles and preaching and teaching <a name="Page_219"
+       id="Page_219"></a>in all the villages, telling the people
+       everywhere the good news of the kingdom of God.</p>
+
+    <p>The children loved to gather around him, and when his
+    disciples would have driven them away he said, "Suffer the
+    little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of
+    such is the kingdom of heaven."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_CHILDREN_LOVED_TO_GATHER_AROUND_HIM"
+             id="THE_CHILDREN_LOVED_TO_GATHER_AROUND_HIM"><img src="./images/figure58_th.jpg"
+             title="The children loved to gather around him"
+             alt="The children loved to gather around him" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>The children loved to gather around him</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_220"
+       id="Page_220"></a>One Sabbath day, as Jesus and his
+       disciples were walking in Jerusalem, they met a blind man
+       begging. This man in all his life had never seen; for he had
+       been born blind. The disciples said to Jesus as they were
+       passing him: "Master, whose fault was it that this man was
+       born blind? Was it because he has sinned, or did his parents
+       sin?"</p>
+
+    <p>For the Jews thought that when any evil came, it was caused
+    by some one's sin. But Jesus said:</p>
+
+    <p>"This man was born blind, not because of his parents' sin,
+    nor because of his own, but so that God might show his power in
+    him. We must do God's work while it is day, for the night is
+    coming when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am
+    the light of the world."</p>
+
+    <p>When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground, and mixed
+    up the spittle with earth, making a little lump of clay. This
+    clay Jesus spread on the eyes of the blind man; and then he
+    said to him: "Go wash in the pool of Siloam."</p>
+
+    <p>The pool of Siloam was a large cistern, or, reservoir, on
+    the southeast of Jerusalem, outside the wall, where the valley
+    of Gihon and the valley of Kedron come together. To go to this
+    pool, the blind man, with two great blotches of mud on his
+    face, must walk through the streets of the city, out of the
+    gate, and into the valley. He went, and felt his way down the
+    steps into the <a name="Page_221"
+       id="Page_221"></a>pool of Siloam. There he washed, and then
+       at once his life-long blindness passed away, and he could
+       see.</p>
+
+    <p>When the man came back to the part of the city where he
+    lived, his neighbors could scarcely believe that he was the
+    same man. They said: "Is not this the man who used to sit on
+    the street begging?"</p>
+
+    <p>"This must be the same man," said some; but others said:
+    "No, it is some one who looks like him."</p>
+
+    <p>But the man said, "I am the very same man who was
+    blind!"</p>
+
+    <p>"Why, how did this come to pass?" they asked. "How were your
+    eyes opened?"</p>
+
+    <p>"The man, named Jesus," he answered, "mixed clay, and put it
+    on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and
+    wash,' and I went and washed, and then I could see."</p>
+
+    <p>"Where is this man?" they asked him.</p>
+
+    <p>"I do not know," said the man.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the Pharisees, the men who made a show of always
+    obeying the law, asked the man how he had been made to see. He
+    said to them, as he had said before:</p>
+
+    <p>"A man put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and my sight came
+    to me."</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the Pharisees said:</p>
+
+    <p>"The man who did this is not a man of God,
+    <a name="Page_222"
+       id="Page_222"></a>because he does not keep the Sabbath. He
+       makes clay, and puts it on men's eyes, working on the
+       Sabbath day. He is a sinner!"</p>
+
+    <p>Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such
+    wonderful works?"</p>
+
+    <p>And thus the people were divided in what they thought of
+    Jesus. They asked the man who had been blind: "What do you
+    think of this man who has opened your eyes?"</p>
+
+    <p>"He is a prophet of God," said the man.</p>
+
+    <p>But the leading Jews would not believe that this man had
+    gained his sight, until they had sent for his father and his
+    mother. The Jews asked them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it
+    that he can now see?"</p>
+
+    <p>His parents were afraid to tell all they knew; for the Jews
+    had agreed that if any man should say Jesus was the Christ, the
+    Saviour, he should be turned out of the synagogue, and not be
+    allowed to worship any more with the people. So his parents
+    said to the Jews:</p>
+
+    <p>"We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born
+    blind. But how he was made to see, we do not know; or who has
+    opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age; ask him, and let
+    him speak for himself."</p>
+
+    <p>Then again the rulers of the Jews called the man who had
+    been blind; and they said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_223"
+       id="Page_223"></a>Give God the praise for your sight. We
+       know that this man who made clay on the Sabbath day is a
+       sinner."</p>
+
+    <p>"Whether that man is a sinner, or not, I do not know,"
+    answered the man; "but one thing I do know, that once I was
+    blind, and now I see. We know that God does not hear sinners;
+    but God hears only those who worship him, and do his will.
+    Never before has any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.
+    If this man were not from God, he could not do such works as
+    these!"</p>
+
+    <p>The rulers of the Jews, these Pharisees, then said to the
+    man: "You were born in sin, and do you try to teach us?"</p>
+
+    <p>And they turned him out of the synagogue, and would not let
+    any one worship with him. Jesus heard of this; and when Jesus
+    found him, he said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you believe on the Son of God?"</p>
+
+    <p>The man said:</p>
+
+    <p>"And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?"</p>
+
+    <p>"You have seen him," said Jesus, "and it is he who now talks
+    with you!"</p>
+
+    <p>The man said, "Lord, I believe."</p>
+
+    <p>And he fell down before Jesus, and worshipped
+    him.<a name="Page_224"
+       id="Page_224"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_GOOD_SHEPHERD_AND_THE_GOOD_SAMARITAN"
+       id="THE_GOOD_SHEPHERD_AND_THE_GOOD_SAMARITAN"></a>THE GOOD
+       SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN</h2>
+
+    <p>Soon afterward Jesus gave to the people in Jerusalem the
+    parable or story of "The Good Shepherd."</p>
+
+    <p>"Verily, verily (that is, 'in truth, in truth'), I say to
+    you, if any one does not go into the sheepfold by the door, but
+    climbs up some other way, it is a sign that he is a thief and a
+    robber. But the one who comes in by the door is a shepherd of
+    the sheep. The porter opens the door to him, and the sheep know
+    him, and listen to his call, for he calls his own sheep by name
+    and leads them out to the pasture-field. And when he has led
+    out his sheep, he goes in front of them, and the sheep follow
+    him, for they know his voice. The sheep will not follow a
+    stranger, for they do not know the stranger's voice."</p>
+
+    <p>The people did not understand what all this meant, and as
+    Jesus explained it to them, he said: "Verily, verily, I say
+    unto you, I am the door that leads to the sheepfold. If any man
+    comes to the sheep in any other way than through me and in my
+    name, he is a thief and a robber; but those who are the true
+    sheep will not hear such. I am the door; if any man goes
+    <a name="Page_225"
+       id="Page_225"></a>into the fold through me, he shall be
+       saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find
+       pasture.</p>
+
+    <p>"The thief comes to the fold that he may steal and rob the
+    sheep, and kill them; but I came to the fold that they may have
+    life, and may have all that they need. I am the good shepherd;
+    the good shepherd will give up his own life to save his sheep;
+    and I will give up my life that my sheep may be saved.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am the good shepherd; and just as a true shepherd knows
+    all the sheep in his fold, so I know my own, and my own know
+    me, even as I know the Father, and the Father knows me; and I
+    lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which
+    are not of this fold; them also I must lead; and they shall
+    hear my voice; and there shall be one flock and one
+    shepherd."</p>
+
+    <p>The Jews could not understand these words of Jesus; but they
+    became very angry with him, because he spoke of God as his
+    Father. They took up stones to throw them at him, and tried to
+    seize him, intending to kill him. But Jesus escaped from their
+    hands, and went away to the land beyond Jordan, at the place
+    called "Bethabara," or "Bethany beyond Jordan," the same place
+    where he had been baptized by John the Baptist more than two
+    years before. From this place Jesus wished to go out through
+    the land in the east of the Jordan, a land which is
+    <a name="Page_226"
+       id="Page_226"></a>called "Perea," a word that means
+       "beyond." But before going out through this land, Jesus sent
+       out seventy chosen men from among his followers to go to all
+       the villages, and to make the people ready for his own
+       coming afterward. He gave to these seventy the same commands
+       that he had given to the twelve disciples when he sent them
+       through Galilee, and sent them out in pairs, two men to
+       travel and to preach together. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no
+    bag for food, no shoes except those that you are wearing. Do
+    not stop to talk with people by the way; but go through the
+    towns and villages, healing the sick, and preaching to the
+    people, 'The kingdom of God is coming,' He that hears you,
+    hears me; and he that refuses you, refuses me; and he that will
+    not hear me, will not hear him that sent me."</p>
+
+    <p>And after a time the seventy men came again to Jesus,
+    saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Lord, even the evil spirits obey our words in thy
+    name!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jesus said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"I saw Satan, the king of the evil spirits, falling down
+    like lightning from heaven. I have given you power to tread
+    upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall harm you. Still,
+    do not rejoice because the evil spirits obey you;
+    <a name="Page_227"
+       id="Page_227"></a>but rejoice that your names are written in
+       heaven."</p>
+
+    <p>And at that time, one of the scribes&mdash;men who wrote
+    copies of the books of the Old Testament, and studied them, and
+    taught them&mdash;came to Jesus and asked him a question, to
+    see what answer he would give. He said: "Master, what shall I
+    do to have everlasting life?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to the scribe: "What is written in the law? You
+    are a reader of God's law; tell me what it says."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the man gave this answer:</p>
+
+    <p>"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
+    with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy
+    mind; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to the man: "You have answered right; do this,
+    and you shall have everlasting life."</p>
+
+    <p>But the man was not satisfied. He asked another question:
+    "And who is my neighbor?"</p>
+
+    <p>To answer this question, Jesus gave the parable or story of
+    "The Good Samaritan." He said: "A certain man was going down
+    the lonely road from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among
+    robbers, who stripped him of all that he had and beat him; and
+    then went away, leaving him almost dead. It happened that a
+    certain priest was going down that road; and when he saw
+    <a name="Page_228"
+       id="Page_228"></a>the man lying there, he passed by on the
+       other side. And a Levite, also, when he came to the place,
+       and saw the man, he too went by on the other side. But a
+       certain Samaritan, as he was going down, came where this man
+       was; and as soon as he saw him, he felt a pity for him. He
+       came to the man, and dressed his wounds, pouring oil and
+       wine into them. Then he lifted him up, and set him on his
+       own beast of burden, and walked beside him to an inn. There
+       he took care of him all night; and the next morning he took
+       out from his purse two shillings, and gave them to the
+       keeper of the inn, and said: 'Take care of him; and if you
+       need to spend more than this, do so; and when I come again I
+       will pay it to you.'"</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEN_HE_LIFTED_HIM_UP"
+             id="THEN_HE_LIFTED_HIM_UP"><img src="./images/figure59_th.jpg"
+             title="Then he lifted him up"
+             alt="Then he lifted him up" /></a><br />
+        <i>Then he lifted him up</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_229"
+       id="Page_229"></a>Which one of these three, do you think,
+       showed himself a neighbor to the man who fell among the
+       robbers?"</p>
+
+    <p>The scribe said: "The one who showed mercy on him."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Jesus said to him: "Go and do thou likewise."</p>
+
+    <p>By this parable, Jesus showed that "our neighbor" is the one
+    who needs the help that we can give him, whoever he may
+    be.<a name="Page_230"
+       id="Page_230"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_PALM_BRANCHES"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_PALM_BRANCHES"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       PALM BRANCHES</h2>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="CAME_TO_BETHANY_WHERE_HIS_FRIENDS_MARTHA_AND_MARY_LIVED"
+             id="CAME_TO_BETHANY_WHERE_HIS_FRIENDS_MARTHA_AND_MARY_LIVED">
+        <img src="./images/figure60_th.jpg"
+             title="Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary lived"
+             alt="Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary lived" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary
+        lived</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>From Jericho, Jesus and his disciples went up the mountains,
+    and came to Bethany, where his friends Martha and Mary lived,
+    and where he had raised Lazarus to life. Many people in
+    Jerusalem heard that Jesus was there, and they went out of the
+    city to see him, for Bethany was only two miles from Jerusalem.
+    Some came also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the
+    dead; but the rulers of the Jews said to each other:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_231"
+       id="Page_231"></a>We must not only kill Jesus, but Lazarus,
+       also; because on his account so many of the people are going
+       after Jesus and are believing on him."</p>
+
+    <p>The friends of Jesus in Bethany made a supper for Jesus, at
+    the house of a man named Simon. He was called "Simon the
+    leper"; and perhaps he was one whom Jesus had cured of leprosy.
+    Jesus and his disciples, with Lazarus, leaned upon the couches
+    around the table, as the guests; and Martha was one of those
+    who waited upon them. While they were at the supper, Mary, the
+    sister of Lazarus, came into the room, carrying a sealed jar of
+    very precious perfume. She opened the jar, and poured some of
+    the perfume upon the head of Jesus, and some upon his feet; and
+    she wiped his feet with her long hair. And the whole house was
+    filled with the fragrance of the perfume.</p>
+
+    <p>But one of the disciples of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, was not
+    pleased at this. He said: "Why was such a waste of the perfume
+    made? This might have been sold for more than forty-five
+    dollars, and the money given to the poor!"</p>
+
+    <p>This he said, but not because he cared for the poor. Judas
+    was the one who kept the bag of money for Jesus and the twelve;
+    and he was a thief, and took away for his own use all the money
+    that he could steal. But Jesus said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_232"
+       id="Page_232"></a>Let her alone; why do you find fault with
+       the woman? She has done a good work upon me. You have the
+       poor always with you, and whenever you wish, you can give to
+       them. But you will have me with you only a little while. She
+       has done what she could; for she has come to perfume my body
+       for its burial. And truly I say to you, that wherever the
+       gospel shall be preached throughout all the world, what this
+       woman has done shall be told in memory of her."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="SHE_WIPED_HIS_FEET_WITH_HER_HAIR"
+             id="SHE_WIPED_HIS_FEET_WITH_HER_HAIR"><img src="./images/figure61_th.jpg"
+             title="She wiped his feet with her hair"
+             alt="She wiped his feet with her hair" /></a><br />
+        <i>She wiped his feet with her hair</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Perhaps Mary knew what others did not believe, that Jesus
+    was soon to die; and she showed <a name="Page_233"
+       id="Page_233"></a>her love for him, and her sorrow for his
+       coming death, by this rich gift. But Judas, the disciple who
+       carried the bag, was very angry at Jesus; and from that time
+       he was looking for a chance to betray Jesus, or to give him
+       up to his enemies. He went to the chief priests, and said:
+       "What will you give me, if I will put Jesus in your
+       hands?"</p>
+
+    <p>They said, "We will give you thirty pieces of silver."</p>
+
+    <p>And for thirty pieces of silver Judas promised to help them
+    take Jesus, and make him their prisoner.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning after the supper at Bethany, Jesus called two
+    of his disciples, and said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Go into the next village, and at a place where two roads
+    cross; and there you will find an ass tied, and a colt with it.
+    Loose them, and bring them to me. And if any one says to you,
+    'Why do you do this?' say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and
+    they will let them go."</p>
+
+    <p>They went to the place and found the ass and the colt, and
+    were loosing them, when the owner said:</p>
+
+    <p>"What are you doing, untying the ass?"</p>
+
+    <p>And they said, as Jesus had told them to say:</p>
+
+    <p>"The Lord has need of it."</p>
+
+    <p>Then the owner gave them the ass and the colt
+    <a name="Page_234"
+       id="Page_234"></a>for the use of Jesus. They brought them to
+       Jesus on the Mount of Olives; and they laid some of their
+       own clothes on the colt for a cushion, and set Jesus upon
+       it. Then all the disciples and a very great multitude threw
+       their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon.
+       Others cut down branches from the trees and laid them on the
+       ground. And as Jesus rode over the mountain toward
+       Jerusalem, many walked before him waving branches of palm
+       trees. And they all cried together:</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THEY_THREW_THEIR_GARMENTS_UPON_THE_GROUND_FOR_JESUS_TO_RIDE_UPON"
+             id="THEY_THREW_THEIR_GARMENTS_UPON_THE_GROUND_FOR_JESUS_TO_RIDE_UPON">
+        <img src="./images/figure62.png"
+             title="They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon"
+             alt="They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon" />
+        </a><br />
+        <i>They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to
+        ride upon</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_235"
+       id="Page_235"></a>Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he
+       that cometh in the name of the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom
+       of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord!
+       Hosanna in the highest!"</p>
+
+    <p>These things they said, because they believed that Jesus was
+    the Christ, the Anointed King; and they hoped that he would now
+    set up his throne in Jerusalem. Some of the Pharisees in the
+    crowd, who did not believe in Jesus, said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Master, stop your disciples!"</p>
+
+    <p>But Jesus said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I tell you, that if these should be still, the very stones
+    would cry out!"</p>
+
+    <p>And when he came into Jerusalem with all this multitude, all
+    the city was filled with wonder. They said: "Who is this?"</p>
+
+    <p>And the multitude answered:</p>
+
+    <p>"This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jesus went into the Temple, and looked around it; but he
+    did not stay, because the hour was late. He went again to
+    Bethany, and there stayed at night with his friends.</p>
+
+    <p>These things took place on Sunday, the first day of the
+    week; and that Sunday in the year is called Palm Sunday,
+    because of the palm branches which the people carried before
+    Jesus.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_236"
+       id="Page_236"></a>Many people heard him gladly, but the
+       great city was deaf to his pleadings. "O Jerusalem,
+       Jerusalem," he cried, "thou that killest the prophets, how
+       often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
+       hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
+       not!"</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="THE_GREAT_CITY_WAS_DEAF_TO_HIS_PLEADINGS"
+             id="THE_GREAT_CITY_WAS_DEAF_TO_HIS_PLEADINGS"><img src="./images/figure63_th.jpg"
+             title="The great city was deaf to his pleadings"
+             alt="The great city was deaf to his pleadings" />
+             </a><br />
+        <i>The great city was deaf to his pleadings</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_BETRAYAL"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_BETRAYAL"></a>THE STORY OF THE
+       BETRAYAL</h2>
+
+    <p>At the foot of the Mount of Olives, near the path over the
+    hill toward Bethany, there was an orchard of olive trees,
+    called "The Garden of Gethsemane." The word "Gethsemane" means
+    "oil press." Jesus often went to this place with his disciples,
+    because of its quiet shade. At this garden he stopped, and
+    outside he left eight of his disciples, saying to them, "Sit
+    here while I go inside and pray."</p>
+
+    <p>He took with him the three chosen ones, Peter, James, and
+    John, and went within the orchard. Jesus knew that in a little
+    while Judas would be there with a band of men to seize him;
+    that in a few hours he would be beaten, and stripped, and led
+    out to die. The thought of what he was to suffer came upon him
+    and filled his soul with grief. He said to Peter and James and
+    John:</p>
+
+    <p>"My soul is filled with sorrow, a sorrow that almost kills
+    me. Stay here and watch while I am praying."</p>
+
+    <p>He went a little further among the trees, and flung himself
+    down upon the ground, and cried out:</p>
+
+    <p>"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from
+    me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willest!"</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_238"
+       id="Page_238"></a>So earnest was his feeling and so great
+       his suffering that there came out upon his face great drops
+       of sweat like blood, falling upon the ground. After praying
+       for a time, he rose up from the earth and went to his three
+       disciples, and found them all asleep. He awaked them, and
+       said to Peter: "What, could you not watch with me one hour?
+       Watch and pray that you may not go into temptation. The
+       spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."</p>
+
+    <p>He left them, and went a second time into the woods, and
+    fell on his face, and prayed again, saying:</p>
+
+    <p>"O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away, and I must drink
+    it, then thy will be done."</p>
+
+    <p>He came again to the three disciples, and found them
+    sleeping; but this time he did not awake them. He went once
+    more into the woods, and prayed, using the same words. And an
+    angel from heaven came to him and gave him strength. He was now
+    ready for the fate that was soon to come, and his heart was
+    strong. Once more he went to the three disciples, and said to
+    them: "You may as well sleep on now, and take your rest, for
+    the hour is at hand; and already the Son of man is given by the
+    traitor into the hands of sinners. But rise up and let us be
+    going. See, the traitor is here!"</p>
+
+    <p>The disciples awoke; they heard the noise of
+    <a name="Page_239"
+       id="Page_239"></a>a crowd, and saw the flashing of torches
+       and the gleaming of swords and spears. In the throng they
+       saw Judas standing, and they knew now that he was the
+       traitor of whom Jesus had spoken the night before. Judas
+       came rushing forward, and kissed Jesus, as though he were
+       glad to see him. This was a signal that he had given
+       beforehand to the band; for the men of the guard did not
+       know Jesus, and Judas had said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"The one that I shall kiss is the man that you are to take;
+    seize him and hold him fast."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said to Judas, "Judas, do you betray the Son of man
+    with a kiss?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then he turned to the crowd, and said, "Whom do you
+    seek?"</p>
+
+    <p>They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus said, "I am he."</p>
+
+    <p>When Jesus said this, a sudden fear came upon his enemies;
+    they drew back and fell upon the ground.</p>
+
+    <p>After a moment, Jesus said again, "Whom do you seek?"</p>
+
+    <p>And again they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."</p>
+
+    <p>And Jesus said, pointing to his disciples, "I told you that
+    I am he. If you are seeking me, let these disciples go their
+    own way."</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter"
+         style="width:273px">
+        <a href="./images/268.jpg"
+             name="PETER_DENIES_CHRIST"
+             id="PETER_DENIES_CHRIST"><img width="273"
+             src="./images/268_th.jpg"
+             title="PETER DENIES CHRIST"
+             alt="PETER DENIES CHRIST" /></a>
+
+        <p><b>PETER DENIES CHRIST</b>&mdash;And Peter remembered
+        the word of Jesus, which said unto him, 'Before the cock
+        crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.&mdash;(Matt. 26:75.)</p>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>But as they came forward to seize Jesus, Peter
+    <a name="Page_240"
+       id="Page_240"></a><a name="Page_241"
+       id="Page_241"></a>drew his sword, and struck at one of the
+       men in front, and cut off his right ear. The man was a
+       servant of the high-priest, and his name was Malchus. Jesus
+       said to Peter:</p>
+
+    <p>"Put up the sword into its sheath; the cup which my Father
+    has given me, shall I not drink it? Do you not know that I
+    could call upon my Father, and he would send to me armies upon
+    armies of angels?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then he spoke to the crowd, "Let me do this." And he touched
+    the place where the ear had been cut off, and it came on again
+    and was well. Jesus said to the rulers and leaders of the armed
+    men:</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you come out against me with swords and clubs as though
+    I were a robber? I was with you every day in the Temple, and
+    you did not lift your hands against me. But the words in the
+    scriptures must come to pass; and this is your hour."</p>
+
+    <p>When the disciples of Jesus saw that he would not allow them
+    to fight for him, they did not know what to do. In their sudden
+    alarm they all ran away, and left their Master alone with his
+    enemies. These men laid their hands on Jesus, and bound him,
+    and led him away to the house of the high-priest. There were at
+    that time two men called high-priests by the Jews. One was
+    Annas, who had been high-priest until <a name="Page_242"
+       id="Page_242"></a>his office had been taken from him by the
+       Romans, and given to Caiphas, his son-in-law. But Annas
+       still had great power among the people; and they brought
+       Jesus, all bound as he was, first to Annas.</p>
+
+    <p>Simon Peter, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had
+    followed after the crowd of those who carried Jesus away; and
+    they came to the door of the high-priest's house. John knew the
+    high-priest and went in; but Peter at first stayed outside,
+    until John went out and brought him in. He came in, but did not
+    dare to go into the room where Jesus stood before the
+    high-priest Annas. In the court-yard of the house, they had
+    made a fire of charcoal, and Peter stood among those who were
+    warming themselves at the fire.</p>
+
+    <p>Annas in the inner room asked Jesus about his disciples and
+    his teaching. Jesus answered him:</p>
+
+    <p>"What I have taught has been open in the synagogues and in
+    the Temple. Why do you ask me? Ask those that heard me; they
+    know what I said."</p>
+
+    <p>Then one of the officers struck Jesus on the mouth, saying
+    to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"Is this the way that you answer the high-priest?"</p>
+
+    <p>Jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_243"
+       id="Page_243"></a>If I have said anything evil, tell what
+       the evil is; but if I have spoken the truth, why do you
+       strike me?"</p>
+
+    <p>While Annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward
+    Jesus, who stood bound and alone among his enemies, Peter was
+    still in the court-yard warming himself at the fire. A woman,
+    who was a serving-maid in the house, looked at Peter sharply,
+    and finally said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"You were one of those men with this Jesus of Nazareth!"</p>
+
+    <p>Peter was afraid to tell the truth, and he answered her:</p>
+
+    <p>"Woman, I do not know the man; and I do not know what you
+    are talking about."</p>
+
+    <p>And to get away from her, he went out into the porch of the
+    house. There another woman-servant saw him and said: "This man
+    was one of those with Jesus!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Peter swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus at
+    all. Soon a man came by, who was of kin to Malchus, whose ear
+    Peter had cut off. He looked at Peter, and heard him speak, and
+    said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You are surely one of this man's disciples; for your speech
+    shows that you came from Galilee."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Peter began again to curse and to swear, declaring that
+    he did not know the man.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_244"
+       id="Page_244"></a>Just at that moment the loud, shrill
+       crowing of a cock startled Peter; and at the same time he
+       saw Jesus, who was being dragged through the hall from Annas
+       to the council-room of Caiphas, the other high-priest. And
+       the Lord turned as he was passing and looked at Peter.</p>
+
+    <p>Then there flashed into Peter's mind what Jesus had said on
+    the evening before!</p>
+
+    <p>"Before the cock crows to-morrow morning, you will three
+    times deny that you have ever known me."</p>
+
+    <p>Then Peter went out of the high-priest's house into the
+    street; and he wept bitterly because he had denied his
+    Lord.<a name="Page_245"
+       id="Page_245"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_EMPTY_TOMB"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_EMPTY_TOMB"></a>THE STORY OF THE EMPTY
+       TOMB</h2>
+
+    <p>After Jesus was taken before the high-priest where he was
+    ridiculed and the people spat upon him, he was taken before the
+    Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, who ruled over Judea. He heard
+    their complaints, but did not find any cause for putting him to
+    death. But at last he yielded to their demands, although he
+    declared Jesus was innocent of all wrong.</p>
+
+    <div class="figcenter">
+        <a name="HE_HEARD_THEIR_COMPLAINTS"
+             id="HE_HEARD_THEIR_COMPLAINTS"><img src="./images/figure65_th.jpg"
+             title="He heard their complaints"
+             alt="He heard their complaints" /></a><br />
+        <i>He heard their complaints</i>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>And so Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor,
+    <a name="Page_246"
+       id="Page_246"></a>gave command that Jesus should die by the
+       cross. The Roman soldiers then took Jesus and beat him most
+       cruelly; and then led him out of the city to the place of
+       death. This was a place called "Golgotha" in the Jewish
+       language, "Calvary" in that of the Romans; both words
+       meaning "The Skull Place."</p>
+
+    <p>With the soldiers, went out of the city a great crowd of
+    people; some of them enemies of Jesus, glad to see him suffer;
+    others of them friends of Jesus, and the women who had helped
+    him, now weeping as they saw him, all covered with his blood
+    and going out to die. But Jesus turned to them and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for
+    yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when
+    they shall count those happy who have no little ones to be
+    slain; when they shall wish that the mountain might fall on
+    them, and the hills might cover them, and hide them from their
+    enemies!"</p>
+
+    <p>They had tried to make Jesus bear his own cross, but soon
+    found that he was too weak from his sufferings, and could not
+    carry it. They seized on a man who was coming out of the
+    country into the city, a man named Simon, and they made him
+    carry the cross to its place at Calvary.</p>
+
+    <p>It was the custom among the Jews to give to men about to die
+    by the cross some medicine to <a name="Page_247"
+       id="Page_247"></a>deaden their feelings, so that they would
+       not suffer so greatly. They offered this to Jesus, but when
+       he had tasted it and found what it was, he would not take
+       it. He knew that he would die, but he wished to have his
+       mind clear, and to understand what was done and what was
+       said, even though his sufferings might be greater.</p>
+
+    <p>At the place Calvary, they laid the cross down, and
+    stretched Jesus upon it, and drove nails through his hands and
+    feet to fasten him to the cross; and then they stood it upright
+    with Jesus upon it. While the soldiers were doing this dreadful
+    work, Jesus prayed for them to God, saying: "Father, forgive
+    them; for they know not what they are doing."</p>
+
+    <p>The soldiers also took the clothes that Jesus had worn,
+    giving to each one a garment. But when they came to his
+    undergarment, they found that it was woven and had no seams; so
+    they said, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see
+    who shall have it." So at the foot of the cross the soldiers
+    threw lots for the garment of Christ.</p>
+
+    <p>Two men who had been robbers and had been sentenced to die
+    by the cross, were led out to die at the same time with Jesus.
+    One was placed on a cross at his right side, and the other at
+    his left; and to make Jesus appear as the worst, his cross
+    stood in the middle. Over the head of<a name="Page_248"
+       id="Page_248"></a> Jesus on his cross, they placed, by
+       Pilate's order, a sign, on which was written:</p>
+
+    <p class="center">"This is Jesus of Nazareth,<br />
+    The King of the Jews."</p>
+
+    <p>This was written in three languages; in Hebrew, which was
+    the language of the Jews; in Latin, the language of the Romans,
+    and in Greek. Many of the people read this writing; but the
+    chief priests were not pleased with it. They urged Pilate to
+    have it changed from "The King of the Jews" to "He said, I am
+    King of the Jews." But Pilate would not change it. He said:</p>
+
+    <p>"What I have written, I have written."</p>
+
+    <p>And the people who passed by on the road, as they looked at
+    Jesus on the cross, mocked at him. Some called out to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"You that would destroy the Temple and build it in three
+    days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from
+    the cross!"</p>
+
+    <p>And the priests and scribes said:</p>
+
+    <p>"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Come down from
+    the cross, and we will believe in you!"</p>
+
+    <p>And one of the robbers, who was on his own cross beside that
+    of Jesus, joined in the cry, and said: "If you are the Christ,
+    save yourself and save us!"</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_249"
+       id="Page_249"></a>But the other robber said to him: "Have
+       you no fear of God, to speak thus, while you are suffering
+       the same fate with this man? And we deserve to die, but this
+       man has done nothing wrong."</p>
+
+    <p>Then this man said to Jesus: "Lord, remember me when thou
+    comest into thy kingdom!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Jesus answered him, as they were both hanging on their
+    crosses: "To-day you shall be with me in heaven."</p>
+
+    <p>Before the cross of Jesus his mother was standing, filled
+    with sorrow for her son, and beside her was one of his
+    disciples, John, the disciple whom he loved best. Other women
+    besides his mother were there&mdash;his mother's sister, Mary
+    the wife of Cleophas, and a woman named Mary Magdalene, out of
+    whom a year before Jesus had sent an evil spirit. Jesus wished
+    to give his mother, now that he was leaving her, into the care
+    of John, and he said to her, as he looked from her to John:
+    "Woman, see your son."</p>
+
+    <p>And then to John he said: "Son, see your mother."</p>
+
+    <p>And on that day John took the mother of Jesus home to his
+    own house, and cared for her as his own mother.</p>
+
+    <p>At about noon, a sudden darkness came over the land, and
+    lasted for three hours. And in the <a name="Page_250"
+       id="Page_250"></a>middle of the afternoon, when Jesus had
+       been on the cross six hours of terrible pain, he cried out
+       aloud words which meant:</p>
+
+    <p>"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" words which are
+    the beginning of the twenty-second psalm, a psalm which long
+    before had spoken of many of Christ's sufferings.</p>
+
+    <p>After this he spoke again, saying, "I thirst!"</p>
+
+    <p>And some one dipped a sponge in a cup of vinegar, and put it
+    upon a reed, and gave him a drink of it. Then Jesus spoke his
+    last words upon the cross:</p>
+
+    <p>"It is finished! Father, into thy hands I give my
+    spirit!"</p>
+
+    <p>And then Jesus died. And at that moment, the veil in the
+    Temple between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, was torn
+    apart by unseen hands from the top to the bottom. And when the
+    Roman officer, who had charge of the soldiers around the cross,
+    saw what had taken place, and how Jesus died, he said: "Surely
+    this was a righteous man; he was the Son of God."</p>
+
+    <p>After Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, to be sure that
+    he was no longer living, ran his spear into the side of his
+    dead body; and out of the wound came pouring both water and
+    blood.</p>
+
+    <p>There were even among the rulers of the Jews a few who were
+    friends of Jesus, though they did not dare to follow Jesus
+    openly. One of these <a name="Page_251"
+       id="Page_251"></a>was Nicodemus, the ruler who came to see
+       Jesus at night. Another was a rich man who came from the
+       town of Arimathea, and was named Joseph. Joseph of Arimathea
+       went boldly in to Pilate, and asked that the body of Jesus
+       might be given to him. Pilate wondered that he had died so
+       soon, for often men lived on the cross two or three days.
+       But when he found that Jesus was really dead, he gave his
+       body to Joseph.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Joseph and his friends took down the body of Jesus from
+    the cross, and wrapped it in fine linen. And Nicodemus brought
+    some precious spices, myrrh and aloes, which they wrapped up
+    with the body. Then they placed the body in Joseph's own new
+    tomb, which was a cave dug out of the rock, in a garden near
+    the place of the cross. And before the opening of the cave they
+    rolled a great stone.</p>
+
+    <p>And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and some other
+    women, saw the tomb, and watched while they laid the body of
+    Jesus in it. On the next morning, some of the rulers of the
+    Jews came to Pilate, and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Sir, we remember that that man Jesus of Nazareth, who
+    deceived the people, said while he was yet alive, 'After three
+    days I will rise again.' Give orders that the tomb shall be
+    watched and made sure for three days, or else his disciples may
+    steal his body, and then say, 'He is risen <a name="Page_252"
+       id="Page_252"></a>from the dead'; and thus even after his
+       death he may do more harm than he did while he was
+       alive."</p>
+
+    <p>Pilate said to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Set a watch, and make it as sure as you can."</p>
+
+    <p>Then they placed a seal upon the stone, so that no one might
+    break it; and they set a watch of soldiers at the door.</p>
+
+    <p>And in the tomb the body of Jesus lay from the evening of
+    Friday, the day when he died on the cross, to the dawn of
+    Sunday, the first day of the week, when he arose from the dead
+    and appeared unto his disciples.</p>
+
+    <p>But the brightest day in all the world was this Sunday
+    morning. For on that day the stone was rolled away from the
+    tomb and Jesus came forth from the dead to gladden his
+    disciples. This he had told them he would do. On this Sunday
+    morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary, called Salome, came
+    to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and an angel standing
+    by the open tomb. He told them that Jesus was not there, but
+    had risen.</p>
+
+    <p>Afterward Jesus was with his disciples for forty days, after
+    which he was taken up into heaven.<a name="Page_253"
+       id="Page_253"></a></p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MAN_AT_THE_BEAUTIFUL_GATE"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_THE_MAN_AT_THE_BEAUTIFUL_GATE"></a>THE
+       STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE</h2>
+
+    <p>Soon after Jesus was taken up into heaven, his disciples
+    began to preach, as he had told them to do. They stood up in
+    the streets, and in the Temple, and spoke to the people all the
+    words that Jesus had given to them. And although they could no
+    longer see Jesus, he was with them, and helped them, and gave
+    them great power.</p>
+
+    <p>The two apostles, Peter and John, were one day going up to
+    the temple at the afternoon hour of prayer, about three
+    o'clock. They walked across the court of the Gentiles, which
+    was a large, open square paved with marble, having on its
+    eastern side a double row of pillars with a roof above them,
+    called Solomon's Porch. In front of this porch was the
+    principal entrance to the Temple, through a gate which was
+    called "The Beautiful Gate." In front of this gate they saw a
+    lame man sitting. He was one who in all his life had never been
+    able to walk; and as he was very poor, his friends carried him
+    every day to this place; and there he sat, hoping that some of
+    those who went into the Temple might take pity on him, and give
+    him a little money.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_254"
+       id="Page_254"></a>In front of this man Peter and John
+       stopped; and Peter said: "Look at us!"</p>
+
+    <p>The lame man looked earnestly on the two apostles, thinking
+    they were about to give him something. But Peter said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Silver and gold have I none; but what I have that I will
+    give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"</p>
+
+    <p>And Peter took hold of the lame man's right hand, and raised
+    him up. At once the lame man felt a new power entering into his
+    feet and ankle-bones. He leaped up, and stood upon his feet,
+    and began to walk, as he had never done before in all his life.
+    He walked up the steps with the two apostles, and went by their
+    side into the Temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
+    The people who now saw him leaping up and running knew him, for
+    they had seen him every day sitting as a beggar at the
+    Beautiful Gate: and every one was filled with wonder at the
+    change which had come over him.</p>
+
+    <p>After worshipping and praising God in the Temple, the man,
+    still holding fast to Peter and John, went out with them
+    through the Beautiful Gate, into Solomon's Porch. And in a very
+    few minutes a great crowd of people were drawn together to the
+    place to see the man who had been made well, and to see also
+    the two men who had healed him.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_255"
+       id="Page_255"></a>Then Peter stood up before the throng of
+       people, and spoke to them:</p>
+
+    <p>"Ye men of Israel," he said, "why do you look wondering on
+    this man? or why do you fix your eyes upon us, as though by our
+    own power or goodness we had made this man to walk? The God of
+    Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has in this way shown the
+    power and the glory of his Son Jesus, whom you gave up to his
+    enemies, and whom you refused before Pontius Pilate, when
+    Pilate was determined to set him free. But you refused the Holy
+    One and the Righteous One, and chose a murderer, Barabbas, to
+    be set free in his place; and you killed the Prince of Life,
+    whom God raised from the dead. We who have seen him risen,
+    declare that this is true. And the power of Jesus, through
+    faith in his name, has made this man strong. Yes, it is faith
+    in Christ that has given him this perfect soundness before you
+    all. Now, my brothers, I am sure that you did not know that it
+    was the Son of God and your own Saviour whom you sent to the
+    cross. Therefore turn to God in sorrow for this great sin, and
+    God will forgive you, and in his own time he will send again
+    Jesus Christ. God, who has raised up his Son, is ready to bless
+    you, and turn away every one of you from his sins."</p>
+
+    <p>While Peter was speaking, the priests, and the captain of
+    the Temple, and the rulers, came <a name="Page_256"
+       id="Page_256"></a>upon them; for they were angry as they
+       heard Peter speak these words. They laid hold of Peter and
+       John, and put them into the guardroom for the night. But
+       many of those who had heard Peter speaking believed on
+       Jesus, and sought the Lord; and the number of the followers
+       of Christ rose from three thousand to five thousand.</p>
+
+    <p>On the next day the rulers came together; and Annas and
+    Caiphas, the high priests, were there, and with them many of
+    their friends. They brought Peter and John, and set them before
+    the company. The lame man who had been healed was still by the
+    side of the two apostles. The rulers asked them:</p>
+
+    <p>"By what power, or through whom have you done this?"</p>
+
+    <p>Then Peter spoke boldly:</p>
+
+    <p>"Ye rulers of the people and elders, if you are asking us
+    about the good deed done to this man who was so helpless, how
+    it was that he was made well, I will tell you that by the name
+    of Jesus of Nazareth whom you put to death on the cross, whom
+    God raised from the dead; even by him this man stands here
+    before you all strong and well. And there is no salvation
+    except through Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under
+    heaven given among men that can save us from our sins."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="Page_257"
+       id="Page_257"></a>When these rulers saw how bold and strong
+       were the words of Peter and John, they wondered, especially
+       as they knew that they were plain men, not learned in books,
+       and not used to speaking. They remembered that they had seen
+       these men among the followers of Jesus, and they felt that
+       in some way Jesus had given them his power. And as the man
+       who had been healed was standing beside them, they could say
+       nothing to deny that a wonderful work had been done.</p>
+
+    <p>The rulers sent Peter and John out of the council-room,
+    while they talked together. They said to each other:</p>
+
+    <p>"What shall we do to these men? We cannot deny that a
+    wonderful work has been done by them, for every one knows it.
+    But we must stop this from spreading any more among the people.
+    Let us command them not to speak to any man about the name of
+    Jesus; and let us tell them, that if they do speak, we will
+    punish them."</p>
+
+    <p>So they called the two apostles into the room again, and
+    said to them: "We forbid you to speak about Jesus, and the
+    power of his name, to any man. If you do not stop talking about
+    Jesus, we will lay hands on you, and put you in prison, and
+    will have you beaten."</p>
+
+    <p>But Peter and John answered the rulers:<a name="Page_258"
+       id="Page_258"></a> "Whether it is right to obey you or to
+       obey God, you can judge. As for ourselves we cannot keep
+       silent; we must speak of what we have seen and heard."</p>
+
+    <p>The rulers were afraid to do any harm to Peter and John,
+    because they knew that the people praised God for the good work
+    that they had done; and they would be angry to have harm come
+    to them. For fear of the people, they let them go. And being
+    let go, they went to their own friends, the company who met in
+    the upper room, and there they gave thanks to God for helping
+    them to speak his word without fear.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="Page_259"
+       id="Page_259"></a></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="THE_STORY_OF_STEPHEN_THE_FIRST_MARTYR"
+       id="THE_STORY_OF_STEPHEN_THE_FIRST_MARTYR"></a>THE STORY OF
+       STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR</h2>
+
+    <p>In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, you will learn
+    how the members of the church in Jerusalem gave their money
+    freely to help the poor. This free giving led to trouble, as
+    the church grew so fast; for some of the widows who were poor
+    were passed by, and their friends made complaints to the
+    apostles. The twelve apostles called the whole church together,
+    and said:</p>
+
+    <p>"It is not well that we should turn aside from preaching and
+    teaching the word of God to sit at tables and give out money.
+    But, brethren, choose from among yourselves seven good men; men
+    who have the Spirit of God and are wise, and we will give this
+    work to them; so that we can spend our time in prayer and in
+    preaching the gospel."</p>
+
+    <p>This plan was pleasing to all the church, and they chose
+    seven men to take charge of the gifts of the people, and to see
+    that they were sent to those who were in need. The first man
+    chosen was Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Spirit of
+    God; and with him was Philip and five other good men. These
+    seven men they brought before <a name="Page_260"
+       id="Page_260"></a>the apostles; and the apostles laid their
+       hands on their heads, setting them apart for their work of
+       caring for the poor.</p>
+
+    <p>But Stephen did more than to look after the needy ones. He
+    began to preach the gospel of Christ, and to preach with such
+    power as made every one who heard him feel the truth. Stephen
+    saw before any other man in the church saw, that the gospel of
+    Christ was not for Jews only, but was for all men; that all men
+    might be saved if they would believe in Jesus; and this great
+    truth Stephen began to preach with all his power. Such
+    preaching as this, that men who were not Jews might be saved by
+    believing in Christ, made many of the Jews very angry. They
+    called all the people who were not Jews "Gentiles," and they
+    looked upon them with hate and scorn; but they could not answer
+    the words that Stephen spoke. They roused up the people and the
+    rulers, and set them against Stephen, and at last they seized
+    Stephen, and brought him before the great council of the
+    rulers. They said to the rulers:</p>
+
+    <p>"This man is always speaking evil words against the Temple
+    and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that Jesus
+    of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the laws
+    that Moses gave to us!"</p>
+
+    <p>This was partly true and partly false; but no
+    <a name="Page_261"
+       id="Page_261"></a>lie is so harmful as that which has a
+       little truth with it. Then the high-priest said to
+       Stephen:</p>
+
+    <p>"Are these things so?"</p>
+
+    <p>And as Stephen stood up to answer the high-priest, all fixed
+    their eyes upon him; and they saw that his face was shining, as
+    though it was the face of an angel. Then Stephen began to speak
+    of the great things that God had done for his people Israel in
+    the past; how he had called Abraham, their father, to go forth
+    into a new land; how he had given them great men, as Joseph,
+    and Moses, and the prophets. He showed them how the Israelites
+    had not been faithful to God, who had given them such wonderful
+    blessings.</p>
+
+    <p>Then Stephen said:</p>
+
+    <p>"You are a people with hard hearts and stiff necks, who will
+    not obey the words of God and his Spirit. As your fathers did,
+    so you do, also. Your fathers killed the prophets whom God sent
+    to them; and you have slain Jesus, the Righteous One!"</p>
+
+    <p>As they heard these things, they became so angry against
+    Stephen, that they gnashed on him with their teeth, like wild
+    beasts. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up toward
+    heaven with his shining face; and he saw the glory of God, and
+    Jesus standing on God's right hand, and he said:</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="Page_262"
+       id="Page_262"></a>I see the heavens opened, and the Son of
+       man standing on the right hand of God!"</p>
+
+    <p>But they cried out with angry voices, and rushed upon him,
+    and dragged him out of the council-room, and outside the wall
+    of the city. And there they threw stones upon him to kill him,
+    while Stephen was kneeling down among the falling stones, and
+    praying:</p>
+
+    <p>"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, lay not this sin up
+    against them!"</p>
+
+    <p>And when he had said this, he fell asleep in death, the
+    first to be slain for the gospel of Christ.</p>
+
+    <p><br />
+    <br />
+    <br /></p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
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+</body>
+</html>
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@@ -0,0 +1,6025 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+
+Author: Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
+Editor: Logan Marshall
+
+Release Date: June 12, 2005 [EBook #16042]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WONDER BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Thomas Hutchinson and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE FINDING OF MOSES--The daughter of Pharaoh comes
+to the water's edge and finds the child. By chance the child's mother is
+called as nurse, and it grew and was brought to Pharaoh's daughter and
+became her son--(Exodus 2; 5-10.)]
+
+
+
+
+THE WONDER BOOK
+OF BIBLE STORIES
+
+
+EDITED AND ARRANGED BY
+LOGAN MARSHALL
+
+
+
+[Illustration: The baby in the manger]
+
+
+
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
+PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO
+
+TORONTO--THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, LIMITED
+Copyright, 1925, by
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.
+
+Copyright, 1925,
+in the Philippine Islands.
+
+Copyright, 1904, by
+THE J.C.W. CO.
+
+
+PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
+AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS
+
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PROPRIETORS, PHILADELPHIA
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+                                        PAGE
+INTRODUCTION                              1
+
+THE STORY OF ADAM AND EVE                 3
+
+THE STORY OF NOAH AND THE ARK             7
+
+THE STORY OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL            16
+
+THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC            22
+
+THE STORY OF JACOB                        28
+
+   THE SALE OF A BIRTHRIGHT               29
+
+   THE STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN         37
+
+THE STORY OF JOSEPH
+
+   THE COAT OF MANY COLORS                42
+
+   THE DREAMS OF A KING                   49
+
+   THE STORY OF THE MONEY IN THE SACKS    58
+
+   THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BROTHER        65
+
+THE STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE RIVER  73
+
+THE STORY OF THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN       82
+
+THE STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED SOLDIERS        88
+
+THE STORY OF SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN       98
+
+THE STORY OF RUTH, THE GLEANER            111
+
+THE STORY OF DAVID
+
+   THE SHEPHERD BOY                       117
+
+   THE STORY OF THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT  125
+
+THE STORY OF THE CAVE OF ADULLAM          131
+
+THE STORY OF SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE       133
+
+THE STORY OF ELIJAH, THE PROPHET          138
+
+THE STORY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE          142
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE            147
+
+THE STORY OF DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN     155
+
+THE STORY OF THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR       160
+
+THE STORY OF JESUS
+
+   THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM                     167
+
+   THE STORY OF THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN    172
+
+   THE STORY OF THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE      179
+
+   THE STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE   184
+
+   THE STORY OF THE STRANGER AT THE WELL     189
+
+   THE STORY OF THE FISHERMEN                195
+
+   THE STORY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT      199
+
+   THE STORY OF THE MIRACLE WORKER           206
+
+   THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN  215
+
+   THE STORY OF THE PALM BRANCHES            221
+
+   THE STORY OF THE BETRAYAL                 228
+
+   THE STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB               235
+
+THE STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE   243
+
+THE STORY OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR       249
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+                                         PAGE
+The Finding of Moses                       i
+
+Title Plate                                ii
+
+They were driven forth by an angel         3
+
+Cain and Abel                              5
+
+The water rose higher and higher           12
+
+So Noah opened the door of the ark         14
+
+In some way she lost the road              19
+
+Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow    20
+
+For two days they walked                   24
+
+"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering"      25
+
+"Sell me your birthright"                  29
+
+"Now, my son, do what I tell you"          32
+
+"May nations bow down to you"              34
+
+Angels were upon the stairs                38
+
+Jacob went onward in his long journey      40
+
+Back to the Land of Canaan                 43
+
+Walking northward over the mountains       45
+
+For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph           47
+
+"The two dreams have the same meaning"                 56
+
+"What wicked thing is this that you have done?"        70
+
+They made the Israelites work hard                     75
+
+She placed her baby in the ark                         76
+
+Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian    79
+
+God fed them day by day with manna                     81
+
+A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it   83
+
+The angel touched the offering with his staff          89
+
+The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise        95
+
+He carried off the gates of the city                   105
+
+He bowed forward with all his might and pulled
+the pillars with him                                   109
+
+Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain       114
+
+Then Samuel poured oil on David's head                 122
+
+The giant looked down on the youth and despised him    128
+
+David drew out the giant's own sword                   129
+
+Solomon on his throne                                  136
+
+Supposed form of Solomon's Temple                      137
+
+Ship in Solomon's time                                 137
+
+Denounced Ahab and Jezebel                             139
+
+Made king when he was only seven years old             140
+
+"This is the arrow of victory"                         141
+
+To shade Jonah from the sun                            145
+
+Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage                    150
+
+An angel befriended them                               152
+
+Thrown into the den of lions                           157
+
+Daniel's Answer to the King                            158
+
+"Do not be afraid, Zacharias"                          162
+
+They were filled with fear                             169
+
+The baby in the manger                                 170
+
+The Shepherds in the Field                             171
+
+The wise men went their way                            173
+
+He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt       176
+
+Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law         181
+
+"Fill the jars with water"                             185
+
+"Take these things away"                               187
+
+The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up  196
+
+"I came not to call those who think themselves to be good"  201
+
+Then, on the mountain, he preached                     203
+
+"Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"         207
+
+The children loved to gather around him                210
+
+Then he lifted him up                                  219
+
+Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary lived  221
+
+She wiped his feet with her hair                       223
+
+They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon   225
+
+The great city was deaf to his pleadings               227
+
+Peter Denies Christ                                    232
+
+He heard their complaints                              235
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The Bible is one of the two or three oldest books in the world, but
+unlike most of the ancient books, it is found not only in great
+libraries, but in almost every home of the civilized world; and it is
+not only studied by learned scholars, but read by the common people; and
+its many stories grasp and hold the attention of little children. Happy
+is that child who has heard, over and over again, the Bible stories
+until they have become fixed in his mind and memory, to become the
+foundations of a noble life.
+
+It is with the desire of aiding parents and teachers in telling these
+stories, and aiding children to understand them, also in the hope that
+they may be read in many schools, that a few among the many interesting
+stories in the Bible have been chosen, brought together and as far as
+necessary simplified to meet the minds of the young.
+
+[Signature: Jesse Lyman Hurlbut]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ADAM AND EVE
+
+
+The first man's name was Adam and his wife he called Eve. They lived in
+a beautiful Garden away in the East Country which was called Eden,
+filled with beautiful trees and flowers of all kinds. But they did not
+live in Eden long for they did not obey God's command, but ate the fruit
+of a tree which had been forbidden them. They were driven forth by an
+angel and had to give up their beautiful home.
+
+[Illustration: _They were driven forth by an angel_]
+
+So Adam and his wife went out into the world to live and to work. For a
+time they were all alone, but after a while God gave them a little child
+of their own, the first baby that ever came into the world. Eve named
+him Cain; and after a time another baby came, whom she named Abel.
+
+When the two boys grew up, they worked, as their father worked before
+them. Cain, the older brother, chose to work in the fields, and to raise
+grain and fruits. Abel, the younger brother, had a flock of sheep and
+became a shepherd.
+
+While Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden, they could talk
+with God and hear God's voice speaking to them. But now that they were
+out in the world, they could no longer talk with God freely, as before.
+So when they came to God, they built an altar of stones heaped up, and
+upon it, they laid something as a gift to God, and burned it, to show
+that it was not their own, but was given to God, whom they could not
+see. Then before the altar they made their prayer to God, and asked God
+to forgive their sins, all that they had done was wrong; and prayed God
+to bless them and do good to them.
+
+Each of these brothers, Cain and Abel, offered upon the altar to God his
+own gift. Cain brought the fruits and the grain which he had grown; and
+Abel brought a sheep from his flock, and killed it and burned it upon
+the altar. For some reason God was pleased with Abel and his offering,
+but was not pleased with Cain and his offering. Perhaps God wished Cain
+to offer something that had life, as Abel offered; perhaps Cain's heart
+was not right when he came before God.
+
+And God showed that He was not pleased with Cain; and Cain, instead of
+being sorry for his sin, and asking God to forgive him, was very angry
+with God, and angry also toward his brother Abel. When they were out in
+the field together Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him. So the
+first baby in the world grew up to be the murderer of his own brother.
+
+And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?"
+
+[Illustration: _Cain and Abel_]
+
+And Cain answered, "I do not know; why should I take care of my
+brother?"
+
+Then the Lord said to Cain, "What is this that you have done? Your
+brother's blood is like a voice crying to me from the ground. Do you see
+how the ground has opened, like a mouth, to drink your brother's blood?
+As long as you live, you shall be under God's curse for the murder of
+your brother. You shall wander over the earth, and shall never find a
+home, because you have done this wicked deed."
+
+And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
+Thou hast driven me out from among men; and thou hast hid thy face from
+me. If any man finds me he will kill me, because I shall be alone, and
+no one will be my friend."
+
+And God said to Cain, "If any one harms Cain, he shall be punished for
+it." And the Lord God placed a mark on Cain, so that whoever met him
+should know him and should know also that God had forbidden any man to
+harm him. Then Cain and his wife went away from Adam's home to live in a
+place by themselves, and there they had children. And Cain's family
+built a city in that land; and Cain named the city after his first
+child, whom he had called Enoch.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF NOAH AND THE ARK
+
+
+After Abel was slain, and his brother Cain had gone into another land,
+again God gave a child to Adam and Eve. This child they named Seth; and
+other sons and daughters were given to them; for Adam and Eve lived many
+years. But at last they died, as God had said they must die, because
+they had eaten of the tree that God had forbidden them to eat.
+
+By the time that Adam died, there were many people on the earth; for the
+children of Adam and Eve had many other children; and when these grew up
+they had other children; and these had children also. These men and
+women and children lived in tents. They owned sheep and cattle, and they
+moved about with them, wherever they could find pasture. The children
+played around the tent doors, and sat beside the camp-fires in the
+evenings, where they all sang together, and the older people told them
+stories. And after a time this land where Adam's sons lived began to be
+full of people.
+
+It is sad to tell that as time went on more and more of these people
+became wicked, and fewer and fewer of them grew up to become good men
+and women. All the people lived near together, and few went away to
+other lands; so it came to pass that even the children of good men and
+women learned to be bad, like the people around them, and no longer did
+what was right and good.
+
+And as God looked down on the world that he had made, he saw how wicked
+the men in it had become, and that every thought and every act of man
+was evil and only evil continually.
+
+But while most of the people in the world were very wicked, there were
+some good people also, though they were very few. The best of all the
+men who lived at that time was a man whose name was Enoch. He was not
+the son of Cain, but another Enoch, who came from the family of Seth,
+the son of Adam, who was born after the death of Abel. While so many
+around Enoch were doing evil, this man did only what was right. He
+walked with God and God walked with him, and talked with him. And at
+last, when Enoch was a very old man and weary with life, God took him
+away from earth to heaven. He did not die, as all the people have since
+Adam disobeyed God, but "he was not, for God took him." This means that
+Enoch was taken up from earth without dying.
+
+All the people in the time of Enoch were not shepherds. Some of them had
+learned how to make rude bows and arrows and axes and plows. And after a
+long time they melted iron, and they made knives and swords and dishes
+to use in their homes. They sowed grain in the fields and reaped
+harvests, and they planted vines and fruit trees. But God looked down on
+the earth and said:
+
+"I will take away all men from the earth that I have made; because the
+men of the world are evil, and do evil continually."
+
+But even in those bad times God saw one good man. His name was Noah.
+Noah tried to do right in the sight of God. As Enoch had walked with
+God, so Noah walked with God, and talked with him. And Noah had three
+sons; their names were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth.
+
+God said to Noah, "The time has come when all the men and women on the
+earth are to be destroyed. Every one must die, because they are all
+wicked. But you and your family shall be saved, because you alone are
+trying to do right."
+
+Then God told Noah how he might save his life and the lives of his sons.
+He was to build a very large boat, as large as the largest ships that
+are made in our time; very long, and very wide and very deep; with a
+roof over it; and made like a long, wide house in three stories; but so
+built that it would float on the water. Such a ship as this was called
+"an ark." God told Noah to build this ark, and to have it ready for the
+time when he would need it.
+
+"For," said God to Noah, "I am going to bring a great flood of water on
+the earth to cover all the land and to drown all the people on the
+earth. And as the animals on the earth will be drowned with the people,
+you must make the ark large enough to hold a pair of each kind of
+animals and several pairs of some animals that are needed by men, like
+sheep and goats and oxen; so that there will be animals as well as men
+to live upon the earth after the flood has passed away. And you must
+take in the ark food for yourself and your family, and for all the
+animals with you; enough food to last for a year, while the flood shall
+stay on the earth."
+
+And Noah did what God told him to do, although it must have seemed very
+strange to all the people around, to build this great ark where there
+was no water for it to sail upon. And it was a long time, because this
+ship was so big, that Noah and his sons were at work building the ark,
+which God had told them to build, while the wicked people around
+wondered, and no doubt laughed at Noah for building a great ship where
+there was no sea.
+
+At last the ark was finished, and stood like a great house on the land.
+There was a door on one side, and a window on the roof, to let in the
+light. Then God said to Noah:
+
+"Come into the ark, you and your wife, and your three sons, and their
+wives with them; for the flood of waters will come very soon. And take
+with you animals of all kinds, and birds, and things that creep; seven
+pairs of these that will be needed by men, and one pair of all the rest,
+so that all kinds of animals may be kept alive upon the earth."
+
+So Noah and his wife, and his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, with
+their wives, went into the ark. And God brought to the door of the ark
+the animals, and the birds, and the creeping things of all kinds; and
+they went into the ark. And Noah and his sons put them in their places,
+and brought in food enough to feed them all for many days. And then the
+door of the ark was shut and no more people and no more animals could
+come in.
+
+In a few days the rain began to fall, as it had never rained before. It
+seemed as though the heavens were opened to pour great floods upon the
+earth. The streams filled, and the rivers rose higher and higher, and
+the ark began to float on the water. The people left their houses and
+ran up to the hills; but soon the hills were covered, and all the people
+on them were drowned.
+
+Some had climbed up to the tops of higher mountains, but the water rose
+higher and higher, until even the mountains were covered and all the
+people, wicked as they had been, were drowned in the great sea that now
+rolled over all the earth where man had lived. And all the animals, the
+tame animals, cattle, and sheep, and oxen, were drowned; and the wild
+animals, lions, and tigers, and all the rest were drowned also. Even the
+birds were drowned, for their nests in the trees were swept away, and
+there was no place where they could fly from the terrible storm. For
+forty days and nights the rain kept on, until there was no breath of
+life remaining outside of the ark.
+
+[Illustration: _The water rose higher and higher_]
+
+After forty days the rain stopped, but the water stayed upon the earth
+for more than six months, and the ark with all that were in it floated
+over the great sea that covered the land. Then God sent a wind to blow
+over the waters, and to dry them up; so by degrees the waters grew less
+and less. First mountains rose above the waters, then the hills rose
+up, and finally the ark ceased to float and lay aground on a mountain
+which is called Mount Ararat.
+
+But Noah could not see what had happened on the earth, because the door
+was shut, and the only window was up in the roof. But he felt that the
+ark was no longer moving, and he knew that the water must have gone
+down. So, after waiting for a time, Noah opened a window, and let loose
+a bird called a raven. Now the raven has strong wings; and this raven
+flew round and round until the waters had gone down, and it could find a
+place to rest, and it did not come back to the ark.
+
+After Noah had waited for it awhile, he sent out a dove; but the dove
+could not find any place to rest, so it flew back to the ark, and Noah
+took it into the ark again. Then Noah waited a week longer, and
+afterward he sent out the dove again. And at the evening, the dove came
+back to the ark, which was its home; and in its bill was a fresh leaf
+which it had picked off from an olive tree.
+
+So Noah knew that the water had gone down enough to let the trees grow
+again. He waited another week, and sent out the dove again; but this
+time the dove flew away and never came back. And Noah knew that the
+earth was becoming dry again. So he took off a part of the roof, and
+looked out, and saw that there was dry land all around the ark, and the
+waters were no longer everywhere.
+
+Noah had now lived in the ark a little more than a year, and he was glad
+to see the green land and the trees once more. And God said to Noah:
+
+"Come out of the ark, with your wife, and your sons, and their wives,
+and all the living things that are with you in the ark."
+
+[Illustration: _So Noah opened the door of the Ark_]
+
+So Noah opened the door of the ark, and with his family came out, and
+stood once more on the ground. And the animals, and birds, and creeping
+things in the ark, came out also, and began again to bring life to the
+earth.
+
+The first thing that Noah did when he came out of the ark, was to give
+thanks to God for saving all his family when the rest of the people on
+the earth were destroyed. He built an altar, and laid upon it an
+offering to the Lord, and gave himself and his family to God and
+promised to do God's will.
+
+And God was pleased with Noah's offering, and God said:
+
+"I will not again destroy the earth on account of men, no matter how bad
+they may be. From this time no flood shall again cover the earth; but
+the seasons of spring and summer and fall and winter, shall remain
+without change. I give to you the earth; you shall be the rulers of the
+ground and of every living thing upon it."
+
+Then God caused a rainbow to appear in the sky, and he told Noah and his
+sons that whenever they or the people after them should see the rainbow,
+they should remember that God had placed it in the sky and over the
+clouds as a sign of his promise, that he would always remember the
+earth, and the people upon it, and would never again send a flood to
+destroy man from the earth.
+
+So as often as we see the beautiful rainbow, we are to remember that it
+is the sign of God's promise to the world.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL
+
+
+After the great flood the family of Noah and those who came after him
+grew in number, until, as the years went on, the earth began to be full
+of people once more. But there was one great difference between the
+people who had lived before the flood and those who lived after it.
+Before the flood, all the people stayed close together, so that very
+many lived in one land, and no one lived in other lands. After the flood
+families began to move from one place to another, seeking for themselves
+new homes. Some went one way, and some another, so that as the number of
+people grew, they covered much more of the earth than those who had
+lived before the flood.
+
+Part of the people went up to the north and built a city called Nineveh,
+which became the ruling city of a great land called Assyria, whose
+people were called Assyrians.
+
+Another company went away to the west and settled by the great river
+Nile, and founded the land of Egypt, with its strange temples and
+pyramids, its sphinx and its monuments.
+
+Another company wandered northwest until they came to the shore of the
+great sea which they called the Mediterranean Sea. There they founded
+the cities of Sidon and Tyre, where the people were sailors, sailing to
+countries far away, and bringing home many things from other lands to
+sell to the people of Babylon, and Assyria, and Egypt, and other
+countries.
+
+Among the many cities which the people built were two called Sodom and
+Gomorrah. The people in these cities were very wicked and were nearly
+all destroyed. One good man named Lot and his family escaped. There was
+another good man named Abraham who did not live in these cities. He
+tried to do God's will and was promised a son to bring joy into his
+family.
+
+After Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Abraham moved his tent and his
+camp away from that part of the land, and went to live near a place
+called Gerar, in the southwest, not far from the Great Sea. And there at
+last, the child whom God had promised to Abraham and Sarah, his wife,
+was born, when Abraham, his father, was a very old man.
+
+They named this child Isaac, as the angel had told them he should be
+named. And Abraham and Sarah were so happy to have a little boy, that
+after a time they gave a great feast and invited all the people to come
+and rejoice with them, and all in honor of the little Isaac.
+
+Now Sarah had a maid named Hagar, an Egyptian woman, who ran away from
+her mistress, and saw an angel by a well, and afterward came back to
+Sarah. She, too, had a child and his name was Ishmael. So now there were
+two boys in Abraham's tent, the older boy, Ishmael, the son of Hagar,
+and the younger boy, Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah.
+
+Ishmael did not like the little Isaac, and did not treat him kindly.
+This made his mother Sarah very angry, and she said to her husband:
+
+"I do not wish to have this boy Ishmael growing up with my son Isaac.
+Send away Hagar and her boy, for they are a trouble to me."
+
+And Abraham felt very sorry to have trouble come between Sarah and
+Hagar, and between Isaac and Ishmael; for Abraham was a kind and good
+man, and he was friendly to them all.
+
+But the Lord said to Abraham, "Do not be troubled about Ishmael and his
+mother. Do as Sarah has asked you to do, and send them away. It is best
+that Isaac should be left alone in your tent, for he is to receive
+everything that is yours. I the Lord will take care of Ishmael, and will
+make a great people of his descendants, those who shall come from him."
+
+So the next morning Abraham sent Hagar and her boy away, expecting them
+to go back to the land of Egypt, from which Hagar had come. He gave them
+some food for the journey, and a bottle of water to drink by the way.
+The bottles in that country are not like ours, made of glass. They are
+made from the skin of a goat. One of these skin-bottles Abraham filled
+with water and gave to Hagar.
+
+And Hagar went away from Abraham's tent, leading her little boy. But in
+some way she lost the road, and wandered over the desert, not knowing
+where she was, until all the water in the bottle was used up; and her
+poor boy in the hot sun and the burning sand had nothing to drink. She
+thought that he would die of his terrible thirst; and she laid him down
+under a little bush; and then she went away, for she said to herself:
+
+[Illustration: _In some way she lost the road_]
+
+"I cannot bear to look at my poor boy suffering and dying for want of
+water."
+
+And just at that moment, while Hagar was crying, and her boy was
+moaning with thirst, she heard a voice saying to her:
+
+"Hagar, what is your trouble? Do not be afraid. God has heard your cry
+and the cry of your child. God will take care of you both, and will make
+of your boy a great nation of people."
+
+It was the voice of an angel from heaven; and then Hagar looked, and
+there, close at hand, was a spring of water in the desert. How glad
+Hagar was as she filled the bottle with water and took it to her
+suffering boy under the bush!
+
+[Illustration: _Learned to shoot with the bow and arrow_]
+
+After this Hagar did not go down to Egypt. She found a place where she
+lived and brought up her son in the wilderness, far from other people.
+And Ishmael grew up in the desert and learned to shoot with the bow and
+arrow. He became a wild man, and his children after him grew up to be
+wild men also. They were the Arabians of the desert, who even to this
+day have never been ruled by any other people, but wander through the
+desert, and live as they please. So Ishmael came to be the father of
+many people, and his descendants, the wild Arabians of the desert, are
+living unto this day in that land.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
+
+
+You remember that in those times of which we are telling, when men
+worshipped God, they built an altar of earth or of stone, and laid an
+offering upon it as a gift to God. The offering was generally a sheep,
+or a goat, or a young ox--some animal that was used for food. Such an
+offering was called "a sacrifice."
+
+But the people who worshipped idols often did what seems to us strange
+and very terrible. They thought that it would please their gods if they
+would offer as a sacrifice the most precious living things that were
+their own; and they would take their own little children and kill them
+upon their altars as offerings to the gods of wood and stone, that were
+no real gods, but only images.
+
+God wished to show Abraham and all his descendants, those who should
+come after him, that he was not pleased with such offerings as those of
+living people, killed on the altars. And God took a way to teach
+Abraham, so that he and his children after him would never forget it.
+Then at the same time he wished to see how faithful and obedient Abraham
+would be to his commands; how fully Abraham would trust in God, or, as
+we would say, how great was Abraham's faith in God.
+
+So God gave to Abraham a command which he did not mean to have obeyed,
+though this he did not tell to Abraham. He said:
+
+"Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love so greatly, and
+go to the land of Moriah, and there on a mountain that I will show you,
+offer him for a burnt-offering to me."
+
+Though this command filled Abraham's heart with pain, yet he would not
+be as surprised to receive it as a father would in our day; for such
+offerings were very common among all those people in the land where
+Abraham lived. Abraham never for one moment doubted or disobeyed God's
+word. He knew that Isaac was the child whom God had promised, and that
+God had promised, too, that Isaac should have children, and that those
+coming from Isaac should be a great nation. He did not see how God could
+keep his promise with regard to Isaac, if Isaac should be killed as an
+offering; unless indeed God should raise him up from the dead afterward.
+
+But Abraham undertook at once to obey. God's command. He took two young
+men with him and an ass laden with wood for the fire; and he went toward
+the mountain in the north, Isaac, his son, walking by his side. For two
+days they walked, sleeping under the trees at night in the open country.
+And on the third day Abraham saw the mountain far away. And as they drew
+near to the mountain Abraham said to the young men:
+
+[Illustration: _For two days they walked_]
+
+"Stay here with the ass, while I go up yonder mountain with Isaac to
+worship; and when we have worshipped, we will come back to you." For
+Abraham believed that in some way God would bring back Isaac to life. He
+took the wood from the ass and placed it on Isaac, and they two walked
+up the mountain together. As they were walking, Isaac said:
+
+"Father, here is the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?"
+
+And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a Lamb for a burnt
+offering."
+
+And they came to the place on the top of the mountain. There Abraham
+built an altar of stones and earth heaped up; and on it he placed the
+wood. Then he tied the hands and the feet of Isaac, and laid him on the
+altar, on the wood. And Abraham lifted up his hand, holding a knife to
+kill his son. Another moment longer and Isaac would be slain by his own
+father's hand.
+
+[Illustration: _"God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
+offering"_]
+
+But just at that moment the angel of the Lord out of heaven called to
+Abraham, and said:
+
+"Abraham! Abraham!"
+
+And Abraham answered, "Here I am, Lord." Then the angel of the Lord
+said:
+
+"Do not lay your hand upon your son. Do no harm to him. Now I know that
+you love God more than you love your only son, and that you are obedient
+to God, since you are ready to give up your son, your only son, to God."
+
+What a relief and a joy these words from heaven brought to the heart of
+Abraham! How glad he was to know that it was not God's will for him to
+kill his son! Then Abraham looked around, and there in the thicket was a
+ram caught by his horns. And Abraham took the ram and offered him up for
+a burnt-offering in place of his son. So Abraham's words came true when
+he said that God would provide for himself a lamb.
+
+The place where this altar was built Abraham named Jehovah-jireh, words
+in the language that Abraham spoke meaning, "The Lord will provide."
+
+This offering, which seems so strange, did much good. It showed to
+Abraham, and to Isaac also, that Isaac belonged to God, for to God he
+had been offered; and in Isaac all those who should come from him, his
+descendants, had been given to God. Then it showed to Abraham and to
+all the people after him, that God did not wish children or men killed
+as offerings for worship; and while all the people around offered such
+sacrifices, the Israelites, who came from Abraham and from Isaac, never
+offered them, but offered oxen and sheep and goats instead.
+
+These gifts, which cost so much toil, they felt must be pleasing to God,
+because they expressed their thankfulness to him. But they were glad to
+be taught that God does not desire men's lives to be taken, but loves
+our living gifts of love and kindness.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JACOB
+
+
+After Abraham died, his son Isaac lived in the land of Canaan. Like his
+father, Isaac had his home in a tent; around him were the tents of his
+people, and many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle feeding wherever
+they could find grass to eat and water to drink.
+
+Isaac and his wife Rebekah had two children. The older was named Esau
+and the younger Jacob.
+
+Esau was a man of the woods and very fond of hunting; and he was rough
+and covered with hair.
+
+Jacob was quiet and thoughtful, staying at home, dwelling in a tent, and
+caring for the flocks of his father.
+
+Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, because Esau brought to his father
+that which he had killed in his hunting; but Rebekah liked Jacob,
+because she saw that he was wise and careful in his work.
+
+Among the people in those lands, when a man dies, his older son receives
+twice as much as the younger of what the father has owned. This was
+called his "birthright," for it was his right as the oldest born. So
+Esau, as the older, had a "birthright" to more of Isaac's possessions
+than Jacob. And besides this, there was the privilege of the promise of
+God that the family of Isaac should receive great blessings.
+
+
+
+THE SALE OF A BIRTHRIGHT
+
+Now Esau, when he grew up, did not care for his birthright or the
+blessing which God had promised. But Jacob, who was a wise man, wished
+greatly to have the birthright which would come to Esau when his father
+died. Once, when Esau came home, hungry and tired from hunting in the
+fields, he saw that Jacob had a bowl of something that he had just
+cooked for dinner. And Esau said:
+
+"Give me some of that red stuff in the dish. Will you not give me some?
+I am hungry."
+
+[Illustration: _"Sell me your birthright"_]
+
+And Jacob answered, "I will give it to you, if you will first of all
+sell to me your birthright."
+
+And Esau said, "What is the use of the birthright to me now, when I am
+almost starving to death? You can have my birthright if you will give me
+something to eat."
+
+Then Esau made Jacob a solemn promise to give to Jacob his birthright,
+all for a bowl of food. It was not right for Jacob to deal so selfishly
+with his brother; but it was very wrong in Esau to care so little for
+his birthright and God's blessing.
+
+Some time after this, when Esau was forty years old, he married two
+wives. Though this would be very wicked in our times, it was not
+supposed to be wrong then; for even good men then had more than one
+wife. But Esau's two wives were women from the people of Canaan, who
+worshipped idols, and not the true God. And they taught their children
+also to pray to idols; so that those who came from Esau, the people who
+were his descendants, lost all knowledge of God, and became very wicked.
+But this was long after that time.
+
+Isaac and Rebekah were very sorry to have their son Esau marry women who
+prayed to idols and not to God; but still Isaac loved his active son
+Esau more than his quiet son Jacob. But Rebekah loved Jacob more than
+Esau.
+
+Isaac became at last very old and feeble, and so blind that he could
+see scarcely anything. One day he said to Esau:
+
+"My son, I am very old, and do not know how soon I must die. But before
+I die, I wish to give to you, as my older son, God's blessing upon you,
+and your children, and your descendants. Go out into the fields, and
+with your bow and arrows shoot some animal that is good for food, and
+make for me a dish of cooked meat such as you know I love; and after I
+have eaten it I will give you the blessing."
+
+Now Esau ought to have told his father that the blessing did not belong
+to him, for he had sold it to his brother Jacob. But he did not tell his
+father. He went out into the fields hunting, to find the kind of meat
+which his father liked the most.
+
+Now Rebekah was listening, and heard all that Isaac had said to Esau.
+She knew that it would be better for Jacob to have the blessing than for
+Esau; and she loved Jacob more than Esau. So she called to Jacob and
+told him what Isaac had said to Esau, and she said:
+
+"Now, my son, do what I tell you, and you will get the blessing instead
+of your brother. Go to the flocks and bring to me two little kids from
+the goats, and I will cook them just like the meat which Esau cooks for
+your father. And you will bring it to your father, and he will think
+that you are Esau, and will give you the blessing; and it really belongs
+to you."
+
+[Illustration: _"Now, my son, do what I tell you"_]
+
+But Jacob said, "You know that Esau and I are not alike. His neck and
+arms are covered with hairs, while mine are smooth. My father will feel
+of me, and he will find that I am not Esau; and then, instead of giving
+me a blessing, I am afraid that he will curse me."
+
+But Rebekah answered her son, "Never mind; you do as I have told you,
+and I will take care of you. If any harm comes it will come to me; so do
+not be afraid, but go and bring the meat."
+
+Then Jacob went and brought a pair of little kids from the flocks, and
+from them his mother made a dish of food, so that it would be to the
+taste just as Isaac liked it. Then Rebekah found some of Esau's clothes,
+and dressed Jacob in them; and she placed on his neck and hands some of
+the skins of the kids, so that his neck and his hands would feel rough
+and hairy to the touch.
+
+Then Jacob came into his father's tent, bringing the dinner, and
+speaking as much like Esau as he could, he said:
+
+"Here I am, my father."
+
+And Isaac said, "Who are you, my son?"
+
+And Jacob answered, "I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done as you bade
+me; now sit up and eat the dinner that I have made, and then give me
+your blessing as you promised me."
+
+And Isaac said, "How is it that you found it so quickly?"
+
+Jacob answered, "Because the Lord your God showed me where to go and
+gave me good success."
+
+Isaac did not feel certain that it was his son Esau, and he said, "Come
+near and let me feel you, so that I may know that you are really my son
+Esau."
+
+And Jacob went up close to Isaac's bed, and Isaac felt of his face, and
+his neck, and his hands, and he said:
+
+[Illustration: _"May nations bow down to you."_]
+
+"The voice sounds like Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Are
+you really my son Esau?"
+
+And Jacob told a lie to his father, and said, "I am."
+
+Then the old man ate the food that Jacob had brought to him; and he
+kissed Jacob, believing him to be Esau; and he gave him the blessing,
+saying to him:
+
+"May God give you the dew of heaven, and the richness of the earth, and
+plenty of grain and wine. May nations bow down to you and peoples become
+your servants. May you be the master over your brother, and may your
+family and descendants that shall come from you rule over his family and
+his descendants. Blessed be those that bless you, and cursed be those
+that curse you."
+
+Just as soon as Jacob had received the blessing he rose up and hastened
+away. He had scarcely gone out, when Esau came in from hunting, with the
+dish of food that he had cooked. And he said:
+
+"Let my father sit up and eat the food that I have brought, and give me
+the blessing."
+
+And Isaac said, "Why, who are you?"
+
+Esau answered, "I am your son; your oldest son, Esau."
+
+And Isaac trembled, and said, "Who then is the one that came in and
+brought to me food? and I have eaten his food and have blessed him; yes,
+and he shall be blessed."
+
+When Esau heard this, he knew that he had been cheated; and he cried
+aloud, with a bitter cry, "O, my father, my brother has taken away my
+blessing, just as he took away my birthright! But cannot you give me
+another blessing, too? Have you given everything to my brother?"
+
+And Isaac told him all that he had said to Jacob, making him the ruler
+over his brother.
+
+But Esau begged for another blessing; and Isaac said:
+
+"My son, your dwelling shall be of the riches of the earth and of the
+dew of heaven. You shall live by your sword and your descendants shall
+serve his descendants. But in time to come they shall break loose and
+shall shake off the yoke of your brother's rule and shall be free."
+
+All this came to pass many years afterward. The people who came from
+Esau lived in a land called Edom, on the south of the land of Israel,
+where Jacob's descendants lived. And after a time the Israelites became
+rulers over the Edomites; and later still, the Edomites made themselves
+free from the Israelites. But all this took place hundreds of years
+afterward.
+
+It was better that Jacob's descendants, those who came after him, should
+have the blessing, than that Esau's people should have it; for Jacob's
+people worshipped God, and Esau's people walked in the way of the idols
+and became wicked.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN
+
+After Esau found that he had lost his birthright and his blessing, he
+was very angry against his brother Jacob; and he said to himself, and
+told others:
+
+"My father Isaac is very old and cannot live long. As soon as he is
+dead, then I shall kill Jacob for having robbed me of my right."
+
+When Rebekah heard this, she said to Jacob, "Before it is too late, do
+you go away from home and get out of Esau's sight. Perhaps when Esau
+sees you no longer, he will forget his anger, and then you can come home
+again. Go and visit my brother Laban, your uncle, in Haran, and stay
+with him for a little while."
+
+We must remember that Rebekah came from the family of Nahor, Abraham's
+younger brother, who lived in Haran, a long distance to the northeast of
+Canaan, and that Laban was Rebekah's brother.
+
+So Jacob went out of Beersheba, on the border of the desert, and walked
+alone, carrying his staff in his hand. One evening, just about sunset,
+he came to a place among the mountains, more than sixty miles distant
+from his home. And as he had no bed to lie down upon, he took a stone
+and rested his head upon it for a pillow, and lay down to sleep.
+
+[Illustration: _Angels were upon the stairs_]
+
+And on that night Jacob had a wonderful dream. In his dream he saw
+stairs leading from the earth where he lay up to heaven; and angels were
+going up and coming down upon the stairs. And above the stairs, he saw
+the Lord God standing. And God said to Jacob:
+
+"I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac your father;
+and I will be your God, too. The land where you are lying all alone,
+shall belong to you and to your children after you; and your children
+shall spread abroad over the lands, east and west, and north and south,
+like the dust of the earth; and in your family all the world shall
+receive a blessing. And I am with you in your journey, and I will keep
+you where you are going, and will bring you back to this land. I will
+never leave you, and I will surely keep my promise to you."
+
+And in the morning Jacob awakened from his sleep, and he said:
+
+"Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it! I thought
+that I was all alone, but God has been with me. This place is the house
+of God; it is the gate of heaven!"
+
+And Jacob took the stone on which his head had rested, and he set it up
+as a pillar, and poured oil on it as an offering to God. And Jacob named
+that place Bethel, which in the language that Jacob spoke means "The
+House of God."
+
+And Jacob made a promise to God at that time, and said:
+
+"If God really will go with me and will keep me in the way that I go,
+and will give me bread to eat and will bring me to my father's house in
+peace, then the Lord shall be my God: and this stone shall be the house
+of God, and of all that God gives me I will give back to God one-tenth
+as an offering."
+
+Then Jacob went onward in his long journey. He walked across the river
+Jordan in a shallow place, feeling his way with his staff; he climbed
+mountains and journeyed beside the great desert on the east, and at last
+came to the city of Haran. Beside the city was the well, where Abraham's
+servant had met Jacob's mother, Rebekah; and there, after Jacob had
+waited for a time, he saw a young woman coming with her sheep to give
+them water.
+
+Then Jacob took off the flat stone that was over the mouth of the well,
+and drew water and gave it to the sheep. And when he found that this
+young woman was his own cousin Rachel, the daughter of Laban, he was so
+glad that he wept for joy. And at that moment he began to love Rachel,
+and longed to have her for his wife.
+
+[Illustration: _Jacob went onward in his long journey_]
+
+Rachel's father, Laban, who was Jacob's uncle, gave a welcome to Jacob,
+and took him into his home.
+
+And Jacob asked Laban if he would give his daughter, Rachel, to him as
+his wife; and Jacob said, "If you give me Rachel, I will work for you
+seven years."
+
+And Laban said, "It is better that you should have her, than that a
+stranger should marry her."
+
+So Jacob lived seven years in Laban's house, caring for his sheep and
+oxen and camels; but his love for Rachel made the time seem short.
+
+At last the day came for the marriage; and they brought in the bride,
+who, after the manner of that land, was covered with a thick veil, so
+that her face could not be seen. And she was married to Jacob, and when
+Jacob lifted up her veil he found that he had married, not Rachel, but
+her older sister, Leah, who was not beautiful, and whom Jacob did not
+love at all.
+
+Jacob was very angry that he had been deceived,--though that was just
+the way in which Jacob himself had deceived his father and cheated his
+brother Esau. But his uncle Laban said:
+
+"In our land we never allow the younger daughter to be married before
+the older daughter. Keep Leah for your wife, and work for me seven years
+longer, and you shall have Rachel also."
+
+For in those times, as we have seen, men often had two wives, or even
+more than two. So Jacob stayed seven years more, fourteen years in all,
+before he received Rachel as his wife.
+
+While Jacob was living at Haran, eleven sons were born to him. But only
+one of these was the child of Rachel, whom Jacob loved. This son was
+Joseph, who was dearer to Jacob than any other of his children, partly
+because he was the youngest, and because he was the child of his beloved
+Rachel.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS COAT OF MANY COLORS
+
+
+After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan with his eleven sons,
+another son was born to him, the second child of his wife Rachel, whom
+Jacob loved so well. But soon after the baby came, his mother Rachel
+died, and Jacob was filled with sorrow. Even to this day you can see the
+place where Rachel was buried, on the road between Jerusalem and
+Bethlehem. Jacob named the child whom Rachel left, Benjamin; and now
+Jacob had twelve sons. Most of them were grown-up men; but Joseph was a
+boy seventeen years old, and his brother Benjamin was almost a baby.
+
+[Illustration: _Back to the Land of Canaan_]
+
+Of all his children, Jacob loved Joseph the best, because he was
+Rachel's child; because he was so much younger than most of his
+brothers; and because he was good, and faithful, and thoughtful. Jacob
+gave to Joseph a robe or coat of bright colors, made somewhat like a
+long cloak with wide sleeves. This was a special mark of Jacob's favor
+to Joseph, and it made his older brothers envious of him.
+
+Then, too, Joseph did what was right, while his older brothers often did
+very wrong acts, of which Joseph sometimes told their father; and this
+made them very angry at Joseph. But they hated him still more because of
+two strange dreams he had, and of which he told them. He said one day:
+"Listen to this dream that I have dreamed. I dreamed that we were out in
+the field binding sheaves, when suddenly my sheaf stood up, and all your
+sheaves came around it and bowed down to my sheaf!"
+
+And they said scornfully, "Do you suppose that the dream means that you
+will some time rule over us, and that we shall bow down to you?"
+
+Then, a few days after, Joseph said, "I have dreamed again. This time, I
+saw in my dream the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars, all come and
+bow to me!"
+
+And his father said to him, "I do not like you to dream such dreams.
+Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers, come and bow down before
+you as if you were a king?"
+
+His brothers hated Joseph, and would not speak kindly to him; but his
+father thought much of what Joseph had said.
+
+At one time, Joseph's ten brothers were taking care of the flock in the
+fields near Shechem, which was nearly fifty miles from Hebron, where
+Jacob's tents were spread. And Jacob wished to send a message to his
+sons, and he called Joseph, and said to him:
+
+"Your brothers are near Shechem with the flock. I wish that you would go
+to them, and take a message, and find if they are well, and if the
+flocks are doing well; and bring me word from them."
+
+That was quite an errand, for a boy to go alone over the country, and
+find his way, for fifty miles, and then walk home again. But Joseph was
+a boy who could take care of himself, and could be trusted; so he went
+forth on his journey, walking northward over the mountains, past
+Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, and Bethel--though we are not sure those
+cities were then built, except Jerusalem, which was already a strong
+city.
+
+When Joseph reached Shechem, he could not find his brothers, for they
+had taken their flocks to another place. A man met Joseph wandering in
+the field, and asked him, "Whom are you seeking?"
+
+Joseph said, "I am looking for my brothers; the sons of Jacob. Can you
+tell me where I will find them?"
+
+And the man said, "They are at Dothan; for I heard them say that they
+were going there."
+
+Then Joseph walked over the hills to Dothan, which was fifteen miles
+further. And his brothers saw him afar off coming toward them. They knew
+him by his bright garment; and one said to another: "Look, that dreamer
+is coming! Come, let us kill him, and throw his body into a pit, and
+tell his father that some wild beast has eaten him; and then we will see
+what becomes of his dreams."
+
+[Illustration: _Walking northward over the mountains_]
+
+One of his brothers, whose name was Reuben, felt more kindly toward
+Joseph than the others. He said:
+
+"Let us not kill him, but let us throw him into this pit, in the
+wilderness, and leave him there to die."
+
+But Reuben intended, after they had gone away, to lift Joseph out of the
+pit, and take him home to his father. The brothers did as Reuben told
+them; they threw Joseph into the pit, which was empty. He cried, and
+begged them to save him; but they would not. They calmly sat down to eat
+their dinner on the grass, while their brother was calling to them from
+the pit.
+
+After the dinner, Reuben chanced to go to another part of the field; so
+that he was not at hand when a company of men passed by with their
+camels, going from Gilead, on the east of the river Jordan, to Egypt, to
+sell spices and fragrant gum from trees to the Egyptians.
+
+Then Judah, another of Joseph's brothers, said, "What good will it do us
+to kill our brother? Would it not be better for us to sell him to these
+men, and let them carry him away? After all, he is our brother, and we
+would better not kill him."
+
+His brothers agreed with him; so they stopped the men who were passing,
+and drew up Joseph from the pit, and for twenty pieces of silver they
+sold Joseph to these men; and they took him away with them down to
+Egypt.
+
+After a while, Reuben came to the pit, where they had left Joseph, and
+looked into it; but Joseph was not there. Then Reuben was in great
+trouble; and he came back to his brothers, saying: "The boy is not
+there! What shall I do!"
+
+Then his brothers told Reuben what they had done; and they all agreed
+together to deceive their father. They killed one of the goats, and
+dipped Joseph's coat in its blood; and they brought it to their father,
+and they said to him: "We found this coat out in the wilderness. Look at
+it, father, and tell us if you think it was the coat of your son."
+
+[Illustration: _For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph_]
+
+And Jacob knew it at once. He said: "It is my son's coat. Some wild
+beast has eaten him. There is no doubt that Joseph has been torn in
+pieces!"
+
+And Jacob's heart was broken over the loss of Joseph, all the more
+because he had sent Joseph alone on the journey through the wilderness.
+They tried to comfort him, but he would not be comforted. He said: "I
+will go down to the grave mourning for my poor lost son."
+
+So the old man sorrowed for his son Joseph; and all the time his wicked
+brothers knew that Joseph was not dead; but they would not tell their
+father the dreadful deed they had done to their brother, in selling him
+as a slave.
+
+
+
+THE DREAMS OF A KING
+
+The men who bought Joseph from his brothers were called Ishmaelites,
+because they belonged to the family of Ishmael, who, you remember, was
+the son of Hagar, the servant of Sarah. These men carried Joseph
+southward over the plain which lies beside the great sea on the west of
+Canaan; and after many days they brought Joseph to Egypt. How strange it
+must have seemed to the boy who had lived in tents to see the great
+river Nile, and the cities thronged with people, and the temples, and
+the mighty pyramids!
+
+The Ishmaelites sold Joseph as a slave to a man named Potiphar, who was
+an officer in the army of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph was a
+beautiful boy, and cheerful and willing in his spirit, and able in all
+that he undertook; so that his master Potiphar became very friendly to
+him, and after a time, he placed Joseph in charge of his house, and
+everything in it. For some years Joseph continued in the house of
+Potiphar, a slave in name, but in reality the master of all his affairs,
+and ruler over his fellow-servants.
+
+But Potiphar's wife, who at first was very friendly to Joseph,
+afterward became his enemy, because Joseph would not do wrong to please
+her. She told her husband falsely, that Joseph had done a wicked deed.
+Her husband believed her, and was very angry at Joseph, and put him in
+the prison with those who had been sent to that place for breaking the
+laws of the land. How hard it was for Joseph to be charged with a crime,
+when he had done no wrong, and to be thrust into a dark prison among
+wicked people!
+
+But Joseph had faith in God, that at some time all would come out right;
+and in the prison he was cheerful, and kind, and helpful, as he had
+always been. The keeper of the prison saw that Joseph was not like the
+other men around him, and he was kind to Joseph. In a very little while,
+Joseph was placed in charge of all his fellow-prisoners, and took care
+of them, just as he had taken care of everything in Potiphar's house.
+The keeper of the prison scarcely looked into the prison at all; for he
+had confidence in Joseph, that he would be faithful and wise in doing
+the work given to him. Joseph did right, and served God, and God blessed
+Joseph in everything.
+
+While Joseph was in the prison, two men were sent there by the king of
+Egypt, because he was displeased with them. One was the king's chief
+butler, who served the king with wine; the other was the chief baker,
+who served him with bread. These two men were under Joseph's care; and
+Joseph waited on them, for they were men of rank.
+
+One morning, when Joseph came into the room where the butler and the
+baker were kept, he found them looking quite sad. Joseph said to them:
+
+"Why do you look so sad today?" Joseph was cheerful and happy in his
+spirit; and he wished others to be happy also, even in prison.
+
+And one of them said, "Each one of us dreamed last night a very strange
+dream, and there is no one to tell us what our dreams mean."
+
+For in those times, before God gave the Bible to men, he often spoke to
+men in dreams; and there were wise men who could sometimes tell what the
+dreams meant.
+
+"Tell me," said Joseph, "what your dreams are. Perhaps my God will help
+me to understand them."
+
+Then the chief butler told his dream. He said, "In my dream I saw a
+grape-vine with three branches; and as I looked, the branches shot out
+buds; and the buds became blossoms; and the blossoms turned into
+clusters of ripe grapes. And I picked the grapes, and squeezed their
+juice into king Pharaoh's cup, and it became wine; and I gave it to king
+Pharaoh to drink, just as I used to do when I was beside his table."
+
+Then Joseph said, "This is what your dream means. The three branches
+mean three days. In three days, king Pharaoh shall call you out of
+prison and shall put you back in your place; and you shall stand at his
+table, and shall give him his wine, as you have given it before. But
+when you go out of prison, please to remember me, and try to find some
+way to get me, too, out of this prison. For I was stolen out of the land
+of Canaan, and sold as a slave; and I have done nothing wrong to deserve
+being put in this prison. Do speak to the king for me, that I may be set
+free."
+
+Of course, the chief butler felt very happy to hear that his dream had
+so pleasant a meaning. And the chief baker spoke, hoping to have an
+answer as good:
+
+"In my dream," said the baker, "there were three baskets of white bread
+on my head, one above another, and on the topmost basket were all kinds
+of roasted meat and food for Pharaoh; and the birds came, and ate the
+food from the baskets on my head."
+
+And Joseph said to the baker:
+
+"This is the meaning of your dream, and I am sorry to tell it to you.
+The three baskets are three days. In three days, by order of the king
+you shall be lifted up, and hanged upon a tree; and the birds shall eat
+your flesh from your bones as you are hanging in the air."
+
+And it came to pass just as Joseph had said. Three days after that, king
+Pharaoh sent his officers to the prison. They came and took out both the
+chief butler and the chief baker. The baker they hung up by his neck to
+die, and left his body for the birds to pick in pieces. The chief butler
+they brought back to his old place, where he waited at the king's table,
+and handed him his wine to drink.
+
+You would have supposed that the butler would remember Joseph, who had
+given him the promise of freedom, and had shown such wisdom. But in his
+gladness, he forgot all about Joseph. And two full years passed by,
+while Joseph was still in prison, until he was a man thirty years old.
+
+But one night, king Pharaoh himself dreamed a dream--in fact, two dreams
+in one. And in the morning he sent for all the wise men of Egypt, and
+told to them his dreams; but there was not a man who could give the
+meaning of them. And the king was troubled, for he felt that the dreams
+had some meaning which it was important for him to know.
+
+Then suddenly the chief butler who was by the king's table remembered
+his own dream in the prison two years before, and remembered, too, the
+young man who had told its meaning so exactly. And he said:
+
+"I do remember my faults this day. Two years ago king Pharaoh was angry
+with his servants, with me and the chief baker; and he sent us to the
+prison. While we were in the prison, one night each of us dreamed a
+dream; and the next day a young man in the prison, a Hebrew from the
+land of Canaan, told us what our dreams meant; and in three days they
+came true, just as the young Hebrew had said. I think that if this young
+man is in the prison still, he could tell the king the meaning of his
+dreams."
+
+You notice that the butler spoke of Joseph as "a Hebrew." The people of
+Israel, to whom Joseph belonged, were called Hebrews as well as
+Israelites. The word Hebrew means, "One who crossed over," and it was
+given to the Israelites because Abraham, their father, had come from a
+land on the other side of the great river Euphrates, and had crossed
+over the river on his way to Canaan.
+
+Then king Pharaoh sent in haste to the prison for Joseph; and Joseph was
+taken out, and he was dressed in new garments, and was led in to Pharaoh
+in the palace. And Pharaoh said:
+
+"I have dreamed a dream; and there is no one who can tell what it
+means. And I have been told that you have power to understand dreams and
+what they mean."
+
+And Joseph answered Pharaoh:
+
+"The power is not in me; but God will give Pharaoh a good answer. What
+is the dream that the king has dreamed?"
+
+"In my first dream," said Pharaoh, "I was standing by the river: and I
+saw seven fat and handsome cows come up from the river to feed in the
+grass. And while they were feeding, seven other cows followed them up
+from the river, very thin, and poor, and lean--such miserable creatures
+as I had never seen before. And the seven lean cows ate up the seven fat
+cows; and after they had eaten them up, they were as lean and miserable
+as before. Then I awoke.
+
+"And I fell asleep again, and dreamed again. In my second dream, I saw
+seven heads of grain growing up on one stalk, large, and strong, and
+good. And then seven heads came up after them, that were thin, and poor,
+and withered. And the seven thin heads swallowed up the seven good
+heads; and afterward were as poor and withered as before.
+
+"And I told these two dreams to all the wise men, and there is no one
+who can explain them. Can you tell me what these dreams mean?"
+
+And Joseph said to the king:
+
+"The two dreams have the same meaning. God has been showing to king
+Pharaoh what he will do in this land. The seven good cows mean seven
+years, and the seven good heads of grain mean the same seven years. The
+seven lean cows and the seven thin heads of grain also mean seven years.
+The good cows and the good grain mean seven years of plenty, and the
+seven thin cows and thin heads of grain mean seven poor years. There are
+coming upon the land of Egypt seven years of such plenty as have never
+been seen; when the fields shall bring greater crops than ever before;
+and after those years shall come seven years when the fields shall bring
+no crops at all. And then for seven years there shall be such need, that
+the years of plenty will be forgotten, for the people will have nothing
+to eat."
+
+[Illustration: _"The two dreams have the same meaning"_]
+
+"Now, let king Pharaoh find some man who is able and wise, and let him
+set this man to rule over the land. And during the seven years of
+plenty, let a part of the crops be put away for the years of need. If
+this shall be done, then when the years of need come, there will be
+plenty of food for all the people, and no one will suffer, for all will
+have enough."
+
+And king Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Since God has shown you all this,
+there is no other man as wise as you. I will appoint you to do this
+work, and to rule over the land of Egypt. All the people shall be under
+you; only on the throne of Egypt I will be above you."
+
+And Pharaoh took from his own hand the ring which held his seal, and put
+on Joseph's hand, so that he could sign for the king, and seal in the
+king's place. And he dressed Joseph in robes of fine linen, and put
+around his neck a gold chain. And he made Joseph ride in a chariot which
+was next in rank to his own. And they cried out before Joseph, "Bow the
+knee." And thus Joseph was ruler over all the land of Egypt.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MONEY IN THE SACKS
+
+When Joseph was made ruler over the land of Egypt, he did just as he had
+always done. It was not Joseph's way to sit down, to rest and enjoy
+himself, and make others wait on him. He found his work at once, and
+began to do it faithfully and thoroughly. He went out over all the land
+of Egypt, and saw how rich and abundant were the fields of grain, giving
+much more than the people could use for their own needs. He told the
+people not to waste it, but to save it for the coming time of need.
+
+And he called upon the people to give him for the king one bushel of
+grain out of every five, to be stored up. The people brought their
+grain, after taking for themselves as much as they needed, and Joseph
+stored it up in great storehouses in the cities; so much at last that no
+one could keep account of it.
+
+The king of Egypt gave a wife to Joseph from the noble young women of
+his kingdom. Her name was Asenath; and to Joseph and his wife God gave
+two sons. The oldest son he named Manasseh, a word which means "Making
+to Forget."
+
+"For," said Joseph, "God has made me to forget all my troubles and my
+toil as a slave."
+
+The second son he named Ephraim, a word that means "Fruitful."
+"Because," said Joseph, "God has not only made the land fruitful; but he
+has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles."
+
+The seven years of plenty soon passed by, and then came the years of
+need. In all the lands around people were hungry, and there was no food
+for them to eat; but in the land of Egypt everybody had enough. Most of
+the people soon used up the grain that they had saved; many had saved
+none at all, and they all cried to the king to help them.
+
+"Go to Joseph!" said king Pharaoh, "and do whatever he tells you to do."
+
+Then the people came to Joseph, and Joseph opened the storehouses, and
+sold to the people all the grain that they wished to buy. And not only
+the people of Egypt came to buy grain, but people of all the lands
+around as well, for there was great need and famine everywhere. And the
+need was as great in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lived, as in other
+lands. Jacob was rich in flocks and cattle, and gold and silver, but his
+fields gave no grain, and there was danger that his family and his
+people would starve. And Jacob--who was now called Israel also--heard
+that there was food in Egypt and he said to his sons: "Why do you look
+at each other, asking what to do to find food? I have been told that
+there is grain in Egypt. Go down to that land, and take money with you,
+and bring grain, so that we may have bread, and may live."
+
+Then the ten older brothers of Joseph went down to the land of Egypt.
+They rode upon asses, for horses were not much used in those times, and
+they brought money with them. But Jacob would not let Benjamin, Joseph's
+younger brother, go with them, for he was all the more dear to his
+father, now that Joseph was no longer with him; and Jacob feared that
+harm might come to him.
+
+Then Joseph's brothers came to Joseph to buy food. They did not know
+him, grown up to be a man, dressed as a prince, and seated on a throne.
+Joseph was now nearly forty years old, and it had been almost
+twenty-three years since they had sold him. But Joseph knew them all, as
+soon as he saw them. He wished to be sharp and stern with them, not
+because he hated them; but because he wished to see what their spirit
+was, and whether they were as selfish, and cruel, and wicked as they had
+been in other days.
+
+They came before him, and bowed, with their faces to the ground. Then,
+no doubt, Joseph thought of the dream that had come to him while he was
+a boy, of his brothers' sheaves bending down around his sheaf. He spoke
+to them as a stranger, as if he did not understand their language, and
+he had their words explained to him in the language of Egypt.
+
+"Who are you? And from what place do you come?" said Joseph, in a harsh,
+stern manner.
+
+They answered him very meekly: "We have come from the land of Canaan to
+buy food."
+
+"No," said Joseph, "I know what you have come for. You have come as
+spies, to see how helpless the land is, so that you can bring an army
+against us, and make war on us."
+
+"No, no," said Joseph's ten brothers. "We are no spies. We are the sons
+of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan; and we have come for food,
+because we have none at home."
+
+"You say that you are the sons of one man, who is your father? Is he
+living? Have you any more brothers? Tell me all about yourselves."
+
+And they said: "Our father is an old man in Canaan. We did have a
+younger brother, but he was lost; and we have one brother still, who is
+the youngest of all, but his father could not spare him to come with
+us."
+
+"No," said Joseph. "You are not good, honest men. You are spies. I
+shall put you all in prison, except one of you; and he shall go and
+bring that youngest brother of yours; and when I see him, then I will
+believe that you tell the truth."
+
+So Joseph put all the ten men in prison, and kept them under guard for
+three days; then he sent for them again. They did not know that he could
+understand their language, and they said to each other, while Joseph
+heard, but pretended not to hear: "This has come upon us because of the
+wrong that we did to our brother Joseph, more than twenty years ago. We
+heard him cry, and plead with us, when we threw him into the pit, and we
+would not have mercy on him. God is giving us only what we have
+deserved."
+
+And Reuben, who had tried to save Joseph, said: "Did I not tell you not
+to harm the boy? and you would not listen to me. God is bringing our
+brother's blood upon us all."
+
+When Joseph heard this, his heart was touched, for he saw that his
+brothers were really sorry for the wrong that they had done to him. He
+turned away from them, so that they could not see his face, and he wept.
+Then he turned again to them and spoke roughly as before, and said:
+
+"This I will do, for I serve God. I will let you all go home, except
+one man. One of you I will shut up in prison; but the rest of you can go
+home and take food for your people. And you must come back and bring
+your youngest brother with you, and I shall know then that you have
+spoken the truth."
+
+Then Joseph gave orders, and his servants seized one of his brothers,
+whose name was Simeon, and bound him in their sight and took him away to
+prison. And he ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain,
+and to put every man's money back into the sack before it was tied up,
+so that they would find the money as soon as they opened the sack. Then
+the men loaded their asses with the sacks of grain, and started to go
+home, leaving their brother Simeon a prisoner.
+
+When they stopped on the way to feed their asses, one of the brothers
+opened his sack, and there he found his money lying on the top of the
+grain. He called out to his brothers: "See, here is my money given again
+to me!" And they were frightened, but they did not dare to go back to
+Egypt and meet the stern ruler of the land. They went home and told
+their old father all that had happened to them, and how their brother
+Simeon was in prison, and must stay there until they should return,
+bringing Benjamin with them.
+
+When they opened their sacks of grain, there in the mouth of each sack
+was the money that they had given; and they were filled with fear. Then
+they spoke of going again to Egypt and taking Benjamin, but Jacob said
+to them:
+
+"You are taking my sons away from me. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is
+gone, and now you would take Benjamin away. All these things are against
+me!" Reuben said: "Here are my own two boys. You may kill them, if you
+wish, in case I do not bring Benjamin back to you." But Jacob said: "My
+youngest son shall not go with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is
+left to me. If harm should come to him, it would bring down my gray
+hairs with sorrow to the grave."
+
+
+
+
+THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST BROTHER
+
+
+The food which Jacob's sons had brought from Egypt did not last long,
+for Jacob's family was large. Most of his sons were married and had
+children of their own; so that the children and grandchildren were
+sixty-six, besides the servants who waited on them, and the men who
+cared for Jacob's flocks. So around the tent of Jacob was quite a camp
+of other tents and an army of people.
+
+When the food that had come from Egypt was nearly eaten up, Jacob said
+to his sons:
+
+"Go down to Egypt again, and buy some food for us."
+
+And Judah, Jacob's son, the man who years before had urged his brothers
+to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, said to his father: "It is of no use
+for us to go to Egypt, unless we take Benjamin with us. The man who
+rules in that land said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your
+youngest brother be with you'."
+
+And Israel said, "Why did you tell the man that you had a brother? You
+did me great harm when you told him."
+
+"Why," said Jacob's sons, "we could not help telling him. The man asked
+us all about our family, 'Is your father yet living? Have you any more
+brothers?' And we had to tell him, his questions were so close. How
+should we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother here, for me to
+see him'?"
+
+And Judah said, "Send Benjamin with me, and I will take care of him. I
+promise you that I will bring him safely home. If he does not come back,
+let me bear the blame forever. He must go, or we shall die for want of
+food; and we might have gone down to Egypt and come home again, if we
+had not been kept back."
+
+And Jacob said, "If he must go, then he must. But take a present to the
+man, some of the choicest fruits of the land, some spices, and perfumes,
+and nuts, and almonds. And take twice as much money, besides the money
+that was in your sacks. Perhaps that was a mistake, when the money was
+given back to you. And take your brother Benjamin, and may the Lord God
+make the man kind to you, so that he will set Simeon free, and let you
+bring Benjamin back. But if it is God's will that I lose my children, I
+cannot help it."
+
+So ten brothers of Joseph went down a second time to Egypt, Benjamin
+going in place of Simeon. They came to Joseph's office, the place where
+he sold grain to the people; and they stood before their brother, and
+bowed as before. Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, and he said to
+his steward, the man who was over his house:
+
+"Make ready a dinner, for all these men shall dine with me today."
+
+When Joseph's brothers found that they were taken into Joseph's house,
+they were filled with fear. They said to each other:
+
+"We have been taken here on account of the money in our sacks. They will
+say that we have stolen it, and then they will sell us all for slaves."
+
+But Joseph's steward, the man who was over his house, treated the men
+kindly; and when they spoke of the money in their sacks, he would not
+take it again, saying:
+
+"Never fear; your God must have sent you this as a gift. I had your
+money."
+
+The stewards received the men into Joseph's house, and washed their
+feet, according to the custom of the land. And at noon, Joseph came in
+to meet them. They brought him the present from their father, and again
+they bowed before him, with their faces on the ground.
+
+And Joseph asked them if they were well, and said: "Is your father still
+living, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he well?"
+
+And they said, "Our father is well and he is living." And again they
+bowed to Joseph.
+
+And Joseph looked at his younger brother Benjamin, the child of his own
+mother Rachel, and said:
+
+"Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious
+unto you, my son."
+
+And Joseph's heart was so full that he could not keep back the tears. He
+went in haste to his own room, and wept there. Then he washed his face,
+and came out again, and ordered the table to be set for dinner. They set
+Joseph's table for himself, as the ruler, and another table for his
+Egyptian officers, and another for the eleven men from Canaan; for
+Joseph had brought Simeon out of the prison, and had given him a place
+with his brothers.
+
+Joseph himself arranged the order of the seats for his brothers, the
+oldest at the head, and all in order of age down to the youngest. The
+men wondered at this, and could not see how the ruler of Egypt could
+know the order of their ages. And Joseph sent dishes from his table to
+his brothers, and he gave to Benjamin five times as much as to the
+others. Perhaps he wished to see whether they were as jealous of
+Benjamin as in other days they had been toward him.
+
+After dinner, Joseph said to his steward: "Fill the men's sacks with
+grain, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in his sack.
+And put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest, with his money."
+
+The steward did as Joseph had said; and early in the morning the
+brothers started to go home. A little while afterward, Joseph said to
+his steward:
+
+"Hasten, follow after the men from Canaan, and say, 'Why have you
+wronged me, after I had treated you kindly? You have stolen my master's
+silver cup, out of which he drinks'."
+
+The steward followed the men, and overtook them, and charged them with
+stealing. And they said to him:
+
+"Why should you talk to us in this manner? We have stolen nothing. Why,
+we brought back to you the money that we found in our sacks; and is it
+likely that we would steal from your lord his silver or gold? You may
+search us, and if you find your master's cup on any of us, let him die,
+and the rest of us may be sold as slaves."
+
+Then they took down the sacks from the asses, and opened them; and in
+each man's sack was his money, for the second time. And when they came
+to Benjamin's sack, there was the ruler's silver cup! Then, in the
+greatest sorrow, they tied up their bags again, and laid them on the
+asses, and came back to Joseph's palace.
+
+And Joseph said to them:
+
+"What wicked thing is this that you have done? Did you not know that I
+would surely find out your deeds?"
+
+Then Judah said, "O, my lord, what can we say? God has punished us for
+our sins; and now we must all be slaves, both we that are older, and the
+younger in whose sack the cup was found."
+
+[Illustration: _"What wicked thing is this that you have done?"_]
+
+"No," said Joseph. "Only one of you is guilty; the one who has taken
+away my cup. I will hold him as a slave, and the rest of you can go home
+to your father."
+
+Joseph wished to see whether his brothers were still selfish, and were
+willing to let Benjamin suffer, if they could escape.
+
+Then Judah, the very man who had urged his brothers to sell Joseph as a
+slave, came forward, and fell at Joseph's feet, and pleaded with him to
+let Benjamin go. He told again the whole story, how Benjamin was the one
+whom his father loved the most of all his children, now that his brother
+was lost. He said:
+
+"I promised to bear the blame, if this boy was not brought home in
+safety. If he does not go back it will kill my poor old father, who has
+seen much trouble. Now let my youngest brother go home to his father,
+and I will stay here as a slave in his place!"
+
+Joseph knew now, what he had longed to know, that his brothers were no
+longer cruel nor selfish, but one of them was willing to suffer, so that
+his brother might be spared. And Joseph could not any longer keep his
+secret, for his heart longed after his brothers; and he was ready to
+weep again, with tears of love and joy. He sent all of his Egyptian
+servants out of the room, so that he might be alone with his brothers,
+and then he said:
+
+"Come near to me; I wish to speak with you." And they came near,
+wondering. Then Joseph said:
+
+"I am Joseph; is my father really alive?"
+
+How frightened his brothers were, as they heard these words spoken in
+their own language by the ruler of Egypt and for the first time knew
+that this stern man, who had their lives in his hand, was their own
+brother whom they had wronged! Then Joseph said again:
+
+"I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But do not feel
+troubled because of what you did. For God sent me before you to save
+your lives. There have been already two years of need and famine, and
+there are to be five years more, when there shall neither be plowing of
+the fields nor harvest. It was not you who sent me here, but God; and he
+sent me to save your lives. God has made me like a father to Pharaoh and
+ruler over all the land of Egypt. Now I wish you to go home, and to
+bring down to me my father and all his family."
+
+Then Joseph placed his arms around Benjamin's neck, and kissed him, and
+wept upon him. And Benjamin wept on his neck. And Joseph kissed all his
+brothers, to show them that he had fully forgiven them; and after that
+his brothers began to lose their fear of Joseph and talked with him more
+freely.
+
+Afterward Joseph sent his brothers home with good news, and rich gifts,
+and abundant food. He sent also wagons in which Jacob and his sons'
+wives and the little ones of their families might ride from Canaan down
+to Egypt. And Joseph's brothers went home happier than they had been for
+many years.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF MOSES, THE CHILD WHO WAS FOUND IN THE RIVER
+
+
+The children of Israel stayed in the land of Egypt much longer than they
+had expected to stay. They were in that land about four hundred years.
+And the going down to Egypt proved a great blessing to them. It saved
+their lives during the years of famine and need. After the years of need
+were over, they found the soil in the land of Goshen, that part of Egypt
+where they were living, very rich, so that they could gather three or
+four crops every year.
+
+Then, too, the sons of Israel, before they came to Egypt, had begun to
+marry the women in the land of Canaan who worshipped idols, and not the
+Lord. If they had stayed there, their children would have grown up like
+the people around them and soon would have lost all knowledge of God.
+
+But in Goshen they lived alone and apart from the people of Egypt. They
+worshipped the Lord God, and were kept away from the idols of Egypt. And
+in that land, as the years went on, from being seventy people, they grew
+in number until they became a great multitude. Each of the twelve sons
+of Jacob was the father of a tribe, and Joseph was the father of two
+tribes, named after his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
+
+As long as Joseph lived, and for some time after, the people of Israel
+were treated kindly by the Egyptians, out of their love for Joseph, who
+had saved Egypt from suffering by famine. But after a long time another
+king began to rule over Egypt, who cared nothing for Joseph or Joseph's
+people. He saw that the Israelites (as the children of Israel were
+called) were very many, and he feared that they would soon become
+greater in number and in power than the Egyptians.
+
+He said to his people: "Let us rule these Israelites more strictly. They
+are growing too strong."
+
+Then they set harsh rules over the Israelites, and laid heavy burdens on
+them. They made the Israelites work hard for the Egyptians, and build
+cities for them, and give to the Egyptians a large part of the crops
+from their fields. They set them at work in making brick and in building
+storehouses. They were so afraid that the Israelites would grow in
+number that they gave orders to kill all the little boys that were born
+to the Israelites; though their little girls might be allowed to live.
+
+But in the face of all this hate, and wrong, and cruelty, the people of
+Israel were growing in number, and becoming greater and greater.
+
+At this time, when the wrongs of the Israelites were the greatest, and
+when their little children were being killed, one little boy was born.
+
+[Illustration: _They made the Israelites work hard_]
+
+He was such a lovely child that his mother kept him hid, so that the
+enemies did not find him. When she could no longer hide him, she formed
+a plan to save his life; believing that God would help her and save her
+beautiful little boy.
+
+She made a little box like a boat and covered it with something that
+would not let the water into it. Such a boat as this covered over was
+called "an ark." She knew that at certain times the daughter of king
+Pharaoh--all the kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh, for Pharaoh means
+a king--would come down to the river for a bath. She placed her baby
+boy in the ark, and let it float down the river where the princess,
+Pharaoh's daughter, would see it. And she sent her own daughter, a
+little girl named Miriam, twelve years old, to watch close at hand. How
+anxious the mother and the sister were as they saw the little ark
+floating away from them on the river!
+
+[Illustration: _She placed her baby in the ark_]
+
+Pharaoh's daughter, with her maids, came down to the river, and they saw
+the ark floating on the water, among the reeds. She sent one of her
+maids to bring it to her so that she might see what was in the curious
+box. They opened it, and there was a beautiful little baby, who began to
+cry to be taken up.
+
+The princess felt kind toward the little one, and loved it at once. She
+said: "This is one of the Hebrews' children." You have heard how the
+children of Israel came to be called Hebrews. Pharaoh's daughter
+thought that it would be cruel to let such a lovely baby as this die out
+on the water. And just then a little girl came running up to her, as if
+by accident, and she looked at the baby also, and she said: "Shall I go
+and find some woman of the Hebrews to be a nurse to the child for you
+and take care of it?"
+
+"Yes," said the princess. "Go and find a nurse for me."
+
+The little girl--who was Miriam, the baby's sister--ran as quickly as
+she could and brought the baby's own mother to the princess. Miriam
+showed in this act that she was a wise and thoughtful little girl. The
+princess said to the little baby's mother: "Take this child to your home
+and nurse it for me, and I will pay you wages for it."
+
+How glad the Hebrew mother was to take her child home! No one could harm
+her boy now, for he was protected by the princess of Egypt, the daughter
+of the king.
+
+When the child was large enough to leave his mother Pharaoh's daughter
+took him into her own house in the palace. She named him "Moses," a word
+that means "drawn out," because he was drawn out of the water.
+
+So Moses, the Hebrew boy, lived in the palace among the nobles of the
+land, as the son of the princess. There he learned much more than he
+could have learned among his own people; for there were very wise
+teachers. Moses gained all the knowledge that the Egyptians had to give.
+There in the court of the cruel king who had made slaves of the
+Israelites, God's people, was growing up our Israelite boy who should at
+some time set his people free!
+
+Although Moses grew up among the Egyptians, and gained their learning,
+he loved his own people. They were poor and were hated, and were slaves,
+but he loved them, because they were the people who served the Lord God,
+while the Egyptians worshipped idols and animals. Strange it was that so
+wise a people as these should bow down and pray to an ox, or to a cat,
+or to a snake, as did the Egyptians.
+
+When Moses became a man, he went among his own people, leaving the
+riches and ease that he might have enjoyed among the Egyptians. He felt
+a call from God to lift up the Israelites and set them free. But at that
+time he found that he could do nothing to help them. They would not let
+him lead them, and as the king of Egypt had now become his enemy, Moses
+went away from Egypt into a country in Arabia, called Midian.
+
+He was sitting by a well, in that land, tired from his long journey,
+when he saw some young women come to draw water for their flocks of
+sheep. But some rough men came, and drove the women away, and took the
+water for their own flocks. Moses saw it, and helped the women and drew
+the water for them.
+
+These young women were sisters, the daughters of a man named Jethro, who
+was a priest in the land of Midian. He asked Moses to live with him, and
+to help him in the care of his flocks. Moses stayed with Jethro and
+married one of his daughters. So from being a prince in the king's
+palace in Egypt, Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian.
+
+[Illustration: _Moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of
+Midian_]
+
+But Moses did not remain a shepherd. While he was tending his sheep God
+appeared to him in a burning bush and told him that he should return to
+Egypt and become the leader of his people. The Lord told him that the
+wicked Egyptians would be punished for the ill-treatment they were
+giving the Israelites. In your Bible you will find in the book of Exodus
+how God wonderfully fulfilled his promise. The Egyptians were punished
+by many plagues, and finally allowed the Israelites to go. They crossed
+the Red Sea in a wonderful way, and traveled for a long time through a
+wilderness, where God fed them day by day with manna from heaven. God
+also gave them rules as a guide for their daily living; these rules we
+call the Ten Commandments; yet they forgot the Lord so far as to make
+images and worship them.
+
+[Illustration: _God fed them day by day with manna_]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE GRAPES FROM CANAAN
+
+
+The Israelites stayed in their camp before Mount Sinai almost a year,
+while they were building the Tabernacle and learning God's laws given
+through Moses. At last the cloud over the Tabernacle rose up, and the
+people knew that this was the sign for them to move. They took down the
+Tabernacle and their own tents, and journeyed toward the land of Canaan
+for many days.
+
+At last they came to a place just on the border between the desert and
+Canaan, called Kadesh, or Kadesh-barnea. Here they stopped to rest, for
+there were many springs of water and some grass for their cattle. While
+they were waiting at Kadesh-barnea and were expecting soon to march into
+the land which was to be their home, God told Moses to send onward some
+men who should walk through the land and look at it, and then come back
+and tell what they had found; what kind of a land it was, and what
+fruits grew in it, and what people were living in it. The Israelites
+could more easily win the land if these men, after walking through it,
+could act as their guides and point out the best places in it and the
+best plans of making war upon it.
+
+[Illustration: _A cluster of grapes so large that two men carried
+it_]
+
+So Moses chose out some men of high rank among the people, one ruler
+from each tribe, twelve men in all. One of these was Joshua, who was the
+helper of Moses in caring for the people, and another was Caleb, who
+belonged to the tribe of Judah. These twelve men went out and walked
+over the mountains of Canaan and looked at the cities and saw the
+fields. In one place, just before they came back to the camp, they cut
+down a cluster of ripe grapes which was so large that two men carried it
+between them, hanging from a staff. They named the place where they
+found this bunch of grapes Eshcol, a word which means "a cluster." These
+twelve men were called "spies," because they went "to spy out the land";
+and after forty days they came back to the camp, and this was what they
+said:
+
+"We walked all over the land and found it a rich land. There is grass
+for all our flocks, and fields where we can raise grain, and trees
+bearing fruits, and streams running down the sides of the hills. But we
+found that the people who live there are very strong and are men of war.
+They have cities with walls that reach almost up to the sky; and some of
+the men are giants, so tall that we felt that we were like grasshoppers
+beside them."
+
+One of the spies, who was Caleb, said, "All that is true, yet we need
+not be afraid to go up and take the land. It is a good land, well worth
+fighting for; God is on our side, and he will help us to overcome those
+people."
+
+But all the other spies, except Joshua, said, "No, there is no use in
+trying to make war upon such strong people. We can never take those
+walled cities, and we dare not fight those tall giants."
+
+And the people, who had journeyed all the way through the wilderness to
+find this very land, were so frightened by the words of the ten spies
+that now, on the very border of Canaan, they dared not enter it. They
+forgot that God had led them out of Egypt, that he had kept them in the
+dangers of the desert, that he had given them water out of the rock, and
+bread from the sky, and his law from the mountain.
+
+All that night, after the spies had brought back their report, the
+people were so frightened that they could not sleep. They cried out
+against Moses, and blamed him for bringing them out of the land of
+Egypt. They forgot all their troubles in Egypt, their toil and their
+slavery, and resolved to go back to that land. They said:
+
+"Let us choose a ruler in place of Moses, who has brought us into all
+these evils, and let us turn back to the land of Egypt!"
+
+But Caleb and Joshua, two of the spies, said, "Why should we fear? The
+land of Canaan is a good land; it is rich with milk and honey. If God is
+our friend and is with us, we can easily conquer the people who live
+there. Above all things, let us not rebel against the Lord, or disobey
+him, and make him our enemy."
+
+But the people were so angry with Caleb and Joshua that they were ready
+to stone them and kill them. Then suddenly the people saw a strange
+sight. The glory of the Lord, which stayed in the Holy of Holies, the
+inner room of the Tabernacle, now flashed out, and shone from the door
+of the Tabernacle.
+
+And the Lord, out of this glory, spoke to Moses, and said, "How long
+will this people disobey me and despise me? They shall not go into the
+good land that I have promised them. Not one of them shall enter in,
+except Caleb and Joshua, who have been faithful to me. All the people
+who are twenty years old and over it shall die in the desert; but their
+little children shall grow up in the wilderness, and when they become
+men they shall enter in and own the land that I promised to their
+fathers. You people are not worthy of the land that I have been keeping
+for you. Now turn back into the desert and stay there until you die.
+After you are dead, Joshua shall lead your children into the land of
+Canaan. And because Caleb showed another spirit and was true to me, and
+followed my will fully, Caleb shall live to go into the land, and shall
+have his choice of a home there. To-morrow, turn back into the desert by
+the way of the Red Sea."
+
+And God told Moses that for every day that the spies had spent in
+Canaan, looking at the land the people should spend a year in the
+wilderness; so that they should live in the desert forty years, instead
+of going at once into the promised land.
+
+When Moses told all God's words to the people they felt worse than
+before. They changed their minds as suddenly as they had made up their
+minds.
+
+"No," they all said, "we will not go back to the wilderness; we will go
+straight into the land, and see if we are able to take it, as Joshua and
+Caleb have said."
+
+"You must not go into the land," said Moses.
+
+But the people would not obey. They marched up the mountain and tried to
+march at once into the land. But they were without leaders and without
+order--a mob of men, untrained and in confusion. And the people in that
+part of the land, the Canaanites and the Amorites, came down upon them
+and killed many of them and drove them away. Then, discouraged and
+beaten, they obeyed the Lord and Moses, and went once more into the
+desert.
+
+And in the desert of Paran, on the south of the land of Canaan, the
+children of Israel stayed nearly forty years; and all because they would
+not trust in the Lord.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED SOLDIERS
+
+
+At last the people of Israel came into the promised land, but they did
+evil in the sight of the Lord in worshipping Baal; and the Lord left
+them to suffer for their sins. Once the Midianites, living near the
+desert on the east of Israel, came against the tribes. The two tribes
+that suffered the hardest fate were Ephraim, and the part of Manasseh on
+the west of Jordan. For seven years the Midianites swept over their land
+every year, just at the time of harvest, and carried away all the crops
+of grain, until the Israelites had no food for themselves, and none for
+their sheep and cattle. The Midianites brought also their own flocks and
+camels without number, which ate all the grass of the field.
+
+The people of Israel were driven away from their villages and their
+farms, and were compelled to hide in the caves of the mountains. And if
+any Israelite could raise any grain, he buried it in pits covered with
+earth, or in empty winepresses, where the Midianites could not find it.
+
+One day, a man named Gideon was threshing out wheat in a hidden place,
+when he saw an angel sitting-under an oak-tree. The angel said to him:
+"You are a brave man, Gideon, and the Lord is with you. Go out boldly,
+and save your people from the power of the Midianites." Gideon answered
+the angel:
+
+[Illustration: _The angel touched the offering with his staff_]
+
+"O, Lord, how can I save Israel? Mine is a poor family in Manasseh, and
+I am the least in my father's house."
+
+And the Lord said to him: "Surely I will be With you, and I will help
+you drive out the Midianites."
+
+Gideon felt that it was the Lord who was talking with him, in the form
+of an angel. He brought an offering, and laid it on a rock before the
+angel. Then the angel touched the offering with his staff. At once, a
+fire leaped up and burned the offering; and then the angel vanished from
+his sight. Gideon was afraid when he saw this; but the Lord said to him:
+"Peace be unto you, Gideon, do not fear, for I am with you."
+
+On the spot where the Lord appeared to Gideon, under an oak tree, near
+the village of Ophrah, in the tribe-land of Manasseh, Gideon built an
+altar and called it by a name which means: "The Lord is peace." This
+altar was standing long afterward in that place.
+
+Then the Lord told Gideon that before setting his people free from the
+Midianites, he must first set them free from the service of Baal and
+Asherah, the two idols most worshipped among them. Near the house of
+Gideon's own father stood an altar to Baal, and the image of Asherah.
+
+On that night, Gideon went out with ten men, and threw down the image of
+Baal, and cut in pieces the wooden image of Asherah, and destroyed the
+altar before these idols. And in its place he built an altar to the God
+of Israel; and on it laid the broken pieces of the idols for wood, and
+with them offered a young ox as a burnt-offering.
+
+On the next morning, when the people of the village went out to worship
+their idols, they found them cut in pieces, the altar taken away; in its
+place an altar of the Lord, and on it the pieces of the Asherah were
+burning as wood under a sacrifice to the Lord. The people looked at the
+broken and burning idols; and they said: "Who has done this?"
+
+Some one said: "Gideon, the son of Joash, did this last night."
+
+Then they came to Joash, Gideon's father, and said:
+
+"We are going to kill your son because he has destroyed the image of
+Baal, who is our god."
+
+And Joash, Gideon's father, said: "If Baal is a god, he can take care of
+himself, and punish the man who has destroyed his image. Why should you
+help Baal? Let Baal help himself."
+
+And when they saw that Baal could not harm the man who had broken down
+his altar and his image, the people turned from Baal, back to their own
+Lord God.
+
+Gideon sent messengers through all Manasseh on the west of Jordan, and
+the tribes near on the north; and the men of the tribes gathered around
+him, with a few swords and spears, but very few, for the Israelites were
+not ready for war. They met beside a great spring on Mount Gilboa,
+called "the fountain of Harod." Mount Gilboa is one of the three
+mountains on the east of the plain of Esdraelon, or the plain of
+Jezreel, where once there had been a great battle. On the plain,
+stretching up the side of another of these mountains, called "the Hill
+of Moreh," was the camp of a vast Midianite army. For as soon as the
+Midianites heard that Gideon had undertaken to set his people free, they
+came against him with a mighty host.
+
+Gideon was a man of faith. He wished to be sure that God was leading
+him, and he prayed to God and said:
+
+"O Lord God, give me some sign that thou wilt save Israel through me.
+Here is a fleece of wool on this threshing floor. If to-morrow morning
+the fleece is wet with dew, while the grass around it is dry, then I
+shall know that thou art with me; and that thou wilt give me victory
+over the Midianites."
+
+Very early the next morning, Gideon came to look at the fleece. He found
+it wringing wet with dew, while all around the grass was dry. But Gideon
+was not yet satisfied. He said to the Lord:
+
+"O Lord, be not angry with me; but give me just one more sign. To-morrow
+morning let the fleece be dry, and let the dew fall all around it, and
+then I will doubt no more."
+
+The next morning, Gideon found the grass, and the bushes wet with dew,
+while the fleece of wool was dry. And Gideon was now sure that God had
+called him, and that God would give him victory over the enemies of
+Israel.
+
+The Lord said to Gideon: "Your army is too large. If Israel should win
+the victory, they would say, 'we won it by our own might.' Send home all
+those who are afraid to fight."
+
+For many of the people were frightened, as they looked at the host of
+their enemies, and the Lord knew that these men would only hinder the
+rest in the battle. So Gideon sent word through the camp:
+
+"Whoever is afraid of the enemy may go home." And twenty-two thousand
+people went away, leaving only ten thousand in Gideon's army. But the
+army was stronger though it was smaller, for the cowards had gone, and
+only the brave men were left.
+
+But the Lord said to Gideon: "The people are yet too many. You need only
+a few of the bravest and best men to fight in this battle. Bring the men
+down the mountain, past the water, and I will show you there how to find
+the men whom you need."
+
+In the morning Gideon, by God's command called his ten thousand men out,
+and made them march down the hill, just as though they were going to
+attack the enemy. And as they were beside the water, he noticed how they
+drank, and set them apart in two companies, according to their way of
+drinking.
+
+When they came to the water, most of the men threw aside their shields
+and spears, and knelt down and scooped up a draft of the water with both
+hands together like a cup. These men Gideon commanded to stand in one
+company.
+
+There were a few men who did not stop to take a large draft of water.
+Holding spear and shield in the right hand, to be ready for the enemy if
+one should suddenly appear, they merely caught up a handful of the water
+in passing and marched on, lapping up the water from one hand. God said
+to Gideon:
+
+"Set by themselves these men who lapped up each a handful of water.
+These are the men whom I have chosen to set Israel free."
+
+Gideon counted these men, and found that there were only three hundred
+of them, while all the rest bowed down on their faces to drink. The
+difference between them was that the three hundred were earnest men, of
+one purpose; not turning aside from their aim even to drink, as the
+others did. Then, too, they were watchful men, always ready to meet
+their enemies.
+
+So Gideon, at God's command, sent back to the camp on Mount Gilboa all
+the rest of his army, nearly ten thousand men, keeping with himself only
+his little band of three hundred.
+
+Gideon's plan did not need a large army; but it needed a few careful,
+bold men, who should do exactly as their leader commanded them. He gave
+to each man a lamp, a pitcher, and a trumpet, and told the men just what
+was to be done with them. The lamp was lighted, but was placed inside
+the pitcher, so that it could not be seen. He divided his men into three
+companies, and very quietly led them down the mountain in the middle of
+the night, and arranged them all in order around the camp of the
+Midianites.
+
+[Illustration: _The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise_]
+
+Then at one moment a great shout rang out in the darkness, "The sword of
+the Lord and of Gideon," and after it came a crash of breaking pitchers,
+and then a flash of light in every direction. The three hundred men had
+given the shout, and broken their pitchers, so that on every side
+lights were shining. The men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise;
+and the Midianites were roused from sleep, to see enemies all round
+them, lights beaming and swords flashing, while everywhere the sharp
+sound of the trumpets was heard.
+
+They were filled with sudden terror, and thought only of escape, not of
+fighting. But wherever they turned, their enemies seemed to be standing
+with swords drawn. They trampled each other down to death, flying from
+the Israelites. Their own land was in the east, across the river Jordan,
+and they fled in that direction, down one of the valleys between the
+mountains.
+
+Gideon had thought that the Midianites would turn toward their own land,
+if they should be beaten in the battle, and he had already planned to
+cut off their flight. The ten thousand men in the camp he had placed on
+the sides of the valley leading to the Jordan. There they slew very many
+of the Midianites as they fled down the steep pass toward the river. And
+Gideon had also sent to the men of the tribe of Ephraim, who had thus
+far taken no part in the war, to hold the only place at the river where
+men could wade through the water. Those of the Midianites who had
+escaped from Gideon's men on either side of the valley were now met by
+the Ephraimites at the river, and many more of them were slain. Among
+the slain were two of the princes of the Midianites, named Oreb and
+Zeeb.
+
+A part of the Midianite army was able to get across the river, and to
+continue its flight toward the desert; but Gideon and his brave three
+hundred men followed closely after them, fought another battle with
+them, destroyed them utterly, and took their two kings, Zebah and
+Zalmunna, whom he killed. After this great victory the Israelites were
+freed forever from the Midianites. They never again ventured to leave
+their home in the desert to make war on the tribes of Israel.
+
+After this, as long as Gideon lived, he ruled as Judge in Israel. The
+people wished him to make himself a king.
+
+"Rule over us as king," they said, "and let your son be king after you,
+and his son king after him."
+
+But Gideon said:
+
+"No, you have a king already; for the Lord God is the King of Israel. No
+one but God shall be king over these tribes."
+
+Of all the fifteen men who ruled as Judges of Israel, Gideon, the fifth
+Judge, was the greatest, in courage, in wisdom, and in faith in God.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN
+
+
+Now we are to learn of three judges who ruled Israel in turn. Their
+names were Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. None of these were men of war, and in
+their days the land was quiet.
+
+But the people of Israel again began to worship idols; and as a
+punishment God allowed them once more to pass under the power of their
+enemies. The seventh oppression, which now fell upon Israel, was by far
+the hardest, the longest and the most widely spread of any, for it was
+over all the tribes. It came from the Philistines, a strong and warlike
+people who lived on the west of Israel upon the plain beside the Great
+Sea. They worshipped an idol called Dagon, which was made in the form of
+a fish's head on a man's body.
+
+These people, the Philistines, sent their armies up from the plain
+beside the sea to the mountains of Israel and overran all the land. They
+took away from the Israelites all their swords and spears, so that they
+could not fight; and they robbed their land of all the crops, so that
+the people suffered for want of food. And as before, the Israelites in
+their trouble, cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard their prayer.
+
+In the tribe-land of Dan, which was next to the country of the
+Philistines, there was living a man named Manoah. One day an angel came
+to his wife and said:
+
+"You shall have a son, and when he grows up he will begin to save Israel
+from the hand of the Philistines. But your son must never drink any wine
+or strong drink as long as he lives. And his hair must be allowed to
+grow long and must never be cut, for he shall be a Nazarite under a vow
+to the Lord."
+
+When a child was given especially to God, or when a man gave himself to
+some work for God, he was forbidden to drink wine, and as a sign, his
+hair was left to grow long while the vow or promise to God was upon him.
+Such a person as this was called a Nazarite, a word which means "one who
+has a vow"; and Manoah's child was to be a Nazarite, and under a vow, as
+long as he lived.
+
+The child was born and was named Samson. He grew up to become the
+strongest man of whom the Bible tells. Samson was no general, like
+Gideon or Jephthah, to call out his people and lead them in war. He did
+much to set his people free; but all that he did was by his own
+strength.
+
+When Samson became a young man he went down to Timnath, in the land of
+the Philistines. There he saw a young Philistine woman whom he loved,
+and wished to have as his wife. His father and mother were not pleased
+that he should marry among the enemies of his own people. They did not
+know that God would make this marriage the means of bringing harm upon
+the Philistines and of helping the Israelites.
+
+As Samson was going down to Timnath to see this young woman, a hungry
+lion came out of the mountain, roaring against him. Samson seized the
+lion, and tore him in pieces as easily as another man would have killed
+a little kid of the goats, and then went on his way. He made his visit
+and came home, but said nothing to any one about the lion.
+
+After a time Samson went again to Timnath for his marriage with the
+Philistine woman. On his way he stopped to look at the dead lion; and in
+its body he found a swarm of bees, and honey which they had made. He
+took some of the honey and ate it as he walked, but told no one of it.
+
+At the wedding-feast, which lasted a whole week, there were many
+Philistine young men, and they amused each other with questions and
+riddles.
+
+"I will give you a riddle," said Samson. "If you answer it during the
+feast, I will give you thirty suits of clothing; and if you cannot
+answer it then you must give me the thirty suits of clothing." "Let us
+hear your riddle," they said. And this was Samson's riddle:
+
+"Out of the eater came forth meat,
+And out of the strong came forth sweetness."
+
+They could not find the answer, though they tried to find it all that
+day and the two days that followed. And at last they came to Samson's
+wife and said to her:
+
+"Coax your husband to tell you the answer. If you do not find it out, we
+will set your house on fire, and burn you and all your people."
+
+And Samson's wife urged him to tell her the answer. She cried and
+pleaded with him and said:
+
+"If you really loved me, you would not keep this a secret from me."
+
+At last Samson yielded, and told his wife how he had killed the lion and
+afterward found the honey in its body. She told her people, and just
+before the end of the feast they came to Samson with the answer. They
+said:
+
+"What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" And
+Samson said to them:
+
+    "If you had not plowed with my heifer,
+    You had not found out my riddle."
+
+By his "heifer,"--which is a young cow,--of course Samson meant his
+wife. Then Samson was required to give them thirty suits of clothing. He
+went out among the Philistines, killed the first thirty men whom he
+found, took off their clothes, and gave them to the guests at the feast.
+But all this made Samson very angry. He left his wife and went home to
+his father's house. Then the parents of his wife gave her to another
+man.
+
+But after a time Samson's anger passed away, and he went again to
+Timnath to see his wife. But her father said to him:
+
+"You went away angry, and I supposed that you cared nothing for her. I
+gave her to another man, and now she is his wife. But here is her
+younger sister; you can have her for your wife, instead."
+
+But Samson would not take his wife's sister. He went out very angry;
+determined to do harm to the Philistines, because they had cheated him.
+He caught all the wild foxes that he could find, until he had three
+hundred of them. Then he tied them together in pairs, by their tails;
+and between each pair of foxes he tied to their tails a piece of dry
+wood which he set on fire. These foxes with firebrands on their tails he
+turned loose among the fields of the Philistines when the grain was
+ripe. They ran wildly over the fields, set the grain on fire, and
+burned it; and with the grain the olive trees in the fields.
+
+When the Philistines saw their harvests destroyed, they said, "Who has
+done this?"
+
+And the people said, "Samson did this, because his wife was given by her
+father to another man."
+
+The Philistines looked on Samson's father-in-law as the cause of their
+loss; and they came and set his home on fire, and burned the man and his
+daughter whom Samson had married. Then Samson came down again, and alone
+fought a company of Philistines, and killed them all, as a punishment
+for burning his wife.
+
+After this Samson went to live in a hollow place in a split rock, called
+the rock of Etam. The Philistines came up in a great army, and overran
+the fields in the tribe-land of Judah.
+
+"Why do you come against us?" asked the men of Judah, "what do you want
+from us?"
+
+"We have come," they said, "to bind Samson, and to deal with him as he
+has dealt with us."
+
+The men of Judah said to Samson:
+
+"Do you not know that the Philistines are ruling over us? Why do you
+make them angry by killing their people? You see that we suffer through
+your pranks. Now we must bind you and give you to the Philistines, or
+they will ruin us all."
+
+And Samson said, "I will let you bind me, if you will promise not to
+kill me yourselves; but only to give me safely into the hands of the
+Philistines."
+
+They made the promise; and Samson gave himself up to them, and allowed
+them to tie him up fast with new ropes. The Philistines shouted for joy
+as they saw their enemy brought to them, led in bonds by his own people.
+But as soon as Samson came among them, he burst the bonds as though they
+had been light strings; and picked up from the ground the jawbone of an
+ass, and struck right and left with it as with a sword. He killed almost
+a thousand of the Philistines with this strange weapon. Afterward he
+sang a song about it, thus:
+
+    "With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps,
+    With the jawbone of an ass, have I slain a thousand men."
+
+After this Samson went down to the chief city of the Philistines, which
+was named Gaza. It was a large city; and like all large cities, was
+surrounded with a high wall. When the men of Gaza found Samson in their
+city, they shut the gates, thinking that they could now hold him as a
+prisoner. But in the night Samson rose up, went to the gates, pulled
+their posts out of the ground, and put the gates with their posts upon
+his shoulder. He carried off the gates of the city and left them on the
+top of a hill not far from the city of Hebron.
+
+After this Samson saw another woman among the Philistines, and he loved
+her. The name of this woman was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines
+came to Delilah and said to her:
+
+"Find out, if you can, what it is that makes Samson so strong, and tell
+us. If you help us to get control of him, so that we can have him in our
+power, we will give you a great sum of money."
+
+[Illustration: _He carried off the gates of the city_]
+
+And Delilah coaxed and pleaded with Samson to tell her what it was that
+made him so strong. Samson said to her:
+
+"If they will tie me with seven green twigs from a tree, then I shall
+not be strong any more."
+
+They brought her seven green twigs, like those of a willow tree; and she
+bound Samson with them while he was asleep. Then she called out to him:
+
+"Wake up, Samson, the Philistines are coming against you!"
+
+And Samson rose up and broke the twigs as easily as if they had been
+charred in the fire, and went away with ease.
+
+And Delilah tried again to find his secret. She said:
+
+"You are only making fun of me. Now tell me truly how you can be bound."
+And Samson said:
+
+"Let them bind me with new ropes that have never been used before; and
+then I cannot get away."
+
+While Samson was asleep again, Delilah bound him with new ropes. Then
+she called out as before:
+
+"Get up, Samson, for the Philistines are coming!" And when Samson rose
+up, the ropes broke as if they were thread. And Delilah again urged him
+to tell her; and he said:
+
+"You notice that my long hair is in seven locks. Weave it together in
+the loom, just as if it were the threads in a piece of cloth."
+
+Then, while he was asleep, she wove his hair in the loom, and fastened
+it with a large pin to the weaving-frame. But when he awoke, he rose up,
+and carried away the pin and the beam of the weaving-frame; for he was
+as strong as before.
+
+And Delilah, who was anxious to serve her people, said:
+
+"Why do you tell me that you love me, as long as you deceive me and keep
+from me your secret?" And she pleaded with him day after day, until at
+last he yielded to her and told her the real secret of his strength. He
+said:
+
+"I am a Nazarite, under a vow to the Lord, not to drink wine, and not to
+allow my hair to be cut. If I should let my hair be cut short, then the
+Lord would forsake me, and my strength would go from me, and I would be
+like other men."
+
+Then Delilah knew that she had found the truth at last. She sent for the
+rulers of the Philistines, saying:
+
+"Come up this once, and you shall have your enemy; for he has told me
+all that is in his heart."
+
+Then while the Philistines were watching outside, Delilah let Samson go
+to sleep, with his head upon her knees. While he was sound asleep, they
+took a razor and shaved off all his hair. Then she called out as at
+other times.
+
+"Rise up, Samson, the Philistines are upon you."
+
+He awoke, and rose up, expecting to find himself strong as before; for
+he did not at first know that his long hair had been cut off. But the
+vow to the Lord was broken, and the Lord had left him. He was now as
+weak as other men, and helpless in the hands of his enemies. The
+Philistines easily made him their prisoner; and that he might never do
+them more harm, they put out his eyes. Then they chained him with
+fetters, and sent him to prison at Gaza. And in the prison they made
+Samson turn a heavy millstone to grind grain, just as though he were a
+beast of burden.
+
+But while Samson was in prison, his hair grew long again; and with his
+hair his strength came back to him; for Samson renewed his vow to the
+Lord.
+
+One day, a great feast was held by the Philistines in the temple of
+their fish-god, Dagon. For they said:
+
+"Our god has given Samson, our enemy, into our hand. Let us be glad
+together and praise Dagon."
+
+And the temple was thronged with people, and the roof over it was also
+crowded with more than three thousand men and women. They sent for
+Samson, to rejoice over him; and Samson was led into the court of the
+temple, before all the people, to amuse them. After a time, Samson said
+to the boy who was leading him:
+
+[Illustration: _He bowed forward with all his might and pulled the
+pillars with him_]
+
+"Take me up to the front of the temple, so that I may stand by one of
+the pillars, and lean against it."
+
+And while Samson stood between the two pillars, he prayed:
+
+"O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and give me strength, only this
+once, O God: and help me, that I may obtain vengeance upon the
+Philistines for my two eyes!"
+
+Then he placed one arm around the pillar on one side, and the other arm
+around the pillar on the other side; and he said: "Let me die with the
+Philistines."
+
+And he bowed forward with all his might, and pulled the pillars over
+with him, bringing down the roof and all upon it upon those that were
+under it. Samson himself was among the dead; but in his death he killed
+more of the Philistines than he had killed during his life.
+
+Then in the terror which came upon the Philistines the men of Samson's
+tribe came down and found his dead body, and buried it in their own
+land. After that it was years before the Philistines tried again to rule
+over the Israelites.
+
+Samson did much to set his people free; but he might have done much
+more, if he had led his people, instead of trusting alone to his own
+strength; and if he had lived more earnestly, and not done his deeds as
+though he was playing pranks. There were deep faults in Samson, but at
+the end he sought God's help, and found it, and God used Samson to set
+his people free.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF RUTH, THE GLEANER
+
+
+In the time of the Judges in Israel, a man named Elimelech was living in
+the town of Bethlehem, in the tribe of Judah, about six miles south of
+Jerusalem. His wife's name was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and
+Chilion. For some years the crops were poor, and food was scarce in
+Judah; and Elimelech with his family went to live in the land of Moab,
+which was on the east of the Dead Sea, as Judah was on the west.
+
+There they stayed ten years, and in that time Elimelech died. His two
+sons married women of the country of Moab, one named Orpah, the other
+named Ruth. But the two young men also died in the land of Moab; so that
+Naomi and her two daughters-in-law were all left widows.
+
+Naomi heard that God had again given good harvests and bread to the land
+of Judah, and she rose up to go from Moab back to her own land and her
+own town of Bethlehem. The two daughters-in-law loved her, and both
+would have gone with her, though the land of Judah was a strange land to
+them, for they were of the Moabite people.
+
+Naomi said to them: "Go back, my daughters, to your own mothers' homes.
+May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have been kind to your
+husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you may yet find
+another husband and a happy home."
+
+Then Naomi kissed them in farewell, and the three women all wept
+together. The two young widows said to her:
+
+"You have been a good mother to us, and we will go with you, and live
+among your people."
+
+"No, no," said Naomi. "You are young, and I am old. Go back and be happy
+among your own people."
+
+Then Orpah kissed Naomi, and went back to her people; but Ruth would not
+leave her. She said:
+
+"Do not ask me to leave you, for I never will. Where you go, I will go;
+where you live, I will live; your people shall be my people; and your
+God shall be my God. Where you die, I will die, and be buried. Nothing
+but death itself shall part you and me."
+
+When Naomi saw that Ruth was firm in her purpose, she ceased trying to
+persuade her; so the two women went on together. They walked around the
+Dead Sea, and crossed the river Jordan, and climbed the mountains of
+Judah, and came to Bethlehem.
+
+Naomi had been absent from Bethlehem for ten years, but her friends
+were all glad to see her again. They said:
+
+"Is this Naomi, whom we knew years ago?"
+
+Now the name Naomi means "pleasant." And Naomi said:
+
+"Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Lord has made my life bitter.
+I went out full, with my husband and two sons; now I come home empty,
+without them. Do not call me 'Pleasant,' call me 'Bitter.'"
+
+The name "Mara," by which Naomi wished to be called means "bitter." But
+Naomi learned later that "Pleasant" was the right name after all.
+
+There was living in Bethlehem at that time a very rich man named Boaz.
+He owned large fields that were abundant in their harvests; and he was
+related to the family of Elimelech, Naomi's husband, who had died.
+
+It was the custom in Israel when they reaped the grain not to gather all
+the stalks, but to leave some for the poor people, who followed after
+the reapers with their sickles, and gathered what was left. When Naomi
+and Ruth came to Bethlehem, it was the time of the barley harvest; and
+Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain which the reapers had
+left. It so happened that she was gleaning in the field that belonged to
+Boaz, this rich man.
+
+Boaz came out from the town to see his men reaping, and he said to
+them, "The Lord be with you"; and they answered him, "The Lord bless
+you."
+
+And Boaz said to his master of the reapers: "Who is this young woman
+that I see gleaning in the field?"
+
+The man answered: "It is the young woman from the land of Moab, who came
+with Naomi. She asked leave to glean after the reapers, and has been
+here gathering grain since yesterday."
+
+Then Boaz said to Ruth: "Listen to me, my daughter. Do not go to any
+other field, but stay here with my young women. No one shall harm you;
+and when you are thirsty, go and drink at our vessels of water."
+
+[Illustration: _Ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain_]
+
+Then Ruth bowed to Boaz, and thanked him for his kindness, all the more
+kind because she was a stranger in Israel. Boaz said: "I have heard how
+true you have been to your mother-in-law Naomi, in leaving your own
+land and coming with her to this land. May the Lord, under whose wings
+you have come, give you a reward!"
+
+And at noon, when they sat down to rest and to eat, Boaz gave her some
+of the food. And he said to the reapers:
+
+"When you are reaping, leave some of the sheaves for her; and drop out
+some sheaves from the bundles, where she may gather them."
+
+That evening, Ruth showed Naomi how much she had gleaned, and told her
+of the rich man Boaz, who had been so kind to her. And Naomi said:
+
+"This man is a near relation of ours. Stay in his fields, as long as the
+harvest lasts." And so Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz until the
+harvest had been gathered.
+
+At the end of the harvest, Boaz held a feast on the threshing-floor. And
+after the feast, by the advice of Naomi, Ruth went to him, and said to
+him:
+
+"You are a near relation of my husband and of his father, Elimelech. Now
+will you not do good to us for his sake?"
+
+And when Boaz saw Ruth, he loved her; and soon after this he took her as
+his wife. And Naomi and Ruth went to live in his home; so that Naomi's
+life was no more bitter, but pleasant. And Boaz and Ruth had a son,
+whom they named Obed; and later Obed had a son named Jesse; and Jesse
+was the father of David, the shepherd boy who became king. So Ruth, the
+young woman of Moab, who chose the people and the God of Israel, became
+the mother of kings.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY
+
+
+Living at Ramah, in the mountains of Ephraim, there was a man whose name
+was Elkanah. He had two wives, as did many men in that time. One of
+these wives had children, but the other wife, whose name was Hannah, had
+no child.
+
+Every year Elkanah and his family went up to worship at the house of the
+Lord in Shiloh, which was about fifteen miles from his home. And at one
+of these visits Hannah prayed to the Lord, saying:
+
+"O Lord, if thou wilt look upon me, and give me a son, he shall be given
+to the Lord as long as he lives."
+
+The Lord heard Hannah's prayer, and gave her a little boy, and she
+called his name Samuel, which means "Asked of God"; because he had been
+given in answer to her prayer.
+
+Samuel grew up to be a good man and a wise Judge, and he made his sons
+Judges in Israel, to help him in the care of the people. But Samuel's
+sons did not walk in his ways. They did not try always to do justly.
+
+The elders of all the tribes of Israel came to Samuel at his home in
+Ramah; and they said to him: "You are growing old, and your sons do not
+rule as well as you ruled. All the lands around us have kings. Let us
+have a king also; and do you choose the king for us."
+
+This was not pleasing to Samuel. He tried to make the people change
+their minds, and showed them what trouble a king would bring them.
+
+But they would not follow his advice. They said: "No; we will have a
+king to reign over us."
+
+So Samuel chose as their king a tall young man named Saul, who was a
+farmer's son of the tribe of Benjamin. When Saul was brought before the
+people he stood head and shoulders above them all. And Samuel said:
+
+"Look at the man whom the Lord has chosen! There is not another like him
+among all the people!"
+
+And all the people shouted, "God save the king! Long live the king!"
+
+Then Samuel told the people what should be the laws for the king and for
+the people to obey. He wrote them down in a book, and placed the book
+before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home; and Saul went back to
+his own house at a place called Gibeah; and with Saul went a company of
+men to whose hearts God had given a love for the king.
+
+So after three hundred years under the fifteen Judges, Israel now had a
+king. But among the people there were some who were not pleased with the
+new king, because he was an unknown man from the farm. They said:
+
+"Can such a man as this save us?"
+
+They showed no respect to the king, and in their hearts looked down upon
+him. But Saul said nothing, and showed his wisdom by appearing not to
+notice them. But in another thing he was not so wise. He forgot to heed
+the old prophet's advice and instructions about ruling wisely and doing
+as the Lord said. It was not long before Samuel told him that he had
+disobeyed God and would lose his kingdom.
+
+When Samuel told Saul that the Lord would take away the kingdom from
+him, he did not mean that Saul should lose the kingdom at once. He was
+no longer God's king; and as soon as the right man in God's sight should
+be found, and should be trained for his duty as king, then God would
+take away Saul's power, and would give it to the man whom God had
+chosen. But it was years before this came to pass.
+
+The Lord said to Samuel: "Do not weep and mourn any longer over Saul,
+for I have refused him as king. Fill the horn with oil, and go to
+Bethlehem in Judah. There find a man named Jesse, for I have chosen a
+king among his sons."
+
+But Samuel knew that Saul would be very angry, if he should learn that
+Samuel had named any other man as king. He said to the Lord:
+
+"How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me."
+
+The Lord said to Samuel: "Take a young cow with you; and tell the people
+that you have come to make an offering to the Lord. And call Jesse and
+his sons to the sacrifice. I will tell you what to do, and you shall
+anoint the one whom I name to you."
+
+Samuel went over the mountains southward from Ramah to Bethlehem, about
+ten miles, leading a cow. The rulers of the town were alarmed at his
+coming, for they feared that he had come to judge the people for some
+evil-doing. But Samuel said:
+
+"I have come in peace to make an offering and to hold a feast to the
+Lord. Prepare yourselves and come to the sacrifice."
+
+And he invited Jesse and his sons to the service. When they came, he
+looked at the sons of Jesse very closely. The oldest was named Eliab,
+and he was so tall and noble-looking that Samuel thought:
+
+"Surely this young man must be the one whom God has chosen."
+
+But the Lord said to Samuel:
+
+"Do not look on his face, nor on the height of his body, for I have not
+chosen him. Man judges by the outward looks, but God looks at the
+heart."
+
+Then Jesse's second son, named Abinadab, passed by. And the Lord said:
+"I have not chosen this one." Seven young men came and Samuel said:
+
+"None of these is the man whom God has chosen. Are these all your
+children?"
+
+"There is one more," said Jesse. "The youngest of all. He is a boy, in
+the field caring for the sheep."
+
+And Samuel said:
+
+"Send for him; for we will not sit down until he comes." So after a time
+the youngest son was brought in. His name was David, a word that means
+"darling," and he was a beautiful boy, perhaps fifteen years old, with
+fresh cheeks and bright eyes.
+
+As soon as the young David came, the Lord said to Samuel:
+
+"Arise, anoint him, for this is the one whom I have chosen."
+
+Then Samuel poured oil on David's head, in the presence of all his
+brothers. But no one knew at that time the anointing to mean that David
+was to be the king. Perhaps they thought that David was chosen to be a
+prophet like Samuel.
+
+From that time the Spirit of God came upon David, and he began to show
+signs of coming greatness. He went back to his sheep on the hillsides
+around Bethlehem, but God was with him.
+
+David grew up strong and brave, not afraid of the wild beasts which
+prowled around and tried to carry away his sheep. More than once he
+fought with lions, and bears, and killed them, when they seized the
+lambs of his flock. And David, alone all day, practiced throwing stones
+in a sling, until he could strike exactly the place for which he aimed.
+When he swung his sling, he knew that the stone would go to the very
+spot at which he was throwing it.
+
+[Illustration: _Then Samuel poured oil on David's head_]
+
+And young as he was, David thought of God, and talked with God, and God
+talked with David, and showed to David His will.
+
+After Saul had disobeyed the voice of the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord
+left Saul, and no longer spoke to him. And Saul became very sad of
+heart. At times a madness would come upon him, and at all times he was
+very unhappy. The servants of Saul noticed that when some one played on
+the harp and sang, Saul's spirit was made more cheerful; and the sadness
+of soul left him. At one time Saul said: "Find some one who can play
+well, and bring him to me. Let me listen to music; for it drives away my
+sadness."
+
+One of the young men said: "I have seen a young man, a son of Jesse in
+Bethlehem, who can play well. He is handsome in his looks, and agreeable
+in talking. I have also heard that he is a brave young man, who can
+fight as well as he can play, and the Lord is with him."
+
+Then Saul sent a message to Jesse, David's father. He said: "Send me
+your son David, who is with the sheep. Let him come and play before me."
+
+Then David came to Saul, bringing with him a present for the king from
+Jesse. When Saul saw him, he loved him, as did everybody who saw the
+young David. And David played on the harp, and sang before Saul. And
+David's music cheered Saul's heart, and drove away his sad feelings.
+
+Saul liked David so well that he made him his armorbearer; and David
+carried the shield and spear, and sword for Saul, when the king was
+before his army. But Saul did not know that David had been anointed by
+Samuel.
+
+After a time, Saul seemed well; and David returned to Bethlehem and was
+once more among his sheep in the field. Perhaps it was at this time that
+David sang his shepherd song, or it may have been long afterward, when
+David looked back in thought to those days when he was leading his
+sheep. This is the song, which you have heard often:
+
+"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
+He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
+He leadeth me beside the still waters,
+He restoreth my soul;
+He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
+Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
+I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;
+Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
+Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
+Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
+Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
+And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIGHT WITH THE GIANT
+
+All through the reign of Saul, there was constant war with the
+Philistines, who lived upon the lowlands west of Israel. At one time,
+when David was still with his sheep, a few years after he had been
+anointed by Samuel, the camps of the Philistines and the Israelites were
+set against each other on opposite sides of the valley of Elah. In the
+army of Israel were the three oldest brothers of David.
+
+Every day a giant came out of the camp of the Philistines, and dared
+some one to come from the Israelites' camp and fight with him. The
+giant's name was Goliath. He was nine feet high; and he wore armor from
+head to foot, and carried a spear twice as long and as heavy as any
+other man could hold; and his shield bearer walked before him. He came
+every day and called out across the little valley:
+
+"I am a Philistine, and you are servants of Saul. Now choose one of your
+men, and let him come out and fight with me. If I kill him; then you
+shall submit to us; and if he kills me, then we will give up to you.
+Come, now, send out your man!"
+
+But no man in the army, not even King Saul, dared to go out and fight
+with the giant. Forty days the camps stood against each other, and the
+Philistine giant continued his call.
+
+One day, old Jesse, the father of David, sent David from Bethlehem to
+visit his three brothers in the army. David came, and spoke to his
+brothers; and while he was talking with them, Goliath the giant came out
+as before in front of the camp calling for some one to fight with him.
+
+They said one to another:
+
+"If any man will go out and kill this Philistine, the king will give him
+a great reward and a high rank; and the king's daughter shall be his
+wife."
+
+And David said:
+
+"Who is this man that speaks in this proud manner against the armies of
+the living God? Why does not some one go out and kill him?"
+
+David's brother Eliab said to him:
+
+"What are you doing here, leaving your sheep in the field? I know that
+you have come down just to see the battle."
+
+But David did not care for his brother's words. He thought he saw a way
+to kill this boasting giant; and he said:
+
+"If no one else will go, I will go out and fight with this enemy of the
+Lord's people."
+
+They brought David before King Saul. Some years had passed since Saul
+had met David, and he had grown from a boy to a man, so that Saul did
+not know him as the shepherd who had played on the harp before him in
+other days.
+
+Saul said to David:
+
+"You cannot fight with this great giant. You are very young; and he is a
+man of war, trained from his youth."
+
+And David answered King Saul:
+
+"I am only a shepherd, but I have fought with lions and bears, when they
+have tried to steal my sheep. And I am not afraid to fight with this
+Philistine."
+
+Then Saul put his own armor on David--a helmet on his head, and a coat
+of mail on his body, and a sword at his waist. But Saul was almost a
+giant, and his armor was far too large for David. David said:
+
+"I am not used to fighting with such weapons as these. Let me fight in
+my own way."
+
+So David took off Saul's armor. While everybody in the army had been
+looking on the giant with fear, David had been thinking out the best way
+for fighting him; and God had given to David a plan. It was to throw the
+giant off his guard, by appearing weak and helpless; and while so far
+away that the giant could not reach him with sword or spear, to strike
+him down with a weapon which the giant would not expect and would not
+be prepared for.
+
+David took his shepherd's staff in his hand, as though that were to be
+his weapon. But out of sight, in a bag under his mantle, he had five
+smooth stones carefully chosen, and a sling,--the weapon that he knew
+how to use. Then he came out to meet the Philistine.
+
+The giant looked down on the youth and despised him, and laughed.
+
+[Illustration: _The giant looked down on the youth and despised
+him_]
+
+"Am I a dog?" he said, "that this boy comes to me with a staff? I will
+give his body to the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field."
+
+And the Philistine cursed David by the gods of his people. And David
+answered him:
+
+"You come against me with a sword, and a spear, and a dart; but I come
+to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
+Israel. This day will the Lord give you into my hand. I will strike you
+down, and take off your head, and the host of the Philistines shall be
+dead bodies, to be eaten by the birds and the beasts; so that all may
+know that there is a God in Israel, and that He can save in other ways
+besides with sword and spear."
+
+[Illustration: _David drew out the giant's own sword_]
+
+And David ran toward the Philistine, as if to fight him with his
+shepherd's staff. But when he was just near enough for a good aim, he
+took out his sling, and hurled a stone aimed at the giant's forehead.
+David's aim was good; the stone struck the Philistine in his forehead.
+It stunned him, and he fell to the ground.
+
+While the two armies stood wondering, and scarcely knowing what had
+caused the giant to fall so suddenly, David ran forward, drew out the
+giant's own sword, and cut off his head. Then the Philistines knew that
+their great warrior in whom they trusted was dead. They turned to flee
+to their own land; and the Israelites followed after them, and killed
+them by the hundred and the thousand, even to the gates of their own
+city of Gath.
+
+So in that day David won a great victory and stood before all the land
+as the one who had saved his people from their enemies.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE CAVE OF ADULLAM
+
+
+Now Saul had a son, Jonathan, near David's own age. He and David became
+fast friends and loved one another as brothers. Saul the king became
+very jealous of David because the people praised him after his fight
+with Goliath. He even threatened to take David's life. He tried to catch
+him in his own house, but David's wife let him down from a window by a
+rope and he escaped. He met his friend Jonathan, who told him that he
+should flee. They renewed their promises of friendship, which they kept
+ever afterward.
+
+From his meeting with Jonathan, David went forth to be a wanderer,
+having no home as long as Saul lived. He found a great cave, called the
+cave of Adullam, and hid in it. Soon people heard where he was, and from
+all parts of the land, especially from his own tribe of Judah, men who
+were not satisfied with the rule of King Saul gathered around David.
+
+Saul soon heard that David, with a band of men, was hiding among the
+mountains of Judah, and that among those who aided him were certain
+priests.
+
+This enraged King Saul, and he ordered his guards to kill all the
+priests. The guards would not obey him, for they felt that it was a
+wicked thing to lay hands upon the priests of the Lord.
+
+But he found one man whose name was Doeg, an Edomite, who was willing to
+obey the king. And Doeg, the Edomite, killed eighty-five men who wore
+the priestly garments.
+
+All through the land went the news of Saul's dreadful deed, and
+everywhere the people began to turn from Saul, and to look toward David
+as the only hope of the nation.
+
+When Saul died he was followed by David, the shepherd boy, now grown to
+manhood and greatly loved by the people. He had many battles to fight
+with the Philistines and was nearly always victorious. He was a warrior
+king; but he was more than a warrior. He played on his harp and composed
+many beautiful hymns and songs, which are collected in the book of
+Psalms. He was a good king and tried to obey God's command. He had a
+long reign and his people were happy and prosperous. He had many sons
+and daughters and beautiful palaces for them to live in.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF SOLOMON AND HIS TEMPLE
+
+
+During the later years of David's reign, he laid up great treasure of
+gold and silver, and brass, and iron, for the building of a house to the
+Lord on Mount Moriah. This house was to be called "The Temple"; and it
+was to be made very beautiful, the most beautiful building, and the
+richest in all the land. David had greatly desired to build this house
+while he was king of Israel, but God said to him:
+
+"You have been a man of war, and have fought many battles, and shed much
+blood. My house shall be built by a man of peace. When you die, your son
+Solomon shall reign, and he shall have peace, and shall build my house."
+
+So David made ready great store of precious things for the temple; also
+stone and cedar to be used in the building. And David said to Solomon,
+his son: "God has promised that there shall be rest and peace to the
+land while you are king; and the Lord will be with you, and you shall
+build a house, where God shall live among His people."
+
+But David had other sons who were older than Solomon; and one of these
+sons, whose name was Adonijah, formed a plan to make himself king.
+David was now very old; and he was no longer able to go out of his
+palace, and to be seen among the people.
+
+Adonijah gathered his friends; and among them were Joab, the general of
+the army, and Abiathar, one of the two high-priests. They met at a place
+outside the wall, and had a great feast, and were about to crown
+Adonijah as king, when word came to David in the palace. David, though
+old and feeble, was still wise. He said:
+
+"Let us make Solomon king at once, and thus put an end to the plans of
+these men."
+
+So at David's command they brought out the mule on which no one but the
+king was allowed to ride; and they placed Solomon upon it; and with the
+king's guards, and the nobles, and the great men, they brought the young
+Solomon down to the valley of Gihon, south of the city.
+
+And Zadok, the priest, took from the Tabernacle the horn filled with
+holy oil, that was used for anointing or pouring oil on the head of the
+priests when they were set apart for their work. He poured oil from this
+horn on the head of Solomon, and then the priests blew the trumpets, and
+all the people cried aloud, "God save King Solomon."
+
+All this time Adonijah and Joab, and their friends were not far away,
+almost in the same valley, feasting and making merry, intending to make
+Adonijah king. They heard the sound of the trumpets, and the shouting of
+the people. Joab said: "What is the cause of all this noise and uproar?"
+
+A moment later, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, came running in. Jonathan
+said to the men who were feasting:
+
+"Our lord King David has made Solomon king, and he has just been
+anointed in Gihon; and all the princes, and the heads of the army, are
+with him, and the people are shouting, 'God save King Solomon!' And
+David has sent from his bed a message to Solomon, saying, 'May the Lord
+make your name greater than mine has been! Blessed be the Lord, who has
+given me a son to sit this day on my throne!'"
+
+When Adonijah and his friends heard this they were filled with fear.
+Every man went at once to his house, except Adonijah. He hastened to the
+altar of the Lord, and knelt before it, and took hold of the horns that
+were on its corners in front. This was a holy place, and he hoped that
+there Solomon might have mercy on him. And Solomon said:
+
+"If Adonijah will do right, and be faithful to me as the king of Israel,
+no harm shall come to him; but if he does wrong, he shall die."
+
+Then Adonijah came and bowed down before King Solomon, and promised to
+obey him, and Solomon said, "Go to your own house."
+
+[Illustration: _Solomon on his throne_]
+
+Not long after this David sent for Solomon, and from his bed he gave his
+last advice to Solomon. And soon after that David died, an old man,
+having reigned in all forty years, seven years over the tribe of Judah,
+at Hebron, and thirty-three years over all Israel, in Jerusalem. He was
+buried in great honor on Mount Zion, and his tomb remained standing for
+many years.
+
+The great work of Solomon's reign was the building of the House of God.
+It was generally called the Temple. It was built on Mount Moriah, one of
+the hills of Jerusalem. King David had prepared for it by gathering
+great stores of silver, stone and cedar-wood. The walls were made of
+stone and the roof of cedar. Solomon had great ships which visited other
+lands and brought precious stones and fine woods for the building.
+Seven years were spent in building the Temple, and it was set apart to
+the worship of God with beautiful ceremonies in which Solomon, in his
+robes of state, took part.
+
+[Illustration: _Supposed form of Solomon's temple_]
+
+Solomon was indeed a great king, and it was said that he was also the
+wisest man in all the world. He wrote many of the wise sayings in the
+Book of Proverbs, and many more that have been lost.
+
+[Illustration: _Ship in Solomon's time_]
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF ELIJAH, THE PROPHET
+
+
+One of the greatest of all the kings of the Ten Tribes was Jeroboam the
+second. Under him the kingdom of Israel grew rich and strong. He
+conquered nearly all Syria, and made Samaria the greatest city of all
+those lands.
+
+But though Syria went down, another nation was now rising to
+power--Assyria, on the eastern side of the river Tigris. Its capital was
+Nineveh, a great city, so vast that it would take three days for a man
+to walk around its walls. The Assyrians were beginning to conquer all
+the lands near them, and Israel was in danger of falling under their
+power.
+
+One of the kings who ruled over Israel was named Ahab. He provoked the
+anger of the Lord. His wife, Jezebel, who was a worshiper of Baal,
+persuaded him to build an altar to the false god.
+
+Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, was sent to him and proposed a test. Two
+altars were built; one to Jehovah and one to Baal. The priests of Baal
+called upon their god to send down fire; but there was no answer. Then
+Elijah called upon the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and fire
+came down and burnt up the offering.
+
+The people turned upon the priests of Baal and killed them all. Later
+the wicked queen, Jezebel, coveted a vineyard for Ahab, and she caused
+Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, to be placed in front of the battle.
+When he was slain Ahab took the vineyard.
+
+[Illustration: _Denounced Ahab and Jezebel_]
+
+Once more Elijah came and denounced Ahab and Jezebel, telling them that
+they had done wickedly, and that the Lord would punish them.
+
+[Illustration: _Made king when he was only seven years old_]
+
+In a little while the prophet's words came true, for Ahab was slain in
+battle and Jezebel was put to death by order of King Jehu. Elijah was
+taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
+
+There was another prophet, a companion of Elijah, whose name was Elisha,
+a brave and courageous man who did not fail to deliver God's message.
+
+It happened that when Elisha was an old man there can to him King Joash,
+who had been made king when he was only seven years old. Joash was now a
+young man and was trying to do right in the sight of the Lord. But he
+felt the need of the prophet's aid, and he came to Elisha and said:
+
+"My father, my father, you are more to Israel than its chariots and
+horsemen."
+
+[Illustration: _"This is the arrow of victory"_]
+
+Elisha, though weak in body, was yet strong in soul. He told Joash to
+bring him a bow and arrows, and to open the window to the east, looking
+toward the land of Syria. Then Elisha caused the king to draw the bow;
+and he placed his hands on the king's hands. And as the king shot an
+arrow, Elisha said:
+
+"This is the arrow of victory; of victory over Syria; for you shall
+smite the Syrians in Aphek and shall destroy them."
+
+It happened as Elisha had foretold and the Syrians were defeated and
+their cities taken.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE
+
+
+At this time another prophet, named Jonah, was giving the word of the
+Lord to the Israelites. To Jonah the Lord spoke, saying:
+
+"Go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it; for its wickedness
+rises up before me."
+
+But Jonah did not wish to preach to the people of Nineveh; for they were
+the enemies of his land, the land of Israel. He wished Nineveh to die in
+its sins, and not to turn to God and live. So Jonah tried to go away
+from the city where God had sent him. He went down to Joppa and took a
+ship for Tarshish.
+
+But the Lord saw Jonah on the ship; and the Lord sent a great storm upon
+the sea, so that the ship seemed as though it would go to pieces. The
+sailors threw overboard everything on the ship; and when they could do
+no more, every man prayed to his god to save the ship and themselves.
+Jonah was now lying fast asleep, and the ship's captain came to him, and
+said:
+
+"What do you mean by sleeping in such a time as this? Awake, rise up,
+and call upon your God. Perhaps He will hear you and save our lives."
+
+But the storm continued to rage around the ship; and they said:
+
+"There is some man on this ship who has brought upon us this trouble.
+Let us cast lots and find who it is."
+
+Then they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. They said to him, all at
+once:
+
+"Tell us, who are you? From what country do you come? What is your
+business? To what people do you belong? Why have you brought all this
+trouble upon us?"
+
+Then Jonah told them the whole story, how he came from the land of
+Israel, and that he had fled away from the presence of the Lord. And
+they said to him:
+
+"What shall we do to you, that the storm may cease?"
+
+Then said Jonah:
+
+"Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the storm will cease and the
+waters will be calm; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is
+upon you."
+
+But the men were not willing to throw Jonah into the sea. They rowed
+hard to bring the ship to the land, but they could not. Then they cried
+unto the Lord, and said:
+
+"We pray thee, O Lord, we pray thee, let us not die for this man's life;
+for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee."
+
+At last, when they could do nothing else to save themselves, they threw
+Jonah into the sea.
+
+At once the storm ceased, and the waves became still. Then the men on
+the ship feared the Lord greatly. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord,
+and made promises to serve him.
+
+And the Lord caused a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was
+alive within the fish for three days and three nights. In the fish Jonah
+cried to the Lord; and the Lord caused the great fish to throw up Jonah
+upon the dry land.
+
+Notice all through this story that, although Jonah was God's servant, he
+was always thinking about himself. God protected Jonah and saved him,
+not because he was such a good man, but because he wanted to teach him a
+great lesson.
+
+By this time Jonah had learned that some men who worshipped idols were
+kind in their hearts, and were dear to the Lord. This was the lesson
+that God meant Jonah to learn; and now the call of the Lord came to
+Jonah a second time:
+
+"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it what I command
+you." So Jonah went to the city of Nineveh; and as he entered into it,
+he called out to the people:
+
+"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."
+
+And he walked through the city all day crying out only this:
+
+"Within forty days shall Nineveh be destroyed."
+
+And the people of Nineveh believed the word of the Lord as spoken by
+Jonah. They turned away from their sins and fasted and sought the Lord,
+from the greatest of them even to the least. The king of Nineveh arose
+from his throne, and laid aside his royal robes, and covered himself
+with sack-cloth and sat in ashes, as a sign of his sorrow. And the king
+sent out a command to his people that they should fast, and seek the
+Lord, and turn from sin.
+
+[Illustration: _To shade Jonah from the sun_]
+
+And God saw that the people of Nineveh were sorry for their wickedness,
+and he forgave them, and did not destroy their city. But this made Jonah
+very angry. He did not wish to have Nineveh spared, because it was the
+enemy of his own land; and also he feared that men would call him a
+false prophet when his word did not come to pass. And Jonah said to the
+Lord:
+
+"O Lord, I was sure that it would be thus, that thou wouldest spare the
+city; and for that reason I tried to flee away; for I know that thou
+wast a gracious God, full of pity, slow to anger, and rich in mercy.
+Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to
+live."
+
+And Jonah went out of the city, and built a little hut on the east side
+of it, and sat under its roof, to see whether God would keep the word
+that he had spoken. Then the Lord caused a plant with thick leaves to
+grow up, and to shade Jonah from the sun; and Jonah was glad, and sat
+under its shadow. But a worm destroyed the plant; and the next day a hot
+wind blew, and Jonah suffered from the heat; and again Jonah wished that
+he might die. And the Lord said to Jonah:
+
+"You were sorry to see the plant die, though you did not make it grow,
+and though it came up in a night and died in a night. And should not I
+have pity on Nineveh, that great city, where are more than a hundred
+thousand little children, and also many cattle,--all helpless and
+knowing nothing?"
+
+And Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children, are all
+precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they know not God.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FIERY FURNACE
+
+
+There was in the land of Judah a wicked king-named Jehoiakim, son of the
+good Josiah. While Jehoiakim was ruling over the land of Judah,
+Nebuchadnezzar, a great conqueror of the nations, came from Babylon with
+his army of Chaldean soldiers. He took the city of Jerusalem, and made
+Jehoiakim promise to submit to him as his master. And when he went back
+to his own land he took with him all the gold and silver that he could
+find in the Temple; and he carried away as captives very many of the
+princes and nobles, the best people in the land of Judah.
+
+When these Jews were brought to the land of Chaldea or Babylon, King
+Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the prince, who had charge of his palace,
+to choose among these Jewish captives some young men who were of noble
+rank, and beautiful in their looks, and also quick and bright in their
+minds; young men who would be able to learn readily. These young men
+were to be placed under the care of wise men, who should teach them all
+that they knew, and fit them to stand before the king of Babylon, so
+that they might be his helpers to carry out his orders; and the king
+wished them to be wise, so that they might give him advice in ruling his
+people.
+
+Among the young men thus chosen were four Jews, men who had been brought
+from Judah. By order of the king the names of these men were changed.
+One of them, named Daniel, was to be called Belteshazzer; the other
+three young men were called Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They were
+taught in all the knowledge of the Chaldeans; and after three years of
+training they were taken into the king's palace.
+
+King Nebuchadnezzar was pleased with them, more than with any others who
+stood before him. He found them wise and faithful in the work given to
+them, and able to rule over men under them. And these four men came to
+the highest places in the kingdom of the Chaldeans.
+
+At one time King Nebuchadnezzar caused a great image to be made, and to
+be covered with gold. This image he set up, as an idol to be worshipped,
+on the plain of Dura, near the city of Babylon. When it was finished, it
+stood upon its base or foundation almost a hundred feet high; so that
+upon the plain it could be seen far away. Then the king sent out a
+command for all the princes, and rulers, and nobles in the land, to come
+to a great gathering, when the image was to be set apart for worship.
+
+The great men of the kingdom came from far and near and stood around
+the image. Among them, by command of the king, were Daniel's three
+friends, the young Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. For some
+reason, Daniel himself was not there. He may have been busy with the
+work of the kingdom in some other place.
+
+At one moment in the service before the image, all the trumpets sounded,
+the drums were beaten, and music was made upon musical instruments of
+all kinds, as a signal for all the people to kneel down and worship the
+great golden image. But while the people were kneeling, there were three
+men who stood up, and would not bow down. These were the three young
+Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. They knelt down before the Lord
+God only.
+
+Many of the nobles had been jealous of these young men, because they had
+been lifted to high places in the rule of the kingdom; and these men who
+hated Daniel and his friends, were glad to find that these three men had
+not obeyed the command of King Nebuchadnezzar. The king had said that if
+any one did not worship the golden image he should be thrown into a
+furnace of fire. These men who hated the Jews came to the king and said:
+
+"O king, may you live for ever! You gave orders that when the music
+sounded, every one should bow down and worship the golden image; and
+that if any man did not worship, he should be thrown into a furnace of
+fire. There are some Jews, whom you have made rulers in the land, who
+have not done as you commanded. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and
+Abed-nego. They do not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image
+that you have set up."
+
+[Illustration: _Nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage_]
+
+Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage and fury at knowing that any
+one should dare to disobey his words. He sent for these three men and
+said to them:
+
+"O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, was it by purpose that you did not
+fall down and worship the image of gold? The music shall sound once
+more, and if you then will worship the image, it will be well. But if
+you will not, then you shall be thrown into the furnace of fire, to
+die."
+
+These three young men were not afraid of the king. They said:
+
+"O King Nebuchadnezzar, we are ready to answer you at once. The God whom
+we serve is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and we know that he
+will save us. But if it is God's will that we should die, even then you
+may understand, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship
+the golden image."
+
+This answer made the king more furious than before. He said to his
+servants:
+
+"Make a fire in the furnace hotter than ever it has been before, as hot
+as fire can be made; and throw these three men into it."
+
+Then the soldiers of the king's army seized the three young Jews, as
+they stood in their loose robes, with their turbans on their heads. They
+tied them with ropes, and dragged them to the mouth of the furnace, and
+threw them into the fire. The flames rushed from the opened door with
+such fury that they burned even to death the soldiers who were holding
+these men; and the men themselves fell down bound into the middle of the
+fiery furnace.
+
+But an angel befriended them and they were unhurt.
+
+[Illustration: _An angel befriended them_]
+
+King Nebuchadnezzar stood in front of the furnace, and looked into the
+open door. As he looked, he was filled with wonder at what he saw; and
+he said to the nobles around him:
+
+"Did we not throw three men bound into the fire? How is it then that I
+see four men loose walking in the furnace; and the fourth man looks as
+though he were a son of the gods?"
+
+And the nobles who stood by could scarcely speak, so great was their
+surprise.
+
+"It is true, O king," at last they said to Nebuchadnezzar, "that we cast
+these men into the flames, expecting them to be burned up; and we cannot
+understand how it happens that they have not been destroyed."
+
+The king came near to the door of the furnace, as the fire became lower;
+and he called out to the three men within it:
+
+"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye who serve the Most High God, come
+out of the fire, and come to me."
+
+They came out and stood before the king, in the sight of all the
+princes, and nobles, and rulers; and every one could see that they were
+alive.
+
+Their garments had not been scorched, nor their hair singed, nor was
+there even the smell of fire upon them.
+
+Then King Nebuchadnezzar said before all his rulers:
+
+"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent
+his angel, and has saved the lives of these men who trusted in him. _I_
+make a law that no man in all my kingdoms shall say a word against
+their God, for there is no other god who can save in this manner those
+who worship him. And if any man speaks a word against their God, the
+Most High God, that man shall be cut in pieces, and his house shall be
+torn down."
+
+After King Nebuchadnezzar died, his kingdom became weak, and the city of
+Babylon was taken by the Medes and Persians, under Cyrus, a great
+warrior.
+
+THE STORY OF DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN
+
+
+The lands which had been the Babylonian or Chaldean empire, now became
+the empire of Persia; and over these Darius was the king. King Darius
+gave to Daniel, who was now a very old man, a high place in honor and in
+power. Among all the rulers over the land, Daniel stood first, for the
+king saw that he was wise and able to rule. This made the other princes
+and rulers very jealous, and they tried to find something evil in
+Daniel, so that they could speak to the king against him.
+
+These men saw that three times every day Daniel went to his room and
+opened the window that was toward the city of Jerusalem, and looking
+toward Jerusalem, made his prayer to God. Jerusalem was at that time in
+ruins, and the Temple was no longer standing; but Daniel prayed three
+times each day with his face toward the place where the house of God had
+once stood, although it was many hundreds of miles away.
+
+These nobles thought that in Daniel's prayers they could find a chance
+to do him harm, and perhaps cause him to be put to death. They came to
+King Darius, and said to him:
+
+"All the rulers have agreed together to have a law made that for thirty
+days no one shall ask anything of any god or of any man, except from
+you, O king; and that if any one shall pray to any god, or shall ask
+anything from any man during the thirty days, except from you, O king,
+he shall be thrown into the den where the lions are kept. Now, O king,
+make the law, and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, for no
+law among the Medes and the Persians can be altered."
+
+The king was not a wise man; and being foolish and vain, he was pleased
+with this law which would set him even above the gods. So without asking
+Daniel's advice, he signed the writing; and the law was made, and the
+word was sent out through the kingdom, that for thirty days no one
+should pray to any god.
+
+Daniel knew that the law had been made, but every day he went to his
+room three times, and opened the window that looked toward Jerusalem,
+and offered his prayers to the Lord, just as he had prayed in other
+times. These rulers were watching near by, and they saw Daniel kneeling
+in prayer to God. Then they came to the king, and said:
+
+"O King Darius, have you not made a law, that if any one in thirty days
+offers a prayer, he shall be thrown into the den of lions?"
+
+"It is true," said the king. "The law has been made, and it must
+stand."
+
+They said to the king: "There is one man who does not obey the law which
+you have made. It is that Daniel, one of the captive Jews. Every day
+Daniel prays to his God three times, just as he did before you signed
+the writing of the law."
+
+[Illustration: _Thrown into the den of lions_]
+
+Then the king was very sorry for what he had done, for he loved Daniel,
+and knew that no one could take his place in the kingdom. All day, until
+the sun went down, he tried in vain to find some way to save Daniel's
+life; but when evening came, these men again told him of the law that he
+had made, and said to him that it must be kept. Very unwillingly the
+king sent for Daniel, and gave an order that he should be thrown into
+the den of lions. He said to Daniel: "Perhaps your God, whom you serve
+so faithfully, will save you from the lions."
+
+They led Daniel to the mouth of the pit where the lions were kept, and
+they threw him in; and over the mouth they placed a stone; and the king
+sealed it with his own seal, and with the seals of his nobles; so that
+no one might take away the stone and let Daniel out of the den.
+
+Then the king went again to his palace; but that night he was so sad
+that he could not eat, nor did he listen to music as he was used to
+listen. He could not sleep, for all through the night he was thinking of
+Daniel. Very early in the morning he rose up from his bed and went in
+haste to the den of lions. He broke the seal and took away the stone,
+and in a voice full of sorrow he called out, scarcely hoping to have an
+answer:
+
+"O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you
+from the lions?"
+
+And out of the darkness in the den came the voice of Daniel, saying:
+
+"O king, may you live forever! My God has sent his angel and has shut
+the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because my God saw that
+I had done no wrong. And I have done no wrong toward you, O king!"
+
+[Illustration: DANIEL'S ANSWER TO THE KING--"Then said Daniel unto
+the King, O King, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath
+shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me."--(Daniel 6:
+21-22.)]
+
+Then the king was glad. He gave to his servants orders to take Daniel
+out of the den. Daniel was brought out safe and without harm, because
+he had trusted fully in the Lord God. Then by the king's command, they
+brought those men who had spoken against Daniel, and with them their
+wives and their children, for the king was exceedingly angry with them.
+They were all thrown into the den, and the hungry lions leaped upon
+them, and tore them in pieces, so soon as they fell upon the floor of
+the den.
+
+After this king Darius wrote to all the lands and the peoples in the
+many kingdoms under his rule:
+
+"May peace be given to you all abundantly! I make a law that everywhere
+among my kingdoms men fear and worship the Lord God of Daniel; for he is
+the living God, above all other gods, who only can save men."
+
+And Daniel stood beside king Darius until the end of his reign, and
+afterward while Cyrus the Persian was king over all the lands.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR
+
+
+At the time when the story of the New Testament begins, the land of
+Israel, called also the land of Judea, was ruled by a king named Herod.
+He was the first of several Herods, who at different times ruled either
+the whole of the land, or parts of it. But Herod was not the highest
+ruler. Many years before this time, the Romans, who came from the city
+of Rome in Italy, had won all the lands around the Great Sea, the sea
+which we call the Mediterranean; and above king Herod of Judea was the
+great king of Rome, ruling over all the lands, and over the land of
+Judea among them. So Herod, though king of Judea, obeyed his overlord,
+the emperor at Rome. At the time when this story begins, the emperor at
+Rome was named Augustus Caesar.
+
+At this time, the land where the Jews lived was full of people.
+Jerusalem was its largest city, and in Jerusalem was standing the Temple
+of the Lord, which king Herod had lately built anew, taking the place of
+the old Temple built very many years before, which had long needed
+repair. There were also many other large cities besides Jerusalem. In
+the south was Hebron among the mountains; on the shore of the Great Sea
+were Gaza, and Joppa, and Caesarea; in the middle of the land were
+Shechem and Samaria; and in the north were Nazareth, and Cana; down by
+the shore of the Sea of Galilee were Tiberias, and Capernaum, and
+Bethsaida. Far up in the north, at the foot of snowy Mount Hermon, was
+another Caesarea; but so that it might not be confused with Caesarea upon
+the seacoast this city was called Caesarea-Philippi, or "Philip's
+Caesarea," from the name of one of Herod's sons.
+
+One day, an old priest named Zacharias was leading the service of
+worship in the Temple. He was standing in front of the golden altar of
+incense, in the Holy Place, and was holding in his hand a censer, or
+cup, full of burning coals and incense; while all the people were
+worshipping in the court of the Temple, outside the court of the
+Priests, where the great altar of burnt-offering stood.
+
+Suddenly, Zacharias saw an angel from the Lord, standing on the right
+side of the altar of incense. He felt a great fear when he saw this
+strange being with shining face; but the angel said to him:
+
+[Illustration: _"Do not be afraid, Zacharias"_]
+
+"Do not be afraid, Zacharias; for I have come from the Lord to bring
+good news. Your wife Elizabeth shall have a son, and you shall name him
+John. You shall be made glad, for your son John shall bring joy and
+gladness to many. He shall be great in the sight of the Lord; and he
+shall never taste wine nor strong drink as long as he lives; but he
+shall be filled with God's Holy Spirit. He shall lead many of the
+people of Israel to the Lord, for he shall go before the Lord in the
+power of Elijah the prophet, as was promised by Malachi, the last of the
+old prophets. He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
+and those who are disobeying the Lord to do his will."
+
+As Zacharias heard these words, he was filled with wonder, and could
+hardly believe them true. He was now an old man, and his wife Elizabeth
+was also old; so that they could not expect to have a child. He said to
+the angel:
+
+"How shall I know that your words are true, for I am an old man, and my
+wife is old?"
+
+"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God," said the angel. "And
+I was sent from the Lord to speak to you, and to bring you this good
+news. But because you did not believe my words, you shall become dumb,
+and shall not be able to speak, until this which I have said comes to
+pass."
+
+All this time the people outside in the court were wondering why the
+priest stayed so long in the Temple. When at last he came out, they
+found that he could not speak a word; but he made signs to them, to tell
+them that he had seen a vision in the Temple.
+
+After the days of his service were over, Zacharias went to his own home,
+which was near Hebron, a city of the priests, among the mountains in
+the south of Judea. When his wife Elizabeth found that God was soon to
+give her a child, she was very happy, and praised the Lord.
+
+About six months after Zacharias saw the vision in the Temple, the same
+angel Gabriel was sent from the Lord to a city in the part of the land
+called Galilee, which was in the north. The city to which the angel was
+sent was Nazareth. There the angel found a young girl named Mary, who
+was a cousin to Elizabeth. Mary was soon to be married to a good man who
+had sprung from the line of king David, though he was not himself a
+king, nor a rich man. He was a carpenter, living in Nazareth, and his
+name was Joseph. The angel came into the room where Mary was, and said
+to her: "Hail, woman favored by the Lord; the Lord is with you!"
+
+Mary was surprised at the angel's words, and wondered what they could
+mean. Then the angel spoke again, and said: "Do not be afraid, Mary. The
+Lord has given to you his favor, and has chosen you to be the mother of
+a son whose name shall be Jesus, which means 'salvation,' because he
+shall save his people from their sins. He shall be great, and shall be
+called the Son of God; and the Lord shall give to him the throne of his
+father David. He shall be a king, and shall reign over the people of
+God forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
+
+But Mary could not see how all this was to come to pass. And the angel
+said to her:
+
+"The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High God
+shall be over you; and the child which you shall have shall be called
+holy, the Son of God."
+
+Then the angel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was soon to have a
+child, through the power of the Lord. And when Mary heard all this, she
+said: "I am the servant of the Lord, to do his will. Let it be to me as
+you have said."
+
+When the angel had given his message and had gone away, Mary rose up in
+haste and made a journey to the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth. When
+Elizabeth saw Mary, she was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and
+said:
+
+"Blessed are you among women, and blessed among men shall be your son!
+And why is it that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me? Blessed is
+the woman who believed that the promise of the Lord to her shall be made
+true!"
+
+Then Mary was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and broke out into a
+song of praise. She stayed with Elizabeth for nearly three months, and
+then went again to her own home at Nazareth.
+
+As the angel had said, to the aged woman Elizabeth was given a son.
+They were going to name him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother
+said: "No, his name shall be John."
+
+"Why," they said, "none of your family have ever been named John!"
+
+They asked his father Zacharias, by signs, what name he wished to be
+given to the child. He asked for something to write upon; and when they
+brought it, he wrote, "His name is John." Then all at once, the power to
+hear and to speak came back to Zacharias. He spoke, praising and
+blessing God; and he sang a song of thanks to God, in which he said:
+
+"You O child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; to go before
+the Lord, and to make ready his ways."
+
+When John was growing up, they sent him out into the desert on the south
+of the land, and there he stayed until the time came for him to preach
+to the people; for this child became the great prophet John the Baptist.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF JESUS, THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM
+
+
+Soon after the time when John the Baptist was born, Joseph the carpenter
+of Nazareth had a dream. In his dream he saw an angel from the Lord
+standing beside him. The angel said to him:
+
+"Joseph, sprung from the line of king David, I have come to tell you,
+that Mary, the young woman whom you are to marry, will have a son, sent
+by the Lord God. You shall call his name Jesus, which means 'salvation,'
+because he shall save his people from their sins."
+
+God's people had had several kings. Some of them had been selfish and
+cruel, but Jesus was to be a new kind of king, one who would save, not
+destroy men.
+
+Soon after Joseph and Mary were married in Nazareth, a command went
+forth from the emperor Augustus Caesar through all the lands of the Roman
+empire, for all the people to go to the cities and towns from which
+their families had come, and there to have their names written down upon
+a list, for the emperor wished a list to be made of all the people under
+his rule. As both Joseph and Mary had come from the family of David the
+king, they went together from Nazareth to Bethlehem, there to have their
+names written upon the list. For you remember that Bethlehem in Judea,
+six miles south of Jerusalem, was the place where David was born, and
+where his father's family had lived for many years.
+
+It was a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; down the mountains to
+the river Jordan, then following the Jordan almost to its end, and then
+climbing the mountains of Judah to the town of Bethlehem. When Joseph
+and Mary came to Bethlehem they found the city full of people who, like
+themselves, had come to have their names enrolled or written upon the
+list. The inn or hotel was full, and there was no room for them; for no
+one but themselves knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother
+of the Lord of all the earth. The best that they could do was to go to a
+stable where the cattle were kept. There the little baby was born, and
+was laid in a manger, where the cattle were fed.
+
+On that night, some shepherds were tending their sheep in a field near
+Bethlehem. Suddenly, a great light shone upon them, and they saw an
+angel of the Lord standing before them. They were filled with fear, as
+they saw how glorious the angel was. But the angel said to them:
+
+"Be not afraid; for behold I bring you news of great joy, which shall
+be to all the people; for there is born to you this day in Bethlehem,
+the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, the anointed king.
+You may see him there; and you may know him by this sign: He is a
+new-born baby, lying in a manger, at the inn."
+
+[Illustration: _They were filled with fear_]
+
+And then they saw that the air around and the sky above them were filled
+with angels, praising God and singing:
+
+"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men in whom God
+is well pleased."
+
+While they looked with wonder, and listened, the angels went out of
+sight as suddenly as they had come. Then the shepherds said one to
+another:
+
+"Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this wonderful thing that has
+come to pass, and which the Lord has made known to us."
+
+[Illustration: _The baby in the manger_]
+
+Then as quickly as they could go to Bethlehem, they went, and found
+Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and his young wife Mary, and the
+little baby lying in the manger. They told Mary and Joseph, and others
+also, how they had seen the angels, and what they had heard about this
+baby. All who heard their story wondered at it; Mary, the mother of the
+child, said nothing. She thought over all these things, and silently
+kept them in her heart. After their visit, the shepherds went back to
+their flocks, praising God for the good news that he had sent to them.
+
+When the little one was eight days old, they gave him a name; and the
+name given was "Jesus," a word which means "salvation," as the angel had
+told both Mary and Joseph that he should be named. So the very name of
+this child told what he should do for men; for he was to bring salvation
+to the world.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE STAR AND THE WISE MEN
+
+For some time after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary stayed with him in
+Bethlehem. The little baby was not kept long in the stable sleeping in a
+manger; for after a few days they found room in a house; and there
+another visit was made to Jesus by strange men from a land far away.
+
+In a country east of Judea, and many miles distant, were living some
+very wise men who studied the stars. One night they saw a strange star
+shining in the sky, and in some way they learned that the coming of this
+star meant that a king was soon to be born in the land of Judea. These
+men felt a call of God to go to Judea, far to the west of their own
+home, and there to see this new-born king. They took a long journey,
+with camels and horses, and at last they came to, the land of Judea,
+just at the time when Jesus was born at Bethlehem. As soon as they were
+in Judea, they supposed that every one would know all about the king,
+and they said:
+
+"Where is he that is born king of the Jews? In the east we have seen his
+star, and we have come to worship him."
+
+[Illustration: THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD--"And there were in the
+same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
+flock by night.... And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold,
+I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For
+unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
+Christ the Lord.'"--(Luke 2: 8-10-11.)]
+
+But no one of whom they asked had ever seen this king, or had heard of
+him. The news of their coming was sent to Herod the king, who was now a
+very old man. He ruled the land of Judea, as you know, under the emperor
+at Rome, Augustus Caesar. Herod was a very wicked man, and when he heard
+of some one born to be a king, he feared that he might lose his own
+kingdom. He made up his mind to kill this new king.
+
+He sent for the priests and scribes, the men who studied and taught the
+books of the Old Testament, and asked them about this Christ for whom
+all the people were looking. He said: "Can you tell me where Christ, the
+king of Israel, is to be born?" They looked at the books of the
+prophets, and then they said: "He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judea;
+for thus it is written by the prophet, 'And thou Bethlehem in the land
+of Judah are not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee
+shall come forth one who shall rule my people Israel.'"
+
+Then Herod sent for the wise men from the east, and met them alone, and
+found from them at what time the star was first seen. Then he said to
+them:
+
+"Go to Bethlehem; and there search carefully for the little child; and
+when you have found him, bring me word again, so that I also may come
+and worship him."
+
+[Illustration: _The wise men went their way_]
+
+Then the wise men went on their way toward Bethlehem; and suddenly they
+saw the star again shining upon the road before them. At this they were
+glad, and followed the star until it led them to the very house where
+the little child was. They came in, and there they saw the little one,
+with Mary, its mother. They knew at once that this was the king; and
+they fell down on their faces and worshipped him as the Lord. Then they
+brought out gifts of gold and precious perfumes, frankincense and myrrh,
+which were used in offering sacrifices; and they gave them as presents
+to the royal child.
+
+That night God sent a dream to the wise men, telling them not to go back
+to Herod, but to go home at once to their own land by another way. They
+obeyed the Lord, and found another road to their own country without
+passing through Jerusalem where Herod was living. So Herod could not
+learn from those men who the child was that was born to be a king.
+
+And very soon after these wise men had gone away, the Lord sent another
+dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary. He saw an angel, who spoke to him,
+saying:
+
+"Rise up quickly; take the little child and his mother, and go down to
+the land of Egypt, for Herod will try to find the child to kill him."
+
+Then at once Joseph rose up in the night, without waiting even for the
+morning. He took his wife and her baby, and quietly and quickly went
+with them down to Egypt, which was on the southwest of Judea. There they
+all stayed in safety, as long as the wicked king Herod lived, which was
+not many months.
+
+King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from their visit
+to Bethlehem; but he soon found that they had gone to their home
+without bringing to him any word. Then Herod was very angry. He sent out
+his soldiers to Bethlehem. They came, and by the cruel king's command
+they seized all the little children in Bethlehem who were three years
+old, or younger, and killed them all. What a cry went up to God from the
+mothers in Bethlehem, as their children were torn from their arms and
+slain!
+
+[Illustration: _He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt_]
+
+But all this time, the child Jesus whom they were seeking was safe with
+his mother in the land of Egypt.
+
+Soon after this king Herod died, a very old man, cruel to the last. Then
+the angel of the Lord came again and spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying:
+"You may now take the young child back to his own land, for the king who
+sought to kill him is dead."
+
+Then Joseph took his wife and the little child Jesus, and started to go
+again to the land of Judea. Perhaps it was his thought to go again to
+Bethlehem, the city of David, and there bring up the child. But he heard
+that in that part of the land Archelaus, a son of Herod, was now ruling,
+and who was as wicked and cruel as his father.
+
+He feared to go under Archelaus' rule, and instead took his wife and the
+child to Nazareth, which had been his own home and that of Mary his wife
+before the child was born. Nazareth was in the part of the land called
+Galilee, which at that time was ruled by another son of king Herod, a
+king named Herod Antipas. He was not a good man, but was not so cruel
+nor bloody as his wicked father had been.
+
+So again Joseph the carpenter and Mary his wife were living in Nazareth.
+And there they stayed for many years while Jesus was growing up. Jesus
+was not the only child in their house, and he had many other playmates
+among the boys of Nazareth.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE CHILD IN THE TEMPLE
+
+Jesus was brought to Nazareth when he was a little child not more than
+three years old; there he grew up as a boy and a young man, and there he
+lived until he was thirty years of age. We should like to know many
+things about his boyhood, but the Bible tells us very little. As Joseph
+was a working man, it is likely that he lived in a house with only one
+room, with no floor except the earth, no window except a hole in the
+wall, no pictures upon the walls, and neither bedstead, nor chair, nor
+looking-glass. They sat upon the floor or upon cushions; they slept upon
+rolls of matting, and their meals were taken from a low table not much
+larger than a stool.
+
+Jesus may have learned to read at the village school, which was
+generally held in the house used for worship, called the "synagogue."
+The lessons were from rolls on which were written parts of the Old
+Testament; but Jesus never had a Bible of his own. From a child he went
+with Joseph to the worship in the synagogue twice every week. There they
+sat on the floor and heard the Old Testament read and explained, while
+Mary and the younger sisters of Jesus listened from a gallery behind a
+lattice-screen. The Jewish boys of that time were taught to know almost
+the whole of the Old Testament by heart.
+
+It was the custom of the Jews from all parts of the land to go up to
+Jerusalem to worship at least once every year, at the feast of the
+Passover, which was held in the spring. Some families also stayed to the
+feast of Pentecost, which was fifty days after Passover; and some went
+again in the fall to the feast of Tabernacles, when for a week all the
+families slept out of doors, under roofs made of green twigs and bushes.
+
+When Jesus was a boy twelve years old, he was taken up to the feast of
+the Passover, and there for the first time he saw the holy city
+Jerusalem, and the Temple of the Lord on Mount Moriah. Young as he was,
+his soul was stirred, as he walked among the courts of the Temple and
+saw the altar with its smoking sacrifice, the priests in their white
+robes, and the Levites with their silver trumpets. Though a boy, Jesus
+began to feel that he was the Son of God, and that this was his Father's
+house.
+
+[Illustration: _Sitting in a company of the doctors of the law_]
+
+His heart was so filled with the worship of the Temple, with the words
+of the scribes or teachers whom he heard in the courts, and with his own
+thoughts, that when it was time to go home to Nazareth, he stayed
+behind, held fast by his love for the house of the Lord. The company of
+people who were traveling together was large, and at first he was not
+missed. But when night came and the boy Jesus could not be found, his
+mother was alarmed. The next day Joseph and Mary left their company and
+hastened back to Jerusalem. They did not at first think to go to the
+Temple. They sought him among their friends and kindred who were living
+in the city, but could not find him.
+
+On the third day, they went up to the Temple with heavy hearts, still
+looking for their boy. And there they found him sitting in a company of
+the doctors of the law, listening to their words and asking them
+questions. Everybody who stood near was surprised to find how deep was
+the knowledge of this boy in the word of the Lord.
+
+His mother spoke to him a little sharply, for she felt that her son had
+not been thoughtful of his duty. She said: "Child, why have you treated
+us in this way? Do you not know that your father and I have been looking
+for you with troubled hearts?"
+
+"Why did you seek for me," said Jesus. "Did you not know that I must be
+in my Father's house?"
+
+They did not understand these words; but Mary thought often about them
+afterward; for she felt her son was no common child, and that his words
+had a deep meaning. Though Jesus was wise beyond his years, he obeyed
+Joseph and his mother in all things. He went with them to Nazareth, and
+lived contented with the plain life of their country home.
+
+As the years went on, Jesus grew from a boy to a young man. He grew,
+too, in knowledge, and in wisdom, and in the favor of God. He won the
+love of all who knew him, for there was something in his nature that
+drew all hearts, both young and old.
+
+Jesus learned the trade of a carpenter with Joseph; and when Joseph
+died, while Jesus was still a young man, Jesus worked as a carpenter,
+and helped his mother take care of the family. And so in the carpenter
+shop, and the quiet life of a country village, and the worship of the
+synagogue, the years passed until Jesus was thirty years of age.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE WATER THAT WAS TURNED INTO WINE
+
+A few days after Jesus met his followers or disciples at the river
+Jordan, he came with these men to a town in Galilee called Cana, to be
+present at a wedding. In those lands a feast was always held at a
+wedding, and often the friends of those who were married stayed several
+days, eating and drinking together.
+
+The mother of Jesus was at this wedding as a friend of the family; for
+Nazareth, where she lived, was quite near to Cana. Before the wedding
+feast was over, all the wine had been used, and there was no more for
+the guests to drink. The mother of Jesus knew that her son had power to
+do whatever he chose; and she said to him; "They have no wine."
+
+Jesus said to her: "O woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not
+yet come."
+
+But his mother knew that Jesus would in some way help the people in
+their need, and she said to the servants who were waiting at the table:
+
+"Whatever he tells you to do, be sure to do it."
+
+In the dining hall were standing six large stone jars, each about as
+large as a barrel, holding twenty-five gallons. These jars held water
+for washing, as the Jews washed their hands before every meal, and
+washed their feet as often as they came from walking in the street,
+since they wore no shoes, but only sandals. Jesus said to the servants:
+
+"Fill the jars with water."
+
+[Illustration: _"Fill the jars with water"_]
+
+The servants obeyed Jesus, and filled the jars up to the brim. Then
+Jesus spoke to them again, and said:
+
+"Now draw out some of the water, and take it to the ruler of the feast."
+
+They drew out water from the jars, and saw that it had been turned into
+wine. The ruler did not know from what place the wine had come; but he
+said to the young man who had just been married, the bridegroom:
+
+"At a feast everybody gives his best wine at the beginning, and
+afterward, when his guests have drunk freely, he brings on wine that is
+not so good; but you have kept the good wine until now."
+
+This was the first time that Jesus used the power that God had given
+him, to do what no other man could do. Such works as these were called
+"miracles"; and Jesus did them as signs of his power as the Son of God.
+When the disciples saw this miracle, they believed in Jesus more fully
+than before.
+
+After this Jesus went with his mother and his younger brothers to a
+place called Capernaum, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. But they
+stayed there only a few days, for the feast of the Passover was near,
+and Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend it. You remember that the feast
+of the Passover was held every year, to keep in mind how God had led the
+people of Israel out of Egypt long before.
+
+When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he found in the courts of the Temple men
+who were selling oxen and sheep and doves for the sacrifices, and other
+men sitting at tables changing the money of Jews who came from other
+lands into the money of Judea. All this made the courts around the
+Temple seem like a market, and not a place for the worship of God.
+
+[Illustration: _"Take these things away"_]
+
+Jesus picked up some cord and made from it a little whip. With it he
+began to drive out of the Temple all the buyers and sellers. He was but
+one, and they were many; but such power was in his look, that they ran
+before him. He drove the men and the sheep and the oxen; he overturned
+the tables and threw on the floor the money, and to those who were
+selling the doves he said: "Take these things away; make not my Father's
+house a house for selling and buying!"
+
+The acts of Jesus were not pleasing to the rulers of the Jews, for many
+of them were making money by this selling of sacrifices and changing of
+money. Some of the rulers came to Jesus and said to him: "What right
+have you to come here and do such things as these? What sign can you
+show that God has given to you power to rule in this place?"
+
+Jesus said to them: "I will give you a sign. Destroy this house of God,
+and in three days I will raise it up."
+
+Then said the Jews, "It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple,
+and it is not finished yet. Will you raise it up in three days?"
+
+But Jesus did not mean that Temple on Mount Moriah. He was speaking of
+himself, for in him God was dwelling as in a temple, and he meant that
+when they should put him to death, he would rise again in three days.
+Afterward, when Jesus had died and risen again, his followers, the
+disciples, thought of what he had said, and understood these words.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE STRANGER AT THE WELL
+
+
+While Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem and in the country places near it,
+John the Baptist was still preaching and baptizing. But already the
+people were leaving John and going to hear Jesus. Some of the followers
+of John the Baptist were not pleased as they saw that fewer people came
+to their master, and that the crowds were seeking Jesus. But John said
+to them: "I told you that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before
+him. Jesus is the Christ, the king. He must grow greater, while I must
+grow less; and I am glad that it is so."
+
+Soon after this, Herod Antipas, the king of the province or land of
+Galilee, put John in prison. Herod had taken for his wife a woman named
+Herodias, who had left her husband to live with Herod, which was very
+wicked. John sent word to Herod, that it was not right for him to have
+this woman as his wife. These words of John made Herodias very angry.
+She hated John, and tried to kill him. Herod himself did not hate John
+so greatly, for he knew that John had spoken the truth. But he was weak,
+and yielded to his wife Herodias. To please her, he sent John the
+Baptist to a lonely prison among the mountains east of the Dead Sea; for
+the land in that region, as well as Galilee, was under Herod's rule.
+There in prison Herod hoped to keep John safe from the hate of his wife
+Herodias.
+
+Soon after John the Baptist was thrown into prison, Jesus left the
+country near Jerusalem with his disciples, and went toward Galilee, the
+province in the north. Between Judea in the south and Galilee in the
+north, lay the land of Samaria, where the Samaritans lived, who hated
+the Jews. They worshipped the Lord as the Jews worshipped him, but they
+had their own Temple and their own priests. And they had their own
+Bible, which was only the five books of Moses; for they would not read
+the other books of the old Testament. The Jews and the Samaritans would
+scarcely ever speak to each other, so great was the hate between them.
+
+When Jews went from Galilee to Jerusalem, or from Jerusalem to Galilee,
+they would not pass through Samaria, but went down the mountains to the
+river Jordan, and walked beside the river, in order to go around
+Samaria. But Jesus, when he would go from Jerusalem to Galilee, walked
+over the mountains straight through Samaria. One morning while he was on
+his journey, he stopped to rest beside an old well at the foot of Mount
+Gerizim, not far from the city of Shechem, but nearer to a little
+village that was called Sychar. This well had been dug by Jacob, the
+great father or ancestor of the Israelites, many hundreds of years
+before. It was an old well then in the days of Jesus; and it is much
+older now; for the same well may be seen in that place still. Even now
+travelers may have a drink from Jacob's well.
+
+It was early in the morning, about sunrise, when Jesus was sitting by
+Jacob's well. He was very tired, for he had walked a long journey; he
+was hungry, and his disciples had gone to the village near at hand to
+buy food. He was thirsty, too; and as he looked into the well he could
+see the water a hundred feet below, but he had no rope with which to let
+down a cup or a jar to draw up some water to drink.
+
+Just at this moment a Samaritan woman came to the well, with her
+water-jar upon her head, and her rope in her hand. Jesus looked at her,
+and in one glance read her soul, and saw all her life.
+
+He knew that Jews did not often speak to Samaritans, but he said to her:
+
+"Please to give me a drink?"
+
+The woman saw from his looks and his dress that he was a Jew, and she
+said to him:
+
+"How is it that you, who are a Jew, ask drink of me, a Samaritan
+woman?"
+
+Jesus answered her:
+
+"If you knew what God's free gift is, and if you knew who it is that
+says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would ask him to give you living
+water, and he would give it to you."
+
+There was something in the words and the looks of Jesus which made the
+woman feel that he was not a common man. She said to him: "Sir, you have
+nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where can you get that
+living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who drank from this
+well, and who gave it to us?"
+
+"Whoever drinks of this water," said Jesus, "shall thirst again, but
+whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst;
+but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
+springing up unto everlasting life."
+
+"Sir," said the woman, "give me some of this water of yours, so that I
+will not thirst any more, nor come all the way to this well."
+
+Jesus looked at the woman, and said to her, "Go home, and bring your
+husband, and come here."
+
+"I have no husband," answered the woman.
+
+"Yes," said Jesus, "you have spoken the truth. You have no husband. But
+you have had five husbands, and the man whom you now have is not your
+husband."
+
+The woman was filled with wonder as she heard this. She saw that here
+was a man who knew what others could not know. She felt that God had
+spoken to him, and she said:
+
+"Sir, I see that you are a prophet of God. Tell me whether our people or
+the Jews are right. Our fathers have worshipped on this mountain. The
+Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where men should go to worship.
+Now, which of these is the right place?"
+
+"Woman, believe me," said Jesus, "there is coming a time when men shall
+worship God in other places besides on this mountain and in Jerusalem.
+The time is near; it has even now come, when the true worshippers
+everywhere shall pray to God in spirit and in truth; for God himself is
+a Spirit."
+
+The woman said: "I know that the Anointed one is coming, the Christ.
+When he comes, he will teach us all things."
+
+Jesus said to her:
+
+"I that speak to you now am he, the Christ!"
+
+Just at this time the disciples of Jesus came back from the village.
+They wondered to see Jesus talking with this Samaritan woman, but they
+said nothing.
+
+The woman had come to draw water, but in her interest in this wonderful
+stranger, she forgot her errand. Leaving her water-jar, she ran back to
+her village, and said to the people:
+
+"Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done in all my life!
+Is not this man the Christ whom we are looking for?"
+
+Soon the woman came back to the well with many of her people. They asked
+Jesus to come to their town, and to stay there and teach them. He went
+with them, and stayed there two days, teaching the people, who were
+Samaritans. And many of the people in that place believed in Jesus, and
+said:
+
+"We have heard for ourselves; now we know that this is indeed the
+Saviour of the world."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE FISHERMEN
+
+When Jesus began to teach the people by the river Jordan, a few young
+men came to him as followers, or disciples. Some of these men were
+Andrew and John, Peter and Philip and Nathanael. While Jesus was
+teaching near Jerusalem and in Samaria, these men stayed with Jesus; but
+when he came to Galilee, they went to their homes and work, for most of
+them were fishermen from the Sea of Galilee.
+
+One morning, soon after Jesus came to Capernaum, he went out of the
+city, by the sea, followed by a great throng of people, who had come
+together to see him and to hear him. On the shore were lying two fishing
+boats, one of which belonged to Simon and Andrew, the other to James and
+John and their father Zebedee. The men themselves were not in the boats,
+but were washing their nets near by.
+
+Jesus stepped into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter and his brother
+Andrew, and asked them to push it out a little into the lake, so that he
+could talk to the people from it without being crowded too closely. They
+pushed it out, and then Jesus sat in the boat, and spoke to the people,
+as they stood upon the beach. After he had finished speaking to the
+people, and had sent them away, he said to Simon Peter:
+
+"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets to catch some fish."
+
+[Illustration: _The net caught so many fishes they could not pull it
+up_]
+
+"Master," said Simon, "we have been fishing all night, and have caught
+nothing; but if it is your will, I will let down the net again."
+
+They did as Jesus bade them; and now the net caught so many fishes that
+Simon and Andrew could not pull it up, and it was in danger of breaking.
+They made signs to the two brothers, James and John, who were in the
+other boat, for them to come and help them. They came, and lifted the
+net, and poured out the fish. There were so many of them that both the
+boats were filled, and began to sink.
+
+When Simon Peter saw this, he was struck with wonder, and felt that it
+was by the power of God. He fell down at the feet of Jesus, saying: "Oh
+Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy of all this! Leave me, O
+Lord."
+
+But Jesus said to Simon, and to the others, "Fear not; but follow me,
+and I will make you from this time fishers of men."
+
+From that time these four men, Simon and Andrew, James and John, gave up
+their nets and their work, and became disciples of Jesus.
+
+On the Sabbath, after this, Jesus and his disciples went together to the
+synagogue, and spoke to the people. They listened to him and were
+surprised at his teaching; for while the scribes always repeated what
+other scribes had said before, Jesus never spoke of what the men of old
+time had taught, but spoke in his own name, and by his own power,
+saying, "I say unto you," as one who had the right to speak. Men felt
+that Jesus was speaking to them as the voice of God.
+
+On one Sabbath, while Jesus was preaching, a man came into the synagogue
+who had in him an evil spirit; for sometimes evil spirits came into men,
+and lived in them and spoke out from them. The evil spirit in this man
+cried out, saying:
+
+"Let us alone, thou Jesus of Nazareth! What have we to do with thee?
+Hast thou come to destroy us? I know thee; and I know who thou art, the
+Holy one of God!"
+
+Then Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man:
+
+"Be still; and come out of this man!"
+
+Then the evil spirit threw the man down, and seemed as if he would tear
+him apart; but he left the man lying on the ground, without harm.
+
+Then wonder fell upon all the people. They were filled with fear, and
+said: "What mighty word is this? This man speaks even to the evil
+spirits, and they obey him!"
+
+After the meeting in the synagogue, Jesus went into the house where
+Simon Peter lived. There he saw lying upon a bed the mother of Simon's
+wife, who was very ill with a burning fever. He stood over her, and
+touched her hand. At once the fever left her; she rose up from her bed
+and waited upon them.
+
+At sunset, the Sabbath day was over; and then they brought to Jesus from
+all parts of the city those that were sick, and some that had evil
+spirits in them. Jesus laid his hands upon the sick, and they became
+well; he drove out the evil spirits by a word, and would not allow them
+to speak.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
+
+Among the Jews there was one class of men hated and despised by the
+people more than any other. That was "the publicans." These were the men
+who took from the people the tax which the Roman rulers had laid upon
+the land. Many of these publicans were selfish, grasping, and cruel.
+They robbed the people, taking more than was right. Some of them were
+honest men, dealing fairly, and taking no more for the tax than was
+needful; but because so many were wicked, all the publicans were hated
+alike; and they were called "sinners" by the people.
+
+One day, when Jesus was going out of Capernaum, to the seaside, followed
+by a great crowd of people, he passed a publican, or tax-gatherer, who
+was seated at his table taking money from the people who came to pay
+their taxes. This man was named Matthew, or Levi; for many Jews had two
+names. Jesus could look into the hearts of men, and he saw that Matthew
+was one who might help him as one of his disciples. He looked upon
+Matthew, and said:
+
+"Follow me!"
+
+At once, the publican rose up from his table, and left it to go with
+Jesus. All the people wondered, as they saw one of the hated publicans
+among the disciples, with Peter, and John, and the rest. But Jesus
+believed that there is good in all kinds of people. Most of the men who
+followed him were poor fishermen. None of them, so far as we know, was
+rich. And when he called Matthew he saw a man with a true and loving
+heart, whose rising up to follow Jesus just as soon as he was called
+showed what a brave and faithful friend he would be. The first of the
+four books about Jesus bears Matthew's name.
+
+A little while after Jesus called him, Matthew made a great feast for
+Jesus at his house; and to the feast he invited many publicans, and
+others whom the Jews called sinners. The Pharisees saw Jesus sitting
+among these people, and they said with scorn to his disciples:
+
+"Why does your Master sit at the table with publicans and sinners?"
+
+Jesus heard of what these men had said, and he said:
+
+"Those that are well do not need a doctor to cure them, but those that
+are sick do need one. I go to these people because they know that they
+are sinners and need to be saved. I came not to call those who think
+themselves to be good, but those who wish to be made better."
+
+One evening Jesus went alone to a mountain not far from Capernaum. A
+crowd of people and his disciples followed him; but Jesus left them all,
+and went up to the top of the mountain, where he could be alone. There
+he stayed all night, praying to God, his Father and our Father. In the
+morning, out of all his followers, he chose twelve men who should walk
+with him and listen to his words, so that they might be able to teach
+others in turn. Some of these men he had called before; but now he
+called them again, and others with them. They were called "The Twelve,"
+or "the disciples"; and after Jesus went to heaven, they were called
+"The Apostles," a word which means "those who were sent out," because
+Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel to the world.
+
+[Illustration: _"I came not to call those who think themselves to be
+good"_]
+
+The names of the twelve disciples, or apostles, were these: Simon Peter
+and his brother Andrew; James and John, the two sons of Zebedee; Philip
+of Bethsaida, and Nathanael, who was also called Bartholomew, a name
+which means "the son of Tholmai"; Thomas, who was also called Didymus, a
+name which means "a twin," and Matthew the publican, or tax-gatherer;
+another James, the son of Alpheus, who was called "James the Less," to
+keep his name apart from the first James, the brother of John; and
+Lebbeus, who was also called Thaddeus. Lebbeus was also called Judas,
+but he was a different man from another Judas, whose name is always
+given last. The eleventh name was another Simon, who was called "the
+Cananean" or "Simon Zelotes"; and the last name was Judas Iscariot, who
+was afterward the traitor. We know very little about most of these men,
+but some of them in later days did a great work. Simon Peter was a
+leader among them, but most of them were common sort of men of whom the
+best we know is that they loved Jesus and followed him to the end. Some
+died for him, and some served him in distant and dangerous places.
+
+[Illustration: _Then, on the mountain, he preached_]
+
+Before all the people who had come to hear him, Jesus called these
+twelve men to stand by his side. Then, on the mountain, he preached to
+these disciples and to the great company of people. The disciples stood
+beside him, and the great crowd of people stood in front, while Jesus
+spoke. What he said on that day is called "The Sermon on the Mount."
+Matthew wrote it down, and you can read it in his gospel, in the fifth,
+sixth, and seventh chapters. Jesus began with these words to his
+disciples:
+
+"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
+
+"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
+
+"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
+
+"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
+they shall be filled.
+
+"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
+
+"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
+
+"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
+God.
+
+"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
+theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
+
+"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
+say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
+
+"Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
+for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
+
+"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor,
+wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to
+be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
+
+"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
+hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
+candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let
+your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
+glorify your Father which is in heaven."
+
+It was in this Sermon on the Mount that Jesus told the people how they
+should pray, and he gave them the prayer which we all know as the Lord's
+Prayer.
+
+And this was the end of the Sermon:
+
+"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
+will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
+
+"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
+beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.
+
+"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
+shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
+sand:
+
+"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
+beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MIRACLE WORKER
+
+There was at Capernaum an officer of the Roman army, a man who had under
+him a company of a hundred men. They called him "a centurion," a word
+which means "commanding a hundred"; but we should call him "a captain."
+This man was not a Jew, but was what the Jews called "a Gentile," "a
+foreigner"; a name which the Jews gave to all people outside their own
+race. All the world except the Jews themselves were Gentiles.
+
+This Roman centurion was a good man, and he loved the Jews, because
+through them he had heard of God, and had learned how to worship God.
+Out of his love for the Jews, he had built for them with his own money a
+synagogue, which may have been the very synagogue in which Jesus taught
+on the Sabbath days.
+
+The centurion had a young servant, a boy whom he loved greatly; and this
+boy was very sick with a palsy, and near to death. The centurion had
+heard that Jesus could cure those who were sick; and he asked the chief
+men of the synagogue, who were called its "elders," to go to Jesus and
+ask him to come and cure his young servant.
+
+[Illustration: _"Speak the word and my servant shall be cured"_]
+
+The elders spoke to Jesus, just as he came again to Capernaum, after the
+Sermon on the Mount. They asked Jesus to go with them to the centurion's
+house; and they said:
+
+"He is a worthy man, and it is fitting that you should help him, for,
+though a Gentile, he loves our people, and he has built for us our
+synagogue."
+
+Then Jesus said, "I will go and heal him."
+
+But while he was on his way--and with him were the elders, and his
+disciples, and a great crowd of people, who hoped to see the work of
+healing--the centurion sent some other friends to Jesus with this
+message:
+
+"Lord, do not take the trouble to come to my house; for I am not worthy
+that one so high as you are should come under my roof; and I did not
+think that I was worthy to go and speak to you. But speak only a word
+where you are, and my servant shall be made well. For I also am a man
+under rule, and I have soldiers under me; and I say to one 'Go,' and he
+goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do
+this,' and he does it. You, too, have power to speak and to be obeyed.
+Speak the word, and my servant shall be cured."
+
+When Jesus heard this, he wondered at this man's faith. He turned to the
+people following him, and said:
+
+"In truth I say to you, I have not found such faith as this in all
+Israel!"
+
+Then he spoke to the friends of the centurion who had brought the word
+from him:
+
+"Go and say to this man, 'As you have believed in me, so shall it be
+done to you.'"
+
+Then those who had been sent, went again to the centurion's house, and
+found that in that very hour his servant had been made perfectly well.
+
+On the day after this, Jesus with his disciples and many people went out
+from Capernaum, and turned southward, and came to a village called Nain.
+Just as Jesus and his disciples came near to the gate of the city, they
+were met by a company who were carrying out a dead man to be buried. He
+was a young man, and the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
+
+When the Lord Jesus saw the mother in her grief, he pitied her, and
+said, "Do not weep."
+
+He drew near, and touched the frame on which they were carrying the
+body, wrapped round and round with long strips of linen. The bearers
+looked with wonder on this stranger, and set down the frame with its
+body, and stood still. Standing beside the body, Jesus said:
+
+"Young man, I say to you, Rise up!"
+
+And in a moment the young man sat up and began to speak. Jesus gave him
+to his mother, who now saw that her son who had been dead, was alive
+again.
+
+And Jesus went through all that part of Galilee, working miracles and
+preaching and teaching in all the villages, telling the people
+everywhere the good news of the kingdom of God.
+
+The children loved to gather around him, and when his disciples would
+have driven them away he said, "Suffer the little children to come unto
+me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
+
+[Illustration: _The children loved to gather around him_]
+
+One Sabbath day, as Jesus and his disciples were walking in Jerusalem,
+they met a blind man begging. This man in all his life had never seen;
+for he had been born blind. The disciples said to Jesus as they were
+passing him: "Master, whose fault was it that this man was born blind?
+Was it because he has sinned, or did his parents sin?"
+
+For the Jews thought that when any evil came, it was caused by some
+one's sin. But Jesus said:
+
+"This man was born blind, not because of his parents' sin, nor because
+of his own, but so that God might show his power in him. We must do
+God's work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can
+work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
+
+When Jesus had said this, he spat on the ground, and mixed up the
+spittle with earth, making a little lump of clay. This clay Jesus spread
+on the eyes of the blind man; and then he said to him: "Go wash in the
+pool of Siloam."
+
+The pool of Siloam was a large cistern, or, reservoir, on the southeast
+of Jerusalem, outside the wall, where the valley of Gihon and the valley
+of Kedron come together. To go to this pool, the blind man, with two
+great blotches of mud on his face, must walk through the streets of the
+city, out of the gate, and into the valley. He went, and felt his way
+down the steps into the pool of Siloam. There he washed, and then at
+once his life-long blindness passed away, and he could see.
+
+When the man came back to the part of the city where he lived, his
+neighbors could scarcely believe that he was the same man. They said:
+"Is not this the man who used to sit on the street begging?"
+
+"This must be the same man," said some; but others said: "No, it is some
+one who looks like him."
+
+But the man said, "I am the very same man who was blind!"
+
+"Why, how did this come to pass?" they asked. "How were your eyes
+opened?"
+
+"The man, named Jesus," he answered, "mixed clay, and put it on my eyes,
+and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash,' and I went and
+washed, and then I could see."
+
+"Where is this man?" they asked him.
+
+"I do not know," said the man.
+
+Some of the Pharisees, the men who made a show of always obeying the
+law, asked the man how he had been made to see. He said to them, as he
+had said before:
+
+"A man put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and my sight came to me."
+
+Some of the Pharisees said:
+
+"The man who did this is not a man of God, because he does not keep the
+Sabbath. He makes clay, and puts it on men's eyes, working on the
+Sabbath day. He is a sinner!"
+
+Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such wonderful works?"
+
+And thus the people were divided in what they thought of Jesus. They
+asked the man who had been blind: "What do you think of this man who has
+opened your eyes?"
+
+"He is a prophet of God," said the man.
+
+But the leading Jews would not believe that this man had gained his
+sight, until they had sent for his father and his mother. The Jews asked
+them:
+
+"Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it that he can now
+see?"
+
+His parents were afraid to tell all they knew; for the Jews had agreed
+that if any man should say Jesus was the Christ, the Saviour, he should
+be turned out of the synagogue, and not be allowed to worship any more
+with the people. So his parents said to the Jews:
+
+"We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born blind. But
+how he was made to see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we
+do not know. He is of age; ask him, and let him speak for himself."
+
+Then again the rulers of the Jews called the man who had been blind; and
+they said to him:
+
+"Give God the praise for your sight. We know that this man who made
+clay on the Sabbath day is a sinner."
+
+"Whether that man is a sinner, or not, I do not know," answered the man;
+"but one thing I do know, that once I was blind, and now I see. We know
+that God does not hear sinners; but God hears only those who worship
+him, and do his will. Never before has any one opened the eyes of a man
+born blind. If this man were not from God, he could not do such works as
+these!"
+
+The rulers of the Jews, these Pharisees, then said to the man: "You were
+born in sin, and do you try to teach us?"
+
+And they turned him out of the synagogue, and would not let any one
+worship with him. Jesus heard of this; and when Jesus found him, he said
+to him:
+
+"Do you believe on the Son of God?"
+
+The man said:
+
+"And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?"
+
+"You have seen him," said Jesus, "and it is he who now talks with you!"
+
+The man said, "Lord, I believe."
+
+And he fell down before Jesus, and worshipped him.
+
+
+
+THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN
+
+Soon afterward Jesus gave to the people in Jerusalem the parable or
+story of "The Good Shepherd."
+
+"Verily, verily (that is, 'in truth, in truth'), I say to you, if any
+one does not go into the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other
+way, it is a sign that he is a thief and a robber. But the one who comes
+in by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. The porter opens the door to
+him, and the sheep know him, and listen to his call, for he calls his
+own sheep by name and leads them out to the pasture-field. And when he
+has led out his sheep, he goes in front of them, and the sheep follow
+him, for they know his voice. The sheep will not follow a stranger, for
+they do not know the stranger's voice."
+
+The people did not understand what all this meant, and as Jesus
+explained it to them, he said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the
+door that leads to the sheepfold. If any man comes to the sheep in any
+other way than through me and in my name, he is a thief and a robber;
+but those who are the true sheep will not hear such. I am the door; if
+any man goes into the fold through me, he shall be saved, and shall go
+in and go out, and shall find pasture.
+
+"The thief comes to the fold that he may steal and rob the sheep, and
+kill them; but I came to the fold that they may have life, and may have
+all that they need. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd will give
+up his own life to save his sheep; and I will give up my life that my
+sheep may be saved.
+
+"I am the good shepherd; and just as a true shepherd knows all the sheep
+in his fold, so I know my own, and my own know me, even as I know the
+Father, and the Father knows me; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
+And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must
+lead; and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock and one
+shepherd."
+
+The Jews could not understand these words of Jesus; but they became very
+angry with him, because he spoke of God as his Father. They took up
+stones to throw them at him, and tried to seize him, intending to kill
+him. But Jesus escaped from their hands, and went away to the land
+beyond Jordan, at the place called "Bethabara," or "Bethany beyond
+Jordan," the same place where he had been baptized by John the Baptist
+more than two years before. From this place Jesus wished to go out
+through the land in the east of the Jordan, a land which is called
+"Perea," a word that means "beyond." But before going out through this
+land, Jesus sent out seventy chosen men from among his followers to go
+to all the villages, and to make the people ready for his own coming
+afterward. He gave to these seventy the same commands that he had given
+to the twelve disciples when he sent them through Galilee, and sent them
+out in pairs, two men to travel and to preach together. He said:
+
+"I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no bag for
+food, no shoes except those that you are wearing. Do not stop to talk
+with people by the way; but go through the towns and villages, healing
+the sick, and preaching to the people, 'The kingdom of God is coming,'
+He that hears you, hears me; and he that refuses you, refuses me; and he
+that will not hear me, will not hear him that sent me."
+
+And after a time the seventy men came again to Jesus, saying:
+
+"Lord, even the evil spirits obey our words in thy name!"
+
+And Jesus said to them:
+
+"I saw Satan, the king of the evil spirits, falling down like lightning
+from heaven. I have given you power to tread upon serpents and
+scorpions, and nothing shall harm you. Still, do not rejoice because the
+evil spirits obey you; but rejoice that your names are written in
+heaven."
+
+And at that time, one of the scribes--men who wrote copies of the books
+of the Old Testament, and studied them, and taught them--came to Jesus
+and asked him a question, to see what answer he would give. He said:
+"Master, what shall I do to have everlasting life?"
+
+Jesus said to the scribe: "What is written in the law? You are a reader
+of God's law; tell me what it says."
+
+Then the man gave this answer:
+
+"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
+soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thou shalt
+love thy neighbor as thyself."
+
+Jesus said to the man: "You have answered right; do this, and you shall
+have everlasting life."
+
+But the man was not satisfied. He asked another question: "And who is my
+neighbor?"
+
+To answer this question, Jesus gave the parable or story of "The Good
+Samaritan." He said: "A certain man was going down the lonely road from
+Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who stripped him of all
+that he had and beat him; and then went away, leaving him almost dead.
+It happened that a certain priest was going down that road; and when he
+saw the man lying there, he passed by on the other side. And a Levite,
+also, when he came to the place, and saw the man, he too went by on the
+other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he was going down, came where
+this man was; and as soon as he saw him, he felt a pity for him. He came
+to the man, and dressed his wounds, pouring oil and wine into them. Then
+he lifted him up, and set him on his own beast of burden, and walked
+beside him to an inn. There he took care of him all night; and the next
+morning he took out from his purse two shillings, and gave them to the
+keeper of the inn, and said: 'Take care of him; and if you need to spend
+more than this, do so; and when I come again I will pay it to you.'"
+
+[Illustration: _Then he lifted him up_]
+
+"Which one of these three, do you think, showed himself a neighbor to
+the man who fell among the robbers?"
+
+The scribe said: "The one who showed mercy on him."
+
+Then Jesus said to him: "Go and do thou likewise."
+
+By this parable, Jesus showed that "our neighbor" is the one who needs
+the help that we can give him, whoever he may be.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE PALM BRANCHES
+
+[Illustration: _Came to Bethany where his friends Martha and Mary
+lived_]
+
+From Jericho, Jesus and his disciples went up the mountains, and came to
+Bethany, where his friends Martha and Mary lived, and where he had
+raised Lazarus to life. Many people in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was
+there, and they went out of the city to see him, for Bethany was only
+two miles from Jerusalem. Some came also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had
+raised from the dead; but the rulers of the Jews said to each other:
+
+"We must not only kill Jesus, but Lazarus, also; because on his account
+so many of the people are going after Jesus and are believing on him."
+
+The friends of Jesus in Bethany made a supper for Jesus, at the house of
+a man named Simon. He was called "Simon the leper"; and perhaps he was
+one whom Jesus had cured of leprosy. Jesus and his disciples, with
+Lazarus, leaned upon the couches around the table, as the guests; and
+Martha was one of those who waited upon them. While they were at the
+supper, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, came into the room, carrying a
+sealed jar of very precious perfume. She opened the jar, and poured some
+of the perfume upon the head of Jesus, and some upon his feet; and she
+wiped his feet with her long hair. And the whole house was filled with
+the fragrance of the perfume.
+
+But one of the disciples of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, was not pleased at
+this. He said: "Why was such a waste of the perfume made? This might
+have been sold for more than forty-five dollars, and the money given to
+the poor!"
+
+This he said, but not because he cared for the poor. Judas was the one
+who kept the bag of money for Jesus and the twelve; and he was a thief,
+and took away for his own use all the money that he could steal. But
+Jesus said:
+
+"Let her alone; why do you find fault with the woman? She has done a
+good work upon me. You have the poor always with you, and whenever you
+wish, you can give to them. But you will have me with you only a little
+while. She has done what she could; for she has come to perfume my body
+for its burial. And truly I say to you, that wherever the gospel shall
+be preached throughout all the world, what this woman has done shall be
+told in memory of her."
+
+[Illustration: _She wiped his feet with her hair_]
+
+Perhaps Mary knew what others did not believe, that Jesus was soon to
+die; and she showed her love for him, and her sorrow for his coming
+death, by this rich gift. But Judas, the disciple who carried the bag,
+was very angry at Jesus; and from that time he was looking for a chance
+to betray Jesus, or to give him up to his enemies. He went to the chief
+priests, and said: "What will you give me, if I will put Jesus in your
+hands?"
+
+They said, "We will give you thirty pieces of silver."
+
+And for thirty pieces of silver Judas promised to help them take Jesus,
+and make him their prisoner.
+
+On the morning after the supper at Bethany, Jesus called two of his
+disciples, and said to them:
+
+"Go into the next village, and at a place where two roads cross; and
+there you will find an ass tied, and a colt with it. Loose them, and
+bring them to me. And if any one says to you, 'Why do you do this?' say,
+'The Lord has need of them,' and they will let them go."
+
+They went to the place and found the ass and the colt, and were loosing
+them, when the owner said:
+
+"What are you doing, untying the ass?"
+
+And they said, as Jesus had told them to say:
+
+"The Lord has need of it."
+
+Then the owner gave them the ass and the colt for the use of Jesus.
+They brought them to Jesus on the Mount of Olives; and they laid some of
+their own clothes on the colt for a cushion, and set Jesus upon it. Then
+all the disciples and a very great multitude threw their garments upon
+the ground for Jesus to ride upon. Others cut down branches from the
+trees and laid them on the ground. And as Jesus rode over the mountain
+toward Jerusalem, many walked before him waving branches of palm trees.
+And they all cried together:
+
+[Illustration: _They threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus
+to ride upon_]
+
+"Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
+the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the
+name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
+
+These things they said, because they believed that Jesus was the Christ,
+the Anointed King; and they hoped that he would now set up his throne in
+Jerusalem. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd, who did not believe in
+Jesus, said to him:
+
+"Master, stop your disciples!"
+
+But Jesus said:
+
+"I tell you, that if these should be still, the very stones would cry
+out!"
+
+And when he came into Jerusalem with all this multitude, all the city
+was filled with wonder. They said: "Who is this?"
+
+And the multitude answered:
+
+"This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee!"
+
+And Jesus went into the Temple, and looked around it; but he did not
+stay, because the hour was late. He went again to Bethany, and there
+stayed at night with his friends.
+
+These things took place on Sunday, the first day of the week; and that
+Sunday in the year is called Palm Sunday, because of the palm branches
+which the people carried before Jesus.
+
+Many people heard him gladly, but the great city was deaf to his
+pleadings. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," he cried, "thou that killest the
+prophets, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as
+a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
+
+[Illustration: _The great city was deaf to his pleadings_]
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE BETRAYAL
+
+At the foot of the Mount of Olives, near the path over the hill toward
+Bethany, there was an orchard of olive trees, called "The Garden of
+Gethsemane." The word "Gethsemane" means "oil press." Jesus often went
+to this place with his disciples, because of its quiet shade. At this
+garden he stopped, and outside he left eight of his disciples, saying to
+them, "Sit here while I go inside and pray."
+
+He took with him the three chosen ones, Peter, James, and John, and went
+within the orchard. Jesus knew that in a little while Judas would be
+there with a band of men to seize him; that in a few hours he would be
+beaten, and stripped, and led out to die. The thought of what he was to
+suffer came upon him and filled his soul with grief. He said to Peter
+and James and John:
+
+"My soul is filled with sorrow, a sorrow that almost kills me. Stay here
+and watch while I am praying."
+
+He went a little further among the trees, and flung himself down upon
+the ground, and cried out:
+
+"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me;
+nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willest!"
+
+So earnest was his feeling and so great his suffering that there came
+out upon his face great drops of sweat like blood, falling upon the
+ground. After praying for a time, he rose up from the earth and went to
+his three disciples, and found them all asleep. He awaked them, and said
+to Peter: "What, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray
+that you may not go into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but
+the flesh is weak."
+
+He left them, and went a second time into the woods, and fell on his
+face, and prayed again, saying:
+
+"O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away, and I must drink it, then
+thy will be done."
+
+He came again to the three disciples, and found them sleeping; but this
+time he did not awake them. He went once more into the woods, and
+prayed, using the same words. And an angel from heaven came to him and
+gave him strength. He was now ready for the fate that was soon to come,
+and his heart was strong. Once more he went to the three disciples, and
+said to them: "You may as well sleep on now, and take your rest, for the
+hour is at hand; and already the Son of man is given by the traitor into
+the hands of sinners. But rise up and let us be going. See, the traitor
+is here!"
+
+The disciples awoke; they heard the noise of a crowd, and saw the
+flashing of torches and the gleaming of swords and spears. In the throng
+they saw Judas standing, and they knew now that he was the traitor of
+whom Jesus had spoken the night before. Judas came rushing forward, and
+kissed Jesus, as though he were glad to see him. This was a signal that
+he had given beforehand to the band; for the men of the guard did not
+know Jesus, and Judas had said to them:
+
+"The one that I shall kiss is the man that you are to take; seize him
+and hold him fast."
+
+Jesus said to Judas, "Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss?"
+
+Then he turned to the crowd, and said, "Whom do you seek?"
+
+They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."
+
+Jesus said, "I am he."
+
+When Jesus said this, a sudden fear came upon his enemies; they drew
+back and fell upon the ground.
+
+After a moment, Jesus said again, "Whom do you seek?"
+
+And again they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."
+
+And Jesus said, pointing to his disciples, "I told you that I am he. If
+you are seeking me, let these disciples go their own way."
+
+[Illustration: PETER DENIES CHRIST--"And Peter remembered the word of
+Jesus, which said unto him, 'Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me
+thrice.'"--(Matt. 26:75.)]
+
+But as they came forward to seize Jesus, Peter drew his sword, and
+struck at one of the men in front, and cut off his right ear. The man
+was a servant of the high-priest, and his name was Malchus. Jesus said
+to Peter:
+
+"Put up the sword into its sheath; the cup which my Father has given me,
+shall I not drink it? Do you not know that I could call upon my Father,
+and he would send to me armies upon armies of angels?"
+
+Then he spoke to the crowd, "Let me do this." And he touched the place
+where the ear had been cut off, and it came on again and was well. Jesus
+said to the rulers and leaders of the armed men:
+
+"Do you come out against me with swords and clubs as though I were a
+robber? I was with you every day in the Temple, and you did not lift
+your hands against me. But the words in the scriptures must come to
+pass; and this is your hour."
+
+When the disciples of Jesus saw that he would not allow them to fight
+for him, they did not know what to do. In their sudden alarm they all
+ran away, and left their Master alone with his enemies. These men laid
+their hands on Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to the house of
+the high-priest. There were at that time two men called high-priests by
+the Jews. One was Annas, who had been high-priest until his office had
+been taken from him by the Romans, and given to Caiphas, his son-in-law.
+But Annas still had great power among the people; and they brought
+Jesus, all bound as he was, first to Annas.
+
+Simon Peter, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, had followed after
+the crowd of those who carried Jesus away; and they came to the door of
+the high-priest's house. John knew the high-priest and went in; but
+Peter at first stayed outside, until John went out and brought him in.
+He came in, but did not dare to go into the room where Jesus stood
+before the high-priest Annas. In the court-yard of the house, they had
+made a fire of charcoal, and Peter stood among those who were warming
+themselves at the fire.
+
+Annas in the inner room asked Jesus about his disciples and his
+teaching. Jesus answered him:
+
+"What I have taught has been open in the synagogues and in the Temple.
+Why do you ask me? Ask those that heard me; they know what I said."
+
+Then one of the officers struck Jesus on the mouth, saying to him:
+
+"Is this the way that you answer the high-priest?"
+
+Jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly:
+
+"If I have said anything evil, tell what the evil is; but if I have
+spoken the truth, why do you strike me?"
+
+While Annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward Jesus, who
+stood bound and alone among his enemies, Peter was still in the
+court-yard warming himself at the fire. A woman, who was a serving-maid
+in the house, looked at Peter sharply, and finally said to him:
+
+"You were one of those men with this Jesus of Nazareth!"
+
+Peter was afraid to tell the truth, and he answered her:
+
+"Woman, I do not know the man; and I do not know what you are talking
+about."
+
+And to get away from her, he went out into the porch of the house. There
+another woman-servant saw him and said: "This man was one of those with
+Jesus!"
+
+And Peter swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus at all. Soon a
+man came by, who was of kin to Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off. He
+looked at Peter, and heard him speak, and said:
+
+"You are surely one of this man's disciples; for your speech shows that
+you came from Galilee."
+
+Then Peter began again to curse and to swear, declaring that he did not
+know the man.
+
+Just at that moment the loud, shrill crowing of a cock startled Peter;
+and at the same time he saw Jesus, who was being dragged through the
+hall from Annas to the council-room of Caiphas, the other high-priest.
+And the Lord turned as he was passing and looked at Peter.
+
+Then there flashed into Peter's mind what Jesus had said on the evening
+before!
+
+"Before the cock crows to-morrow morning, you will three times deny that
+you have ever known me."
+
+Then Peter went out of the high-priest's house into the street; and he
+wept bitterly because he had denied his Lord.
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB
+
+After Jesus was taken before the high-priest where he was ridiculed and
+the people spat upon him, he was taken before the Roman Governor,
+Pontius Pilate, who ruled over Judea. He heard their complaints, but did
+not find any cause for putting him to death. But at last he yielded to
+their demands, although he declared Jesus was innocent of all wrong.
+
+[Illustration: _He heard their complaints_]
+
+And so Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, gave command that Jesus
+should die by the cross. The Roman soldiers then took Jesus and beat him
+most cruelly; and then led him out of the city to the place of death.
+This was a place called "Golgotha" in the Jewish language, "Calvary" in
+that of the Romans; both words meaning "The Skull Place."
+
+With the soldiers, went out of the city a great crowd of people; some of
+them enemies of Jesus, glad to see him suffer; others of them friends of
+Jesus, and the women who had helped him, now weeping as they saw him,
+all covered with his blood and going out to die. But Jesus turned to
+them and said:
+
+"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and
+for your children. For the days are coming when they shall count those
+happy who have no little ones to be slain; when they shall wish that the
+mountain might fall on them, and the hills might cover them, and hide
+them from their enemies!"
+
+They had tried to make Jesus bear his own cross, but soon found that he
+was too weak from his sufferings, and could not carry it. They seized on
+a man who was coming out of the country into the city, a man named
+Simon, and they made him carry the cross to its place at Calvary.
+
+It was the custom among the Jews to give to men about to die by the
+cross some medicine to deaden their feelings, so that they would not
+suffer so greatly. They offered this to Jesus, but when he had tasted it
+and found what it was, he would not take it. He knew that he would die,
+but he wished to have his mind clear, and to understand what was done
+and what was said, even though his sufferings might be greater.
+
+At the place Calvary, they laid the cross down, and stretched Jesus upon
+it, and drove nails through his hands and feet to fasten him to the
+cross; and then they stood it upright with Jesus upon it. While the
+soldiers were doing this dreadful work, Jesus prayed for them to God,
+saying: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing."
+
+The soldiers also took the clothes that Jesus had worn, giving to each
+one a garment. But when they came to his undergarment, they found that
+it was woven and had no seams; so they said, "Let us not tear it, but
+cast lots for it, to see who shall have it." So at the foot of the cross
+the soldiers threw lots for the garment of Christ.
+
+Two men who had been robbers and had been sentenced to die by the cross,
+were led out to die at the same time with Jesus. One was placed on a
+cross at his right side, and the other at his left; and to make Jesus
+appear as the worst, his cross stood in the middle. Over the head of
+Jesus on his cross, they placed, by Pilate's order, a sign, on which was
+written:
+
+    "This is Jesus of Nazareth,
+    The King of the Jews."
+
+This was written in three languages; in Hebrew, which was the language
+of the Jews; in Latin, the language of the Romans, and in Greek. Many of
+the people read this writing; but the chief priests were not pleased
+with it. They urged Pilate to have it changed from "The King of the
+Jews" to "He said, I am King of the Jews." But Pilate would not change
+it. He said:
+
+"What I have written, I have written."
+
+And the people who passed by on the road, as they looked at Jesus on the
+cross, mocked at him. Some called out to him:
+
+"You that would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save
+yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"
+
+And the priests and scribes said:
+
+"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Come down from the cross,
+and we will believe in you!"
+
+And one of the robbers, who was on his own cross beside that of Jesus,
+joined in the cry, and said: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and
+save us!"
+
+But the other robber said to him: "Have you no fear of God, to speak
+thus, while you are suffering the same fate with this man? And we
+deserve to die, but this man has done nothing wrong."
+
+Then this man said to Jesus: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into
+thy kingdom!"
+
+And Jesus answered him, as they were both hanging on their crosses:
+"To-day you shall be with me in heaven."
+
+Before the cross of Jesus his mother was standing, filled with sorrow
+for her son, and beside her was one of his disciples, John, the disciple
+whom he loved best. Other women besides his mother were there--his
+mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and a woman named Mary
+Magdalene, out of whom a year before Jesus had sent an evil spirit.
+Jesus wished to give his mother, now that he was leaving her, into the
+care of John, and he said to her, as he looked from her to John: "Woman,
+see your son."
+
+And then to John he said: "Son, see your mother."
+
+And on that day John took the mother of Jesus home to his own house, and
+cared for her as his own mother.
+
+At about noon, a sudden darkness came over the land, and lasted for
+three hours. And in the middle of the afternoon, when Jesus had been on
+the cross six hours of terrible pain, he cried out aloud words which
+meant:
+
+"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" words which are the
+beginning of the twenty-second psalm, a psalm which long before had
+spoken of many of Christ's sufferings.
+
+After this he spoke again, saying, "I thirst!"
+
+And some one dipped a sponge in a cup of vinegar, and put it upon a
+reed, and gave him a drink of it. Then Jesus spoke his last words upon
+the cross:
+
+"It is finished! Father, into thy hands I give my spirit!"
+
+And then Jesus died. And at that moment, the veil in the Temple between
+the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, was torn apart by unseen hands
+from the top to the bottom. And when the Roman officer, who had charge
+of the soldiers around the cross, saw what had taken place, and how
+Jesus died, he said: "Surely this was a righteous man; he was the Son of
+God."
+
+After Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, to be sure that he was no
+longer living, ran his spear into the side of his dead body; and out of
+the wound came pouring both water and blood.
+
+There were even among the rulers of the Jews a few who were friends of
+Jesus, though they did not dare to follow Jesus openly. One of these
+was Nicodemus, the ruler who came to see Jesus at night. Another was a
+rich man who came from the town of Arimathea, and was named Joseph.
+Joseph of Arimathea went boldly in to Pilate, and asked that the body of
+Jesus might be given to him. Pilate wondered that he had died so soon,
+for often men lived on the cross two or three days. But when he found
+that Jesus was really dead, he gave his body to Joseph.
+
+Then Joseph and his friends took down the body of Jesus from the cross,
+and wrapped it in fine linen. And Nicodemus brought some precious
+spices, myrrh and aloes, which they wrapped up with the body. Then they
+placed the body in Joseph's own new tomb, which was a cave dug out of
+the rock, in a garden near the place of the cross. And before the
+opening of the cave they rolled a great stone.
+
+And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and some other women, saw the
+tomb, and watched while they laid the body of Jesus in it. On the next
+morning, some of the rulers of the Jews came to Pilate, and said:
+
+"Sir, we remember that that man Jesus of Nazareth, who deceived the
+people, said while he was yet alive, 'After three days I will rise
+again.' Give orders that the tomb shall be watched and made sure for
+three days, or else his disciples may steal his body, and then say, 'He
+is risen from the dead'; and thus even after his death he may do more
+harm than he did while he was alive."
+
+Pilate said to them:
+
+"Set a watch, and make it as sure as you can."
+
+Then they placed a seal upon the stone, so that no one might break it;
+and they set a watch of soldiers at the door.
+
+And in the tomb the body of Jesus lay from the evening of Friday, the
+day when he died on the cross, to the dawn of Sunday, the first day of
+the week, when he arose from the dead and appeared unto his disciples.
+
+But the brightest day in all the world was this Sunday morning. For on
+that day the stone was rolled away from the tomb and Jesus came forth
+from the dead to gladden his disciples. This he had told them he would
+do. On this Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and another Mary, called
+Salome, came to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and an angel
+standing by the open tomb. He told them that Jesus was not there, but
+had risen.
+
+Afterward Jesus was with his disciples for forty days, after which he
+was taken up into heaven.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE
+
+
+Soon after Jesus was taken up into heaven, his disciples began to
+preach, as he had told them to do. They stood up in the streets, and in
+the Temple, and spoke to the people all the words that Jesus had given
+to them. And although they could no longer see Jesus, he was with them,
+and helped them, and gave them great power.
+
+The two apostles, Peter and John, were one day going up to the temple at
+the afternoon hour of prayer, about three o'clock. They walked across
+the court of the Gentiles, which was a large, open square paved with
+marble, having on its eastern side a double row of pillars with a roof
+above them, called Solomon's Porch. In front of this porch was the
+principal entrance to the Temple, through a gate which was called "The
+Beautiful Gate." In front of this gate they saw a lame man sitting. He
+was one who in all his life had never been able to walk; and as he was
+very poor, his friends carried him every day to this place; and there he
+sat, hoping that some of those who went into the Temple might take pity
+on him, and give him a little money.
+
+In front of this man Peter and John stopped; and Peter said: "Look at
+us!"
+
+The lame man looked earnestly on the two apostles, thinking they were
+about to give him something. But Peter said:
+
+"Silver and gold have I none; but what I have that I will give you. In
+the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"
+
+And Peter took hold of the lame man's right hand, and raised him up. At
+once the lame man felt a new power entering into his feet and
+ankle-bones. He leaped up, and stood upon his feet, and began to walk,
+as he had never done before in all his life. He walked up the steps with
+the two apostles, and went by their side into the Temple, walking, and
+leaping, and praising God. The people who now saw him leaping up and
+running knew him, for they had seen him every day sitting as a beggar at
+the Beautiful Gate: and every one was filled with wonder at the change
+which had come over him.
+
+After worshipping and praising God in the Temple, the man, still holding
+fast to Peter and John, went out with them through the Beautiful Gate,
+into Solomon's Porch. And in a very few minutes a great crowd of people
+were drawn together to the place to see the man who had been made well,
+and to see also the two men who had healed him.
+
+Then Peter stood up before the throng of people, and spoke to them:
+
+"Ye men of Israel," he said, "why do you look wondering on this man? or
+why do you fix your eyes upon us, as though by our own power or goodness
+we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
+Jacob, has in this way shown the power and the glory of his Son Jesus,
+whom you gave up to his enemies, and whom you refused before Pontius
+Pilate, when Pilate was determined to set him free. But you refused the
+Holy One and the Righteous One, and chose a murderer, Barabbas, to be
+set free in his place; and you killed the Prince of Life, whom God
+raised from the dead. We who have seen him risen, declare that this is
+true. And the power of Jesus, through faith in his name, has made this
+man strong. Yes, it is faith in Christ that has given him this perfect
+soundness before you all. Now, my brothers, I am sure that you did not
+know that it was the Son of God and your own Saviour whom you sent to
+the cross. Therefore turn to God in sorrow for this great sin, and God
+will forgive you, and in his own time he will send again Jesus Christ.
+God, who has raised up his Son, is ready to bless you, and turn away
+every one of you from his sins."
+
+While Peter was speaking, the priests, and the captain of the Temple,
+and the rulers, came upon them; for they were angry as they heard Peter
+speak these words. They laid hold of Peter and John, and put them into
+the guardroom for the night. But many of those who had heard Peter
+speaking believed on Jesus, and sought the Lord; and the number of the
+followers of Christ rose from three thousand to five thousand.
+
+On the next day the rulers came together; and Annas and Caiphas, the
+high priests, were there, and with them many of their friends. They
+brought Peter and John, and set them before the company. The lame man
+who had been healed was still by the side of the two apostles. The
+rulers asked them:
+
+"By what power, or through whom have you done this?"
+
+Then Peter spoke boldly:
+
+"Ye rulers of the people and elders, if you are asking us about the good
+deed done to this man who was so helpless, how it was that he was made
+well, I will tell you that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom you put
+to death on the cross, whom God raised from the dead; even by him this
+man stands here before you all strong and well. And there is no
+salvation except through Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under
+heaven given among men that can save us from our sins."
+
+When these rulers saw how bold and strong were the words of Peter and
+John, they wondered, especially as they knew that they were plain men,
+not learned in books, and not used to speaking. They remembered that
+they had seen these men among the followers of Jesus, and they felt that
+in some way Jesus had given them his power. And as the man who had been
+healed was standing beside them, they could say nothing to deny that a
+wonderful work had been done.
+
+The rulers sent Peter and John out of the council-room, while they
+talked together. They said to each other:
+
+"What shall we do to these men? We cannot deny that a wonderful work has
+been done by them, for every one knows it. But we must stop this from
+spreading any more among the people. Let us command them not to speak to
+any man about the name of Jesus; and let us tell them, that if they do
+speak, we will punish them."
+
+So they called the two apostles into the room again, and said to them:
+"We forbid you to speak about Jesus, and the power of his name, to any
+man. If you do not stop talking about Jesus, we will lay hands on you,
+and put you in prison, and will have you beaten."
+
+But Peter and John answered the rulers: "Whether it is right to obey
+you or to obey God, you can judge. As for ourselves we cannot keep
+silent; we must speak of what we have seen and heard."
+
+The rulers were afraid to do any harm to Peter and John, because they
+knew that the people praised God for the good work that they had done;
+and they would be angry to have harm come to them. For fear of the
+people, they let them go. And being let go, they went to their own
+friends, the company who met in the upper room, and there they gave
+thanks to God for helping them to speak his word without fear.
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR
+
+
+In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, you will learn how the
+members of the church in Jerusalem gave their money freely to help the
+poor. This free giving led to trouble, as the church grew so fast; for
+some of the widows who were poor were passed by, and their friends made
+complaints to the apostles. The twelve apostles called the whole church
+together, and said:
+
+"It is not well that we should turn aside from preaching and teaching
+the word of God to sit at tables and give out money. But, brethren,
+choose from among yourselves seven good men; men who have the Spirit of
+God and are wise, and we will give this work to them; so that we can
+spend our time in prayer and in preaching the gospel."
+
+This plan was pleasing to all the church, and they chose seven men to
+take charge of the gifts of the people, and to see that they were sent
+to those who were in need. The first man chosen was Stephen, a man full
+of faith and of the Spirit of God; and with him was Philip and five
+other good men. These seven men they brought before the apostles; and
+the apostles laid their hands on their heads, setting them apart for
+their work of caring for the poor.
+
+But Stephen did more than to look after the needy ones. He began to
+preach the gospel of Christ, and to preach with such power as made every
+one who heard him feel the truth. Stephen saw before any other man in
+the church saw, that the gospel of Christ was not for Jews only, but was
+for all men; that all men might be saved if they would believe in Jesus;
+and this great truth Stephen began to preach with all his power. Such
+preaching as this, that men who were not Jews might be saved by
+believing in Christ, made many of the Jews very angry. They called all
+the people who were not Jews "Gentiles," and they looked upon them with
+hate and scorn; but they could not answer the words that Stephen spoke.
+They roused up the people and the rulers, and set them against Stephen,
+and at last they seized Stephen, and brought him before the great
+council of the rulers. They said to the rulers:
+
+"This man is always speaking evil words against the Temple and against
+the law of Moses. We have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth shall
+destroy this place, and shall change the laws that Moses gave to us!"
+
+This was partly true and partly false; but no lie is so harmful as that
+which has a little truth with it. Then the high-priest said to Stephen:
+
+"Are these things so?"
+
+And as Stephen stood up to answer the high-priest, all fixed their eyes
+upon him; and they saw that his face was shining, as though it was the
+face of an angel. Then Stephen began to speak of the great things that
+God had done for his people Israel in the past; how he had called
+Abraham, their father, to go forth into a new land; how he had given
+them great men, as Joseph, and Moses, and the prophets. He showed them
+how the Israelites had not been faithful to God, who had given them such
+wonderful blessings.
+
+Then Stephen said:
+
+"You are a people with hard hearts and stiff necks, who will not obey
+the words of God and his Spirit. As your fathers did, so you do, also.
+Your fathers killed the prophets whom God sent to them; and you have
+slain Jesus, the Righteous One!"
+
+As they heard these things, they became so angry against Stephen, that
+they gnashed on him with their teeth, like wild beasts. But Stephen,
+full of the Holy Spirit, looked up toward heaven with his shining face;
+and he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on God's right hand, and
+he said:
+
+"I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right
+hand of God!"
+
+But they cried out with angry voices, and rushed upon him, and dragged
+him out of the council-room, and outside the wall of the city. And there
+they threw stones upon him to kill him, while Stephen was kneeling down
+among the falling stones, and praying:
+
+"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, lay not this sin up against them!"
+
+And when he had said this, he fell asleep in death, the first to be
+slain for the gospel of Christ.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
+Compiled by Logan Marshall
+
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+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #16042 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16042)
author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 04:48:02 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 04:48:02 -0700
commit	c993ef46631daab6e81b4aaac95d3e3a731a847a (patch)
tree	72fdaf91f98143102f1f7c86604ae024d787b3de