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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: 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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