{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_23580/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_23580","id":"gutenberg_23580","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23580","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories, English","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Children's Religion"],"text":"Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHILDREN'S BIBLE\n\n SELECTIONS FROM THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS\n TRANSLATED AND ARRANGED\n\n BY\n HENRY A. SHERMAN\n HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS LITERATURE OF CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS\n\n AND\n\n CHARLES FOSTER KENT\n WOOLSEY PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN YALE UNIVERSITY\n\n [Illustration: (C) Curtis Publishing Company\n\n \"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:\n for of such is the kingdom of God\"]\n\n\n NEW YORK\n CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS\n MCMXXXVI\n\n\n\n\n COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY\n CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS\n\n All rights reserved, including that of translation\n into foreign languages, including Scandinavian\n\n Printed in the United States of America\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\n\"The Children's Bible\" provides, in simple English, a translation of\nselections from both the Old and the New Testament. These selections\nhave been made as a result of more than twenty-five years of observation\nand study. The text is that of the Bible itself, but in the language of\nthe child, so that it may easily be read to the younger children and by\nthose who are older. It is not in words of one syllable, for while the\nchild is reading the Bible he should gradually learn the meaning of new\nwords and idioms.\n\nThe Bible contains the foundations on which the religious life of the\nchild must be built. The immortal stories and songs of the Old and New\nTestaments are his richest inheritance from the past. To give him this\nheritage in language and form that he can understand and enjoy is the\nduty and privilege of his parents and teachers.\n\nIt is hoped that \"The Children's Bible\" will meet the need and the\ndemand, which parents and educators alike have long felt and often\nexpressed, for a simple translation of selections from the Bible most\nsuited to the needs and the interests of the child. It is also believed\nthat after the child has learned to appreciate and love these stories\nand songs, he will be eager and able to read the Bible as a whole with\ngenuine interest and understanding.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\nTHE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n PAGE\n\n THE STORY OF CREATION 3\n\n GOD'S GOOD GIFTS TO MAN 4\n\n THE FIRST DISOBEDIENCE 5\n\n CAIN AND HIS BROTHER ABEL 6\n\n NOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD 7\n\n THE STORY OF THE TOWER OF BABEL 9\n\n ABRAHAM THE FRIEND OF GOD AND MAN 10\n\n LOT'S ESCAPE FROM A WICKED CITY 11\n\n GOD'S CARE FOR THE BOY ISHMAEL 14\n\n ABRAHAM'S LOYALTY TO GOD 14\n\n HOW REBEKAH BECAME THE WIFE OF ISAAC 15\n\n HOW JACOB DECEIVED HIS FATHER 19\n\n JACOB'S DREAM 21\n\n THE DECEIVER DECEIVED 22\n\n MEETING A BROTHER WHO HAD BEEN WRONGED 24\n\n JOSEPH SOLD AS A SLAVE BY HIS BROTHERS 26\n\n JOSEPH'S EAGERNESS TO HELP OTHERS 27\n\n A PRISONER WHO BECAME A MIGHTY RULER 29\n\n THE TESTING OF JOSEPH'S BROTHERS 32\n\n JOSEPH'S FORGIVENESS OF HIS BROTHERS 36\n\n JOSEPH'S LOYALTY TO HIS FAMILY 38\n\n THE BOYHOOD AND TRAINING OF MOSES 40\n\n THE VOICE FROM THE BUSH 42\n\n PHARAOH THE STUBBORN RULER 44\n\n THE COST OF BEING CRUEL AND STUBBORN 45\n\n THE ESCAPE FROM EGYPT 49\n\n GOD'S COMMANDS TO THE PEOPLE 52\n\n OUR DUTIES TO GOD AND MAN 54\n\n THE REPORT OF THE HEBREW SPIES 55\n\n THE LAST WORDS OF MOSES 56\n\n CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN 57\n\n THE CAPTURE OF JERICHO AND AI 60\n\n WOMEN WHO SAVED A NATION 62\n\n GIDEON'S BRAVE BAND 64\n\n JEPHTHAH'S FOOLISH PROMISE 67\n\n SAMSON WHO DID TO OTHERS AS THEY DID TO HIM 69\n\n A STRONG MAN WHO LOST HIS STRENGTH 71\n\n THE DEVOTION OF RUTH 74\n\n SAMUEL THE BOY PROPHET 78\n\n THE ARK AMONG THE PHILISTINES 81\n\n HOW SAMUEL FOUND A LEADER 84\n\n JONATHAN'S BRAVE DEED 87\n\n DAVID'S VICTORY OVER THE GIANT 90\n\n SAUL'S MEAN JEALOUSY 93\n\n JONATHAN'S LOVE FOR DAVID 94\n\n THE COST OF A LIE 97\n\n A SOLDIER WHO SPARED HIS ENEMY 98\n\n ABIGAIL'S SENSIBLE ADVICE 101\n\n MAKING THE BEST OF TROUBLE 103\n\n THE DEATH OF TWO BRAVE WARRIORS 106\n\n A SHEPHERD BOY WHO WAS CALLED TO LEAD A NATION 109\n\n JERUSALEM MADE THE CAPITAL CITY 111\n\n DAVID'S KINDNESS TO JONATHAN'S SON 112\n\n A RICH MAN WHO WAS A THIEF 113\n\n ABSALOM THE UNGRATEFUL SON 115\n\n A BROKEN-HEARTED FATHER 119\n\n HOW SOLOMON BECAME THE RULER OF ISRAEL 120\n\n A YOUNG MAN'S WISE CHOICE 123\n\n BUILDING A GREAT TEMPLE 124\n\n A RULER WHO WRONGED HIS PEOPLE 125\n\n REHOBOAM'S GREAT MISTAKE 127\n\n ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW'S SON 128\n\n THE PROPHET OF FIRE 130\n\n GOD'S LOW WHISPER 132\n\n AHAB THE THIEF 134\n\n MICAIAH'S COURAGE IN TELLING THE TRUTH 135\n\n THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH 137\n\n ELISHA HEALING THE SICK BOY 138\n\n A SLAVE GIRL WHO HELPED HER MASTER 139\n\n ELISHA'S WAY OF TREATING ENEMIES 141\n\n THE END OF AHAB'S SELFISH FAMILY 144\n\n THE BOY JOASH ON THE THRONE OF JUDAH 146\n\n A YOUNG MAN WHO SAID, \"SEND ME\" 147\n\n JEREMIAH'S CALL TO DO A HARD TASK 148\n\n THE YOUNG JOSIAH AND THE BOOK OF THE LAW 149\n\n THE WRITING OF AN ANCIENT BOOK 151\n\n A PROPHET WHO SAVED A GREAT CITY 153\n\n JEREMIAH'S COURAGE IN DANGER 155\n\n THE SAD FATE OF A GUILTY NATION 156\n\n THE COURAGE OF FOUR CAPTIVES 158\n\n A KING'S STRANGE DREAM 159\n\n THE TEST BY FIRE 162\n\n THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL 164\n\n DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 166\n\n QUEEN ESTHER'S LOVE FOR HER PEOPLE 167\n\n REBUILDING THE TEMPLE 174\n\n NEHEMIAH'S ANSWER TO A CALL FOR HELP 175\n\n OVERCOMING GREAT DIFFICULTIES 177\n\n A BRAVE KNIGHT 179\n\n JONAH THE NARROW-MINDED PATRIOT 180\n\n THE STORY OF JOB 182\n\n THE KING OF GLORY 190\n\n GOD THE LOVING CREATOR 191\n\n GOD THE LOVING FATHER 193\n\n GOD FROM WHOM ALL GOOD THINGS COME 194\n\n GOD'S GOODNESS AND MERCY 194\n\n GOD THE ALL-SEEING 195\n\n GOD WHO ALWAYS WATCHES OVER HIS PEOPLE 197\n\n GOD WHO PROTECTS FROM ALL DANGER 197\n\n GOD'S PROTECTION OF THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM 199\n\n GOD'S LOVING CARE 200\n\n TRUSTING IN GOD'S CARE 201\n\n A PRAYER OF TRUST 201\n\n SAFETY IN GOD'S CARE 202\n\n GOD OUR REFUGE 203\n\n THE JOY OF WORSHIPPING GOD 204\n\n WHAT GOD ASKS OF THOSE WHO WORSHIP HIM 205\n\n A CALL TO PRAISE GOD 206\n\n THE UNITED SONG OF PRAISE 206\n\n MAN'S PLACE IN GOD'S WORLD 208\n\n THE REWARD OF DOING RIGHT 208\n\n A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS 209\n\n THE REWARDS OF LISTENING TO THE ADVICE OF THE WISE 211\n\n WHAT GOD LIKES AND DISLIKES 212\n\n GOD'S CARE FOR THOSE WHO TRY TO DO RIGHT 213\n\n THE WAY TO BE WELL AND HAPPY 214\n\n THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WILLING TO LEARN 214\n\n HOW TO HONOR YOUR PARENTS 215\n\n THE TROUBLES OF THOSE WHO ARE LAZY 216\n\n THINGS THAT ARE BETTER THAN RICHES 216\n\n RIGHT EATING AND DRINKING 217\n\n THE RIGHT USE OF THE TONGUE 218\n\n THE CONTROL OF THE TEMPER 218\n\n WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MODEST 219\n\n BEING GENEROUS AND LOVING 219\n\n\nTHE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n JESUS IS BORN AT BETHLEHEM 223\n\n THE WISE MEN BRING GIFTS TO THE YOUNG CHILD 224\n\n THE BOY JESUS ASKS QUESTIONS 225\n\n JOHN THE BAPTIST TELLS OF JESUS' WORK 225\n\n JESUS DECIDES HOW HE WILL DO HIS WORK 226\n\n JESUS WINS DEVOTED FRIENDS 227\n\n THE WEDDING AT CANA 228\n\n THE HEALING OF THE TEN LEPERS 229\n\n HEALING THE MAN AT THE POOL 229\n\n JESUS TALKS WITH A SAMARITAN WOMAN 230\n\n GIVING LIFE TO A WIDOW'S SON 231\n\n JESUS HEALS THE SICK 232\n\n JESUS CURES A MAN WHO CANNOT WALK 233\n\n JESUS MAKES EVEN WRONG-DOERS HIS FRIENDS 233\n\n JESUS FINDS JOY IN ALL HIS WORK 234\n\n JESUS CALMS THE STORM 235\n\n JESUS HEALS A LITTLE GIRL 236\n\n JESUS VISITS HIS OLD HOME 237\n\n JESUS CALLS TOGETHER HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS 238\n\n WHAT JESUS ASKS OF HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS 238\n\n THE WAY TO LEARN FROM JESUS 239\n\n THE REWARDS FOR FOLLOWING JESUS' TEACHINGS 241\n\n GOD'S LOVE EVEN FOR SINNERS 242\n\n GOD'S READINESS TO ANSWER PRAYER 243\n\n HOW TO PRAY 244\n\n WHY WE SHOULD TRUST GOD 245\n\n THE KINGDOM OF GOD 245\n\n THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS 247\n\n THE REWARDS OF MODESTY AND UNSELFISHNESS 247\n\n HOW TO USE MONEY 248\n\n DIFFERENT WAYS OF USING TALENTS 249\n\n THE GOOD SAMARITAN 250\n\n THE WAY TO TREAT THOSE WHO WRONG US 250\n\n THE GOLDEN RULE 251\n\n THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY HAPPY 252\n\n JESUS SENDS OUT THE FIRST MISSIONARIES 252\n\n JESUS PRAISES JOHN THE BAPTIST 253\n\n JESUS FEEDS THE HUNGRY 254\n\n JESUS TELLS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CLEAN 256\n\n JESUS IS KIND TO A STRANGER 256\n\n JESUS MAKES AN HEROIC CHOICE 257\n\n JESUS IS GLORIFIED 258\n\n JESUS TELLS HOW ONE MAY BECOME GREAT 258\n\n JESUS MAKES THE WICKED ZACCHEUS HIS FRIEND 259\n\n JESUS IS GLADLY WELCOMED BY THE PEOPLE 259\n\n JESUS FIGHTS WRONG IN THE TEMPLE 260\n\n JESUS CONDEMNS THOSE WHO PRETEND TO BE GOOD 262\n\n JESUS WARNS HIS DISCIPLES 263\n\n JESUS CURES A BLIND MAN 264\n\n JESUS TELLS WHAT HE CAME TO DO 265\n\n JESUS BRINGS LAZARUS BACK TO LIFE 266\n\n JESUS PRAISES A WOMAN WHO GAVE HER BEST 268\n\n JESUS EATS THE LAST SUPPER WITH HIS DISCIPLES 268\n\n JESUS ENCOURAGES HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS 269\n\n JESUS IS SEIZED BY THE MOB 271\n\n JESUS IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 272\n\n JESUS IS CRUCIFIED BY HIS ENEMIES 274\n\n JESUS CONQUERS DEATH 276\n\n JESUS WALKS AND TALKS WITH TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES 277\n\n JESUS GIVES HIS LAST COMMAND TO HIS HELPERS 278\n\n THE WONDERS OF THE DAY OF PENTECOST 280\n\n THE HEALING OF THE LAME MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE 281\n\n THE GENEROSITY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS 283\n\n STEPHEN THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR 284\n\n PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN 286\n\n PETER AND THE ROMAN OFFICER 287\n\n PETER'S ESCAPE FROM PRISON 289\n\n PAUL'S ACCOUNT OF WHAT HE SAW AND HEARD ON HIS WAY TO DAMASCUS 290\n\n THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT ANTIOCH 291\n\n PAUL AND BARNABAS IN FOREIGN LANDS 292\n\n WHY PAUL WENT TO MACEDONIA 295\n\n PAUL AND SILAS IN MACEDONIA 296\n\n PAUL'S GREAT SPEECH AT ATHENS 298\n\n PAUL WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS AT THESSALONICA 299\n\n PAUL'S WORK AT CORINTH 301\n\n PAUL WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS IN CORINTH 301\n\n THE NEW LIFE AFTER DEATH 304\n\n WAYS OF SHOWING LOVE 305\n\n PAUL'S TRIALS AND VICTORIES AT EPHESUS 305\n\n PAUL WRITES TO THE CHRISTIANS AT ROME 307\n\n PAUL'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 308\n\n PAUL'S NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH 310\n\n A PRISONER WHO PREACHED TO HIS JUDGES 313\n\n PAUL'S SHIPWRECK 315\n\n THE END OF PAUL'S LONG JOURNEY 318\n\n PAUL'S LAST WORDS TO HIS FRIENDS 319\n\n THE MEANING OF FAITH 321\n\n THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT 322\n\n THE LOVE THAT MAKES MEN BROTHERS 323\n\n THE GLORY AND HONOR THAT JESUS HAS WON 324\n\n THE REWARD OF THE FAITHFUL 326\n\n THE NEW HEAVEN ON EARTH 327\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\nIN COLOR\n\n \"The Lord Is My Shepherd\" Painted by W. L. Taylor _Cover_\n\n \"Suffer the Little Children to\n Come Unto Me\" Painted by W. L. Taylor _Title page_\n\n FACING PAGE\n Hagar and Ishmael in the\n Wilderness Painted by W. L. Taylor 14\n\n Rebekah Comes to Isaac Painted by W. L. Taylor 18\n\n Saul and David Painted by W. L. Taylor 90\n\n The Parting of Elijah and Elisha Painted by W. L. Taylor 138\n\n The Prophet Isaiah Painted by W. L. Taylor 148\n\n \"Lo, Children Are a Heritage of\n the Lord\" Painted by W. L. Taylor 194\n\n \"I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes Unto\n the Hills\" Painted by W. L. Taylor 198\n\n The Nativity Painted by W. L. Taylor 223\n\n The Three Wise Men Painted by W. L. Taylor 224\n\n \"O Little Town of Bethlehem\" Painted by W. L. Taylor 226\n\n Seeking the Lost Sheep Painted by Herbert Moore 242\n\n The Prodigal Son Painted by Herbert Moore 244\n\n The Good Samaritan Painted by Herbert Moore 250\n\n Among the Lowly Painted by L. L'hermitte 256\n\n\nIN DUOTONE\n\n FACING PAGE\n\n Building the Tower of Babel Painted by J. James Tissot 10\n\n The Testing of Abraham Painted by Fritz von Uhde 16\n\n Joseph Converses with Judah,\n His Brother Painted by J. James Tissot 36\n\n The Finding of Moses Painted by Juliaan de Vriendt 42\n\n Ruth Painted by Henry Ryland 76\n\n Daniel's Answer to the King Painted by Briton Riviere 166\n\n Esther Denouncing Haman Painted by Ernest Normand 174\n\n Christ and the Fishermen Painted by E. Zimmerman 228\n\n Raising the Daughter of Jairus Painted by Leon Gerome 236\n\n Christ with Mary and Martha Painted by H. Siemiradzki 238\n\n The Sower Painted by Herbert Moore 240\n\n Christ on the Hilltop Painted by C. A. Slade 252\n\n Christ in the Temple Painted by C. A. Slade 260\n\n The Last Supper 268\n\n The Walk to Emmaus Painted by Eugene Girardet 278\n\n St. Paul Preaching at Athens Painted by Raphael 298\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHILDREN'S BIBLE\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF CREATION\n\n\nIn the beginning God made the heavens and the earth, and while the earth\nwas still unformed, God said, \"Let there be light,\" and there was light.\nAnd God saw that the light was good. Then God separated the light from\nthe darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness Night. And\nthere was an evening and a morning, making the first day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let there be a sky and let it divide the waters that are\nbelow from the waters that are above the sky.\" And it was done. And God\ncalled the sky the Heavens. And there was an evening and a morning,\nmaking the second day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the waters under the heavens be brought together, and\nlet the dry land appear.\" And it was done. And God called the dry land\nEarth and the waters that were brought together Seas. And God saw that\nit was good.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let plants and trees grow from the earth.\" And it was\ndone. And plants and trees grew from the earth, each plant bringing\nforth its own kind of seed and each tree its own kind of fruit, and God\nsaw that it was good. And there was an evening and a morning, making the\nthird day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let there be lights in the heavens to separate the night\nfrom the day. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the\nyears. Let them be lights in the heavens to light the earth.\" And it was\ndone. So God made the two great lights (the sun and the moon): the\ngreater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night. God made the\nstars also and placed them in the heavens to throw light upon the earth.\nAnd God saw that it was good. And there was an evening and a morning,\nmaking the fourth day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the waters bring forth many living creatures and let\nbirds fly above the earth and in the sky.\" And God made large\nsea-monsters and all kinds of living creatures with which the waters\nabound, and all kinds of birds. And God saw that it was good. And he\nblessed them, saying, \"Increase and fill the waters in the seas, and let\nthe birds increase on the earth.\" And there was an evening and a\nmorning, making the fifth day.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures,\ncattle and creeping things and wild beasts.\" And it was done. So God\nmade all the different kinds of wild beasts, and the cattle, and\neverything that crawls upon the ground. And God saw that it was good.\n\nAnd God said, \"Let us make man like ourselves. Let him rule over the\nfish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the wild beasts and\nall the living things that crawl upon the ground.\" And God made man like\nhimself, like God he made him. He made them male and female.\n\nAnd God blessed them, and said to them, \"Have children, increase, live\nall over the earth, and conquer it; rule over the fish of the sea, the\nbirds of the sky, and over every living thing that crawls upon the\nground.\"\n\nAnd God said, \"See, to you I give every plant which grows on all the\nearth, and every tree which bears fruit with its own kind of seed. It\nshall be food for you. And to every wild beast and to every bird of the\nsky and to every thing that crawls on the earth and is alive, I give\nevery green herb for food.\" And it was done.\n\nAnd when God saw everything that he had made, he saw that it was very\ngood. And there was an evening and a morning, making the sixth day.\n\nAnd the heavens and the earth were finished and all that there was in\nthem. And on the seventh day when God had finished the work which he had\ndone, he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and\nmade it holy, for in it he rested from all the work which he had done.\n\n\n\n\nGOD'S GOOD GIFTS TO MAN\n\n\nAt the time when Jehovah made earth and heaven, no trees or plants grew\non the earth, for Jehovah had not yet sent the rain; and there was no\nman to till the soil; but a mist rose from the earth and watered the\nground.\n\nThen Jehovah made man out of dust taken from the ground and breathed\ninto him the breath of life; and man became a living being. And Jehovah\nplanted a garden in Eden, far in the East; and out of the ground he made\ngrow all kinds of trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food,\nalso the tree of life and the tree that gives the knowledge of good and\nevil.\n\nThen Jehovah took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it\nand to care for it. And Jehovah gave the man this command: \"You may eat\nall you wish from every tree of the garden, except from the tree that\ngives the knowledge of good and evil; from this you shall not eat, for\nif you eat from it you shall surely die.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said, \"It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make\na companion for him.\" So out of the ground Jehovah made all the wild\nbeasts and birds, and brought them to the man to see what he would name\nthem; and whatever he called each living thing that became its name. But\nfor the man himself there was found no companion suited to him.\n\nThen Jehovah made the man fall into a deep sleep; and while he slept, he\ntook one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The rib which\nhe had taken from the man, Jehovah made into a woman and brought her to\nthe man. Then the man said, \"Because she was made from my body, she\nshall be called Woman.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST DISOBEDIENCE\n\n\nNow the serpent was more deceitful than any other animal that Jehovah\nhad made; and it said to the woman, \"Has God really said, 'You shall not\neat from any tree of the garden'?\" The woman answered, \"We may eat of\nthe fruit of all the trees of the garden except the fruit of the tree\nwhich is in the middle of the garden, for God has said, 'You shall not\neat from it, nor shall you touch it; for if you do, you shall die.'\"\nThen the serpent said to the woman, \"You shall not surely die; for God\nknows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you\nwill know what is good and what is evil.\"\n\nWhen the woman saw that the tree was good for food, beautiful to look at\nand that it would make her wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it.\nThen she gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.\n\nThen the eyes of both of them were opened, so that they knew that they\nwere naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made girdles for\nthemselves. When they heard the sound of the footsteps of Jehovah, as he\nwas walking in the garden in the cool of the day, the man and his wife\nhid from him among the trees of the garden.\n\nAnd Jehovah called to the man and said to him, \"Where are you?\" and he\nanswered, \"I heard the sound of thy footsteps in the garden and I was\nafraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.\" Jehovah said, \"Who told\nyou that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I\nforbade you to eat?\" The man answered, \"The woman whom thou didst give\nto me--she gave me fruit from the tree and I ate.\" Jehovah said to the\nwoman, \"What is this that you have done?\" The woman replied, \"The\nserpent deceived me, and I ate.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to the serpent, \"Because you have done this, you shall\nbe hated more than all beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat\ndust all your life, and men and serpents shall always be enemies. They\nshall bruise your head, and you shall wound them on the heel.\"\n\nTo the woman he said, \"I will greatly increase your trouble and your\npain, and you shall be subject to your husband, and he shall rule over\nyou.\"\n\nBut to the man he said, \"Because you have listened to your wife and have\neaten of the tree from which I forbade you to eat, as long as you live\nyou shall earn a living only by hard work. By hard work shall you raise\nfood to eat. And you shall die and your body go back to the ground, for\nfrom dust you were made, and to dust you shall return!\"\n\nAnd Jehovah made garments of skins for the man and his wife, and clothed\nthem. And he sent them out of the garden of Eden to till the ground.\n\n\n\n\nCAIN AND HIS BROTHER ABEL\n\n\nAdam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living\nbeings. She had two sons, Cain and Abel. Abel was a shepherd, but Cain\nwas a farmer.\n\nOne day Cain brought, as an offering to Jehovah, some fruit and grain\nthat he had grown. Abel, too, brought some of the best animals of his\nflock and sacrificed their fat pieces to Jehovah. Jehovah was pleased\nwith Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering did not please\nhim.\n\nThis made Cain very angry and his face showed it. So Jehovah said to\nCain, \"Why are you angry and why do you scowl? If you do what is right\nand good, will not your offering be accepted? But if you do wrong, sin\ncrouches like a wild beast at the door and the desire to sin will\novercome you; but you should master it.\"\n\nCain said to his brother Abel, \"Let us go into the field.\" And while\nthey were in the field, Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him.\n\nWhen Jehovah said to Cain, \"Where is your brother Abel?\" Cain answered,\n\"I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?\" Jehovah said, \"What have you\ndone? Hark! your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. Even\nnow you are condemned by the very ground that has opened to receive your\nbrother's blood from your hand. Whenever you till the ground, it shall\nno longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a tramp and a wanderer\non the earth.\"\n\nThen Cain said to Jehovah, \"My punishment is more than I can bear. See,\nthou hast driven me out to-day from this land, and I shall no longer be\nable to worship thee; I shall become a tramp and a wanderer on the\nearth, and whoever finds me will kill me.\"\n\nBut Jehovah said to him, \"If any one kills you, he shall be punished\nsevenfold.\" So Jehovah placed a mark on Cain, to keep any one who found\nhim from killing him. And Cain went out from Jehovah's presence and\nlived as a wanderer, away from Eden.\n\n\n\n\nNOAH AND THE GREAT FLOOD\n\n\nWhen Jehovah saw that men were growing more wicked in the world and that\ntheir thoughts were always evil, he was greatly grieved and regretted\nthat he had made man. Therefore, Jehovah said, \"I will completely\ndestroy all living beings from off the earth, for I regret that I have\nmade them.\"\n\nBut Noah had won Jehovah's favor. So Jehovah said to Noah, \"I have\ndecided to put an end to all living beings, for the earth is filled with\ntheir wicked acts. I am going to destroy them from the earth. Make\nyourself an ark of cypress wood. Build rooms in the ark, and cover it\nwithin and without with pitch. This is how you shall build it: the ark\nshall be five hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and fifty feet high.\nMake a roof for it and place the door on the side. Build it with lower,\nsecond, and third stories. For I am about to bring floods of water upon\nthe earth to destroy every living creature in which is the breath of\nlife. Every creature that is on the earth shall die.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to Noah, \"Enter with all your household into the ark,\nfor I see that of all the people who are now alive you alone are\nupright. Of all the beasts that are fit for food and sacrifice you shall\ntake with you seven, the male and the female; but of the beasts that are\nnot fit for food and sacrifice two, the male and the female; and of the\nwild birds that are fit for food and sacrifice seven, to keep each kind\nalive on all the earth. After seven days I will send rain on the earth\nfor forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every living thing\nthat I have made.\"\n\nThen Noah did all that Jehovah commanded him. When the waters of the\nflood came upon the earth, he, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives,\ntogether with the beasts that were fit for food and sacrifice and the\nbeasts that were not fit, and the birds, and everything that creeps upon\nthe ground, entered the ark because of the waters of the flood.\n\nThe rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and Jehovah\nshut Noah in the ark. And the waters rose higher and higher and raised\nup the ark, and it was lifted high above the earth. All creatures living\non the land died. Noah only was left and they who were with him in the\nark.\n\nThen God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the animals that\nwere with him in the ark. And God caused a wind to blow over the earth,\nand the flood went down, the rain from heaven ceased, and the waters\nwithdrew more and more from the land.\n\nAfter forty days Noah opened the window of the ark and sent out a raven;\nand it kept going to and fro until the waters were dried up on the\nearth. He also sent out a dove to see if the waters had gone from the\nsurface of the earth. But the dove found no rest for her foot, and so\nreturned to him to the ark, for the waters covered the whole earth.\nTherefore, Noah reached out his hand and took her and brought her back\ninto the ark.\n\nThen he waited seven days longer and again sent out the dove from the\nark. And the dove came in to him at dusk; and in her mouth was a freshly\nplucked olive-leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had gone from the\nearth. And he waited seven days more and again sent out the dove, but it\ndid not return to him.\n\nSo Noah took off the covering of the ark and looked and saw that the\nsurface of the ground was dry. Then he, with his sons, his wife, and his\nsons' wives, went out of the ark.\n\nAnd Noah built an altar to Jehovah and took one of every beast and bird\nthat was fit for sacrifice and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And\nJehovah said to himself, \"I will never again condemn the ground because\nof man, nor will I again destroy every living creature, as I have done.\nWhile the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and\nwinter, day and night, shall not cease.\"\n\nAnd God said, \"This is the sign of the solemn agreement that I make for\nall time between me and you and every living creature that is with you:\nI have placed my rainbow in the cloud and it shall be the sign of the\nsolemn agreement between me and the people who live on the earth.\nWhenever I bring a cloud over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the\ncloud, I will remember the agreement which is between me and you and\nevery living creature; and the waters shall never again become a flood\nto destroy them.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE TOWER OF BABEL\n\n\nAll the people of the earth spoke one language; and as they travelled\nwestward, they found a broad valley in the land of Babylonia, and made\ntheir home there.\n\nThen they said one to another, \"Come, let us make bricks and thoroughly\nbake them.\" So they had bricks for stone and asphalt for mortar. And\nthey said, \"Come, let us build us a city, and a tower whose top will\ntouch the heavens, and thus make a landmark, that we may not be\nscattered over all the earth.\"\n\nBut when Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower men had built,\nhe said, \"See, they are one people and all have one language. This is\nbut the beginning, and now nothing which they plan to do will seem too\ndifficult for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language,\nthat they may not understand one another.\"\n\nSo Jehovah scattered them from there over all the earth; and they\nstopped building the city. Therefore they named it Babel, which means\nConfusion, for there Jehovah confused the language of all the people on\nthe earth and scattered them over the whole world.\n\n\nABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD AND MAN\n\nThe sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.\nTerah, a descendant of Shem, was the father of Abraham, Nahor and Haran;\nand Haran was the father of Lot.\n\nJehovah said to Abraham, \"Go from your country, your relatives, and your\nfather's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you\na great nation; and I will surely bless you and make your name famous,\nso that you shall be a blessing. And all the families of the earth shall\nask for themselves a blessing like your own.\"\n\nSo Abraham set out, as Jehovah had commanded him; and Lot went with him.\nAbraham was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took Sarah his\nwife and Lot his brother's son and everything that they had, and started\nfor the land of Canaan.\n\nAbraham passed through the land to a place called Shechem, to the oak of\nMoreh. There Jehovah appeared to Abraham and said, \"To your children\nwill I give this land.\" There Abraham built an altar to Jehovah who had\nappeared to him. From there he removed to the hill near Bethel and\npitched his tent with Bethel on one side and Ai on the other, and there\ntoo he built an altar to Jehovah and prayed to him.\n\nNow Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold; Lot also,\nwho went with Abraham, had so many flocks and herds and tents that the\nland was not rich enough to support them both. So when there was a\nquarrel between Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen, Abraham said to\nLot, \"I beg of you, let there be no quarrel between me and you, nor\nbetween my herdsmen and yours, for we are relatives. Is not the whole\nland before you? I beg of you, separate yourself from me. If you go to\nthe left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I\nwill go to the left.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Building the Tower of Babel_\n\nPainted by J. James Tissot]\n\nSo Lot looked about and saw that all the plain of the Jordan, as far as\nZoar, was well watered everywhere, like a garden of Jehovah. So Lot\nchose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and lived in the\ncities of the plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom. But the men of\nSodom were very wicked and sinned against Jehovah.\n\nJehovah said to Abraham, after Lot had gone away from him, \"Lift up your\neyes and look from the place where you are northward, southward,\neastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you\nand to your children forever. I will make them as many as the dust of\nthe earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your\nchildren may also be counted. Rise, walk through the length and breadth\nof the land, for I will give it to you.\"\n\nThen Abraham moved his tent and lived in the oak grove of Mamre, which\nis in Hebron, and built there an altar to Jehovah.\n\nJehovah also appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he was sitting\nat the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day; and, as he looked\nup, three men stood there before him. As soon as he saw them, he ran\nfrom the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed to the ground and\nsaid, \"Sirs, if you are willing to do me a favor, do not, I beg of you,\npass by your servant. Since you have come to your servant, let a little\nwater be brought, that you may wash your feet, and lie down under the\ntree. And let me bring some food, that you may refresh yourselves;\nafterward you may go on your way.\" They replied, \"Do as you have said.\"\n\nSo Abraham hastened to Sarah's tent and said, \"Make ready quickly four\nmeasures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.\" Abraham also ran to\nthe herd, and took a calf that was tender and good, and gave it to the\nservant, and he prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took curd and milk,\nwith the calf which he had prepared, and served them; and he waited on\nthem under the tree, while they ate.\n\nThen they said to him, \"Where is your wife?\" He said, \"There, within the\ntent.\" One of them said, \"I will surely return to you about nine months\nfrom now, and then, Sarah your wife shall have a son.\"\n\n\nLOT'S ESCAPE FROM A WICKED CITY\n\nAnd Abraham went along with them to start them on their way. Jehovah\nsaid, \"The complaint has come that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah have\ncommitted great and terrible sins. I will go down and see whether they\nhave done exactly as the complaint comes to me; and if they have not, I\nwill know.\"\n\nThen the men turned from there and looked off in the direction of Sodom.\n\nThen Abraham drew near to Jehovah and said, \"Wilt thou sweep away the\nrighteous with the wicked? Suppose there are within the city fifty\npeople who are righteous. Wilt thou sweep away and not spare the place\nfor the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from thee to do this:\nto slay the righteous with the wicked! And that the righteous should be\ntreated as the wicked, far be it from thee! Shall not the Judge of all\nthe earth do what is just?\" Jehovah said, \"If I find in the city of\nSodom fifty who are righteous, I will spare the whole place for their\nsake.\" Abraham answered, \"I have dared to speak to Jehovah, even though\nI am but dust and ashes. Suppose there be five lacking of the fifty\nrighteous. Wilt thou sweep away all the city for lack of five?\" Jehovah\nsaid, \"I will not sweep it away, if I find forty-five there.\"\n\nThen Abraham spoke to him again, and said, \"Suppose forty are found\nthere?\" He replied, \"For the sake of forty I will not do it.\" Then\nAbraham said, \"Oh, let not Jehovah be angry, but let me speak. Suppose\nthirty are found there?\" He answered, \"I will not do it, if I find\nthirty there.\" Then Abraham said, \"Thou seest that I have dared to speak\nto Jehovah. Suppose twenty are found there?\" He replied, \"For the sake\nof twenty I will not destroy it.\" Then Abraham said, \"Oh, let not\nJehovah be angry, but let me speak just once more. Suppose ten are found\nthere?\" And he said, \"For the sake of the ten I will not destroy it.\"\nThen Jehovah went his way, and Abraham returned home.\n\nTwo angels in human form came to Sodom in the evening, as Lot was\nsitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose up to meet\nthem, and he bowed with his face to the earth and said, \"Sirs, turn\naside, I beg of you, into your servant's house and spend the night and\nwash your feet; then you can rise up early and go on your way.\" They\nsaid, \"No, we will spend the night in the street.\" But he urged them so\nstrongly that they went with him and entered his house. And he made a\nfeast for them and baked bread made without yeast, and they ate.\n\nBut before they had lain down, the people of Sodom, both young and old,\nall the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called\nout to Lot, \"Where are the men who came in to you to-night? Bring them\nout to us that we may do to them what we desire.\"\n\nThen Lot went out to them at the entrance of his house, but he shut the\ndoor after him. And he said, \"I beg of you, my friends, do not do what\nis wrong. Do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shadow\nof my roof.\" But they replied, \"Stand back, or we will treat you worse\nthan them.\" And they pressed hard against Lot and advanced to break the\ndoor. But the men reached out and drew Lot to them into the house and\nshut the door. Then they smote the men who were at the door of the\nhouse, both small and great, with blindness, so that they grew tired of\nsearching for the door.\n\nThen the men said to Lot, \"Have you any one else here? Bring your\nsons-in-law, your sons, and daughters, and whoever you have in the city\nout of this place, for we are about to destroy it, because great\ncomplaint concerning the people has come to Jehovah and he has sent us\nto destroy it.\" So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, \"Up, go out\nof this place, for Jehovah will destroy the city.\" But his sons-in-law\nthought he was only jesting.\n\nWhen the dawn appeared, the angels urged Lot, saying, \"Get up, take your\nwife and your two daughters that you may not be swept away in the\npunishment of the city.\" When he hesitated, the men took him by the hand\nand led him and his wife and his two daughters outside the city, for\nJehovah was merciful to him.\n\nWhen they had brought them outside, they said, \"Run for your life; do\nnot look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the\nheights, that you may not be swept away!\" But Lot said to them, \"Oh,\nsirs, not so! See, your servant has found favor with you, and you have\nshown great mercy to me in saving my life. I cannot escape to the\nheights, lest some evil overtake me, and I die. See now, this village is\nnear enough to run to, and it is small. Oh, let me escape there, and my\nlife will be saved.\" Jehovah said to him, \"I have also granted you this\nfavor, in that I will not destroy the village of which you have spoken.\nMake haste, escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.\"\n\nThe sun had risen when Lot came to Zoar. Then Jehovah caused brimstone\nand fire from heaven to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and he destroyed\nthose cities and all the plain, with all the people who lived in it and\nall that grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, who was following him,\nlooked back, and she became a pillar of salt.\n\nEarly in the morning Abraham rose and went to the place where he had\nstood before Jehovah; and as he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and\nall the plain, he saw the smoke of the land going up as the smoke of a\nsmelting-furnace.\n\n\nGOD'S CARE FOR THE BOY ISHMAEL\n\nJehovah remembered what he had told Sarah, and he did as he had\npromised. So Sarah had a son, and when the child grew up, Abraham made a\ngreat feast on the day that he was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of\nHagar the Egyptian and of Abraham playing with her son Isaac. And she\nsaid to Abraham, \"Drive out this slave girl and her son, for the son of\nthis slave girl shall not be heir with my son Isaac.\" This request was\nvery displeasing to Abraham because the boy was his son. But Jehovah\nsaid to Abraham, \"Do not be displeased because of the boy and because of\nyour slave girl. Listen to all that Sarah says to you, for Isaac only\nand his children shall bear your name. But I will also make of the son\nof the slave girl a great nation, because he is your son.\"\n\nThen Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of\nwater and gave it to Hagar; and he put the boy upon her shoulder and\nsent her away. So she set out and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.\nWhen the water in the skin was gone, she left the child under one of the\ndesert shrubs and went a short distance away and sat down opposite him,\nfor she said, \"Let me not see the child die.\"\n\nWhile she sat there, the boy began to cry; and Jehovah heard the cry of\nthe boy, and said, \"What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for Jehovah has\nheard the cry of the boy. Rise, lift him up, and hold him fast by the\nhand, for I will make him a great nation.\" And Jehovah opened her eyes\nand she saw a well of water. Then she went and filled the skin with\nwater and gave the boy a drink.\n\nAnd Jehovah cared for the boy; and when he grew up, he lived in the\nwilderness of Paran and became a bowman. And his mother secured a wife\nfor him from Egypt.\n\n\nABRAHAM'S LOYALTY TO GOD\n\nLater Jehovah tested Abraham, saying to him, \"Abraham\"; and he answered,\n\"Here am I.\" Jehovah said, \"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you\nlove, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a\nburnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness_ Painted by W. L. Taylor]\n\nSo Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of\nhis servants with him, and his son Isaac. When he had split the wood for\nthe burnt-offering, he set out for the place of which God had told him.\nOn the third day, when Abraham looked up and saw the place in the\ndistance, he said to his servants, \"Stay here with the ass, while I and\nthe lad go over there. When we have worshipped, we will come back to\nyou.\"\n\nThen Abraham took the wood for the burnt-offering and laid it on Isaac,\nhis son. And he took the fire and the knife, and they both went on\ntogether. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, \"My father!\"\nand Abraham answered, \"Yes, my son.\" Isaac said, \"Here is the fire and\nthe wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?\" Abraham answered,\n\"My son, God will himself provide a lamb for a burnt-offering.\" So the\ntwo went on together.\n\nWhen they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the\naltar there and laid the wood on it and bound Isaac his son and laid him\non the altar upon the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand, and took\nthe knife to kill his son. But the angel of Jehovah called to him from\nheaven, saying, \"Abraham, Abraham!\" and he answered, \"Here am I.\" And he\nsaid, \"Do not put your hand upon the boy, nor do anything to him, for\nnow I know that you love God, for you have not refused to give your son,\nyour only son, to him.\"\n\nThen Abraham looked up, and he saw a ram caught in the thicket by his\nhorns. So Abraham took the ram and offered him up as a burnt-offering\ninstead of his son. And he named the place Jehovah-jireh, which means,\n\"Jehovah will Provide.\"\n\nThe angel of Jehovah again called to Abraham and said, \"Jehovah\ndeclares, 'Because you have done this thing and have not kept back your\nson, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will make your\nchildren as many as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is\non the seashore, so that they shall conquer their enemies, and all the\nnations of the earth shall ask for themselves a blessing like theirs,\nbecause you have obeyed my command.'\"\n\n\nHOW REBEKAH BECAME THE WIFE OF ISAAC\n\nWhen Abraham was very old and Jehovah had blessed him in every way,\nAbraham said to the eldest of his household servants, who had charge of\nall his affairs, \"Put your hand under my hip, while I make you promise\nby Jehovah, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not let my son\nmarry one of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but\nthat you will go to my own country and to my relatives and there get a\nwife for my son Isaac.\" The servant said to him, \"Perhaps the woman will\nnot be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back\nto the land from which you came?\" Abraham said to him, \"See to it that\nyou do not take my son back there. Jehovah, the God of heaven, who took\nme from my father's house and from my native land and who solemnly\npromised me, 'To your children I will give this land,' will send his\nangel before you and there you will get a wife for my son. But if the\nwoman is not willing to come with you, then you will be free from this\npromise to me; only never take my son back there.\" So the servant put\nhis hand under Abraham's hip and made the promise.\n\nThen the servant took ten of his master's camels and set out with\nprecious gifts from his master. So he went to the town of Nahor. And he\nmade the camels kneel down outside the town by the well in the evening,\nat the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, \"O Jehovah,\nthe God of my master Abraham, give me, I pray thee, success to-day, and\nshow kindness to my master Abraham. Here I am standing by the spring of\nwater, and the daughters of the men of the town are coming out to draw\nwater. May that young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your\nwater-jar that I may drink'; and who answers, 'Drink and I will also\nwater your camels,' may she be the one thou hast chosen for thy servant\nIsaac. By this I shall know that thou hast shown kindness to my master.\"\n\nThen even before he was through speaking, Rebekah, who was the\ngrand-daughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water-jar\nupon her shoulder. She was very beautiful and unmarried. She went down\nto the spring, filled her jar, and came up. Then the servant ran to meet\nher and said, \"Please let me drink a little water from your jar.\" She\nanswered, \"Drink, sir,\" and quickly let down her water-jar from her\nshoulder upon her hand and gave him a drink.\n\n[Illustration: _The Testing of Abraham_ Painted by Fritz von Uhde]\n\nWhen she had finished giving him a drink she said, \"I will draw water\nfor your camels also, until they have finished drinking.\" So she quickly\nemptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water,\nand drew for all his camels. Meanwhile the man was silently gazing at\nher in order to find out whether Jehovah had made his journey successful\nor not.\n\nAs soon as the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring,\nfive ounces in weight, and put it in her nose, and put on her arms two\ngolden bracelets weighing five ounces, and said, \"Whose daughter are\nyou? Tell me, I beg of you. Is there room in your father's house for us\nto spend the night?\" She answered, \"I am the grand-daughter of Milcah\nand Nahor. We have plenty of straw and feed, and there is a place for\nyou to spend the night.\"\n\nThen the man bowed his head and worshipped Jehovah, saying, \"Blessed be\nJehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who has continued to show his\nmercy and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, Jehovah has led\nme on the way to the house of my master's relatives.\"\n\nThen the young woman ran and told these things to her mother's family.\nNow Rebekah had a brother named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man at\nthe spring. And when he saw the bracelets on his sister's hands and the\nring, and when he heard Rebekah say, \"This is what the man said to me,\"\nhe went to the man, who was still standing by the camels at the spring,\nand said, \"Come in, you who are blessed by Jehovah! Why do you stand\noutside? For I have cleared the house and have room for the camels.\" So\nhe brought the man into the house and took the packs off the camels and\nfurnished straw and feed for them, and water to wash his feet and the\nfeet of the men who were with him.\n\nBut when food was set before him to eat, he said, \"I will not eat until\nI have made known my errand.\" They answered, \"Speak.\" He said, \"I am\nAbraham's servant; and Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, so that he\nhas become very rich. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and\ngold, servants, and camels and asses. Now Sarah, my master's wife, had a\nson when she was old, and my master has given him all that he has. My\nmaster also made me promise, saying, 'Do not let my son marry one of the\ndaughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, but go to my father's\nhome and to my relatives and there find a wife for my son.'\n\n\"When I said to my master, 'What if the woman will not follow me?' he\nsaid to me, 'Jehovah, whom I love and serve, will send his angel with\nyou and make you successful, and you will find for my son a wife from\namong my relatives and my father's family. Then you shall be free from\nyour promise to me. But if you go to my family and they do not give her\nto you, you shall also be free from your promise to me.' So I came\nto-day to the spring and said, 'O Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham,\nsee, I am standing by the spring of water, if thou wilt make the errand\non which I am going successful, then let the young woman who comes to\ndraw, to whom I say, Please give me a little water from your jar to\ndrink, and who shall say to me, Drink, and I will also draw for your\ncamels, let that one be the woman whom Jehovah has chosen for my\nmaster's son.'\n\n\"Even before I was through speaking, Rebekah came out with her water-jar\non her shoulder and went down to the spring and drew water. And when I\nsaid to her, 'Please let me drink,' she quickly let down her water-jar\nfrom her shoulder and answered, 'Drink, and I will also water your\ncamels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her,\n'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The grand-daughter of Nahor and\nMilcah.' So I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms.\nAnd I bowed my head and worshipped and blessed Jehovah the God of my\nmaster Abraham who had led me on the right way to find the daughter of\nmy master's brother for his son. Tell me whether or not you will deal\nkindly and truly with my master, so that I shall know what to do!\"\n\nThen Laban and his family answered, \"The matter is in the hands of\nJehovah. We cannot say either 'yes' or 'no.' See, Rebekah is before you;\ntake her and go and let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah\nhas said.\"\n\nWhen Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed to the ground before\nJehovah. Then he brought out gold and silver ornaments and clothing and\ngave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and to\nher mother. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent\nthe night there.\n\nWhen they rose in the morning, the servant said, \"Send me away to my\nmaster.\" But Rebekah's brother and mother answered, \"Let the young woman\nstay with us a month or at least ten days; after that she may go.\" But\nhe said to them, \"Do not delay me, for Jehovah has given me success.\nSend me away that I may go to my master.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_Rebekah Comes to Isaac_ Painted by W. L. Taylor]\n\nThen they said, \"We will call the young woman and ask her.\" So they\ncalled Rebekah and said to her, \"Will you go with this man?\" She\nanswered, \"I will go.\" So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her\nnurse with Abraham's servant and his men.\n\nThey also blessed Rebekah, saying to her, \"Our sister! may your children\nand their children become thousands and thousands!\" Then Rebekah set out\nwith her maids and, riding upon the camels, they followed the man. So\nthe servant took Rebekah and went away.\n\nNow Abraham had given all that he had to Isaac and had breathed his\nlast, dying in a good old age, satisfied with living. In the evening,\nwhen Isaac had gone out in the field to meditate, he looked up and saw\ncamels coming. Rebekah too looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she\nquickly alighted from the camel and said to the servant, \"Who is this\nman walking in the field to meet us?\" When the servant said, \"It is my\nmaster,\" she took her veil and covered her face. Then the servant told\nIsaac all that he had done. And Isaac brought Rebekah to the tent of\nSarah his mother, and she became his wife; and he loved her.\n\n\nHOW JACOB DECEIVED HIS FATHER\n\nNow Isaac prayed to Jehovah for his wife, because she had no children;\nand Jehovah heard his prayer, and Rebekah became the mother of twin\nboys. They named one Esau and the other Jacob.\n\nAs they grew up, Esau became a skilful hunter, a man who lived out in\nthe fields; but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed about the tents. Isaac\nloved Esau, for he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.\n\nOnce when Jacob was preparing a stew, Esau came in from the fields, and\nhe was very hungry; so he said to Jacob, \"Let me swallow some of that\nred stew, for I am very hungry.\" But Jacob said, \"Sell me first of all\nyour right as the eldest.\" Esau replied, \"See, I am nearly dead now! So\nof what use is this birthright to me?\" Jacob said, \"First solemnly\npromise to give it to me.\" So Esau solemnly promised and sold his\nbirthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and stewed lentils, and\nwhen he had had something to eat and drink, he got up and went away. In\nthis way Esau gave away his birthright.\n\nWhen Isaac was so old and so nearly blind that he could not see, he\ncalled Esau his oldest son and said to him, \"My son.\" Esau answered,\n\"Here am I.\" Then Isaac said, \"See, I am old and do not know how soon I\nmay die. Now, therefore, take your quiver and your bow and go out into\nthe fields and hunt game for me and prepare for me savory food, such as\nI love, and bring it to me that I may eat and that I may bless you\nbefore I die.\"\n\nRebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau\nwent into the fields to hunt game, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, \"I\njust now heard your father say to your brother Esau, 'Bring me game and\nprepare for me savory food that I may eat it and bless you before I\ndie.' Now, my son, do as I tell you: Go to the flock and bring me from\nthere two good kids, and I will make of them savory food for your\nfather, such as he loves. Then take it to him, that he may eat, so that\nhe may bless you before he dies.\" But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,\n\"You know that my brother Esau is a hairy man, while I am smooth.\nPerhaps my father will feel of me; then I shall appear to him as a\ndeceiver, and I shall bring blame upon me and not a blessing.\" But his\nmother said to him, \"Upon me be the blame, my son; only obey me and go,\nbring the kids to me.\" So he went and brought them to his mother, and\nhis mother made savory food such as his father loved.\n\nRebekah also took the fine clothes of her older son Esau, which she had\nwith her in the tent, and put them on her younger son Jacob. Then she\nput the skins of the kids upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his\nneck, and she placed the savory food and the bread which she had\nprepared in his hand, and he went to his father and said, \"My father.\"\nIsaac answered, \"Here am I; who are you, my son?\" Jacob said, \"I am Esau\nyour oldest son. I have done as you commanded me. Sit up and eat of my\ngame, that you may bless me.\" Isaac said to his son, \"How very quickly\nyou have found it, my son.\" He answered, \"Yes, because Jehovah your God\ngave me success.\"\n\nThen Isaac said to Jacob, \"Come here, my son, that I may feel of you to\nfind out whether you are really my son Esau or not.\" So Jacob went near\nto Isaac his father, and he felt of him and said, \"The voice is the\nvoice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. Are you really my\nson Esau?\" Jacob answered, \"I am.\" And Isaac did not recognize him, for\nhis hands were hairy like his brother Esau's. So he blessed him. Then\nIsaac said, \"Bring the food to me, that I may eat of my son's game and\nbless you.\" So he brought it to him, and he ate. Jacob also brought him\nwine, and he drank.\n\nThen his father Isaac said to him, \"Come near now and kiss me, my son.\"\nAs he came near and kissed him, he smelled the smell of his garment, and\nblessed him.\n\nAs soon as Isaac had given Jacob his blessing, and Jacob was about to\nleave his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also had\nmade savory food and was bringing it to his father. So he said to him,\n\"Father, rise and eat of your son's game, that you may bless me.\" But\nIsaac his father said to him, \"Who are you?\" He answered, \"I am your\nson, your oldest, Esau.\" Then Isaac trembled and said, \"Who then is he\nthat has hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate plentifully\nbefore you came, and blessed him? Also blessed shall he be!\"\n\nWhen Esau heard the words of his father, he uttered a loud and bitter\ncry and said to his father, \"Bless me, even me also, O my father.\"\n\nBut Isaac said, \"Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your\nblessing.\" Esau said, \"Is it not because he was named Jacob, which means\nSupplanter, that he has supplanted me these two times: he took my\nbirthright, and now he has taken my blessing!\" Then he said, \"Have you\nkept a blessing for me?\" Isaac answered Esau, \"See, I have made him your\nmaster and I have given to him all his relatives as servants and grain\nand wine as his food. What then can I do for you, my son?\" Esau said to\nhis father, \"Is that the only blessing you have, my father?\" and Esau\nbegan to weep aloud. Then Isaac his father answered him:\n\n \"You shall live far from earth's fertile places,\n And away from the dew of heaven.\n By your sword you shall live,\n And your brother you shall serve.\"\n\n\nJACOB'S DREAM\n\nEsau hated Jacob because of the blessing which his father had given him.\nAnd Esau said to himself, \"My father will soon die; then I will kill\nJacob, my brother.\"\n\nWhen the words of her older son Esau were told to Rebekah, she sent for\nher younger son Jacob and said to him, \"Your brother, Esau, is going to\nkill you. Now therefore, my son, listen to me: run away to my brother\nLaban at Haran and stay with him for a time until your brother is no\nlonger angry and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send\nand bring you back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?\"\n\nThen Jacob set out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And when he\narrived at a certain place, he passed the night there, because the sun\nhad set. And he took one of the stones from its place and put it under\nhis head and lay down to sleep. Then he dreamed and saw a ladder set up\non the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and the angels of God were\ngoing up and down on it.\n\nJehovah also stood beside him and said, \"I am Jehovah, the God of\nAbraham and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to\nyou and to your children. See, I am with you, and will keep you wherever\nyou go and will bring you again to this land; for I will not leave you\nuntil I have done what I have promised you.\"\n\nWhen Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, \"Surely Jehovah is in this\nplace, and I did not know it.\" And he was filled with awe and said,\n\"This place is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.\"\n\nSo Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put\nunder his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of\nit. And he named that place Bethel, which means House of God. Jacob also\nmade this promise, \"If God will be with me and protect me on this\njourney which I am making and give me bread to eat and clothing to put\non, and if I return safe and sound to my father's house, then Jehovah\nshall be my God, and this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be\na house of God. And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give a\ntenth to thee.\"\n\n\nTHE DECEIVER DECEIVED\n\nThen Jacob went on his journey and arrived at the land of the children\nof the East. And he looked and saw a well in the field, and there were\nthree flocks of sheep lying down by it; for from that well they watered\nthe flocks; but there was a large stone over the well. When all the\nflocks were gathered there, they used to roll away the stone and water\nthe sheep and then put the stone back in its place over the well.\n\nJacob said to the men, \"My friends, from where do you come?\" They said,\n\"We are from Haran.\" Then he said to them, \"Do you know Laban the son of\nNahor?\" And they said, \"We know him.\" And he said to them, \"Is all well\nwith him?\" And they said, \"All is well; indeed, this is Rachel his\ndaughter coming with the sheep.\" And he said, \"See, the sun is still\nhigh! It is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the\nsheep and feed them.\" But they said, \"We cannot until all the flocks are\ngathered together, and they roll away the stone from the well; then we\nwill water the sheep.\"\n\nWhile he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's\nsheep; for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of\nLaban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went up and rolled\nthe stone from the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother's\nbrother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. And when Jacob told\nRachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah's\nson, she ran and told her father.\n\nAs soon as Laban heard about Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet\nhim, put his arms around him, kissed him many times, and brought him to\nhis home. When Jacob told Laban all about these things, Laban said to\nhim, \"Surely you are my bone and my flesh.\" So he remained with him a\nwhole month.\n\nThen Laban said to Jacob, \"Should you serve me for nothing simply\nbecause you are related to me? Tell me what shall be your wages?\" Now\nLaban had two daughters: the name of the older was Leah, and the name of\nthe younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful.\nJacob loved Rachel, and so he said, \"I will serve you seven years for\nRachel your younger daughter.\" And Laban said, \"It is better for me to\ngive her to you than to give her to any other man. Stay with me.\" So\nJacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few\ndays, because he loved her so.\n\nThen Jacob said to Laban, \"Give me my wife, for my time is up, and let\nme marry her.\" So Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a\nfeast. In the evening he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him,\nand Jacob received her as his wife.\n\nWhen in the morning Jacob found it was Leah, he said to Laban, \"What is\nthis you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have\nyou deceived me?\" Laban said, \"It is not the custom among us to give the\nyounger in marriage before the older. Remain with this one during the\nmarriage week, then we will give you the other also for the service\nwhich you shall give me during seven more years.\" Jacob did so: he\nremained with Leah during the marriage week. Then Laban gave him Rachel\nhis daughter to be his wife, but Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. So\nhe had to serve Laban seven years more.\n\n\nMEETING A BROTHER WHO HAD BEEN WRONGED\n\nIn time Jacob became very wealthy, and he had large flocks, slaves, and\nasses. But he heard Laban's sons say, \"Jacob has taken all that was our\nfather's, and from that which was our father's he has gotten all this\nwealth.\" He also saw that Laban did not act toward him the same as\nbefore. So Jacob rose and put his sons and his wives upon the camels and\ndrove away all his cattle. He deceived Laban, for he did not tell him\nthat he was fleeing away. So he fled across the river Euphrates, with\nall that he had, and set out on his way toward Mount Gilead.\n\nThen Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau. And he gave\nthem this command, \"Say to my lord Esau: 'Your servant Jacob declares, I\nhave lived with Laban and have stayed until now. I have oxen and asses,\nflocks and slaves, and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may\nwin your favor.'\" The messengers returned to Jacob with the report, \"We\ncame to your brother Esau, even as he was coming to meet you with four\nhundred men.\"\n\nThen Jacob was greatly alarmed and worried. So he divided the people\nthat were with him and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two\nparts and said, \"If Esau comes to the one and attacks and destroys it,\nthen the other which is left can escape.\"\n\nJacob also prayed, \"O God of my father Abraham and God of my father\nIsaac, deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the\nhand of Esau, for I fear that he will come and attack me and kill the\nmothers and the children.\"\n\nThen Jacob took as a present for his brother Esau, two hundred female\ngoats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty\nmilch camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female\nasses and ten young asses. These he put, each drove by itself, in the\ncare of his servants and said to them, \"Go on before me and leave a\nspace between the droves.\"\n\nHe gave those in front this command: \"When my brother Esau meets you and\nasks you, 'To whom do you belong? and where are you going? and whose are\nthese before you?' then you shall say, 'To your servant Jacob; it is a\npresent sent by him to my lord Esau; and Jacob himself is just behind\nus.'\" Jacob also commanded the second, and the third, and all that\nfollowed the droves, to make the same answer, and to say, \"Jacob himself\nis just behind us.\" For he said to himself, \"I will please him with the\npresent that goes before me, and then, when I meet him, perhaps he will\nwelcome me.\" So he sent the present over before him; but he himself\nspent that night in the camp.\n\nLater that night he rose up and took his two wives, his two maid\nservants, and his eleven children, and sent them over the river Jabbok.\n\nJacob was left alone, and one wrestled with him until daybreak. When he\nsaw that he did not win against Jacob, he struck the socket of his hip,\nand the socket of Jacob's hip was strained, as he wrestled with him.\nThen he said, \"Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.\" But Jacob replied,\n\"I will not let thee go unless you bless me.\" So he said to him, \"What\nis your name?\" He answered, \"Jacob.\" Then he said, \"Your name shall be\nno longer Jacob, but Israel, which means Struggler with God; for you\nhave struggled with God and with men and have won.\" So he blessed him\nthere. And Jacob called the place Penuel, which means Face of God, for\nhe said, \"I have seen God face to face, and my life has been saved.\"\n\nWhen Jacob looked up, he saw Esau coming with four hundred men. And he\nput the maid servants and their children in front, Leah and her children\nnext, and Rachel and her son Joseph in the rear. Then Jacob himself went\nin front of them, and he bowed down to the ground seven times, as he\ndrew near to his brother. Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms about his\nneck, and kissed him, and they wept.\n\nWhen Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, he said, \"Who\nare these with you?\" Jacob answered, \"The children whom God has so\nkindly given me.\" Then the maid servants with their children came up and\nbowed down to the ground. Leah and her children also came and bowed\ndown, and afterward Joseph and Rachel came up and bowed down before\nEsau.\n\nEsau asked, \"What do you mean by all this company which I met?\" Jacob\nanswered, \"To win your friendship, my lord.\" Esau said, \"I have enough,\nmy brother; keep what you have.\" But Jacob replied, \"No, if now I have\nwon your favor, receive this present from me to show that you are my\nfriend. Take, I beg of you, the gift that I bring to you, for God has\nbeen generous to me, and I have enough.\" So he urged Esau until he took\nit.\n\nThen Esau said, \"Let me at least leave with you some of the people who\nare with me.\" But Jacob replied, \"What need is there? Let me only enjoy\nyour friendship, my Lord.\" So Esau turned back that day on his way to\nSeir.\n\n\nJOSEPH SOLD AS A SLAVE BY HIS BROTHERS\n\nWhen Joseph was seventeen years old, he and his brothers were shepherds,\nbut he made them angry, for he brought a bad report about them to their\nfather. Now Jacob loved his son Joseph, who was born in his old age; and\nhe made him a long coat with sleeves. When his brothers saw that their\nfather loved him more than all his other sons, they hated Joseph and\nwould not speak to him in a friendly way.\n\nJoseph had a dream which he told to his brothers; and they hated him\nstill more. This is what he said to them, \"I dreamed that, as we were\nbinding sheaves in the field, my sheaf rose up and remained standing,\nwhile your sheaves came around and bowed down to my sheaf.\" His brothers\nsaid to him, \"Will you really be king over us? Will you indeed rule over\nus?\" So they hated him still more because of his dreams and his words.\n\nThen he had another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, \"I have\nhad another dream, and it seemed to me that the sun and the moon and\neleven stars bowed down to me.\" But when he told it to his father and\nhis brothers, his father reproved him and said, \"What is this dream that\nyou have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come\nand bow down to the earth before you?\" Therefore his brothers were\njealous of him; but his father remembered the dream.\n\nWhen his brothers went to pasture his father's flocks in Shechem, Jacob\nsaid to Joseph, \"Go, see whether all goes well with your brothers and\nwith the flock, and bring me back word.\" So he sent him out, and a\ncertain man found him, as he was wandering in the field, and the man\nasked him, \"What are you looking for?\" He said, \"I am looking for my\nbrothers; tell me, I beg of you, where they are pasturing the flock.\"\nThe man said, \"They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to\nDothan.'\" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.\n\nWhen they saw him in the distance, before he came to them, they planned\ntogether to kill him. And they said one to another, \"See, here comes\nthat great dreamer! Come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the\npits, and we will say, 'A fierce beast has devoured him.' Then we shall\nsee what will become of his dreams!\"\n\nJudah, however, when he heard it, saved Joseph's life by saying, \"Let us\nnot take his life.\" Reuben also said to them, \"Do not shed blood; throw\nhim into this pit, here in the wilderness; but do not harm him.\" Reuben\nsaid this to save Joseph from their hands so that he could bring him\nback to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off\nhis long coat with sleeves and threw him into the pit. But the pit was\nempty, there being no water in it.\n\nThen they sat down to eat and, when they looked up, they saw a band of\nIshmaelites coming from Gilead; and their camels were loaded with\nspices, gum, and ladanum on their way to carry it down to Egypt. And\nJudah said to his brothers, \"What do we gain if we kill our brother and\nhide his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let us do\nhim no harm, for he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.\" So his\nbrothers listened to him; and, drawing up Joseph, they sold him for\ntwenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who brought him to Egypt.\n\nThen his brothers took Joseph's long coat, killed a he-goat, dipped the\ncoat in the blood, and brought it to their father, and said, \"We found\nthis; see whether it is your son's coat or not.\" He recognized it and\nsaid, \"It is my son's coat! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph surely\nis torn in pieces.\" Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth about his\nwaist, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and his daughters\ntried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, saying, \"I shall\ngo down to the grave mourning for my son.\" Thus Joseph's father mourned\nfor him.\n\n\nJOSEPH'S EAGERNESS TO HELP OTHERS\n\nJoseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an Egyptian, one of\nPharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard, bought him from the\nIshmaelites.\n\nNow Jehovah was with Joseph, so that he prospered; and he was in the\nhouse of his master, the Egyptian. When his master saw that Jehovah was\nwith him and made everything succeed that he undertook, he trusted him\nand made him his own servant. He also made him overseer of his household\nand placed all that he had in his care. From the time that he made him\noverseer in his house and over all that he had, Jehovah blessed the\nEgyptian's household for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of Jehovah was\nupon all that he had in the house and in the field. Potiphar left all\nthat he had in Joseph's charge, and he knew nothing about his affairs\nexcept about the food which he ate. And Joseph was handsome and\nattractive.\n\nAfter these honors had come to Joseph, his master's wife tried to tempt\nhim to be unfaithful to his trust. But he refused, saying to her, \"See,\nmy master knows nothing about what I do in the house, and he has put all\nthat he has in my charge. How then can I do this great wrong and sin\nagainst God?\" Day after day she tempted Joseph, but he did not listen to\nher. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work and\nwhen none of the men of the household were at home, she caught hold of\nhis garment and again tried to tempt him, but he left his garment in her\nhand and fled out of the house.\n\nShe kept his garment by her until his master came home; then she said to\nhim, \"The Hebrew slave whom you have brought to us came to me to insult\nme; and when I cried aloud, he left his garment with me and fled.\"\n\nWhen Joseph's master heard what his wife said to him, he was very angry;\nand he took Joseph and put him into the prison, in the place where the\nking's prisoners were kept. So he was left there in prison. But Jehovah\nwas with Joseph and showed kindness to him and helped him to win the\nfriendship of the keeper of the prison, so that he placed all the\nprisoners in Joseph's charge and made him responsible for whatever they\ndid there.\n\nAfter these things the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker\noffended their master the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh was so angry with\nthese two officers that he put them in the same prison where Joseph was.\nAnd the captain of the guard appointed Joseph to wait on them; and they\nstayed in prison for some time.\n\nAnd the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were in the\nprison, both had dreams the same night, each with a different meaning.\nWhen Joseph came in to them in the morning, he saw plainly that they\nwere sad. So he asked Pharaoh's officers, \"Why do you look so sad\nto-day?\" They answered, \"We have had a dream, and there is no one who\ncan tell what it means.\" Then Joseph said to them, \"Is not God the one\nwho knows what dreams mean? Tell them to me, if you will.\"\n\nThen the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, \"In my\ndream I saw a vine before me, and on the vine were three branches, and\nthe buds put out blossoms, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.\nPharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed the\njuice into his cup and gave the cup to Pharaoh.\"\n\nThen Joseph said to him, \"This is what it means: the three branches are\nthree days. Within three days Pharaoh will let you out of prison and\nrestore you to your office, and you will give Pharaoh's cup into his\nhand as you used to do when you were his butler. But when all goes well\nwith you, remember me, show kindness to me and speak for me to Pharaoh\nand bring me out of this prison; for I was unjustly stolen from the land\nof the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put\nme in the dungeon.\"\n\nWhen the chief baker saw that the meaning of the butler's dream was\ngood, he said to Joseph, \"I also saw something in my dream: there were\nthree baskets of white bread on my head, and in the upper basket there\nwere all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them\nout of the basket on my head.\" Joseph answered, \"This is what it means:\nthe three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will take\noff your head and hang you on a tree, and the birds shall eat your\nflesh.\"\n\nNow on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for\nall his servants. Then he set free the chief butler and the chief baker.\nHe restored the chief butler to his office, so that he again gave the\ncup to Pharaoh; but the chief baker he hanged, as Joseph had told them.\nYet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.\n\n\nA PRISONER WHO BECAME A MIGHTY RULER\n\nTwo years later Pharaoh had a dream: as he stood by the river Nile, he\nsaw coming up from the water seven cows, well fed and fat, for they had\nbeen feeding in the river grass. Then seven other cows came up after\nthem out of the Nile, poorly fed and thin, and they stood by the other\ncows on the bank of the Nile. The poorly fed, lean cows ate up the seven\nwell-fed, fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.\n\nAfterward he slept and had a second dream and saw seven ears, plump and\ngood, growing up on one stalk. Also seven ears, thin and withered by the\neast wind, grew up after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven\nplump, full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and knew that it was only a dream.\n\nIn the morning Pharaoh was worried. So he sent for all the magicians and\nwise men of Egypt and told them his dreams; but no one could tell him\nwhat they meant.\n\nThen the chief butler said to Pharaoh, \"I now remember my sins: Pharaoh\nwas very angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in\nprison in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams the\nsame night, each with a different meaning. There was also with us a\nyoung Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our\ndreams and he told each of us what our dreams meant. And our dreams came\ntrue just as he said they would: I was restored to my office, but the\nchief baker was hanged.\"\n\nThen Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the\ndungeon; and he shaved his face, changed his clothes, and came to\nPharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"I have had a dream, and there is no\none who can tell what it means. Now I have heard that when you hear a\ndream, you can tell what it means.\" Joseph answered Pharaoh, \"Not I; God\nalone can give Pharaoh a true answer.\"\n\nThen Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"In my dream as I stood on the bank of the\nNile, I saw seven cows, fat and well fed, which had been feeding in the\nriver grass. There came up after them seven more cows, poorly fed and\nthin, worse than I ever saw in all the land of Egypt; and the lean and\npoorly fed cows ate up the first seven fat cows. When they had eaten\nthem up, one could not tell that they had eaten them, for they were\nstill as thin as at the beginning. Then I awoke.\n\n\"Again I dreamed and saw seven ears, plump and good, grow up on one\nstalk; then seven thin ears, withered with the east wind, sprang up\nafter them; and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. I have\ntold the dream to the magicians, but there is no one who can tell me\nwhat it means.\"\n\nThen Joseph said to Pharaoh, \"Pharaoh's two dreams mean the same thing;\nGod has made known to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good\ncows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. It is one\ndream. The seven lean and poorly fed cows that came up after them are\nseven years, and the seven empty ears withered with the east wind mean\nseven years of famine. That is why I said to Pharaoh, 'God has shown to\nPharaoh what he is about to do.' Seven years of great plenty all through\nthe land of Egypt are coming. They shall be followed by seven years of\nfamine, so that all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt.\nThe famine will use up all that the land produces; and plenty will not\nbe known in the land because of that famine which follows, for it will\nbe very severe.\n\n\"The dream came twice to Pharaoh to show that the famine will surely\ncome, and that God will soon make the dream come true. Now therefore let\nPharaoh pick out a man who is sensible and wise and place him in charge\nof the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh act quickly and put overseers over the\nland and collect one-fifth of all that grows in the land of Egypt in the\nseven years of plenty. Let them gather all the food of these good years\nthat are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and\nlet them hold it in the cities for food. The food will supply the land\nduring the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, so\nthat the people of the land may not die because of the famine.\"\n\nThe plan pleased Pharaoh and all his people; and he said to his people,\n\"Can we find one like this, a man in whom is the spirit of God?\" So\nPharaoh said to Joseph, \"As God has shown you all this, there is no one\nso sensible and wise as you. You shall be at the head of my country, and\nall my people shall be ruled as you command. Only on the throne I will\nbe above you.\"\n\nSo Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"See, I have placed you over all the land of\nEgypt.\" And Pharaoh took off his signet-ring from his finger and put it\nupon Joseph's finger and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a\ngolden collar about his neck. He also made him ride in the second\nchariot which he had; and they cried before him, \"Attention!\" So he\nplaced him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, \"I\nam Pharaoh, but without your consent no man shall lift up his hand or\nhis foot in all the land of Egypt.\" Pharaoh gave him as a wife Asenath,\nthe daughter of Potiphera. And Joseph was thirty years old when he was\nmade the ruler of the land of Egypt.\n\nIn the seven years of plenty there were large harvests, and Joseph\ngathered up all the food of the seven years of plenty, which were in the\nland of Egypt, and stored the food in the cities, putting in each city\nthe food that grew in the fields about it. Joseph stored up grain as the\nsand of the sea, in great quantities, until he no longer kept account,\nbecause it could not be measured.\n\nWhen the seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt were over, the seven\nyears of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all\nlands, but all through the land of Egypt there was food, for when all\nthe land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and\nPharaoh said to all the Egyptians, \"Go to Joseph and do what he tells\nyou.\" So when the famine was over all the country, Joseph opened all the\nstorehouses and sold food to the Egyptians: but the famine was severe in\nthe land of Egypt. The peoples of all lands came to Joseph in Egypt to\nbuy grain, for everywhere the famine was severe.\n\n\nTHE TESTING OF JOSEPH'S BROTHERS\n\nWhen Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to\nhis sons, \"Why do you stand looking at each other? I have heard that\nthere is grain for sale in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us,\nthat we may live and not die.\" So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy\ngrain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's own brother,\nwith his brothers, for he feared that some harm might come to him. So\nthe sons of Jacob went with others to buy grain, for the famine was in\nthe land of Canaan.\n\nNow Joseph was the governor over Egypt; it was he who sold grain to all\nthe people of the land. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed before him\nwith their faces to the earth. When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew\nthem; but he acted as a stranger toward them and spoke harshly to them\nand said, \"Where do you come from?\" They said, \"From the land of Canaan\nto buy food.\" So Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him.\n\nJoseph also remembered the dreams which he had had about them and said\nto them, \"You spies! you have come to see how defenseless the land is.\"\nBut they said to him, \"No, my lord; your servants have come to buy\nfood. We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants are\nnot spies.\" But he again said to them, \"No, you have come to see how\ndefenseless the land is.\" They answered, \"We, your servants, are twelve\nbrothers, the sons of one father in the land of Canaan. The youngest is\nto-day with our father, and one is dead.\" Joseph said to them, \"It is\njust as I said to you, 'You are spies.' By this you shall be tested: as\nsure as Pharaoh lives you shall not go away unless your youngest brother\ncomes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you\nremain in prison, that it may be proved whether you are telling the\ntruth or not. Or else, as sure as Pharaoh lives, you are indeed spies.\"\nSo he put them all into prison for three days.\n\nThen Joseph said to them on the third day, \"Do this and live, for I fear\nGod: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay in prison, but\nyou go, carry grain for the needs of your households and bring your\nyoungest brother to me. So you will prove that you have told the truth\nand you shall not die.\"\n\nThey did as Joseph commanded, but they said to one another, \"We are\nindeed guilty because of the way we treated our brother, for when we saw\nhis trouble and when he pleaded with us, we would not listen. That is\nwhy this trouble has come upon us.\" Reuben added, \"Did I not say to you,\n'Do not sin against the boy,' but you would not listen?\"\n\nThey did not know, however, that Joseph understood them, for he had\nspoken to them through an interpreter. But he turned away from them and\nwept. Then he came back and spoke to them, and taking Simeon from among\nthem, bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph gave orders to fill their\nvessels with grain and to put every man's money back in his sack and to\ngive them food for the journey; and thus it was done to them. So they\nloaded their asses with their grain and went away.\n\nWhen they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told\nhim all that had happened, saying, \"The man who is master in that land\nspoke harshly to us and put us in prison as spies. We said to him, 'We\nare honest men; we are not spies; we are twelve brothers, sons of the\nsame father; one is no longer living, and the youngest is to-day with\nour father in the land of Canaan.' But the man who is master in that\nland said to us, 'This is how I shall know that you are honest men:\nleave one of your brothers with me and take the grain to supply the\nneeds of your households and go. Bring your youngest brother to me; then\nI shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men; and I\nwill give your brother back to you and you shall be free to go about in\nthe land.'\"\n\nAs they were emptying their sacks, they found that each man's purse with\nhis money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their\npurses and the money, they were afraid and they turned trembling to one\nanother with the question, \"What is this that God has done to us?\" Jacob\ntheir father said to them, \"You have robbed me of my children: Joseph is\nno longer living and Simeon is no longer here, and now you would take\nBenjamin also! All this trouble has come to me!\" But Reuben said to his\nfather, \"You may put my two sons to death, if I do not bring him to you.\nPut him in my charge and I will bring him back to you.\" Then Jacob said,\n\"My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he only\nis left. If harm should come to him on the way by which you go, then you\nwill bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.\"\n\nThe famine was severe in the land; and when Joseph's brothers had eaten\nup the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to\nthem, \"Go again, buy us a little food.\" But Judah said to him, \"The man\nplainly said to us: 'You shall not see me again unless your brother is\nwith you.' If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy\nyou food, but if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man\nsaid to us, 'You shall not see me unless your brother is with you.'\"\nJacob said, \"Why did you bring trouble upon me by telling the man you\nhad another brother?\" They replied, \"The man asked all about us and our\nfamily, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?'\nSo we answered his questions as he asked them. How were we to know that\nhe would say, 'Bring your brother down'?\"\n\nThen Judah said to Jacob, his father, \"Send the lad with me, and we will\ngo at once, that both we and you and our little ones may live and not\ndie. I will be responsible for him; from me you may demand him. If I do\nnot bring him to you and set him before you, let me bear the blame\nforever; for if we had not waited so long, surely we would by this time\nhave come back the second time.\" So their father said to them, \"If it\nmust be so, then do this: take some of the fruits of the land in your\njars and carry a present to the man, a little balsam, a little syrup,\nspices, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take twice as much money\nwith you, carrying back the money that was put in your sacks. Perhaps it\nwas a mistake. Take also your brother and go again to the man. May God\nAlmighty grant that the man may be merciful to you and free Benjamin and\nyour other brother. But if I am robbed of my sons, I am bereaved\nindeed!\" So the men took the present and twice as much money and\nBenjamin, and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.\n\nWhen Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house,\n\"Bring the men into the house, kill animals, and prepare the meal, for\nthese men will dine with me at noon.\" The steward did as Joseph ordered,\nand brought the men into Joseph's house. But the men were afraid,\nbecause they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, \"We are\nbeing brought in on account of the money that was put in our grain sacks\nat our first visit, that he may accuse us and fall upon us and take us\nas slaves, together with our asses.\"\n\nSo when they came near to Joseph's steward, they spoke to him at the\ndoor of the house and said, \"Oh, my lord, we came down the first time\nonly to buy food; but when we reached home, we opened our sacks and\nfound that each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in\nits full weight; and we have brought it back with us. We have brought\ndown with us more money with which to buy food. We do not know who put\nour money into our sacks.\" He replied, \"Peace be to you, fear not; your\nGod and the God of your father has given you the treasure in your sacks;\nyour money came to me.\"\n\nThen he brought Simeon out to them. The steward also took the men to\nJoseph's house and gave them water with which to wash their feet, and he\ngave their asses fodder. Then they made ready the present for Joseph,\nwhen he should come at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat\nthere.\n\nWhen Joseph came into the house, they gave him the present which they\nhad brought and bowed down low before him. He asked them about their\nwelfare and said, \"Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke?\nIs he still living?\" They replied, \"Your servant, our father, is well;\nhe is still alive.\" Then they bowed their heads and knelt down before\nhim.\n\nWhen Joseph looked up and saw Benjamin his brother, his own mother's\nson, he said, \"Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?\"\nAnd he added, \"God be gracious to you, my son.\" Then because of his\nlonging for his brother he sought a place in which to weep. So he went\ninto his room and wept there.\n\nThen he bathed his face and came out and said, \"Bring on the food.\" So\nthey brought food for him by himself and for them by themselves and for\nthe Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians\nwould not eat with the Hebrews, for to do so was hateful to them.\nJoseph's brothers were seated before him, the eldest first, as was his\nright as the oldest, and the youngest last, and the men looked at each\nother in astonishment. Then Joseph had portions served to them from the\nfood before him. But Benjamin's portions were five times as much as any\nof theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.\n\nThen he gave this command to the steward of his household: \"Fill the\nmen's grain sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put my cup,\nthe silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest and the money\ntoo that he paid for his grain.\" And the steward did as Joseph\ncommanded.\n\nAs soon as the morning light appeared, the men were sent away with their\nasses. When they had gone out of the city, but were not yet far away,\nJoseph commanded his steward, \"Follow after the men and when you\novertake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? Why\nhave you stolen my silver cup, that from which my master drinks? You\nhave done wrong in so doing.'\"\n\nSo the steward overtook them and said these words to them. They said to\nhim, \"Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your\nservants to do such a thing! Remember that we brought back to you from\nthe land of Canaan the money which we found in our sacks. Why then\nshould we steal silver or gold from your master's house? Let that one of\nyour servants with whom it is found die, and we will be my lord's\nslaves.\" He said, \"Let it now be as you have said: he with whom it is\nfound shall be my slave; but you shall be innocent.\" Then each one\nquickly took down his sack and opened it. The steward searched,\nbeginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was\nfound in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and every man\nloaded his ass and returned to the city.\n\n\nJOSEPH'S FORGIVENESS OF HIS BROTHERS\n\n[Illustration: _Joseph Converses with Judah, his Brother_\n\nPainted by J. James Tissot]\n\nWhen Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph's house, Joseph was\nstill there; and they threw themselves before him on the ground. Joseph\nsaid to them, \"What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know\nthat a man like me can always tell where things are?\" Judah replied,\n\"What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak or how shall we clear\nourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants. See, both we\nand he also with whom the cup was found are my lord's slaves.\" But\nJoseph said, \"Far be it from me that I should do so! The man with whom\nthe cup was found shall be my slave; but you yourselves go up in peace\nto your father.\"\n\nThen Judah came close to him and said, \"Oh, my lord, let your servant, I\nbeg of you, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger be\naroused against your servant, for you are even as Pharaoh. My lord asked\nhis servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' And we said to\nmy lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a\nlittle one. As his brother is dead, he is the only son of his mother who\nis left; and his father loves him.' You said to your servants, 'Bring\nhim down to me, that I may see him.' But we said to my lord, 'The boy\ncannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father\nwould die.' Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest\nbrother comes down with you, you shall not see me again.'\n\n\"When we went up to your servant, my father, we told him the words of my\nlord; and our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.' But we\nsaid, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we\nwill go; for we cannot see the man again unless our youngest brother is\nwith us.' Your servant, my father, said to us, 'You know that my wife\nhad two sons; and one went from me,' and I said, 'Surely he is torn in\npieces; and I have not seen him since. If you take this one also from\nme, and harm come to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow\nto the grave.' Now if I return to your servant, my father, and Benjamin\nwith whose life his heart is bound up is not with us, and he sees that\nthere is no boy, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray\nhairs of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For your\nservant became responsible for the boy to my father, when I said, 'If I\ndo not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame before my father\nforever.' Now, therefore, let me, instead of the boy, remain as a slave\nto my lord, I beg of you; but let the boy go back with his brothers. For\nhow can I go back to my father, if the boy is not with me, lest I should\nsee the sorrow that would come upon my father?\"\n\nThen Joseph could not control himself before all those who were standing\nby him; so he cried out, \"Let every man leave me.\" So no Egyptian was\npresent while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. But he wept so\nloudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh's court heard.\n\nAnd Joseph said to his brothers, \"I am Joseph. Is my father still\nalive?\" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were too ashamed\nto look him in the face. Then Joseph said to his brothers, \"Come near to\nme, I beg of you.\" So they came near. He said, \"I am Joseph, your\nbrother, whom you sold into Egypt. Do not be troubled nor angry with\nyourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to save\nyour lives. For the famine has already been two years in the land, and\nthere are still five years in which there shall be neither ploughing nor\nharvest. God sent me before you to save your lives through a great\ndeliverance and thus give you children on the earth. So now it is not\nyou who sent me here, but God. He has made me like a father to Pharaoh\nand master of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.\n\n\"Go up quickly to my father and say to him, 'Your son Joseph says: God\nhas made me master of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. You\nshall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me with your\nchildren and your grandchildren, with your flocks and your herds and all\nthat you have, so that you, with your household and all that you have,\nmay never want. There I will provide for you, for there will be five\nmore years of famine.' Now you and my brother Benjamin see that it is I\nwho am speaking to you. Tell my father all about my honor in Egypt and\nwhat you have seen; and you must quickly bring him down here.\"\n\nThen he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin\nwept upon his neck. He also kissed all his brothers and wept upon them.\nAfter that his brothers talked with him.\n\n\nJOSEPH'S LOYALTY TO HIS FAMILY\n\nThe news that Joseph's brothers had arrived became known in Pharaoh's\npalace; and it pleased Pharaoh and his servants greatly. Pharaoh said to\nJoseph, \"Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your beasts, go to the\nland of Canaan, and take your father and your families and come to me,\nand I will give you the best there is in the land of Egypt, and you\nshall eat the best that the land can give. Now you are commanded to do\nthis: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for\nyour wives, and bring your father and come. Also do not pay any\nattention to your household goods, for the best of all there is in the\nland of Egypt is yours.'\" And the sons of Jacob did as they were\ncommanded.\n\nSo Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh ordered, and what was needed for\nthe journey. To each of them he gave a change of clothing, but to\nBenjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of\nclothing. To his father he sent this gift: ten asses loaded with the\nbest products of Egypt and ten asses loaded with grain and bread and\nprovisions for his father on the journey.\n\nSo he sent his brothers away, and, as they went, he said to them, \"See\nthat you do not quarrel on the journey!\" So they went up out of Egypt\nand came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father, and told him,\n\"Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!\"\nThen Jacob's heart stood still, for he could not believe them. But when\nthey told him all that Joseph had said to them and when he saw the\nwagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their\nfather revived, and he said, \"It is enough; Joseph my son is still\nalive. I will go and see him before I die.\"\n\nThen Jacob set out on his journey with all that he had. He first went to\nBeersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God\nspoke to him in a vision by night and said, \"Jacob, Jacob.\" He answered,\n\"Here am I.\" God said, \"I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to\ngo down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. I\nmyself will go down with you into Egypt; I will surely bring you back\nagain; and Joseph shall close your dying eyes.\"\n\nWhen Jacob left Beersheba, his sons carried him and their little ones\nand their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent. Jacob also sent\nJudah before him to Joseph, that he might show him the way to Goshen.\n\nWhen they came into the land of Goshen, Joseph made ready his chariot,\nand went up to Goshen to meet Jacob his father. When he met him, Jacob\nfell on his neck and wept there a long time.\n\nThen Jacob said to Joseph, \"Now let me die, for I have seen your face\nand know that you are still alive.\" But Joseph said to his brothers and\nto his father's household, \"I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say\nto him, 'My brothers and my father's family who were in the land of\nCanaan have come to me. Now the men are shepherds, for they have been\nkeepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks and cattle and all\nthat they have.' When Pharaoh calls you, and asks, 'What is your\nbusiness?' you shall say, 'Your servants have been keepers of cattle\nfrom our youth even until now, both we and our fathers.' Say this that\nyou may live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is looked down\nupon by the Egyptians.\"\n\nThen Joseph went in and told Pharaoh and said, \"My father and my\nbrothers with their sheep and cattle and all that they possess have come\nfrom the land of Canaan; and now they are in the province of Goshen.\"\nAnd he took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh\nsaid to them, \"What is your business?\" They answered, \"Your servants are\nshepherds, both we and our fathers.\" They also said to Pharaoh, \"We have\ncome to live in your country; because the famine is severe in the land\nof Canaan, and there is no pasture for your servants' flocks. Now,\ntherefore, we beg of you, let your servants stay in the land of Goshen.\"\nThen Pharaoh said to Joseph, \"Let them stay in the land of Goshen; and\nif you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my cattle.\"\n\nJoseph also brought in Jacob his father and presented him to Pharaoh;\nand Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to Jacob, \"How many years\nhave you lived?\" Jacob answered, \"I have lived a hundred and thirty\nyears; few and evil have been the years of my life, and they have not\nbeen as many as those that my forefathers lived on earth.\" After Jacob\nhad blessed Pharaoh, he went out from Pharaoh's presence. So Joseph gave\nhis father and his brothers a place to live in and a home in the land of\nGoshen, in the best part of the land of Egypt, as Pharaoh had commanded.\n\nJoseph also provided food for his father and his brothers and all his\nfather's family according to the number of the little children. So the\nIsraelites lived in Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and there they grew\nwealthy and had many children.\n\n\nTHE BOYHOOD AND TRAINING OF MOSES\n\nAfter the death of Joseph and his brothers, the Israelites increased so\nrapidly and became so many and powerful that the land was filled with\nthem. But a new king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt. He said\nto his people, \"See, the Israelites are becoming too many and powerful\nfor us. Come, let us deal wisely with them, for fear that they become so\nmany that, if war is begun against us, they will join our enemies and\nfight against us and leave the land.\"\n\nSo the Egyptians set taskmasters over them to put burdens upon them. And\nthey built for Pharaoh the store-cities, Pithom and Rameses. But the\nmore the Egyptians afflicted them, the more numerous they became and the\nmore they spread everywhere, so that the Egyptians dreaded what they\nmight do. And the Egyptians were cruel and made slaves of them, making\ntheir lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and brick, and by all kinds\nof hard work in the field.\n\nPharaoh also gave this command to all his people, \"You shall throw into\nthe river every son that is born to the Hebrews, but every daughter you\nshall save alive.\"\n\nNow a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of the same tribe, and\nshe had a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him\nfor three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took a\nbasket made of papyrus reeds, daubed it with mortar and pitch, and put\nthe child in it. Then she placed it in the reeds by the bank of the\nriver Nile, while his sister stayed near by to see what would happen to\nhim.\n\nThe daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, and while her\nmaids were walking along the river's bank, she saw the basket among the\nreeds and sent her waiting-maid to bring it. When she opened it and saw\nthe child, the boy was crying; and she felt sorry for him and said,\n\"This is one of the Hebrew children.\"\n\nThen his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, \"Shall I go and call one of\nthe Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?\" Pharaoh's daughter said to\nher, \"Go.\" So the maiden went and called the child's mother, and\nPharaoh's daughter said to her, \"Take this child away and nurse it for\nme, and I will pay you your wages.\" Then the woman took the child and\nnursed it. When the child had grown up, she brought him to Pharaoh's\ndaughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said,\n\"I drew him out of the water.\"\n\nOne time, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people; and\nas he was watching them at their hard labor, he saw an Egyptian beating\na Hebrew, one of his own race. He looked around and seeing that there\nwas no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.\n\nOn the next day Moses went out, and saw two Hebrews struggling together;\nand he said to the one who was in the wrong, \"Why do you strike your\nfellow workman?\" The man replied, \"Who made you a ruler and a judge over\nus? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?\" Then Moses was\nafraid and said, \"What I have done is known!\" When Pharaoh heard what\nhad taken place, he tried to put Moses to death; but Moses left the\ncountry and made his home in the land of Midian.\n\nAs he was sitting by a well, the seven daughters of the priest of Midian\ncame and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's\nflock, but the shepherds came and drove them away. Then Moses stood up\nand protected the women and watered their flock.\n\nWhen they came to their father, he said, \"How is it that you have come\nback so early to-day?\" They replied, \"An Egyptian protected us from the\nshepherds, and besides, he drew water for us and watered the flock.\"\nThen he said to his daughters, \"Where is he? Why have you left the man?\nAsk him to eat with us.\" So Moses made his home with the man; and he\ngave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. She had a son, and\nMoses named him Gershom.\n\n\nTHE VOICE FROM THE BUSH\n\nAfter a long time the king of Egypt died. Moses was taking care of the\nflock of Jethro his wife's father. Once he led the flock to the other\nside of the pasture and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the\nangel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a\nthorn bush. As he looked, the bush flamed up without being burned. Moses\nsaid, \"I will stop here and see this wonderful sight, why the bush is\nnot burned up.\"\n\n[Illustration: _The Finding of Moses_\n\nPainted by Juliaan de Vriendt]\n\nWhen Jehovah saw that Moses stopped to look, he called to him from the\nmidst of the bush, \"Moses, Moses.\" Moses answered, \"Here am I.\" Then God\nsaid, \"Do not come near; take your shoes off your feet, for the place\nwhere you are standing is holy ground.\" He also said, \"I am the God of\nyour forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of\nJacob.\" Then Moses covered his face; for he was afraid to look upon\nGod.\n\nBut Jehovah said, \"I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who\nare in Egypt and have heard their cry of distress because of their\ntaskmasters, for I know their sorrows. I have come down to rescue them\nfrom the power of the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land into\na land that is beautiful and wide, to a land with plenty of milk and\nhoney. I have heard the cry of the Israelites and I have seen how they\nsuffer at the hands of the Egyptians. Come now, I will send you to\nPharaoh that you may bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.\"\n\nBut Moses said to God, \"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and should\nbring the Israelites out of Egypt?\" He answered, \"I will surely be with\nyou; and this shall be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you\nhave brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God upon this\nmountain.\"\n\nThen Moses said to God, \"If I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The\nGod of your forefathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is\nhis name?' what shall I answer them?\" God said to Moses, \"I AM WHAT I\nAM\"; and he said, \"Declare to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'\nGo and gather the leaders of Israel together and say to them, 'Jehovah\nthe God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has\nappeared to me and said, I have surely remembered you and have seen what\nis being done to you in Egypt, and I have declared that I will bring you\nup out of the suffering in Egypt to a land with plenty of milk and\nhoney.' They will listen to your voice; and you, together with the\nleaders of Israel, shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him,\n'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Now let us go\nthree days' journey into the wilderness, that we may offer a sacrifice\nto Jehovah our God.' But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you\ngo unless he is made to do so by a mighty power. Therefore I will use my\npower and overwhelm Egypt with all the marvellous deeds that I will do\nthere. After that he will let you go.\"\n\nMoses said to Jehovah, \"O, Lord I am not able to speak well; for I am\nslow to speak and slow in saying what I think.\" Jehovah said to him,\n\"Who has given man a mouth? Or who makes one deaf or dumb, or blind or\nable to see? Is it not I, Jehovah? Now go, and I will be with you and\nteach you what you shall say; and your brother Aaron shall speak for you\nto the people.\"\n\nThen Moses went back to Jethro, his wife's father, and said to him,\n\"Let me go again to my people in Egypt to see whether they are still\nalive.\" Jethro answered Moses, \"Go, with my blessing.\"\n\n\nPHARAOH THE STUBBORN RULER\n\nThen Jehovah said to Aaron, \"Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.\" So\nhe went and met him on the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses\ntold Aaron all that Jehovah had sent him to declare. So Moses and Aaron\ngathered all the leaders of the Israelites, and Aaron repeated all the\nwords which Jehovah had spoken to Moses. The people believed; and when\nthey heard that Jehovah had remembered the Israelites and that he had\nseen their suffering, they bowed their heads and worshipped.\n\nThen Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, \"Jehovah, the God\nof Israel commands, 'Let my people go that they may hold a feast in my\nhonor in the wilderness.'\" But Pharaoh said, \"Who is Jehovah that I\nshould obey his command to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, and I\nwill not let Israel go.\" They said, \"The God of the Hebrews has appeared\nto us; let us go three days' journey into the wilderness that we may\noffer a sacrifice to Jehovah our God, that he may not attack us with\npestilence or with the sword.\" But the king of Egypt replied, \"Moses and\nAaron, why do you try to turn the people from their work? Go to your\ntasks!\"\n\nThe same day Pharaoh gave this command to the taskmasters who were over\nthe people: \"You shall no longer give the people straw for making bricks\nas before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. But you shall\ndemand of them the same number of bricks that they have been making\nbefore; you shall not lessen the number at all, for they are lazy; that\nis why they cry out, 'Let us go and offer a sacrifice to our God.' Let\nheavier work be laid upon the men, that they may be kept so busy that\nthey will not pay attention to lying words.\"\n\nSo the taskmasters who were over the people went out and said to them,\n\"This is Pharaoh's order, 'I will no longer give you straw. Go\nyourselves, get straw wherever you can find it; but your work shall not\nbe made less.'\" So the people were scattered over all the land of Egypt\nto gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters urged them on, saying, \"You\nmust finish your daily task just as when there was straw.\" The\noverseers of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had put over\nthem, were also beaten and asked, \"Why have you not finished to-day as\nmany bricks as yesterday?\"\n\nThen the overseers of the Israelites went to Pharaoh and said, \"Why do\nyou deal in this way with your servants? No straw is given to your\nservants, and yet they say to us, 'Make bricks.' See how your servants\nare beaten and how you wrong your people.\" But he said, \"You are lazy,\nyou are lazy; therefore you say, 'Let us go and offer a sacrifice to\nJehovah.' Now go and work, for no straw shall be given you; yet you must\nmake the same number of bricks.\"\n\nThen Moses turned again to Jehovah and said, \"Jehovah, why hast thou\nbrought misfortune upon this people? Why is it that thou has sent me?\nFor since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name he has wronged this\npeople, and thou hast done nothing at all to rescue thy people.\"\n\nJehovah answered Moses, \"Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh;\nfor compelled by a mighty power he shall surely let them go, and\ncompelled by a mighty power he shall drive them out of his land.\"\n\n\nTHE COST OF BEING CRUEL AND STUBBORN\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Pharaoh is stubborn; he will not let the\npeople go. Go to Pharaoh early in the morning, as he is going out on the\nwater, and stand by the bank of the Nile to meet him. Say to him,\n'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you with this command:\nLet my people go that they may worship me in the wilderness, but so far\nyou have not listened. Jehovah declares, By this you shall know that I\nam Jehovah: See, I will strike the waters which are in the river with\nthe rod that is in my hand and they shall be changed into blood. The\nfish, too, that are in the Nile shall die, and the Nile shall become\nfoul, so that the Egyptians will hate to drink its water.'\"\n\nThen Moses lifted up the staff and in the presence of Pharaoh and his\nservants struck the waters that were in the river Nile; and all its\nwaters were changed into blood. The fish, too, that were in the Nile\ndied, and the river became so foul that the Egyptians could not drink\nits water, but dug round about the Nile for water to drink.\n\nSeven days later Jehovah gave this command to Moses, \"Go in to Pharaoh\nand say to him, 'Jehovah commands: Let my people go that they may\nworship me. If you refuse to let them go, then I will afflict all your\nland with frogs; and the Nile shall swarm with frogs which shall go up\nand come into your house, into your sleeping chamber, upon your bed,\ninto the houses of your servants, upon your people, and into your ovens\nand kneading-troughs; and the frogs shall come up even upon you and your\npeople and all your servants.'\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Say to Aaron: 'Stretch out your hand with\nyour staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and\ncause frogs to come up over the land of Egypt.'\" So Aaron stretched out\nhis hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the\nland of Egypt.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, \"Pray to Jehovah to\ntake away the frogs from me and my people; then I will let the people\ngo, that they may offer a sacrifice to Jehovah.\" Moses said to Pharaoh,\n\"Will you do yourself the honor of telling me at what time I shall pray\nto Jehovah in your behalf and in behalf of your servants and people,\nthat the frogs be destroyed from your palaces and be left only in the\nNile?\" Pharaoh answered, \"To-morrow.\" Then Moses said, \"Let it be as you\nsay; that you may know that there is none like Jehovah our God, the\nfrogs shall depart from you, from your palaces, and from your servants\nand people; they shall be left only in the Nile.\"\n\nWhen Moses and Aaron had gone out from Pharaoh, Moses prayed to Jehovah\nto remove the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh; and Jehovah did\nas Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courts, and in the\nfields, and the people gathered them together in many heaps; and the\nland was filled with a vile odor. But when Pharaoh saw that relief had\ncome, he was stubborn and, as Jehovah had said, did not listen to Moses\nand Aaron.\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Get up early in the morning and stand\nbefore Pharaoh, just as he goes out to the water, and say to him,\n'Jehovah commands: Let my people go that they may worship me. If you\nwill not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you, upon\nyour servants, and upon your people and into your palaces, so that the\nhouses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, as well as the\nground upon which they stand. But at that time I will set apart the land\nof Goshen in which my people live, and no swarms of flies shall be\nthere, so that you may know that I, Jehovah, am in the midst of the\nearth.'\"\n\nAnd Jehovah did so: a vast swarm of flies came upon Pharaoh's palace and\ninto the homes of his servants; and all the land of Egypt was ruined by\nthe swarms of flies.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, \"I will let you go\nthat you may offer a sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness;\nonly you must not go far away. Pray for me.\" Moses replied, \"I will go\nout and will pray to Jehovah that the swarms of flies may depart from\nPharaoh, from his servants and from his people to-morrow; only let not\nPharaoh again act deceitfully by refusing to let the people go to offer\na sacrifice to Jehovah.\"\n\nSo Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Jehovah. And Jehovah did as\nMoses asked; but this time also Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let\nthe people go.\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Jehovah the\nGod of the Hebrews commands: Let my people go that they may worship me.\nFor if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, then the power of\nJehovah will bring a very severe pest upon your cattle which are in the\nfield, upon the horses, the asses, the camels, the herds, and the\nflocks. But Jehovah will make a difference between the cattle of Israel\nand the cattle of Egypt, and not one that belongs to the Israelites\nshall die.'\"\n\nSo Jehovah set a fixed time, saying, \"To-morrow Jehovah will do this in\nthe land.\" Jehovah did this on the next day, and all the cattle of the\nEgyptians died; but none of the cattle of the Israelites. Then Pharaoh\nsent and found that not even one of the cattle of the Israelites was\ndead; but Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let the people go.\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Get up early in the morning and stand\nbefore Pharaoh, and say to him,'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews,\ncommands: Let my people go, that they may worship me. Do you still set\nyourself against my people, so that you will not let them go? To-morrow\nabout this time I will send down a very heavy fall of hail, such as has\nnot been in Egypt from the day that it became a nation until now.'\"\n\nSo Jehovah sent down hail upon the land of Egypt, and the lightning\nflashing in the midst of the hail was very severe, such as had not been\nbefore in all Egypt since it became a nation. Through the whole land of\nEgypt the hail struck down everything that was in the field, both man\nand beast. The hail also struck down all the growing plants and broke\nall the trees in the fields. Only in the land of Goshen, where the\nIsraelites were, there was no hail.\n\nAgain Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, \"I\nhave sinned this time; Jehovah is right and I and my people are wrong.\nPray to Jehovah, for there has been enough of these mighty thunderings\nand hail, and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.\" Moses\nsaid to him, \"As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out\nmy hands in prayer to Jehovah; the thunders shall stop, and there shall\nbe no more hail, that you may know that the earth is Jehovah's. But as\nfor you and your servants, I know that even then you will not fear\nJehovah.\"\n\nSo Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to\nJehovah; and the thunders and hail stopped, and the rain was no longer\npoured upon the earth. But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail\nand the thunders had stopped, he sinned again, and he and his servants\nbecame stubborn, and he would not let the Israelites go.\n\nSo Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said to him, \"Jehovah, the God\nof the Hebrews, commands: 'How long will you refuse to obey me? Let my\npeople go that they may worship me. For if you refuse to let my people\ngo, then to-morrow I will bring locusts into your land, and they will\ncover the surface of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the\nground, and they shall eat the rest of that which is left to you from\nthe hail, and they shall eat all your trees which grow in the field.'\"\n\nThen Moses and Aaron were driven out from Pharaoh's presence, but Moses\nstretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah caused an\neast wind to blow over the land all that day and night. In the morning\nthe east wind brought the locusts, and they went over all the land of\nEgypt and settled down in all the land of Egypt, a very large swarm,\nmore locusts than there ever were before or ever will be again. For they\ncovered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened and\nnothing green was left, neither tree nor growing plants, anywhere in all\nthe land of Egypt.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses in haste and said, \"I have sinned against\nJehovah your God and against you. Now therefore forgive my sin only this\nonce, and pray to Jehovah your God to take away from me this deadly\nplague.\" So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to Jehovah, and\nJehovah made a very strong west wind to blow which took up the locusts\nand drove them into the Red Sea; not a single locust was left in all\nthe land of Egypt. But Jehovah let Pharaoh's heart remain stubborn, so\nthat he would not let the Israelites go.\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that\nthere may be darkness over the land of Egypt, so dark that it may be\nfelt.\" So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven; and there was\ncomplete darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days; no one could\nsee another, nor did any one move about for three days. But the\nIsraelites had light in their homes.\n\nThen Pharaoh called Moses and said, \"Go, worship Jehovah; only let your\nflocks and your herds stay behind; let your little ones go with you.\"\nBut Moses said, \"You must also give us animals for sacrifices and\nburnt-offerings, that we may offer a sacrifice to Jehovah our God. Our\ncattle too must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must\ntake these to offer to Jehovah our God, and we do not know what we must\noffer to Jehovah until we arrive there.\"\n\nBut Jehovah let Pharaoh's heart remain stubborn, and he would not let\nthem go. And Pharaoh said to him, \"Go away from me; take care that you\nnever come to me again; for on the day that you come to me you shall\ndie.\" Moses replied, \"You have spoken truly, I shall never see you\nagain.\"\n\nMoses said to Pharaoh, \"Jehovah declares: 'About midnight I will go\nthrough all of Egypt. All the eldest sons in the land of Egypt shall\ndie, from the eldest son of Pharaoh who sits upon his throne, even to\nthe eldest son of the slave girl who is behind the mill, and all the\nfirst-born of the cattle. There shall be a great cry of sorrow all over\nthe land of Egypt, such as has never been before and never shall be\nagain.' But not a single dog shall bark at any of the Israelites nor\ntheir animals, that you may know that Jehovah does make a difference\nbetween the Egyptians and Israelites. All these your servants shall come\nto me and bow down before me, saying, 'Go away, together with all the\npeople that follow you.' After that I will go away.\" And Moses went from\nPharaoh in great anger.\n\n\nTHE ESCAPE FROM EGYPT\n\nMoses called together all the leaders of Israel, and said to them, \"Take\nlambs from the herds according to your families and kill the passover\nlamb. You shall also take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood\nthat is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two door posts with\nthe blood that is in the basin. And not one of you shall go out of the\ndoor of his house until morning, for Jehovah will pass through to kill\nthe Egyptians, and when he sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two\ndoor posts, he will pass over the door and will not let the destroyer\ncome into your houses to destroy you. You and your children shall\nobserve this event as a custom forever.\n\n\"When your children shall say to you, 'What do you mean by this\nservice?' you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the passover of\nJehovah, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when\nhe destroyed the Egyptians and released our people.'\"\n\nThen the people bowed their heads and worshipped; and the Israelites\nwent and did as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron.\n\nAt midnight Jehovah destroyed all the eldest sons in the land of Egypt,\nfrom the eldest son of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the eldest son\nof the captive who was in prison. Then Pharaoh arose in the night,\ntogether with all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a\ngreat cry of sorrow, for there was not a house in Egypt in which there\nwas not one dead. Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron at night and said, \"Go\naway from among my people, both you and the Israelites; go, worship\nJehovah as you have asked. Also take with you your sheep and your\ncattle, as you have asked, go and ask a blessing for me also.\" The\nEgyptians also told the people to hasten out of the land, for they said,\n\"We shall all perish.\" So the people took their dough before the yeast\nhad worked, and their kneading-troughs were bound up in their clothes\nupon their shoulders.\n\nThe Israelites went on foot from Rameses to Succoth; and a mixed\nmultitude went with them, and they had a great many flocks and herds.\nThey baked unraised cakes of the dough which they had brought with them\nfrom Egypt, for there was no yeast in it, because they had been driven\nout of Egypt and could not wait, neither had they prepared for\nthemselves any food for the journey.\n\nAnd they went from Succoth and camped at Etham on the border of the\nwilderness. Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to\nshow them the way, and at night in a pillar of fire, to give them light,\nthat they might march both by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by\nday and the pillar of fire at night stayed in front of the people.\n\nWhen the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the feeling of\nPharaoh and his servants toward them was changed, and they said, \"Why\nhave we done this and let the Israelites escape from serving us?\" So he\nmade ready his chariot and took his people with him. He also took six\nhundred chosen chariots and the rest of the chariots of Egypt with\ncaptains over all of them; and Jehovah let the heart of Pharaoh, king of\nEgypt, remain stubborn, so that he followed the Israelites, because they\nhad defied him.\n\nWhen Pharaoh drew near to them the Israelites looked up and saw the\nEgyptians marching after them; and they were very much afraid and cried\nto Jehovah. And they said to Moses, \"Why have you misled us by bringing\nus out of Egypt? Is not this what we told you in Egypt, when we said,\n'Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it is better for us\nto serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.'\" But Moses said\nto the people, \"Do not be frightened, remain quiet and you will see how\nJehovah will save you to-day; for as surely as you now see the Egyptians\nyou shall never see them again. Jehovah will fight for you, and you are\nto keep still.\"\n\nThen the angel of God who went before the army of Israel changed his\nposition and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also changed its\nposition from in front of them and stood behind them, coming between the\narmy of the Egyptians and the army of the Israelites. On the one side\nthe cloud was dark and on the other side it lighted up the night, so\nthat throughout all the night neither army came near the other.\n\nThen Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Jehovah by means of\na strong east wind caused the sea to go back all that night and made the\nbed of the sea dry. And the Israelites crossed over on the dry bed of\nthe sea. The Egyptians followed and all of Pharaoh's horses, his\nchariots, and his horsemen went after them into the sea. In the morning\nbefore sunrise, Jehovah looked out through the pillar of fire and of\ncloud upon the army of the Egyptians and threw them into confusion. He\nalso bound their chariot wheels, so that they dragged heavily. Therefore\nthe Egyptians said, \"Let us flee from the Israelites, for Jehovah fights\nfor them against us.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Stretch out your hand over the sea, that\nthe waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and\nupon their horsemen.\" So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and\ntoward morning the sea returned to its ordinary level while the\nEgyptians were flying before it. So Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in\nthe midst of the sea, and the waters returned and covered the chariots\nand the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that went after them into\nthe sea, so that not one of them was left. Thus Jehovah saved the\nIsraelites that day from the power of the Egyptians; and they saw the\nEgyptians dead upon the seashore. When the Israelites saw the great work\nwhich Jehovah did to the Egyptians, the people feared Jehovah and\nbelieved in him and in his servant Moses.\n\nAnd Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her\nhand; and as all the women followed her with tambourines and with\ndancing, she sang with them:\n\n \"Sing to Jehovah, for he has triumphed gloriously:\n Both horse and rider has he hurled into the sea.\"\n\nThen Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Jehovah:\n\n \"I will sing to Jehovah, for he has triumphed gloriously:\n Both horse and rider he has hurled into the sea.\n Jehovah is my strength and song, he has delivered me;\n He is my God, I will praise him; my father's God whom I honor.\"\n\n\nGOD'S COMMANDS TO THE PEOPLE\n\nMoses led the Israelites forward from the Red Sea until they came to the\nwilderness of Sinai, and there the Israelites camped before the\nmountain.\n\nMoses went up into the presence of God, and Jehovah called to him from\nthe mountain and said, \"Tell the Israelites: 'You have seen what I did\nto the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to\nmyself. Now therefore, if you will listen to my voice and keep your\nsolemn agreement with me, you shall be my own treasure taken from among\nall peoples, for all the earth is mine. You shall be a nation of\npriests, a people devoted to my service.'\"\n\nSo Moses called together the leaders of the people and told them all\nthese words, as Jehovah had commanded him. And all the people answered\ntogether, \"We will do all that Jehovah has commanded.\"\n\nWhen Moses told Jehovah the answer of the people, Jehovah said to him,\n\"See, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I\nspeak and may always believe in you.\" And Jehovah said to Moses, \"Go to\nthe people and keep them pure to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash\ntheir garments and be ready on the third day, for on the third day I\nwill come down on Mount Sinai within sight of all the people.\"\n\nOn the third day, when morning came, there were thunderings and\nlightnings and a thick cloud rested upon the mountain, and a very loud\ntrumpet blast sounded, so that all the people who were in the camp\ntrembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and\nthey stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was entirely covered\nwith smoke, because Jehovah came down upon it in fire. And from it smoke\nwent up like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain shook\nviolently.\n\nThen God spoke all these words: \"I am Jehovah your God who brought you\nout of the land of Egypt, from a place where you were slaves.\n\n\"THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS EXCEPT ME.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT MAKE FOR THYSELF A GRAVEN IMAGE, nor any image of\nanything that is in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, or in the\nwaters that are under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down before them,\nnor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God visiting the sins\nof the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation, but\nshowing acts of kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love\nme and keep my commands.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF JEHOVAH THY GOD IN VAIN, for Jehovah\nwill not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain.\n\n\"REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY. Six days shalt thou labor and\ndo all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God.\nIn it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy\ndaughter, nor thy male servant, nor thy female servant, nor thy cattle,\nnor the guest who is with thee, for in six days Jehovah made the heavens\nand the earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested on the\nseventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and made it\nholy.\n\n\"HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER, that thou mayest live long on the land\nwhich Jehovah thy God giveth thee.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT MURDER.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.\n\n\"THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE; thou shalt not covet thy\nneighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his\nox, nor his ass, nor anything that belongs to thy neighbor.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"Write down these words, for in accord with\nthese words I have made a solemn agreement with you and with Israel.\"\n\n\nOUR DUTIES TO GOD AND MAN\n\nHear O Israel: Jehovah our God is the one Lord. You shall love Jehovah\nyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your\nstrength.\n\nBehold, the heavens, the highest heavens, the earth and all that is on\nit belong to Jehovah your God. Jehovah showed his love to your fathers\nmore than to any other people, and he has chosen their children after\nthem and you out of all the nations. Therefore, open your heart to him\nand no longer refuse to be guided by him. For Jehovah your God is God of\ngods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the wonderful God, who\nshows no favors and takes no bribes, who sees that what is right is done\nto the orphan and widow, who loves the foreigner and gives him food and\nclothing. Love Jehovah your God and always keep his laws and his\ncommands.\n\nYou shall not deceive one another.\n\nYou shall not lie to one another.\n\nYou shall not swear falsely in my name.\n\nYou shall not wrong nor rob your neighbor.\n\nYou shall not curse the deaf.\n\nYou shall not put a stumbling-block before the blind.\n\nYou shall not tell stories about one another.\n\nYou shall not hate any one.\n\nYou shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge against any one.\n\nYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\n\nYou shall rise before the hoary head and honor an old man.\n\nIf a foreigner lives in your land, you shall do him no wrong. You shall\ntreat him as one of your own people and you shall love him as yourself.\n\n\nTHE REPORT OF THE HEBREW SPIES\n\nMoses sent certain men to explore the land of Canaan and said to them,\n\"Go up into the South Country and on into the highlands, and see what\nthe land is and whether the people who live there are strong or weak,\nwhether they are few or many, and whether the land in which they live is\ngood or bad, and what kinds of cities they live in, whether in camps or\nin strongholds. See whether the land is fertile or barren, whether there\nis wood in it or not. Be courageous and bring some of the fruit of the\nland,\" for it was the time when the grapes first begin to ripen.\n\nSo they went up to the South Country and came to Hebron. When they came\nto the valley of Eshcol, they cut down from there a branch with one\ncluster of grapes and brought it away on a pole carried by two men. They\nalso took some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the valley\nof the Grape Cluster because of the cluster which the Israelites cut\ndown there.\n\nThen they returned to Moses and Aaron and all the Israelites at Kadesh\nand brought back word to them and showed them the fruit of the land.\nThey reported to Moses, \"We went to the land to which you sent us; and\nit indeed is full of milk and honey; and this is some of its fruit. But\nthe people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are very\nlarge and have high walls about them.\"\n\nThen Caleb quieted the people and said, \"Let us go up at once and take\nit, for we are well able to conquer it.\" But the men who had gone up\nwith him said, \"We are not able to conquer the people, for they are\nstronger than we, and all the people whom we saw there are very tall and\nlarge. There we saw the giants; we were as grasshoppers in our own\nsight, and so we seemed to them.\"\n\nAll the people wept that night and cried out, \"Why did Jehovah bring us\nto this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be\ntaken captive. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?\" So\nthey said to one another, \"Let us choose a leader and return to Egypt.\"\n\nThen Moses and Aaron bowed low before all the Israelites who were\ngathered there, and Joshua and Caleb, who were among those who explored\nthe land, tore their clothes and said to them, \"The land which we went\nto explore is a very good land. If Jehovah is pleased with us, he will\nbring us into this land and give it to us, a land which is full of milk\nand honey. Only do not rebel against Jehovah. Fear not the people of the\nland, for they will supply us with food. Their defense is taken away\nfrom over them, and Jehovah is with us; fear them not.\" But the people\nwould not trust Jehovah.\n\nThen Jehovah said to Moses, \"How long will this people despise me? How\nlong will they refuse to trust me in spite of all of the wonders which I\nhave performed before their eyes? I will send sickness upon them and\ndestroy them, and I will make you and your family a nation greater and\nmightier than theirs.\"\n\nBut Moses said to Jehovah, \"When the Egyptians hear it, they will say,\n'Jehovah has killed them in the wilderness because he was not able to\nbring this people into the land which he solemnly promised to them.'\nForgive, I pray thee, the guilt of this people, because thy love is\ngreat, even as thou hast forgiven them from the time they left Egypt\neven until now.\"\n\nJehovah said, \"I have forgiven as you have asked; but as surely as I\nlive and as surely as the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of\nJehovah, none of the men who have seen my glory and my wonders which I\nperformed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tested me these\nten times and have not listened to my voice, shall see the land which I\nhave solemnly promised to their fathers, neither shall any of those who\ndespise me see it. But I will bring my servant Caleb to the land to\nwhich he went, for he has shown a different spirit and has faithfully\nfollowed me, and his children shall possess it. But your little ones,\nwho, you said, would be captives of war, I will bring in, and they shall\npossess the land which you have refused. Your dead bodies shall fall in\nthis wilderness, and your children shall be wanderers there forty years\nand shall suffer for your unfaithfulness until your bodies have all\ndecayed in the wilderness.\"\n\n\nTHE LAST WORDS OF MOSES\n\nWhen Moses was old, he said to all the Israelites, \"I am a hundred and\ntwenty years old this day. I can no longer go out and come in, and\nJehovah has said to me, 'You shall not go over this river Jordan.'\nJehovah your God is going over before you. He will destroy these nations\nbefore you, and you shall drive them out; and Joshua is going over to\nlead you as Jehovah has commanded. Be brave and strong, do not be afraid\nof them, for Jehovah your God is leading you; he will not fail you nor\nforsake you.\"\n\nMoses also called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel,\n\"Be brave and strong, for you shall bring this people into the land\nwhich Jehovah has promised to their fathers to give them; and you shall\ngive it to them. Jehovah is going before you; he will be with you, he\nwill not fail nor forsake you; fear not, nor be frightened.\"\n\nThen Moses went up on the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo to the summit of\nPisgah opposite Jericho. And Jehovah showed him all the land, and said\nto him, \"This is the land which I have solemnly promised to Abraham, to\nIsaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your children.' I have\nlet you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not go over there.\"\n\nSo Moses, the servant of Jehovah, died there in the land of Moab as\nJehovah had said. And Jehovah buried him in the deep valley in the land\nof Moab; but to this day no man knows the place where he was buried.\nMoses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, but his eye was\nnot dim nor had he lost his strength. The Israelites wept for Moses on\nthe plain of Moab thirty days, and then the days of weeping and mourning\nfor Moses were ended.\n\nJoshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses\nhad laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites listened to him and did\nas Jehovah commanded Moses. But in Israel no prophet had yet arisen whom\nJehovah knew as well as he did Moses.\n\n\nCROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN\n\nAfter the death of Moses, Jehovah said to Joshua, Moses' helper, \"Moses\nmy servant is dead: Now arise, go over the Jordan with all this people\nto the land which I am about to give to the Israelites. As long as you\nlive no one will be able to stand against you. As I was with Moses, so I\nshall be with you: I will not fail you nor forsake you. Be brave and\nstrong, for you shall give this people the land which I solemnly\npromised their fathers I would give them. Only be brave and strong to\nkeep faithfully all the law, as Moses my servant commanded you. Turn not\nfrom it to the right nor to the left, and you shall have success\nwherever you go. Have I not commanded you? Be brave and strong; fear not\nnor be afraid, for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.\"\n\nThen Joshua gave this order to the officers who were over the people:\n\"Go through all the camp and give this command: 'Prepare food for\nyourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in\nand take the land which Jehovah your God has given you as your own.'\"\n\nWhile Joshua was at Shittim, he secretly sent two men as spies, with the\ncommand: \"Go, explore the land and especially Jericho.\" So they went and\nentered the house of a woman named Rahab, and stayed there.\n\nIt was reported to the king of Jericho, \"Some men came here to-night\nfrom the Israelites to explore the land.\" Therefore the king of Jericho\nsent to Rahab and said, \"Bring out the men who entered your house, for\nthey have come to explore all the land.\"\n\nNow the woman had taken the two men and hidden them; so she said, \"It is\ntrue, some men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. When\nthe time came to shut the gate at night, the men went out and I do not\nknow where they have gone. Follow after them quickly, for you may\novertake them.\" She, however, had brought them up to the roof and hidden\nthem with the stalks of flax which she had spread out there. So the men\nof Jericho followed after them in the direction of the fords of the\nJordan; and as soon as the men of Jericho had gone out, the gate was\nclosed.\n\nThe spies had hardly lain down when Rahab came up to them on the roof\nand said, \"I know that Jehovah has given you the land and that fear of\nyou has seized us and that because of you all who live in the land are\nlosing heart. Now therefore swear to me by Jehovah, since I have treated\nyou with kindness, that you will also treat my family kindly, and\npromise me that you will save the lives of my father, my mother, my\nbrothers, and my sisters, together with all that they have, and will not\nput us to death.\" The men said to her, \"We are ready to give our lives\nfor you, if you do not tell what we are doing; and when Jehovah gives us\nthe land, we will treat you kindly and faithfully.\"\n\nThen she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house in\nwhich she lived was built into the city wall. She said to them, \"Go\ninto the hills, that the men who are looking for you may not find you,\nand hide yourselves there three days until they have returned. Then you\nmay go on your way.\"\n\nThe men said to her, \"We shall be free from our solemn promise to you,\nunless, when we come into the land, you bind this cord of scarlet thread\nin the window through which you let us down and gather your father, your\nmother, your brothers, and all your family into your house. If any one\ngoes out of the doors of your house into the street, he shall be\nresponsible for his death and we shall be innocent. If any one stays\nwith you in the house, we will be responsible for his death if any one\nlays hands on him. But if you tell what we are doing, we shall be free\nfrom our solemn promise to you.\" She replied, \"It shall be as you say.\"\nSo she sent them away. And when they were gone, she bound the scarlet\ncord in the window.\n\nSo they left and went into the hills and stayed there three days until\nthose who were looking for them had returned. They sought for them in\nevery direction but did not find them. Then the two men came down from\nthe hills, crossed the river, and came to Joshua and told him all that\nhad happened to them.\n\nJoshua rose up early in the morning and set out from Shittim. And he and\nall the Israelites came to the Jordan and spent the night there before\ncrossing. And Joshua said to the people, \"Consecrate yourselves, for\nto-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. Come and hear the words of\nJehovah your God. By this you shall know that a living God is with you:\nthe ark of the Lord of all the earth is about to pass over before you\ninto the Jordan. When the priests who bear the ark of the Lord of all\nthe earth step into the waters of the Jordan, its waters shall be cut\noff, so that the waters that come down from above will stand still in a\nheap.\"\n\nSo when the people left their tents to pass over the Jordan, the\npriests, who were carrying the ark were in front of them. And when the\nbearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who\nwere carrying the ark dipped in the brink of the water--for the Jordan\noverflows all its banks during the harvest time--the waters that came\ndown from above stood still and its waters rose in a heap a long\ndistance up the river at Adam, the city that is near Zarethan. The\nwaters that went down toward the Dead Sea were wholly cut off, while the\npeople crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who were carrying the\nark of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,\nwhile all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until the whole\nnation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.\n\nWhen they had all crossed, Jehovah said to Joshua, \"Command them to take\nfrom the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet\nstood, twelve stones and carry them over with you and lay them down in\nthe camping-place, where you pass the night, that this may be a reminder\nto them. Then when your children ask from time to time: 'What do these\nstones mean to you?' you shall say to them, 'They are reminders that the\nwaters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of Jehovah, when it\npassed over the Jordan.' These stones shall be a constant reminder to\nthe Israelites.\"\n\nSo the Israelites did as Joshua commanded and took up out of the middle\nof the Jordan twelve stones corresponding to the number of the tribes of\nthe Israelites. They carried them over with them to the place where they\ncamped and laid them down there.\n\nThen the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and the river\noverflowed all its banks as before.\n\n\nTHE CAPTURE OF JERICHO AND AI\n\nNow Jericho had closed its gates because of the Israelites, and no one\nwent in or out. But Jehovah said to Joshua, \"See, I have given Jericho\nto you with its king and its able warriors. You shall march around the\ncity, all the soldiers going about the city once. You shall do this for\nsix days, and on the seventh day the people shall make the attack, each\nman going up straight before him.\"\n\nThen Joshua said to the people, \"March around the city and let the armed\nmen pass on before the ark of Jehovah. You shall not shout the\nbattle-cry nor let your voice be heard; not a word shall escape from\nyour mouth until the day I say to you, 'Shout the battle-cry'; then you\nshall shout!\"\n\nSo he had the ark of Jehovah carried around the city once; then they\nreturned to the camp and spent the night there. The second day they also\nmarched around the city once and returned to the camp. Thus they did six\ndays. The seventh day they rose early at dawn and made the circuit of\nthe city in the same way, only on that day they marched about the city\nseven times. The seventh time the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua\nsaid to the people, \"Shout the battle-cry; for Jehovah has given you the\ncity. The city and all that is in it shall be sacrificed to Jehovah;\nonly Rahab and those who are with her in her house shall live, because\nshe hid the messengers whom we sent.\"\n\nSo the people shouted the battle-cry and the wall fell down and they\nwent straight up into the city and captured it. But Joshua spared the\nlives of Rahab and her father's family and all that she had, because she\nhid the messengers whom Joshua sent to explore Jericho; and they have\nlived among the Israelites even to this day.\n\nThen Joshua set out with all the warriors to go up to Ai. And he\nselected thirty thousand brave soldiers and sent them out at night with\nthis command, \"Hide somewhere beyond the town, not very far from it, but\nbe ready to act. I and all the people who are with me will go toward the\ntown, but when they come out against us, we will flee before them. They\nwill come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the town; for\nthey will say, 'They are fleeing before us.' Then you shall rise up from\nwhere you are hiding, and take the town. When you have captured it, set\nit on fire.\"\n\nSo Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place where they were to\nhide and placed themselves on the west side of Ai. Joshua spent that\nnight among the people, and rose early the next morning and gathered\nthem, and he went up, together with the rulers of Israel, before the\npeople to Ai. And the warriors who were with him went up and came before\nthe town. When the king of Ai saw it, the men of the town quickly rose\nup and went out to fight against the Israelites, but the king did not\nknow that men were hiding behind the town to rise up and attack him.\n\nThen Joshua and the Israelites pretended to be beaten and fled toward\nthe wilderness; and all the people that were in the town were called\ntogether to pursue them. So they left the town unguarded and pursued the\nIsraelites. Then the men who were hiding rose quickly out of their place\nand set the town on fire. When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the\nsmoke of the town rising to heaven; and they had no chance to flee this\nway or that, for the Israelites who had been fleeing to the wilderness\nturned back upon those who were following them. When the smoke of the\ntown rose up, the rest of the Israelites came out of the town against\nthem; so they were surrounded by the Israelites, some on this side, and\nsome on that, so that they let none of the people of Ai remain or\nescape.\n\n\nWOMEN WHO SAVED A NATION\n\nLater Sisera, who had nine hundred iron chariots, cruelly oppressed the\nIsraelites for twenty years. Then the prophetess Deborah, the wife of\nLappidoth, delivered Israel. She used to sit under the palm-tree of\nDeborah between Ramah and Bethel in the highlands of Ephraim; and the\nIsraelites went to her to have her decide their disputes.\n\nShe sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kadesh Naphtali and\nsaid to him, \"Does not Jehovah the God of Israel command you: 'Go, march\nto Mount Tabor and take with you ten thousand of the Naphtalites and of\nthe Zebulunites? Then I will draw out to you at the brook Kishon Sisera\nwith his chariots and his troops, and I will deliver him into your\nhands.'\" Barak said to her, \"If you will go with me, I will go, but if\nyou will not go with me, I will not go.\" She replied, \"I will certainly\ngo with you, only you will not have the glory in this expedition on\nwhich you are going, for Jehovah will deliver Sisera into the hands of a\nwoman.\"\n\nSo Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kadesh. Barak called the\nZebulunites and the Naphtalites together at Kadesh and ten thousand men\nfollowed him; and Deborah also went up with him.\n\nNow Heber the Kenite had left the Kenites, the children of Jethro the\nfather-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak\nwhich is near Kadesh.\n\nWhen it was reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up\nto Mount Tabor, Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred\niron chariots, and all his people from the heathen city Harosheth to the\nbrook Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, \"To the attack! for to-day\nJehovah has delivered Sisera into your hands. Has not Jehovah gone out\nbefore you?\"\n\nSo Barak went down from Mount Tabor followed by ten thousand men; and at\nthe attack of Barak's swordsmen Jehovah put to flight Sisera and his\nchariots and all his forces, and Sisera got down from his war-chariot\nand fled on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the forces to\nHarosheth; and all the army of Sisera was destroyed by the sword; not a\nsingle man was left.\n\nOn that day Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang this song:\n\n \"O Jehovah, when thou wentest from Seir,\n Marching from the region of Edom,\n Earth trembled, the heavens swayed,\n The clouds also dripped water;\n The hills quaked before Jehovah,\n Yon Sinai, before Israel's God.\n\n \"In the days of Anath's son, Shamgar,\n In Jael's days the roads were unused,\n And travellers walked through byways.\n Leaders disappeared in Israel,\n Until you, O Deborah, rose,\n Till you rose as a mother in Israel.\n\n \"My heart is with the commanders of Israel,\n Who volunteered among the people. Bless Jehovah!\n You who ride on tawny asses,\n Who sit upon rich saddle-cloths;\n You who walk by the way, tell of it.\n Far from sounds of dividing the spoil,\n In the places where water is drawn,\n Let them tell of Jehovah's righteous acts,\n And the righteous deeds of his leaders!\n\n \"Then the people of Jehovah\n Went down to the gates, crying:\n 'Awake, awake, O Deborah,\n Awake, awake, sing a battle-song!\n Rise up, rise up, O Barak,\n Take your captives, O son of Abinoam!'\n\n \"So they went down against the powerful,\n The Lord's people against the mighty.\n From Machir, commanders went down,\n From Zebulun, standard-bearers,\n Issachar's princes with Deborah,\n And with Barak, the men of Naphtali;\n Into the valley they streamed after him.\n\n \"Zebulun risked its life,\n Naphtali on the heights of the field.\n Rulers came, they fought,\n The rulers of Canaan fought\n At Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.\n\n \"They took no booty of silver,\n For from heaven the very stars fought,\n From their courses they fought against Sisera.\n The brook Kishon swept them away,\n That ancient brook, the brook Kishon.\n O my soul, march on with strength!\n Then did their horse hoofs pound\n With the gallop, gallop of steeds.\n\n \"Blessed above women shall Jael be,\n That wife of Heber, the Kenite,\n More blessed than all nomad women!\n Water he asked, milk she gave,\n Curdled milk she brought him\n In a bowl well fitted for lords!\n She put her hand to the tent-pin,\n Her right hand to the workman's hammer.\n She struck Sisera, crushing his head,\n She shattered, she pierced his temples.\n At her feet he sank down and lay still,\n At her feet he sank, he fell;\n There he fell, a victim slain!\n\n \"Through the window she peered and cried,\n Through the lattice, the mother of Sisera:\n 'Why so long his chariot in coming?\n Why tarry the hoof-beats of steeds?'\n Then the wisest of her ladies replied,\n She herself also answered her question,\n 'Are they not dividing the spoil?\n A woman or two for each warrior,\n For Sisera a spoil of dyed stuffs,\n A spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,\n Some pieces of lace for his neck?'\n\n \"So perish thy foes, O Jehovah!\n But may those who love him be as the sun,\n Rising up in invincible splendor!\"\n\n\nGIDEON'S BRAVE BAND\n\nIn course of time the Midianites conquered the Israelites. To escape\nthem the Israelites made for themselves dens in the mountains and caves\nand strongholds. When the Israelites had sown their crops, the\nMidianites would come up and leave nothing for the Israelites to live\non, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass; for they came up with their cattle\nand their tents. The Israelites were so robbed by the Midianites, that\nthey cried to Jehovah for help.\n\nThen the angel of Jehovah came and sat down under the oak which was in\nOphrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezerite; and his son, Gideon, was\nbeating out wheat in the wine-press to hide it from the Midianites. The\nangel of Jehovah appeared to him and said, \"Jehovah is with you, able\nwarrior!\" Gideon said to him, \"O my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why\nthen has all this overtaken us? Where are all his wonderful acts of\nwhich our fathers told us, saying, 'Did not Jehovah bring us from\nEgypt?' But now Jehovah has cast us off and given us into the power of\nthe Midianites.\"\n\nThen Jehovah turned to him and said, \"With this strength which you have\ngo and save Israel from the rule of the Midianites: do I not send you?\"\nBut Gideon said to him, \"O Jehovah, how can I save Israel? See, my\nfamily is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's\nhouse.\" Jehovah said to him, \"I will surely be with you, and you shall\noverthrow the Midianites as if they were only one man.\"\n\nThen the spirit of Jehovah took possession of Gideon, and he sounded the\nwar trumpet, and the Abiezerites assembled under his leadership. He also\nsent messengers throughout all the land of the Manassites, and they\nassembled under his leadership; and he sent messengers to the Asherites,\nthe Zebulunites, and the Naphtalites, and they went up to join him. But\nJehovah said to Gideon, \"You have too many people with you; if I give\nthe Midianites up to the Israelites they will boast, 'We have saved\nourselves!' Therefore, proclaim to your people, 'Whoever is afraid may\ngo home.'\"\n\nThen Gideon separated them, so that twenty-two thousand of the people\nwent back home, but ten thousand stayed. But Jehovah said to him, \"The\npeople are still too many; take them down to the water, and I will try\nthem out for you there. Every one of whom I say to you, 'This one shall\ngo with you,' shall go with you; and every one of whom I say to you,\n'This one shall not go with you,' shall not go.\"\n\nSo Gideon brought the people down to the water. And Jehovah said to him,\n\"You shall put by themselves all who lap the water with their tongues,\nas a dog laps, and all who kneel down on their knees to drink by\nthemselves.\" The number of those who lapped with their tongue, putting\ntheir hand to their mouth, were three hundred men; but all the rest of\nthe people knelt down on their knees to drink. Then Jehovah said to\nGideon, \"By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you and deliver\nthe Midianites into your hands. Let all the rest of the people go home.\"\nSo they took the food that the people had in their hands, and their\ntrumpets; and Gideon sent home all the other Israelites, keeping only\nthe three hundred men.\n\nThen Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed it, and the three hundred men\nwere with him, faint yet pursuing. And he said to the men of Succoth,\n\"Give, I beg of you, loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for\nthey are faint and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of\nMidian.\" But the rulers of Succoth said, \"Are Zebah and Zalmunna already\nin your power that we should give bread to your band?\" Gideon replied,\n\"When Jehovah has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, for this\ninsult I will thrash your bare flesh with desert thorns and briers.\" He\nwent on from there to Penuel and made the same request of the men of\nPenuel, but they made the same answer as the men of Succoth. To the men\nof Penuel he also said, \"When I come back victorious, I will break down\nthis tower.\"\n\nZebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their forces were with them, in\nall about fifteen thousand men. Gideon went up by the caravan road and\nsurprised the horde as it was encamped with no fear of being attacked.\nHe divided the three hundred men into three companies. Into the hands of\nall of them he put horns and empty earthen jars. In each jar was a\ntorch. He also said to them, \"Watch me and do as I do. When I reach the\noutside of the camp and those who are with me blow a blast on the horn,\nthen you also shall blow your horns on every side of the camp and cry,\n'For Jehovah and Gideon!'\"\n\nSo Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outside of the camp\nat the beginning of the middle watch, when guards had just been posted;\nand they blew the horns and broke in pieces the jars that were in their\nhands. The two other companies also broke their jars, took the torches\nin their left hands and their swords in their right, and cried, \"The\nSword of Jehovah and of Gideon.\" And as they stood where they were,\nabout the camp, the entire horde awoke, sounded the alarm, and fled.\nZebah and Zalmunna also fled; but Gideon followed and captured the two\nkings of Midian and threw all the horde into a panic.\n\nWhen Gideon returned from the battle, he captured a young man who lived\nat Succoth. At Gideon's request he wrote down for him the names of the\nrulers of Succoth and its leading men. There were seventy-seven in all.\nWhen Gideon came to the men of Succoth, he said, \"See, here are Zebah\nand Zalmunna about whom you mocked me, saying, 'Are Zebah and Zalmunna\nalready in your power that we should give bread to your men who are\nweary?'\" Then he took desert thorns and briers, and with these he\nthrashed the leading men of Succoth. He also broke down the tower of\nPenuel and put to death the men of the town.\n\nThen Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, \"What kind of men were those\nwhom you killed at Tabor?\" They replied, \"They were just like you; each\nof them looked like a prince.\" Gideon said, \"They were my own brothers,\nthe sons of my mother. As surely as Jehovah lives, if you had saved them\nalive, I would not kill you now.\"\n\nThen he said to Jether, his oldest son, \"Up and kill them.\" But the boy\ndid not draw his sword, because he was afraid, for he was only a boy.\nThen Zebah and Zalmunna said, \"Get up yourself and fall upon us; for a\nman has a man's strength!\" So Gideon rose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna,\nand took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.\n\nThen the men of Israel said to Gideon, \"Rule over us, and not only you\nbut your son and your son's son after you, for you have saved us from\nthe power of the Midianites.\" Gideon said to them, \"I will not rule over\nyou, nor shall my son rule over you; Jehovah shall rule over you; but\nlet me make one request of you: let every man give me the ear-rings from\nhis spoil\" (for they had golden ear-rings, because they were desert\ndwellers). They answered, \"Certainly, we will give them.\" So they spread\nout a blanket and each man threw into it the ear-rings from his spoil.\nThe weight of the golden ear-rings for which he had asked was nearly\nseventy pounds of gold. Then Gideon made of the gold a priestly robe to\nwear when asking questions of Jehovah, and placed it in his own city,\nOphrah.\n\nGideon died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash, his\nfather, in Ophrah of the Abiezerites.\n\n\nJEPHTHAH'S FOOLISH PROMISE\n\nJephthah, the Gileadite, was an able warrior, but he was the son of a\nwicked woman, and had fled from his relatives and lived in the land of\nTob. There certain rascals gathered about him, and they used to go out\non raids with him.\n\nAfter a time the Ammonites made war against the Israelites. Then the\nelders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob, and they\nsaid to him, \"Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the\nAmmonites.\" But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, \"Are you not the\nmen who hated me and drove me out of my father's house? Why then do you\ncome to me now when you are in trouble?\" But the elders of Gilead said\nto Jephthah, \"This is why we have now turned to you, that you may go\nwith us and fight against the Ammonites, and you shall be our chief,\neven over all the people who live in Gilead.\" Then Jephthah said to the\nrulers of Gilead, \"If you take me back to fight against the Ammonites\nand Jehovah gives me the victory over them, I shall be your chief.\" The\nelders of Gilead replied, \"Jehovah shall be a witness between us; we\nswear to do as you say.\"\n\nThen Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him\nchief and commander over them. Jephthah also made this vow to Jehovah:\n\"If thou wilt deliver the Ammonites into my power, then whoever comes\nout of the door of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from\nthe Ammonites, shall be Jehovah's, and I will offer that one as an\noffering to be burned with fire.\"\n\nSo Jephthah went out to fight against the Ammonites; and Jehovah gave\nhim the victory over them, and delivered them into his hands. But when\nhe came home to Mizpah, his daughter was just coming out to meet him\nwith tambourines and choral dances. She was his only child; besides this\none he had neither son nor daughter. So when he saw her, he tore his\nclothes and said, \"Oh, my daughter, you have stricken me! It is you who\nare the cause of my woe! for I have made a solemn vow to Jehovah and\ncannot break it.\" She said to him, \"My father, you have made a solemn\nvow to Jehovah; do to me what you have promised, since Jehovah has\npunished your enemies the Ammonites. But let this favor be granted me:\nspare me two months that I may go out upon the mountains with those who\nwould have been my bridesmaids and lament because I will never become a\nwife and mother.\" He said, \"Go.\"\n\nSo he sent her away for two months with her friends, and she mourned on\nthe mountains because she would never become a wife and mother. At the\nend of two months she returned to her father, who did what he had vowed\nto do, even though she had never been married. So it became a custom in\nIsrael: each year the women of Israel go out for four days to bewail the\ndeath of the daughter of Jephthah, the Gileadite.\n\n\nSAMSON WHO DID TO OTHERS AS THEY DID TO HIM\n\nThere was a certain man of Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, named\nManoah; and he and his wife had no children. But the angel of Jehovah\nappeared to the woman and said to her, \"See, you have no children; but\nnow be careful not to drink any wine nor strong drink, and do not eat\nanything unclean, for you are about to have a son. No razor shall be\nused upon your son's head, for from birth the boy shall belong to God.\"\nSo the woman had a son and named him Samson.\n\nOnce Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a Philistine woman. When\nhe came back he said to his father and mother, \"I have seen a Philistine\nwoman in Timnah. Get her as a wife for me.\" But his father and mother\nsaid to him, \"Is there no woman in your own tribe or among all our\npeople, that you must marry a wife from among the heathen Philistines?\"\nBut Samson said to his father, \"Get her for me, for she suits me.\"\n\nSo Samson went with his father and mother to Timnah; and just as they\ncame to the vineyards of Timnah, a full-grown young lion came roaring\ntoward him. The spirit of Jehovah came upon Samson and, although he had\nnothing in his hand, he tore the beast in two as one tears a kid. But he\ndid not tell his father and mother what he had done.\n\nThen he went down and talked with the woman, and she suited him. When he\nreturned after a while to marry her, he turned aside to see what was\nleft of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees and honey in the\ncarcass. He scraped the honey out into his hands and went on, eating it\nas he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them,\nand they ate; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out\nof the carcass of the lion.\n\nThen Samson went down to the woman; and he gave a feast there (for so\nbridegrooms used to do). When the Philistines saw him, they provided\nthirty comrades to be with him. And Samson said to them, \"Let me now\ntell you a riddle. If you can tell me what it is within the seven days\nof the feast, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty suits\nof clothes; but if you cannot tell me, then you shall give me thirty\nfine linen robes and thirty suits of clothes.\" They said to him, \"Tell\nyour riddle, that we may hear it.\" And he said to them:\n\n \"Out of the eater came something to eat,\n And out of the strong came something sweet.\"\n\nBut for six days they could not solve the riddle.\n\nOn the seventh day they said to Samson's wife, \"Tease your husband until\nhe tells us the riddle, or else we will burn up you and your father's\nhouse. Did you invite us here to make us poor?\" So Samson's wife wept\nbefore him and said, \"You only hate me and do not love me at all! You\nhave told a riddle to my fellow countrymen and not told me what it is.\"\nHe said to her, \"See, I have not told it to my father or my mother, and\nshall I tell you?\" So she wept before him as long as their feast lasted,\nbut on the seventh day he told her, because she kept asking him; and she\ntold the riddle to her fellow countrymen.\n\nSo the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun\nwent down, \"What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a\nlion?\" And he said to them:\n\n \"If with my heifer you did not plough,\n You had not solved my riddle now.\"\n\nThen he was suddenly given divine strength, and he went down to Ashkelon\nand killed thirty of their men and took the spoil from them and gave the\nsuits of clothes to those who had guessed the riddle. But he was very\nangry and returned to his father's house. And his bride was given to his\ncomrade who had been his best man.\n\nAfter a while, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his\nwife with a kid as a present; but when he said, \"Let me go into the\ninner room to my wife,\" her father would not let him go in, but said, \"I\nthought that you must surely hate her, so I gave her to your best man.\nIs not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her then, instead.\" But\nSamson said to him, \"This time I shall be justified if I do the\nPhilistines an injury.\" So he went and caught three hundred foxes,\nturned them tail to tail, and put a torch between every pair of tails.\nWhen he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing\ngrain of the Philistines and burned up not only the shocks and the\nstanding grain, but the olive orchards as well.\n\nThen the Philistines said, \"Who has done this?\" The reply was, \"Samson,\nthe son-in-law of the Timnite, because that man took Samson's wife and\ngave her to his best man.\" So the Philistines went up, and burnt her and\nher father. Then Samson said to them, \"If this is the way you do, I will\nnot stop until I have had my revenge on you!\" So he fought fiercely and\nkilled many of them; then he went and stayed in a cavern in the cliff of\nEtam.\n\nWhen the Philistines went up and camped in Judah and made a raid on\nLehi, the Judahites said, \"Why have you come up against us?\" They\nreplied, \"We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him what he has done\nto us.\" Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cavern in the\ncliff of Etam and said to Samson, \"Do you not know that the Philistines\nare our rulers? What are you doing to us?\" He replied, \"I have done to\nthem as they did to me.\" They said to him, \"We have come down to bind\nyou, to turn you over to the Philistines.\" Samson said to them, \"Swear\nto me that you will not attack me yourselves.\" They said to him, \"No; we\nwill simply bind you securely and deliver you to them; but we will not\nkill you.\" So they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from\nthe cliff.\n\nWhen he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted when they met him. Then he\nwas suddenly given divine strength, and the ropes that were on his arms\nbecame like flax that has been burned in the fire, and his bonds melted\nfrom his hands. And he found a fresh jaw-bone of an ass, and having\nseized it, he killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said:\n\n \"With the jaw-bone of an ass have I piled them, mass on mass;\n A thousand warriors have I slain with the jaw-bone of an ass.\"\n\n\nA STRONG MAN WHO LOST HIS STRENGTH\n\nAfterward, Samson fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek,\nnamed Delilah. Then the rulers of the Philistines came to her and said,\n\"Find out by teasing him how it is that his strength is so great and\nhow we may overpower and bind him that we may torture him. Then we will\neach one of us give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.\" So Delilah\nsaid to Samson, \"Tell me how it is that your strength is so great and\nhow you might be bound to torture you?\" Samson said to her, \"If they\nshould bind me with seven green bowstrings which have not been dried, I\nwould become weak like any other man.\"\n\nThen the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven green bowstrings\nwhich had not been dried, and she bound him with them. She had the men\nlying in wait in the inner room, but when she said to him, \"The\nPhilistines are upon you, Samson!\" he snapped the bowstrings as a piece\nof yarn is snapped when it comes near the fire; so they did not find out\nthe secret of his strength.\n\nThen Delilah said to Samson, \"You have deceived me and lied to me; now\ntell me with what you can be bound fast.\" He said to her, \"If they\nshould bind me securely with new ropes with which no work has been done,\nI would become weak like any other man.\" So Delilah took new ropes and\nbound him with them and said to him, \"The Philistines are upon you,\nSamson!\" Men were also lying in wait in the inner room; but he snapped\nthe ropes from his arms like thread.\n\nAgain Delilah said to Samson, \"So far you have deceived me and lied to\nme; tell me now with what you can be bound fast.\" He said to her, \"If\nyou should weave the seven braids on my head along with the web and beat\nit into form with the weaving pin, I would become weak like any other\nman.\" So while he was asleep, she took the seven braids of his hair and\nwove it with the web and beat it into form with the pin, and said to\nhim, \"The Philistines are upon you, Samson!\" But he awoke out of his\nsleep and pulled up the loom and the web.\n\nThen she said to him, \"How can you say, 'I love you,' when you do not\ntrust me? You have deceived me three times already and have not told me\nthe secret of your great strength.\" But in time, since she daily begged\nand urged him, he was wearied to death, and told her all that he knew,\nsaying, \"A razor has never touched my head; for I have belonged to God\nfrom my birth. If I should be shaved, my strength would be gone, and I\nwould become weak like any other man.\"\n\nWhen Delilah saw that he had told her all that he knew, she sent and\ncalled for the rulers of the Philistines and said, \"Come at once, for\nhe has told me all that he knows.\" Then the rulers of the Philistines\ncame up to her and brought the money with them. After she had put Samson\nto sleep on her knees, she called for a man and had him shave off the\nseven braids on his head. Then she began to tease him, and his strength\nwent from him; and she said, \"The Philistines are upon you, Samson!\" And\nhe awoke out of his sleep and thought, \"I will get up as I have done at\nother times and shake myself free\"; for he did not know that Jehovah had\nleft him. So the Philistines seized him and bored out his eyes. Then\nthey brought him down to Gaza and bound him with chains of brass, and\nthen he was set to grinding in the prison. But the hair of his head\nbegan to grow again as soon as he was shaved.\n\nThen the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice\nto their god Dagon and to rejoice, for they said, \"Our god has given\nSamson, our enemy, into our power.\" When the people saw him, they also\npraised their god, saying:\n\n \"Our god has laid low our foe,\n He who brought our country woe,\n He who slew us with many a blow.\"\n\nWhen they were in high spirits, they said, \"Call Samson that he may\namuse us.\" So they called Samson from the prison and he amused them; and\nthey placed him between the pillars.\n\nThen Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, \"Let me\ntouch the pillars on which the building rests, that I may lean against\nthem.\" Now the building was full of men and women, and all the rulers of\nthe Philistines were there, and on the roof about three thousand men and\nwomen were looking on while Samson amused them. Samson called on Jehovah\nand said, \"O Jehovah, remember me and strengthen me, I pray thee, just\nthis once, O God, that by one act I may avenge myself on the Philistines\nfor the loss of my two eyes.\"\n\nThen Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the building\nrested, one with his right hand and the other with his left, and leaned\nagainst them. And Samson said, \"Let me die with the Philistines.\" Then\nhe bent over with all his strength, and the house fell upon the rulers\nand upon all the people who were in it. So those whom he killed at his\ndeath were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime.\n\nThen his brothers and all his family came down and took him away and\nburied him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his\nfather.\n\n\nTHE DEVOTION OF RUTH\n\nDuring the days of the judges, there was once a famine in the land; and\na certain man from Bethlehem in Judah took his wife and two sons to live\nin the territory of Moab. His name was Elimelech and his wife's Naomi,\nand his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. After they had been living in\nMoab for some time, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two\nsons. They married Moabite women, named Orpah and Ruth. After they had\nlived there about ten years, Mahlon and Chilion both died, and Naomi was\nleft without husband or children.\n\nSo she set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of\nMoab, for she had heard that Jehovah had remembered his people and given\nthem food. As they were setting out on the journey to Judah, Naomi said\nto her daughters-in-law, \"Go, return each of you to the home of your\nmother. May Jehovah be kind to you, as you have been kind to the dead\nand to me. Jehovah grant that each of you may find peace and happiness\nin the house of a new husband.\"\n\nThen she kissed them; but they began to weep aloud and said to her, \"No,\nwe will return with you to your people.\" But Naomi said, \"Go back, my\ndaughters; why should you go with me? Can I still have sons who might\nbecome your husbands? Go back, my daughters, go your own way, for I am\ntoo old to have a husband. Even if I should say, 'I have hope,' even if\nI should have a husband to-night and should have sons, would you wait\nfor them until they were grown up? Would you remain single for them? No,\nmy daughters! I am sorry for you, for Jehovah has afflicted me.\" Then\nthey again wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but\nRuth stayed with her.\n\nNaomi said, \"See, your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and\nto her own gods; go along with her!\" But Ruth answered, \"Do not urge me\nto leave you or to go back, for wherever you go I will go, and wherever\nyou stay I will stay; your people shall be my people, and your God my\nGod; I will die where you die and be buried there. May Jehovah bring a\ncurse upon me, if anything but death separate you and me.\" When Naomi\nsaw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she ceased urging her\nto return.\n\nSo they travelled on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived\nthere, the whole town was interested, and the women said, \"Is this\nNaomi?\" But she said to them, \"Do not call me Naomi which means\nSweetness: call me Mara which means Bitterness, for the Almighty has\ngiven me a bitter lot. I had plenty when I left, but Jehovah has brought\nme back empty-handed. Why should you call me Naomi, now that Jehovah has\nturned against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?\" So Naomi and Ruth\nreturned from Moab; and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the\nbarley harvest.\n\nNow Naomi was related through her husband to Boaz, a very wealthy man of\nthe family of Elimelech. Ruth, the Moabitess, said to Naomi, \"Let me now\ngo into the fields and pick up the scattered heads of grain after him\nwhose favor I should win.\" Naomi said to her, \"Go, my daughter.\"\n\nSo she went to pick up grain in the field after the reapers; and it was\nher good fortune to pick up grain in that part of the field which\nbelonged to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. When Boaz come\nfrom Bethlehem and said to the reapers, \"Jehovah be with you,\" they\nanswered him, \"May Jehovah bless you.\" Then Boaz said to his servant who\nhad charge of the reapers, \"Whose maiden is this?\" The servant replied,\n\"It is the Moabite maiden who came back with Naomi from the land of\nMoab; and she said, 'Let me pick up the scattered grain and gather\nsheaves after the reapers.' So she came and has worked all the time\nuntil now, and she has not rested a moment in the field.\"\n\nThen Boaz said to Ruth, \"Listen, my daughter. Do not go to pick up grain\nin another field nor leave this place, but stay here with my maidens. I\nhave told the young men not to trouble you. When you are thirsty, go to\nthe jars and drink of that which the young men have drawn.\"\n\nThen she bowed low and said to him, \"Why are you so kind to me, to take\ninterest in me who am from another land?\" Boaz replied, \"I have heard\nwhat you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your\nhusband, and how you left your father and mother and your native land to\ncome to a people that you did not know before. May Jehovah repay you for\nwhat you have done, and may you be fully rewarded by the God of Israel,\nunder whose wings you have come to take refuge.\" Then she said, \"I trust\nI may please you, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly\nto your servant, although I am not really equal to one of your own\nservants.\"\n\nAt noonday Boaz said to her, \"Come here and eat some of the food and dip\nyour piece of bread in the wine.\" So she sat beside the reapers; and he\npassed her the roasted grain, and she ate until she had had enough and\nhad some left. When she rose to gather grain, Boaz gave this order to\nhis young men: \"Let her gather grain even among the sheaves and do not\ndisturb her. Also pull out some for her from the bundles and leave it\nfor her to gather and do not find fault with her.\"\n\nSo she gathered grain in the field until evening, then beat out that\nwhich she had gathered; and it was about a bushel of barley. Then she\ntook it up and went into the city and showed her mother-in-law what she\nhad gathered. She also brought out and gave her that which she had left\nfrom her meal after she had had enough.\n\nHer mother-in-law said to her, \"Where did you gather grain to-day and\nwhere did you work? A blessing on him who took interest in you!\" Then\nshe told her mother-in-law where she had worked, and said, \"The name of\nthe man with whom I worked to-day is Boaz.\" Naomi said to her\ndaughter-in-law, \"May the blessing of Jehovah rest upon him who has not\nceased to show his love to the living and to the dead.\" Naomi also said\nto her, \"The man is a near relative of ours.\" Ruth the Moabitess added,\n\"He said to me, 'You must keep near my young men until they have\ncompleted all my harvest.'\" Naomi said to Ruth, \"It is best, my\ndaughter, that you should go out with his maidens and that no one should\nfind you in another field.\" So she gathered grain with the maidens of\nBoaz until the end of the barley and wheat harvest; but she lived with\nher mother-in-law.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin_\n\n_Ruth_\n\nPainted by Henry Ryland]\n\nThen Naomi said to her, \"My daughter, shall I not try to find a home for\nyou where you will be happy and contented? Is not Boaz, with whose\nmaidens you have been, a relative of ours? This very night he is going\nto winnow barley on the threshing-floor. So bathe and anoint yourself\nand put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor; but do\nnot make yourself known to the man until he is through eating and\ndrinking. Then when he lies down, you mark the place where he lies. Go\nin, uncover his feet, lie down, and then he will tell you what to\ndo.\" Ruth said to her, \"I will do as you say.\"\n\nSo she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her\nmother-in-law told her. When Boaz was through eating and drinking and\nwas in a happy mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of\ngrain. Then Ruth came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At\nmidnight the man was startled and turned over, and there was a woman\nlying at his feet. He said, \"Who are you?\" She answered, \"I am Ruth your\nservant; spread therefore your skirt over your servant, for you are a\nnear relative.\" He said, \"May you be blest by Jehovah, my daughter; for\nyou have shown me greater favor now than at first, for you have not\nfollowed young men, whether poor or rich. My daughter, have no fear; I\nwill do for you all that you ask; for all my townsmen know that you are\na good woman. Now it is true that I am a near relative; yet there is one\nnearer than I. Stay here to-night, and then in the morning, if he will\nmarry you, well, let him do it. But if he, being your nearest relative,\nwill not marry you, then as surely as Jehovah lives, I will do so. Lie\ndown until morning.\"\n\nSo she lay at his feet until morning, but rose before any one could tell\nwho she was, for Boaz said, \"Let it not be known that a woman came to\nthe threshing-floor.\" He also said, \"Bring the cloak which you have on\nand hold it.\" So she held it while he poured into it six measures of\nbarley and laid it on her shoulders. Then he went into the city.\n\nWhen Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi said, \"Is it you, my\ndaughter?\" Then Ruth told Naomi all that the man had done for her. She\nsaid, \"He gave me these six measures of barley; for he said, 'Do not go\nto your mother-in-law empty-handed.'\" Naomi said, \"Wait quietly, my\ndaughter, until you know how this will turn out, for the man will not\nrest unless he settles it all to-day.\"\n\nThen Boaz went up to the gate and sat down. Just then the near relative\nof whom Boaz had spoken came along. To him Boaz said, \"Ho!\" calling him\nby name, \"come here and sit down.\" So he stopped and sat down. Boaz also\ntook ten of the town elders and said, \"Sit down here.\" So they sat down.\n\nThen he said to the near relative, \"Naomi, who has come back from the\ncountry of Moab, is offering for sale the piece of land which belonged\nto our relative Elimelech, and I thought that I would lay the matter\nbefore you, and ask you to buy it in the presence of these men who sit\nhere and of the elders of my people. If you will buy it and so keep it\nin the family, do so; but if not, then tell me, that I may know; for no\none but you has the right to buy it, and I am next to you.\" He said, \"I\nwill buy it.\"\n\nThen Boaz said, \"On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you must also\nmarry Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, that a son may be born to\nbear his name and to receive this field.\" The near relative said, \"I\ncannot buy it for myself, for fear I should lose what already belongs to\nme. You take my right of buying it as a relative, for I cannot do so.\"\n\nNow in those days this was the custom in Israel: to make an agreement\nbetween two men the one drew off his shoe and gave it to the other. So\nwhen the near relative said to Boaz, \"Buy it for yourself,\" Boaz drew\noff the man's shoe.\n\nThen Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, \"You are witnesses\nat this time that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that\nwas Chilion's and Mahlon's from Naomi. Moreover, I have secured Ruth,\nthe Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife so that she may have a\nson who will receive this land and carry on Mahlon's name. You are\nwitnesses this day.\"\n\nThen all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, \"We are\nwitnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who is coming into your house like\nRachel and Leah, and make you also famous in Bethlehem.\"\n\nSo Boaz married Ruth, and she became his wife; and Jehovah gave to her a\nson. Then the women said to Naomi, \"Blessed be Jehovah who has not left\nyou at this time without a near relative, and may his name be famous in\nIsrael. This child will bring back your strength and take care of you in\nyour old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is worth more\nto you than seven sons, has a son!\"\n\nSo Naomi took the child in her arms and she became its nurse. Her\nneighbors also said, \"Naomi has a son!\" and they named him Obed; he\nbecame the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.\n\n\nSAMUEL THE BOY PROPHET\n\nElkanah, a Zuphite of the hill country of Ephraim, lived at Ramah with\nhis two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah\nhad none.\n\nThis man used to go up from his village each year to worship and offer a\nsacrifice to Jehovah of hosts at Shiloh. Whenever the day came for\nElkanah to offer a sacrifice he gave portions to his wife Peninnah and\nto all his sons and daughters; but although he loved Hannah, he gave her\nonly one portion, for Jehovah had given her no children. Peninnah made\nher angry by mocking her, for Jehovah had given her no children. Elkanah\ndid this year after year; but whenever Hannah went up to the temple of\nJehovah, Peninnah made her so angry that she wept and would not eat. So\nElkanah her husband said to her, \"Hannah, why do you weep and why do you\nnot eat? Why are you so troubled? Am I not more to you than ten sons?\"\n\nAfter they had eaten in Shiloh, Hannah arose and stood before the temple\nof Jehovah, while Eli the priest was sitting on his seat beside the door\nposts of the temple. With a sad heart she prayed earnestly to Jehovah\nand wept bitterly. She also made this sacred promise:\n\n \"O Jehovah of hosts!\n If thou wilt look at my affliction,\n And remember, not forgetting thy servant,\n But wilt give thy servant a son,\n Then I will give him to thee,\n Throughout all the days of his life;\n And no razor shall touch his head.\"\n\nWhile she continued praying before Jehovah, Eli watched her mouth. She\nspoke to herself; her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, so that\nEli thought that she was drunk and said to her, \"How long will you act\nlike a drunken woman? Put away your wine and go from the presence of\nJehovah.\" But Hannah answered, \"No, my lord, I am an unhappy woman; I\nhave not drunk wine nor any strong drink, but I have been pouring out my\nheart before Jehovah. Do not think that your servant is a wicked woman,\nfor I have gone on speaking until now because my grief and vexation are\nso great.\" Eli answered, \"Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant\nwhat you have asked of him.\" She said, \"May your servant have your\napproval!\" So the woman went away and ate, and her face was no longer\nsad.\n\nEarly in the morning she and her husband rose; and after they had\nworshipped Jehovah, they returned to their home at Ramah. In the course\nof the year Hannah had a son and named him Samuel, saying, \"I asked him\nof Jehovah.\"\n\nElkanah and all his household again went to offer the yearly sacrifice\nto Jehovah, but Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, \"When\nthe child is weaned, then I will take him, and he shall go to Jehovah's\ntemple and live there the rest of his life.\" Elkanah said to her, \"Do\nwhat seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only may Jehovah\nhelp you to do what you have promised.\"\n\nSo the woman waited and nursed her son until she weaned him. Then she\ntook him with her, and a three-year-old ox, a bushel of flour, and a\nskin of wine, and brought him to the temple of Jehovah at Shiloh. Then\nthey killed the ox, and Hannah brought the child to Eli and said, \"Oh,\nmy lord, as surely as you live, I am the woman who stood near you here\npraying earnestly to Jehovah. This is the boy for whom I prayed. Jehovah\nhas granted what I asked of him. Therefore I have given him to Jehovah;\nas long as he lives he belongs to Jehovah.\"\n\nElkanah returned to his home in Ramah, but the boy stayed to serve\nJehovah under the direction of Eli the priest. So Samuel--a young boy\ndressed in a linen robe--did the duties of a priest in the temple. His\nmother also made him a little robe and each year brought it to him when\nshe came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.\n\nEli blessed Elkanah and said, \"Jehovah repay you with children from this\nwoman for the gift which she has given to Jehovah.\" Then they returned\nto their home; and Hannah had three more sons and two daughters.\nMeantime the boy Samuel grew up in the temple of Jehovah.\n\nThe sons of Eli were very wicked. They knew not Jehovah, and they\ndespised the offerings which were brought to him. Eli was very old, and\nwhenever he heard that his sons were doing wrong he said to them, \"Why\ndo you do such things, for I hear of your wicked deeds from all the\npeople. No, my sons: it is not a good report that I hear from the people\nof Jehovah.\" But they did not listen to the words of their father.\n\nThe boy Samuel grew and won the favor both of Jehovah and of men. He\ncontinued to serve Jehovah under the direction of Eli; but in those days\nnot many messages came from Jehovah.\n\nOne day Eli was lying in his room. His eyes had begun to grow dim so\nthat he could not see. While the lamp of God was still burning, and\nSamuel was lying in the temple of Jehovah where the ark of God was,\nJehovah called, \"Samuel! Samuel!\" He answered, \"Here am I.\" Then he ran\nto Eli and said, \"Here am I, for you called me.\" But Eli said, \"I did\nnot call, lie down again.\" So he went and lay down. Then Jehovah called\nagain, \"Samuel! Samuel!\" Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, \"Here am\nI, for you called me.\" But Eli answered, \"I did not call, my son; lie\ndown again.\"\n\nNow Samuel did not yet know Jehovah nor had a message from Jehovah been\ngiven to him. So when Jehovah called Samuel again the third time, he\nrose and went to Eli and said, \"Here am I, for you called me!\" Then Eli\nknew that Jehovah was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, \"Go, lie\ndown, and if you are called, say, 'Speak, Jehovah, for thy servant is\nlistening.'\" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.\n\nThen Jehovah came and called as at other times, \"Samuel! Samuel!\" And\nSamuel answered, \"Speak, for thy servant is listening.\" Jehovah said to\nSamuel, \"See, I am about to do a thing in Israel that will make the ears\nof every one who hears it tingle. On that day I will do to Eli all that\nI have said that I would do to his family from the first to the last.\nFor I have told him that I will punish his family forever for the crime\nof which he knew his sons were guilty, for they did not do what God\ncommanded and he did not stop them.\"\n\nSamuel lay until morning, and then he opened the doors of the temple of\nJehovah. He was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But when Eli called\nhim and said, \"Samuel, my son,\" he said, \"Here am I.\" Eli asked, \"What\nis the thing that Jehovah said to you? Keep nothing from me; may God do\nto you whatever he will, if you keep from me a word of all that he said\nto you.\" So Samuel told him everything, and kept nothing from him. And\nEli said, \"It is Jehovah; let him do what seems good to him.\"\n\n\nTHE ARK AMONG THE PHILISTINES\n\nIn those days the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines, and in a\nhard-fought battle the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines.\n\nWhen the people returned to the camp, the leaders of Israel said, \"Why\nhas Jehovah let us be beaten to-day by the Philistines? Let us bring the\nark of our God from Shiloh. He may then go out with us and deliver us\nfrom our enemies.\"\n\nSo the people sent to Shiloh and took from there the ark of Jehovah of\nhosts. When it came to the camp, all the Israelites shouted so loud that\nthe earth resounded.\n\nThe Philistines heard the sound of the shouting and said, \"What does\nthis sound of great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?\" When they\nknew that the ark of Jehovah had come to the camp, they were afraid, for\nthey said, \"Their god has come to their camp. Woe to us! for it has\nnever been so before; but be strong and act like men.\" So the\nPhilistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and each fled to\nhis tent.\n\nThe same day a Benjamite from the ranks ran to Shiloh with his clothes\ntorn and with earth on his head. As he came, Eli was sitting on his seat\nby the gate watching the road, for his heart was trembling for the ark\nof God.\n\nWhen the man came and told the people of the city, they all cried out.\nEli heard the sound of crying and said, \"What is this uproar?\" So the\nman came quickly and told Eli, \"I am the man who came from the battle,\nfor I fled from the ranks.\" Eli said, \"How did it go, my son?\" The\nmessenger answered, \"Israel fled from the Philistines, and many people\nwere killed, and your two sons are dead, and the ark of God has been\ncaptured.\" When he spoke of the ark of God, Eli fell off his seat\nbackward beside the gate, and his neck was broken, for he was old and\nheavy, and he died.\n\nThe Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of\nDagon in Ashdod and set it up by the side of Dagon. When the people of\nAshdod rose early the next day and came to the temple of Dagon, there\nwas Dagon on the ground flat on his face before the ark of Jehovah. Then\nthey raised up Dagon and set him in his place again. But when they rose\nearly on the following morning, there was Dagon on the ground flat on\nhis face before the ark of Jehovah. The head of Dagon and both his hands\nwere broken off on the door sill, and only his body was left.\n\nJehovah severely punished the people of Ashdod, for he punished them\nwith boils. When the men of Ashdod saw this, they said, \"The ark of the\ngod of Israel shall not stay with us, for he is severely punishing us\nand Dagon our god.\" So they sent for all the rulers of the Philistines\nand asked, \"What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?\" They\nanswered, \"Let it be carried around to Gath.\"\n\nSo they carried the ark of the God of Israel around to Gath. Then\nJehovah punished the men of that city, both young and old, with boils.\nTherefore they sent the ark of the God of Israel to Ekron; but when it\ncame to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, \"They have brought around the\nark of the god of Israel to kill us and our people!\" They sent,\ntherefore, and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines and said,\n\"Send the ark of the god of Israel back to its own place, so that it\nwill not kill us and our people!\"\n\nThen the Philistines called the priests and diviners and asked, \"What\nshall we do with the ark of Jehovah? Tell us with what we shall send it\nto its place.\" They said, \"If you send back the ark of the god of\nIsrael, you must not send it away empty, but must return to him an\noffering to repay him for all that you have done to the ark. Then you\nshall be healed, and you shall know why he has continued to punish you.\"\nThey said, \"What offering shall we send back in order to repay him?\"\n\nThey said, \"Five golden boils and five golden mice, the same number as\nthe rulers of the Philistines; for one plague was upon you as well as\nupon your rulers. Now therefore prepare a new cart and two milch cows\nthat have never worn a yoke, and fasten the cows to the cart, but leave\ntheir calves behind them at home. Then take the ark of Jehovah and place\nit upon the cart and put in a box at its side the golden objects which\nyou are sending to them as an offering to repay him. Then send it away.\nIf it goes on the way to its own border, to Bethshemesh, then it is\nJehovah who has done us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know\nthat it is not he who has punished us; it was only an accident.\"\n\nThe men did so, and the cows took a straight course along the\nBethshemesh road. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and\ndid not turn aside to the right nor to the left. The rulers of the\nPhilistines also went after them as far as Bethshemesh.\n\nThe inhabitants of Bethshemesh were harvesting their wheat in the\nvalley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the\nsight. When the ark came into the field of Joshua, the Bethshemeshite,\nit stood still there. And a great stone was there; so they split up the\nwood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt-offering to Jehovah.\nWhen the five rulers of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron\nthe same day.\n\n\nHOW SAMUEL FOUND A LEADER\n\nThere was a rich Benjamite named Kish, who lived at Gibeah. He had a son\nnamed Saul, a man full grown and handsome; no one among the Israelites\nwas more handsome than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller\nthan any of the people.\n\nNow the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul,\n\"Take one of the servants with you and go, look for the asses.\" They\nwent through the highlands of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but did\nnot find them. Then they crossed into the land of Shaalim, but the asses\nwere not there. They also went through the land of Benjamin, but did not\nfind them.\n\nThey had come into the land of Zuph when Saul said to his servant who\nwas with him, \"Come, let us go back, that my father may not stop\nthinking of the asses and be anxious about us.\" The servant answered\nhim, \"There is a man of God in this town who is held in honor; all that\nhe says is sure to come true. Now let us go there; perhaps he can tell\nus the way we should go.\"\n\nSaul said to his servant, \"But, suppose we go, what shall we take to the\nman, for the bread is gone from our sacks, and there is no present to\ntake to the man of God? What have we?\" The servant answered Saul again\nand said, \"See, I have with me a quarter of a silver shekel. Give it to\nthe man of God that he may tell us our way.\" Then Saul said to his\nservant, \"Your advice is good; come, let us go.\" So they went to the\ntown where the man of God was.\n\nAs they were going up to the town, they met young women going out to\ndraw water and said to them, \"Is the seer here?\" They answered them, \"He\nis there; he is before you. Make haste, for he has just come into the\ntown, for the people have a sacrificial feast to-day at the sacred place\non the hilltop. As soon as you come to the town, you will find him\nbefore he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat\nuntil he comes, for he blesses the sacrifice, and then the guests eat.\nTherefore go up now, for at this time you will find him.\"\n\nSo they went up to the town, and when they came inside the gate, Samuel\nwas just coming out toward them to go up to the high place. Now Jehovah\nhad told Samuel the day before Saul came, \"About this time to-morrow I\nwill send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint\nhim to be a prince over my people Israel. He shall deliver my people\nfrom the power of the Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my\npeople, because their cry has come to me.\"\n\nWhen Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah told him, \"This is the man of whom I spoke\nto you! He it is who shall rule over my people.\" So when Saul met Samuel\nin the gate, and said, \"Tell me, if you will, where the seer's house\nis,\" Samuel answered Saul, \"I am the seer; go up before me to the high\nplace, for you shall eat with me to-day; and in the morning I will let\nyou go and will tell you all that is in your mind. As for your asses\nthat were lost three days ago, do not trouble yourself about them for\nthey have been found. And to whom belongs all that is best in Israel?\nDoes it not belong to you and to your father's house?\" Saul answered and\nsaid, \"Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel,\nand is not my family the least of all the families of the tribe of\nBenjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?\"\n\nBut Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and\nmade them sit at the head of the guests (who were about thirty in\nnumber). Samuel also said to the cook, \"Bring the part which I gave you\nand told you to put aside.\" So the cook took up the leg and what was on\nit and placed them before Saul. Then Samuel said, \"See what has been\nkept for you! Set it before you and eat, for it was kept for you until\nthe appointed time, that you might eat with the people whom I have\ninvited.\" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.\n\nAfter they came down from the high place into the town, they spread a\nbed for Saul on the roof, and he lay down. Then at daybreak Samuel\ncalled to Saul on the roof, saying, \"Rise, that I may send you away.\" So\nSaul rose, and he and Samuel went out into the street. As they were\ngoing out of the town, Samuel said to Saul, \"Tell the servant to go on\nbefore us, but you stand here that I may tell you the message from God.\"\n\nThen Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head, and\nkissed him and said, \"Has not Jehovah anointed you to be a prince over\nhis people Israel? You shall rule over Jehovah's people and deliver\nthem from the power of their enemies on every side. This is the sign\nthat Jehovah has anointed you to be a prince over his own people: when\nyou go from me to-day you shall find two men at Rachel's tomb; and they\nwill say to you, 'The asses that you went to seek are found, and now\nyour father is thinking no more about the asses but is worrying about\nyou, saying, \"What shall I do for my son?\"' Then you shall go on from\nthere and come to the oak of Tabor. There three men going up to God at\nBethel will meet you, one carrying three kids, another carrying three\nloaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. They will greet\nyou and give you two loaves of bread which you shall take from their\nhand. After that you shall come to Gibeah. As you come to the city you\nwill meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a\nlyre, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, while they\nprophesy. Then the spirit of Jehovah will come suddenly upon you, and\nyou shall prophesy with them, and shall be changed into another man.\nWhen these signs come to you, do whatever you can, for God is with you.\"\nSo when Saul turned away from Samuel, God gave him a new heart, and all\nthose signs came to pass that day.\n\nSaul's uncle also said to him and to his servant, \"Where did you go?\" He\nsaid, \"To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were not to be\nfound, we went to Samuel.\" Saul's uncle said, \"Tell me what Samuel said\nto you.\" Saul replied, \"He told us that the asses were surely found.\"\nBut Saul did not tell him that Samuel had said he should become the\nruler.\n\nAfter about a month, Nahash, the Ammonite, came up and besieged Jabesh\nin Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, \"Make terms with us\nand we will serve you.\" But Nahash, the Ammonite, said to them. \"On this\ncondition will I make terms with you: that I bore out the right eye of\neach of you, and so bring disgrace upon all Israel.\" The elders of\nJabesh said to him, \"Let us have seven days in which to send messengers\nthrough all the land of Israel. Then, if there are none to save us, we\nwill come to you.\"\n\nSo the messengers came to Gibeah where Saul lived and told the facts in\nthe hearing of the people, and they all set up a loud wail. Just then\nSaul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and he said, \"What is\nthe trouble with the people that they are wailing?\" Then they told him\nwhat the men of Jabesh had said. When he heard it, the spirit of Jehovah\ncame suddenly upon him and he became very indignant. He took a pair of\noxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them through all the land of Israel\nby messengers, who said, \"Whoever does not come out after Saul and after\nSamuel, the same shall be done to his oxen!\"\n\nThen a terror from Jehovah fell upon the people, and they all gathered\ntogether. And Saul said to the messengers who came, \"Say to the men of\nJabesh in Gilead, 'To-morrow by the time the sun grows hot help shall\ncome to you.'\"\n\nSo the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.\nTherefore the men of Jabesh said to the Ammonites, \"To-morrow we will\ncome out to you, and you shall do to us whatever you please.\" So on the\nfollowing day, Saul divided the people into three divisions; and they\nwent into the midst of the camp early in the morning, and fought against\nthe Ammonites until noon. The Ammonites who stayed behind were so\nscattered that not two of them were left together.\n\nThen all the people went to Gilgal and there in the presence of Jehovah\nmade Saul their ruler, and they offered sacrifices there to Jehovah; and\nSaul and all the men of Israel were very happy.\n\n\nJONATHAN'S BRAVE DEED\n\nSaul picked out three thousand men from the Israelites. Two thousand\nwere with Saul in Michmash and on the highland of Bethel, and a thousand\nwere with his son Jonathan in Gibeah. But Saul had sent the rest of the\npeople each to his home.\n\nThen Jonathan attacked the company of the Philistines in Gibeah; and the\nPhilistines heard of it. But Saul sounded a call to arms throughout all\nthe land, saying, \"Let the Hebrews hear!\" So all Israel heard the report\nthat Saul had attacked the Philistines, and also that Israel was hated\nby them.\n\nThen the Philistines were gathered together to fight with Israel: three\nthousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as many as\nthe sand of the seashore. They came up and camped in Michmash. When the\nmen of Israel saw that they were in a tight place (for the people were\nhard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves, in holes, in the\nrocks, in tombs, and in pits. Also many people crossed over the Jordan\nto the land of Gad and Gilead.\n\nThen Saul counted the people who were with him and found that there\nwere about six hundred men. And Saul and his son Jonathan, together with\nthe people who were with them, remained in Gibeah, while the Philistines\ncamped in Michmash. Then the Philistines came out of the camp in three\ndivisions to steal whatever they could find: one division turned toward\nOphrah, in the land of Shual, another toward Bethhoron, and another\ntoward the hill that looks down over the valley of Zeboim. But the\ngarrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.\n\nNow on that day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who\ncarried his armor, \"Come, let us go over against the Philistines'\ngarrison that is on the other side.\" But he did not tell his father.\n\nMeantime Saul was sitting just outside of Gibeah under the\npomegranate-tree which is near the threshing-floor, and there were with\nhim about six hundred men. But the people did not know that Jonathan had\ngone.\n\nAlong the ravine by which Jonathan tried to go over against the\nPhilistines there was a steep rock on one side, and a steep rock on the\nother; one was named The Shining, and the other The Thorny. One rock\nrose up north of Michmash, and the other south of Geba.\n\nSo Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, \"Come, let us\ngo over to the camp of these heathen Philistines. Perhaps Jehovah will\nact for us, for there is nothing that can keep Jehovah from delivering\nhis people either by many or by few.\" His armor-bearer replied, \"Do\nwhatever you wish, I will do my best to help you.\" Then Jonathan said,\n\"See, we will cross over to the men and show ourselves to them. If they\nsay to us, 'Stand still until we can reach you,' then we will stand\nstill in our place, and will not go up to them. But if they say, 'Come\nup to us,' then we will go up; for this shall be the proof that Jehovah\nhas given them into our power.\"\n\nWhen both of them showed themselves to the Philistines, the Philistines\nsaid, \"There are Hebrews coming out of the holes where they have\nhidden.\" So they called to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, \"Come up to\nus, and we will show you something!\" Then Jonathan said to his\narmor-bearer, \"Come up after me, for Jehovah has given them into the\npower of Israel.\"\n\nSo Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet and his armor-bearer after\nhim. And the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer\nfollowed and put them to death. In the first attack Jonathan and his\narmor-bearer killed about twenty men with spears and rocks from the\nfield. Then there was a great panic in the camp, in the open field, and\namong all the Philistines. Even those who were out robbing were\npanic-stricken, and the earth quaked, so that it produced a God-sent\npanic.\n\nThe watchmen of Saul in Gibeah looked and saw the great company of\nPhilistines melting away and rushing here and there. Then Saul said to\nthe people who were with him, \"Look now and see who is gone from us.\"\nWhen they searched they found that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were\nnot there. So Saul said to Ahijah, \"Bring the ark of God here,\" for at\nthat time it was with the Israelites. While Saul was still speaking to\nthe priest, the noise and disorder among the Philistines kept on\nincreasing. Therefore, Saul said to the priest, \"Do not wait to consult\nJehovah!\"\n\nThen Saul and all the people that were with him gathered together and\nwent into battle. And every Philistine's sword was turned upon his\nfellow, so that there was a very great confusion among them. The Hebrews\nwho once were on the side of the Philistines and who had joined their\narmy also went over to the side of the Israelites who were with Saul and\nJonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel who were hiding in the\nhighlands of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines had fled,\nclosely followed them in the battle. So Jehovah delivered Israel that\nday, and the battle passed over beyond Bethhoron. But Saul made a great\nmistake that day, for he strictly commanded the people, saying, \"The man\nwho shall eat any food until evening and until I take vengeance on my\nenemies shall be punished.\" So none of the people tasted food.\n\nNow there was honey on the surface of the ground; and when the people\ncame to the forest, they saw a stream of honey, but no one put his hand\nto his mouth, for the people feared the punishment. But Jonathan had not\nheard when his father commanded the people. Therefore he reached out the\nend of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and\nput his hand to his mouth, and he felt refreshed. Then one of the people\nspoke up and said, \"Your father strictly commanded the people, saying,\n'The man who eats food this day shall be punished.'\" But Jonathan\nreplied, \"My father has brought great trouble on the land. See how I\nhave been refreshed because I tasted a little of this honey. If only the\npeople had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies, many more\nof the Philistines would have been slain.\"\n\nThen Saul said, \"Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take\nspoil until daybreak, and let us not leave one of them.\" They said, \"Do\nwhatever you think best.\" But the priest said, \"Let us ask of God.\" So\nSaul asked of God, \"Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt thou\ndeliver them over to Israel?\" But he did not answer him that day.\nTherefore Saul said, \"Come here, all you leaders of the people, and find\nout who has done wrong to-day. For as surely as Jehovah the deliverer of\nIsrael lives, even though it be Jonathan my son, he shall die.\" But not\none of the people answered him.\n\nThen he said to all Israel, \"You be on one side, and I and Jonathan my\nson will be on the other.\" The people said to Saul, \"Do what you think\nbest.\" Therefore Saul said, \"Jehovah, God of Israel, why hast thou not\nanswered thy servant this day? If the sin be mine or that of Jonathan my\nson, Jehovah, God of Israel, show it by the lot marked Urim; but if the\nsin lies with thy people Israel, show it by the lot marked Thummim.\"\nThen the lot fell on Jonathan and Saul and not on the people. So Saul\nsaid, \"Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son. He whom Jehovah\nselects must die.\" The people said to Saul, \"It shall not be so!\" But\nSaul made the people do as he said, and they cast the lot between him\nand Jonathan his son; and it fell on Jonathan.\n\nThen Saul said to Jonathan, \"Tell me what you have done.\" So Jonathan\ntold him, \"I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of the staff\nthat was in my hand. Here I am! I am ready to die.\" Saul said, \"God do\nso to me and more too; Jonathan, you shall surely die!\" But all the\npeople said to Saul, \"Shall Jonathan die who has brought this great\ndeliverance to Israel? Far from it! As surely as Jehovah lives, not one\nhair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has done this day what\nGod wished.\" So the people saved Jonathan from death.\n\n\nDAVID'S VICTORY OVER THE GIANT\n\nAs long as Saul lived there was bitter war with the Philistines.\nWhenever Saul saw a strong or able man, he would take him into his\nservice.\n\n[Illustration: (C)_Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_Saul and David_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\nNow the spirit of Jehovah had left Saul and an evil spirit from Jehovah\ntroubled him. So Saul's servants said to him, \"See now, an evil\nspirit from Jehovah is troubling you. Let your servants who are here\nadvise you, and let them seek a man skilled in playing the lyre. Then,\nwhenever the evil spirit comes upon you, he shall play on the lyre, and\nyou will be well.\" Saul said to his servants, \"Find me a man who plays\nwell, and bring him to me.\"\n\nThen one of the young men said, \"I have seen a son of Jesse the\nBethlehemite who is a skilled musician, a strong and able man, a\nsoldier, careful in speech, handsome, and Jehovah is with him.\" So Saul\nsent messengers to Jesse with the command, \"Send me David your son, who\nis with the flock.\"\n\nThen Jesse took ten loaves of bread, a skin of wine, and a kid, and sent\nthem to Saul by his son David. So David came to Saul and entered his\nservice; and Saul loved him and he became his armor-bearer. Saul sent\nthis message to Jesse: \"Let David remain in my service, for I am well\npleased with him.\" And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul,\nDavid would take the lyre and play, and Saul would breathe more easily\nand would be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.\n\nNow the Philistines gathered their forces for war, and camped between\nSocoh and Ezekah in Ephesdammim. Saul and the men of Israel came\ntogether and camped in the valley of Elah; and they were drawn up ready\nfor battle against the Philistines.\n\nThe Philistines were standing on the hill on one side, and the\nIsraelites were standing on the hill on the other side with the valley\nbetween them. Then there came out from the ranks of the Philistines a\nchampion named Goliath, who was about ten feet tall. He had a helmet of\nbronze on his head and wore a bronze breastplate of scales which weighed\none hundred and fifty pounds. He also had bronze greaves upon his legs\nand a bronze back-plate between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear\nwas like a weaver's beam, and the head of his iron spear weighed about\ntwenty pounds; and his shield-bearer went before him.\n\nHe stood and called to the ranks of Israel: \"Why have you come out to\nform the line of battle? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul?\nChoose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he is able\nto fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if\nI conquer and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve\nus.\" The Philistine added, \"I defy the ranks of Israel to-day; give me a\nman that we may fight together.\"\n\nWhen Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine,\nthey were terrified. But David said to Saul, \"Let not my lord's courage\nfail him; I will go and fight this Philistine.\" Saul said to David, \"You\nare not able to go and fight against this Philistine, for you are only a\nyouth and he has been a warrior from his youth.\" But David said to Saul,\n\"Your servant kept his father's sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear\ncame and took a lamb out of the flock, I would go out after him and kill\nhim and rescue it from his mouth. If he attacked me, I would seize him\nby his throat and kill him with a blow. Your servant has killed both\nlion and bear. Now this heathen Philistine shall be like one of them,\nfor he has defied the armies of the living God. Jehovah who saved me\nfrom the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will save me from\nthe hand of this Philistine.\" So Saul said to David, \"Go, and may\nJehovah be with you.\"\n\nSaul clothed David with his own garments, and put a helmet of bronze on\nhis head and gave him a coat of mail. And David fastened on his sword\nover his coat and was not able to walk, for he was not used to them. So\nhe said to Saul, \"I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them.\" So\nDavid took them off.\n\nThen he took his club in his hand, and he chose five smooth stones from\nthe bed of the brook and put them in his bag, and he took his sling in\nhis hand and drew near to the Philistine. When the Philistine looked and\nsaw David, he despised him, for he was but a fair and ruddy youth. So\nthe Philistine said to David, \"Am I a dog that you come against me with\na club?\" And he cursed David by his gods, and said, \"Come to me that I\nmay give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the\nfield.\"\n\nThen David answered the Philistine, \"You come to me with a sword and\nspear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of Jehovah of hosts and\nof the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted this day.\nJehovah will deliver you into my hand that I may kill you and cut off\nyour head.\"\n\nWhen the Philistine started to attack him, David put his hand into his\nbag and took from it a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine in\nthe forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face\nto the earth. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and drawing\nhis sword from its sheath, he killed him and cut off his head with it.\n\nWhen the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The\nmen of Israel and of Judah rose up and raised the battle-cry and\nfollowed the Philistines to the entrance to Gath and to the gates of\nEkron, so that the wounded of the Philistines fell all the way from the\nbattle-field even to Gath and Ekron.\n\n\nSAUL'S MEAN JEALOUSY\n\nWhen the Israelites and David returned from slaying the Philistines, the\nwomen came out from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to\nmeet Saul with tambourines, with cries of rejoicing, and with cymbals.\nThe women sang gaily to each other and said,\n\n \"Saul has slain his thousands,\n And David his tens of thousands.\"\n\nSaul was very angry, for their words displeased him, and he said, \"To\nDavid they give credit for ten thousands, but to me only thousands; what\nmore can he have but the rulership?\" So Saul kept his eye on David from\nthat day onward. Saul feared David and did not let him stay near him. He\nmade him commander over a thousand men; and David went out and came in\nat the head of the soldiers. In all that he did David acted wisely and\nhad success, for Jehovah was with him. When Saul saw that he acted\nwisely, he was still more afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved\nDavid, for he went out and came in at their head.\n\nMichal, Saul's daughter, also loved David, and when they told Saul, he\nwas pleased, for he said, \"I will give her to him, that she may lead him\nto destruction and that the Philistines may capture him.\" So Saul\ncommanded his servants, \"Say to David secretly: 'See, the ruler is\npleased with you and all his servants love you; now therefore become his\nson-in-law.'\" When Saul's servants told this to David, he said, \"Do you\nthink it easy for me to become the son-in-law of a ruler when I am poor\nand have no reputation!\" When Saul's servants told him David's answer,\nhe commanded, \"Say to David: 'Saul wishes no price for his daughter\nexcept the proof that you have killed a hundred Philistines;'\" for Saul\nthought that David would be killed by them.\n\nSo David went with his men and killed a hundred Philistines; and Saul\ngave him his daughter Michal as his wife. Then Saul knew that Jehovah\nwas with David and that all Israel loved him, so he feared David still\nmore.\n\nThen Saul commanded his son Jonathan and all his servants to put David\nto death. But Jonathan was very fond of David. And Jonathan spoke well\nof David to Saul his father and said to him, \"Do not sin against your\nservant David, for he has not wronged you and his behavior toward you\nhas been excellent; for he risked his life and killed the Philistine, so\nthat Jehovah saved all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will\nyou sin by shedding innocent blood in killing David without cause?\"\n\nSo Saul listened to Jonathan and gave his solemn promise: \"As surely as\nJehovah lives, he shall not be put to death.\"\n\nThen Jonathan called David and told him all these things. And Jonathan\nbrought David to Saul and he was with him as before.\n\nBut there was war again, and David went out and fought against the\nPhilistines and killed so many of them that they fled before him. Then\nan evil spirit from Jehovah came upon Saul while he was sitting in his\nhouse with his spear in his hand and while David was playing on the\nlyre. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but David\nslipped away so that Saul drove the spear into the wall; and David fled\nand so escaped.\n\nThat night Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, so as to\nkill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, \"If you do\nnot save your life to-night, you will be killed to-morrow.\" So Michal\nlet David down through the window; and he fled away and escaped. Then\nMichal took the household god and laid it in the bed, and she put a\npillow of goat's hair under its head and covered it with a garment. And\nwhen Saul sent messengers to seize David, she said, \"He is sick.\"\n\nAgain Saul sent the messengers to the house of David with the command,\n\"Bring him up to me on the bed, that I may put him to death.\" When the\nmessengers came in, there was the household god in the bed with the\npillow of goat's hair under its head. Saul said to Michal, \"Why have you\ndeceived me thus and let my enemy go?\" Michal answered Saul, \"He said to\nme: 'Let me go; why should I kill you?'\"\n\n\nJONATHAN'S LOVE FOR DAVID\n\nThen David went and found Jonathan and said, \"What have I done? What is\nmy guilt, and what is my sin in the mind of your father, that he is\nseeking my life?\" Jonathan replied, \"No, no! You shall not die. You know\nthat my father does nothing great or small that he does not tell me, and\nwhy should my father hide this from me? He surely will not.\" David\nanswered, \"Your father well knows that you are fond of me, and he is\nsaying to himself, 'Do not let Jonathan know this that he may not be\ngrieved.' But as surely as Jehovah lives and as you live, there is only\na step between me and death.\"\n\nThen Jonathan said to David, \"What do you wish me to do for you?\" David\nanswered, \"To-morrow is the festival of the New Moon and I ought to sit\nat the table with Saul, but let me go and I will hide myself in the\nfield until evening. If your father misses me, then say, 'David asked\npermission of me to run to Bethlehem, his native town, for the yearly\nsacrifice is there for all his family.' If he says, 'Good,' then it is\nwell with your servant; but if he gets angry, then you will know that he\nis planning to harm me. Now show kindness to your servant, for in the\npresence of Jehovah you have made a solemn agreement with your servant.\nBut if I am at all guilty, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me\nto your father?\" Jonathan said, \"That shall never be! If I learn that my\nfather is planning to do you harm, I will tell you.\"\n\nThen David said to Jonathan, \"Who will tell me if your father answers\nyou harshly?\" Jonathan answered, \"Jehovah the God of Israel be witness\nthat about this time to-morrow I will find out how my father feels. If\nhe feels kindly toward you, then I will send and tell you. Should my\nfather wish to do you harm, God do to Jonathan whatever he will and more\ntoo if I do not tell you and send you away that you may go in peace. May\nJehovah be with you, as he has been with my father. And if I am yet\nalive, O may you show me kindness like that of Jehovah himself! But if I\nshould die, you must never cease to be kind to my family. And if, when\nJehovah destroys all the enemies of David from the face of the earth,\nthe family of Jonathan should be destroyed by the family of David, may\nJehovah punish the crime by the hand of David's enemies.\" So Jonathan\nrenewed his solemn promise to David, because he loved him; for he loved\nhim as much as he loved his own life.\n\nThen Jonathan said to him, \"To-morrow is the festival of the New Moon\nand you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. On the third day,\nwhen you will be greatly missed, go to the place where you hid yourself\nwhen my father attacked you, and sit down beside the heap of stones. I\nwill shoot three arrows on one side of it, as though I shot at a mark.\nThen I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I call to\nthe boy, 'See, the arrows are on this side of you; pick them up!'--then\ncome; for all goes well with you, and as surely as Jehovah lives, there\nis nothing to fear. But if I call to the boy, 'See, the arrows are\nbeyond you,' then go, for Jehovah sends you away. And as for the\npromises which you and I have made, Jehovah is witness between you and\nme forever.\"\n\nSo David hid himself in the field; and when the festival of the New Moon\ncame, Saul sat down at the table to eat. He sat on his seat, as usual,\nby the wall, and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat beside Saul; but\nDavid's seat was empty. Saul, however, did not say anything that day,\nfor he thought, \"It is an accident.\"\n\nBut on the next day when David's place was again empty, Saul said to\nJonathan, \"Why has not the son of Jesse come to the table, either\nyesterday or to-day?\" Jonathan answered, \"David asked permission to go\nto Bethlehem, for he said, 'Let me go, for we have a family sacrifice in\nthe town, and my brother has commanded me to be there. Now if you\napprove, let me go away that I may see my family.' Therefore, he has not\ncome to your table.\"\n\nThen Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, \"Son\nof a rebellious slave girl! Do I not know that you are making the son of\nJesse your friend to your own shame and to your mother's shame? For as\nlong as the son of Jesse lives, neither you nor your rule will be safe.\nTherefore, send now and bring him to me, for he is doomed to die.\"\n\nThen Jonathan answered Saul his father and said, \"Why should he be put\nto death? What has he done?\" But Saul flung his spear at him to strike\nhim. So Jonathan knew that his father had made up his mind to put David\nto death. And Jonathan rose from the table in hot anger and ate no food\non the second day of the month, for he felt hurt because his father had\ninsulted David.\n\nThe next morning Jonathan went out into the field to the place agreed\nupon with David, and a small boy was with him. He said to his boy, \"Run,\nfind now the arrows which I shoot.\" As the boy ran, he shot an arrow\nbeyond him. When the boy came to the place where the arrow which\nJonathan had shot lay, Jonathan called to him, \"Is not the arrow beyond\nyou? Hurry, be quick, do not stop!\" So Jonathan's lad gathered up the\narrows, and brought them to his master. But the boy knew nothing about\nthe signal. Only Jonathan and David understood.\n\n\nTHE COST OF A LIE\n\nThen David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest who came trembling to\nmeet David and said to him, \"Why are you alone, and no one with you?\"\nDavid answered Ahimelech the priest, \"Saul has given me orders about\nsome business and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the\nbusiness on which I am sending you and about which I have given you\norders.' I have also directed the young men to meet me at a certain\nplace. Therefore, if you have at hand five loaves of bread, give them to\nme or whatever can be found.\" The priest answered David, \"There is no\nplain bread at hand, but only holy bread.\" So the priest gave him holy\nbread, for there was no other bread there except that which had been\nremoved from the temple to be replaced at once by hot bread.\n\nNow Doeg, the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen, was there that day.\nAnd David said to Ahimelech, \"Have you not here at hand a spear or\nsword? For I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me, since the\nking's business required haste.\" The priest said, \"The sword of Goliath\nthe Philistine whom you slew in the valley of Elah is there, wrapped in\na cloth. If you wish to take that, do so, for there is no other except\nthat here.\" David answered, \"There is none like that; give it to me.\"\n\nThen David went from there and escaped to the stronghold of Adullam.\nWhen his brothers and all his father's clan heard of it, they went down\nthere to him. Every one who was in trouble and every one who was in\ndebt, and every one who was discontented gathered about him, and he\nbecame their leader. About four hundred men were with him.\n\nWhen Saul heard that David and the men with him had been found, he was\nsitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree at the high place, with his\nspear in his hand. And all his servants were standing about him. Saul\nsaid to his servants who stood about him, \"Hear, O Benjamites! Will the\nson of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of\nyou commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? Is it not true\nthat all of you have plotted against me so that no one tells me that my\nson has made an agreement with the son of Jesse, and that none of you\nhas pity upon me or tells me that my son has made my servant David my\nenemy as he now is?\" Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the\nservants of Saul, spoke up and said, \"I saw the son of Jesse go to Nob,\nto Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. And the priest inquired of God for him\nand gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.\"\n\nThen Saul sent for Ahimelech the priest, and all his family and the\npriests who were in Nob; and all of them came to him. Then Saul said,\n\"Listen, son of Ahitub!\" He answered, \"Here I am, my lord!\" Saul said to\nhim, \"Is it not true that you and the son of Jesse have plotted against\nme and that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of\nGod for him, that he might rebel against me?\" Ahimelech answered Saul,\n\"Who among all your servants is trusted like David, your son-in-law,\nchief over your subjects, and honored in your household? Is this the\nfirst time I have inquired of God for him? Far be it from me to be\ndisloyal! Do not think that I or any of my clan have any evil intention,\nfor your servant does not know the slightest thing about all this.\" But\nSaul said, \"Ahimelech, you shall surely die, you and all your family.\"\n\nThen Saul said to the guards who were standing about him, \"Turn and kill\nthe priests of Jehovah, for they have plotted with David; and although\nthey knew that he was fleeing, they did not tell me.\" But Saul's\nservants would not raise their hands to kill the priests of Jehovah.\nThen Saul said to Doeg, \"Turn and kill the priests.\" So Doeg, the\nEdomite, turned and killed them. On that day he killed eighty-five men\nwho wore the priestly robes.\n\nBut Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.\nWhen Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Jehovah,\nDavid said to him, \"I knew that day, because Doeg the Edomite was there,\nthat he would surely tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the death of\nall your family. Stay with me, have no fear, for whoever seeks your life\nmust first take mine, for you are placed in my charge.\"\n\n\n\n\nA SOLDIER WHO SPARED HIS ENEMY\n\n\nNow when David was told, \"The Philistines are fighting against Keilah\nand are robbing the threshing-floors,\" he inquired of Jehovah, \"Shall I\ngo and attack these Philistines?\" Jehovah said to David, \"Go, attack\nthe Philistines and save Keilah.\" But David's men said to him, \"See, we\nare afraid here in Judah; how much more will we be if we go to Keilah\nagainst the armies of the Philistines?\" When David again inquired of\nJehovah, Jehovah answered him, \"Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will\ngive the Philistines into your hand.\" So David and his men went to\nKeilah and fought with the Philistines and drove away their cattle and\nkilled a great many of them. In this way David delivered the people of\nKeilah.\n\nNow when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David in Keilah, he\ncame down with the priestly robe used in consulting Jehovah in his hand.\nAnd when Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, \"God\nhas given him into my power, for by entering a town that has doors and\nbars he has let himself be trapped.\"\n\nSo Saul called all the people to arms to go down to Keilah to besiege\nDavid and his men. But when David knew that Saul was plotting evil\nagainst him, he said to Abiathar the priest, \"Bring here the priestly\nrobe.\" Then David said, \"O Jehovah, the God of Israel, thy servant has\nsurely heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah, to destroy the\ntown because of me. Will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard? O\nJehovah, God of Israel, tell thy servant.\" Jehovah said, \"He will come\ndown.\" Then David said, \"Will the men of Keilah turn me and my men over\nto Saul?\" Jehovah said, \"They will.\" Then David and his men, who were\nabout six hundred, left Keilah, and wandered from one place to another.\nWhen it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he no\nlonger followed him. So David lived in the Wilderness of Ziph and stayed\nin the mountain strongholds.\n\nThen the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, \"Is not David hiding\nin the hill country of Hachilah?\" So Saul went down to the Wilderness of\nZiph with three thousand men of Israel to hunt for David. And Saul\ncamped in the hill country of Hachilah; but David stayed in the\nwilderness. When David saw that Saul was following him into the\nwilderness, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had come to the\nplace just in front of him. David then arose and went to the place where\nSaul had camped. And he saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son\nof Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was within the barricade,\nand the people were camped about him.\n\nThen David turned to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of\nZeruiah, Joab's brother, and said, \"Who will go down with me to Saul's\ncamp?\" Abishai said, \"I will go with you.\" So David and Abishai came to\nthe people by night, and Saul was lying asleep inside the barricade,\nwith his spear stuck into the earth at his head and with Abner and the\nsoldiers lying about him.\n\nThen Abishai said to David, \"God has given your enemy to you to-day. Now\nlet me pin him to the earth with his spear at one stroke, for I will not\nneed to strike him twice!\" David replied, \"As surely as Jehovah lives,\neither Jehovah will smite him, or his day will come to die, or he will\ngo down into battle and meet his end. Jehovah forbid that I should harm\nhim whom Jehovah has called to rule! But now take the spear that is at\nhis head and the jug of water, and let us go.\" So David took the spear\nand the jug of water from Saul's head, and they departed. But no man saw\nit or knew it, for they were all asleep, and no one awoke, for a deep\nsleep from Jehovah had fallen upon them.\n\nThen David went across and stood on the top of a hill at a distance with\na great space between them. And David called to the soldiers and to\nAbner, the son of Ner, and said, \"Do you make no answer, Abner?\" Abner\nanswered, \"Who are you that calls?\" David said to Abner, \"Are you not a\nman, and who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept guard\nover your lord the ruler of Israel? For one of the people came to\ndestroy your lord. You have not done what is right. As surely as Jehovah\nlives you ought to be put to death, for you have not kept watch over\nyour master whom Jehovah has called to rule. Now see where his spear is\nand his jug of water that was at his head.\"\n\nSaul knew David's voice and said, \"Is this your voice, my son David?\"\nDavid replied, \"It is my voice, my lord.\" And he added, \"Why is it that\nmy lord is following his servant? For what have I done? Or of what am I\nguilty? Now therefore let my lord listen to me. If Jehovah has stirred\nyou up against me, let him accept an offering. But if men have stirred\nyou up against me, let them be cursed before Jehovah, for they have\ndriven me out to-day, saying, 'Go serve other gods,' so that I have no\nshare in the land which Jehovah has given to his people. May I not meet\nmy end far away from the presence of Jehovah, for the ruler of Israel\nhas come out to seek my life, as one hunts a partridge on the\nmountains.\"\n\nThen Saul said, \"I have done wrong. Come back, my son David, for I will\ndo you no more harm, for you have spared my life to-day. I have acted\nfoolishly and have made a great mistake.\" David answered, \"Here is\nSaul's spear! Let one of the young men come over and take it. May\nJehovah reward each one who does right and is faithful; for Jehovah gave\nyou to me to-day, but I would not harm one whom Jehovah had called to\nrule. Just as your life was of great value in my sight so may my life be\nof great value in Jehovah's sight, and may he deliver me from all\ntrouble.\"\n\nThen Saul said to David, \"May you be blessed, my son David! You shall do\ngreat deeds and shall surely succeed!\" So David went his way, but Saul\nreturned home.\n\n\nABIGAIL'S SENSIBLE ADVICE\n\nThen David went away into the Wilderness of Maon. Now there was a man in\nMaon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three\nthousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep at\nCarmel. His name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. The woman\nwas sensible and beautiful, but the man was rough and ill-mannered; and\nhe was a Calebite.\n\nWhen David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he\nsent ten young men with the command, \"Go up to Carmel and enter Nabal's\nhouse and greet him in my name. You shall say to him and to his family,\n'Peace and prosperity be to you and your family and to all that you\nhave. Now I have heard that you have sheep-shearers. Your shepherds were\nwith us, and we did not insult them, and nothing of theirs was missing\nall the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell\nyou. Therefore receive my young men favorably, for we have come on a\nfeast-day. Give also whatever you have at hand to your servants and to\nyour son David.'\"\n\nWhen David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal for David as they were\ntold, and then waited. But Nabal answered David's servants, \"Who is\nDavid? And who is the son of Jesse? Many are the slaves these days who\nbreak away from their masters! Should I then take my bread and my water\nand my meat that I have prepared for my shearers and give it to men of\nwhom I know nothing?\" So when David's young men returned and told him,\nhe said to them, \"Let every man put on his sword.\" So they all put on\ntheir swords. David also put on his sword; and about four hundred men\nfollowed David, and two hundred stayed with the baggage.\n\nBut one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, \"David has just\nsent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he insulted\nthem. The men have been very good to us and we have not been harmed nor\nhave we missed anything, as long as we were with them in the open\ncountry. They were as a wall about us both night and day all the time we\nwere near them guarding the sheep. Now therefore decide what you will\ndo, for evil is planned against our master and against all his\nhousehold, for he is such an ill-tempered man that no one can say a word\nto him.\"\n\nThen Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of\nwine, five roasted sheep, five baskets of parched grain, a hundred\nbunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on\nasses. She said to her young men, \"Go on ahead of me; see, I am coming\nafter you.\" But she said nothing about it to her husband Nabal. As she\nwas riding on the ass and coming down under cover of a hill, David and\nhis men were coming down toward her, so that she met them. David had\njust said, \"It was in vain that I guarded all that belongs to this\nfellow in the wilderness, so that nothing of his was missing, for he has\nreturned me evil for good. May God bring a similar judgment upon David\nand more too, if by daybreak I leave a single man of all those who\nbelong to him.\"\n\nWhen Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from her ass and bowed\ndown before him with her face to the ground. As she fell at his feet she\nsaid, \"Upon me, my lord, upon me be the blame. Only let your servant\nspeak to you, and listen to her words. Let not my lord pay any attention\nto that mean man Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. 'Fool' is his name\nand folly rules him. But your servant did not see the young men of my\nlord, whom you sent. Now, my lord, as surely as Jehovah lives and as you\nlive, since Jehovah has kept you from murder and from avenging yourself\nby your own hand, may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be\nlike Nabal. Let this present which your servant has brought to my lord\nbe given to the young men who follow him. I beg of you, forgive the\nwrong done by your servant, for Jehovah will certainly make my lord's\nfamily strong, for my lord is fighting for Jehovah, and you shall not be\nguilty of any evil deed as long as you live. Should a man rise up to\npursue you and seek your life, Jehovah your God will care for you, but\nhe will cast away the lives of your enemies as from a sling. When\nJehovah has done for you all the good that he has promised and has made\nyou ruler over Israel, you will not have to be sorry that you shed blood\nwithout cause or that you were revenged by your own hand. When Jehovah\ngives prosperity to my lord, then too remember your servant.\"\n\nDavid said to Abigail, \"Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who sent\nyou this day to meet me, and blessed be your good sense. A blessing on\nyou, who have kept me this day from murder and from avenging myself by\nmy own hand. For as surely as Jehovah the God of Israel lives, who has\nkept me from doing you harm, unless you had quickly come to meet me,\ntruly by daybreak not one man would have been left to Nabal.\"\n\nSo David received from her all which she had brought him. And he said to\nher, \"Go back in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your\nadvice and granted your request.\"\n\nWhen Abigail returned to Nabal, he was holding a feast in his house like\na king. He was feeling merry, for he was very drunk; so she told him\nnothing whatever until daybreak. But in the morning, when the effects of\nthe wine were gone, his wife told him what she had done. Then his heart\nstopped beating and he became like a stone. About ten days later he had\na stroke from which he died.\n\nWhen David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, \"Thanks be to Jehovah who\nhas punished Nabal's insult to me and has kept me from doing wrong, for\nJehovah has visited Nabal's crime upon his own head.\"\n\nThen David sent to ask Abigail to become his wife. When his servants\ncame to her at Carmel and said, \"David has sent us to you to take you to\nhim to be his wife,\" she rose and bowed her face to the earth and said,\n\"See, your slave is willing to be even a servant to wash the feet of my\nlord's servants.\" Then Abigail quickly rose and mounted an ass; and five\nof her maids followed as servants. So she went with the messengers of\nDavid, and became his wife.\n\n\nMAKING THE BEST OF TROUBLE\n\nThen David said to himself, \"I shall be killed some day by the hand of\nSaul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the\nPhilistines. Then Saul will give up hope and search no more for me in\nall the land of Israel; and so I will escape from him.\" David,\ntherefore, with the six hundred men who were with him went over to\nAchish, king of Gath. And David and his men lived with Achish at Gath,\neach with his family. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he\ngave up looking for him.\n\nDavid said to Achish, \"If now you will grant me the favor, give me a\nplace in one of the towns in the open country, that I may live there;\nfor why should your servant live in the royal city with you?\" So Achish\ngave him Ziklag, and David lived in the open country of the Philistines\na year and four months.\n\nAnd David and his men went up and made a raid upon the Geshurites, the\nGirzites, and the Amalekites; for these tribes live in the land which\nextends from Telem to the land of Egypt. As often as David made a raid\non the land, he did not leave alive man or woman, but taking the sheep,\nthe oxen, the asses, the camels, and the clothing, he returned and went\nto Achish. Then when Achish said, \"Where have you made a raid to-day?\"\nDavid answered, \"Against the South Country of Judah, or against the\nSouth Country of the Jerahmeelites, or against the South Country of the\nKenites.\" And Achish trusted David, thinking, \"He has made his people\nIsrael hate him; therefore he will be my servant forever.\"\n\nNow in those days the Philistines gathered their forces to make war\nagainst Israel. And Achish said to David, \"You and your men shall surely\ngo with me in the army.\" David replied, \"You shall then know what your\nservant can do.\" Achish said to David, \"In that case I will make you the\ncaptain of my body-guard from this time on.\"\n\nThen the Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and the\nIsraelites camped at the fountain in Jezreel. When the rulers of the\nPhilistines were marching past, by hundreds and by thousands, and David\nand his men were marching in the rear with Achish, the commanders of the\nPhilistines said, \"What are those Hebrews doing here?\" Achish said to\nthem, \"Is this not David, the servant of Saul the ruler of Israel, who\nhas been with me these two years, and I have found no fault in him from\nthe time that he came to me to the present?\"\n\nBut the commanders of the Philistines were displeased and said to him,\n\"Send the man back to the place where you had stationed him. Do not let\nhim go down with us into battle, lest we have a foe in the camp; for how\ncould this fellow better win back the favor of his master than with the\nheads of these men? Is not this the David of whom they sang to one\nanother in the dances:\n\n \"'Saul has slain his thousands,\n And David his ten thousands?'\"\n\nThen Achish called David and said to him, \"As surely as Jehovah lives,\nyou are upright, and your conduct toward me both in and out of the camp\nhas been satisfactory, for I have found nothing wrong in you from the\ntime that you came to me to the present; but you are not trusted by the\nother rulers. Go back home, therefore, in peace, that you may do nothing\nto displease the rulers of the Philistines.\" David said to Achish, \"But\nwhat have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day that\nI entered your service, that I may not go out and fight the enemies of\nmy lord the king?\" Achish answered, \"I know that you are as faithful to\nme as an angel of God, but the commanders of the Philistines have said,\n'He shall not go with us into battle.' Therefore, you and those who came\nwith you are to rise early in the morning, and go to the place where I\nhave stationed you. Do not plan any evil, for I trust you, but rise\nearly in the morning and, as soon as it is light, depart.\"\n\nSo David and his men arose early in the morning to return to the\nPhilistine land, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel.\n\nOn the third day, when David and his men returned to Ziklag, the\nAmalekites had made a raid on the South Country and on Ziklag, and had\nattacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had also carried away\ncaptive all who were in it, including the women and children. They had\nnot killed any but had carried them away with them. Then David and the\npeople who were with him wept aloud until they were no longer able to\nweep.\n\nDavid was in great trouble, for the people spoke of stoning him, because\nthey all felt bitter, having lost their sons and daughters: but David\ntook courage, for he trusted in Jehovah his God. So David with his six\nhundred followers went on to the Brook Besor, where those who were too\ntired to cross the brook stayed behind.\n\nThey found there an Egyptian in the open field and brought him to David\nand gave him food to eat and water to drink. Then David said to him, \"To\nwhom do you belong, and where do you come from?\" He replied, \"I am an\nEgyptian lad, an Amalekite's servant, and my master left me behind\nbecause three days ago I fell sick. We marched into the South Country of\nthe Cherethites and into that which belongs to Judah and into the South\nCountry of Caleb, and Ziklag we destroyed by fire.\" David said to him,\n\"Will you guide me to this robber band?\" He replied, \"Swear to me by\nyour God, that you will neither kill me nor turn me over to my master,\nand I will guide you to this band.\"\n\nWhen he had brought him down, the Amalekites were scattered over all the\nland, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil\nthat they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land\nof Judah. David fought against them from twilight to the evening of the\nnext day, and only four hundred young men who were mounted on camels\nescaped.\n\nSo David took from the Amalekites all that they had carried away and\nrescued his two wives; nothing at all was missing. Then he took all the\nflocks and the herds and drove those animals before the people, and they\nsaid, \"This is David's spoil.\"\n\nWhen David came to the two hundred men who had been so faint that they\ncould not follow him, all the wicked, mean fellows who went with him\nsaid, \"Because these men did not go with us, let us not give them any of\nthe spoil that we have taken, except that each man may take his wife and\nchildren and depart.\" David answered, \"My brothers, you shall not do so\nwith that which Jehovah has given us, after he has saved our lives and\ngiven this robber band that attacked us into our power. Those who stay\nwith the baggage shall have an equal share with those who fight.\" So\nfrom that day to the present he made this a law and a rule in Israel.\n\nWhen David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the leaders of\nJudah and to his relatives, saying, \"See! a present for you from the\nspoil of the enemies of Jehovah.\"\n\n\nTHE DEATH OF TWO BRAVE WARRIORS\n\nSamuel had died and all Israel had mourned for him and had buried him in\nhis own town Ramah. Saul, too, had put the mediums and those who had\nmessages from the spirits of the dead out of the land.\n\nThen the Philistines came and camped in Shunem, and Saul gathered all\nthe Israelites and camped in Gilboa. But when he saw the army of the\nPhilistines, he was terrified and filled with fear. So he asked of\nJehovah whether he should go against them, but Jehovah did not answer\nhim either by dream or by lot or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his\nservants, \"Find for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go and ask\nthrough her.\" His servants said to him, \"There is such a woman at\nEndor.\"\n\nSo Saul did not let any one know who he was, but put on other clothes\nand went, taking two men with him. And they came to the woman at night.\nHe said, \"Ask for me through some departed spirit and bring up for me\nthe one for whom I shall ask.\" The woman said to him, \"You know what\nSaul has done, how he has driven from the land the mediums and those who\nhave messages from the spirits of the dead. Why then are you trying to\ncatch me, to put me to death?\" But Saul swore to her by Jehovah, saying,\n\"As surely as Jehovah lives, no punishment will come to you from this\nact.\" Then the woman said, \"Whom shall I bring up to you?\" Saul said,\n\"Bring up Samuel.\"\n\nWhen the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, \"Why have you\ndeceived me, for you are Saul?\" Saul replied, \"Do not be afraid! What do\nyou see?\" The woman said to Saul, \"I see a god coming out of the earth.\"\nSaul asked, \"What does he look like?\" She said, \"An old man is coming\nup, and he is wrapped in a cloak.\" Then Saul knew that it was Samuel;\nand he bowed with his face to the earth and worshipped.\n\nSamuel said to Saul, \"Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?\" Saul\nanswered, \"I am in great trouble, for the Philistines are making war\nagainst me, and God has turned from me and answers me no more, neither\nby prophets nor by dreams. So I have called you to tell me what I shall\ndo.\" Samuel said, \"Why do you ask of me when Jehovah has turned from you\nand become your enemy? He has taken the authority from your hand and\ngiven it to another, even to David. To-morrow you, with your sons beside\nyou, shall fall, and Jehovah will deliver the army of Israel into the\npower of the Philistines.\"\n\nThen Saul fell at full length upon the earth, for the words of Samuel\nfilled him with fear, so he had no strength left, for he had not eaten\nany food all that day and night. When the woman came to Saul and saw\nthat he was in great trouble, she said to him, \"See, I have taken my\nlife in my hand and have done what you asked me. Now therefore, listen\nalso to my advice and let me set before you a little food, and eat that\nyou may have strength to go on your way.\" Saul refused and said, \"I will\nnot eat\"; but his servants, as well as the woman, urged him, until he\nlistened to their advice. Then he rose from the earth and sat upon the\ncouch. And the woman had a fat calf in the house which she quickly\nkilled. And she took flour and kneaded it and baked from it bread\nwithout yeast. She set it before Saul and his servants, and they ate.\nThen they rose up and went away that night.\n\nThe Philistines fought against Israel, but the Israelites fled from them\nand fell dead on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines closely followed\nSaul and his sons; and they killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua,\nthe sons of Saul. So the battle went against Saul, and when the archers\nfound out where he was, he was severely wounded. Then Saul said to his\narmor-bearer, \"Draw your sword and kill me with it, so that these\nheathen Philistines may not come and make sport of me.\" But his\narmor-bearer would not, for he was very much afraid. Saul, therefore,\ntook his own sword and fell upon it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul\nwas dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. So Saul and his\nthree sons and his armor-bearer died on the same day.\n\nWhen the Israelites who were in the towns of the lowland and across the\nJordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were\ndead, they left their towns and fled, and the Philistines came and took\nthem.\n\nOn the next day, the Philistines came to rob the dead, and found that\nSaul and his three sons had fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his\nhead and stripped off his armor and sent messengers through all the land\nof the Philistines to bring the good news to their idols and to the\npeople. And they put his armor in the temple of Ashtarte and fastened\nhis body on the wall of Bethshan.\n\nWhen the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had\ndone to Saul, their brave men rose up and marched all night, and they\ntook the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Bethshan and\nbrought them to Jabesh and mourned over them there. Then they took their\nbones and buried them under the oak-tree in Jabesh and ate no food for\nseven days.\n\nOn the third day after David returned to Ziklag, after defeating the\nAmalekites, a man came from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and\nwith earth upon his head. When he came to David, he fell on the ground\nbefore him. David said to him, \"Where do you come from?\" He answered, \"I\nhave escaped from the camp of Israel.\" David said to him, \"How did the\nbattle go? Tell me.\" He answered, \"The people fled from the\nbattle-field, and many of them fell, and Saul and Jonathan his son are\ndead!\"\n\nThen David and all the men who were with him tore their clothes and\nmourned and wept and went without food until evening, because Saul and\nJonathan his son and the people of Jehovah had fallen by the sword.\n\nDavid then sang this dirge over Saul and Jonathan:\n\n \"Weep, O Judah!\n Grieve, O Israel!\n On your heights are the slain!\n How the mighty have fallen!\n\n \"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!\n In life and in death they were never parted;\n They were swifter than eagles,\n They were stronger than lions.\n\n \"O Jonathan, your death has mortally wounded me,\n O Jonathan, my brother, for you I am sorrowing.\n You were ever a friend to me most dear,\n Your love meant far more than the love of women!\n\n \"How the mighty have fallen,\n And the weapons of war vanished!\"\n\n\nA SHEPHERD BOY WHO WAS CALLED TO LEAD A NATION\n\nAfter this David asked of Jehovah, \"Shall I go up into one of the towns\nof Judah?\" Jehovah answered, \"Go up.\" When David asked, \"To which shall\nI go?\" he said, \"To Hebron.\" So David went up with his two wives,\nAhinoam and Abigail. And David brought the men who were with him, each\nwith his family, and they lived in the towns about Hebron. Then the men\nof Judah came there and made David ruler over the people of Judah.\n\nWhen they told David about the men of Jabesh in Gilead who had buried\nSaul, David sent messengers to them and said, \"May you be blessed by\nJehovah because you have shown this kindness to your master Saul and\nhave buried him. Even so may Jehovah show kindness and faithfulness to\nyou. I also will repay you for this kind deed which you have done.\nTherefore be brave and courageous; for Saul your master is dead, and the\npeople of Judah have made me ruler over them.\"\n\nNow Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of\nSaul and brought him over to Mahanaim and made him ruler over Gilead and\nall Israel. But the people of Judah remained loyal to David.\n\nThere was constant war between the followers of Saul and those of David.\nBut David kept growing stronger while the followers of Saul grew weaker.\n\nThen Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon, went about midday to the\npalace of Ishbaal, as he was taking his rest at noon. The doorkeeper of\nthe palace was cleaning wheat, but he grew drowsy and slept. So Rechab\nand Baanah his brother slipped in and, attacking Ishbaal, they killed\nhim and cut off his head.\n\nThen all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, \"See, we\nare your relatives. When Saul was ruler over us, it was you who led the\nIsraelites, and Jehovah has said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my\npeople Israel, and you shall become the leader of Israel.'\" So all the\nleading men of Israel came to David, and he made an agreement with them\nin Hebron in the presence of Jehovah, and they made David ruler over\nIsrael. David was thirty years old when he began to rule and he ruled\nforty years.\n\nWhen the Philistines heard that they had made David ruler over Israel,\nall the Philistines went up to search for David; but when he heard of\nthis he went down to the fortress.\n\nThree of David's thirty warriors went down to him to the top of the\nrock, to the fortress of Adullam, while a force of the Philistines was\ncamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was at that time in the fortress,\nand a company of the Philistines was in Bethlehem. And David said,\nlongingly, \"O that some one would bring me a drink of water from the\nwell of Bethlehem which is near the gate!\" Then the three famous\nwarriors broke through the line of the Philistines and drew water out of\nthe well of Bethlehem which was near the gate and brought it to David.\nHe would not drink of it, however, but poured it out as an offering to\nJehovah and said, \"Jehovah forbid that I should drink it. This is the\nblood of the men who went at the risk of their lives.\" Therefore he\nwould not drink it.\n\nWhen the Philistines came and spread out over the Valley of Rephaim,\nDavid asked of Jehovah: \"Shall I go out against the Philistines? Wilt\nthou give them into my hand?\" Jehovah said to David, \"Go; for I will\ncertainly give the Philistines into your hand.\" So David went to\nBaal-perazim, and defeated them there; and he said, \"Jehovah has broken\ndown my enemies before me, like waters which break through their banks.\"\n\nThen the Philistines came up again and spread out over the Valley of\nRephaim. When David asked of Jehovah, he said, \"You shall not make a\ndirect attack. Go around behind them and attack them opposite the\nbalsam-trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the\nbalsams, act quickly, for then Jehovah will have gone out before you to\noverthrow the army of the Philistines.\" David did as Jehovah commanded\nhim and drove the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.\n\n\nJERUSALEM MADE THE CAPITAL CITY\n\nDavid and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the people of\nthe land who had said to David, \"You shall not come in here, for the\nblind and the lame will turn you back,\" for they thought, \"David cannot\ncome in here.\"\n\nBut David took the fortress of Zion, and lived there. He also built a\nwall around it, and called it the City of David.\n\nDavid continued to grow more powerful, for Jehovah of hosts was with\nhim. And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to him, and cedar-trees\nand carpenters and masons, and they built a palace for him. So David\nknew that Jehovah had made him ruler over Israel and his kingdom\npowerful for the sake of his people Israel.\n\nDavid again gathered all the chief men of Israel, thirty thousand in\nall, and went with all the people to Baal-Judah, to bring up from there\nthe ark of God. They placed the ark of God upon a new cart and brought\nit out of the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of\nAbinadab, guided the cart. Uzzah went beside the ark of God, while Ahio\nwent before it. David and all the people of Israel danced before Jehovah\nwith all their might to the music of harps and lyres and drums and\ncastanets and cymbals.\n\nWhen they came to the threshing-floor of Nachon, Uzzah stretched out his\nhand to hold up the ark of God, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of\nJehovah was aroused against Uzzah and he struck him down there, because\nhe had stretched out his hand to the ark; so he died there in the\npresence of God. David was afraid of Jehovah that day, and said, \"How\ncan the ark of Jehovah come to me?\" So David was not willing to remove\nthe ark of Jehovah to the City of David, but carried it aside to the\nhouse of Obed-edom, the Gittite, and it remained there three months. But\nJehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his family.\n\nWhen the report came to David, \"Jehovah has blessed Obed-edom and all\nhis family because of the ark of God,\" David joyfully brought up the ark\nfrom the house of Obed-edom to the City of David. When the bearers of\nthe ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, David offered an ox and a fat\nanimal as a sacrifice; and he danced before Jehovah with all his might,\nand he had about his waist a priestly garment made of linen. So David\nand all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting\nand the blare of trumpets.\n\nWhen they had brought in the ark of Jehovah and had set it in its place\nin the tent that David had built for it, he offered burnt-offerings and\nsacrifices to Jehovah. When David had finished offering these\nsacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts and\ngave to each of the many Israelites who were there, to both men and\nwomen, a roll of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then\nall the people went back to their homes.\n\nThis message also from Jehovah came to Nathan, the prophet: \"You shall\nsay to my servant David: 'Jehovah of hosts declares, I took you from the\npasture from following the sheep to be chief over my people Israel. I\nhave been with you wherever you went, to destroy all your enemies before\nyou, and I will make you a name, like that of the great in the earth.\nWhen your life is ended and you are buried with your fathers, I will\nraise up your son after you, and I will make his rule strong. I will be\na father to him, and he shall be my son. When he goes astray I will\ngently correct him. I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew\nit from Saul. Your house and your dominion shall always stand firm\nbefore me; your authority shall stand forever.'\"\n\n\nDAVID'S KINDNESS TO JONATHAN'S SON\n\nThen David asked, \"Is any one left of the family of Saul to whom I may\nshow kindness for Jonathan's sake?\" And there was a servant of Saul\nnamed Ziba. When they called him before David, he said to him, \"Are you\nZiba?\" He replied, \"Your servant.\" David said, \"Is there any one else\nbelonging to the family of Saul to whom I may show kindness like that\nwhich God shows to us?\" Ziba answered, \"A son of Jonathan is still\nliving, but he is lame in his feet.\" David inquired, \"Where is he?\" Ziba\nreplied, \"He is in the house of Machir in Lodebar.\"\n\nThen David sent and brought him from the house of Machir; and when\nMeribaal the son of Jonathan came to David, he bowed down to the ground\nbefore him. David said, \"Meribaal!\" He answered, \"Here is your servant!\"\nDavid said to him, \"Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for\nthe sake of your father Jonathan, and I will give back to you all the\nland of your grandfather Saul; and you shall always eat at my table.\"\nMeribaal bowed down and said, \"What is your servant that you should look\nfavorably upon one as unworthy as I?\"\n\nThen David called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, \"I have\ngiven to your master's son all that belongs to Saul and to his family.\nYou with your sons and servants shall cultivate the land for him and\nharvest the fruits, that your master's son may have food to eat; but\nMeribaal, your master's son, shall always eat at my table.\" Now Ziba had\nfifteen sons and twenty servants; and he said to David, \"Your servant\nwill do all that my lord commands.\"\n\nSo Meribaal ate at David's table like one of his own sons. Meribaal also\nhad a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of\nZiba were Meribaal's servants. So Meribaal lived in Jerusalem, and\nthough he was lame in both feet, he always ate at David's table.\n\n\nA RICH MAN WHO WAS A THIEF\n\nOne evening, while Joab was besieging Rabbath Ammon, David rose from his\nbed and walked upon the roof of the royal palace. From the roof he saw a\nwoman bathing; and she was very beautiful. And David sent to ask about\nthe woman; and some one said, \"Is not this Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah\nthe Hittite?\" Then David sent messengers to bring her; and she came to\nhim, but later returned to her home.\n\nThen David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. In the letter,\nhe said, \"Place Uriah in the front line where there is the fiercest\nfighting, then draw back from behind him, that he may be struck down and\ndie.\" So Joab, in posting guards over the city, sent Uriah to the place\nwhere he knew there were brave men. When the men of the city went out to\nfight against Joab, some of the soldiers of David fell, and Uriah the\nHittite was killed.\n\nThen Joab sent to tell David all about the war, and he gave this command\nto the messenger: \"If, after you have finished telling the ruler all\nabout the war, he is angry and says to you, 'Why did you go so near to\nthe city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?\nWho struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman cast an\nupper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why\ndid you go near the wall?' then say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is\ndead also.'\"\n\nSo the messenger of Joab went to Jerusalem and told David all that Joab\ncommanded him. Then David said to the messenger, \"Say to Joab, 'Let not\nthis thing trouble you, for the sword takes one and then another. Go on\nfighting against the city and capture it,' and encourage him.\"\n\nWhen Bathsheba heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for\nhim as was the custom. When the mourning was over, David sent for her,\nand she became his wife and she had a son.\n\nWhat David had done displeased Jehovah and he sent the prophet Nathan to\nDavid. Nathan went to him and said, \"There were two men in one city, the\none rich and the other poor. The rich man had many flocks and herds; but\nthe poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he had bought.\nHe fed it, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat\nof his own small supply of food and drink out of his own cup, and it lay\nin his bosom and was like a daughter to him.\n\n\"Now a traveller came to the rich man; and he spared his own flock and\ndid not take an animal from it nor from his own herd to make ready for\nthe traveller who had come to him, but took the poor man's lamb and\nprepared it for the guest who had come.\"\n\nThen David was very angry, and he said to Nathan, \"As surely as Jehovah\nlives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall repay seven\ntimes the value of the lamb, because he showed no pity.\"\n\nNathan said to David, \"You are the man! Jehovah the God of Israel\ndeclares: 'I made you ruler over Israel and I delivered you out of the\nhand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives to\nbe your own, and I gave you the nations of Israel and Judah. If that\nwere too little, I would add as much again. Why have you despised\nJehovah by doing that which is wrong in his sight? You have struck down\nUriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your\nwife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now,\ntherefore, the sword shall never cease to smite your family, because you\nhave despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your\nwife.'\"\n\nDavid said to Nathan, \"I have sinned against Jehovah!\" Then Nathan said\nto David, \"Jehovah has also put away your sin so that you shall not die.\nYet, because by this deed you have shown contempt for Jehovah, the child\nthat is born shall surely die.\" Then Nathan went to his house.\n\nAnd Jehovah smote Bathsheba's child so that it fell sick. David prayed\nto God for the child, and ate no food but went in and lay all night in\nsackcloth upon the earth. The older men in his house stood over him to\nraise him up from the earth; but he would not rise nor eat with them.\nWhen on the seventh day the child died, the servants of David were\nafraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, \"While the\nchild was yet alive, we spoke to him and he paid no attention to our\nvoice. How can we tell him that the child is dead, for he will do some\nharm!\"\n\nBut when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he knew\nthat the child was dead, and said to his servants, \"Is the child dead?\"\nThey replied, \"He is dead.\" Then David rose from the earth, washed and\nput oil on himself, changed his clothes, and went into the temple of\nJehovah and worshipped. After that he went to his own house; and he\nasked for bread, and when they set it before him, he ate.\n\nHis servants said to him, \"What is this you have done? You ate no food\nand cried for the child while it was alive, but when the child died, you\nrose and ate bread.\" He replied, \"While the child was yet alive, I ate\nno food and cried aloud, for I said, 'Who knows whether Jehovah will\nhave mercy, so that the child will live?' But now that he is dead, why\nshould I eat no food? Can I bring him back? I am going to him, but he\nwill not come back to me.\"\n\n\nABSALOM THE UNGRATEFUL SON\n\nSome time later Absalom, David's son, prepared a chariot and horses and\nfifty men to run before him. He used to rise early and stand beside the\nhighway which led to the city gate. He would call to him every man who\nhad a suit that was to come before the ruler for judgment and say, \"Of\nwhat city are you?\" When the man replied, \"Your servant is from one of\nthe tribes of Israel,\" Absalom would say to him, \"Your claims are good\nand right; but the ruler has not appointed any one to hear you. Oh, that\nsome one would make me judge in the land, so that every man who has any\ncomplaint or cause would come to me, and I would see that he received\njustice!\" And whenever a man came near to bow before him, he would put\nout his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. In this way Absalom\ntreated all the Israelites who came to David for justice. Thus, Absalom\nstole from David the hearts of the Israelites.\n\nAt the end of four years, Absalom said to his father, \"I should like to\ngo and keep my promise, which I have made to Jehovah in Hebron.\" David\nsaid to him, \"Go in peace.\" So he went to Hebron; but Absalom sent\nmessengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, \"As soon as you hear the\nsound of the trumpet, cry, 'Absalom has become ruler in Hebron.'\" With\nAbsalom there went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were invited and\nwent innocently, knowing nothing at all of what he was going to do.\nAbsalom also sent for Ahithophel, David's adviser, from the city of\nGiloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the plot was strong,\nfor more and more people kept going over to Absalom.\n\nWhen a messenger came to David, saying, \"The hearts of the men of Israel\nhave gone over to Absalom,\" David said to all his servants who were with\nhim at Jerusalem, \"Up, let us flee; for, if we do not, none of us will\nescape from Absalom. Go at once, or he may quickly overtake us and bring\nevil upon us and kill the people of the city.\" Then David's servants\nsaid to him, \"It shall be done as our lord wishes; we are your\nservants.\"\n\nSo David and all the people who followed him went out and stood at the\nlast house, while all the officers and the royal body-guard and all the\nmen of Ittai the Gittite, the six hundred who had followed him from\nGath, passed on before him.\n\nThen David said to Ittai, \"Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay\nwith the new ruler, for you are a foreigner and away from your own land.\nYesterday you came, and to-day shall I make you go up and down the land\nwith us, while I go where I may? Go back and take your men with you, and\nmay Jehovah show you kindness and faithfulness.\" But Ittai answered, \"As\nsurely as Jehovah lives and as my lord the ruler of Israel lives,\nwherever my lord is, whether dead or living, there your servant will\nbe!\" David said to Ittai, \"March on.\" So Ittai marched on with all his\nmen and with all the children who were with him.\n\nAll the people were weeping aloud while David stood in the Kidron\nvalley, and they went by before him on the way to the wilderness. And\nZadok and Abiathar came carrying the ark of Jehovah and set it down\nuntil all the people had passed. Then David said to Zadok, \"Carry the\nark of God back into the city. If I win Jehovah's favor, he will bring\nme back and show me both it and the place where he dwells. But if he\ndeclares, 'I have no trust in you, then here am I, let him do to me as\nhe thinks best.'\" So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to\nJerusalem and stayed there.\n\nBut David went up, weeping as he climbed the Mount of Olives with his\nhead covered and his feet bare. All the people who were with him covered\ntheir heads and went up, weeping as they went.\n\nAnd when David came to the summit, where one worships God, Hushai the\nArchite with his garment torn and earth upon his head, came to meet him.\nDavid said to him, \"If you go on with me you will be a burden to me. But\nif you go back to the city, and say to Absalom, 'Your brothers have gone\naway and your father has gone after them; I will be your servant, O\nking; as I have been your father's servant in the past, so now I will be\nyour servant,' you can defeat for me the advice of Ahithophel. And have\nyou not there with you Zadok and Abiathar the priests? See, they have\nthere with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan,\nAbiathar's son. By them you shall send word to me of everything that you\nhear.\" So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city, when Absalom came\nto Jerusalem.\n\nThen David and all the people who were with him, reached the Jordan\ntired out, but he refreshed himself there.\n\nAnd Absalom, with all the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and\nAhithophel was with him. When Hushai, David's friend, came to Absalom,\nHushai said to him, \"May the king live, may the king live!\" But Absalom\nsaid to Hushai, \"Is this your love for your friend? Why did you not go\nwith your friend?\" Hushai answered, \"No! to him whom Jehovah and his\npeople and all the men of Israel have chosen, to him will I belong and\nwith him will I stay. Also whom should I serve? Should it not be his\nson? As I have served your father, so will I serve you.\"\n\nThe advice which Ahithophel gave in those days was thought by David and\nAbsalom to be the same as if it had come from God himself. And\nAhithophel said to Absalom, \"Let me now pick out twelve thousand men,\nand set out and follow David to-night. Thus I will come upon him when he\nis tired and weak and will frighten him, and all the people who are with\nhim will flee. Then I will kill only the king, and I will bring back all\nthe people to you as the bride turns to her husband. Seek only the life\nof one man, and all the people will be at peace.\" This advice pleased\nAbsalom and all the leaders of Israel.\n\nThen Absalom said, \"Call now Hushai and let us hear also what he has to\nsay.\" When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, \"Thus Ahithophel\nhas spoken; shall we act as he advises? If not, you advise us.\" Then\nHushai said to Absalom, \"The advice that Ahithophel has given this time\nis not good. You know that your father and his men are mighty warriors\nand are now angry, like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is also a\nsoldier and will not stay at night with the people. Even now he has\nhidden himself in one of the caves or in some other place. If some of\nthe people fall at first, whoever hears it will say, 'There is a\nslaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' Then even he who is\nbrave, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose\ncourage; for all Israel knows that your father is a great warrior, and\nthey who are with him are brave men. But I advise, let all the\nIsraelites be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as many as the\nsand that is by the sea, with you yourself marching in the midst of\nthem. In this way we will come upon him in some place where he will be\nfound, and we will fall upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of\nhim and of all the men who are with him not even one shall be left. If\nhe goes into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and\nwe will pull it down into the valley, until not even a small stone is\nfound there.\"\n\nAbsalom and all the men of Israel said, \"The advice of Hushai is better\nthan the advice of Ahithophel.\" For Jehovah had planned to defeat the\ngood advice of Ahithophel, so that Jehovah might bring evil upon\nAbsalom.\n\nThen Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, \"This is what\nAhithophel advised Absalom and the leaders of Israel; and this is what I\nadvised. So now send quickly and say to David, 'Do not spend this night\nat the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, for fear\nthat David and all the people with him be killed.'\"\n\nNow Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at Enrogel; and a maid-servant was\nto go and bring them news, and they were to go and tell David, for they\nmust not be seen coming into the city. But a boy saw them and told\nAbsalom. Then they both went away quickly and entered into the house of\na man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard into which they\ndescended. The women took and spread the covering over the mouth of the\nwell, and scattered dried fruit upon it, so that nothing was known. And\nwhen Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, \"Where\nare Ahimaaz and Jonathan?\" the woman answered, \"They have gone over the\nbrook.\" When they had searched and could find nothing, they returned to\nJerusalem.\n\nBut as soon as the men had gone away, Ahimaaz and Jonathan came up out\nof the well, and went and told David and said, \"Get up, cross quickly\nover the water, for so has Ahithophel advised in regard to you.\" Then\nDavid and all the people who were with him rose and crossed the Jordan.\nBy daybreak there was not one left behind.\n\n\nA BROKEN-HEARTED FATHER\n\nAfter Absalom and all the men of Israel crossed the Jordan, David\ncounted the troops who were with him, and put over them commanders of\nthousands and of hundreds. And he divided the troops into three\ndivisions; one was under the command of Joab, another under Abishai, and\nanother under the command of Ittai. Then David said to the people, \"I\ntoo will surely go out with you.\" But the people said, \"You shall not go\nout; for if we are defeated, or if half of us die, it will make no\ndifference, for you are equal to ten thousand of us. It is therefore\nmore important for you to be ready to help us from the city.\" David said\nto them, \"I will do what you think best!\" So he stood beside the gate,\nwhile all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.\n\nDavid commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, \"Deal gently for my sake\nwith the young man, with Absalom!\" All the people heard when he gave the\ncommanders this order about Absalom.\n\nSo the troops went out into the field against Israel. The battle was\nfought in the forest of Ephraim. And the soldiers of Israel were\ndefeated there by those who were loyal to David, and the loss of life on\nthat day was great--twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the\nwhole country; and the dense thickets killed more people than were\nkilled by the sword.\n\nAbsalom happened to meet the soldiers of David while riding upon his\nmule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and\nAbsalom's head caught fast in the oak, and he was hung between heaven\nand earth, while the mule that was under him went on. A certain man saw\nit and told Joab, \"I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.\" Joab said to the\nman who told him, \"You saw him! Why did you not strike him to the\nground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.\" But the\nman said to Joab, \"If I were to feel the weight of a thousand pieces of\nsilver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the ruler's son,\nfor in our hearing he commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Take care of\nthe young man Absalom.' If I had treacherously taken his life, nothing\nwould have been hidden from the ruler of Israel, and you yourself would\nnot have tried to save me.\" Joab answered, \"I will not waste time with\nyou.\"\n\nSo he took three spears in his hand and drove them into Absalom's heart,\nwhile he was still alive in the midst of the oak. Then Joab said to a\nnegro slave, \"Go, tell the ruler of Israel what you have seen.\" And the\nnegro bowed before Joab and ran off.\n\nNow David was sitting between the two gates, and when the negro came, he\nsaid, \"Let my lord receive the good news; Jehovah has punished for you\nthis day all those who rose up against you.'\" David said to the negro,\n\"Is it well with the young Absalom?\" The negro answered, \"May the\nenemies of my lord and all who rebel against you to harm you be as that\nyoung man!\"\n\nThen David was very sad and went up to the chamber over the gate and\nwept. As he wept he said, \"My son Absalom, my son, O my son Absalom! Oh\nthat I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!\" And it was reported\nto Joab, \"The ruler of Israel is weeping and mourning for Absalom.\" So\nfor all the people the victory that day was turned to mourning, because\nthey heard that David was mourning for his son. Therefore, the people\nstole away into the city, as people who are ashamed steal away when they\nhave run away in battle. But David covered his face and cried aloud, \"My\nson Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!\"\n\n\nHOW SOLOMON BECAME THE RULER OF ISRAEL\n\nNow when David was old, Adonijah thought, \"I will be ruler of Israel.\"\nSo he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run\nbefore him. His father, David, had never in his life troubled him by\nsaying, \"Why have you done thus and so?\" Adonijah was very good-looking\nand was the next younger son after Absalom. He also had made an\nagreement with Joab and with Abiathar the priest to help him. But Zadok\nthe priest and Benaiah and Nathan the prophet, as well as Shimei and Rei\nand David's famous warriors, were not on his side.\n\nAdonijah held a feast and killed for it sheep, oxen, and fat beasts by\nthe Serpent's Stone, which is beside the Fuller's Spring; and he invited\nto the feast all his brothers and all the royal officials of Judah; but\nhe did not invite the prophet Nathan nor Benaiah nor the famous warriors\nnor his brother Solomon.\n\nThen Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, \"Have you not heard\nthat Adonijah has been made ruler without David our lord knowing it?\nNow, therefore, let me advise you that you may save your own life and\nthe life of your son Solomon. Go at once to David and say to him, 'Did\nyou not, my lord, solemnly promise your servant that Solomon your son\nshould rule after you? Why then has Adonijah been made ruler?' While you\nare still talking with him, I will come in and repeat your words.\"\n\nSo Bathsheba went into David's room; he was very old, and Abishag the\nShunamite was caring for him. When David said, \"What do you wish?\" she\nsaid to him, \"My lord, you solemnly promised your servant by Jehovah:\n'Solomon your son shall rule after me.' But now Adonijah has been made\nruler without your knowledge, my lord! Now, my lord, all the Israelites\nare looking to you, to tell them who shall rule after you. If you do not\ntell them, then, when my lord dies, I and my son Solomon will be treated\nas criminals.\"\n\nWhile she was still talking with David, Nathan the prophet came in. And\nthey told David, \"Nathan the prophet is here.\" So he came in and bowed\nbefore David with his face to the ground. Then Nathan said, \"My lord,\nhave you said, 'Adonijah shall rule after me?' For he has gone down this\nday and killed many oxen and fat beasts and sheep and has invited all\nyour sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest; and\nthere they are eating and drinking before him and saying, 'May the new\nruler Adonijah live!' But he has not invited me, even me your servant,\nnor Zadok, the priest, nor Benaiah nor your servant Solomon. If you have\ndone this, my lord, you have failed to show your servants who is to rule\nafter my lord.\"\n\nDavid answered, \"Call Bathsheba to me.\" So she came in and stood before\nhim. Then David made this solemn promise; \"As surely as Jehovah lives,\nwho has delivered me from all trouble, as I have solemnly promised to\nyou by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall rule\nafter me'; so I will certainly do to-day.\" Then Bathsheba bowed her face\nto the earth and said, \"May my lord live forever.\"\n\nThen David said, \"Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and\nBenaiah the son of Jehoiada.\" When they came before him, he said to\nthem, \"Take with you the servants of your lord. Let Solomon my son ride\nupon my own mule, bring him down to Gihon, and there let Zadok the\npriest and Nathan the prophet make him ruler over Israel and blow the\ntrumpet and say, 'May Solomon the ruler live!' Then you shall go up\nafter him, and he shall go in and sit upon my throne, for he shall rule\nafter me; and I have appointed him to be chief over Israel and Judah.\"\nBenaiah answered David, \"So may it be! May Jehovah confirm the words of\nmy lord. As Jehovah has been with my lord, even so may he be with\nSolomon, and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my lord\nDavid!\"\n\nThen Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah together with the Philistine\nbody-guards, went down and put Solomon on David's mule and brought him\nto Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tent and\npoured oil on Solomon's head, and they blew the trumpet, and all the\npeople said, \"May Solomon live!\" Then all the people followed him and\nthe people played on flutes and rejoiced so loudly that the earth seemed\nto be shaken by the sound that they made.\n\nAdonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it just as they had\nfinished eating. And they were terrified and each rose up and went away.\nBut Adonijah in his fear of Solomon went and caught hold of the horns of\nthe altar. When it was reported to Solomon, \"See, Adonijah fears Solomon\nthe ruler, for he has caught hold of the horns of the altar and says,\n'Let Solomon solemnly promise me first that he will not kill his servant\nwith the sword,'\" Solomon said, \"If he shall show himself a worthy man,\nnot one of his hairs shall be touched, but if he is found guilty of\ndisloyalty, he shall die.\" So Solomon had him brought from the altar.\nAnd he came and bowed before Solomon the ruler. And Solomon said to him,\n\"Go to your home.\"\n\nThen David died and was buried in the City of David, after having ruled\nover Israel forty years.\n\n\nA YOUNG MAN'S WISE CHOICE\n\nSolomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice there, for that was the\ngreat high place. He offered upon that altar a thousand animals as a\nburnt-offering.\n\nIn Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and said, \"Ask\nwhat I shall give you.\" Solomon said, \"Thou hast showed to thy servant\nDavid my father great kindness. Now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made\nthy servant ruler in the place of David my father, although I am but a\nchild who does not know how to go out or come in. Give thy servant,\ntherefore, an understanding mind to rule thy people, that I may see\nclearly what is good and what is evil; for who is able to rule this thy\ngreat people?\"\n\nJehovah was pleased that Solomon had asked this; and God said to him,\n\"Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life\nnor riches nor the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself\nunderstanding to see clearly what is just, I have now granted what you\nask; I have given you a wise and understanding mind. I have also given\nyou that which you have not asked, both riches and honor.\" When Solomon\nawoke, he found that it was a dream; and he returned to Jerusalem.\n\nOnce two women came to Solomon and stood before him. The one woman said,\n\"Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house. While with her in\nthe house I had a child. Three days later this woman also had a child,\nand we were alone by ourselves in the house. While we two were alone\nthis woman's child died in the night, because she lay upon it.\n\n\"Then she rose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your\nservant slept, and laid it on her breast and laid her dead child on\nmine. When I rose at dawn to nurse my child, there it was dead; but when\nI looked at it closely in the morning, I found that it was not my son.\"\nThen the other woman said, \"No; the living is my son, and the dead child\nis your son.\" So they quarrelled before Solomon.\n\nThen Solomon said, \"One says, 'This one who is alive is my son, and your\nson is dead.' But the other says, 'No; your son is dead, and my son is\nthe one that is alive.' Bring me a sword.\" So they brought him a sword.\nThen he said, \"Divide the living child in two and give half to the one\nand half to the other.\" At that the woman to whom the living child\nbelonged spoke to Solomon--for she loved her son with all her heart--and\nsaid, \"Oh, my lord, give her the living child and on no account put it\nto death.\" But the other said, \"It shall be neither mine nor yours!\nDivide it!\" Then Solomon said, \"Give the first woman the living child,\nand on no account put it to death; she is its mother.\"\n\nWhen all Israel heard of the decision which Solomon had given, they had\ngreat respect for him, for they saw that he had divine wisdom to decide\nquestions justly.\n\n\nBUILDING A GREAT TEMPLE\n\nIn the fourth year of Solomon's rule over Israel he built the temple of\nJehovah. The temple was ninety feet long, thirty feet wide, and\nforty-five feet high. The porch before the large room of the temple was\nthirty feet wide and fifteen feet deep. Solomon made windows for the\ntemple with casings, broad on the inside and narrow on the outside.\n\nThe temple was built with stone which had been made ready at the quarry;\nneither hammer nor chisel nor any iron tool was heard while the temple\nwas building. Against the wall of the temple on the outside Solomon\nbuilt wings, both around the larger room and the inner room, and made\nside-chambers around the temple.\n\nThe entrance to the lower side-chambers was on the south side of the\ntemple. Winding stairs led to the second floor, and from the second to\nthe third. Solomon built the wings against the sides of the temple, each\nseven and a half feet high; and they were joined to the temple with\ntimbers of cedar.\n\nHe covered the walls of the temple on the inside with boards of cedar\nfrom the floor of the temple to the rafters: and he covered the floor of\nthe temple with boards of cypress.\n\nHe also made a room thirty feet square in the back part of the temple\nwith boards of cedar reaching from the floor to the rafters. He built it\nas an inner room, even as the most holy place. The temple, that is the\nlarge room in front of the inner room, was sixty feet long. And there\nwas cedar inside the temple with carving in the form of gourds and open\nflowers. All was cedar, no stone was seen. Solomon prepared the inner\nroom as a place for the ark.\n\nIn the inner room Solomon made two winged bulls of olive wood. The\nheight of each was fifteen feet. Each of their wings measured seven and\na half feet across, fifteen feet from the end of one wing to the end of\nthe other. He set these up in the inner room of the temple; and their\nwings were stretched out so that the wing of the one touched the one\nwall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their\nwings touched each other in the middle of the temple; and he covered\nthem with gold.\n\nThen Solomon gathered in Jerusalem the leaders of Israel to bring up the\nark of Jehovah out of Zion, the City of David, at the time of the autumn\nfestival in September. When all the leaders of Israel had come, the\npriests took up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred\nvessels that were in the tent. So the priests brought in the ark of\nJehovah to its place in the inner room of the temple under the wings of\nthe winged bulls. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of\nstone which Moses put there at Horeb. And when the priests came out from\nthe inner room, the cloud filled the temple of Jehovah, so that the\npriests could not stand and perform their service on account of the\ncloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled his temple.\n\nThen Solomon said:\n\n \"Jehovah has set the sun in the heavens,\n But has said that he will dwell in thick darkness.\n So I have built thee a temple as a lofty dwelling,\n A place for thee to abide in forever.\"\n\nAs Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the\nassembly of Israel, he spread out his hands toward heaven and said, \"O\nJehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven above or\non earth beneath, who keepest thy solemn agreement and showest kindness\nto thy servants who serve thee whole-heartedly, who hast kept with thy\nservant David my father the promise that thou didst make to him.\n\n\"But will God actually dwell on earth? Indeed heaven and the highest\nheaven cannot hold thee; how much less this temple that I have built!\"\n\n\nA RULER WHO WRONGED HIS PEOPLE\n\nSolomon was building his palace thirteen years before he finished it. He\nalso built the throne-hall where he judged the people. This room was\nthe Hall of Judgment; and it was covered with cedar from floor to\nceiling.\n\nHis palace where he lived, in another court farther in from the Hall of\nJudgment, was of the same workmanship. He made a palace, too, similar to\nthis hall, for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had married. All these\nbuildings were of costly stones, hewn according to measurements, sawed\nwith saws, both on the inside and outside.\n\nSolomon also gathered together chariots and horsemen; he had one\nthousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen that he\nplaced in the chariot cities and with him at Jerusalem. And Solomon had\ntwelve officers over all Israel who provided food for him and for his\nhousehold: each man had to provide food for a month in the year.\n\nWhen the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test\nhim with puzzling questions. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large\nnumber of servants, with camels that carried spices and a great amount\nof gold and precious stones. As soon as she came to Solomon, she told\nhim all that was in her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions:\nnothing was too difficult for him to answer.\n\nWhen the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace\nthat he had built, the food on his table, the housing of his officers,\nthe way his waiters served him, their clothing, his cup-bearers, and the\nburnt-offering which he offered at the temple of Jehovah, she was\ngreatly surprised. She said to Solomon, \"What I heard in my own land of\nyour acts and of your wisdom was true. But I would not believe the words\nuntil I came and saw with my own eyes; but as it is, the half was not\ntold me; your wisdom and prosperity are even greater than what was\nreported to me.\"\n\nNow Solomon loved women; and he married many foreign wives--Moabites,\nCanaanites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites, and Ammonites. He had seven\nhundred wives of princely birth, and three hundred concubines. When\nSolomon was old, his wives influenced him to worship other gods, and he\nwas not loyal to Jehovah his God. Solomon built a place of worship for\nChemosh, the god of Moab, on the hill that is opposite Jerusalem, and\nfor Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his\nforeign wives, burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods.\n\nThen God raised up as a foe against him Rezon, the son of Eliada, who\nhad fled from his master, Hadadezer, king of Zobah. He gathered men\nabout him and became commander of a robber band, and he went to Damascus\nand lived and reigned there. He was a foe to Israel as long as Solomon\nlived.\n\nJeroboam, the son of Nebat, was a man of great ability. When Solomon saw\nthat the young man was industrious, he placed him over all the men of\nthe tribe of Joseph who were working for the ruler.\n\nOnce upon a time, when Jeroboam went away from Jerusalem, the prophet\nAhijah of Shiloh met him on the way and took him aside. Now Ahijah had\nput on a new garment, and while they two were alone in the field, Ahijah\ntook hold of the new garment he had on and tore it in twelve pieces.\nThen he said to Jeroboam, \"Take for yourself ten pieces; for Jehovah,\nthe God of Israel, declares, 'I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of\nSolomon and will give ten tribes to you, but he shall have only one\ntribe.'\" So Jeroboam also rebelled against Solomon.\n\nSolomon, therefore, wanted to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled\nto Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.\n\n\nREHOBOAM'S GREAT MISTAKE\n\nWhen Solomon died, Rehoboam his son ruled after him. As soon as\nJeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard that Solomon had died, he\nreturned at once to his home town, Zeredah in Mount Ephraim.\n\nRehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had come to Shechem to\nmake him ruler. But they said to Rehoboam, \"Your father laid a heavy\nyoke upon us. Now make the hard service of your father and the heavy\nyoke that he laid upon us lighter, and we will serve you.\" He said to\nthem, \"Go away for three days; then come again to me.\" So the people\nwent away.\n\nThen Rehoboam asked advice from the old men who had been in the service\nof Solomon his father during his lifetime and inquired, \"What answer do\nyou advise me to give this people?\" They said to him, \"If now you will\nserve this people and give them a favorable answer, then they will be\nyour servants forever.\"\n\nBut he rejected the advice which the old men had given him and asked the\nyoung men who had grown up with him and had been in his service. And he\nsaid to them, \"What answer do you advise that we give to this people\nwho have said to me, 'Make the yoke that your father laid upon us\nlighter'?\" The young men who had grown up with him said to him, \"Make\nthis answer to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's\nloins! While my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will make your\nyoke heavier; my father punished you with whips, but I will punish you\nwith scourges.'\"\n\nSo when all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as he had\ndirected, he answered the people harshly and did not follow the advice\nwhich the old men had given him, but spoke to them as the young men had\nadvised, saying, \"My father made your yoke heavy, but I will make your\nyoke still heavier; my father punished you with whips, but I will punish\nyou with scourges.\" So Rehoboam paid no attention to the demand of the\npeople.\n\nWhen all Israel saw that he paid no attention to their demand they gave\nhim this answer: \"What interest have we in David? We have nothing in\ncommon with the son of Jesse! To your tents, O Israel! Now look out for\nyour house, O David!\"\n\nSo the Israelites went to their homes.\n\nThen Rehoboam sent to them Adoniram, who was over the men who did forced\nlabor. But when all the Israelites stoned him to death, Rehoboam quickly\nmounted his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. So Israel has refused to obey\nthe house of David to the present day.\n\nAs soon as all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and\ncalled him to the assembly of the people and made him ruler over all\nIsrael. None remained loyal to the house of David except the tribe of\nJudah.\n\n\nELIJAH AND THE WIDOW'S SON\n\nWhen Asa had been ruler of Judah for thirty-one years Omri became ruler\nover Israel, and he ruled twelve years. He bought the hill Samaria from\nShemer for two talents of silver; and he built a city on the hill and\nnamed it Samaria, after Shemer, the owner of the hill.\n\nWhen Omri died, Ahab his son ruled in his place. But Ahab displeased\nJehovah more than all the kings who had ruled before him. He married\nJezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and then began\nto worship the Phoenician god Baal. He also built an altar for Baal\nin the temple of Baal, which he built in Samaria.\n\nThen Elijah from Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, \"As surely as Jehovah\nthe God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there shall be no dew nor rain\nfor years except as I announce it.\"\n\nThen this message from Jehovah came to Elijah: \"Go from here and hide\nyourself near the Brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. You shall\ndrink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you\nthere.\"\n\nSo he obeyed the command of Jehovah and lived near the Brook Cherith.\nThe ravens brought him bread every morning and meat every evening, and\nhe drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there\nhad been no rain in the land.\n\nThen this message from Jehovah came to him, \"Arise, go to Zarephath\nwhich belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a widow there\nto provide for you.\" So he went to Zarephath.\n\nWhen he came to the gate of the city, a widow was there gathering\nsticks. Calling to her, he said, \"Bring me, I beg of you, a little water\nin a vessel, that I may drink.\" As she was going to get it, he called\nafter her, \"Bring also a bit of bread with you.\" She replied, \"As surely\nas Jehovah your God lives, I have nothing baked, and only one handful of\nmeal in the jar and a little oil in the jug. Now I am gathering a few\nsticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we\nmay eat it and die.\" Elijah said to her, \"Fear not; go and do as you\nhave said, but first bake for me a little dough and bring it to me.\nAfterward make some for yourself and your son. For Jehovah the God of\nIsrael declares: 'The jar of meal shall not be empty, nor the jug of oil\nfail, until Jehovah sends rain upon the earth.'\"\n\nSo she did as Elijah directed; and she and her child, as well as Elijah,\nhad food to eat. From that day the jar of meal was never empty and the\njug of oil did not fail, as Jehovah had said through Elijah.\n\nNow after this the woman's son fell sick; and his sickness was so severe\nthat he stopped breathing. So she said to Elijah, \"What have I to do\nwith you, O man of God? You have come to me to remind me of my sin by\ntaking the life of my son!\" He said to her, \"Give me your son.\" So he\ntook him out of her arms and carried him up into the upper room where he\nwas staying and laid him on his own bed. Then he prayed earnestly to\nJehovah and said, \"O Jehovah, my God, hast thou also brought misfortune\nupon this widow, with whom I am staying, by taking the life of her son?\"\nAnd he stretched himself upon the child three times and prayed to\nJehovah and said, \"O Jehovah, my God, I pray thee, give back this\nchild's life to him again.\"\n\nSo Jehovah listened to Elijah's prayer; and the life of the child came\nback to him, and he sat up. Then Elijah took the child and brought him\ndown from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and\nsaid, \"See, your son lives!\" The woman said to him, \"Now I know that you\nare a man of God and that the message of Jehovah that you speak is\ntrue.\"\n\n\nTHE PROPHET OF FIRE\n\nIn the third year of the famine this command came from Jehovah to\nElijah: \"Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the\nearth.\" So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.\n\nThe famine was so severe in Samaria that Ahab had called Obadiah, the\noverseer of the palace. Obadiah was very loyal to Jehovah; for when\nJezebel tried to kill the prophets of Jehovah, he took a hundred and hid\nthem in a cave and kept them supplied with bread and water. Ahab said to\nObadiah, \"Come, let us go through the land to all the springs and to all\nthe brooks, in the hope that we may find grass, so that we can save the\nhorses and mules and not lose all of them.\" So they divided the land\nbetween them, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.\n\nWhile Obadiah was on the way, Elijah suddenly met him. As soon as\nObadiah knew him, he fell on his face and said, \"Is it you, my lord\nElijah?\" He answered, \"It is; go, tell your master: 'Elijah is here.'\"\nBut Obadiah said, \"What sin have I done, that you would give your\nservant over to Ahab to kill me? As surely as Jehovah your God lives,\nthere is no nation nor kingdom where my lord has not sent to find you;\nand when they said, 'He is not here,' he made each of the kingdoms and\nnations take an oath, that no one had found you. Now you say, 'Go, tell\nyour lord, Elijah is here!' As soon as I have left you the spirit of\nJehovah will carry you to a place unknown to me, so that when I come and\ntell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will put me to death, although I,\nyour servant, have been loyal to Jehovah from my youth! Have you not\nbeen told what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Jehovah, how I\nhid a hundred by fifties in a cave and fed them continually with bread\nand water?\" Elijah answered, \"As surely as Jehovah of hosts lives,\nbefore whom I stand, I will show myself to Ahab to-day.\"\n\nSo Obadiah went to Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. As\nsoon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, \"Is it you, you who have\nbrought trouble to Israel?\" He answered, \"I have not brought trouble on\nIsrael, but you and your father's house have; because you have failed to\nfollow the commands of Jehovah and have run after the Phoenician gods.\nNow therefore call together to me at Mount Carmel all the Israelites and\nthe four hundred and fifty prophets of the god Baal who eat at Jezebel's\ntable.\"\n\nSo Ahab sent for all the Israelites and gathered the prophets together\nat Mount Carmel. Then Elijah came to the people and said, \"How long are\nyou going to falter between worshipping Jehovah or Baal? If Jehovah is\nthe true God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.\" But the people\nwere silent. Then Elijah said to the people, \"I, even I only, am left as\na prophet of Jehovah, but there are four hundred and fifty prophets of\nBaal. Let us take two oxen; let them choose one ox for themselves and\ncut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, without lighting any fire, and\nI will dress the other ox and lay it on wood, without lighting any fire.\nThen you call on your god and I will call on Jehovah. The god who\nanswers by fire is the true God.\" All the people answered and said, \"It\nis a fair offer.\"\n\nThen Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, \"Choose one of the oxen for\nyourselves and dress it first, for you are many, and call on your god,\nwithout lighting any fire.\" So they took the ox which he gave them and\ndressed it, and called on their god from morning until noon, saying, \"O\nBaal, hear us.\" But there was no voice nor answer, although they leaped\nabout the altar which they had built.\n\nWhen it was noon, Elijah mocked them, saying, \"Call loudly, for he is a\ngod; either he is thinking, or he has gone out, or he is on a journey,\nor perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!\" Then they called loudly\nand cut themselves, as was their custom, with swords and lances until\nthe blood gushed out upon them. When noon was past, they cried out in\nfrenzy until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but\nthere was neither voice nor answer nor was any attention paid to their\ncry.\n\nThen Elijah said to all the people, \"Come near to me.\" And all the\npeople drew near to him, and he rebuilt the altar of Jehovah which had\nbeen thrown down. Then around the altar he made a ditch that would hold\nabout two bushels of seed. When he had placed the pieces of wood in\norder, he cut up the ox and laid it on the wood. Then he said, \"Fill\nfour jars with water and pour it on the burnt-offering and on the pieces\nof wood.\" And he said, \"Do it the second time\"; and they did it the\nsecond time. He said, \"Do it the third time\"; and they did it the third\ntime, so that the water ran round the altar. And he also filled the\nditch with water.\n\nWhen it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came\nnear and said, \"O Jehovah, God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let\nit be known this day that thou art God in Israel, that I am thy servant,\nand that I have done all these things at thy command. Hear me, O\nJehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God,\nand that thou mayst win their hearts.\"\n\nThen the fire of Jehovah fell and burned up the burnt-offering and the\nwood, the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the\ntrench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried,\n\"Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.\" But Elijah commanded them,\n\"Take the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape!\" So they took\nthem down to the Brook Kishon and there put them to death.\n\nThen Elijah said to Ahab, \"Go, eat and drink; for there are signs of a\nheavy rain.\" So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the\ntop of Carmel and crouched down upon the earth, with his face between\nhis knees. And he said to his servant, \"Go up now, look toward the sea.\"\nSo he went up and looked and said, \"There is nothing.\" But seven times\nhe said, \"Go again.\" So the servant went back seven times, but the\nseventh time he said, \"There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising\nout of the sea.\" Then Elijah said, \"Go, say to Ahab, 'Make ready your\nchariot; go down, that the rain may not stop you.'\" In a little while\nthe heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain.\nAnd as Ahab rode toward Jezreel, Elijah was given divine strength, so\nthat he tightened his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance to\nJezreel.\n\n\nGOD'S LOW WHISPER\n\nNow when Ahab told Jezebel that Elijah had put the prophets to death\nwith the sword, she sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, \"As surely as\nyou are Elijah and I am Jezebel, may the gods do to me what they will\nand more too, if I do not make your life as the life of one of those\nprophets by to-morrow about this time.\"\n\nThen he was afraid and fled for his life. And he came to Beersheba,\nwhich belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he went on a\nday's journey into the wilderness and sat down under a desert tree, and\nhe asked that he might die, saying, \"It is enough; now, O Jehovah, take\nmy life, for I am no better than my fathers.\"\n\nThen he lay down and slept under the desert tree, but an angel touched\nhim and said to him, \"Rise, eat!\" When he looked, he saw there at his\nhead a loaf, baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and\ndrank and lay down again. But the angel of Jehovah came again the second\ntime and touched him and said, \"Rise, eat, or else the journey will be\ntoo long for you.\" So he rose and ate and drank and went in the strength\nof that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mountain of God.\n\nThen Jehovah passed by, and a very violent wind tore the mountain apart\nand broke the rocks in pieces before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the\nwind. And after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the\nearthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the\nfire. After the fire there was the sound of a low whisper. As soon as\nElijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and\nstood at the entrance of the cave. Then he heard a voice saying, \"What\nare you doing here, Elijah?\" He replied, \"I have been very jealous for\nJehovah the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken thee, thrown\ndown thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I only am\nleft; and they seek to take my life.\"\n\nThen Jehovah said to him, \"On your way back go to the wilderness of\nDamascus, and when you arrive there, anoint Hazael to rule over Aram,\nJehu, the son of Nimshi, to rule over Israel, and Elisha, the son of\nShaphat, to be prophet in your place. Then every one who escapes the\nsword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death; and every one who escapes the\nsword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. Yet I will spare seven\nthousand in Israel--all who have not worshipped Baal and kissed his\nimage.\"\n\nAfter he had left, Elijah found Elisha the son of Shaphat, as he was\nploughing with twelve pairs of oxen. When Elijah went up to him and\nthrew his mantle upon him, he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and\nsaid, \"Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow\nyou.\" Elijah said to him, \"Go back, for what have I done to you?\" So\nElisha turned back and took one pair of oxen and offered them as a\nsacrifice and, using the wooden ploughs and yokes as fuel, boiled their\nflesh, and gave it to the people to eat. Then he arose and followed\nElijah and served him.\n\n\nAHAB THE THIEF\n\nNow Naboth, the Jezreelite, had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace\nof Ahab, who ruled at Samaria. So Ahab said to Naboth, \"Give me your\nvineyard, that I may have it as a vegetable-garden, for it is near my\npalace; and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it is more\npleasing to you, I will pay you its value in money.\" But Naboth answered\nAhab, \"May Jehovah save me from the crime of giving you what has come\ndown to me from my fathers!\"\n\nSo Ahab went into his house sullen and in bad humor because of what\nNaboth had said to him. And he lay down on his bed and covered his face\nand would eat no food.\n\nBut Jezebel his wife came to him and said, \"Why are you in such bad\nhumor that you will not eat?\" He replied, \"Because I made this offer to\nNaboth, 'Give me your vineyard for its value in money, or else, if it is\nmore pleasing to you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' But he\nanswered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'\" Then Jezebel his wife said\nto him, \"Are you not the one who now rules in Israel? Rise, eat, and set\nyour mind at rest. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth.\"\n\nSo she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal and\nsent the letters to the leaders and officials who lived in Naboth's\ncity. In the letters she wrote, \"Proclaim a fast and put Naboth in front\nof the people. Then set up two base men before him and let them bring\nthis charge against him: 'You cursed God and the ruler of Israel.' Then\ncarry him out and stone him to death.\"\n\nThe leaders and officials of Naboth's city did as Jezebel commanded in\nher letters to them. They proclaimed a fast and put Naboth in front of\nthe people. Then the two base men came in and sat before him, and the\nscoundrels in the presence of the people said, \"Naboth cursed God and\nthe ruler of Israel.\" Then they carried him out of the city and stoned\nhim to death. And they told Jezebel, \"Naboth has been stoned to death.\"\n\nAs soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said\nto Ahab, \"Rise, take the vineyard of Naboth which he refused to sell\nyou, for Naboth is not alive but dead.\" As soon as Ahab heard that\nNaboth was dead, he went down to the vineyard of Naboth to take it. But\nthis command came from Jehovah to Elijah, the Tishbite, \"Rise, go down\nto meet Ahab, the ruler of Israel, who lives in Samaria; he is just now\nin the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take it. Say to him,\n'This is the message of Jehovah, \"Have you killed and also taken his\nvineyard? In the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth\nthere they shall also lick your blood.\"'\" Ahab said to Elijah, \"Have you\nfound me, O my enemy?\" He answered, \"I have. And Jehovah has declared:\n'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'\" When Ahab\nheard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh\nand ate no food.\n\n\nMICAIAH'S COURAGE IN TELLING THE TRUTH\n\nFor three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. But in the\nthird year, when Jehoshaphat the ruler of Judah came to visit the ruler\nof Israel, Ahab said to his followers, \"Do you not know that Ramoth in\nGilead belongs to us; yet we sit still instead of taking it from the\nking of Aram?\" Then he asked Jehoshaphat, \"Will you go with me to attack\nRamoth in Gilead?\" Jehoshaphat replied, \"I am with you, my people are as\nyour people, my horses as your horses.\"\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said to the ruler of Israel, \"Ask now what Jehovah has\nto say.\" So Ahab gathered the prophets together (in all about four\nhundred men), and asked them, \"Shall I go to fight against Ramoth in\nGilead or shall I not?\" They said, \"Go up; for Jehovah will give it into\nyour hands.\" But Jehoshaphat said, \"Is there any other prophet of\nJehovah, that we may ask him?\" The ruler of Israel answered, \"There is\nanother by whom we may ask of Jehovah, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, but I\nhate him; for he prophesies for me nothing good, but only evil.\"\nJehoshaphat said, \"Do not say so.\"\n\nThen the ruler of Israel called a servant and said, \"Bring quickly\nMicaiah, the son of Imlah.\" The messenger who went to call Micaiah said\nto him, \"See, the prophets have all of them promised the ruler of Israel\nsuccess. Agree with them, and prophesy success.\" But Micaiah said, \"As\nsurely as Jehovah lives, I will speak what he says to me.\"\n\nWhen he came to Ahab, he said to him, \"Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth in\nGilead to fight, or shall we not?\" He answered him, \"Go up and conquer!\nJehovah will give it into your hands!\" But Ahab said to him, \"How many\ntimes shall I warn you to speak nothing to me in the name of Jehovah but\nthe truth?\" He said, \"I saw all the Israelites scattered upon the\nmountains as sheep that have no shepherd. And Jehovah said, 'These have\nno master; let each of them go home in peace!'\"\n\nThe ruler of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, \"Did I not tell you that he\nwould prophesy for me nothing good, but only evil?\" Micaiah said, \"Hear\nthen the message from Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne and\nall the host of heaven standing about him. And Jehovah said, 'Who will\ndeceive Ahab, so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth in Gilead?' One\nsuggested one thing and another, another, until a spirit came out and\nstood before Jehovah and said, 'I will deceive him.' Jehovah said to\nhim, 'By what means?' He said, 'I will go out and become a lying spirit\nin the mouth of all his prophets.' Then Jehovah said, 'You shall succeed\nin deceiving him. Go out and do so.' So Jehovah has now put a lying\nspirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, for he has decided\nto bring evil upon you.\"\n\nThen Zedekiah came near and struck Micaiah a blow on the cheek and said,\n\"How was it that the spirit of Jehovah went from me to speak to you?\"\nMicaiah replied, \"Indeed, you shall see on the day when you shall go\nfrom one hiding-place to another.\" Then the ruler of Israel said, \"Take\nMicaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the\nruler's son, and say, 'This is the ruler's command: Put this fellow in\nprison and feed him with a scanty fare of bread and water until I return\nsuccessful.'\" Micaiah said, \"If you indeed return successful, Jehovah\nhas not spoken by me.\"\n\nThen Ahab, the ruler of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the ruler of Judah,\nwent up to Ramoth in Gilead. And the ruler of Israel said to\nJehoshaphat, \"I will dress myself so that no one will know me, and go\ninto the battle, but you can put on your robes.\"\n\nBut a certain man shot an arrow, and by chance it struck the ruler of\nIsrael between the breastplate and the lower part of his armor. So Ahab\nsaid to the driver of his chariot, \"Turn about and carry me out of the\nbattle, for I am wounded.\" But the battle grew more intense, so that\nAhab stayed until evening propped up in his chariot in the sight of the\nArameans, and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the\nchariot. And that evening he died.\n\nAbout sunset the cry went out through the army, \"Each to his town and\neach to his land, for the ruler is dead!\" So they went to Samaria and\nburied Ahab there. And when they washed the chariot by the pool of\nSamaria, the dogs licked up his blood just as Jehovah had said.\n\n\nTHE MANTLE OF ELIJAH\n\nWhen Jehovah took up Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind, he was going with\nElisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, \"Stay here, for Jehovah\nhas sent me as far as Bethel.\" But Elisha said, \"As surely as Jehovah\nlives and as you live, I will not leave you.\" So they went down to\nBethel.\n\nThen the followers of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and\nsaid, \"Do you know that to-day Jehovah will take away your master from\nyou?\" He said, \"Yes, I know it; say no more.\" And Elijah said to him,\n\"Elisha, stay here, for Jehovah has sent me to Jericho.\" But he said,\n\"As surely as Jehovah lives and as you live, I will not leave you.\" So\nthey came to Jericho.\n\nThen the followers of the prophets at Jericho came near to Elisha and\nsaid, \"Do you know that to-day Jehovah will take your master from you?\"\nHe answered, \"Yes, I know it; say no more.\" And Elijah said to him,\n\"Stay here, for Jehovah has sent me to the Jordan.\" But he said, \"As\nsurely as Jehovah lives and as you live, I will not leave you.\" So they\nboth went on.\n\nFifty followers of the prophets stood opposite them at a distance, while\nthey two stood by the Jordan. Then Elijah rolled up his mantle and with\nit struck the waters; and they were divided, so that they two went over\non dry ground. When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, \"Ask what\nI shall do for you before I am taken from you.\" Elisha said, \"Let a\ndouble portion of your spirit be upon me.\" He replied, \"You have asked\nwhat is difficult; but if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall\ncome to you; but if you do not, it shall not come.\"\n\nAs they were going on their way talking, a fiery chariot with horses of\nfire suddenly came and separated the two; and Elijah went up in a\nwhirlwind to heaven. When Elisha saw it, he cried, \"My father, my\nfather! the chariots and the horsemen of Israel!\" And he saw Elijah no\nmore, but he took hold of his own robes and tore them in two. Then he\ntook up the mantle that had fallen from Elijah.\n\n\nELISHA HEALING THE SICK BOY\n\nOne day Elisha went over to Shunem where a rich woman lived, and she\nasked him to be her guest. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped\nthere to eat. So she said to her husband, \"Now I see that this is a holy\nman of God who is constantly passing by our door. Let us make a little\nchamber on the roof, and put there for him a bed, a table, a seat, and a\ncandlestick, so that whenever he comes to us, he can stay there.\"\n\nOne day when he came, he went into the upper room and lay down there.\nThen he said to Gehazi his servant, \"Call this Shunamite.\" So he called\nher, and she stood before him. Elisha said to Gehazi, \"Say now to her,\n'See, you have been so anxious to care for us; what can be done for you?\nMay I ask the ruler or the commander of the army to do a favor for\nyou?'\" She answered, \"I am living among my own people.\" Elisha said,\n\"What then can be done for her?\" Gehazi answered, \"Verily, she has no\nson, and her husband is old.\" Then Elisha said, \"Call her.\" So he called\nher, and she stood at the door. Then Elisha said, \"At this time a year\nfrom now you shall hold a son in your arms!\" But she said, \"No, my lord,\nO man of God, do not deceive your servant!\" But the next year the woman\nhad a son at the very time Elisha had promised her.\n\nWhen the child had grown up he went out one day to his father to the\nreapers. And he called to his father, \"My head, my head!\" So his father\nsaid to his servant, \"Carry him to his mother.\" When he had been taken\nto his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon and then died. His\nmother went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the\ndoor as she went out.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Parting of Elijah and Elisha_\n\nPainted by W. T. Taylor]\n\nThen she called her husband and said, \"Send me one of the servants and\none of the asses, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.\"\nHe said, \"Why do you go to him to-day, for it is neither the feast of\nthe new moon nor the sabbath?\" She said, \"I have good reason.\"\n\nThen she saddled an ass and said to her servant, \"Drive on fast, do not\nstop until I tell you.\" So she went to the man of God on Mount Carmel.\nBut when Elisha saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi, his servant,\n\"See, there is the Shunamite! Run down to meet her and say to her, 'Is\nall well with you? Is your husband well? Is the child well?'\" And she\nanswered, \"All is well.\" But when she came to the man of God on the\nmountain, she caught hold of his feet. When Gehazi tried to push her\naway, Elisha said, \"Let her alone, for she is deeply troubled and\nJehovah has not told me the reason.\" Then she said, \"Did I ask a son of\nmy lord? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me?'\"\n\nElisha said to Gehazi, \"Tighten your belt, take my staff in your hand\nand go! If you meet any one, do not speak to him, and if any one speaks\nto you do not answer him, and lay my staff on the face of the child.\"\nBut the mother of the child said, \"As surely as Jehovah lives and as you\nlive, I will not leave you.\" So he rose and went with her. And Gehazi\nhad gone on before them and had laid the staff upon the face of the\nchild, but there was neither sound nor sign of life in the boy. So he\nwent back to meet him and told him, \"The child has not awakened.\"\n\nWhen Elisha came into the house, there was the child lying dead on his\nbed. So he went in and shut the door after them and prayed to Jehovah.\nHe also went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth,\nhis eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands. As he lay upon\nhim, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he turned and walked\nbackward and forward in the house, and again went up and lay upon him,\nand the child sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes. Calling\nGehazi, he said, \"Call this Shunamite woman.\" So he called her. And when\nshe came in to him, he said, \"Take up your son.\" Then she went nearer,\nfell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; after that she took up her\nson and went out.\n\n\nA SLAVE GIRL WHO HELPED HER MASTER\n\nNaaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a man who was\nbeloved by his master and was held in high honor, for through him\nJehovah had given victory to Aram. He was an able man, but he was a\nleper.\n\nNow the Arameans had gone out to rob and had brought away captive from\nthe land of Israel a little maid who became the servant of Naaman's\nwife. She said to her mistress, \"O that my master were with the prophet\nwho is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.\" So Naaman\nwent in and told the king what the maid from the land of Israel had\nsaid. The king of Aram said, \"Go now, and I will send a letter to the\nruler of Israel.\"\n\nSo Naaman set out and took with him a thousand pounds of silver and six\nthousand gold pieces and ten suits of fine clothes. He also brought to\nthe ruler of Israel the letter, which read: \"This letter is to tell you\nthat I have sent Naaman, my servant, to you, that you may cure him of\nhis leprosy.\" When the ruler of Israel read the letter, he tore his\nclothes and said, \"Am I a god, who can kill and make alive, that this\nking sends a man to me to cure him of his leprosy? But you can clearly\nsee that he is seeking a quarrel with me!\"\n\nWhen Elisha the man of God heard that the ruler of Israel was tearing\nhis clothes, he sent this message to him: \"Why are you tearing your\nclothes? Let him come now to me and he shall know that there is a\nprophet in Israel!\" So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and\nstood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him\nto say, \"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will again\nbe well and clean.\"\n\nBut Naaman went away in a rage, saying, \"I expected that he would surely\ncome out to me and stand and call on the name of Jehovah his God and\nwave his hand over the place, and so cure the leper. Are not Amana and\nPharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?\nCould I not wash in them and be clean?\" So he turned and went away in a\nrage. But his servants came near and said to him, \"If the prophet had\ntold you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? Why not,\nthen, when he says to you, 'Wash and be clean!'\" So he went down and\ndipped himself seven times in the Jordan as the man of God commanded;\nand his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was\ncured of his leprosy.\n\nThen Naaman, with all his followers, returned to the man of God. When he\narrived, he stood before him and said, \"Now I know that there is no god\nin all the earth, but in Israel; therefore accept a present from your\nservant.\" But Elisha said, \"As surely as Jehovah lives, before whom I\nstand, I will take nothing.\" And although he urged him to take it, he\nwould not. Then Naaman said, \"If not, at least give your servant a load\nof earth, what two mules can draw, for your servant will from this time\non offer burnt-offering and sacrifice to no other god but Jehovah.\" And\nElisha said to him, \"Go, and may good fortune attend you.\"\n\nBut when he had gone from him a short distance, Gehazi, the servant of\nElisha the man of God, thought to himself, \"My master has let this\nNaaman the Aramean go without accepting what he brought! As surely as\nJehovah lives, I will run after him and take something from him.\" So\nGehazi ran after Naaman; and when Naaman saw some one running after him,\nhe stepped down from the chariot to meet him and said, \"Is all well?\"\nGehazi replied, \"All is well. My master has sent me to say, 'Just now\ntwo young men of the followers of the prophets have come to me from the\nhighland of Ephraim. Give them a hundred pounds of silver and two suits\nof fine clothes.'\" Naaman said, \"Agree to take twice as much silver.\" So\nhe urged him and bound up two hundred pounds of silver in two bags, with\ntwo suits of fine clothes, and laid them on two of his servants, and\nthey carried them before Gehazi. But when he came to the hill, he took\nthem from their hand and hid them in the house and let the men go.\n\nThen he went in to Elisha; but when he stood before his master, Elisha\nsaid to him, \"Where do you come from, Gehazi?\" He answered, \"Your\nservant has not been anywhere.\" But Elisha said to him, \"Was I not in\nspirit with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Now\nyou have received money and you may get clothes, olive yards, vineyards,\nsheep, oxen, and slaves; but the leprosy of Naaman shall stick to you\nand to your children forever.\" Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence a\nleper as white as snow.\n\n\nELISHA'S WAY OF TREATING ENEMIES\n\nOnce while the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he said to his\nofficers, \"In such and such a place we shall hide and surprise them.\"\nBut Elisha, the man of God, sent word to the ruler of Israel, \"Take care\nthat you do not pass that place, for the Arameans are hiding there.\" So\nthe ruler of Israel sent soldiers to the place of which the man of God\nhad told him. Thus he warned him many times, so that he could there be\non his guard.\n\nThe king of Aram was very much troubled by this, and he called his\nofficers and said to them, \"Can you not tell me who has betrayed us to\nthe ruler of Israel?\" One of his officers replied, \"No one, my lord, O\nking, for Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the ruler of Israel the\nwords that you speak in your bedchamber.\" The king said, \"Go and see\nwhere he is, that I may send and seize him.\" And they told the king,\n\"Elisha is now in Dothan.\"\n\nSo the king sent horses and chariots there and a great army. And they\narrived at night and surrounded the city. When the man of God rose early\nthe next morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was\nabout the city; so that his servant said to him, \"Alas, my master! What\nshall we do?\" He answered, \"Fear not, for they who are with us are more\nthan they who are with them.\" And Elisha prayed and said, \"Jehovah open\nhis eyes, that he may see.\" Then Jehovah opened the eyes of the young\nman, and he saw that the highlands around about Elisha were full of\nhorses and chariots of fire.\n\nWhen the Arameans came toward him, Elisha prayed to Jehovah, and said,\n\"Make this people blind.\" So Jehovah made them blind, as Elisha asked.\nThen Elisha said to them, \"This is not the way nor the city. Follow me,\nand I will bring you to the man whom you seek!\" So he led them to\nSamaria.\n\nBut as soon as they came to Samaria, Elisha said, \"O Jehovah, open the\neyes of these men, that they may see.\" And Jehovah opened their eyes, so\nthat they could see, and there they were in Samaria. When the ruler of\nIsrael saw them, he said to Elisha, \"My father, shall I cut them down?\"\nElisha answered, \"You shall not cut them down; would you cut down those\nwhom you have not taken captive with your sword nor with your bow? Set\nbread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their\nmaster.\" So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had had\nfood and drink, he sent them back to their master. So the robber bands\nof Arameans no longer invaded the land of Israel.\n\nLater, Benhadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army and besieged\nSamaria. The famine was so severe in Samaria while they were besieging\nit, that an ass's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver.\n\nOnce as the ruler of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried\nout to him, \"Help, my lord.\" He answered, \"If Jehovah does not help you,\nfrom where can I bring help to you? From the threshing-floor or from the\nwine-press?\" However, the ruler of Israel said to her, \"What is the\ntrouble with you?\" She answered, \"This woman said to me, 'Give your son,\nthat we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow!' So we\ncooked my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your\nson that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son.\"\n\nWhen the ruler of Israel heard the words of the woman, he tore his\nclothes; and as he was passing by on the wall, the people looked and saw\nthat he wore sackcloth next to his skin.\n\nNow Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders beside him; and\nwhile he was still talking with them, the ruler of Israel came down to\nhim and said, \"See, this is the evil that comes from Jehovah! Why should\nI put my hope in Jehovah any longer?\" But Elisha said, \"Hear the word of\nJehovah, for he says, 'To-morrow about this time a peck of fine meal\nshall be sold for a piece of silver and two pecks of barley for a piece\nof silver in the gate of Samaria.'\" Then the charioteer on whose arm the\nruler of Israel leaned answered the man of God, \"If Jehovah himself\nshould make windows in heaven, could this be possible?\" He said, \"You\nshall see it with your own eyes.\"\n\nNow there were four lepers just outside the gate; and they said one to\nanother, \"Why do we sit here until we die? If we say, 'We will enter the\ncity,' then, since there is famine in the city, we shall die there; but\nif we sit here, we shall die too. Now, come, let us go over to the army\nof the Arameans. If they spare our lives, we shall live; and if they\nkill us, we shall but die.\"\n\nSo they set out in the evening to go over to the camp of the Arameans.\nBut when they came to the edge of the camp of the Arameans, no one was\nthere, for the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a noise of\nchariots and of horses and of a great army, and they said to one\nanother, \"Surely the ruler of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites\nand the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.\" So they rose and fled in\nthe twilight; and they left their tents, their horses and their asses,\neven the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. When these lepers\ncame to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank\nand carried away silver and gold and clothing and hid them. Then they\ncame back and entered another tent and carried away what was in it and\nwent and hid that.\n\nThen they said to one another, \"We are not doing right; this day is a\nday of good news. If we keep still and wait until morning punishment\nwill overtake us. Now, come, let us go and tell those in the palace.\" So\nthey called the watchmen at the city gate and said to them, \"We went to\nthe camp of the Arameans, but there was no one there and no sound of\nmen's voices. The horses and asses were tied and the tents were just as\nthey had been.\"\n\nThe watchmen at the city gate shouted this news to those in the palace.\nAnd the ruler of Israel rose in the night and said to his servants, \"I\nwill now tell you what the Arameans have done: they know that we are\nhungry; so they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the\nfield, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them\nalive and get into the city.'\"\n\nBut one of his servants spoke up and said, \"Let some men take a pair of\nthe horses which are left here. If they die, they will be like most of\nthe Israelites who are dying! Let us send and find out.\" So they took\ntwo men on horseback, and the ruler of Israel sent them after the army\nof the Arameans with the command, \"Go and see.\" They followed them to\nthe Jordan; and all the way was filled with clothes and weapons which\nthe Arameans had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned\nand told the ruler of Israel.\n\nThen the people went and carried things away from the camp of the\nArameans. So a peck of fine meal was sold for a piece of silver, and two\npecks of barley for a piece of silver, just as Jehovah had said.\n\n\nTHE END OF AHAB'S SELFISH FAMILY\n\nElisha the prophet called one of the followers of the prophets and said\nto him, \"Tighten your belt, take this flask of oil in your hand and go\nto Ramoth in Gilead. When you arrive there, look for Jehu, the son of\nJehoshaphat, and when you go in take him into an inner room, away from\nthose who are with him. Then from the flask pour oil on his head, and\nsay, 'Jehovah declares, I have anointed you to rule over Israel.' Then\nopen the door and flee without delay.\"\n\nSo the young man went to Ramoth in Gilead. When he arrived, the\nofficers of the army were sitting together. And he said, \"Commander, I\nhave a message for you.\" Jehu said, \"To which of us?\" He replied, \"To\nyou, O commander.\" Then Jehu rose and went into the house; and the young\nman poured the oil on his head and said to him, \"Jehovah the God of\nIsrael says, 'I have anointed you to rule over Jehovah's people, over\nIsrael!'\" Then he opened the door and hurried away.\n\nWhen Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they asked him, \"Is\nall well? Why did this insane fellow come to you?\" He answered, \"You\nknow the man and his message.\" But they said, \"You are deceiving us. You\nmust tell us.\" Jehu replied, \"He said this to me: 'Jehovah says, I have\nanointed you to rule over Israel.'\" Then each quickly took his garment,\nlaid it at his feet on the bare stairs, and blew the horn and cried,\n\"Jehu is the ruler of Israel.\" So Jehu plotted against Joram.\n\nNow Joram, with all the Israelites, had been defending Ramoth in Gilead\nagainst Hazael king of Aram, but Joram had gone back to Jezreel to\nrecover from the wounds which he had received from the Arameans when he\nfought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, \"If it is your will, let\nno one escape from the city to bring news to Jezreel.\" Then Jehu mounted\nhis chariot and went toward Jezreel.\n\nWhile the watchman was standing on the tower of Jezreel, he saw the\ncloud of dust about Jehu, as he came, and said, \"I see a cloud of dust.\"\nJoram said, \"Send a horseman to meet him and ask whether he comes with\npeaceful purpose.\" So the horseman went out to meet him and said, \"The\nruler of Israel asks, 'Do you come with peaceful purpose?'\" Jehu\nreplied, \"What have you to do with peace? Turn and follow me.\" So the\nwatchman said, \"The messenger went to them, but does not return.\" Then\nJoram sent out a second horseman who went to them and said, \"The ruler\nof Israel asks, 'Do you come with peaceful purpose?'\" Jehu answered,\n\"What have you to do with peace? Turn and follow me.\" So the watchman\nsaid, \"He also went to them but does not return; however, the driving is\nlike the driving of Jehu, for he drives very fast.\"\n\nThen Joram said, \"Get my chariot ready,\" and when it was ready he went\nto meet Jehu and found him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. When\nJoram saw Jehu, he said, \"Do you come with peaceful purpose, Jehu?\" Then\nJoram turned to flee, but Jehu drew his bow and struck Joram between\nthe shoulders, so that the arrow went through his heart, and he fell\ndown in his chariot.\n\nThen Jehu said to Bidkar, his charioteer, \"Take him up and throw him\ninto the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I well remember that, as\nyou and I rode together after Ahab, his father, Jehovah pronounced this\nsentence upon him: 'Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and his\nsons, and I will punish you on this same piece of land.' So throw him\ninto this piece of land, as Jehovah said.\"\n\nThen Jehu arrived at Jezreel. As soon as Jezebel heard of it, she\npainted her eyes, arranged her hair, and looked out of the window. As\nJehu came in at the gate, she said, \"Is all well with you, you traitor,\nyou murderer of your master?\" But he looked up to the window and cried,\n\"Who is on my side? who?\" Two or three slaves looked down at him, and he\nsaid, \"Throw her down.\" And they threw her down and the horses trampled\non her. When Jehu had gone in and had had something to eat and drink, he\ngave this command, \"Look after this woman and bury her, for she is a\nking's daughter.\" But when they went to bury her, they found no more of\nher than the skull, the feet, and the hands. When they went back and\ntold Jehu, he said, \"This is what Jehovah declared by his servant Elijah\nwhen he said, 'On the piece of land at Jezreel the dogs shall eat\nJezebel's flesh, and her body shall be as refuse on the surface of the\nfield, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.'\"\n\n\nTHE BOY JOASH ON THE THRONE OF JUDAH\n\nWhen Joram had ruled twelve years over Israel, Ahaziah the son of\nJehoram began to rule over Judah. And he went down to Jezreel to visit\nJoram, who was ill. When Jehu struck down Joram, Ahaziah saw it and fled\ntoward Beth-gannim. But Jehu followed after him with the words, \"Shoot\nhim down, too, in the chariot.\" So they shot him down on the way up to\nGur, near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there.\n\nWhen Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was dead, she\nrose and put to death all of Ahaziah's children except Joash, whom his\naunt, Jehosheba, secretly took and placed with his nurse in the\nbedchamber. In this way she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not\nput to death. He was with her, hid in the temple of Jehovah, six years,\nwhile Athaliah ruled over the land.\n\nBut in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest called together the officers\nof the royal guard and brought them into the temple of Jehovah. After he\nhad made them make a solemn promise, he showed them Ahaziah's son, and\ngave them these orders, \"This is what you shall do: a third part of you\nwho go in on the Sabbath to guard the palace shall keep watch over it.\nTwo divisions of you, including all who go out on the Sabbath to guard\nthe temple of Jehovah, shall surround Joash, each with his weapons in\nhis hand. And let every one who comes within the ranks be put to death.\nThus you shall guard Joash, when he goes out and when he comes in.\"\n\nThe officers did as Jehoiada the priest commanded. And he brought out\nAhaziah's son and put the crown and the royal ornaments upon him; and\nthey made him ruler over Judah and poured oil upon his head and clapped\ntheir hands, crying, \"Long live the ruler!\"\n\nBut when Athaliah heard the people shouting, she came to them in the\ntemple of Jehovah. When she saw Joash standing by the pillar, as was the\ncustom, and the officers and the trumpeters by him, and all the people\nof the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, she tore her clothes and\ncried, \"Treason! Treason!\" But Jehoiada the priest gave this order to\nthe officers: \"Bring her out between the ranks, and kill with the sword\nwhoever follows her,\" for the priest said, \"Let her not be put to death\nin the temple of Jehovah.\" So they seized her, and she was killed as she\nwent through the horses' entry to the palace.\n\nJehoiada made a solemn agreement between Jehovah and the new ruler and\nthe people, that they should be Jehovah's people; also between the ruler\nand the people, and Joash ruled forty years in Jerusalem.\n\n\nA YOUNG MAN WHO SAID, \"SEND ME\"\n\nUzziah, Joash's grandson, was sixteen years old when he began to rule\nover Judah and he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem.\n\nHe fought against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and\nof Jabneh and of Ashdod and built cities near Ashdod and among the\nPhilistines. And God helped him against the Philistines. The Ammonites\nalso paid tribute to Uzziah, for he became very strong.\n\nAnd Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the\nValley Gate and at the corner of the wall, and fortified them. He also\nbuilt towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had many\nherds in the lowland and farmers in the plain and vine-dressers in the\nmountains and in the fruitful fields, for he loved to cultivate the\nground. But he was a leper to the day of his death. He lived in his own\nhouse, while Jotham, his son, was at the head of the royal household,\nruling the people of the land. And Uzziah died; and they buried him with\nhis fathers in the city of David, and Jotham, his son, became ruler in\nhis place.\n\nIsaiah said it was in the year that Uzziah, the ruler of Judah, died\nthat I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne; and the train of\nhis robe filled the temple. Guardian angels stood above him. Each had\nsix wings, one pair to cover the face, another pair to cover the feet,\nand another pair with which to fly. And they cried to one another:\n\n \"Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts,\n The whole earth is full of his glory.\"\n\nThe foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of those who\ncalled, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: \"Woe is me! I\nam ruined; for I am a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people\nwith unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts!\"\nBut one of the guardian angels flew to me with a hot coal in his hand\nthat he had taken from off the altar, and with it he touched my mouth\nand said: \"See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and\nyour sin forgiven.\"\n\nThen I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:\n\n \"Whom shall I send,\n And who will go for us?\"\n\nand I said, \"Here am I, send me.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Prophet Isaiah_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\n\nJEREMIAH'S CALL TO DO A HARD TASK\n\nThis was the message which came to me from Jehovah: \"Before you were\nborn I knew you and prepared you for your work. I have appointed you to\nbe a prophet to the nations.\" But I (Jeremiah) said: \"O Lord Jehovah! I\ndo not know how to speak in public, for I am only a youth.\" Then Jehovah\nsaid to me: \"Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' for you shall go to all\nto whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not\nbe afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you.\"\n\nThen Jehovah stretched out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me:\n\"See. I have put my words in your mouth, and I have appointed you this\nday over the nations and kingdoms, to tear up and break down, to destroy\nand to overthrow, to build and to plant.\"\n\nAgain this message came from Jehovah, \"What do you see?\" I answered, \"A\ngreat kettle brewing hot, and it faces from the north.\" Then Jehovah\nsaid to me: \"From the north trouble is brewing for all the people of the\nland. For I am about to call all the kingdoms of the north, and they\nshall come and each set up his throne at the entrance to the gates of\nJerusalem and around its walls and against all the cities of Judah. And\nI will pass judgment upon Jerusalem and these cities for all their\nwickedness, for they have been disloyal to me and offered sacrifices to\nother gods and have worshipped that which their own hands have made.\n\n\"Therefore make ready, rise, speak to them all that I command you. Do\nnot be afraid of them, for see, I myself will make you this day like a\nfortified city, and like a bronze wall against the rulers of Judah, its\nleaders, its priests, and the common people. Though they fight against\nyou, they will not overcome you, for I am with you to protect you.\"\n\n\nTHE YOUNG JOSIAH AND THE BOOK OF THE LAW\n\nJosiah was eight years old when he began to rule, and he ruled\nthirty-one years in Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of his rule he\nsent Shaphan, the scribe, to the temple of Jehovah with the command, \"Go\nup to Hilkiah, the chief priest, and see that, when he has taken the\nmoney that is brought into the temple of Jehovah and that which the\ndoorkeepers have gathered from the people, they give it to the workmen\nwho have charge of the temple of Jehovah. Then let them give it to the\ncarpenters, the builders, and the masons who are in the temple of\nJehovah, to repair the breaks in it and to buy timber and cut stone to\nrestore it.\" But no account was asked of them for the money that was\ngiven to them, for they dealt honestly.\n\nThen Hilkiah, the chief priest, said to Shaphan, the scribe, \"I have\nfound the book of the law in the temple of Jehovah.\" And Hilkiah gave\nthe book to Shaphan, and he read it. Then Shaphan went to Josiah and\ntold him, \"Your servants have taken the money that was found in the\ntemple and have turned it over to the workmen who have charge of the\ntemple of Jehovah.\" Shaphan, the scribe, also said to Josiah, \"Hilkiah,\nthe priest, has given me a book.\" And Shaphan read it to him.\n\nWhen Josiah had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his\nclothes. Then he gave this command to Hilkiah, the priest, to Ahikam,\nthe son of Shaphan, to Achbor, the son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the\nscribe, and to Asaiah, his servant, \"Go, ask of Jehovah for me and for\nthe people and for all Judah about the words of this book that has been\nfound; for Jehovah must be very angry with us, because our fathers have\nnot listened to the words of this book nor done all that we are there\ncommanded to do.\"\n\nSo Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam and Achbor went to Huldah, the\nprophetess, who lived in Jerusalem and talked with her. She said to\nthem, \"This is the message of Jehovah, the God of Israel: 'Tell the man\nwho sent you to me, Jehovah says, I am now about to bring evil upon this\nplace and upon its people even all that is written in the book which the\nruler of Judah has read. But you shall say to him who sent you to ask of\nJehovah, Jehovah the God of Israel declares, Because you listened and\nhumbled yourself before Jehovah and have wept before me, I also have\nheard you,'\" So they brought back word to Josiah.\n\nThen at his command they got together all the leaders of Judah and of\nJerusalem. And Josiah went up to the temple of Jehovah, and with him all\nthe men of Judah and all the people of Jerusalem, as well as the priests\nand the prophets and all the people, including the children. And he read\nto them all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the\ntemple of Jehovah. And Josiah stood by the pillar and made a solemn\npromise before Jehovah to obey all the commands and carry out the rules\nwritten in this book. And all the people also agreed to do so.\n\nThen Josiah commanded Hilkiah, the chief priest, and the second priest\nand the doorkeepers to bring out from the temple of Jehovah all the\nthings that were made for Baal and for the Canaanite goddess of fortune,\nand for the Babylonian star gods. And he burned them outside Jerusalem\nin the lime-kilns by the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. He\nalso put away the idolatrous priests, whom the rulers of Judah had\nappointed to offer sacrifice at the temples on the heights in the towns\nof Judah and in the places about Jerusalem; those also who offered\nsacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, and the planets and all the\nstarry host.\n\nHe also destroyed Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, so that\nno man could ever make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to\nMolech. He removed the horses at the entrance of the temple of Jehovah,\nwhich the rulers of Judah had given to the sun, and burned the chariots\nof the sun. Josiah broke down and crushed in pieces the altars that were\non the roof, which the rulers of Judah had made.\n\nJosiah also tore down the altar and the old temple at Bethel, broke its\nstones in pieces, and beat it to dust.\n\nThen he gave this command to all the people: \"Keep the passover to\nJehovah your God, as is commanded in this book of the covenant.\" Such a\npassover as this had not been kept from the days of the judges who ruled\nIsrael and during the period of the rulers of Israel and of Judah; but\nthis passover was kept in Jehovah's honor in Jerusalem for the first\ntime in the eighteenth year of Josiah's rule.\n\nJosiah put away all the mediums, the wizards, the idols and all the evil\nthings that were discovered in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that\nhe might carry out the words of the law which were written in the book\nthat Hilkiah, the priest, found in the temple of Jehovah. Josiah was the\nfirst ruler who turned to Jehovah with all his heart, with all his soul,\nand with all his strength in exact accord with the law of Moses, nor\nwere any of the rulers that followed like him.\n\n\nTHE WRITING OF AN ANCIENT BOOK\n\nWhen Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, had been ruler for four years, this\nmessage came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, \"Take a parchment roll and write\non it all the words that I have spoken to you about Jerusalem and Judah\nand all the nations from the time of Josiah to the present. Perhaps the\npeople of Judah will pay attention to all the evil which I intend to\nbring upon them, so that they will turn each from his evil way, that I\nmay forgive their guilt and sin.\"\n\nThen Jeremiah called Baruch, the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote on a\nparchment roll as Jeremiah told him all the words which Jehovah had\nspoken to him. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, \"I am not\npermitted to go to the temple of Jehovah. Therefore you go and read in\nthe temple on the fast day the words of Jehovah from the roll which you\nhave written at my command. You shall read them to all the people of\nJudah who have come from their towns. Perhaps they will pray to Jehovah\nand each turn from his evil way; for great is the anger and wrath of\nJehovah against this people.\" So Baruch did as Jeremiah, the prophet,\ncommanded him, reading in the temple from the writing the words of\nJehovah.\n\nThe next year, when all the people who had come to Jerusalem from the\ncities of Judah were observing a fast in the temple courts, Baruch read\nto them all from the writing the words of Jeremiah.\n\nWhen Micaiah, the grandson of Shaphan, had heard all the words of\nJehovah, he went down to the palace, where all the court officials were\nsitting, and told them all that he had heard when Baruch read the book\nto the people.\n\nThen all the nobles sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, to Baruch to say:\n\"Take the roll from which you have read to all the people and come\nhere.\" So Baruch took the roll in his hand and went to them. And they\nsaid to him, \"Sit down now and read it to us.\" So Baruch read it to\nthem. But when they had heard all, they turned in fear to one another\nand said to Baruch, \"We must surely tell Jehoiakim all this.\" So they\nasked Baruch, \"Tell us now: how did you write all this?\" Baruch\nanswered, \"Jeremiah told it all to me and I wrote it down in ink.\" Then\nthe nobles said to Baruch, \"Go, hide both yourself and Jeremiah, and let\nno one know where you are.\"\n\nBut after they had put the roll in the room of Elishama, the chancellor,\nthey went to Jehoiakim's room, and told all these things to him. Then he\nsent Jehudi to bring the roll, and he brought it out of the room of\nElishama, the chancellor. And Jehudi read it to him and to all the\nleaders who were with him.\n\nNow Jehoiakim was sitting in the winter house with a brazier burning\nbefore him. When Jehudi had read three or four double columns, Jehoiakim\ncut it with a paper-knife and threw it into the fire that was on the\nbrazier, and the entire roll was burned up. But neither he nor any of\nhis servants who were present, were disturbed or tore their garments.\nElnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah begged Jehoiakim not to burn the roll,\nbut he would not listen to them. He also ordered Jerahmeel, his son, and\nSeraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to seize\nBaruch, the scribe, and Jeremiah, the prophet, but Jehovah kept them\nhidden.\n\nThen Jeremiah took another roll and gave it to Baruch, the scribe, who\nwrote on it as Jeremiah spoke to him, all the words of the book which\nJehoiakim, the ruler of Judah, had burned in the fire; and many other\nsimilar words were added.\n\n\nA PROPHET WHO SAVED A GREAT CITY\n\nOnce the king of Assyria sent a high official with a great army to\nJerusalem. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they called for Hezekiah the\nruler of Judah, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, the scribe, and\nJoah, the son of Asaph, and they came out to them. And the high official\nsaid to them, \"Why are you so confident? To whom do you look for help\nthat you have rebelled against me? You count on Egypt to help you.\nPharaoh, king of Egypt, is as weak as a broken reed. But if you say, 'We\ntrust in Jehovah our God,' is not he the one whose high places and\naltars Hezekiah has destroyed? Now therefore make a bargain with my\nmaster, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if\nyou are able on your part to set riders upon them. How then can you\nconquer one of the least of my master's servants? Have I now come up\nagainst this place to destroy it without Jehovah's approval? Jehovah it\nwas who said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it.'\"\n\nThen Eliakim and Shebnah and Joah said to the high official, \"Speak, I\npray you, to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand\nit; but do not speak with us in the Jewish language in the hearing of\nthe people who are on the wall.\" But the high official said to them,\n\"Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words?\nIs it not rather to the men who sit on the wall, who will suffer most\nfrom the siege?\"\n\nThen the high official stood and cried with a loud voice, in the Jewish\nlanguage, saying, \"Hear the message of the great king, the king of\nAssyria. 'Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will\nnot be able to save you from my hand. Neither let Hezekiah make you\ntrust in Jehovah by saying, Jehovah will surely save us, and this city\nshall not be given into the power of the king of Assyria.'\"\n\n\"Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, 'Make\nyour peace with me and come over to me; then each one of you shall eat\nfrom his own vine and his own fig-tree and drink the waters of his own\ncistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a\nland full of grain and new wine, a land full of bread and vineyards, a\nland full of olive-trees and honey, that you may live and not die. But\ndo not listen to Hezekiah, when he deceives you by saying, Jehovah will\nsave us. Has any of the gods of the nations ever saved his land from the\npower of the king of Assyria? Have the gods of the land of Samaria saved\nSamaria from my power? Who are they among all the gods of the countries,\nthat have saved their country from my power, that Jehovah should save\nJerusalem from my power?'\"\n\nThen the people were silent and made no answer; for the ruler's command\nwas, \"Do not answer him.\" But Eliakim, the steward of the palace, and\nShebnah, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, came to Hezekiah with\ntorn clothes and told him the words of the high official. And as soon as\nHezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with\nsackcloth and went into the temple of Jehovah. And he sent Eliakim, who\nwas in charge of the palace, and Shebnah, the scribe and the oldest of\nthe priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah, the prophet. And they\nsaid to him, Hezekiah says, \"This is a day of trouble, of discipline and\nof shame. It may be Jehovah your God will hear all the words of the high\nofficial, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to defy the\nliving God, and will punish him for them; therefore lift up your prayer\nfor the people.\"\n\nWhen the servants of Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, \"Take\nback this answer to your master: Jehovah says, 'Do not be afraid of the\nwords that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of\nAssyria have insulted me. I will put a spirit in him, so that he will\nhear bad news and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall\nby the sword in his own land.'\"\n\nSo the high official returned and found the king of Assyria making war\nagainst Libnah, for he had heard that he had gone from Lachish. But the\nking of Assyria had heard that Tirkakah, king of Ethiopia, had come out\nto fight against him. Now that very night the angel of Jehovah went out\nand struck down in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five\nthousand. And when men arose early the next morning, these were all\ndead.\n\nThen Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went away and returned to Nineveh.\nWhile he was worshipping in the temple of Nisroch his god, his sons\nstruck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of\nArarat. And Esarhaddon, his son, became king in his place.\n\n\nJEREMIAH'S COURAGE IN DANGER\n\nThe command came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, \"Stand in the door of the\ntemple and speak this message: 'Hear the word of Jehovah, all you people\nof Judah who enter these gates to worship him. Jehovah, the God of\nIsrael, says: Change your ways and your deeds and I will let you live in\nthis place. Trust not in misleading words, thinking, this is the temple\nof Jehovah. For if you really change your ways and your deeds, if you\nfaithfully see that justice is done between a man and his neighbor, if\nyou do no wrong to the foreigners who live among you, to the fatherless\nnor to the widow, and do not shed the blood of the innocent in this\nplace nor follow other gods to your hurt, then I will let you stay in\nthis place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever.\n\n\"'But now you are trusting in misleading words that are useless. Will\nyou steal, murder, tell lies and offer sacrifice to Baal, and follow\nother gods whom you have not known, and then come and stand before me in\nthis house which bears my name and say, We are free to do all these\nshameful deeds? Is this my house, which bears my name, in your eyes a\nden of robbers? I myself have seen these shameful deeds,' says Jehovah.\n\n\"'Then go to my temple which was at Shiloh, where people used to worship\nme at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my\npeople Israel. Now because you have done all these deeds, and have paid\nno attention, although I spoke to you earnestly and often; and have not\nanswered, although I called you, I will destroy the temple which bears\nmy name, in which you trust, and the place which I gave to you and to\nyour fathers, as I did at Shiloh. I will also send you from my sight, as\nI have sent away your relatives, even all the Northern Israelites.'\"\n\nWhen Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him\nto say, the priests and prophets seized him and said, \"You must die. Why\nhave you said in the name of Jehovah that this temple shall be like\nShiloh and this city shall be deserted, with no one living in it?\" And\nall the people were gathered about Jeremiah in the temple of Jehovah.\n\nBut when the public officials of Judah heard of these things, they came\nup from the palace to the temple of Jehovah and held court at the\nentrance, at the new gate of the temple. Then the priests and the\nprophets said to the officials and to the people, \"This man should be\nput to death, for he has prophesied against this city as you have heard\nwith your own ears.\" But Jeremiah answered the officials and all the\npeople, \"It was Jehovah who sent me to prophesy against this temple and\ncity all that you have heard. Now therefore change your ways and your\ndeeds and listen to Jehovah your God; and he will not do the evil things\nthat he has threatened to do to you. But as for me, see, I am in your\npower; do to me as you think right and proper. Only remember that, if\nyou put me to death, you will bring upon yourselves and upon this city\nand upon its inhabitants guilt for shedding innocent blood, for Jehovah\nhas indeed sent me to you to tell you all these things.\"\n\nThen the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the\nprophets, \"This man does not deserve to die, for he has spoken to us in\nthe name of Jehovah our God.\" Certain of the elders of the land rose and\nsaid to the assembly of the people, \"Micah prophesied in the days when\nHezekiah ruled over Judah, and said to the people of Judah, 'Jehovah of\nhosts says:\n\n \"Zion shall be ploughed as a field,\n Jerusalem shall become a ruin,\n The temple-mount an overgrown hill.\"'\n\n\"Did Hezekiah and the people of Judah put him to death? Did they not\nrather fear Jehovah and ask him to forgive them, so that he did not do\nthe evil things that he had threatened to do to them? But we are in\ndanger of doing great harm to ourselves?\"\n\n\nTHE SAD FATE OF A GUILTY NATION\n\nJerusalem was taken in the eleventh year of the rule of Zedekiah, on the\nninth day of the fourth month. An opening was made through the walls,\nand all the princes of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle\ngate. When Zedekiah, the ruler of Judah, and all the warriors saw them,\nthey fled and left the city by night by the way of the royal garden,\nthrough the gate between the two walls, and went out toward the Arabah.\nBut the army of the Chaldeans followed them and captured Zedekiah on\nthe plains of Jericho. Then they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar, king\nof Babylon, who was then at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And the king\nof Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And the king of\nBabylon put to death all the nobles of Judah. Moreover, he put out\nZedekiah's eyes and bound him in chains to carry him to Babylon.\n\nIn the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon,\nNebuzaradan, the commander of the body-guard, an officer of the king of\nBabylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the temple of Jehovah and the\nroyal palace and all the houses in Jerusalem. All the soldiers of the\nChaldeans, who were with the commander of the body-guard, broke down the\nwalls around Jerusalem. The rest of the people who were left in the city\nand the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan\ncarried away captive. But he left some of the poorest of the people to\ntake care of the vineyards and farms.\n\nThe pillars of brass that were in the temple of Jehovah, and the stands\nand the bronze sea that were in the temple of Jehovah the Chaldeans\nbroke in pieces and carried the brass from them to Babylon. Also the\npots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, and all the vessels of\nbrass, with which sacrifices were offered in the temple, they took away.\nThe fire-pans and the basins of silver and of gold, the commander of the\nbody-guard also melted and took away.\n\nThe commander of the body-guard carried away Seraiah, the chief priest\nand Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three doorkeepers and brought\nthem to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And the king of Babylon put them\nto death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah were\ncarried away captive from their own homeland.\n\nNebuchadrezzar made Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, governor over the\npeople he had left in the land of Judah.\n\nNow Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, had given this command about\nJeremiah to Nebuzaradan, the commander of the body-guard, \"Take good\ncare of him, and do him no harm; but do to him as he shall tell you.\" So\nNebuzaradan, the commander of the body-guard, said to him, \"See, I\nrelease you this day from the chains which are upon your hand. If it\nseems best to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look out\nfor you. But if you do not wish to come with me to Babylon, do not come;\ngo back to Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the\ncities of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go wherever it\nseems right for you to go.\" So the commander of the body-guard gave\nJeremiah food and a present, and sent him away. Then Jeremiah went to\nGedaliah, who was at Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who\nwere left in the land.\n\n\nTHE COURAGE OF FOUR CAPTIVES\n\nNebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, commanded Ashpenaz, the chief of\nhis servants, to bring to him certain of the Israelites and some of\ntheir princes and nobles. They were to be young men who were strong and\nhandsome, well taught and quick to learn and able to serve in the king's\npalace. And they were to be taught the learning and the language of the\nChaldeans. The king gave to them each day some of his rich food and some\nof the wine which he drank. He also commanded that they should be taught\nfor three years, and that at the end of that time they should enter the\nroyal service.\n\nAmong these young men were: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; but\nthe chief of the king's servants gave other names to them. To Daniel he\ngave the name Belteshazzar, and to Hananiah, Shadrach, and to Mishael,\nMeshach, and to Azariah, Abednego.\n\nBut Daniel made up his mind not to injure himself with the rich food of\nthe king nor with the wine which he drank. So he asked the chief of the\nking's servants not to make him injure himself. And God helped Daniel to\nwin the kindness and favor of the chief of the king's servants.\n\nBut the chief of the king's servants said to Daniel, \"I fear that my\nlord, the king, who has given you your food and your drink will see that\nyour faces are sadder than those of young men who are your own age, and\nso you will endanger my head with the king.\"\n\nDaniel said to the guardian whom the chief of the king's servants had\nput over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, \"Try your servants ten\ndays; and let us have vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare\nthe way we look with that of the young men who eat of the king's rich\nfood. Then do to us as seems best.\" So he did as they asked and tried\nthem ten days. At the end of ten days they looked better and they were\nfatter than all the young men who ate of the king's rich food. So the\nguardian took away their rich food and the wine and gave them\nvegetables.\n\nTo these four young men God gave knowledge, learning, and wisdom; and\nDaniel understood all kinds of visions and dreams.\n\nAt the end of the days which the king had fixed for bringing them in,\nthe chief of his servants brought them in to Nebuchadrezzar, and the\nking talked with them. But not one of all the young men was found equal\nto Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they began to serve the\nking. On every subject which called for wisdom and understanding and\nabout which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better\nthan all the wise men and magicians who were in his entire kingdom.\n\n\nA KING'S STRANGE DREAM\n\nNebuchadrezzar in the second year of his reign had dreams, and his mind\nwas so troubled that he could not sleep. Then the king sent for the\nmagicians and the wise men, and those who studied the stars to tell him\nwhat his dreams meant. So they came in before the king, and he said to\nthem, \"I have had a dream and my mind is troubled, for I want to know\nwhat the dream means.\"\n\nThen those who studied the stars said to the king: \"O king, live\nforever! Tell the dream to your servants and we will tell you what it\nmeans.\" The king answered, \"What I now say is certain: if you do not\ntell me the dream and what it means, you shall be torn limb from limb\nand your houses shall be made ash-heaps. But if you tell the dream and\nwhat it means, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great\nhonors; therefore tell me the dream and what it means.\" They answered\nthe second time, \"Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we\nwill tell what it means.\" The king replied, \"I see clearly that you wish\nto gain time, for you know that what I have said is certain, and that if\nyou do not tell the dream to me, you will all suffer the same\npunishment. So you have planned to speak lying and false words before\nme, until the time when it is to happen has passed. Therefore tell me\nthe dream, and I shall know that you can tell me what it means.\" The\nChaldeans answered the king, \"There is no man on earth who can do what\nthe king asks, for no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked\nsuch a thing of any wise man or magician, or of one who studies the\nstars. What the king asks is too hard. There is no one else who can tell\nit to the king, except the gods, who do not live with men.\" This made\nthe king very angry and he ordered all the wise men of Babylon put to\ndeath.\n\nSo the command was given that the wise men were to be put to death. And\nsearch was made for Daniel and his friends that they too might be put to\ndeath. Then Daniel spoke wisely, to Arioch, the captain of the king's\nguard, who had gone out to put the wise men of Babylon to death, and\nsaid, \"Why is the king's command so harsh?\" When Arioch told Daniel the\nfacts, he went to the king and asked that he give him time to tell what\nthe dream meant.\n\nThen Daniel went to his house and told the facts to his friends,\nHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, that they might ask the God of heaven to\nbe kind to them and to tell Daniel this secret, so that they might not\ndie with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was told\nto Daniel in a vision at night, and he praised the God of heaven and\nsaid:\n\n \"Blessed be the name of God\n From everlasting to everlasting!\n For wisdom and power are his.\n He gives wisdom to the wise,\n And knowledge to those who have insight.\n He shows the deep, secret things;\n He knows what is in the darkness,\n And the light of truth dwells in him.\n I give thee thanks and praise,\n For thou givest me wisdom and strength,\n And hast made known the things we asked;\n Thou hast made known to us the king's secret!\"\n\nThen Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had commanded to kill the wise\nmen of Babylon, and said to him, \"Do not kill the wise men of Babylon.\nTake me to the king, and I will tell him what his dream means.\"\n\nThen Arioch quickly brought Daniel to the king and said to him, \"I have\nfound a man among the captives from Judah who will tell you what this\ndream means.\" The king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar),\n\"Can you make known to me the dream which I have had and what it means?\"\nDaniel answered, \"The secret which the king asks is something that\nneither wise men, magicians, nor those who study the stars can make\nknown to him; but there is a God in heaven who tells secrets, and he has\nmade known to King Nebuchadrezzar what shall come in the future. Your\ndream and the visions which you had as you lay asleep are these: You, O\nking, had a vision and saw a great image. That image was large and it\nwas exceedingly bright as it stood before you, and its appearance was\nterrible. The head of the image was of fine gold, its breast and its\narms of silver, its body and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its\nfeet part of iron and part of clay. You looked at it until a stone was\ncut out, not by the hands of men, which struck the image on its feet of\niron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the\nbrass, the silver, and the gold were all broken in pieces and became\nlike the chaff which blows from the summer threshing-floors, and the\nwind carried them away so that nothing was left of them. But the stone\nthat struck the image became a great mountain and filled the earth.\n\n\"This is the dream, and we will tell the king what it means: O king, you\nare the king of kings to whom God has given the rule, the power, the\nstrength, and the glory. Over the whole world he has given into your\npower, men, the wild beasts and the birds, and has made you rule over\nthem all. You are the head of gold.\n\n\"After you shall rise another kingdom not so strong as you are, and a\nthird kingdom of brass, which shall rule over the whole earth. A fourth\nkingdom shall be strong as iron, for iron breaks in pieces and shatters\nall things, and like iron which crushes, it shall break in pieces and\ncrush all things. As you saw the feet and toes, part clay and part iron,\nit shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it some of the\nstrength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes\nof the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly\nstrong and partly broken. You saw the iron mixed with clay, for the\nrulers will marry one another, but they will not stick together, even as\niron does not stick to clay.\n\n\"During the reigns of these kings the God of heaven will set up a\nkingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the power be left to\nanother people; but it shall break in pieces and destroy all these\nkingdoms, and it shall stand forever. This is shown by the fact that you\nsaw a stone cut out of the mountain, but not with the hands of men. And\nit broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the\ngold.\n\n\"The great God has made known to the king what is to come, and the dream\nis real and this meaning true.\"\n\nThen King Nebuchadrezzar fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel, and\nordered that a sacrifice and sweet odors should be offered to him. The\nking also said to Daniel, \"Your God is the God of gods and the Lord of\nkings, and one who tells his secrets to his servant, for you have been\nable to tell this great secret.\" Then the king gave Daniel a high\nposition and many costly gifts, and made him ruler over all of Babylon\nand chief over all the wise men in Babylon. And at Daniel's request the\nking placed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of\nBabylon; but Daniel stayed in the king's court.\n\n\nTHE TEST BY FIRE\n\nNebuchadrezzar, the king, made an image of gold ninety feet high and\nnine feet wide. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of\nBabylon. Then he sent for the officers, the governors, the judges, the\ntreasurers, and all the rulers of the provinces. So they all came\ntogether and stood before the image that Nebuchadrezzar had set up.\n\nThen the herald cried aloud, \"To you it is commanded, O peoples,\nnations: 'The moment you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lute,\nharp, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, you shall fall down\nand worship the golden image. Whoever does not fall down and worship\nshall be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace.'\" So when all the people\nheard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lute, harp, bagpipe, and all\nkinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and races fell\ndown and worshipped the golden image that King Nebuchadrezzar had set\nup.\n\nBut at that time certain Chaldeans came near to the king and made this\ncharge against the Jews: \"O king, live forever! O king, you have\ncommanded that every man who hears the sound of the trumpet, flute,\nlute, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments shall fall\ndown and worship the golden image, and that whoever does not fall down\nand worship shall be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace. There are\ncertain Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom you have placed in\ncharge of the province of Babylon. These men, O king, have not obeyed\nyour command; they do not serve your gods nor worship the golden image\nwhich you have set up.\"\n\nThen Nebuchadrezzar in his rage and fury gave command to bring in\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they were brought before the king,\nNebuchadrezzar said to them, \"Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and\nAbednego, that you do not serve my god nor worship the golden image\nwhich I have set up? If you are now ready, as soon as you hear the sound\nof the trumpet, flute, lute, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical\ninstruments, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well;\nbut if you do not worship, you shall at once be thrown into a burning,\nfiery furnace. Where is there a god who can deliver you out of my\nhands?\" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, \"O king, there is no\nneed of our answering you about this. Our God whom we serve is able to\nsave us from the burning, fiery furnace; he will save us out of your\nhand, O king. But if not, know, O king, that we will not serve your gods\nnor worship the golden image which you have set up.\"\n\nThen Nebuchadrezzar was very angry and the appearance of his face\nchanged, as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered\nthat the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than usual. He also\ncommanded certain strong men who were in his army to bind Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abednego, and throw them into the burning, fiery furnace.\nThen these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their robes,\nand their other garments, and were thrown into the burning, fiery\nfurnace. As the king's command was urgent and the furnace very hot, the\nflames destroyed the men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.\nBut Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the midst of\nthe burning, fiery furnace.\n\nNebuchadrezzar, the king, was so astonished that he rose up hastily and\nsaid to his counsellors, \"Did we not throw three men, bound, into the\nfire?\" They answered, \"True, O king.\" He said, \"Now I see four men,\nunbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are unhurt, and the\nfourth looks like an angel.\"\n\nThen Nebuchadrezzar went near the door of the burning, fiery furnace and\nsaid, \"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God,\ncome out.\" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.\nAnd the officers, governors, and counsellors who were there saw that the\nfire had no power over the bodies of these men, and that the hair of\ntheir heads was not singed and that their cloaks were not harmed, and\nthat there was no smell of fire. And Nebuchadrezzar said, \"Blessed be\nthe God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel to\nsave his servants who trusted in him and refused to obey the king's\ncommand and have offered their bodies, that they might not serve nor\nworship any god except their own. Therefore I command that every\npeople, nation, and race that shall say anything against the God of\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their house\nshall be made an ash-heap, for there is no other god who is so able to\nsave as is this one.\" Then the king gave high positions, in the province\nof Babylon, to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.\n\n\nTHE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL\n\nBelshazzar, the king, made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles\nand drank wine before them all. Under the influence of wine, he gave\ncommand to bring the gold and silver utensils which his father,\nNebuchadrezzar, had taken from the temple at Jerusalem, that the king,\nhis nobles, his wives, and the others of his household might drink from\nthem. So they brought the golden vessels which were taken from the\ntemple of God which was at Jerusalem. And the king, his nobles, his\nwives, and the others of his household drank from them. They drank wine\nand praised the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and\nof stone.\n\nAt that moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite\nthe candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and\nthe king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.\n\nThen the king grew pale, and his thoughts troubled him, his legs\ntrembled and his knees knocked together. The king called for the\nmagicians and those who study the stars and said to the wise men of\nBabylon, \"Whoever shall read this writing and tell what it means shall\nbe clothed in purple and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall\nbe the third ruler in the kingdom.\" Then all the king's wise men came\nin, but they could not read the writing nor tell the king what it meant.\nSo King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his face grew pale, and his\nnobles were thrown into confusion.\n\nNow the queen, because of what the king and his nobles had said, came\ninto the banquet-house and said, \"O king, live forever; let not your\nthoughts trouble you nor let yourself grow pale. There is a man in your\nkingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of your\nfather he was found to have light and understanding and wisdom, like the\nwisdom of the gods. Now let Daniel be called, and he will tell what it\nmeans.\"\n\nSo Daniel was brought in before the king, and the king said to him, \"Are\nyou that Daniel, one of the men who were carried away captive, whom the\nking, my father, brought from Judah? I have heard that the spirit of the\ngods is in you, and that you have understanding and great wisdom. The\nwise men and the magicians have been brought in before me to read this\nwriting and to tell what it means; but they are not able. I have heard\nthat you can tell what dreams mean and answer hard questions. Now if you\ncan read the writing and tell what it means, you shall be clothed with\npurple and have a chain of gold about your neck and shall be the third\nruler in the kingdom.\"\n\nThen Daniel answered the king, \"Keep your gifts and give your rewards to\nanother. Without them I will read the writing to the king, and tell what\nit means. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadrezzar, your father,\nthe kingdom and power, glory and majesty. Because of the power that he\ngave him, all peoples, nations, and races trembled and feared him. He\nkilled or kept alive as he wished; and he raised up or put down whom he\npleased. But when he became proud and haughty, he was made to come down\nfrom his kingly throne and his glory was taken from him, and he was\ndriven away from men, and his mind became like that of the beasts, and\nhe lived with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his\nbody was wet with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High\nGod rules over the kingdom of men and that he sets up over it whom he\nwill.\n\n\"But you, his son, O Belshazzar, have not been humble, though you knew\nall this, but you have raised yourself against the Lord of heaven, and\nhave had the utensils of his temple brought before you, and you, your\nnobles, your wives, and the others of your household have drunk wine\nfrom them. You have given praise to the gods of silver, of gold, of\nbrass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which cannot see nor hear nor\nknow; and you have not praised the God in whose control are your very\nbreath and all that you do.\"\n\n\"Then the hand was sent out before him and traced this writing:\n\n _MENE, TEKEL, PERES_\n\n\"This is what it means: Mene: God has numbered your kingdom and brought\nit to an end. Tekel: you are weighed in the scales and found wanting.\nPeres: your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.\"\n\nThen at Belshazzar's command Daniel was clothed with purple and a chain\nof gold was put about his neck, and he was proclaimed the third ruler\nin the kingdom. But on that very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king,\nwas killed, and Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom.\n\n\nDANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN\n\nIt pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty officers\nwho ruled the whole kingdom, and over them three chief officials, of\nwhom Daniel was one, that these officers might report to them and that\nthe king should lose nothing. Daniel was better than the other chief\nofficials and the officers, for he had a fine spirit; and the king\nintended to set him over the whole empire.\n\nThen the chief officials and the officers tried to find a way to accuse\nDaniel of not having done his duty, but they could not find anything\nagainst him, for he was faithful and was not guilty of any mistake or\nwrong-doing.\n\nThen these men said, \"We shall not find any way to accuse this Daniel\nunless we find it in connection with the law of his God.\" So these chief\nofficials and officers all went to the king, and said to him, \"King\nDarius, live forever. All the chief officials of the kingdom, the\ncounsellors and the officers, the judges and the governors, have\nconsulted together to have the king make a law and give a strong command\nthat whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days,\nexcept of you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king,\ngive the command and sign the law that, like the law of the Medes and\nPersians, it may not be changed.\" So King Darius signed the law and the\ncommand.\n\nWhen Daniel knew that the law was signed, he went into his house. His\nwindows were open in his room toward Jerusalem, and he knelt upon his\nknees three times a day and prayed, and gave thanks to his God as he had\ndone before. Then these men rushed in and found Daniel praying and\ncalling upon his God. So they went before the king and spoke to him\nabout the royal command: \"Have you not signed a command, that every man\nwho shall ask a petition of any man or god within thirty days, except of\nyou, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions?\" The king answered,\n\"The rule is fixed according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which\ncannot be changed.\" Then they went on to say to the king, \"That Daniel,\nwho is one of the captives from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king,\nnor to the command that you have signed, but prays three times a day.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Reproduced by permission of Thomas Agnew & Sons, owners\nof the copyright_\n\n_Daniel's Answer to the King_ Painted by Briton Riviere]\n\nWhen the king heard these words, he was greatly displeased, and set his\nheart on saving Daniel, and he worked until the sun set to save him.\nThen these men all went to the king and said to him, \"Know, O king, that\nit is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no command nor law which the\nking gives may be changed.\"\n\nSo the king gave his command, and they brought Daniel and threw him into\nthe den of lions. But the king said to Daniel, \"Your God, whom you\nalways serve, will save you.\" Then a stone was brought and laid at the\nentrance to the den; and the king sealed it with his own seal-ring and\nwith those of his nobles, that no change might be made so as to rescue\nDaniel. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting.\n\nAt dawn, as soon as it was light, the king rose and hurried to the den\nof lions. When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried with a\nvery sad voice, \"O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom\nyou always serve, been able to save you from the lions?\" Daniel said to\nthe king, \"O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel and has\nclosed the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me, for I was innocent\nbefore him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.\" Then the\nking was very glad and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of\nthe den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and it was found that he\nwas not injured, for he had trusted in his God.\n\nThen the king commanded that those men who had accused Daniel should be\nbrought and thrown into the den of lions.\n\nAnd King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and races in all his\nkingdom, \"May your peace be great! I make a law that throughout all my\nkingdom, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the\nliving God, and is the same forever, and his kingdom is one that shall\nnot be destroyed; and his rule shall be without end. He saves and\nrescues, and does wonderful things in heaven and earth; it is he who has\nsaved Daniel from the power of the lions.\" So Daniel was successful and\nhappy during the reign of Darius.\n\n\nQUEEN ESTHER'S LOVE FOR HER PEOPLE\n\nAfter Xerxes had been king of Persia for three years, he gave a feast\nfor all his officials, officers, and servants. The commanders of the\narmies of Persia and Media, the nobles and governors were before him;\nwhile for one hundred and eighty days he showed them the wonderful\nriches of his kingdom and the costliness of his magnificent regalia.\n\nWhen these days were ended, the king made a seven days' feast in the\nenclosed garden of the royal palace, for all classes of people who were\nin the royal palace at Susa. Vashti, the queen, also gave a feast for\nthe women in the royal palace which belonged to King Xerxes.\n\nOn the seventh day, when King Xerxes had been drinking wine, he\ncommanded his seven court attendants to bring Vashti, the queen, before\nhim with the royal crown on her head, to show the peoples and the\nofficials her beauty, for she was very fair. But Queen Vashti refused to\ncome as the king commanded. Therefore the king was very angry.\n\nIn his anger the king said to the wise men, \"According to law what shall\nwe do to Queen Vashti?\" Memucan, one of the seven high officials, said\nbefore the king and his officers, \"Vashti, the queen, has done wrong not\nonly to the king but also to all the officials and to all the peoples in\nall of the king's provinces. For the refusal of the queen will be\nreported to all the women so that they will disobey their husbands, for\nthey will say, 'King Xerxes commanded Vashti, the queen, to be brought\nin before him, but she did not come!' And this very day the ladies of\nPersia and Media who have heard of the refusal of the queen will tell it\nto all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and strife! If\nit seems best to the king, let him send out a royal command, and let it\nbe written among the laws of Persia and Media, in order that it may not\nbe changed, that Vashti may never again come before King Xerxes; and let\nthe king give her place as queen to another who is better than she. And\nwhen the king's command shall be heard throughout his kingdom--great as\nit is--the wives of all classes will give honor to their husbands!\"\n\nThe plan pleased the king and the officials, and the king did as Memucan\nadvised. Then the king's pages who waited upon him said, \"Let beautiful\nyoung girls be sought for the king, and let the king appoint officers to\nall the provinces of his kingdom to gather them all to the palace at\nSusa. Then give them what is needed to make them beautiful, and let the\ngirl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.\" The plan pleased\nthe king and he did so.\n\nThere was in the royal palace at Susa, a certain Jew named Mordecai, who\nhad been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives by\nNebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon. He had adopted Esther, his uncle's\ndaughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The girl was attractive\nand beautiful, and after her father and mother died, Mordecai took her\nas his own daughter.\n\nSo when the king's command was made known, and when many girls were\nbrought to the royal palace at Susa, Esther also was taken into the\nking's palace and placed in the charge of Hegai, who took care of the\nwomen. The girl pleased him and won his favor, so that he quickly gave\nher what she needed to make her more beautiful and her allowance of food\nand the seven maids chosen from the king's household. He also moved her\nand her maids to the best place in the women's quarters. Esther had not\ntold who were her people or her family, for Mordecai had told her not to\ntell. Every day Mordecai used to walk in front of the court of the\nwomen's quarters to ask after Esther's health and what had been done\nwith her.\n\nWhen Esther's turn came to go in to the king, he loved her more than all\nthe other women, and she became his favorite and won his love, so that\nhe placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of\nVashti. Then the king gave a great feast to all his officials and\nservants in honor of Esther.\n\nIn those days while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, two of the\nking's servants, who guarded the entrance of the palace, became enraged\nand tried to kill King Xerxes. But Mordecai learned of the plot and told\nit to Queen Esther, and she told the king in Mordecai's name. When the\ntruth was known, the men who plotted against the king were both hanged\non a tree; and it was written down in the daily record of events that\nwas kept before the king.\n\nAfter these events King Xerxes promoted Haman, the Agagite, and gave him\na place above all the officials who were with him. All the king's\nservants who were in the king's gate used to bow down before Haman, for\nso the king had commanded. But Mordecai did not bow down before Haman.\n\nThen the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai,\n\"Why do you disobey the king's command?\" When they had spoken to him day\nafter day without his listening to them, they told Haman, so as to find\nout whether Mordecai's acts would be permitted, for he had told them\nthat he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down before\nhim, he was very angry; but as they had told him that Mordecai was a\nJew, he decided not to lay hands on him alone but to plot to destroy\nall the Jews in the whole kingdom of Xerxes.\n\nSo Haman said to King Xerxes, \"There is a certain people scattered among\nthe peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, whose laws differ from\nthose of every other and who do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it\nis not right for the king to leave them alone. If it seems best to the\nking, let an order be given to destroy them, and I will pay ten thousand\nsilver talents into the royal treasury.\"\n\nSo the king took off his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, \"The\nmoney is yours and the people also to do with them as you wish.\" So\nmessages were sent by men on horses to all the king's provinces, to\ndestroy, to kill, and to put an end to all the Jews, young and old,\nlittle children and women, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,\nand to rob them of all that they had. Then the king and Haman sat down\nto drink, but the people of Susa were troubled.\n\nWhen Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes and\nput on sackcloth and put ashes on his head, and went out into the city\nand raised a loud and bitter cry of sorrow. And he went as far as the\nking's gate, for no one could enter the gate clothed with sackcloth. In\nevery province, wherever the king's command went, there was great\nmourning, fasting, weeping, and wailing among the Jews; and many of them\nsat in sackcloth and ashes.\n\nWhen Esther's maids and servants told her about it, she was greatly\ntroubled. She sent garments for Mordecai to put on, that he might take\noff his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. So Esther called\nHathach, one of the king's servants whom he had appointed to wait on\nher, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this meant and how\nit had happened.\n\nSo Hathach went to Mordecai at the city square in front of the king's\ngate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him and the exact\nsum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasury.\nAlso he gave him a copy of the order to destroy them, that had been\ngiven out in Susa, to show to Esther that she might know about it. He\nalso urged her to go to the king and ask his mercy and plead with him\nfor her people.\n\nWhen Hathach came and told Esther what Mordecai had said, she commanded\nHathach to go and say to Mordecai, \"All the king's servants and the\npeople of the king's provinces know that death is the punishment for\nevery man or woman who goes to the king into the inner court without\nbeing called, except for the one to whom the king may hold out the\ngolden sceptre, which means that he may live. But now for thirty days I\nhave not been called to go in to the king.\"\n\nWhen Mordecai was told what Esther had said, he sent back this answer to\nEsther, \"Do not think that you alone of all the Jews will escape because\nyou belong to the king's household. If you keep silent at this time,\nhelp will come to the Jews from somewhere else, but you and your family\nwill perish. Who knows but that you have been raised to the throne for a\ntime like this?\"\n\nThen Esther sent this message to Mordecai: \"Go, gather all the Jews in\nSusa and fast for me; do not eat nor drink anything for three days and\nnights. I and my maids will fast also, and so I will go in to the king,\nalthough it is against the law. And if I perish I perish.\" So Mordecai\nwent away and did as Esther directed.\n\nOn the third day, Esther put on her royal garments and stood in the\ninner court of the royal palace opposite the king's house. The king was\nsitting on his throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. When he saw\nEsther, the queen, standing in the court, she won his favor, and he held\nout to her the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther went up\nand touched the top of the sceptre. Then the king said to her, \"Whatever\nyou wish, Queen Esther, and whatever you ask, it shall be granted, even\nif it is the half of the kingdom.\" Esther said, \"If it seems best to the\nking, let the king and Haman come to-day to the feast that I have\nprepared for him.\" Then the king said, \"Bring Haman quickly, that\nEsther's wish may be granted.\"\n\nSo the king and Haman went to the feast that Esther had prepared. While\nthey were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, \"Whatever you ask\nshall be granted, even if it takes the half of my kingdom.\" Esther\nanswered, \"If I have won the king's favor and if it seems best to the\nking to grant what I ask, let the king and Haman come to the feast which\nI shall prepare for them; and to-morrow I will do as the king wishes.\"\n\nSo Haman went out that day joyful and happy, but when he saw Mordecai in\nthe king's gate and noticed that he neither stood up nor moved for him,\nhe was furiously angry with Mordecai. But Haman controlled his temper\nand went home. Then he called together his friends and Zeresh, his wife,\nand told them the greatness of his wealth, how many children he had, and\nall the ways in which the king had honored him, and how he had given\nhim a place above the officials and the royal servants. Haman said,\n\"Queen Esther brought no one in with the king to the feast which she had\nprepared but me, and to-morrow also I am invited by her along with the\nking. Yet all this does not satisfy me as long as I see Mordecai, the\nJew, sitting at the king's gate.\"\n\nThen Zeresh, his wife, and all his friends said to him, \"Let a gallows\nseventy-five feet high be built and in the morning speak to the king and\nlet Mordecai be hanged on it. Then go merrily with the king to the\nfeast.\" The advice pleased Haman, and so he had the gallows built.\n\nOn that night the king was unable to sleep; so he gave orders to bring\nthe books that told of great deeds; and they were read before the king.\nAnd it was written how Mordecai had told about the two servants of the\nking who had tried to kill King Xerxes. Then the king said, \"How has\nMordecai been honored and rewarded for this?\" When the king's pages who\nwaited on him replied, \"Nothing has been done for him,\" the king said,\n\"Who is in the court?\" Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the\nking's house to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows\nthat he had prepared for him. So the king's pages said to him, \"Haman is\nstanding there in the court.\" The king said, \"Let him enter.\"\n\nSo Haman entered, and the king said to him, \"What shall be done for the\nman whom the king wishes to honor?\" Haman said to himself, \"Whom besides\nme does the king wish to honor?\" So Haman said to the king, \"For the man\nwhom the king wishes to honor let a royal garment be brought, which the\nking has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden and on whose\nhead a royal crown has been placed. Then let the garment and the horse\nbe placed in charge of one of the king's noble officials and let him\nclothe the man whom the king longs to honor and make him ride on the\nhorse through the city square and proclaim before him, 'This is what is\ndone for the man whom the king wishes to honor.'\"\n\nThen the king said to Haman, \"Make haste and take the garment and the\nhorse, as you have said, and do thus to Mordecai, the Jew, who sits in\nthe king's gate. Do not fail to do all you have said.\" So Haman took the\ngarment and the horse and clothed Mordecai, and made him ride through\nthe city square and proclaimed before him, \"This is what is done for the\nman whom the king wishes to honor.\"\n\nMordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hurried to his house,\nmourning, with his head covered. And Haman told Zeresh, his wife, and\nall his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men\nand Zeresh, his wife, said to him, \"If Mordecai before whom you have\nalready been disgraced is of the Jewish race, you can do nothing against\nhim, but you will surely fall before him.\"\n\nWhile they were still talking with him, the king's servants came and\nquickly took Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared. So the king\nand Haman went to drink with Queen Esther. And the king said to Esther,\nas they were drinking wine, \"Whatever you ask, Queen Esther, it shall be\ngranted you, even if it takes half of the kingdom.\" Then Queen Esther\nanswered, \"If I have won your favor, O king, and if it seems best to the\nking, let my life and my people be given me at my request, for I and my\npeople have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed, and to perish!\"\n\nThe King Xerxes said to Queen Esther, \"Who is he and where is he who\ndares to do so?\" Esther answered, \"A foe, an enemy, this wicked Haman.\"\nThen Haman shrank in terror before the king and the queen, and Harbonah,\none of those who waited on the king, said, \"There, standing in the house\nof Haman, are the gallows, seventy-five feet high, which Haman built for\nMordecai, who spoke a good word for the king.\" The king said, \"Hang him\non them.\" So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for\nMordecai. Then the wrath of the king was quieted.\n\nAt that time King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the Jews' enemy, to\nQueen Esther. And Mordecai was made one of the king's advisers, for\nEsther had told of his relationship to her. The king also drew off his\nsignet-ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and\nEsther placed Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.\n\nThen Esther came again before the king and fell at his feet and with\ntears begged him to prevent the evil that Haman had planned against the\nJews. The king held out to her the golden sceptre, and she arose and\nstood before him. Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai,\nthe Jew, \"Write in behalf of the Jews, as seems best to you, in the\nking's name and seal it with the king's ring; for what is written in the\nking's name and sealed with the king's ring no one may disobey.\"\n\nSo Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the\nking's ring. And he sent by messengers, who rode the king's swift\nhorses, mules, and camels, the king's command that the Jews who were in\nevery city should gather together and protect their lives.\n\nThe command had also been given out in the royal palace at Susa; and\nMordecai had gone out from the presence of the king in royal garments of\nviolet and white and with a great crown of gold and with a robe of fine\nlinen and purple. The people of Susa shouted and were glad. To the Jews\nthere came light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every country\nand city, where the king's command came, there was gladness and joy\namong the Jews, and a holiday.\n\nOn the fourteenth day of the month Adar, the Jews rested and made it a\nday of feasting and rejoicing. Therefore the Jews who live in the\ncountry villages keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar as a day of\nrejoicing and feasting and a holiday, and as a day on which they send\ngifts to one another. But the Jews in Susa rested on the fifteenth day\nof the same month and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.\n\nThe Jews made it a custom for them, and for their children, and for all\nwho should join them, so that it might not be changed, that they should\nobserve these two days as feasts each year. For Haman had plotted to\ndestroy the Jews completely, and he cast pur, that is, the lot, to\ndestroy them. For this reason these days are called Purim.\n\n\nREBUILDING THE TEMPLE\n\nThat the promise made by Jehovah through the mouth of Jeremiah might be\nfulfilled, Jehovah influenced Cyrus, king of Persia, in the first year\nof his reign to make this written law throughout all his kingdom, \"Thus\ncommands Cyrus, king of Persia: 'Jehovah, the God of heaven, has given\nme all the kingdoms of the earth and has charged me to build him a\ntemple in Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of all his people wishes\nto return, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, in\nJudah, and rebuild the temple of Jehovah, the God of Israel. (He is the\nGod who lives at Jerusalem.) In every place where any who are left of\nJehovah's people now live, let the men of that place help with silver,\nwith gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the offering\neach man wishes to give for the house of God at Jerusalem.'\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Ernest Normand_\n\n_Esther Denouncing Haman_\n\nPainted by Ernest Normand]\n\nThen the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests\nand the Levites, including all whom God had influenced to build the\ntemple of Jehovah at Jerusalem, started to return. And all their\nneighbors supplied them with silver, with gold, with goods, with\nanimals, and with precious things in addition to all that each man\nwished to give.\n\nCyrus, king of Persia, had the vessels of the temple of Jehovah, which\nNebuchadrezzar had carried from Jerusalem, brought out under the\ndirection of Mithredath, the treasurer, and given to Sheshbazzar, the\nprince of Judah; and he carried them to Jerusalem, with the people who\nreturned from captivity in Babylon. And Jehovah commanded them, through\nHaggai, the prophet, \"Go up to the mountains and bring wood and rebuild\nthe temple, then I will be pleased with it and I will show my glory.\"\n\nThen Zerubbabel and Joshua, the high priest, with all the rest of the\npeople obeyed the command of Jehovah their God; and they came and worked\non the temple of Jehovah their God. They finished the building as the\nGod of Israel commanded.\n\n\nNEHEMIAH'S ANSWER TO A CALL FOR HELP\n\nIn the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign, in the month of November, I\n(Nehemiah) was in Shushan, the royal palace, when Hanani, one of my\nbrothers, and certain men came from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem\nand about the Jews who were left from the captivity. They told me,\n\"Those still living there in the province are in great trouble and\ndisgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been\ndestroyed by fire.\"\n\nWhen I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned several days.\nThen I fasted and offered this prayer to the God of heaven, \"I pray\nthee, O Jehovah, the God of heaven, who showest kindness to those who\nlove and follow thy commands, let thine ears now be open to hear the\nprayers of thy servant which I am now making before thee day and night\nfor the Israelites, thy servants, while I confess the sins which we have\ncommitted. These are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast saved\nby thy great power and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I pray thee, let\nthine ear be open to the petition of thy servant and to the petitions of\nthy servants who take pleasure in worshipping thee, and give success to\nthy servant this day, and grant that he may win this man's sympathy.\"\n\nNow I was cupbearer to the king, and in the month of March in the\ntwentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, the king, I had charge of the\nwine offered to the king. Up to this time I had not been sad; so the\nking said to me, \"Why is your face sad, for you are not sick? This is\nnothing else but sorrow of heart.\" Then I was greatly afraid, and I said\nto the king, \"Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad,\nwhen the city, the place where my fathers are buried, lies in ruins and\nits gates are destroyed by fire?\" Then the king said to me, \"What do you\nwish?\" So I prayed to the God of heaven and said to the king, \"If it\nplease the king and if your servant has won your favor, then send me to\nJudah, to the city where my fathers lie buried, that I may rebuild it.\"\nThe king said to me (and the queen was also sitting by him), \"How long\nwill your journey take, and when will you return?\" Then I told him when\nI would return, so that the king was willing to let me go.\n\nI also said to the king, \"If the king is willing, let letters be given\nme to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates, that they may\nlet me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the\nkeeper of the king's park, that he may give me timber to make beams for\nthe gates of the castle which guards the temple and for the wall of the\ncity and for the house in which I shall live.\" The king granted me all\nthis, for my God kindly cared for me.\n\nThen I went to the governors of the province and gave them the king's\nletters. The king had sent with me officers and horsemen; and when\nSanballat, the Horonite, and Tobiah, the Ammonite slave, heard of it, it\ntroubled them greatly, that one had come to look out for the welfare of\nthe Israelites.\n\nSo I arrived at Jerusalem. After I had been there three days I rose in\nthe night, together with a few of my followers. I told no one what my\nGod had put into my mind to do for Jerusalem, and I had no animal with\nme except the one upon which I rode. I went out by night through the\nValley Gate, toward the Dragon's Well and to the Dung Gate; and I\nexamined carefully the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and the\nplaces where its gates had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the\nFountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the\nanimal on which I rode to pass.\n\nI also went up in the night along the Brook Kidron and examined the\nwall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate and so returned.\nThe rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not as\nyet told my plan to the Jews or to the priests or to the nobles or to\nthe rulers or to the others who did the work.\n\nThen I said to them, \"You see the bad condition in which we are, how\nJerusalem lies in ruins and its gates are destroyed by fire. Come and\nlet us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be in\ndisgrace.\" I told them too how my God had kindly cared for me and the\nwords which the king had spoken to me. They said, \"Let us go to work and\nbuild?\" So they entered heartily into the good work.\n\n\nOVERCOMING GREAT DIFFICULTIES\n\nNow when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was so\nangry and indignant that he mocked the Jews. He spoke before his\ntribesmen and the army of Samaria and said, \"What are these feeble Jews\ndoing? Will they leave it to God? Will they offer a sacrifice? Will they\nfinish the work in a day? Will they recover the stones from the heaps of\nrubbish even after they have been destroyed by fire?\"\n\nTobiah, the Ammonite, was with him, and he said, \"This stone wall which\nthey are building--if a fox should go up on it, he would break it down!\"\n\nBut we went on rebuilding the wall; and all the wall was joined together\nto half its height, for the people were eager to work. But when\nSanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the\nAshdodites heard that the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was going\non, so that the broken places began to be closed, they were very angry.\nAnd they all planned together to come and fight against Jerusalem and\nfrighten the people there. But we prayed to our God and set a watch as a\nprotection against them day and night.\n\nWhen our enemies heard that their plan was known to us and that God had\nnot let them carry it out, we all returned to the wall, each to his own\nwork. From that time on, while half of my servants were at work, half of\nthem held the lances, the shields, the bows and the coats of mail; and\nthe rulers stood behind all the people of Judah. Those who built the\nwall and those who carried burdens were also armed, each using one of\nhis hands for the work, and was ready with the other to grasp his spear.\nAnd each builder worked with his sword fastened at his side. The man who\nsounded the alarm was by me; and I said to the nobles and to the rulers\nand to the rest of the people, \"The work is great and spread out, and we\non the wall are far from each other. Wherever you hear the sound of the\ntrumpet, gather about us; our God will fight for us.\"\n\nSo we worked hard, while half of them held the lances from early in the\nmorning until the stars came out. And I said at that time to the people,\n\"Let each man with his servant stay in Jerusalem, that they may protect\nus at night and work during the day.\" So neither I, nor any of my\nrelatives, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who accompanied me\ntook off our clothes, but each kept his spear in his right hand.\n\nAfter fifty-two days the wall was finished. When our enemies heard of\nit, all the nations around us were afraid, and it seemed very wonderful\nto them, and they knew that this work had been done by our God.\n\nAfter the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the\nporters and the singers and the Levites had been appointed, I placed my\nbrother Hanani, the commander of the castle, in charge of Jerusalem, for\nhe was a faithful man and more God-fearing than many. And I said to\nthem, \"Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until after sunrise; and\nat night, while the watchmen are still on guard, let them shut the doors\nand bar them. Also let the people who live in Jerusalem be on guard,\neach at his post opposite his own house.\"\n\nNow the city was wide and large, but there were few people in it, and\nthe houses had not been rebuilt. So my God put it into my mind to gather\ntogether the nobles and the officials and the people. The officials\nlived in Jerusalem. The rest of the people drew lots that one out of\nevery ten should live in Jerusalem, the sacred city, while the others\nstayed in the villages.\n\nThen I had the officials of Judah take their place on the wall, and I\nformed two great processions. The first marched to the right upon the\nwall toward the Dung Gate; and behind them went Hoshaiah and half of the\nofficials of Judah. At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the\nstairs of the City of David by the ascent along the wall above the House\nof David to the Water Gate on the east of the city.\n\nThe other procession went to the left on the wall above the Tower of the\nFurnaces, and I after them, with half of the people, to the broad wall\nand above the Gate of Ephraim and past the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the\nTower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred to the Sheep Gate. Then\nthey stood in the Gate of the Guard. So the two processions took their\nposition in the temple and I and half of the rulers who were with me.\n\nThen the singers sang loudly, and the people offered many sacrifices\nthat day and rejoiced, for God had given them great cause for joy. The\nwomen and children rejoiced, too, so that the cries of joy at Jerusalem\nwere heard far away.\n\n\nA BRAVE KNIGHT\n\nThen the common people and their wives raised a loud cry against their\nfellow Jews. Some said, \"We must give up our sons and our daughters in\npledge to get grain that we may eat and live.\" Others said, \"We must\ngive up our fields and our vineyards and our houses, that we may get\ngrain because there is so little.\" Others said, \"We have borrowed money\nto pay the king's taxes. Although our flesh is as the flesh of our\nbrothers, our children as their children; yet we must sell our sons and\nour daughters as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been made\nslaves, and it is not in our power to stop it, for our fields and our\nvineyards belong to the nobles.\"\n\nWhen I heard their cry and these words, I was very angry. After I had\nthought about it, I rebuked the nobles and the rulers and said to them,\n\"You make each of your fellow Jews pay what you loan him.\"\n\nThen I called a great meeting to protest against what they were doing.\nAnd I said to them, \"We ourselves have, as far as we could, bought back\nour fellow Jews who have been sold to foreigners. Would you sell your\nfellow Jews, and should they be sold to us?\" Then they were silent and\ncould not find a word to say. So I said, \"What you are doing is not\ngood. Ought you not to live in the fear of God, so as not to be an\nobject of shame to our foreign foes? I, too, my relatives, and my\nservants lend the people money and grain. Let us stop taking anything\nfor what we lend. Give back to them at once their fields, their\nvineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, and whatever you have\nmade them pay for the money, the grain, the new wine and the oil.\"\n\nThen they said, \"We will give them back and will ask nothing from them;\nwe will do even as you say.\" Then I called the priests and made them\nsolemnly promise that they would do as they had said.\n\nFor twelve years from the time that I was appointed to be their governor\nin the land of Judah, I and my relatives did not eat the food which was\nmy right as governor. But the governors who were before me were an\nexpense to the people and took from them bread and wine and forty pieces\nof silver each day. Their servants also were cruel to the people. But I\ndid not do so, for I feared God. I also gave myself to the work on the\nwall, and we did not buy any land, but all my servants were gathered\nthere for work. Also a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside\nthose who came to us from other nations, were fed at my table. Each day\none ox and six choice sheep and fowls were prepared at my expense, and\nonce in ten days plenty of wine for all. Yet with all this expense, I\ndid not demand the food which was due me as governor, because the public\nwork was a heavy burden upon this people. Remember to my credit, O my\nGod, all that I have done for them!\n\n\nJONAH THE NARROW-MINDED PATRIOT\n\nThis message from Jehovah came to Jonah, the son of Amittai: \"Arise, go\nto that great city, Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness\nis known to me.\" But Jonah started to flee to Tarshish from the presence\nof Jehovah. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So\nhe paid the fare and went aboard to go with them to Tarshish from the\npresence of Jehovah.\n\nBut Jehovah made a furious wind blow over the sea, and there was such a\ngreat storm that the ship was in danger of breaking to pieces. Then the\nsailors were afraid and each cried for help to his own god. They threw\ninto the sea the things that were in the ship, in order to make it\nlighter. But Jonah had gone down into the bottom of the ship and lay\nfast asleep. Then the captain of the ship went and said to him, \"How is\nit that you are asleep? Call on your god; perhaps that god will think of\nus, so that we may not be lost.\"\n\nAnd they said to one another, \"Come, let us cast lots, that we may know\non whose account this evil has come upon us.\" So they cast lots, and the\nlot fell upon Jonah. Then they said to him, \"Tell us, what is your\nbusiness, and where do you come from? What is your country and to what\nrace do you belong?\" He said to them, \"I am a Hebrew, and a worshipper\nof Jehovah, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.\" Then\nthe men were greatly frightened and said to him, \"What is this you have\ndone?\" For they knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah,\nbecause he had told them.\n\nThen they said to him, \"What shall we do to you, that the sea may be\ncalm for us?\" for the sea grew more and more stormy. He said to them,\n\"Take me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be calm for you,\nfor I know that on account of me this great storm has overtaken you.\"\nBut the men rowed hard to get back to the land; they could not, however,\nfor the sea grew more and more stormy ahead.\n\nTherefore they cried to Jehovah and said, \"We pray thee, O Jehovah, we\npray thee, let us not die for this man's life, nor let us be guilty of\nshedding innocent blood, for thou art Jehovah; thou hast done as it\npleases thee.\" So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and\nthe sea became calm. Then the men greatly feared Jehovah, and they\noffered a sacrifice and made promises to him.\n\nBut Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside\nthe fish three days and three nights. There Jonah prayed to Jehovah his\nGod; and Jehovah spoke to the fish, and it threw Jonah out upon the dry\nland.\n\nThis message from Jehovah came to Jonah the second time, \"Arise, go to\nthat great city, Nineveh, and give to it the message that I tell you.\"\nSo Jonah started for Nineveh, as Jehovah commanded. Now Nineveh was so\nlarge a city, that it took three days' journey to cross it. And Jonah\nbegan by going through the city a day's journey, and he said, \"Forty\ndays more and Nineveh shall be overthrown.\"\n\nAnd the people of Nineveh believed God; and they ordered a fast and put\non sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. And when word came\nto the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe,\ndressed in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he gave this order: \"By the\norder of the king and his nobles: Man, beast, herd, and flock shall not\ntaste anything; let them not eat nor drink water. Let both man and beast\nput on sackcloth and let them cry earnestly to God; let them turn each\nfrom his evil way and from the deeds of violence which they are doing.\nWho knows but God may be sorry for us and turn away his fierce anger,\nthat we may not die.\"\n\nWhen God saw that they turned from their evil way, he was sorry for the\nevil which he said he would do to them, and did not do it.\n\nBut this displeased Jonah very much and he was angry. And he prayed to\nJehovah and said, \"Ah, Jehovah, was not this what I said when I was\nstill in my own country? That was why I fled at once to Tarshish; for I\nknew that thou art a God, gracious and merciful, patient, and loving and\nready to forgive. Therefore, O Jehovah, take now, I beg of thee, my life\nfrom me; for it is better for me to die than to live!\" But Jehovah said,\n\"Are you doing right in being angry?\"\n\nThen Jonah went out of the city and sat down on the east side, and there\nmade a hut for himself and sat under it, until he might see what would\nbecome of the city. And Jehovah prepared a gourd and made it grow up\nover Jonah as a shade for his head. So the gourd gave Jonah great\npleasure; but at dawn the next day God prepared a worm which injured the\ngourd, so that it wilted. And when the sun rose, God prepared a hot east\nwind. And the sun beat upon Jonah's head, so that he was faint and\nbegged that he might die, saying, \"It is better for me to die than to\nlive.\" But God said to Jonah, \"Are you doing right in being angry about\nthe gourd?\" He replied, \"It is well for one to be angry, even to death!\"\nJehovah said, \"You care for a gourd which has cost you no trouble and\nwhich you have not made grow, which came up in a night and wilted in a\nnight. Should I not care for the great city Nineveh, in which there are\none hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand\nfrom their left; besides much cattle?\"\n\n\nTHE STORY OF JOB\n\nIn the land of Uz there lived a man named Job; and he was blameless and\nupright, one who revered God and avoided evil. He had seven sons and\nthree daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels,\nfive hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred asses; and he had many servants,\nso that he was the richest man among all the peoples of the East.\n\nOne day when the sons of God came before Jehovah, Satan came with them.\nJehovah said to Satan, \"From where do you come?\" Satan answered, \"From\ngoing back and forth on the earth, and walking up and down on it.\" And\nJehovah said to Satan, \"Have you seen my servant Job? For there is no\nman like him on the earth, blameless and upright, who reveres God and\navoids evil.\" Satan answered, \"But is it for nothing that Job reveres\nGod? Have you not yourself made a hedge all about him, about his\nhousehold, and about all that he has? You have blessed whatever he does,\nand his possessions have greatly increased. But just put out your hand\nnow and take away all he has; he certainly will curse you to your face.\"\nThen Jehovah said to Satan, \"See, everything that he has is in your\npower; only do not lay hands on Job himself.\" So Satan left the presence\nof Jehovah.\n\nOne day, as Job's sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the\noldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, \"The oxen were\nploughing and the asses were grazing near them when Sabeans suddenly\nattacked and seized them; the servants were put to the sword, and I\nalone have escaped to tell you.\"\n\nWhile he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, \"Lightning\nhas fallen from heaven and has completely burned up the sheep and the\nservants, and I alone have escaped to tell you.\"\n\nWhile this man was still speaking, another messenger came and said, \"The\nChaldeans, attacking in three bands, raided the camels and drove them\naway; the servants were put to the sword, and I alone have escaped to\ntell you.\"\n\nWhile this one was still speaking, another messenger came and said,\n\"Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in their oldest\nbrother's house when a great wind came from across the wilderness,\nstruck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men and\nkilled them. I alone have escaped to tell you.\"\n\nThen Job rose, tore his robe, shaved his head, threw himself on the\nground and worshipped, saying:\n\n \"Jehovah gave, Jehovah has taken away;\n Blessed be the name of Jehovah!\"\n\nIn all this Job did not sin nor blame God.\n\nOn another day when the sons of God came before Jehovah, Satan came with\nthem. And Jehovah said to Satan, \"From where do you come?\"\n\nSatan answered, \"From going back and forth on the earth, and from\nwalking up and down on it.\" Jehovah said to Satan, \"Have you seen my\nservant Job? For there is no man like him on the earth, blameless and\nupright, one who reveres God and avoids evil; he still is faithful,\nalthough you led me to ruin him without cause.\" Satan answered Jehovah,\n\"Skin for skin, yes, a man will give all that he has for his life. But\njust put out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he\ncertainly will curse you to your face.\" Jehovah said to Satan, \"See, he\nis in your power; only spare his life.\"\n\nSo Satan left the presence of Jehovah, and afflicted Job from the sole\nof his foot to the crown of his head with leprosy so terrible that Job\ntook a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself.\n\nAs he sat among the ashes, his wife said to him, \"Are you still holding\nto your piety? Curse God and die.\" But he said to her, \"You speak like a\nsenseless woman. We accept prosperity from God, shall we not also accept\nmisfortune?\" In all this Job said nothing that was wrong.\n\nWhen Job's three friends heard of all this trouble that had befallen\nhim, they came each from his own home: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the\nShuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, for they had arranged to go together\nand show their sympathy for him and comfort him. But when they saw him\nin the distance, they did not at first know him. Then they all wept\naloud and tore their robes and threw dust upon their heads. And they sat\ndown with him on the ground seven days and seven nights without any one\nsaying a word to him, for they saw that he was in great trouble.\n\nThen Job began to speak and said:\n\n \"Why did I not die at birth,\n Breathe my last when I was born?\n I should then have lain down in quiet,\n Should have slept and been at rest\n With kings and counsellors of earth,\n Who built themselves great pyramids;\n With princes rich in gold,\n Who filled their houses with silver.\n\n \"There the wicked cease from troubling,\n There the weary are at rest;\n Captives too at ease together,\n Hearing not the voice of masters.\n There the small and great are gathered,\n There the slave is free at last.\"\n\nThen Eliphaz, the Temanite, answered:\n\n \"If one dares to speak, will it vex you?\n But who can keep from speaking?\n See! you have instructed many,\n And strengthened the drooping hands.\n Your words have upheld the fallen,\n Giving strength to tottering knees.\n But now that trouble comes, you are impatient,\n Now that it touches you, you lose courage.\n\n \"Is not your religion your confidence;\n Your blameless life, your hope?\n Remember! What innocent man ever perished?\n Or where were the upright ever destroyed?\n Happy the man whom God corrects;\n Therefore, spurn not the Almighty's chastening.\n For he causes pain but to comfort,\n And wounds, that his hands may heal.\"\n\nThen Job answered:\n\n \"What strength have I, that I should endure?\n And what is my future, that I should be patient?\n Is my strength the strength of stones,\n Or is my body made of brass?\n A friend should be kind to one fainting,\n Though he lose his faith in the Almighty.\n Teach me, and I will keep silent.\n Show me how I have sinned.\"\n\nThen Bildad, the Shuhite, answered:\n\n \"Is God a God of injustice?\n Or can the Almighty do wrong?\n If your children sinned against him,\n He has let them suffer the penalty;\n But you should earnestly seek him,\n And devoutly beseech the Almighty.\n If you are pure and upright,\n He will surely answer your prayer,\n And will prosper your righteous abode.\"\n\nThen Job answered:\n\n \"To be sure, I know that it is so;\n But how can a man be just before God?\n He is wise in mind and mighty in strength,\n Who has ever defied him and prospered,\n Blameless I am! I regard not myself;\n I hate my life; it is all one to me.\n Therefore, I openly declare:\n He destroys the blameless as well as the wicked.\"\n\nThen Zophar, the Naamathite, answered:\n\n \"If you would cleanse your heart,\n And stretch out your hands to God,\n And put away sin from your hand,\n And let no wrong dwell in your tent,\n You would then lift your face without spot,\n You would then be steadfast and fearless.\"\n\nThen Job answered:\n\n \"Verily you are the people,\n And with you wisdom shall die!\n But I have a mind as well as you,\n And who does not know all this?\n Oh, that my words were now written,\n That they were inscribed in a book,\n That with an iron pen and with lead\n In rock they were carved forever!\n\n \"For I know that my Defender lives,\n That at last he shall stand upon earth;\n And after this skin is destroyed.\n Freed from my flesh, I shall see him,\n Whom I shall behold for myself;\n My own eyes shall see, and no stranger's.\"\n\nJob again spoke and said:\n\n \"Oh, to be as in months of old,\n As in days when God guarded my steps,\n When his lamp shone above my head,\n And I walked by his light through the darkness;\n As I was in my prosperous days,\n When God protected my tent;\n When still the Almighty was with me,\n And my children were all about me!\n\n \"When I went to the gate of the city,\n And took my seat in the open,\n The youths, when they saw me, retired,\n And the aged rose up and stood;\n The princes refrained from talking,\n And laid their hands on their mouths;\n The voices of nobles were hushed,\n And their tongues stuck fast to their palates.\n\n \"He who heard of me called me happy,\n He who saw me bore me witness,\n For I saved the poor who cried,\n And the orphan with none to help him.\n The suffering gave me their blessing,\n And I made the widow's heart glad.\n\n \"Eyes was I to the blind,\n Feet was I to the lame,\n And a father to those who were needy.\n I defended the cause of the stranger,\n I shattered the jaws of the wicked,\n And wrested the prey from his teeth.\n\n \"Men listened to me eagerly,\n And in silence awaited my counsel.\n After my words they spoke not,\n And my speech fell as rain-drops upon them.\n But they sing of me now in derision,\n And my name is a by-word among them.\n\n \"Oh, for some one to hear me!\n Behold my defense all signed!\n Let now the Almighty answer,\n Let Jehovah write the charge!\n On my shoulder I would bear it,\n As a crown I would bind it round me;\n I would tell him my every act;\n Like a prince I would enter his presence!\"\n\nThen out of the whirlwind Jehovah answered Job:\n\n \"Where were you when I founded the earth?\n You have knowledge and insight, so tell me.\n You must know! Who determined its measures?\n Or who measured it off with a line?\n On what were its foundations placed?\n Or who laid its corner-stone,\n When the morning stars all sang together,\n And the sons of God shouted for joy?\n\n \"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,\n That abundance of water may answer you?\n Can you send on their missions the lightnings;\n To you do they say, 'Here we are'?\n\n \"Does the hawk soar because of your wisdom,\n And stretch her wings to the south wind?\n Does the eagle mount up at your bidding,\n And build her nest on high?\n\n \"Will the fault-finder strive with Almighty?\n He who argues with God, let him answer.\n Will you set aside my judgment,\n And condemn me, that you may be justified?\"\n\nThen Job answered the Lord:\n\n \"How small I am! what can I answer?\n I lay my hand on my mouth.\n I spoke once, but will do so no more;\n Yes, twice, but will go no further.\n\n \"I know thou canst do all things,\n And that nothing with thee is impossible.\n I spoke, therefore, without sense,\n Of wonders beyond my knowledge.\n I had heard of thee but by hearsay,\n But now my eye has seen thee;\n Therefore I despise my words,\n And repent in dust and ashes.\"\n\nThen Jehovah gave back to Job, twice as much as he had before. And\nJehovah blessed the last part of Job's life more than the first part;\nand he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke\nof oxen, and a thousand asses. He also had seven sons and three\ndaughters. And after this Job lived an hundred and forty years.\n\n\n\n\nPSALMS\n\n\nTHE KING OF GLORY\n\n The earth is the Lord's in its fulness,\n The world and those who live in it;\n He founded it upon the seas,\n And established it upon the floods.\n\n Who may go up to the hill of the Lord?\n Who may stand in his holy place?\n The man with clean hands and pure heart,\n Who plans no evil purpose,\n Nor promises in order to deceive.\n He shall win from the Lord a blessing,\n And approval from God his Saviour.\n Such is the man who may worship him,\n Who may enter thy presence, O God of Jacob.\n\n Lift up your heads, O gates,\n Be lifted up, O everlasting doors,\n Let the King of Glory come in!\n\n Who is this King of Glory?\n The Lord, strong and mighty,\n The Lord, mighty in battle!\n\n Lift up your heads, O gates,\n Be lifted up, O everlasting doors,\n That the King of Glory may come in.\n\n Who is this King of Glory?\n The Lord, the God of hosts,\n He is the King of Glory!\n\n\nGOD THE LOVING CREATOR\n\n Bless the Lord, O my soul!\n O Lord, my God, thou art great;\n Thou art clothed with glory and majesty,\n Thou hast put on light as a mantle;\n Thou hast stretched the heavens like a tent,\n Thou framest thy upper stories in the waters,\n Thou makest the clouds thy chariot,\n Thou ridest on the wings of the wind,\n Thou makest winds thy messengers,\n Flames of fire are thy servants.\n\n Thou didst fix the earth on its foundations,\n That it should not be moved forever.\n Thou didst cover it with the sea as with a garment.\n The waters stood far above the mountains,\n But at thy reproof they fled,\n At the sound of thy thunder they hastened away,\n Not to pass the bound thou hadst set,\n Not to return to cover the earth.\n Mountains rose, valleys sank,\n To the place which thou hadst prepared for them.\n\n Thou sendest the springs to the valleys,\n They run down between the mountains,\n They give drink to every wild beast,\n The wild asses quench their thirst.\n The birds make their home beside them,\n They sing from among the branches.\n\n Thou waterest the mountains from thine upper stories;\n The earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.\n Thou makest grass spring up for the cattle,\n And green herbs for the service of man,\n Causing food to spring from the earth,\n Wine to gladden man's heart,\n Oil that makes his face shine,\n And bread to strengthen his heart.\n The trees of the Lord are full of sap,\n The cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted,\n Where the birds build their nests;\n The stork has her home in the fir-trees.\n The high mountains are for the wild goats,\n The rocks are a hiding-place for the marmots.\n\n Thou createst the moon to divide the year,\n The sun knows when it should set.\n Thou makest darkness, and it is night,\n In which wild beasts creep forth;\n The young lions roar for their prey,\n And seek their food from God.\n When the sun arises they disappear,\n And lay themselves down in their dens.\n Man goes out to his work,\n To toil until evening comes.\n\n O Lord, how many are thy works!\n Wisely thou madest them all;\n The earth is full of thy creatures.\n There is the sea, great and wide,\n With its crawling things innumerable,\n Living things both small and great;\n There go the monsters of the sea,\n And the dragon thou madest to play.\n\n These all wait for thee,\n To give them their food in due season.\n When thou givest to them, they gather it;\n Thou openest thy hand, they are satisfied.\n Thou hidest thy face, they are frightened;\n Thou takest their breath, they die,\n And return to the dust from which they came.\n Thou sendest thy spirit, and they are created;\n Thou refillest the earth with living things.\n\n May the glory of the Lord be eternal,\n Let the Lord rejoice in his works.\n He looks at the earth, and it trembles,\n He touches the mountains, and they smoke.\n I will sing to the Lord as long as I live,\n I will sing praise to my God while I exist.\n May my thoughts be pleasing unto him;\n I myself find my joy in the Lord.\n\n\nGOD THE LOVING FATHER\n\n Bless the Lord, O my soul,\n And all that is within me, bless his holy name.\n Bless the Lord, O my soul,\n And forget not all his benefits,\n Who forgives all your iniquities,\n And heals all your diseases,\n Who redeems your life from the grave,\n And crowns you with love and tender mercy,\n Who satisfies your mouth with good things,\n So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.\n\n The Lord is a doer of righteous acts,\n And of justice to all the oppressed.\n He made known his laws to Moses,\n His deeds to the people of Israel.\n\n The Lord is merciful and gracious,\n Patient and full of love.\n He will not always chide,\n Nor keep his anger forever.\n\n He has not dealt with us according to our sins,\n Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.\n For as high as the heavens are above the earth,\n So great is his love toward those who revere him.\n As far as the east is from the west,\n So far has he removed our wrong deeds from us.\n\n As a father loves his children,\n So the Lord loves those who revere him,\n For he understands our nature,\n He remembers that we are dust.\n\n Frail man--his days are as grass;\n As a flower of the field he flourishes,\n For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,\n And its place knows it no more.\n\n But the love of the Lord is eternal,\n And his righteousness to children's children,\n To those who keep their covenant with him,\n And remember to obey his commands.\n\n He has established his throne in the heavens,\n And his rule extends over all.\n Bless the Lord, his angels,\n You strong ones who do his bidding.\n\n Bless the Lord all his hosts,\n You servants who do his will,\n Bless the Lord, all his works,\n In every place where he rules,\n Bless the Lord, O my soul.\n\n\nGOD FROM WHOM ALL GOOD THINGS COME\n\n Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.\n Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman wakens in vain.\n It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit down at your meal late,\n And so eat the bread of toil; for he gives to his loved ones sleep.\n\n Children too are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward.\n As arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of youth.\n Happy indeed is the man whose quiver is full of them,\n He shall not be put to shame when he argues with foes in the court.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_\"Lo, Children are a Heritage of the Lord\"_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\n\nGOD'S GOODNESS AND MERCY\n\n The Lord is gracious and merciful,\n Patient, and full of loving-kindness.\n The Lord is good to all,\n Showing mercy to all his creatures.\n All thy works give thee thanks, O Lord,\n And those who love thee praise thee,\n They speak of thy glorious rule,\n And proclaim thy mighty power,\n That men may know thy great deeds,\n And the glorious splendor of thy rule.\n Thy rule is an everlasting rule,\n Thy dominion endures forever.\n\n The Lord lifts up all who fall,\n And raises up all who are bowed down.\n The eyes of all wait for thee,\n And thou givest them food in due season.\n Thou it is who openest thy hand,\n And satisfiest the desires of all creatures.\n\n The Lord is righteous in all his ways,\n And gracious in all his acts.\n He is near all who call upon him,\n To all who call upon him in truth.\n He fulfils the desire of his worshippers,\n He hears their cry and saves them.\n He takes care of all who love him,\n But destroys all those who do wrong.\n\n My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord.\n Let all flesh praise his holy name forever.\n\n\nGOD THE ALL-SEEING\n\n O Lord, thou searchest and knowest me,\n Whether I sit or stand, thou knowest,\n Thou readest my thought afar off,\n When I walk or lie down thou dost know it.\n\n Thou knowest all my ways.\n There is not a word on my tongue\n That thou, O Lord, dost not know!\n Behind and before thou enfoldest me,\n Over me thou dost lay thy hand.\n Such knowledge for me is too wonderful!\n Too high, I cannot attain it.\n\n Where shall I go from thy spirit,\n Where shall I flee from thy presence?\n If I climb into heaven, thou art there,\n If I lie down in the grave, thou art there.\n Should I take the wings of the morning,\n And dwell on the most distant sea,\n Even there thy hand would grasp me,\n Thy right hand would hold me fast.\n\n If I say, \"The darkness will hide me,\n And the night throw its curtain about me,\"\n Even darkness for thee is not dark,\n But the night shines clear as the day.\n\n Thou didst form my vital parts,\n Thou didst make me from the beginning,\n I thank thee, for I am wonderfully made;\n Fearful and marvellous are thy works.\n\n How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God!\n How great is the sum of them all!\n Should I count them, they would be more than the sand;\n When I awake, I am still with thee.\n\n Search me, O God, and know my heart,\n Try me, and know my secret thoughts,\n And see if I have any evil in me,\n And lead me in the way to eternal life.\n\n\nGOD WHO ALWAYS WATCHES OVER HIS PEOPLE\n\n I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from whence comes my help?\n My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.\n He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you does not slumber;\n Behold, he who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!\n\n The Lord is your protector; the Lord is your shade upon your right hand;\n The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night!\n The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will preserve your life;\n The Lord will protect your going out and your coming in forevermore!\n\n\nGOD WHO PROTECTS FROM ALL DANGER\n\n Give thanks to the Lord, for his goodness,\n For his love endures forever.\n Let those he has redeemed say so,\n Whom he has set free from the hand of the foe,\n And gathered together from many lands,\n From the east, from the west,\n From the north and the south.\n\n Some strayed in the barren wilderness,\n Finding no inhabited city,\n Hungry, indeed, and thirsty,\n Their very life ebbing away.\n Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saved them from their distresses.\n He led them along the right way,\n Till they reached an inhabited city.\n Let them praise the Lord for his love,\n And his wonderful works unto men!\n For he satisfies the longing soul,\n And the hungry he fills with good things.\n\n Some dwelt in darkness and gloom,\n Being bound in affliction and iron,\n Because they had rebelled against God,\n And despised the counsel of the Most High.\n He humbled their heart with sorrow;\n When they fell, there was none to help them.\n Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saved them from their distresses.\n Out of darkness and gloom he brought them,\n And broke their bonds in pieces.\n Let them praise the Lord for his love,\n And his wonderful works unto men!\n For he shattered the gates of brass,\n And hewed bars of iron asunder.\n\n Fools because of their wrong-doing,\n And because of their sins were afflicted;\n They hated all kinds of food,\n And drew near to the gates of death.\n Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saved them from all their distresses.\n He sent his command to heal them,\n And saved their life from destruction.\n Let them praise the Lord for his love,\n And his wonderful works unto men!\n Let them sacrifice to him a thank-offering,\n And with joy recount his deeds.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_\"I will Lift up mine Eyes unto the Hills\"_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\n Those who go to the sea in ships,\n Who do business in great waters,\n They see the works of the Lord,\n And his wonders in the great deep.\n When he speaks, the tempest rises,\n And tosses the waves on high.\n Up to heaven, then down they go,\n Their courage melts at the danger,\n They stagger and reel like drunkards,\n And their skill is all exhausted.\n Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble,\n And he saves them from their distresses.\n He makes the tempest a calm,\n And the waves of the sea are still.\n They are glad when the waves go down;\n To the haven they long for he brings them.\n Let them praise the Lord for his love,\n For his wonderful works unto men;\n In the popular assembly extol him,\n In the council of elders praise him.\n\n\nGOD'S PROTECTION OF THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM\n\n I will bless the Lord at all times,\n His praise is continually in my mouth,\n My soul glories in the Lord,\n Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.\n O exalt the Lord with me,\n Let us praise his name together.\n\n I sought the Lord and he answered me,\n From all my fears he delivered me.\n He who looks to him, becomes radiant,\n And his face is not covered with shame.\n This afflicted man cried and he heard him,\n And from all his distresses delivered him.\n The angel of the Lord encamps\n About those who revere him, and saves them.\n\n Taste and see that the Lord is good;\n Happy the man who seeks refuge with him.\n Revere the Lord, O holy ones,\n For those who revere him lack nothing.\n Though young lions feel want and suffer hunger,\n Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.\n\n Come, children, listen to me;\n I will teach you true religion:\n Who of you desires to live,\n Loves long life that he may enjoy happiness?\n Then keep your tongue from evil,\n And your lips from speaking falsehood;\n Turn from evil and do good,\n Seek for peace and pursue it.\n\n The Lord is against evil-doers,\n To cut off their memory from the earth.\n The Lord watches over the upright,\n His ear is open to their cry.\n When they cry to the Lord, he hears,\n And saves them from all their troubles.\n\n The Lord is near those who are broken-hearted,\n He delivers those whose spirits are crushed.\n The misfortunes of the upright are many,\n But the Lord delivers him from them all.\n The Lord guards all his bones,\n Not one of them is broken.\n Misfortune shall slay the wicked,\n Those who hate the upright shall be condemned;\n But the Lord redeems his servants,\n And none who takes refuge in him shall be condemned.\n\n\nGOD'S LOVING CARE\n\n The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.\n He makes me lie down in green pastures,\n He leads me to the still waters,\n He restores my soul.\n\n He guides me in straight paths for his name's sake;\n Though I walk through the valley of death,\n I will fear no evil, for thou art with me,\n Thy rod and thy staff--they comfort me.\n\n Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies,\n Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runs over;\n Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,\n And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.\n\n\nTRUSTING IN GOD'S CARE\n\n Be not disturbed because of the wicked,\n Nor be envious of those who do wrong;\n For like grass they shall quickly wither,\n And fade like the green herbs.\n\n Trust in the Lord and do right,\n Live in the land and act faithfully.\n Then the Lord shall be your delight,\n He will grant you your heart's desire.\n\n Commit your way to the Lord,\n Trust in him, and he will work with you,\n He will bring to light your honesty,\n And make it as clear as the noonday.\n\n\nA PRAYER OF TRUST\n\n To thee, O God, I lift up my soul,\n All the day long do I wait for thee.\n I trust in thee, O God, let me not be ashamed;\n Let not my enemies exult over me,\n And let none who hope in thee be ashamed;\n But let wicked traitors be disgraced.\n\n Show me thy ways, O Lord,\n Teach me thy way to live.\n Lead me in thy truth and teach me,\n For thou art the God who saves me,\n And in thee do I hope continually.\n\n Remember thy tender mercies, O Lord,\n And thy loving deeds, for they are eternal.\n Do not recall the sins of my youth,\n But in thy love remember thou me,\n Because of thy goodness, O Lord.\n\n Good and upright is the Lord,\n So he teaches sinners the way,\n He guides the humble aright,\n And teaches the meek his way,\n All his rules are loving and true,\n To those who follow his law and commands.\n For thy name's sake, O Lord,\n Pardon my guilt, for it is great.\n\n Who is the man that reveres the Lord?\n He will teach him the way to choose.\n That man shall continue to prosper,\n And his children inherit the land.\n He is friendly with those who revere him,\n And with his covenant he makes them acquainted.\n\n My eyes are ever turned toward the Lord,\n For he saves my feet from the net.\n Turn to me and be gracious,\n For I am alone and afflicted;\n Relieve the troubles of my heart,\n And deliver me from my distresses;\n Look on my affliction and suffering,\n And pardon all my sins.\n\n Consider my enemies, for they are many,\n And they hate me with violent hatred;\n Oh save my life and deliver me,\n Let me not be ashamed, for I trust thee.\n Let innocence and uprightness preserve me,\n For I wait for thee, O Lord.\n\n\nSAFETY IN GOD'S CARE\n\n You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,\n Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,\n Who say to the Lord, \"Thou art my refuge,\n And my fortress, my God in whom I trust,\"\n He will surely deliver you from the snare,\n When entrapped from the destructive pit.\n With his pinions he will cover you,\n And under his wings you may hide.\n\n His faithfulness is a shield and defense,\n You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,\n Nor of the arrow that flies by day,\n Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,\n Nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.\n A thousand may fall at your side,\n And ten thousand at your right hand,\n But it shall not come near unto you.\n You need but look with your eyes,\n To see how the wicked are punished.\n\n Because the Lord is your refuge,\n And you have made the Most High your abode,\n There shall no evil befall you,\n No plague come near your tent;\n For he will give his angels charge over you,\n To keep you in all your ways;\n They shall bear you up on their hands,\n Lest you strike your foot on a stone.\n You shall tread on the lion and adder,\n You shall trample on the young lion and dragon.\n\n \"Because of his love for me I will deliver him,\n I will exalt him, for he knows my name.\n He shall call upon me and I will answer him,\n In time of trouble I will be with him,\n I will deliver him and bring him honor,\n With long life will I satisfy him,\n And show him my power to save.\"\n\n\nGOD OUR REFUGE\n\n God is our refuge and strength,\n An ever-present help in trouble.\n So we fear not, though the earth trembles,\n And mountains tumble into the heart of the sea;\n Though its waters roar and foam,\n Though mountains quake at its uproar.\n The Lord of hosts is with us,\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\n\n As the brooks refresh the city of God,\n So the Most High makes holy his abiding-place;\n God is in her midst, she cannot be moved,\n God will help her at the turn of the morn.\n\n Nations were in tumult, kingdoms fell,\n He uttered his voice, the earth melted.\n The Lord of hosts is with us,\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\n\n Come, see the mighty works of the Lord,\n Who makes wars cease to the end of the earth\n He snaps the bow, and breaks the spear,\n And burns up the chariots with fire.\n \"Be still, and know that I am God,\n Exalted over the nations, exalted on earth.\"\n The Lord of hosts is with us,\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\n\n\nTHE JOY OF WORSHIPPING GOD\n\n Oh come, let us sing to the Lord,\n Let us shout to the Rock who saves us,\n Let us come before him with thanksgiving,\n Let us sing to him joyful songs;\n For the Lord is indeed a great God,\n A great King above all gods,\n In whose hand are the depths of the earth,\n The heights of the mountains are his,\n The sea is his, for he made it,\n And his hands prepared the dry land.\n\n Oh come, let us worship and bow down,\n Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker;\n For he is the Lord our God,\n And we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.\n\n Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth,\n Serve the Lord with gladness,\n Come into his presence with singing,\n Know that the Lord is God,\n He has made us and we are his,\n His people, the flock that he tends.\n\n Enter his gates with thanksgiving,\n His courts with songs of rejoicing,\n Give thanks to him, praise his name,\n He is good, his kindness eternal,\n And his faithfulness unto all generations.\n\n\nWHAT GOD ASKS OF THOSE WHO WORSHIP HIM\n\n O Lord, who may be a guest in thy tent?\n Who may dwell on thy holy hill?\n\n He who lives blamelessly and does right,\n And speaks the truth in his heart,\n Who utters no slander with his tongue,\n Who does no wrong to his friend,\n Who makes no charge against his neighbor;\n In whose sight the vile are despised,\n But he honors those who revere the Lord.\n He keeps his oath at all costs,\n His money he puts not out to usury,\n And cannot be bribed to injure the innocent.\n\n He who does this can never be moved.\n\n\nA CALL TO PRAISE GOD\n\n Oh, sing to the Lord a new song;\n Sing to the Lord, all the earth,\n Sing to the Lord, praise his name,\n Proclaim his salvation each day;\n Tell his glory among the heathen,\n His wonders among all peoples.\n\n God is great, and worthy of praise,\n Above all gods should he be revered,\n For all the gods of the peoples are idols,\n But it is the Lord who made the heavens.\n Honor and majesty are in his presence,\n Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.\n\n Give to the Lord, you tribes of the nations,\n Give to the Lord glory and strength.\n Give to the Lord the glory that is due him;\n Bring an offering, and enter his courts.\n Oh, worship the Lord in holy attire,\n Tremble before him, all the earth.\n Say to the nations, \"The Lord reigns,\n And he will rule the peoples justly.\"\n\n Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice,\n Let the sea roar and all of its inhabitants,\n Let the fields exult, and all that is in them,\n Let the trees of the forest sing with joy\n Before the Lord, for he has come,\n For he has come to rule the earth;\n He will rule the world with justice,\n He will rule the nations with faithfulness.\n\n\nTHE UNITED SONG OF PRAISE\n\n Praise the Lord from the heavens,\n Praise him on the heights.\n Praise him, all his angels,\n Praise him, all his host!\n\n Praise him, sun and moon,\n Praise him, all stars of light!\n Praise him, heavens of heavens,\n And waters above the heavens!\n\n Let them praise the name of the Lord,\n For at his command they were made;\n He fixed them forever and ever,\n Set a bound they must not pass.\n\n Praise the Lord from the earth,\n Sea-monsters and all deeps!\n Fire, hail, snow, and vapor,\n Storm wind, fulfilling his word!\n\n Mountains and all hills,\n Fruit-trees and all cedars!\n Wild beasts and all cattle,\n Creeping things and winged birds!\n\n Kings of earth and all peoples,\n All rulers and judges of earth,\n Young men and maidens too,\n Old men and children together!\n\n Let them praise the name of the Lord,\n For his name alone is exalted.\n Over heaven and earth is his majesty,\n He has strengthened the might of his people;\n He is praised by all who are faithful,\n By the Israelites, who are near him.\n\n Praise God in his holy place,\n Praise him for his mighty firmament,\n Praise him for his deeds of power,\n Praise him for his infinite greatness.\n\n Praise him with the blast of the horn,\n Praise him with lyre and harp,\n Praise him with timbrel and dance,\n Praise him with strings and pipe,\n Praise him with clanging cymbals,\n Praise him with clashing cymbals.\n Let all that breathes praise the Lord!\n\n\nMAN'S PLACE IN GOD'S WORLD\n\n O Lord, our God, how glorious\n Is thy name in all the earth!\n\n Thou hast spread thy splendor over the heavens;\n At the cry of babes and infants\n Thou hast set up a bulwark, because of thine enemies,\n To silence the foe and avenger.\n\n When I see thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,\n The moon and stars which thou hast made;\n What is man that thou art mindful of him;\n Or the son of man that thou visitest him?\n\n Yet thou hast made him little less than divine,\n And hast crowned him with glory and honor,\n Making him lord of creation,\n So that all things are subject to him.\n\n The sheep and the oxen, all of them,\n Yes, and the beasts of the field,\n The birds of the air and the fish,\n That dart through the paths of the sea.\n\n O Lord, our God, how glorious\n Is thy name in all the earth!\n\n\nTHE REWARD OF DOING RIGHT\n\n Happy is the man\n Who follows not the counsel of the wicked,\n Nor takes his stand with sinners,\n Nor sits among the scoffers,\n But delights in the law of the Lord,\n And day and night meditates on it.\n For he is like a tree planted by streams of water,\n Which yields its fruit in due season,\n Whose leaf never withers,\n And all that he does prospers.\n\n Not so the wicked!\n They are like the chaff driven by the wind.\n So the wicked shall not rise up at the judgment,\n Nor sinners where the righteous are gathered;\n For the Lord directs the way of the righteous,\n But the way of the wicked leads to ruin.\n\n\nA PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS\n\n Have mercy upon me, O God,\n According to thy loving-kindness,\n According to the multitude of thy tender mercies,\n Blot out all my transgressions,\n Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,\n And cleanse me from my sin.\n For well do I know my misdeeds,\n And my sin is always before me.\n Against thee, thee only have I sinned,\n And done what is wrong in thy sight;\n Therefore thou art right when thou speakest,\n And just when thou pronouncest thy judgment.\n\n Verily I was born in iniquity,\n And in sin did my mother conceive me.\n Yet thou desirest truth in the heart,\n In my inner soul thou wouldst teach me wisdom.\n Cleanse me with hyssop that I may be clean,\n Wash me whiter than snow.\n Fill me with joy and gladness,\n That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.\n Hide thy face from my sins,\n And blot out all mine iniquities.\n\n Create in me a clean heart, O God,\n And renew a right spirit within me.\n Cast me not away from thy presence,\n Withdraw not thy holy spirit from me.\n Give me back the glad sense of thy help,\n And with a willing spirit sustain me.\n\n Then I will teach sinners thy ways,\n And wrong-doers shall turn unto thee.\n Save me from bloodshed, O God,\n That my tongue may sing of thy righteousness.\n O Lord, open thou my lips,\n That my mouth may declare thy praise!\n\n For thou takest no pleasure in sacrifice,\n No delight in gifts of burnt-offering.\n The sacrifices pleasing to thee\n Are a broken and a contrite spirit.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SAYINGS OF THE WISE\n\n\nTHE REWARDS OF LISTENING TO THE ADVICE OF THE WISE\n\n My son, if you heed my words,\n And store my commands in your mind,\n Pay close attention to wisdom,\n And give careful heed to reason.\n If you will but seek her as silver,\n And search for her as for hid treasures,\n You shall then understand true religion,\n And gain a knowledge of God.\n For wisdom shall enter your mind,\n And knowledge shall be pleasant to you,\n Discretion shall watch over you,\n And understanding shall guard you,\n To keep you from doing wrong,\n From men whose words are evil,\n Who leave the paths of right\n To walk in ways that are dark,\n Who rejoice in doing wrong,\n And take pleasure in evil deeds.\n\n Happy the man who finds wisdom,\n And he who gains understanding.\n In her right hand is long life,\n In her left are riches and honor.\n Her ways are pleasant ways,\n And all her paths are peaceful.\n She gives life to those who seek her,\n They are happy who hold her fast.\n You shall then go on your way securely,\n And your foot shall never stumble.\n When you sit down, you shall not be afraid,\n When you lie down, your sleep shall be sweet.\n\n\nWHAT GOD LIKES AND DISLIKES\n\n The eyes of the Lord are all-seeing,\n Keeping watch on both wicked and good.\n A man thinks all that he does is right,\n But the Lord tests the motive.\n A man plans the way in his mind,\n But the Lord directs his steps.\n\n The Lord detests a false balance,\n But a just balance is his delight.\n To do what is just and right\n Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.\n The conduct of the wicked is hateful to him,\n But he loves the man eager to do right.\n The Lord detests the evil-minded,\n But is well pleased with him who lives uprightly.\n\n The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful to the Lord,\n But the prayer of the upright is a delight to him!\n The Lord holds aloof from the wicked,\n But hears the prayer of the upright.\n Lying lips are hateful to the Lord,\n But they who act honestly are his delight.\n\n There are six things that the Lord hates,\n Yes, seven are detestable to him:\n Haughty eyes and a lying tongue,\n And hands that shed innocent blood,\n A mind that plans wicked schemes,\n Feet that make haste to do evil,\n A false witness who utters lies,\n And he who sows strife between brothers.\n\n\nGOD'S CARE FOR THOSE WHO TRY TO DO RIGHT\n\n The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked,\n But he blesses the home of him who does right.\n Surely he scoffs at the scoffers,\n But to the modest he ever shows favor.\n\n The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,\n But he disappoints the desire of the wicked.\n The Lord is a stronghold to him who lives rightly,\n But he brings destruction to those who do wrong.\n\n The name of the Lord is a strong tower,\n To which the righteous runs and is safe.\n Every word of God is true;\n He is a shield to those who trust him.\n\n Say not, \"I will be revenged for a wrong\";\n Wait for the Lord, he will save you.\n For the Lord gives wisdom,\n From his mouth come knowledge and understanding;\n He stores up sound wisdom for the upright,\n He is a shield to those who live clean lives,\n That he may guard the course of justice,\n And protect the way of his faithful ones.\n\n Reverence for the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,\n But the foolish despise wisdom and discipline.\n Reverence comes through wise instruction,\n And before honor goes modesty.\n\n Trust in the Lord with all your heart,\n Depend not on your own understanding;\n In all you do make him your friend,\n And he will direct your paths.\n\n Be not wise in your own eyes.\n Revere the Lord, and avoid sin.\n Then you will have health of body\n And your bones will be refreshed.\n\n Honor the Lord with your wealth,\n With the best of all you receive,\n Then your barns will be filled with grain,\n And your vats overflow with wine.\n\n A greedy man stirs up strife,\n But he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.\n Intrust what you do to the Lord,\n Then your plans will succeed.\n\n\nTHE WAY TO BE WELL AND HAPPY\n\n Many a man tells of his own kindness.\n But a trustworthy man who can find?\n A child is known by his acts,\n Whether his work is pure and right.\n\n Worry in a man's mind makes it sad,\n But a kind word makes it happy.\n A man's spirit upholds him in sickness,\n But who can raise up a broken spirit?\n\n A calm mind is the life of the body,\n But jealousy rots the bones.\n A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,\n But by inward sorrow the spirit is broken.\n A joyful heart is good medicine,\n But a broken spirit dries up the bones.\n\n\nTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WILLING TO LEARN\n\n The lips of the wise speak knowledge,\n But the fool does not understand.\n A fool's way seems right in his sight,\n But a wise man listens to advice.\n A fool despises his father's correction,\n But he who regards reproof acts wisely.\n\n Listen to advice and receive instruction,\n That you may be wise in your later life.\n Advice in a man's mind is like deep water,\n But a man of sense will draw it out.\n Hold fast instruction, let it not go;\n Keep it, for it is your life.\n\n My son, reject not the discipline of the Lord,\n And do not spurn his reproof,\n For whom he loves he reproves,\n Even as a father the son of whom he is fond.\n He who rejects correction despises his own self,\n But he who listens to reproof gains understanding.\n\n\nHOW TO HONOR YOUR PARENTS\n\n My son, hear the instruction of your father,\n And forsake not the teaching of your mother;\n They shall be a crown of beauty for your head,\n And a necklace about your neck.\n Listen to your father who begat you,\n And despise not your mother when she is old.\n He who does what he is told is a wise son.\n But he who makes friends of spendthrifts,\n Brings disgrace on his father.\n\n He who robs father or mother,\n Saying, \"There is no wrong in it,\"\n Is like him who is a destroyer.\n He who curses his father or mother,\n His lamp shall go out in the blackest of darkness.\n A wise son makes a glad father,\n But a foolish son despises his mother.\n A foolish son is a grief to his father,\n And brings bitterness to her who bore him.\n\n Be wise, my son, and make glad my heart,\n That I may answer the one who reproaches me.\n Let your father be filled with joy,\n And let her who bore you rejoice.\n\n\nTHE TROUBLES OF THOSE WHO ARE LAZY\n\n The lazy man says, \"A lion is outside!\n I shall be killed in the streets!\"\n As the door turns on its hinges,\n So the lazy man turns on his bed.\n He dips his hand in the dish,\n But does not bring it to his mouth!\n The lazy man is wiser in his own mind,\n Than seven who can answer intelligently.\n The way of the lazy is hedged in with thorns,\n But the path of the diligent is a well-built highway.\n\n I went by the field of the lazy man,\n By the vineyard of him who lacked sense,\n It was all overgrown with thorns,\n Its surface was covered with nettles,\n And its stone wall was broken down.\n Then I beheld and reflected,\n I saw and received instruction:\n A little sleep, a little slumber,\n A little folding of the hands to rest,\n And your poverty comes as a robber,\n And your want as a well-armed man.\n\n\nTHINGS THAT ARE BETTER THAN RICHES\n\n Better is a poor man who lives uprightly\n Than one who is dishonest, though he be rich.\n Better is a little with righteousness\n Than great abundance with injustice.\n\n Better is a modest spirit with the humble,\n Than to divide spoil with the proud.\n A good name is better than great riches,\n More highly valued than silver and gold.\n He who trusts in riches shall fail,\n But the upright flourish like a green leaf.\n\n Toil not that you may become rich;\n Cease through your own understanding.\n Should you set your eyes upon it, it is gone!\n For riches fly away,\n Like an eagle that flies toward heaven.\n Better is little with reverence for the Lord\n Than great treasure and trouble as well.\n\n Two things I ask of thee, O God,\n Deny me them not ere I die:\n Put far from me deceit and lying,\n Give me neither poverty nor riches;\n Provide me with the food that I need,\n That I may not be filled to the full and deny thee,\n And say, \"Who is the Lord?\"\n Or else be poor and steal,\n And disgrace the name of my God.\n\n\nRIGHT EATING AND DRINKING\n\n If you find honey, eat only what you need,\n That you may not be too full and be ill.\n\n Wine is a mocker, strong drink makes one quarrelsome,\n And whoever is misled by it is not wise.\n Who cries, \"Woe\"? who, \"Alas\"?\n Who has quarrels? Who complains?\n Who has wounds without cause?\n Who has redness of eyes?\n They who linger long over wine,\n They who go in to taste mixed wine.\n\n So look not on wine when it is red,\n When it sparkles in the cup,\n And glides down smoothly.\n At last it bites like a snake,\n And stings like an adder.\n\n Then you will see strange things,\n And your mind will be confused.\n You will be like one sleeping at sea,\n Like one asleep in a violent storm.\n \"I have been struck, but I feel no pain;\n I have been beaten, but I know it not.\n When shall I awake from my wine?\n I will seek it yet again.\"\n\n\nTHE RIGHT USE OF THE TONGUE\n\n Do you see a man who speaks before he thinks?\n There is more hope for a fool than for him.\n He who answers before he hears\n Covers himself with confusion.\n\n He who is sparing of words has knowledge,\n And he who has a cool spirit is a man of sense.\n Even a fool, if he keeps still, is considered wise;\n Prudent, if he keeps his lips shut.\n\n He who guards his mouth and tongue\n Guards himself against trouble.\n Life and death are in the power of the tongue;\n They who are fond of using it must eat its fruit.\n\n A man has joy from the utterance of his mouth,\n And a word in season, how good it is!\n A word fitly spoken\n Is like golden fruit in silver settings.\n Pleasant words are like honeycomb,\n Sweet to the taste and healing to the body.\n\n\nTHE CONTROL OF THE TEMPER\n\n A mild answer turns away wrath,\n But a harsh word stirs up anger.\n\n A man without self-control\n Is a ruined city whose wall is broken.\n A fool gives way to his wrath,\n But a wise man restrains his anger.\n A fool's anger is known at once,\n But a sensible man heeds not an insult.\n\n A man's wisdom makes him patient,\n It is his glory to overlook faults.\n He who is patient is better than a warrior,\n And he who rules his temper than he who takes a city.\n\n\nWHAT IT MEANS TO BE MODEST\n\n Do not boast what you will do to-morrow,\n For you know not what a day may bring forth.\n Do you see a man wise in his own opinion?\n There is more hope for a fool than for him!\n\n Pride goes before destruction,\n And a haughty spirit before a fall.\n When pride comes, then comes disgrace,\n But with the modest is wisdom.\n\n It is not good to eat much honey;\n But to seek the glory of others is glorious.\n Let another man praise you, not your own mouth;\n Some other, and not your own lips.\n\n\nBEING GENEROUS AND LOVING\n\n He who returns evil for good,\n From his house evil shall not depart.\n\n It is an honor for a man to avoid strife;\n Only a fool is quarrelsome.\n Charcoal for embers, and wood for fire,\n And a quarrelsome man to kindle strife!\n\n Strive not with a man without cause,\n If he has done you no harm.\n\n The beginning of strife is as when one lets out water;\n Therefore leave off strife before quarrelling begins.\n Better a dry crust with quietness\n Than a house full of feasting with strife.\n\n A just man regards the life of his beast,\n But the heart of the wicked is cruel.\n\n He who oppresses the poor reviles his Maker,\n But he who has pity on the needy honors him.\n He who listens not to the cry of the poor,\n He also shall call and not be answered.\n He who pities the poor, lends to the Lord\n And he will repay him for his good deed.\n\n If your enemy hungers, give him food;\n If he thirsts, give him water to drink;\n For you will heap coals of fire on his head,\n And the Lord will reward you.\n\n Hatred stirs up strife,\n But love overlooks faults.\n Better a meal of herbs where love is,\n Than a fatted ox with hate.\n\n Let not love and truth leave you,\n Bind them about your neck;\n So you will enjoy favor and a good reputation\n In the sight of God and man.\n\n\n\n\nTHE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Nativity_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\n\nJESUS IS BORN AT BETHLEHEM\n\nThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a young woman named Mary in\nNazareth, a town of Galilee. She was to be married to a man named Joseph\nof the family of David. When he came to her the angel said: \"Hail,\nhighly honored one! God is with you!\"\n\nShe was startled by his words and wondered what such a greeting might\nmean. But the angel said to her, \"Fear not, Mary, for you have found\nfavor with God. You will have a son and will name him Jesus. He will be\ngreat and will be called the Son of the Most High.\"\n\nThen Mary said to the angel, \"How can this be, for I am not yet\nmarried.\" The angel answered her, \"The Holy Spirit will come upon you\nand the power of the Most High will cover you; therefore your child will\nbe called holy, the Son of God.\" Mary said: \"I am God's servant. May it\nbe with me as you say.\" Then the angel left her.\n\nIn those days the Emperor Augustus commanded that every one should be\nregistered. So all went to be registered, each to his own town. Joseph,\nbecause he was of the family of David, went to be registered with Mary,\nhis wife, from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea\nwhere David was born. While they were there Mary's first son was born.\nAnd she wrapped him in swaddling-clothes and laid him in a manger,\nbecause there was no room for them in the inn.\n\nIn that country there were shepherds living in the fields and keeping\nwatch over their flocks by night. And an angel from God stood by them\nand a heavenly light shone around them, and they were frightened. But\nthe angel said to them:\n\n \"Fear not, for behold I bring you good news\n Of great joy which shall be for all the people.\n For to you is born this day in the town of David\n A Saviour who is God's Anointed.\n This will be a sign to guide you:\n You will find a baby in swaddling-clothes lying in a manger.\"\n\nThen suddenly there was with the angel a great number of the heavenly\nones singing praise to God and saying:\n\n \"Glory to God on high,\n And on earth peace, good-will among men.\"\n\nWhen the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said\nto one another, \"Let us go now to Bethlehem to see this which God has\nmade known to us.\" So they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph; and\nthe baby was lying in a manger.\n\nWhen they had seen him, they made known what had been told them about\nthis child. All who heard the words of the shepherds wondered, but Mary\nkept these things to herself and often thought about them. And the\nshepherds returned, thanking and praising God for what they had heard\nand seen, as it had been foretold.\n\n\nTHE WISE MEN BRING GIFTS TO THE YOUNG CHILD\n\nWhen Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the east came to\nJerusalem and asked, \"Where is the newly born King of the Jews? For we\nsaw his star in the east and have come to worship him.\"\n\nWhen Herod heard these things, he and every one else in Jerusalem were\ngreatly troubled. So when he had gathered all the high priests and\nscribes together, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. They\nsaid to him, \"In Bethlehem of Judea.\"\n\n[Illustration:(C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Three Wise Men_\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\nThen Herod privately called the wise men and asked them exactly how long\nthe star had been seen since it appeared in the east. And he sent them\nto Bethlehem with the command, \"Go and search carefully for the young\nchild, and when you have found him, come and let me know, that I also\nmay go and worship him.\" When they had heard the king, they went away,\nand the star which they had seen in the east went before them until it\nstood over the place where the young child was. They were overjoyed at\nthe sight; and when they came into the house and saw the child with\nMary, his mother, they knelt down and worshipped him. Opening their\ntreasures they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.\nBut being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to\ntheir own country by another way.\n\n\nTHE BOY JESUS ASKS QUESTIONS\n\nAfter Joseph and Mary had done all that the law commanded, they returned\nto Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the boy Jesus grew and\nbecame strong in body and mind. And the blessing of God was upon him.\n\nNow his parents went every year to Jerusalem to the Feast of the\nPassover, and when he was twelve years old they went up as usual. After\nthey had stayed the full number of days and were returning, the boy\nJesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know this; but,\nsupposing him to be in the caravan, they travelled on for a whole day.\nThen they searched for him among their relatives and friends. When they\ndid not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, still looking for him.\nAfter three days they found him in the Temple, sitting with the\nteachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him\nwere amazed at his intelligence and his answers.\n\nWhen his parents saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said to\nhim, \"Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have\nbeen anxiously looking for you.\" He said to them, \"Why did you look for\nme? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?\" But they did\nnot understand what he meant.\n\nThen he went down with them and came to Nazareth; and he was obedient to\nthem; but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus grew\nin wisdom and body and in favor with God and man.\n\n\nJOHN THE BAPTIST TELLS OF JESUS' WORK\n\nWhile Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Herod was ruler of\nGalilee, a man named John, the son of Zachariah, lived in the desert\ncountry. And God commanded him and he went into all the country around\nthe river Jordan calling upon men to be baptized to show that they were\nsorry for their sins and wished to be forgiven. Those who were truly\nsorry for their sins, he baptized in the river Jordan.\n\nThis John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt, and his\nfood was locusts and wild honey.\n\nThen the people of Jerusalem and all Judea and the country around the\nJordan began to go out to him to confess their sins and to be baptized\nby him in the Jordan.\n\nTo the crowds that went out to be baptized by him he said, \"You children\nof vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Bear fruits,\nthen, that will prove that you are truly sorry for what you have done.\nDo not say to yourselves, 'We are children of Abraham'; for I tell you,\nGod can raise up children for Abraham from these stones. Already the axe\nlies at the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear\ngood fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.\"\n\nThe crowds kept asking him, \"What must we do?\" He answered them, \"Let\nhim who has two coats share with him who has none; and let him who has\nfood do the same.\"\n\nWhen the tax-gatherers came to be baptized, they said to him, \"Teacher,\nwhat must we do?\" He said to them, \"Do not take more from any one than\nrightfully belongs to you.\" Soldiers also asked him, \"And what must we\ndo?\" To them he said, \"Do not take money from anybody by force, nor make\nfalse charges, but be content with your wages.\"\n\nNow as the people were wondering whether John might possibly be the\nChrist, John said to them all, \"I indeed baptize you with water; but One\nis coming mightier than I, whose shoe-strings I am not worthy to untie.\nHe will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His fan is in\nhis hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor, and will\ngather the wheat into his storehouse; but the chaff he will burn up with\nfire that cannot be put out.\" In this way, and with many other earnest\nwords, he told the good news to the people.\n\n\nJESUS DECIDES HOW HE WILL DO HIS WORK\n\nAt this time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by\nJohn in the Jordan. And as he was coming up from the water, he saw the\nheavens opening and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down upon him. And a\nvoice from heaven said,\n\n \"Thou art my beloved Son,\n In thee I am well pleased.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n\"_O Little Town of Bethlehem_\"\n\nPainted by W. L. Taylor]\n\nThen Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by\nthe devil. And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights he was\nhungry. Then the tempter came and said to him, \"If you are the Son of\nGod, command these stones to become bread.\" But Jesus answered, \"It is\nwritten,\n\n \"'Man is not to live on bread alone,\n But on every word that comes from God.'\"\n\nThen the devil took him to the holy city and, setting him on the highest\npoint of the Temple, said to him, \"If you are the Son of God, throw\nyourself down; for it is written,\n\n \"'He will give his angels charge of you,\n And on their hands they will bear you up,\n Lest you strike your foot against a stone.'\"\n\nJesus said to him, \"It is also written,\n\n \"'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'\"\n\nOnce more the devil took him to a high mountain and showed him all the\nkingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, \"All these\nthings I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.\" Jesus said\nto him, \"Away with you, Satan! for it is written,\n\n \"'You shall worship the Lord your God,\n And him only shall you serve.'\"\n\n\nJESUS WINS DEVOTED FRIENDS\n\nHerod seized John the Baptist and bound him, and put him in prison\nbecause of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for John said to him,\n\"It is not right for you to have her.\" And although Herod wanted to put\nhim to death, he was afraid of the people, for they believed John to be\na prophet.\n\nNow after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching\nGod's good news: \"The time has come; repent of your sins and believe in\nthe good news, for the kingdom of God is at hand.\"\n\nLeaving Nazareth, Jesus went to live in Capernaum, which is on the Sea\nof Galilee. As he was passing along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he\nsaw Simon and Andrew his brother casting their nets into the sea, for\nthey were fishermen. Jesus said to them, \"Come with me, and I will make\nyou fishers of men.\" And they at once left their nets and followed him.\nAnd going a little farther on, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, with\nJohn his brother, who were in their boat mending their nets. He called\nthem, and they at once left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the\nhired men, and went with him.\n\nThen Jesus found Philip and said to him, \"Come with me.\" Now Philip was\nfrom Bethsaida, the home of Andrew and Peter. Philip, finding Nathanael,\nsaid to him, \"We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the\nprophets wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.\" But Nathanael\nsaid to him, \"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?\" Philip replied,\n\"Come and see.\"\n\nJesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said to him, \"Here is a true\nIsraelite, in whom there is no deceit.\" Nathanael said to him, \"How do\nyou know me?\" Jesus answered, \"Before Philip called you, when you were\nunder the fig-tree, I saw you.\" Nathanael answered him, \"Rabbi, you are\nthe Son of God, you are the King of Israel.\" Jesus replied, \"Do you\nbelieve because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig-tree'? You shall\nsee greater things than these!\"\n\n[Illustration: _Courtesy of the Hanfstaengl Gallery_\n\n_Christ and the Fishermen_\n\nPainted by E. Zimmerman]\n\n\n\nTHE WEDDING AT CANA\n\nTwo days later there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee; and the mother of\nJesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When the\nwine had all been used, Jesus' mother said to him, \"They have no wine.\"\nJesus answered, \"What is that to me? My time has not yet come.\" His\nmother said to the servants, \"Do whatever he tells you.\" Six stone\nwater-jars (such as the Jews used in washing) were there; each jar would\nhold about twenty gallons. Jesus said, \"Fill up the jars with water.\" So\nthey filled them to the brim. Then Jesus said, \"Pour some out, and take\nit to the one in charge of the feast.\" And they did so. When the one in\ncharge of the feast tasted the water which had become wine, he did not\nknow where it came from (although the servants who had poured out the\nwater knew), so he called the bridegroom and said to him, \"Every one\nserves the good wine first, and the wine that is not so good after men\nhave drunk freely; but you have kept the good wine until now.\" This the\nfirst of his wonderful signs, showing his power, Jesus did at Cana in\nGalilee; and his disciples believed in him.\n\n\nTHE HEALING OF THE TEN LEPERS\n\nOn their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples passed through\nSamaria and Galilee. When he entered a certain village, he was met by\nten lepers, who cried to him from a distance, \"Jesus, Master, have pity\non us.\" When Jesus saw them he said to them, \"Go, and show yourselves to\nthe priests.\" And as they went, they were made clean.\n\nOne of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a\nloud voice praised God; and he fell down at the feet of Jesus with his\nface to the ground and thanked him; and this man was a Samaritan. Jesus\nsaid to him, \"Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine? Was\nthere no one who returned to give praise to God except this stranger?\"\nAnd Jesus said to him, \"Arise, and go on your way, your faith has made\nyou well.\"\n\n\nHEALING THE MAN AT THE POOL\n\nThere was a festival of the Jews in Jerusalem, and Jesus went there. In\nJerusalem there is a pool beside the sheep gate. In Hebrew it is called,\nBethesda. It has five porches, and a crowd of people who were sick,\nblind, lame or helpless were lying there, waiting for the water to move,\nfor an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at certain times and\nstirred the water; and the first person who stepped into the water after\nit was stirred was made well, no matter what disease he had.\n\nOne man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him\nlying there, and knew that he had been ill for a long time; and he said\nto him, \"Do you want to be made well?\" The sick man answered, \"Sir, I\nhave no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred, and while I\nam getting in, some one else steps in before me.\" Jesus said to him,\n\"Arise, take up your bed, and walk.\" Immediately the man was made well,\nand he took up his bed and walked.\n\n\nJESUS TALKS WITH A SAMARITAN WOMAN\n\nWhen Jesus left Judea and went back into Galilee, he had to pass through\nSamaria; and he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece\nof ground that Jacob gave his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there.\nJesus, therefore, being wearied by the journey, sat down by the well. It\nwas about noon and a woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to\nher, \"Give me a drink.\" (For his disciples had gone away into the city\nto buy food.)\n\nThe Samaritan woman said to him, \"How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink\nof me who am a Samaritan?\" for the Jews have nothing to do with\nSamaritans. Jesus answered her, \"If you knew the gift of God and who it\nis who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he\nwould have given you living water.\" The woman said to him, \"Sir, you\nhave nothing with which to draw and the well is deep; where then do you\nget that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us\nthe well and himself drank from it, together with his children and his\ncattle?\" Jesus answered her, \"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst\nagain; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give shall never\nthirst. The water that I give him will become in him a well of water\nspringing up into eternal life.\" The woman said to him, \"Sir, give me\nthis water, that I may not thirst again nor have to come here to draw.\"\n\nJesus said to her, \"Go, call your husband, then come back here.\" The\nwoman answered, \"I have no husband.\" Jesus said to her, \"You are right\nin saying, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and he\nwhom you now have is not your husband; in saying that, you spoke the\ntruth.\"\n\nThe woman said to him, \"Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers\nworshipped in this mountain; and you Jews say that Jerusalem is the\nplace where men ought to worship.\" Jesus said to her, \"Woman, believe\nme, the time will come when you will worship the Father neither on this\nmountain nor at Jerusalem. The time is coming, yes, has already come,\nwhen the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in\ntruth; for such worshippers the Father seeks. God is a spirit, and they\nwho worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.\" The woman said\nto him, \"I know that the Messiah (which means Christ) is coming. When\nhe comes he will explain all things to us.\" Jesus said to her, \"I who am\ntalking to you am he.\"\n\nAt this point the disciples came up and were astonished that he was\ntalking with a woman; but none of them said, \"What do you want?\" or,\n\"Why are you talking to her?\"\n\nThen the woman left her water-pot and going into the city said to the\nmen, \"Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Is not this the\nMessiah?\" And they set out from the town on their way to him.\n\nMeanwhile Jesus' disciples urged him, saying, \"Master, take some food\";\nbut he said to them, \"I have food to eat of which you know not.\" So they\nsaid to one another, \"Has any one brought him something to eat?\" Jesus\nsaid to them, \"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to carry\nout his work. Do not say, 'Four months and then comes the harvest'; I\nsay to you, lift up your eyes and see these fields white for the\nharvest! Already the reaper is receiving his wages and gathering in a\ncrop for eternal life, that the sower and reaper may rejoice together.\nFor here the proverb holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent\nyou to reap a harvest for which you had not toiled; other men have\ntoiled and you are sharing the results of their toil.\"\n\nBecause of the words of the woman who had said, \"He told me everything\nthat I ever did,\" many Samaritans from the town believed in Jesus; and\nwhen they came to him, they begged him to stay with them. And he stayed\nthere two days, and many more believed because of what he himself said.\nTo the woman they said, \"Now we believe, not because of your words but\nbecause we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the\nSaviour of the world.\"\n\n\nGIVING LIFE TO A WIDOW'S SON\n\nJesus went to a town called Nain; and his disciples went with him\nfollowed by a large crowd. Just as Jesus came to the gate of the town,\nhe saw one who was dead being carried out. He was the only son of his\nmother who was a widow. Many people of the town were with her.\n\nWhen Jesus saw her, he had sympathy for her and said to her, \"Do not\nweep.\" And he came and touched the coffin, and those who carried it\nstood still. Jesus said: \"Young man, I say to you, arise.\" And he who\nhad been dead sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his\nmother. And all the people were filled with fear and praised God,\nsaying, \"A great prophet has appeared among us, and God has visited his\npeople.\" And the story of what Jesus had done was told in all of Judea\nand the country around there.\n\n\nJESUS HEALS THE SICK\n\nJesus and his disciples entered Capernaum; and on the next Sabbath he\nwent into the synagogue and began to teach. And the people were\nastonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority,\nand not as the scribes.\n\nIn their synagogue that day was a man under the power of an unclean\nspirit, who cried out, \"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?\nHave you come to destroy us? I know you are God's Holy One.\" But Jesus\nreproved the unclean spirit, saying, \"Be still, and come out of him.\"\nThen the unclean spirit, after convulsing the man, came out of him with\na loud cry. The people were so astonished that they began to ask one\nanother, \"What is this? Is it a new teaching? With authority he commands\neven the unclean spirits and they obey him.\" So the news about Jesus\nspread at once in every direction all through the country about Galilee.\n\nAfter leaving the synagogue they went straight to the house of Simon and\nAndrew; and James and John went with them. The mother of Simon's wife\nwas ill in bed with a fever; so at once they told Jesus about her. He\nwent to her and, taking her by the hand, lifted her up. Then the fever\nleft her, and she began to wait upon them.\n\nIn the evening, after the sun had set, they brought to him all who were\nsick or under the control of evil spirits, until all the people of the\ncity were gathered at the door. He healed many who were sick with\ndifferent kinds of diseases, and cast out many evil spirits, but would\nnot let them speak, because they knew who he was.\n\nOne day a leper came to him and on bended knees begged him: \"If you\nwill, you can make me clean.\" Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out\nhis hand and touched him, and said, \"I will; be cleansed!\" At once the\nleprosy left him and he was cleansed. Then Jesus, after strictly warning\nhim, sent him away with the command, \"See that you do not say a word to\nany one, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses\ncommanded as proof to them that you are clean.\" But the man went away\nand began to tell every one about it, so that Jesus could no longer\nenter a city openly, but had to stay outside in lonely places; and\npeople from everywhere came to him.\n\n\nJESUS CURES A MAN WHO CANNOT WALK\n\nWhen Jesus entered Capernaum again, after some days, it was reported\nthat he was at home, and so many people gathered about him that there\nwas no longer room for them, not even at the door. While Jesus was\npreaching to them, four men came, carrying a man who was paralyzed and\ncould not move. As they could not get near to Jesus on account of the\ncrowd, they tore up the roof over his head. When they had made a hole,\nthey let down the bed on which the man who could not move was lying.\nSeeing their faith, Jesus said to him, \"Son, your sins are forgiven.\"\nBut some of the scribes sitting there said to themselves, \"Why should\nthis man say such a thing? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins\nexcept God alone?\"\n\nKnowing at once what they were saying, Jesus said to them, \"Why do you\nsay these things to yourselves? Which is easier: to say to the man who\ncannot move, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, take your\nbed, and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has the power\non earth to forgive sins\" (he said to the man who could not walk) \"I say\nto you, Rise, take up your bed, and go to your home.\" Then the man rose\nand at once took up his bed and went out in the presence of them all, so\nthat they were all filled with wonder and praised God, saying, \"We have\nnever seen anything like this.\"\n\n\nJESUS MAKES EVEN WRONG-DOERS HIS FRIENDS\n\nThen Jesus went out again beside the Sea of Galilee; and all the crowd\ncame to him, and he taught them. As he passed along he saw Levi, the son\nof Alphaeus, sitting at the house where taxes were collected, and he said\nto him, \"Come with me.\" So Levi arose and followed him.\n\nNow while Jesus was eating dinner in Levi's house, many tax-gatherers\nand sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples. The scribes and\nPharisees, seeing this, said to his disciples, \"Does he eat with\ntax-gatherers and sinners?\" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, \"Not\nthose who are well, but those who are sick have need of a physician. I\ndid not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.\"\n\nAt another time one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dine with him. So\nJesus entered the Pharisee's house and sat down at the table. In the\ntown was a wicked woman who, when she heard that Jesus was sitting at\nthe table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of perfume.\nShe stood behind at his feet, weeping; and as her tears began to wet his\nfeet, she wiped them with her hair. And she tenderly kissed his feet and\npoured the perfume over them.\n\nWhen the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, \"If\nthis man were a prophet, he would know about the woman who is touching\nhim, for she is a sinner.\"\n\nJesus answered him, \"Simon, I have a word to say to you.\" He replied,\n\"Say it, Master.\" \"There were two men who owed a certain money-lender\nsome silver: one owed him five hundred silver pieces and the other\nfifty. Neither of them was able to pay anything; so he forgave them\nboth. Now which of them will love him the more?\" Simon answered, \"I\nsuppose the man who owed the most.\" Jesus said to him, \"You have decided\nrightly.\"\n\nTurning to the woman, Jesus said to Simon, \"You see this woman? When I\ncame into your house, you gave me no water for my feet; but she has wet\nmy feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no\nkiss, but she, since I came in, has not ceased tenderly to kiss my feet.\nYou did not pour any oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my\nfeet. Therefore, I say to you, her sins, though they be many, are\nforgiven, for she has loved much. He to whom little is forgiven, loves\nlittle.\"\n\nThen Jesus said to her, \"Your sins are forgiven.\" And the other guests\nbegan to say to themselves, \"Who is this man who even forgives sins?\"\nBut he said to the woman, \"Your faith has saved you; go and be at\npeace.\"\n\n\nJESUS FINDS JOY IN ALL HIS WORK\n\nOnce when John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, people\ncame to Jesus and said, \"Why do the disciples of John and the disciples\nof the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?\"\n\nJesus said to them, \"Can guests fast at a wedding while the bridegroom\nis with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot\nfast. But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from\nthem; then they will fast. No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old\ncoat; otherwise the patch breaks away from it, the new from the old, and\nthe tear is made worse. No man pours new wine into old wine-skins;\notherwise the new wine bursts the skins, and both the wine and the\nwine-skins are lost. Instead new wine is poured into fresh wine-skins.\"\n\nOne Sabbath Jesus was walking through the grain-fields; and his\ndisciples, as they made their way through, began to pull off the heads\nof the grain. The Pharisees said to him, \"Sir, why are they doing things\nthat on the Sabbath are unlawful?\" He said to them, \"Have you never read\nwhat David did when he and his followers were in need and hungry? how he\nwent into the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the\nholy bread which only the priests are allowed to eat, and gave it also\nto those who were with him?\"\n\nAnd Jesus said to them, \"The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for\nthe Sabbath; so that the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.\"\n\nAt another time he went into a synagogue. A man was there whose hand was\nshrivelled. And they watched Jesus to see whether he would heal him on\nthe Sabbath day, that they might bring a charge against him. Jesus said\nto the man whose hand was shrivelled, \"Rise and come forward.\" Then he\nsaid to them, \"Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm?\nTo save life or to kill? Who of you, if he has but one sheep and it\nfalls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it\nout? Is not a man of much greater value than a sheep?\" But they did not\nanswer. Then looking around upon them with sorrow and indignation\nbecause they had no sympathy, he said to the man, \"Stretch out your\nhand.\" He stretched it out, and his hand was entirely cured. But the\nPharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against\nhim, how they might put him out of the way.\n\n\nJESUS CALMS THE STORM\n\nJesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a crowd followed him\nfrom Galilee. Also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea the other side of the\nJordan, and from the country about Tyre and Sidon a great number,\nhaving heard what he was doing, came to him. So he told his disciples to\nhave a small boat ready for him to keep him from being crushed by the\ncrowd; for he had healed so many that all who were sick and in trouble\nwere pressing forward to touch him. And whenever those who had evil\nspirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried, \"You are the Son\nof God.\" But again and again he commanded them not to tell who he was.\n\nIn the evening Jesus said to his disciples, \"Let us cross to the other\nside.\" So, leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just\nas he was; and there were other boats with his. A heavy wind-storm arose\nand the waves began to break into the boat so that it was filling; but\nJesus was in the stern asleep on the cushion. So they woke him and said\nto him, \"Master, is it nothing to you that we are lost?\" And he awoke\nand reproved the wind, and said to the sea, \"Peace, be still!\" And\nimmediately the wind ceased and the sea was calm; and he said to them,\n\"Why are you afraid? Why do you not have faith?\" But they were filled\nwith wonder and said to one another, \"Who then is he, that even the wind\nand the sea obey him?\"\n\n\nJESUS HEALS A LITTLE GIRL\n\nWhen Jesus again crossed the Sea of Galilee in a boat to the other side,\na large crowd had gathered to meet him; so he stayed beside the sea. One\nof the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came up, and, on seeing\nJesus, fell at his feet and earnestly begged him, saying, \"My little\ndaughter is dying; come, I beg of you, and place your hands on her that\nshe may be cured and live.\" So Jesus went with him, and a great crowd\nfollowed and pressed about him.\n\nIn the crowd was a woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve\nyears and had been treated by many physicians, spending all that she\nhad, yet was none the better, but rather had grown worse. Having heard\nabout Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his robe,\nfor she said to herself, \"If I can but touch his garments, I shall be\ncured.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Raising the Daughter of Jairus_\n\nPainted by Leon Gerome]\n\nImmediately the hemorrhage stopped, and she knew that she was cured of\nher disease. Jesus, knowing at once that healing power had gone from\nhim, turned around in the crowd and said, \"Who touched my garments?\" His\ndisciples said to him, \"You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet\ndo you ask, 'Who touched me?'\" But still he looked for her who had\ndone this, until the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had\nhappened to her, came forward and fell down before him and told him the\ntruth. He said to her, \"Daughter, your faith has cured you. Go and live\nin peace, and be healed of your disease.\"\n\nWhile Jesus was still speaking, messengers came from the house of the\nruler of the synagogue, saying, \"Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the\nMaster further?\" But Jesus, overhearing the message, said to the ruler\nof the synagogue, \"Have no fear, only trust.\"\n\nJesus would allow no one to go with him except Peter and James and John\nthe brother of James. When they came to the house of the ruler of the\nsynagogue, he found a crowd of people weeping aloud and wailing.\nEntering, Jesus said to them, \"Why are you making an uproar and weeping?\nThe child is not dead, but asleep.\" And they laughed at him scornfully.\nBut he sent them out and took the father and mother of the child and\nthose who were with him into the room where she was. Then, taking her by\nthe hand, he said to her, \"Talitha koumi,\" which means, \"Little girl,\narise.\" To the astonishment of all, the little girl (who was twelve\nyears of age) got up at once and walked about. But Jesus charged them\nstrictly to let no one know of this, and told them to give the little\ngirl something to eat.\n\n\nJESUS VISITS HIS OLD HOME\n\nJesus went to Nazareth where he had been brought up. As was his custom,\nhe went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read the\nlesson. And he was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and on\nunrolling it he found the place where it is written:\n\n \"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,\n For he has called me to preach good news to the poor,\n He has sent me to proclaim release to captives,\n And recovery of sight to the blind,\n To set free those who have been crushed by cruelty,\n To proclaim the year when the Lord will show favor.\"\n\nThen, having rolled up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant\nand sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him, and he\nsaid to them, \"To-day what is here written is fulfilled in your sight.\"\n\nAs he went on to teach in the synagogue, many who heard him were\nastonished and said: \"Where did he get these teachings? What is this\nwisdom which has been given him? and what are these wonderful acts of\nhealing that he does? Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the\nbrother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters\nliving here among us?\" And they would not believe in him. Jesus said to\nthem, \"A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and\namong his relatives and in his own home.\"\n\nIn that place he could do no wonderful acts except laying his hands on a\nfew sick people and healing them; and he was astonished at their lack of\nfaith. So he went about the near-by villages teaching.\n\n\nJESUS CALLS TOGETHER HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS\n\nJesus went up on the hillside near Capernaum and called to him the men\nwhom he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve to be with him\nand to go out to preach, with power to cast out evil spirits. These were\nthe twelve disciples: Simon to whom he gave also the name Peter, James\nthe son of Zebedee and John his brother, whom he called \"Sons of\nThunder,\" Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of\nAlphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who at last\nbetrayed him.\n\nThen Jesus went into a house and the crowd gathered again so that it was\nimpossible even to eat a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they\nset out to get hold of him, for they said, \"He is out of his mind.\"\nStanding outside, his mother and his brothers sent word to him to come\nout to them. He was in the midst of a crowd seated about him when some\none said to him, \"Here are your mother and your brothers and sisters\noutside hunting for you.\" He answered, \"Who are my mother and my\nbrothers?\" Then looking around at those who sat in a circle about him,\nhe said, \"Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of\nGod is my brother and sister and mother.\"\n\n\nWHAT JESUS ASKS OF HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS\n\n[Illustration: _Christ with Mary and Martha_\n\nPainted by H. Siemiradzki]\n\nOnce Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha invited\nhim to her house. She had a sister named Mary who seated herself at\nJesus' feet and listened to his words. But Martha was worried by her\ndesire to wait on him, and came and said to him, \"Lord, do you not care\nthat my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help\nme.\" But Jesus said to her, \"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and\ntroubled about many things, but few things are necessary, really only\none. Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from\nher.\"\n\nOnce when Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road, some one\nsaid to him, \"I will follow you wherever you go.\" Jesus said to him,\n\"The foxes have holes and the wild birds their nests, but the Son of Man\nhas no place to lay his head.\" He said to another, \"Follow me\"; but the\nman said, \"Let me first go and bury my father.\" Jesus said to him, \"Let\nthe dead bury their dead, but you go and tell about the Kingdom of God.\"\nStill another said, \"I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say\ngood-by to my people at home.\" Jesus said to him, \"No one who looks back\nafter having put his hand to the plough is fit for the Kingdom of God.\"\n\nOnce, when crowds were following him, he turned and said to them, \"If\nany one who comes to me is not willing to give up his father and mother\nand wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his very life,\nhe cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross, as he\nfollows me, cannot be my disciple.\n\n\"Who of you, if he wishes to build a tower, does not first sit down and\ncount the cost, to see whether he has money enough to finish it?\nOtherwise, if he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish the\nbuilding, all who see it make fun of him and say, 'This man began to\nbuild but could not finish!'\"\n\n\nTHE WAY TO LEARN FROM JESUS\n\nJesus taught his disciples, saying, \"Do not think that I came to set\naside the old law or the teachings of the prophets. I did not come to\nset them aside but to complete them.\n\n\"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give\nyou rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am kind and\nsympathetic, and you will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden\nlight.\n\n\"He who hears these words of mine and keeps them in mind will be like a\nwise man who built his house upon the rock. The rain fell, the floods\ncame, the winds blew and beat upon that house; yet it did not fall, for\nits foundation was built on the rock.\n\n\"He who hears these words of mine but does not keep them in mind will be\nlike a foolish man who built his house upon sand. The rain fell, the\nfloods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and\ngreat was its downfall.\"\n\nAt another time when Jesus was teaching beside the lake, such a large\ncrowd gathered about him that he entered a boat and sat in it, while the\ncrowd stayed on the shore. He then taught them many truths by means of\nstories, and said, \"Listen to me. The sower went out to sow, and as he\nsowed, some of the seed fell on the road where birds came and ate it up.\nSome fell on rocky ground, where it had but little soil, and because\nthere was no depth of earth it began to grow at once; but when the sun\nrose, it was scorched with the heat, and having no root it withered\naway. Some of the seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and\nchoked it so that it bore nothing. Other seed fell on good soil, and\nsprouted and grew and bore at the rate of thirty, sixty, and a\nhundredfold.\" And he said to them, \"Let him who has ears to hear,\nremember this.\"\n\nWhen Jesus was alone, those who were with him and the twelve disciples\nasked him what this story meant. He said to them, \"Do you not see the\nmeaning of this? How then will you understand all my other stories? The\nsower sows his teaching. The teaching that is sown along the road is\nlike some people who hear but immediately Satan comes and takes away the\nteaching which has been sown in them.\n\n\"And the seed that has been sown on rocky places, is like those people\nwho hear the teaching and receive it at once with joy, but it takes no\nroot in them and they remember it only for a short time.\n\n\"The seed sown among thorns is like those who hear the teaching but the\npleasures of this life, the desire for wealth and other things makes\nthem forget the teaching, and so it bears no fruit.\n\n\"But the seed sown on good soil is like those people who hear the\nteaching and remember it, and it bears fruit; some thirty, some sixty,\nand some a hundredfold.\n\n\"Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will not both fall into a ditch? A\ndisciple is not above his teacher; but every pupil when perfectly\ntrained will be like his teacher.\n\n\"No good tree bears rotten fruit; neither does a rotten tree bear good\nfruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered\nfrom thorns, nor grapes picked from a bramble-bush. From the good stored\nin his heart the good man brings forth goodness, but the evil man\nfrom his evil store brings forth evil; for the mouth speaks that with\nwhich the heart is filled.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Sower_\n\nPainted by Herbert Moore]\n\n\"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. One\ndoes not light a candle to put it under a basket but on a stand, where\nit shall give light to all who are in the house. So let your light shine\nbefore men that they may see your good deeds and praise your heavenly\nFather.\"\n\n\nTHE REWARDS FOR FOLLOWING JESUS' TEACHINGS\n\nJames and John, the sons of Zebedee, once came to Jesus and said,\n\"Master, we want you to do for us what we shall ask.\" So he said, \"What\ndo you want me to do for you?\" They answered, \"When you enter into your\nkingly glory, let one of us sit on your right hand and one on your\nleft.\" But Jesus said to them, \"You do not know what you are asking. Can\nyou drink the cup of woe that I am to drink, or be baptized with the\nbaptism of suffering with which I am to be baptized?\" They said to him,\n\"We can.\" Jesus said, \"You will drink the cup that I am to drink and be\nbaptized with my baptism, but to sit on my right hand and on my left is\nnot mine to give; for it is for those for whom it has been prepared.\"\n\nWhen the ten other disciples heard this request, they were at first\nangry with James and John, but Jesus called them to him and said, \"You\nknow that those who are rulers in foreign countries lord it over those\nunder them, and their great men have authority over them; but it is not\nso among you. Whoever wishes to be great among you must serve you, and\nwhoever wishes to be first among you must be ready to be the servant of\nall. For I did not come to be served but to be of service to others, and\nto give my life so as to secure freedom for many.\"\n\nThen he took a little child and set him in their midst. And taking him\nin his arms, he said to them, \"Whoever receives a little child like\nthis, in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me receives not only\nme, but God who sent me. Whoever gives one of these little ones even a\ncup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple will, I tell you,\nnot lose his reward.\n\n\"When the Son of Man comes in his glory and with him all the angels, he\nwill sit upon his glorious throne, and all people shall be gathered\nbefore him. And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd\nseparates the sheep from the goats, placing the sheep on his right hand\nand the goats on his left.\n\n\"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you whom my Father\nhas blessed, enter into possession of the kingdom prepared for you since\nthe creation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was\nthirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I\nwas naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in\nprison and you came to me.'\n\n\"Then the upright will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and\nfeed you? Or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger\nand welcome you? Or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick or\nin prison and come to you?' The King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to\nyou, as you have done it even to the least of these my brothers, you\nhave done it to me.'\"\n\n\nGOD'S LOVE EVEN FOR SINNERS\n\nBecause tax-gathers and sinners kept coming to Jesus to hear him, the\nPharisees and scribes complained, \"This man welcomes sinners and even\neats with them!\" So he told them this story: \"What man of you, if he has\na hundred sheep and loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the\nwilderness and go and hunt for the lost sheep until he finds it? And\nwhen he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and when he\ngets home calls together his friends and says, 'Rejoice with me, for I\nhave found the sheep that I lost.' So, I tell you, there will be more\njoy in heaven over one sinner who is truly sorry and promises to do\nright than over ninety-nine upright men who have no need to do so.\n\n\"Or which one of you women, if she has ten silver coins but has lost\none, does not light a lamp, sweep the house thoroughly, and search\ncarefully until she finds it? After finding it she calls together her\nfriends and neighbors and says, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the\ncoin that I lost.' So, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels\nof God over one sinner who is truly sorry and promises to do right.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_Seeking the Lost Sheep_\n\nPainted by Herbert Moore]\n\nJesus said, \"There was a man who had two sons. The younger said to his\nfather, 'Father, give me the part of your property that belongs to me.'\nSo the Father divided his property between his two sons. A few days\nlater, the younger son got together all that he had and went into a\ndistant country where he wasted his money in reckless living. After\nhe had spent it all, there was a great famine in the land, and he began\nto be in want. So he agreed to work for a man of that country, who sent\nhim into his fields to feed swine; and he was ready to eat even the pods\nthat the swine were eating, for no one gave him food. But when he came\nto himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more\nthan enough to eat while I die here of hunger! I will go to my father\nand say, 'Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no\nlonger worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired\nservants.'\n\n\"So he went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his\nfather saw him and felt pity for him, and ran and threw his arms about\nhis neck and tenderly kissed him. Then his son said to him, 'Father, I\nhave sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be\ncalled your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick, bring a\ncoat, the best, and put it on him and put a ring on his finger and\nsandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf, kill it, and let us eat\nand be merry; for this son of mine was dead but has come back to life,\nhe was lost but has been found.' So they began to make merry.\n\n\"Now the elder son was out in the fields, and as he came near the house\nhe heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked\nwhat all this meant. The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come,\nand your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe\nand sound.' And he was angry and would not go in so his father came out\nto reason with him, but he answered, 'See all these many years I have\nworked for you and never disobeyed one of your commands, yet you never\ngave me so much as a young goat that I might have a feast with my\nfriends. But now when this son of yours comes, who has wasted your money\nwith wicked women, you kill the fatted calf for him!' His father\nanswered, 'Son, you are with me always and all that I have is yours; but\nit was right to make merry and rejoice because of your brother, for he\nwas dead but has come back to life, he was lost but has been found.'\"\n\n\nGOD'S READINESS TO ANSWER PRAYER\n\nJesus said: \"Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and\nthe door will be opened to you; for every one who asks receives, and he\nwho seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.\n\n\"What man is there among you, who if his son asks him for a loaf of\nbread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a\nsnake? Then if you, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts to your\nchildren, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to\nthose who ask him.\n\n\"Also I tell you: if two of you on earth agree about that for which you\nask, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or\nthree have gathered together in my name, I am there with them.\"\n\n\nHOW TO PRAY\n\nThe apostles said to Jesus, \"Help us to have greater faith.\" But he\nsaid, \"If you had faith even the size of a mustard-seed and said to this\nmulberry-tree, 'Be rooted up and be planted in the sea,' it would obey\nyou.\"\n\nAgain he said to them, \"Have faith in God. Indeed I tell you that if any\none will say to this hill, 'Throw yourself into the sea,' and has no\ndoubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it\nshall be done for him. Therefore, I say to you, believe that whatever\nyou ask for in prayer you have received, and it shall be yours. And\nwhenever you stand up to pray, if any one has done wrong to you, forgive\nhim, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your wrong-doing.\"\n\nWhen Jesus was praying at a certain place and had finished, one of his\ndisciples said to him, \"Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his\ndisciples.\" So he said to them, \"When you pray, say: 'Our Father who art\nin heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on\nearth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive\nus our wrong-doings as we have forgiven those who have wronged us. Help\nus to resist temptation and deliver us from evil.'\n\n\"When you pray, do not do as the hypocrites who like to stand and pray\nin the synagogues and on the corners of the main streets so as to be\nseen by men. I tell you, they have received their full reward! But when\nyou pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who\nis found in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will\ngive you your reward.\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Prodigal Son_\n\nPainted by Herbert Moore]\n\n\"When you pray do not say the same things over and over as do the\nheathen, who believe that they will be heard because of their many\nwords. Do not do as they do. Your Father knows what things you need\nbefore you ask him.\"\n\n\nWHY WE SHOULD TRUST GOD\n\n\"Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, or what you\nshall wear. Does not life mean more than food, and the body more than\nclothing? Consider how the birds of the air neither sow nor reap nor\ngather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not\nworth far more than they? Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not\none of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. As for\nyou, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Then have no fear, for\nyou are worth far more than the sparrows.\n\n\"Which of you by being anxious can add a single foot to his height? And\nwhy be anxious about what you wear? Consider the lilies of the field,\nhow they grow! They neither toil nor spin, and yet I tell you, not even\nSolomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of these. Now if God so\nclothes the grass of the field which is alive to-day but to-morrow is\nthrown into the oven, is it not far more certain that he will clothe\nyou, O men of little faith?\n\n\"Do not be anxious then and say, 'What shall we eat or what shall we\ndrink or with what shall we be clothed?' For all these things the\nheathen are seeking, but your heavenly Father knows that you need all\nthese things. Seek first to do right as he would have you do, and all\nthese other things will be given to you. Therefore, do not be anxious\nabout to-morrow, for to-morrow will take care of itself.\"\n\n\nTHE KINGDOM OF GOD\n\nOnce when little children were brought to Jesus that he might touch\nthem, the disciples found fault with those who brought them. When Jesus\nsaw it, he was displeased and said to his disciples, \"Allow the little\nchildren to come to me; and do not forbid them, for of such as these is\nthe Kingdom of God. I tell you, whoever will not accept the Kingdom of\nGod like a little child, will never enter it.\" Then he took the\nchildren in his arms, laid his hands on them, and lovingly blessed them.\n\nOne Sabbath day Jesus went to dine at the house of a leading Pharisee.\nOne of the guests said to him, \"Fortunate is he who will have a share in\nthe Kingdom of God.\"\n\nBut Jesus said to him, \"A man once gave a great dinner and invited many\nguests. At dinner-time he sent out his servant to say to those who had\nbeen invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But all of them began\nto make excuses. The first said, 'I have bought a field and must go and\nlook at it. I must ask you to excuse me.' Another said, 'I have bought\nfive yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them. I must ask you to excuse\nme.' Another said, 'I have just married and so I cannot come.'\n\n\"The servant returned and reported these answers to his master. Then the\nmaster of the house was angry and said to his servant, 'Go out at once\ninto the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the\ncrippled, the blind, and the lame.' When the servant reported, 'Sir,\nyour order has been carried out, yet there is still room,' the master\nsaid to him, 'Go out into the highways and the country lanes and compel\npeople to come, so that my house may be filled; for I tell you, that not\none of those who were first invited shall taste of my dinner.'\"\n\nOnce when Jesus was walking along the road, a man ran up and knelt\nbefore him and asked, \"Good Master, what must I do that I may be sure of\neternal life?\" Jesus said to him, \"Why do you call me good? No one is\ngood except one only: God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit\nadultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not\nbe dishonest. Honor your father and mother.'\" He said to him, \"Master, I\nhave kept all these commands from my youth.\" Looking upon him, Jesus\nloved him and said, \"One thing you lack; go, sell all that you have and\ngive to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come with\nme.\" But when the man heard this, he looked sad, and he went away in\nsorrow, for he had great wealth. Then Jesus looked around and said to\nhis disciples, \"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the\nKingdom of God!\" They were surprised at his words, but again he said,\n\"Children, how hard it is for those who trust in wealth to enter the\nKingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye\nthan for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.\" And they were so\nastonished that they said, \"Then who can be saved?\" Jesus looked at\nthem and said, \"With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with\nGod everything is possible.\"\n\n\nTHE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS\n\nOnce a lawyer asked Jesus, \"What is the most important of all the\ncommandments?\" Jesus answered, \"The most important is: 'The Lord our God\nis one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart,\nwith your whole soul, with your whole mind and with your whole\nstrength.'\n\n\"The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There\nis no other commandment greater than these.\"\n\nThe lawyer said to him, \"Teacher, you have rightly and truly said,\n'There is one God and there is none other. Also to love him, with all\none's heart, and with all one's understanding, and with all one's\nstrength, and to love one's neighbor as one loves himself is far more\nthan all whole-burnt offerings and sacrifices.'\"\n\nWhen Jesus saw that the lawyer had answered wisely, he said to him, \"You\nare not far from the Kingdom of God.\"\n\n\nTHE REWARDS OF MODESTY AND UNSELFISHNESS\n\nOnce Jesus went into the house of a leading Pharisee to dine. When he\nsaw how the guests chose the best places, he gave them this advice:\n\"When any one invites you to a marriage feast, do not sit down in the\nbest place, for perhaps the host has invited some one of higher rank\nthan yourself. Then the host will come to you and say, 'Make room for\nthis man,' and with shame you will take the lowest place.\n\n\"Instead, when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so\nthat when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, come up higher.'\nThen you will be honored in the sight of all your fellow guests. For\nevery one who puts himself forward will be humbled, but he who does not\nput himself forward will be honored.\"\n\nThen Jesus said to his host, \"When you give a dinner or a supper, do not\ninvite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors, for they\nwill invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast,\ninvite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Then you will be\nblessed. For they have no way of repaying you, and you will be rewarded\nwhen the upright rise from the dead.\"\n\nPeter said to him, \"But we have left everything and have followed you.\"\nJesus answered, \"I tell you, there is no one who has left home or\nbrothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake\nand for the good cause, who does not receive a hundredfold as much at\nthis present time: houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and\nlands, along with persecution, and in the time to come eternal life. But\nmany who are first now will be last, and the last will be first.\"\n\n\nHOW TO USE MONEY\n\nA man from the crowd once said to Jesus, \"Master, tell my brother to\ngive me my share of the property that belongs to us.\" Jesus answered,\n\"Man, who made me your judge to divide between you?\" Then to the people\nhe said, \"Take care that you do not become greedy for wealth, for life\ndoes not consist in having more things than you need.\"\n\nAnd he told them this story: \"The land of a certain rich man bore large\ncrops; so he thought to himself, 'What am I to do, for I have no place\nto store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will pull\ndown my barns and build larger ones in which I can store all my grain\nand goods. Then I will say to myself, Now you have plenty of things laid\nup for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be happy.'\n\n\"But God said to him, 'Foolish man! This very night your life is\nrequired of you, and who will have all the things that you have\ngathered?' So it is with the man who lays up wealth for himself instead\nof that which in the sight of God is the true wealth.\n\n\"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust\ndestroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for\nyourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and\nwhere thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,\nthere will your heart be also.\n\n\"No man can serve two masters: either he will hate one and love the\nother, or else he will be loyal to one and untrue to the other. You\ncannot worship both God and wealth.\"\n\nOnce as Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury of the Temple, he\nwatched the way in which the people put in their money. Many rich men\nwere putting in large sums, but a poor woman came and dropped in two\nsmall coins worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to\nthem, \"I tell you, this poor widow has given more than all the rest who\nhave put their money into the treasury, for they have given out of their\nplenty, but she out of her poverty has given all that she has, even that\nwhich is needed to keep her alive.\"\n\n\nDIFFERENT WAYS OF USING TALENTS\n\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who before going abroad called his\nservants and gave what he had into their charge. To one he gave five\ntalents, to another two, and to another one, each according to what he\nwas able to do. Then the man went on his journey.\n\n\"The servant who had received five talents went at once and traded with\nthem and gained five more talents. In the same way the one who had\nreceived two gained two more. But he who had received one talent went\naway and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.\n\n\"After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled\nhis accounts with them. When the one who had received five talents came\nbringing five more, he said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I\nhave gained five more.' His master said to him 'Well done, good and\nfaithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things, I will put\nyou in charge of many things. Share your master's happiness.'\n\n\"The one who had received the two talents also came and said, 'Master,\nyou gave me two talents. See, I have gained two more.' His master said\nto him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful\nover a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Share your\nmaster's happiness.'\n\n\"Then he who had received one talent came and said, 'Master, I knew that\nyou are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where\nyou have not winnowed; so I was afraid and hid your talent in the\nground. There you have what belongs to you.'\n\n\"But his master answered, 'Idle, worthless servant! You knew that I reap\nwhere I have not sown and gather where I have not winnowed. You ought\ntherefore to have put my money in the hands of bankers and on my return\nI would have received it with interest. Take my talent away from him and\ngive it to the servant who has the ten talents; for to every one who has\nshall more be given and he shall have plenty; but from him who has only\na little, even what he has shall be taken away. Throw this worthless\nservant into the outer darkness where men shall wail and grind their\nteeth.'\"\n\n\nTHE GOOD SAMARITAN\n\nOnce a lawyer stood up to test Jesus with this question, \"Master, what\nshall I do to receive eternal life?\" Jesus said to him, \"What is written\nin the law? How does it read?\" He answered, \"You shall love the Lord\nyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your\nstrength and with all your mind; also your neighbor as yourself.\" Jesus\nsaid to him, \"You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.\"\n\nBut wishing to justify himself he said to Jesus, \"Who is my neighbor?\"\nJesus answered, \"A certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell\nin with robbers who after stripping and beating him went away, leaving\nhim half dead. Now it happened that a certain priest was going by the\nsame road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.\n\n\"In the same way a Levite, when he came to the place, looked at the man\nand passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, travelling along, came\nnear to where the man was, and when he saw him he was filled with pity.\nHe came to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine.\nThen he set him on his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care\nof him. The next day he took out two pieces of money and gave them to\nthe inn-keeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend I\nwill pay you when I return.'\n\n\"Which of these three do you think proved neighbor to the man who fell\nin with robbers?\" He said, \"The man who took pity on him.\" Jesus said to\nhim, \"Then go and do likewise.\"\n\n\nTHE WAY TO TREAT THOSE WHO WRONG US\n\n\"If your brother wrongs you, go, show him his fault when you and he are\nalone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. Even\nthough he wrongs you seven times in a day, if he turns to you seven\ntimes and says, 'I am sorry,' you shall forgive him.\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _Curtis Publishing Company_\n\n_The Good Samaritan_\n\nPainted by Herbert Moore]\n\nPeter came and said to Jesus, \"Master, how often am I to let my brother\nwrong me and forgive him? Seven times?\" Jesus said to him, \"I tell you,\nnot seven times but seventy times seven.\n\n\"That is why the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished\nto settle his accounts with his servants. When he had begun to settle\nthem, a man was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; but as\nhe was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold, together with\nhis wife and children and all that he had, in payment of the debt. At\nthis the servant threw himself on the ground and begged of him, 'Master,\nhave patience with me and I will pay you all I owe you.' Then the master\nout of pity for him let him go and forgave him his debt.\n\n\"But as soon as the servant went out, he found one of his fellow\nservants who owed him one-sixtieth of a talent, and he seized him by the\nthroat and said, 'Pay me what you owe me.' The man fell down and begged\nhim, 'Have patience with me and I will pay you.' But he would not and\nhad him imprisoned until he should pay what was due.\n\n\"Now when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were troubled\nand came and told their master what had happened. Then the master called\nhim and said, 'You wicked servant! When you begged of me, I forgave you\nall your debt. Should you not then show the same mercy to your fellow\nthat I showed to you?' And in anger his master turned him over to the\njailers until he should pay all that was due. So also will my heavenly\nFather do to you unless each of you sincerely forgives his brother.\"\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN RULE\n\n\"You have heard the saying, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your\nenemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,\ndo good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you,\nthat you may become sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun\nto rise on the wicked and the good alike, and sends rain on both those\nwho do right and those who do wrong. For if you love only those who love\nyou, what reward have you earned? Do not even the tax-gatherers as\nmuch? And if you show courtesy only to your friends, what more are you\ndoing than others? Do not even the heathen do as much? You must\ntherefore become perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.\n\n\"Therefore, whatever you wish that men should do to you, do even so to\nthem.\"\n\n\nTHE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY HAPPY\n\nJesus said to his disciples:\n\n \"Blessed are the poor in spirit,\n For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.\n Blessed are the meek,\n For they shall inherit the earth.\n Blessed are they who mourn,\n For they shall be comforted.\n Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,\n For they shall be satisfied.\n Blessed are the merciful,\n For they shall receive mercy.\n Blessed are the pure in heart,\n For they shall see God.\n Blessed are the peacemakers,\n For they shall be called the sons of God.\n Blessed are they who are persecuted because of their righteousness,\n For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.\n Blessed are you when you are reviled, persecuted, and falsely maligned\n because of loyalty to me;\n Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so the\n prophets were persecuted who came before you.\"\n\n\nJESUS SENDS OUT THE FIRST MISSIONARIES\n\n[Illustration: _Christ on the Hilltop_\n\nPainted by C. A. Slade]\n\nJesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their\nsynagogues, preaching the good news about the Kingdom of God, and\nhealing all kinds of diseases and weaknesses. At sight of the crowds,\ntroubled and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, he was filled\nwith pity, and said to his disciples, \"This is a large harvest, but the\nlaborers are few. Pray to the lord of the harvest to send laborers into\nhis fields.\"\n\nThen calling the twelve disciples, he sent them out two by two; and he\ngave them power over evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for\ntheir journey but a staff. Also he said, \"Go your way. Remember that I\nsend you out as lambs among wolves. Take with you neither purse nor bag\nnor an extra pair of shoes, and do not stop to greet any one on the\nroad. Whatever household you first enter, say, 'Peace to this house!'\nAnd if the man living there is worthy, your peace will rest upon him;\nbut if not, it shall return to you. Stay at the same house, eating and\ndrinking what they give you, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not\ngo from one house to another.\n\n\"Also in whatever town you enter, if the people receive you, eat what\nthey set before you. Heal those in that town who are ill, and tell them,\n'The Kingdom of God is near you.' But if you enter any town where the\npeople do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the\ndust of your town which clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest\nagainst you.' But know this: that the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell\nyou, on that day it will be better for Sodom than for that city.\n\n\"Do not give to the dogs that which is sacred, nor throw your pearls\nbefore swine, for fear that they trample them under their feet and then\nturn back to attack you. He who hears you, hears me; he who rejects you,\nrejects me; he who rejects me, rejects him who sent me.\"\n\nSo Jesus' disciples went out and preached so as to lead men to be sorry\nfor their sins and live as they should. They also cast out many evil\nspirits and cured many sick by pouring oil upon them. Then returning to\nJesus they told him what they had done and taught.\n\n\nJESUS PRAISES JOHN THE BAPTIST\n\nWhen John heard in prison what Jesus was doing, he sent his disciples to\nask him, \"Are you the Promised One who is coming, or are we to look for\nsome one else?\" Jesus answered them, \"Go and tell John what you see and\nhear: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf\nhear, the dead are brought back to life, and the poor have the good\nnews told to them. Blessed is the man who does not lose faith in me.\"\n\nAs the disciples of John went away, Jesus talked to the people about\nJohn: \"What did you go into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the\nwind? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Men\ndressed like that live in palaces. But why did you go out? To see a\nprophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet! This is he of whom it\nis written:\n\n \"'Behold, I send my messenger before you,\n Who shall make the way ready for you.'\n\n\"I tell you, no man has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist;\nand yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.\n\n\"To what shall I compare the people of to-day? They are like children\nsitting in the market-places, who call to their playmates and say:\n\n \"'We played the pipes for you but you would not dance;\n We cried but you would not lament.'\n\nFor John came neither eating nor drinking, and men said, 'He has an evil\nspirit!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and men say, 'He is a\ngreat eater and drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' But\nwhat I do shows that I am wise and right.\"\n\nNow when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in\npublic and delighted him. Thereupon he promised with an oath that he\nwould give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said\nto him, \"Give me here on a dish the head of John the Baptist.\" Although\nthe king did not wish to do it, yet because of his oath and his guests\nhe ordered that it be given her. So he commanded that John be beheaded\nin prison, and his head was brought on a dish and given to the girl, and\nshe brought it to her mother. Then John's disciples came and carried\naway the body to bury it.\n\n\nJESUS FEEDS THE HUNGRY\n\nWhen Herod the ruler of Galilee heard what Jesus was doing, he was\ngreatly puzzled, for some said that John had come back from the dead,\nsome that Elijah had appeared, and others that one of the old prophets\nhad come to life again. Herod said, \"I have beheaded John; but who is\nthis of whom I hear these stories?\" And he tried to find him.\n\nThen Jesus said to his disciples, \"Come by yourselves to some quiet\nplace and rest a while\"; for so many people were coming and going that\nthe disciples could not find time even to eat. So they went in a boat by\nthemselves to a quiet place; but many people saw and knew them as they\nwent, and, running from all the towns, they arrived before them. When\nJesus landed he found a large crowd waiting for him. Feeling sorry for\nthem because they were like sheep without a shepherd, he began to teach\nthem many things.\n\nAs it was already late in the day, his disciples came to him and said,\n\"This place is far away from any town and it is now late. Send the\npeople away to the neighboring farms and villages to buy food for\nthemselves.\" But he answered \"Give them some food.\" They replied, \"Are\nwe to go and buy two hundred silver pieces' worth of food for them?\" He\nsaid, \"Go and see how many loaves you have.\" When they found out, they\nsaid, \"Five, and two fishes.\" Then he commanded them to make the people\nsit down in groups on the green grass.\n\nSo they sat down in companies of a hundred and of fifty. Then Jesus took\nthe five loaves and the two fishes, and, looking up to heaven, he\nblessed the loaves, and broke them in pieces; and he gave to the\ndisciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fishes among\nthem, and all ate and had enough. Then they picked up twelve baskets\nfull of broken pieces of the bread and fish, although the number of the\npeople who had shared them was five thousand.\n\nThen Jesus had his disciples enter the boat and cross before him to\nBethsaida, while he himself sent away the crowd. After sending them\naway, he climbed a hill to pray. When evening came the boat was in the\nmiddle of the sea and he alone on the land. Seeing that they were having\ntrouble as they rowed, for the wind was against them, he went to them at\nabout three o'clock in the early morning, walking on the sea as if he\nintended to pass them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they\nbelieved that he was a ghost and cried out, for all saw him and were\nfrightened; but he spoke to them at once, saying, \"Have courage, it is\nI; do not be afraid.\" Then he went on board the boat and the wind\ndropped, but they were greatly astonished for they had not learned the\nlesson of the loaves, for they were slow to understand its meaning.\n\nAfter crossing the sea they landed at Gennesaret and fastened the boat.\nAs soon as they had gone ashore, the people knew Jesus and searched all\nthat part of the country, and whenever they heard that he had come to a\ncertain place, they brought to him the sick on their beds. In every city\nor town or village to which he went people would lay their sick in the\nmarket-place and beg him to let them touch even the edge of his robe.\nAnd all who touched him were made well.\n\n\nJESUS TELLS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE CLEAN\n\nThe Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem went\ntogether to Jesus, because they had seen that some of his disciples ate\ntheir food without washing their hands as the scribes thought necessary.\nFor the Pharisees and all the Jews always wash their hands up to the\nwrists before eating. So the Pharisees and scribes asked him, \"Why do\nnot your disciples obey the old custom instead of eating food with\nunwashed hands?\" Jesus said to them, \"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you\nhypocrites: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is\nnot with me; their worship is worthless, for they teach what are only\ncommands of men.' You set aside the command of God and follow that of\nmen.\n\n\"Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks\nevil of father or mother shall die.' But you say, 'If a man says to his\nfather or to his mother, What you were to have received from me is given\nto God,' you hold that he need not do anything for his father or mother.\nIn this way you set aside the command of God in favor of the teaching\nwhich you have handed down; and you do many other things like that.\"\n\nThen calling the crowd to him again, he said to them, \"Hear me, all of\nyou, and understand. Nothing can make a man unclean by going into him\nfrom outside. It is what comes from him that makes him unclean, for from\nwithin, from the heart of man, come evil thoughts, acts of theft,\nmurder, greed, wickedness, deceit, impure thoughts, envy, slander,\npride, and recklessness. All these evil things come from within, and\nthey make a man unclean.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Among the Lowly_\n\nPainted by L. L'hermitte. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art]\n\n\nJESUS IS KIND TO A STRANGER\n\nCertain Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, \"Go away from here; for\nHerod wishes to kill you.\" He said to them, \"Go and tell that fox, 'See,\nI cast out evil spirits and cure the sick to-day and to-morrow, but\non the third day I must go on my way; for it cannot be that a prophet\nwill be put to death anywhere except in Jerusalem.'\"\n\nJesus left Capernaum and went into the land of Tyre and Sidon. Going\ninto a house, he wished that no one should know that he was there, but\nhe could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose little daughter had an\nevil spirit heard of him and came and knelt at his feet. Now the woman\nwas a heathen of the Phoenician race. She begged him to drive the evil\nspirit out of her daughter, but he said to her, \"Let the children of\nIsrael first be fed, for it is not fair to take their bread and throw it\nto the dogs!\" She answered him, \"True, sir, yet the little dogs under\nthe table do eat the children's crumbs.\" He said to her, \"Because of\nthis answer go to your home; the evil spirit has gone out of your\ndaughter.\" On returning home she found the child lying on the bed and\nthe evil spirit gone from her.\n\nJesus again left the land of Tyre and passed through Sidon to the Sea of\nGalilee, crossing the land of Decapolis. The people brought to him a\ndeaf man, who also stammered; and they begged Jesus to lay his hand on\nhim.\n\nJesus took the man away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man's\nears, touched his tongue with saliva, and looking up to heaven, sighed,\nand said to him, \"Ephphatha\" (which means \"Open\"). And at once, the man\ncould hear and could talk without stammering.\n\nThen Jesus told them to tell no one, but in spite of what he said the\npeople kept telling about it, saying: \"How well he has done everything!\nHe even makes the deaf hear, and the dumb speak.\"\n\n\nJESUS MAKES AN HEROIC CHOICE\n\nOn their way to the villages of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his\ndisciples, \"Who do people say I am?\" They told him, \"John the Baptist;\nothers say, 'Elijah'; some say, 'One of the prophets.'\" Then he said to\nthem, \"But you yourselves, who do you say that I am?\" Peter answered\nhim, \"You are the Christ.\" But he strictly charged them to tell no one\nthat he was the Christ.\n\nThen Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must suffer many\nthings and be rejected by the elders and high priests and scribes and be\nkilled, but that after three days he would rise from the dead. This he\nsaid openly; and Peter tried to reprove him. But Jesus turned and,\nlooking upon his disciples, reproved Peter, saying, \"Away with you,\nSatan, for your mind is not on the things of God but of men.\"\n\nThen Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him, and said to them,\n\"If any one wishes to follow me, let him forget himself, take up his\ncross, and come with me. For any one who is thinking only of saving his\nlife, will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the\nsake of the good news, will save it. What does it profit a man to gain\nthe whole world and lose his soul? For what could a man give in exchange\nfor his soul? Whoever is ashamed of me and my teachings in this sinful\nworld, of him I will be ashamed when I come in the glory of my Father\nwith the holy angels.\"\n\n\nJESUS IS GLORIFIED\n\nSix days later Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where\nthey were alone, and in their presence he was transfigured. His clothes\nglistened with a dazzling whiteness such as no bleaching could give on\nearth. And there appeared to them Elijah and Moses, who talked with\nJesus. Then Peter said, \"Master, it is fortunate that we are here. Let\nus make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for\nElijah.\" (For in his terror he did not know what to say.) Then a cloud\ncame and overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, \"This is my\nBeloved Son; give heed to him.\" And suddenly, looking around, they saw\nno one with them but Jesus.\n\nAs they came down from the mountain, he commanded them to tell no one\nwhat they had seen until after he had risen from the dead. And they\nobeyed the command but discussed among themselves what \"rising from the\ndead\" meant. Therefore they asked him, \"How is it that the scribes say,\n'Elijah must first come'?\" He answered, \"Elijah is to come first to\nrestore everything. And what is written about the Son of Man? Is it not\nthat he is to endure great suffering and be despised? But I tell you,\nElijah has come, and they have done to him what they pleased, even as it\nis written of him.\"\n\n\nJESUS TELLS HOW ONE MAY BECOME GREAT\n\nLeaving Caesarea Philippi, Jesus and his disciples passed through\nGalilee; but he wished no one to know of this, for he was teaching his\ndisciples. He said to them, \"The Son of Man will be betrayed and men\nwill put him to death, but in three days he will rise from the dead.\"\nBut they did not understand his meaning and were afraid to ask.\n\nWhen they had reached Capernaum and were in the house, he asked them,\n\"What were you arguing about on the way?\" But they made no reply, for\nthey had been disputing on the way about which of them was greatest.\nSitting down, he called the twelve disciples, and said, \"If any one\nwishes to be first, he will be last of all and servant of all.\" Then he\ntook a little child and set him by his side and with his arm around him\nsaid to them, \"Whoever receives a little child like this in my name,\nreceives me, and whoever receives me, receives not only me, but God who\nsent me.\"\n\n\nJESUS MAKES THE WICKED ZACCHEUS HIS FRIEND\n\nAs Jesus passed through Jericho a man named Zaccheus, who was the chief\ntax-gatherer and rich, tried to see what Jesus was like, but could not\non account of the crowd and because he was short. So he ran ahead and\nclimbed into a sycamore-tree to see Jesus, for he was to pass that way.\nWhen Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, \"Zaccheus,\ncome down, for to-day I must stay at your house.\" And Zaccheus came down\nquickly and welcomed him joyfully.\n\nThen all who saw this began to find fault, saying, \"He has gone to eat\nwith a man who is a sinner.\" But Zaccheus stood up and said to Jesus,\n\"Lord, I will give half of all that I have to the poor; and to every man\nwhom I have cheated out of anything I will give back four times as\nmuch.\" And Jesus said to him, \"To-day salvation has come to this house,\nfor you have proved yourself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of\nMan came to seek and to save the lost.\"\n\n\nJESUS IS GLADLY WELCOMED BY THE PEOPLE\n\nAs Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples, followed by a large\ncrowd, there sat by the road a blind beggar, Bartimaeus (the son of\nTimaeus). When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he cried out,\n\"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!\" Many reproved him, saying, \"Keep\nstill,\" but he cried out the more, \"Son of David, have pity on me!\"\nJesus stopped and said, \"Call him.\" So they called the blind man and\nsaid, \"Have courage! Get up, he has sent for you.\" Throwing off his\ncloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, \"What do you\nwant me to do for you?\" The blind man answered, \"Master, let me receive\nmy sight.\" Then Jesus said to him, \"Go your way, your faith has healed\nyou.\" And at once he received his sight, and followed Jesus along the\nroad.\n\nWhen Jesus and those with him were drawing near to Jerusalem and had\nreached Bethpage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of\nhis disciples ahead, saying, \"Go into the village over there. As soon as\nyou enter it, you will find a colt tied, which no one has ever ridden.\nUntie it and bring it here. If any one asks you, 'Why are you doing\nthat?' say, 'The Master needs it and will immediately send it back.'\"\n\nSo they left him and found a colt tied, outside a door, on the street.\nAs they untied it, some of the men standing there said, \"What are you\ndoing, untying the colt?\" The disciples answered as Jesus had told them,\nand the men let them take it. When they had brought it to Jesus, they\nthrew their cloaks upon it, and he mounted it. Many also spread their\nclothes on the road, while others strewed leafy branches cut from the\nfields; and people in front and behind kept shouting:\n\n \"God save him!\n Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!\n Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David!\n God on high, save him!\"\n\nJesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. And when he had looked\nabout, because it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany\nwith his twelve disciples.\n\n\nJESUS FIGHTS WRONG IN THE TEMPLE\n\nAbout this time certain people came to tell Jesus of the Galileans whom\nPilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices. He said to them,\n\"Do you believe that these Galileans were worse sinners than the\nrest? No, I tell you; and unless you are sorry for your sins and do\nright, you too will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen men who were\nkilled by the fall of the tower of Siloam--do you suppose that they were\nworse sinners than the rest of the people of Jerusalem? No, I tell you;\nand unless you are sorry for your sins and do right, you too will all\nperish.\"\n\n[Illustration: _Christ in the Temple_\n\nPainted by C. A. Slade]\n\nThen Jesus went into the Temple, and drove out those who were buying and\nselling there. He upset the tables of the money-changers, and the seats\nof those who sold doves, and would allow no one to carry any goods\nthrough the Temple. For he said to them, \"Is it not written, 'My house\nshall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it\na den of robbers!\" When the chief priests and scribes heard of it, they\nbegan to look for some way of putting him to death, for they feared him\nbecause all the people were deeply stirred by his teachings. But each\nevening he and his disciples left the city.\n\nThen once more Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem, and as he was\nwalking about the Temple, some high priests and scribes and elders came\nand asked him, \"By what right are you doing these things, and who gave\nyou this right?\" Jesus answered, \"I will ask you a question; answer me,\nand I will tell you by what right I do such things. What about John's\nbaptism? Was it from God or from men? Answer me.\" They argued among\nthemselves, saying, \"If we answer, 'From God,' he will ask, 'Why then\ndid you not believe in him?' But if we say, 'From men'\"--they were\nafraid of the people, for the people believed that John was truly a\nprophet. So they answered Jesus, \"We do not know.\" He said to them,\n\"Then I will not tell you by what right I do these things.\n\n\"But give me your opinion. A man who had two sons went to one of them\nand said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard to-day.' And the young man\nanswered, 'I will not'; but afterward changed his mind and went. Then\nthe man went with the same request to the other son, who said, 'I will\ngo, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did as his father wished?\"\nThey answered, \"The first.\" Jesus said to them, \"I tell you that\ntax-gatherers and sinners will enter the Kingdom of God before you; for\nJohn showed you the way to an upright life, and you did not believe him.\nBut the tax-gatherers and sinners believed him; and even when you saw,\nyou would not say that you were wrong and believe in him.\n\n\"Listen to this: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, and set\na hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine-press, and built a\nwatch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.\nAt vintage time he sent his servants to the tenants to collect the\nfruits of the vineyard, but they took the servants and flogged one,\nstoned another, and killed another. Then he sent other servants, more\nthan at first, but they did the same to these. Finally he sent his son,\nsaying to himself, 'They will respect my son.' But the tenants said to\none another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and get his\ninheritance.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now,\nwhen the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these tenants?\"\nThey said, \"He will destroy the wretches and lease the vineyard to\nothers who will give him the fruits in their season.\"\n\nJesus said to them, \"Have you never read in the scriptures:\n\n \"'The stone which the builders rejected\n Has been made the chief corner-stone;\n This is the Lord's doing,\n And marvellous in our sight.'\"\n\nWhen the high priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew\nthat he was speaking about them, and they wished to seize him but were\nafraid of the common people who regarded him as a prophet.\n\n\nJESUS CONDEMNS THOSE WHO PRETEND TO BE GOOD\n\nThe common people were listening to Jesus eagerly. As he taught he said,\n\"Be on your guard against the scribes, who like to walk about in long\nrobes and to have the people bow to them in the market-places. They like\nto sit in the front seats in the synagogue and in the best places at\nfeasts. These, who use up the property of widows and then to cover their\nguilt make long prayers, will receive the greater condemnation.\"\n\nHe also said, \"Woe to you scribes! For you load men with burdens heavy\nto bear, which you yourselves do not touch with one of your fingers. Woe\nto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut in men's faces the\ndoor to the Kingdom of God; for you neither enter yourselves nor let\nthose enter who wish to come in.\n\n\"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you carefully pay to\nthe Temple the tenth part of what grows in your garden, but you do not\nshow justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Blind guides, who strain out the\ngnat and swallow the camel!\n\n\"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make clean the\noutside of the cup and the plate, and then fill them with your greed and\nselfishness. Blind Pharisee! first make clean the inside of the cup,\nthat the outside as well may become clean.\n\n\"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like\nwhitewashed tombs, beautiful outside, but inside full of dead men's\nbones and filth. So you yourselves appear upright, but inside you are\nfull of hypocrisy and sin.\"\n\n\nJESUS WARNS HIS DISCIPLES\n\nAs Jesus went out of the Temple, one of his disciples said to him,\n\"Master, see what great stones and what a beautiful building!\" Then\nJesus answered, \"This Temple, made by man's hands, shall be destroyed.\nBut another will soon arise, made without hands.\" And as he sat on the\nMount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew\nasked him privately, \"Tell us, when shall these things happen, and what\nis to be the sign to show when all these things are about to happen?\"\nJesus said to them, \"No one knows the day or the hour when this will\nhappen, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the\nFather.\"\n\n\"The Kingdom of God shall be like ten maidens who took their torches and\nwent out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were\nwise. For the foolish ones, when they took their torches, took no oil\nwith them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their torches.\n\n\"Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at\nmidnight a cry was raised: 'Look! The bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'\nThen all those maidens rose, and trimmed their torches. And the foolish\nones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; for our torches are\ngoing out.' But the wise maidens answered, 'There may not be enough for\nus and for you. Go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'\nNow while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came and those who were\nready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.\nAfterward the other maidens came also and said, 'Sir, open to us.' But\nhe answered, 'I tell you truly, I do not know you.'\n\n\"Watch, therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour when the\nKingdom of God shall come.\"\n\n\nJESUS CURES A BLIND MAN\n\nAs Jesus was passing along the road he saw a man who was born blind, and\nthe disciples asked him, \"Master, for whose sin, his own or his\nparents', was this man born blind?\" Jesus answered, \"Neither for his own\nsin nor his parents', but that God's power to heal may be shown in him.\nWe must do the work of him who sent me while day lasts; night is coming\nwhen no man can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the\nworld.\"\n\nWhen he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the\nsaliva, put the clay on the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, \"Go,\nwash in the Pool of Siloam.\" So he went off and washed, and returned\nable to see.\n\nThen the neighbors and those who before had seen him begging said, \"Is\nnot this the man who used to sit and beg?\" Some said, \"It is he.\" Others\nsaid, \"No, but he is like him.\" He said, \"I am the man.\" So they said to\nhim, \"How then were your eyes opened?\" He answered, \"The man who is\ncalled Jesus made clay and put it upon my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to\nthe Pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went away and washed, and I received\nmy sight.\" They asked him, \"Where is he?\" He answered, \"I do not know.\"\n\nThen they brought the man who had once been blind to the Pharisees. Now\nit was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the clay and opened his eyes.\nTherefore the Pharisees asked him again how he had received his sight,\nand he told them, \"Jesus put clay on my eyes and I washed them and can\nsee.\" Then some of the Pharisees said, \"This man does not come from God,\nfor he does not keep the Sabbath.\" Others said, \"How can a sinner do\nsuch wonderful deeds of healing?\" And they could not agree among\nthemselves. So they asked the blind man once more, \"What have you to say\nabout him, for it was your eyes that he opened?\" The man replied, \"He is\na prophet.\"\n\nNow the Jews would not believe that he had been born blind and had\nreceived his sight until they called his parents and asked them, \"Is\nthis your son who you say was born blind? How is it that he now can\nsee?\" His parents answered them, \"We know that this is our son and that\nhe was born blind, but we do not know why he can now see nor who opened\nhis eyes. He is of age; ask him, he can speak for himself.\" His parents\nsaid this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already\nagreed that any one who said that Jesus was the Christ should be put out\nof the synagogue. That was why his parents said, \"He is of age, ask\nhim.\"\n\nSo the Jews again called the man who had been born blind, and said to\nhim, \"Give God the praise; we know that this man Jesus is a sinner.\" He\nanswered and said, \"I do not know whether he is a sinner; one thing I do\nknow, that, although I was blind, I now see.\" So they said to him, \"What\ndid he do to you? How did he give you your sight?\" He replied, \"I have\ntold you already, but you would not listen to me. Why do you want to\nhear it again? Do you also wish to become his disciples?\" Then they\nreviled him and said, \"You are his disciple, but we are disciples of\nMoses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this\nman came from.\" The man answered, \"This is strange! You do not know\nwhere he comes from, and yet he gave me my sight! We know that God does\nnot listen to sinners but that he does listen to him who worships him\nand does his will. Since the world began no one has ever heard of sight\nbeing given to a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could\ndo nothing.\" They answered, \"You were born wholly bad, and yet you would\nteach us?\" Then they put him out of the synagogue.\n\nJesus heard that they had put him out, and meeting him said, \"Do you\nbelieve in the Son of God?\" He answered, \"Who is he, sir? Tell me that I\nmay believe.\" Jesus said to him, \"Not only have you seen him but he is\nnow talking to you.\" The man said, \"Then I do believe, Master,\" and he\nworshipped him, and Jesus said to him, \"It is to right wrongs that I\nhave come to this world, that the blind may see and that those who see\nmay become blind.\" Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him\nsaid, \"And are we blind?\" Jesus replied, \"If you were blind you would\nnot be guilty; but you say, 'We can see,' and so your sin remains.\"\n\n\nJESUS TELLS WHAT HE CAME TO DO\n\nJesus said to the people, \"I am the light of the world; he who follows\nme shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light which gives\nlife.\"\n\nAs Jesus spoke these words many believed in him. Then he said to the\nJews who had believed in him, \"If you faithfully do what I say, you are\ntruly my disciples, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set\nyou free.\" They answered him, \"We are Abraham's descendants and have\nnever been slaves to any man. What do you mean by saying, 'You shall be\nset free'?\" Jesus answered them, \"Truly, I tell you, every one who sins\nis a slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the household forever,\nbut the Son remains forever. If therefore the Son sets you free, you\nshall be free indeed.\n\n\"I am the Door; if any man enters by me he shall be saved and shall go\nin and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill\nand destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have\nit more abundantly.\n\n\"I am the Good Shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the\nsheep. But a hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the\nsheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees the wolf coming, and the\nwolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired man runs away\nbecause he is only a hired man and does not care for the sheep.\n\n\"I am the Good Shepherd and know my own, and my own know me, just as the\nFather knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the\nsheep. I have other sheep which do not belong to this fold; I must lead\nthem also, and they will hear my voice, and they will be one flock and\none shepherd.\"\n\n\nJESUS BRINGS LAZARUS BACK TO LIFE\n\nNow a certain man, Lazarus of Bethany, was sick. He was the brother of\nMartha and of the Mary who anointed the Master with perfume and wiped\nhis feet with her hair. Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.\nSo the sisters sent word to him, \"Master, he whom you love is sick.\" But\nwhen Jesus heard it he said, \"This sickness is not to end in death, but\nit is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.\"\n\nSo when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two days.\nAfter that he said to the disciples, \"Let us go again into Judea. Our\nfriend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to waken him.\" The\ndisciples said to him, \"Master, if he has fallen asleep he will get\nwell.\" Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he\nmeant taking rest in sleep. So Jesus said to them plainly, \"Lazarus is\ndead, and for your sakes I am glad that I was not there, so that you may\nlearn to believe. But let us go to him.\"\n\nWhen Jesus came he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days.\nNow Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many of the\nJews had come to comfort Mary and Martha about their brother.\n\nWhen Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, while\nMary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, \"Master, if you had been here\nmy brother would not have died, but I know that even now God will give\nyou whatever you ask him.\" Jesus said to her, \"Your brother shall rise\nagain.\" Martha said to him, \"I know that he shall rise again, at the\nresurrection on the last day.\" Jesus said to her, \"I am the resurrection\nand the life. He who believes in me shall live even though he die; and\nwhoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?\"\nShe said to him, \"Yes, Master, I do believe that you are the Christ, the\nSon of God who was to come into the world.\"\n\nWhen Martha had said this she went away to call Mary, her sister,\ntelling her secretly, \"The Master is here and is calling you.\" When Mary\nheard this she rose quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into\nthe village but was still in the place where Martha met him. When the\nJews who were trying to comfort Mary in the house saw her rise up\nquickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to\nweep at the tomb. But when Mary reached the place where Jesus was and\nsaw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, \"Master, if you had been\nhere, my brother would not have died.\"\n\nWhen Jesus saw her and the Jews who came with her weeping, he was deeply\nmoved, and said in great distress, \"Where have you laid him?\" They said\nto him, \"Master, come and see.\" Jesus wept. The Jews therefore said,\n\"See how he loved him!\" Some of them said, \"Could not this man who gave\nsight to the blind have also kept Lazarus from dying?\"\n\nJesus was again deeply moved, as he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and\na stone lay against it. Jesus said, \"Take away the stone.\" Martha, the\ndead man's sister, said to him, \"Master, by this time his body has begun\nto decay, for he has been dead four days.\" Jesus said to her, \"Did I not\ntell you that if you only would believe you should see the glory of\nGod?\" So they removed the stone, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said,\n\"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. I knew that thou always\ndost listen to me, but I spoke for the sake of the people standing near,\nthat they may believe that thou hast sent me.\" When he had said this, he\ncried in a loud voice, \"Lazarus, come forth.\" Then he who was dead came\nforth with his hands and feet wrapped in bandages and his face bound\nwith a cloth. Jesus said to them, \"Untie him and let him go.\"\n\nThen many of the Jews who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus\ndid, believed in him.\n\n\nJESUS PRAISES A WOMAN WHO GAVE HER BEST\n\nWhile Jesus was at dinner at Bethany in the house of Simon, the\njar-maker, a woman came in with an alabaster jar of pure perfume, which\nwas very costly. Breaking the jar she poured the perfume over his head.\nSome said to each other in indignation, \"Why this waste of perfume? It\nmight have been sold for more than three hundred silver pieces and the\nmoney given to the poor.\"\n\nBut because they found fault with her, Jesus said, \"Let her alone, why\ndo you trouble her? She has done me a beautiful service. The poor are\nwith you always; to them you can do good whenever you wish, but me you\nwill not always have. She has done what she could; she has poured oil on\nmy body beforehand for burial. I tell you, wherever through all the\nworld the good news is told, this deed of hers will be told in memory of\nher.\"\n\n\nJESUS EATS THE LAST SUPPER WITH HIS DISCIPLES\n\nJudas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the high priests\nwith the intention of betraying Jesus. And when they heard, they\nrejoiced, promising to give him money; and he began to look for an\nopportunity to betray him.\n\nOn the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Jews kill\nthe lambs that are sacrificed at the Passover Feast, Jesus' disciples\nsaid to him, \"Where do you wish us to make ready for your passover\nmeal?\"\n\n[Illustration: _The Last Supper_]\n\nSo Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, \"Go into the city,\nwhere you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him and say\nto the owner of whatever house he enters, 'The Master says, Where is my\nroom in which I may eat the passover meal with my disciples?' He will\nshow you a large upper room already furnished. There make ready for us.\"\nSo the disciples went into the city and found things as he had said they\nwould; and they prepared for the Passover.\n\nWhen it was evening Jesus came with his twelve disciples; and while they\nwere eating at the table, he said, \"I know surely that one of you now\neating with me will betray me.\" In deep sorrow the disciples said to\nhim, one after the other, \"Surely it is not I?\" He said to them, \"It is\none of the twelve, one who is dipping his fingers into the dish with me.\nThe Son of Man will depart as it has been foretold of him, but woe to\nthat man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that\nman if he had never been born!\"\n\nThen Jesus took the bread and, when he had given thanks to God, he broke\nit and said, \"This is my body which is broken for you; do this in\nremembrance of me.\"\n\nIn the same way, after he had eaten, Jesus took the cup, and when he had\ngiven thanks to God, he gave it to his disciples and they drank of it.\nThen he said, \"This is the new covenant made by my blood which is shed\nfor many. As often as you drink this cup, do it in remembrance of me.\"\nThen after singing a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives.\n\nThere Jesus said to them, \"You will all desert me, for it is written in\nthe scriptures: 'I will smite the shepherd and the sheep will be\nscattered.' But after I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee.\"\nPeter said to him, \"Though all others should desert you, I will not.\"\nJesus said to him, \"Indeed I tell you, this very night before the cock\ncrows you will deny three times that you know me.\" But Peter said more\nemphatically, \"Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.\"\nAnd all of them said the same.\n\n\nJESUS ENCOURAGES HIS FRIENDS AND HELPERS\n\nJesus said, \"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe\nalso in me. In my Father's house are many homes; if it were not so, I\nwould have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go\nand prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me\nthat where I am, you may be also; and you know the way to the place\nwhere I am going.\"\n\nThomas said to him, \"Master, we do not know where you are going; how\nthen can we know the way?\" Jesus said to him, \"I am the way, the truth,\nand the life; no man comes to the Father except through me. If you had\nlearned to know me, you would have known my Father also; from now on you\nknow him and have seen him.\"\n\nPhilip said to him, \"Master, let us see the Father and we will be\nsatisfied.\" Jesus said to him, \"Have I been all this time with you and\nyet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father;\nthen how can you say, 'Let us see the Father'? Do you not believe that I\nam in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak do not\ncome from me but from the Father who lives in me. Believe me, that I am\nin the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me because of the\nwork itself. I say to you, he who believes in me will do the work which\nI do and still greater works than these, for I go to the Father. And\nwhatever you shall ask in my name I will do, that the Father may be\nglorified through the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.\n\n\"If you love me you will keep my commands, and I shall ask the Father\nand he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the\nSpirit of truth.\n\n\"In a little while the world will see me no more; but you shall see me,\nbecause I live and you shall live also. He who has my commands and obeys\nthem is the one who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my\nFather, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.\n\n\"I have told you all this while I am still with you; but the Helper, the\nHoly Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you\neverything and remind you of all that I have said to you.\n\n\"Peace I leave with you, my own peace I give to you; not as the world\ngives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled nor afraid. You\nhave heard me tell you that I go away and am coming back to you. If you\nlove me you will be glad because I am going to the Father, for the\nFather is greater than I. I have told you this now, before it takes\nplace, that when it does you may believe.\n\n\"I am the true vine and my Father is the vine-dresser. He cuts away each\nof my branches that does not bear fruit, and cleans every branch that\nbears fruit so as to make it bear more. You are already clean because of\nthe word which I have spoken to you. Remain united with me and I will\nremain with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains\nunited with the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain\nunited with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains\nunited with me and I with him bears much fruit, but apart from me you\ncan do nothing.\n\n\"If you remain united with me and my words remain in you, ask whatever\nyou will and you shall have it. It is by your bearing much fruit and\nbeing my true disciples that my Father is glorified. As the Father has\nloved me, so have I also loved you; continue in my love. If you keep my\ncommands, you will continue in my love, even as I have kept my Father's\ncommands and continue in his love.\n\n\"I have told you all this that my joy may be yours, and that your joy\nmay be complete. This is my command: 'Love one another even as I have\nloved you.' No man has greater love than that which leads him to lay\ndown his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I\ncommand you. I call you servants no longer, for the servant does not\nknow what his master does; but I call you friends, for I have told you\neverything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but\nI chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain, so that\nwhatever you ask of the Father in my name he will give you.\"\n\n\nJESUS IS SEIZED BY THE MOB\n\nWhen Jesus and his disciples came to a certain place called Gethsemane,\nhe said to them, \"Sit here while I pray\"; but he took with him Peter and\nJames and John. And as he suffered greatly from deep sorrow, he said to\nthem, \"My heart is heavy with sadness. Stay here and watch.\" Then he\nwent forward a short distance and threw himself on the ground and prayed\nthat if possible he might be spared this agony, saying, \"Father, with\nthee all things are possible. Take away this cup of agony from me. Yet\nnot my will, but thy will be done.\"\n\nWhen he came back, he found his disciples asleep; and he said to Peter,\n\"Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch for one hour? Watch and pray\nthat you may overcome temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the\nbody is weak.\" Again he went away and prayed the same prayer. And when\nhe returned, again he found them asleep, for they were very drowsy; and\nthey did not know what to say to him. Then he came the third time and\nsaid to them, \"Sleep on now and take your rest. It is enough; the hour\nhas come; already the Son of Man has been betrayed into the hands of\nwicked men. Rise, let us go; for here is the one who has betrayed me.\"\n\nWhile Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up,\nfollowed by a mob with swords and clubs, who had come from the high\npriests and the scribes and the elders. Judas had arranged a signal: \"He\nwhom I shall kiss,\" he said, \"is the man. Take him, and lead him away\nwithout letting him escape.\" As soon as he came, he went up to Jesus,\nsaying, \"Master,\" and kissed him. Then they seized Jesus and took him;\nbut one of those who were with him drew his sword, and, striking the\nservant of the high priest, cut off his ear. Jesus turned and said,\n\"Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me as you would a\nrobber? Day after day I have been with you teaching in the Temple, yet\nyou never seized me.\"\n\nThen Jesus' disciples left him and fled. One young man, however,\nfollowed him with only a linen sheet thrown about him; but when the men\ntried to seize him, he left the linen sheet and fled away naked.\n\nThe mob led Jesus away and brought him to the house of the high priest.\nPeter followed at a distance, and when they had kindled a fire in the\nmiddle of the courtyard and sat down together, he too sat down among\nthem. A certain maid, seeing him there by the firelight, looked at him\nclosely and said, \"This man also was with him.\" But he denied it,\nsaying, \"Woman, I do not know him.\" After a little while another person\nwho saw Peter said, \"You too are one of them\"; but he said, \"Man, I am\nnot.\"\n\nAbout an hour later another man said, \"Certainly this fellow also was\nwith Jesus, for he is a Galilean.\" But Peter said, \"Man, I do not know\nwhat you are talking about.\" Immediately while he was still speaking,\nthe cock crowed. And Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter. Then\nPeter remembered how the Lord had said to him, \"Before the cock crows\nto-day you will deny me three times.\" And Peter went out and wept\nbitterly.\n\n\nJESUS IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES\n\nThe men who seized Jesus mocked him and flogged him. They also\nblindfolded him and said, \"Prophet, tell us who is it that struck you?\"\nAnd they said many other things, insulting him.\n\nAt daybreak they brought him before the council at which were gathered\nthe elders, both the chief priests and the scribes. And they tried to\nget evidence against him to have him put to death, but could not find\nany, for though many made false statements, they did not agree. Some men\nstood up and falsely said, \"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this\ntemple made by the hands of men and within three days I will build\nanother made without hands.'\" But the statements even of these men did\nnot agree.\n\nThen the high priest arose and asked Jesus, \"Do you not answer? What\nabout these statements that these men make against you?\" But he was\nsilent and made no answer. And the high priest asked him, \"Are you the\nChrist? If you are, tell us.\" He said to them, \"If I tell you, you will\nnot believe, and if I ask you questions, you will not answer me. But\nafter this the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of God\nAlmighty.\" Then they all said to him, \"Are you then the Son of God?\" He\nreplied, \"It is as you say; I am.\" So they said, \"What further need have\nwe of evidence? We have heard it from his own lips.\"\n\nThen all the high priests and scribes rose and brought Jesus before\nPilate, and began to accuse him, saying, \"We found this man leading our\npeople astray, forbidding them to pay taxes to the Roman emperor, and\nsaying that he himself is Christ, the King.\" Pilate asked him, \"Are you\nthe King of the Jews?\" He answered, \"I am.\" Pilate said to the high\npriests and the crowd, \"I do not find that this man has done anything\nwrong.\" But they insisted, saying, \"He stirs up the people by teaching\nthrough all Judea. He began in Galilee, and now he has come even here.\"\nWhen Pilate heard this he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean, and when\nhe learned that he was and that he came under Herod's rule, he sent him\nto Herod Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem at this time.\n\nHerod was glad to see Jesus. He had long wished to see him because of\nwhat he had heard about him, and because he also hoped to see him do\nsome wonderful deed. Although Herod asked him many questions, Jesus made\nno answer, and the high priests and the scribes loudly shouted their\ncharges against him. Then Herod, and his soldiers, after mocking him,\nand dressing him in a bright colored robe, sent him back to Pilate.\n\nPilate then called together the high priests and other officials and the\npeople, and said, \"You brought me this man on the charge that he stirred\nup the people to rebel. Now I have examined him before you and found no\nguilt in him of those things of which you accuse him; no, nor has Herod,\nfor he has sent him back to us. You see that he has done nothing that\ncalls for death. I will therefore have him flogged and then release him\"\n(for it was the custom at this feast to release for them one man). But\nthey all cried out, \"Away with him and release for us Barabbas\" (a man\nwho had been put into prison because of a riot which had occurred in the\ncity, and on the charge of murder). Pilate spoke to them again, because\nhe wished to release Jesus; but still they shouted, \"Crucify him!\nCrucify him!\" He said to them for the third time, \"Why, what crime has\nthis man committed? I have found no reason to put him to death. I will\ntherefore have him flogged and then release him.\" But they shouted and\ndemanded that he should be crucified. And so Pilate, wishing to please\nthe people, released Barabbas, but Jesus he turned over to them to be\ncrucified.\n\n\nJESUS IS CRUCIFIED BY HIS ENEMIES\n\nThe soldiers led Jesus to the courtyard of the governor's palace and\ncalled together the whole company. Then they clothed him in a purple\nrobe and, making a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and began to\nsalute him, \"Hail, King of the Jews!\" They struck him on the head with a\nreed and spat on him, and on bended knee paid homage to him. After they\nhad made sport of him, they stripped off the purple robe and put on his\nown clothes, and led him out to be crucified.\n\nThey forced a man named Simon, of Cyrene, who was coming in from the\ncountry, to carry his cross. So they brought Jesus to the place called\nGolgotha, which means, the place of the skull. And they offered him wine\nmixed with myrrh, but he would not take it. Then they crucified him and\ndivided his clothes among them, drawing lots to decide what each should\ntake. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The\ninscription over his head stating the charge against him read:\n\n _THE KING OF THE JEWS_\n\nWith him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his\nleft. And those who passed by scoffed at him, shaking their heads in\nderision and saying, \"Ha! you who were to destroy the Temple and\nrebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!\"\nIn the same way the high priests and the scribes mocked him among\nthemselves and said, \"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Let\nthe Christ, the 'King of Israel,' now come down from the cross, that we\nmay see and believe!\" But Jesus said, \"Father, forgive them, for they\nknow not what they do.\"\n\nOne of the criminals who was crucified also scoffed at him, saying, \"Are\nyou not the Christ? Save yourself and us!\" But the other said in rebuke,\n\"Have you no fear of God even though you are being put to death? We are\nsuffering justly, receiving what we deserve for our crimes, but he has\ndone no wrong.\" Then he said, \"Jesus, remember me when you enter your\nkingdom.\" Jesus said to him, \"This very day you will be with me in\nparadise.\"\n\nNow beside the cross of Jesus stood his mother. Seeing her and the\ndisciple whom he loved standing near, Jesus said to her, \"Woman, he is\nyour son!\" And to the disciple he said, \"She is your mother!\" And from\nthat hour the disciple took her into his own home.\n\nDarkness covered the whole land from noon until three o'clock in the\nafternoon. At that hour Jesus cried aloud, \"Eloi, Eloi, lama\nsabachthani,\" which means, \"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?\"\nWhen they heard it, some who stood by, said, \"He is calling Elijah.\" And\na man ran and, soaking a sponge in vinegar, put it on the end of a reed\nand was about to give it to him to drink when the others said, \"Stop,\nlet us see if Elijah will come to take him down.\" But Jesus uttered a\nloud cry and gave up his life. And the curtain of the Temple was torn in\ntwo from the top to the bottom. When the Roman captain who stood facing\nhim saw in what way he died, he said, \"Surely this man was a son of\nGod.\"\n\nLooking on from a distance were some women also, among them Mary of\nMagdala, Mary the mother of James, the younger, and of Joses, and\nSalome, who had followed him and waited on him when he was in Galilee,\nand many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.\n\nBecause it was now evening of the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of\nArimathaea, an honorable member of the Jewish national council, who was\nhimself looking for the coming of the Kingdom of God, went to Pilate and\nhad the courage to ask him for the body of Jesus. Pilate, surprised that\nhe was dead, called the captain and asked whether Jesus was already\ndead, and when he learned this from the captain he gave the body to\nJoseph. After Joseph had taken Jesus from the cross, he wrapped him in\na linen sheet which he had bought, and laid him in a tomb cut out of\nrock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary of\nMagdala and Mary the mother of Joses, watched to see where Jesus was\nlaid.\n\n\nJESUS CONQUERS DEATH\n\nWhen the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James,\nand Salome bought spices to embalm Jesus. Soon after sunrise on the\nfirst day of the week they went to the tomb, and they said to one\nanother, \"Who will roll away the stone for us from the door?\" But they\nfound that the stone, although very large, had been rolled to one side.\nOn entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe sitting on the\nright, and they trembled and were afraid. But he said to them, \"Do not\nbe afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He\nis risen; he is not here. See the place where he was laid! But go and\ntell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee;\nthere you will see him, as he told you.'\"\n\nThen they remembered Jesus' words, and returning from the tomb they told\nthese things to the eleven disciples and to all the others; but to them,\nthe story seemed to be nonsense, and they were not believed. Peter,\nhowever, ran to the tomb, but when he looked in he saw only the linen\nbandages; and he went home wondering what had happened.\n\nBut Mary of Magdala stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she\nstooped down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white\nsitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of\nJesus had lain. They said to her, \"Woman, why are you weeping?\" She\nsaid, \"Because they have taken away my Master and I do not know where\nthey have laid him!\"\n\nWhen she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,\nbut she did not know that it was Jesus. \"Woman,\" said he, \"Why are you\nweeping? For whom are you looking?\" Supposing that he was the gardener,\nshe said, \"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have\nlaid him, and I will take him away.\" Jesus said to her, \"Mary!\" She\nturned to him and cried out, \"Master!\" Jesus said, \"Do not touch me, for\nI have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and tell\nthem, 'I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and\nyour God.'\" Mary went to the disciples with the news, \"I have seen the\nMaster,\" and to tell them what he had said to her.\n\n\nJESUS WALKS AND TALKS WITH TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES\n\nOn the same day two of Jesus' disciples were on their way to a village\ncalled Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem; and as they talked\ntogether about what had happened, Jesus himself drew near and went with\nthem; but their eyes were kept from knowing him.\n\nHe said to them, \"What are you talking about so earnestly as you walk\nalong?\" And they stood still, looking sad, and one of them, named\nCleopas, answered, \"Are you only a stranger stopping in Jerusalem? Do\nyou not know the things that have happened there within these last few\ndays?\" He asked, \"What things?\" They answered, \"Why, about Jesus of\nNazareth, who proved himself a prophet, mighty in word and deed before\nGod and all the people, and how our high priests and rulers gave him\nover to be sentenced to death and had him crucified. But we were hoping\nthat he was the one to save Israel. It is now the third day since these\nthings happened. Yet some of our women who were at the tomb early this\nmorning, amazed us. They told us that they had not found his body but\nthat they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Then\nsome of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it as the\nwomen had said. But him they did not see.\"\n\nThen Jesus said to them, \"O foolish men, so slow of heart to believe in\nwhat the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to\nsuffer and so win his glory?\"\n\nWhen they came to the village to which they were going, he seemed to be\ngoing farther on, but they urged him, saying, \"Stay with us, for it is\nalmost evening, the day is nearly over.\" So he went in to stay with\nthem.\n\nAs he sat with them at table, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it,\nand passed it to them. Then their eyes were opened so that they knew\nhim; but he disappeared from their sight. They said to one another, \"Did\nnot our hearts glow while he was talking with us on the way!\"\n\nAt once they started back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven\ndisciples gathered with their companions, and from them they learned\nthat the Lord had really risen and that he had appeared to Simon. Then\nthey told of their own experience on the road, and how they knew him\nwhen he broke the bread.\n\n\nJESUS GIVES HIS LAST COMMANDS TO HIS HELPERS\n\nWhile the two disciples were speaking, Jesus himself stood among them.\nAnd they were frightened and believed that they saw a ghost; but he said\nto them, \"Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? See my hands and\nmy feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost has not\nflesh and bones as you see that I have.\" While they were still unable\nfor very joy and wonder to believe, he said to them, \"Have you anything\nto eat here?\" And when they gave him a piece of broiled fish, he ate\nbefore them.\n\nThen he said to them, \"This is what I told you when I was still with\nyou, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the\nprophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.\" Then he helped them to\nunderstand the scriptures, and said, \"It is written that the Christ must\nsuffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that in his name all\nnations must be called upon to turn from their sins and gain God's\nforgiveness. You yourselves, beginning at Jerusalem, are to tell men\nabout these things.\"\n\nNow Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, who was called \"The Twin,\" was\nnot with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, \"We have\nseen the Master.\" But he said to them, \"Unless I see the marks of the\nnails in his hands and put my finger where they were and put my hand in\nhis side, I will not believe.\"\n\nEight days later Jesus' disciples were again together, and Thomas was\nwith them. Though the doors were closed, Jesus came and stood among them\nand said, \"Peace be with you.\" Then he said to Thomas, \"Put your finger\nhere and look at my hands, and put your hand here in my side. Do not be\na doubter but a believer.\" Thomas answered him, \"My Master and my God!\"\nJesus said to him, \"You believe because you have seen me? Blessed are\nthose who believe though they have never seen me!\"\n\n[Illustration: (C) _1903, Braun Clement et Cie_\n\n_The Walk to Emmaus_\n\nPainted by Eugene Girardet]\n\nLater Jesus appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee, and in this\nway. As Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the\nsons of Zebedee, were together with two other of his disciples, Simon\nPeter said to them, \"I am going fishing.\" \"We will go too,\" they said,\nand they set out and went on board the boat; but that night they caught\nnothing. At daybreak Jesus stood on the beach, though the disciples did\nnot know that it was he.\n\nHe said to them, \"Children, have you anything to eat?\" They answered,\n\"No.\" And he said, \"Throw your net over on the right side of the boat\nand you will catch something.\" So they threw over the net, and now they\ncould not haul it in because of the great number of fish. Then the\ndisciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, \"It is the Master.\" As soon as\nSimon Peter heard that it was the Master, he put on his fisherman's coat\n(for he was stripped for his work), and jumped into the water; but the\nother disciples, being only about one hundred yards from the shore, came\nin the small boat dragging the net full of fish.\n\nWhen they landed, they saw a charcoal fire burning, and over it a fish\ncooking, and some bread. Jesus said to them, \"Bring some of the fish\nthat you have just caught.\" So Simon Peter went aboard the boat and\nhauled the net ashore filled with large fish; and although there were so\nmany, the net was not torn. Then Jesus said to them, \"Come and eat\nbreakfast.\" Not one of the disciples had courage to ask, \"Who are you?\"\nfor they knew that it was the Master. Jesus came and gave them the bread\nand also the fish. This was the third time he appeared to his disciples\nafter he had risen from the dead.\n\nAfter breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, \"Simon, son of John, do you\nlove me more than these?\" He said, \"Surely, Master, you know I love\nyou.\" Jesus said to him, \"Feed my lambs.\" Then he asked him a second\ntime, \"Simon, son of John, do you love me?\" And he answered, \"Surely,\nMaster, you know that I love you.\" Jesus said to him, \"Tend my sheep.\"\nJesus said to him a third time, \"Simon, son of John, do you love me with\nall your heart?\" Peter was grieved because Jesus asked a third time, \"Do\nyou love me?\" And he answered, \"Master, you know everything, you know\nthat I love you.\" Jesus said to him, \"Feed my sheep.\"\n\nAnd Jesus said to them, \"All authority has been given to me in heaven\nand on earth. Go you, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations,\nbaptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy\nSpirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you;\nand, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.\"\n\nJesus showed his disciples, by many proofs, that he still lived,\nrevealing himself to them during forty days and telling them about the\nKingdom of God. When he and his disciples were together he told them not\nto leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised--\"the\npromise,\" he said, \"of which you have heard me speak; for John baptized\nwith water, but before many days have passed you will be baptized with\nthe Holy Spirit.\"\n\nWhile they were together they asked him, \"Master, is this the time when\nyou are going to restore the rulership to Israel?\" Jesus said to them,\n\"It is not for you to know the time or the season which the Father has\nfixed by his own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy\nSpirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses at Jerusalem,\nthroughout all Judea and Samaria and to every part of the earth.\" When\nhe had said this and while they were still looking at him, he was lifted\nup, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were staring\ninto heaven, as he went up, two men clothed in white stood beside them,\nwho said, \"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This\nJesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the\nsame way as you have seen him go.\"\n\nOn the Day of Pentecost, as they were all together, suddenly, there came\nfrom heaven a sound like the rushing blast of a mighty wind which filled\nthe whole house where they were seated. And they were filled with the\nHoly Spirit and began to speak in a strange way and to cry aloud and\nshout.\n\nWhen this was reported a crowd gathered, astonished and perplexed, and\nasked one another, \"What can it mean?\" Others with a sneer said, \"They\nare full of new wine!\"\n\nBut Peter, together with the eleven apostles, stood up and addressed\nthem: \"Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, understand this and\nlisten to what I say: these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is\nonly nine in the morning, but this is what was foretold by the prophet\nJoel:\n\n \"'In the last days,' God declared,\n 'I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind;\n Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,\n Your young men shall see visions.\n\n \"'And your old men shall dream dreams,\n Even upon my slaves and slave-girls\n In those days I will pour out my Spirit,\n And they shall prophesy.'\"\n\n\"Men of Israel, hear these words: By the help of lawless men you nailed\nto the cross and murdered Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was proved to be\nfrom God through the deeds of healing and the wonderful acts which God\nperformed by him among you, as you yourselves know. But God released him\nfrom the bonds of death and raised him to life, for death could not hold\nhim. Lifted on high at God's right hand and having received from the\nFather the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured it upon us as you now see\nand hear. Let the whole nation of Israel know beyond a doubt that God\nhas made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.\"\n\nWhen they heard this, their conscience troubled them, and they said to\nPeter and the rest of the apostles, \"Brothers, what are we to do?\" Peter\nanswered, \"Say that you are sorry for your sins, and let each of you be\nbaptized in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven;\nthen you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for it is promised to\nyou, and to your children, and to all in distant lands, to any and to\nall whom the Lord our God shall call.\"\n\nWith many other words he warned and urged them to save themselves from\nthis wicked time. So those who believed what he taught were baptized;\nand on that day about three thousand were added to the brotherhood.\n\n\nTHE HEALING OF THE LAME MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE\n\nBy agreement the believers met together daily in the Temple. They had\ntheir meals from house to house, eating their food with gladness and\nsimple-heartedness, praising God and having the good-will of all the\npeople. Day by day God added many to the number of the saved.\n\nOne day Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the hour of\nprayer at three in the afternoon. A man who had been lame from birth,\nand who was placed daily at what was called the Beautiful Gate of the\nTemple, was being carried there to beg from the people who went in. When\nhe saw that Peter and John were about to go in, he asked them to give\nhim something. But Peter fixed his eyes on him, and John did also, and\nsaid, \"Look at us.\" And the man looked attentively, expecting to receive\nsomething from them. Peter said, \"I have neither silver nor gold, but\nwhat I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!\"\nAnd he took him by the right hand and raised him up. And immediately his\nfeet and his ankles received strength and he leaped up, stood on his\nfeet, walked about and went with them into the Temple, walking, and\nleaping and praising God.\n\nWhen the people who saw him walking about and praising God knew that he\nwas the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple,\nthey were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him;\nand as he still kept close to Peter and John, the astonished crowd\nrushed to them in what was called Solomon's Porch.\n\nThen Peter said to the people: \"Men of Israel, why do you wonder at\nthis? Or why do you stare at us as though we had made him walk by some\npower or goodness of our own? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of\nJacob, the God of our forefathers, has honored Jesus his servant, whom\nyou delivered up and denied before Pilate when he had decided to let him\ngo. But you denied the Holy and Just One and asked that a murderer be\nset free and put to death the One who brings life to men! But God\nbrought him back from the dead, as we bear witness. Jesus, through faith\nin his name, has given strength to this man whom you see and know. Yes,\nit is faith in him that has made this man perfectly well in the presence\nof you all.\n\n\"And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your\nrulers. Turn then to God and live right lives that your sins may be\nforgiven, so that God may send you strength. After raising his Servant\nfrom the grave, God sent him first to you to bless you by turning each\nof you from your wickedness.\"\n\nWhile they were speaking to the people, they were interrupted by the\npriests, the officer in charge of the Temple, and the Sadducees, who\nwere angry because they were teaching the people and telling how Jesus\nrose from the dead. They arrested the apostles and, as it was already\nevening, put them in prison until the following day.\n\nThe next morning a meeting of their rulers, elders and scribes was held\nin Jerusalem at which the high priest Annas, and Caiaphas, John,\nAlexander and all the members of the high priest's family were present.\nThey made the apostles stand before them and inquired, \"By whose power\nand in whose name have you done this?\"\n\nThen Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, \"Rulers of\nthe people and elders of Israel, if we are being examined this day for a\ngood deed done to a lame man, to find out how he was healed, you and all\nthe people of Israel should know that this man stands before you\ncompletely cured through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you\ncrucified and whom God raised from the dead. He is the stone despised by\nyou builders that has become the chief corner-stone. And salvation comes\nby none other, for there is no other name under heaven revealed among\nmen through which we can be saved.\"\n\nWhen they saw how bold Peter and John were and found out that they were\nuneducated and ignorant men, they were astonished but they remembered\nthat they had been with Jesus. Ordering them to go out from the council,\nthey said among themselves, \"What are we to do with these men? All the\npeople who live in Jerusalem know that a wonderful miracle has been done\nby them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this thing from spreading\nany farther among the people let us stop them by threats from speaking\nin the future to any one in the name of Jesus.\" So they called them and\nordered them not to teach nor speak a word in the name of Jesus. But\nPeter and John replied, \"Decide for yourselves whether it is right\nbefore God to obey you rather than God; for we cannot give up speaking\nof what we have seen and heard.\"\n\nSeeing the man who had been healed standing beside them, the rulers\ncould say nothing. So, after further threatening them, they let them go,\nbeing unable to find any reason for punishing them on account of the\npeople, for they were all praising God for what had been done.\n\n\nTHE GENEROSITY OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS\n\nAll of the believers were as one in heart and mind; and not one of them\ncalled what he had his own, but they all shared with one another. No one\namong them was in want, for those who owned lands or houses sold them\nand brought the money that came from the sale to the apostles. The money\nwas then given to whoever needed it. Joseph, whom the apostles called\nBarnabas, sold his farm and brought the money to the apostles.\n\nBut a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property, and\nwith her approval kept back part of the price and brought only a part of\nit to the apostles. \"Ananias,\" said Peter, \"why has Satan put into your\nheart the desire to deceive the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the\nprice of the land? While the land remained unsold, was it not your own?\nEven after it was sold, was not the money yours to do with as you\npleased? How could you plan a thing like this? You have lied not to man\nbut to God.\" When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died; and\ngreat fear seized all who heard of it. The younger men arose, wrapped up\nthe body, and carried it away to be buried.\n\nAbout three hours later his wife came in, knowing nothing of what had\ntaken place. Peter said to her, \"Tell me, did you sell the land for so\nmuch?\" And she answered, \"Yes, for so much.\" Peter said to her, \"How is\nit that you two agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? The men\nwho have buried your husband are here at the door and they shall carry\nyou out.\" Instantly she fell dead at his feet; so when the young men\ncame in and found her dead, they carried her out and buried her beside\nher husband.\n\nThen great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of\nthese things. Many miracles and wonders were done among the people by\nthe apostles. Even from the towns about Jerusalem crowds gathered,\nbringing sick people, and all were healed.\n\n\nSTEPHEN THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR\n\nDuring these days, while the number of the disciples was rapidly\nincreasing, the Jews who came from lands where Greek was spoken began to\ncomplain against those who were born and lived in Palestine, because\ntheir widows were neglected when the food was given out each day.\nTherefore the twelve apostles called together all the disciples and\nsaid, \"It is not right that we should give up our preaching so as to\nwait on tables. Brothers, choose seven of your own number, men of good\nreputation, wise and spiritually-minded, whom we will put in charge of\nthis work. But we will continue to give ourselves to prayer and to\npreaching the good news.\" This plan pleased all the disciples; so they\nchose Stephen, a man of strong faith and spiritual power, Philip,\nProchorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, who came from Antioch\nbut had become a Jew. These men they brought before the apostles, who\nafter praying laid their hands upon them.\n\nAnd the message of the Lord continued to spread, and the number of\ndisciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased. A large number of the\npriests also accepted the faith.\n\nStephen, who had personal charm and power, did great wonders and\nmiracles among the people. Some belonging to the Synagogue of the\nLibyans, and Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of\nAsia began to argue with Stephen; but they were unable to get the better\nof him because of the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke.\n\nThen secretly they bribed certain men to say, \"We have heard him\nspeaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.\" In this way they\nstirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, so that they seized\nStephen and took him before the council. They also brought in false\nwitnesses who said, \"This man is always talking against this holy place\nand the law. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will\ndestroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to\nus!\"\n\nThen all who were sitting in the council fixed their eyes on Stephen and\nsaw that his face shone like the face of an angel. But the high priest\nsaid, \"Are these charges true?\" Stephen answered, \"Brothers and fathers,\nlisten. The Most High God does not live in houses made by men.\n\n\"You stubborn and evil-minded people! you always resist the Holy Spirit,\nas did your fathers before you. Which of the prophets did they not\npersecute? They also killed those who foretold the coming of the Just\nOne, whose betrayers and murderers you have become--you who received the\nlaw given through angels, and have not kept it!\"\n\nWhen they heard these words, they were furious and gnashed their teeth\nat him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up into heaven\nand saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.\n\"Look, I see heaven open,\" he said, \"and the Son of Man standing at the\nright hand of God.\" But they stopped their ears and with a howl rushed\nat him all together. Then they threw him out of the city and stoned him.\nThe witnesses who threw the first stones, laid their clothes at the\nfeet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned Stephen, he prayed,\n\"Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit!\" Then he knelt down and cried aloud,\n\"Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge!\" When he had said this, he\nfell asleep. Certain devout men buried Stephen, mourning deeply for him.\n\nBut Saul consented to his murder. He also tried to destroy the church,\nentering into every house, and dragging out men and women, put them in\nprison.\n\n\nPHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN\n\nWhen Stephen was stoned to death a great persecution broke out against\nthe church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered\nthroughout Judea and Samaria. Those who were scattered went in different\ndirections telling the good news about Jesus.\n\nPhilip went down to the city of Samaria, where he told the people about\nJesus, the Christ. And the crowds, when they saw the miracles he\nperformed, paid attention to what he said. Many who could not walk or\nwere lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. Both the men\nand women who believed Philip, as he told the good news about the\nKingdom of God and the name of Jesus, were baptized.\n\nWhen the apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had believed\nGod's message, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they came,\nprayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not\nyet come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of\nthe Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they\nreceived the Holy Spirit.\n\nWhen the apostles had told the people about Jesus and preached the word\nof the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem; and as they went, they told\nthe good news in many villages of the Samaritans. But an angel of the\nLord said to Philip, \"Rise, and go south along the desert road from\nJerusalem to Gaza.\" As he went on his way he met an Ethiopian who had\ncharge of the treasures of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He had\ngone to Jerusalem to worship and was on his way home. As the Ethiopian\nsat in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah, the Spirit said to\nPhilip, \"Go up and speak to the man in the chariot.\" As Philip ran up\nand heard him reading from the prophet Isaiah, he asked, \"Do you\nunderstand what you are reading?\" \"How can I,\" said the Ethiopian,\n\"unless there is some one to tell me what it means?\" So he begged Philip\nto come up and sit beside him.\n\nNow the passage of scripture that he was reading was this:\n\n \"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,\n And as a lamb is dumb before the shearer,\n So he opened not his mouth.\"\n\nThe Ethiopian said to Philip, \"I beg of you, tell me of whom is the\nprophet speaking? Of himself or of some one else?\" Then Philip, taking\nthis verse as his text, told him the good news about Jesus. As they went\nalong, they came to some water, and the Ethiopian said, \"Here is water.\nWhat prevents my being baptized?\" So he ordered the chariot to stop, and\nboth went down into the water, and Philip baptized the man. After they\nhad come up from the water, the Spirit of the Lord sent Philip on his\nway, and the Ethiopian did not see him again, but went away happy. But\nPhilip told the good news in every town until he reached Caesarea.\n\n\nPETER AND THE ROMAN OFFICER\n\nWhile Peter was going through the whole country, he stayed for a long\ntime at Joppa, in the house of Simon, a tanner.\n\nCornelius, the captain of the Italian guard, lived in Caesarea. He was a\nrighteous man and he and all his household worshipped God. He gave many\ngifts to the poor people, and prayed to God at all times.\n\nOne day, about three o'clock in the afternoon, Cornelius had a vision;\nand he saw an angel of God coming and saying to him, \"Cornelius.\"\nLooking straight at him, although he was afraid, Cornelius said, \"What\nis it, Lord?\" The angel said to him, \"Your prayers and your gifts to the\npoor are pleasing to God. Now send men to Joppa, and bring a certain\nSimon, whose other name is Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner,\nwhose house is by the seaside.\" When the angel who spoke to him had gone\naway, Cornelius called two of his household servants, and a trusted\nsoldier who constantly waited on him. After he had explained everything\nto them, he sent them to Joppa.\n\nOn the next day, about noon, as they were on their way, and were coming\nnear to Joppa, Peter went up to the housetop to pray. While he was\npraying, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having found the way to\nSimon's house, stood before the gate, and called out to ask whether\nSimon, whose other name was Peter, was staying there. The Spirit said to\nPeter, \"See, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down, and do not\nhesitate to go with them; for I have sent them.\" So Peter went down to\nthe men and said, \"I am the man you are looking for; what do you want?\"\nThey said, \"Cornelius, a captain of the guard, a righteous man and one\nwho worships God and is well spoken of by all the Jews, was told by a\nholy angel to send for you and ask you to come to his house, that he may\nhear what you have to say.\" So Peter invited them in and they stayed all\nnight.\n\nThe next day he rose and went with them, and some of the disciples from\nJoppa went with him. The next day after that, they reached Caesarea.\nCornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and\nhis near friends. When Peter came in, Cornelius met him and fell down at\nhis feet and worshipped him. But Peter said, \"Stand up, I am only a man,\nlike you.\" After he had talked with him, he went in, and found many\npeople there. Then Cornelius said, \"Just four days ago, in the\nafternoon, I was praying in my house, when a man stood before me in\nbright clothing, and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your\ngifts to the poor are pleasing to God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call\nfor Simon, whose other name is Peter; he is staying in the house of\nSimon, a tanner, by the seaside.' So I sent to you at once; and you have\ndone well in coming. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of\nGod, to listen to whatever the Lord has commanded you to say.\"\n\nPeter said, \"I see, truly, that God shows no partiality; but in every\nnation, the man who reveres him, and does what is right, is pleasing to\nhim.\"\n\nWhile Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit filled all those who\nheard the word. And the Jewish disciples who came with Peter were\namazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on those who\nwere not Jews. For the Jews heard them shout and praise God. Then Peter\nsaid, \"Can any one refuse to baptize those who, as well as we, have\nreceived the Holy Spirit?\" And he commanded that they be baptized in the\nname of Jesus Christ. Then they begged him to stay with them several\ndays.\n\nWhen Peter came up to Jerusalem, the Jewish followers of Jesus found\nfault with him for preaching to those who were not Jews. But Peter\nexplained the matter to them, saying, \"I was in the city of Joppa\npraying; and while I was praying, three men stood before the house in\nwhich we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. And the\nSpirit told me to go with them, even though they were not Jews. These\nsix brothers here went with me also; and we went into the man's house.\nHe told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying,\n'Send to Joppa, and bring Simon, whose other name is Peter, who shall\ntell you certain things through which you and your whole family shall be\nsaved.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came upon them, even as on\nus at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said,\n'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the\nHoly Spirit.' If then God gave to them the like gift as he gave also to\nus, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could\nstand against God?\" When they heard these things, they stopped finding\nfault, and praised God, saying, \"Then also to those who are not Jews,\nGod has given, that they may turn from their wicked deeds and live.\"\n\n\nPETER'S ESCAPE FROM PRISON\n\nNow about that time Herod, the king, began to persecute the members of\nthe church; and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.\nWhen Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, he seized Peter also. This was\nduring the feast of the unleavened bread. Therefore when he arrested\nPeter, he put him in prison, and gave him into the keeping of four bands\nof four soldiers each. And he planned to bring him out to the people\nafter the Passover.\n\nSo Peter was kept in prison; but the members of the church prayed\nearnestly to God for him. On the very night before the day on which\nHerod meant to bring him up for trial, Peter was sleeping between two\nsoldiers, fastened to them with two chains. Watchmen were also on guard\nat the doors. All at once an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light\nshone in the cell. And he struck Peter on the side and awoke him,\nsaying, \"Get up quickly.\" And his chains fell off his hands. The angel\nsaid to him, \"Put on your belt and your sandals.\" And Peter did so. The\nangel said to him, \"Throw your coat around you, and follow me.\" So\nPeter went out with him; and he did not know that what had been done by\nthe angel was really true, but he thought he was dreaming. They went\npast the first and the second guards, and came to the iron gate that\nleads into the city; and it opened to them of itself. They went out, and\npassed on through one street; and all at once the angel left him. When\nPeter found himself alone, he said, \"Now I know for certain that the\nLord has sent his angel, and saved me from the hand of Herod and from\nall that the Jews were expecting he would do to me.\" And after he had\nthought what to do, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John\nMark. Now many people had gathered together there for prayer. When he\nknocked at the door a girl named Rhoda came to answer. And hearing\nPeter's voice, she was so glad that she forgot to open the door, but ran\nin, and told that Peter was standing outside. They said to her, \"You are\nout of your mind.\" But she insisted that it was so. They said, \"It is\nhis angel.\" But Peter kept on knocking: and when they opened the door\nand saw him, they were amazed. But he motioned to them with the hand to\nbe silent, and told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. And\nhe said, \"Go and tell James and the other brothers.\" Then he left the\nhouse and went to another place. Now as soon as it was morning, there\nwas great excitement among the soldiers, as to what had become of Peter.\nAfter Herod had searched for him, and had failed to find him, he\nquestioned the guards, and commanded that they should be executed.\n\n\nPAUL'S ACCOUNT OF WHAT HE SAW AND HEARD ON HIS WAY TO DAMASCUS\n\nI am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but I was brought up in\nJerusalem, educated as a disciple of Gamaliel in the strict way laid\ndown in the laws received from our fathers, and devoted to God, as you\nall are.\n\nYou know what I did in the past among the Jews. You know how bitterly I\npersecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it and how in my zeal\nfor the laws and customs handed down from my forefathers I did more than\nany of my fellow countrymen. I indeed believed that it was my duty to do\nall in my power to oppose the cause of Jesus of Nazareth. This I did in\nJerusalem. With authority from the high priests, I put many of Jesus'\nfollowers in prison. When they were put to death, I voted against them.\nIn all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them speak\nagainst the name of Jesus, and in my insane fury I followed them even to\ndistant cities.\n\nWhen I was travelling to Damascus on this business, with written\nauthority from the high priests, I saw, on the road in the middle of the\nday, a light from heaven, more dazzling than the glare of the sun,\nshining around me and those who were travelling with me. We fell to the\nground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, \"Saul, Saul, why do you\npersecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.\" I asked,\n\"Who art thou, Lord?\" and the Lord answered, \"I am Jesus whom you are\npersecuting. Rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you to\nappoint you to be my servant and a witness to what you have seen and to\nthe things that I will show you. I chose you from the Jews and the other\npeoples to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, that they may turn\nfrom darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that they may\nreceive forgiveness of their sins and a place among those who have given\nthemselves to me because they believe in me.\"\n\nWhen the God, who had set me apart even from my birth and called me by\nhis love, chose to reveal his Son in me that I might tell to other races\nthe good news about him, I at once went into Arabia instead of talking\nwith any one else or going up to Jerusalem to see those who had been\napostles before me. When I came back I preached first to those at\nDamascus. There the governor, appointed by King Aretas, put guards in\nthe city to arrest me, but I was lowered in a basket through a window in\nthe wall and so escaped from their hands.\n\nAfter three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter and stayed with\nhim fifteen days. I saw no other apostle except James the brother of\nJesus.\n\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT ANTIOCH\n\nThe disciples who had been scattered by the persecution which came after\nthe killing of Stephen went to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but\ntold about Jesus only to Jews. Some of them, citizens of Cyprus and\nCyrene, when they reached Antioch also told the good news about the\nLord Jesus to the Greeks. The power of the Lord was with them, and a\nlarge number believed and turned to him.\n\nWhen the news of this reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent\nBarnabas to Antioch. After he saw the proofs of God's goodness, he was\nvery glad and urged all to remain loyal to the Lord; and many more\nbelieved.\n\nThen Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul, whose name had been Saul.\nWhen he had found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year\nthey were with the church there and taught a large number of people. It\nwas at Antioch also that the disciples were first called Christians.\n\nDuring these days some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem. One of\nthem, Agabus, under the influence of the Spirit, told that a severe\nfamine would come all through that part of the world, and this famine\ncame when Claudius was emperor. Therefore, the disciples, each as he was\nable, sent something to help the brothers living in Judea. They sent\ntheir gifts to the elders by Barnabas and Paul. After Barnabas and Paul\nhad done that for which they were sent, they returned from Jerusalem,\nbringing with them John, who was also called Mark.\n\nNow in the church at Antioch there were prophets and preachers:\nBarnabas, Symeon (called Niger), and Lucius the Cyrenean, besides Manean\n(a childhood friend of Herod the ruler), and Paul. As they were\nworshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, \"Set apart for\nme Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.\" Then\nwhen they had fasted and prayed, they gave them their blessing and sent\nthem on their way.\n\n\nPAUL AND BARNABAS IN FOREIGN LANDS\n\nPaul and Barnabas, sent by the Holy Spirit, went to Seleucia and from\nthere sailed to Cyprus. When they came to Salamis, they, with Mark as\ntheir helper, told God's message in the Jewish synagogue.\n\nWhen they had gone over the whole island as far as Paphos, they set\nsail, and Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia. There Mark\nleft them to return to Jerusalem, but they went on to Antioch. On the\nSabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of\nthe law and the prophets the men in charge of the synagogue service\nsent word to them, \"Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for\nthe people, say it.\" So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said,\n\"Listen, men of Israel and you who worship God. The God of this people\nIsrael chose our fathers. While they were in Egypt he made them a great\npeople, and then with wonderful signs of his power he led them out of\nthat land. After destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave\nthem that land to have as their own and later made David their king.\nFrom David's family God brought to Israel, as he had promised, a\nSaviour, Jesus.\n\n\"Brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all among you who worship God, to\nus has been sent this saving message. The people of Jerusalem and their\nrulers did not believe Jesus, and though they could find no reason why\nhe should be killed, they asked Pilate to put him to death. But God\nraised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had\ncome with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to\nthe people. So we bring you the good news that God, by raising Jesus\nfrom the dead, has fulfilled for our children the promise made to our\nfathers.\"\n\nAs Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people begged that this be\nrepeated to them on the following Sabbath. After the congregation broke\nup, many of the Jews and religious Greeks followed Paul and Barnabas,\nwho spoke to them, urging them through God's help to remain loyal.\n\nOn the next Sabbath nearly all the people of the city came to hear the\nmessage of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowd, they were jealous\nand began to contradict what Paul said, and to insult him. But Paul and\nBarnabas spoke out fearlessly and said, \"It was necessary that God's\nmessage should be spoken first to you; but since you will not hear it\nand prove yourselves unworthy of eternal life, here and now we turn to\nthose who are not Jews. For this is the Lord's command to us: 'I have\nset you as a light to other races, to bring salvation to the ends of the\nearth.'\"\n\nWhen those who were not Jews heard this, they were glad and gave thanks\nfor God's message; and as many as were ordained to receive eternal life\nbelieved, and God's message was carried far and wide throughout the\ncountry. But the Jews, with the help of women of high rank and the\nleading men in the city, started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas\nand drove them from the city. So the apostles shook the dust from their\nfeet as a protest against them, and went on to Iconium. The new\ndisciples, however, were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.\n\nAt Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke,\nso that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews\nwho did not believe stirred up the other races and poisoned their minds\nagainst the apostles. The people of the town were divided, some being on\nthe side of the Jews and others on the side of the apostles. An attempt\nwas made both by the other races and by the Jews, with the help of their\nrulers, to attack and stone the apostles; but they learned of it and\nescaped to the towns of Lystra and Derbe, and there they continued to\npreach the good news.\n\nAt Lystra there was a man who could not move his feet, who had been lame\nfrom his birth and had never walked. As this man listened to Paul's\npreaching, the apostle fixed his eyes on him and, seeing that he had\nfaith enough to make him well, said in a loud voice, \"Stand up on your\nfeet.\" And the man sprang up and began to walk. When the crowds saw what\nPaul had done, they shouted in their language, \"The gods have come down\nto us in the form of men!\" Barnabas they called \"Zeus,\" and Paul\n\"Hermes,\" because he was the chief speaker. The priests of the temple of\nZeus, which stood in front of the town, brought oxen and wreaths to the\ngates, so as to join the crowds in offering sacrifice to them.\n\nBut when Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and\nrushed into the crowd, shouting, \"Men, why are you doing this? We are\nbut men like yourselves, and are bringing you the good news so that you\nmay turn from these idols and worship the living God who made the\nheaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. In past ages he\nallowed all nations to worship as they pleased; yet as the bountiful\nGiver he did not leave himself without a witness, for he gives you rain\nfrom heaven and fruitful seasons and makes your hearts happy with food\nand good cheer.\" Yet even with these words they could hardly keep the\ncrowd from sacrificing to them.\n\nBut Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds, who\nstoned Paul, and then, believing him dead, dragged him out of the city.\nHowever, when the disciples had gathered about him, he got up and went\ninto the city.\n\nThe next day he went with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the\ngood news to that city and had won many disciples, they returned to\nLystra, Iconium, and Antioch, and encouraged the disciples urging them\nto be true to the faith. Then they passed through Pisidia and came to\nPamphylia, and after preaching in Perga, they went down to Attaleia.\nFrom there they set sail for Antioch.\n\nWhen they reached Antioch, they called together the members of the\nchurch and told everything that God had done with them, and how he had\nopened the door of faith to those who were not Jews. And they stayed\nthere a long time with the disciples.\n\n\nWHY PAUL WENT TO MACEDONIA\n\nAfter they had stayed at Antioch for some time, Paul said to Barnabas,\n\"Let us return and visit the brothers in all the cities where we have\ntold the good news from the Lord, and see how they are getting on.\"\nBarnabas wished to take Mark with them, but Paul did not think it wise\nto take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia instead of\ngoing on with them to work in Pisidia. So they parted company, and\nBarnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and went away,\ncommended by the brothers to the gracious care of the Lord. He went\nthrough Syria and Cilicia, encouraging the churches.\n\nHe also went to Derbe and Lystra. At Lystra there was a disciple, called\nTimothy, the son of a Christian Jewess and a Greek father. As he had a\ngood reputation among the brothers at Lystra and Iconium, Paul wished to\nhave him go with him. And the churches were strengthened in the faith\nand increased in numbers daily.\n\nThen Paul and his companions crossed the Phrygian and Galatian country,\nbut were prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching in the province of\nAsia. When they reached Mysia they tried to enter Bithynia, but the\nSpirit of Jesus did not permit them; so passing by Mysia they went down\nto Troas.\n\nOne night Paul had a vision: a man of Macedonia was standing and begging\nhim, \"Come over into Macedonia and help us.\" As soon as Paul saw the\nvision, we were eager to start at once for Macedonia, believing that God\nhad called us to tell the good news to them. So, setting sail from\nTroas, we ran straight to Samothrace, and on the next day to Neapolis.\nFrom there we went to Philippi, which is the principal city in that\npart of Macedonia. In that city we spent some days.\n\nOn the Sabbath we went outside the city gate by the river, where we\nbelieved there was a place of prayer. And we sat down and talked to the\nwomen who had gathered. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in\npurple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was already a worshipper of\nGod. The Lord opened her mind, so that she listened to what Paul was\nsaying; and when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us,\nsaying, \"If you are sure that I am a true believer in the Lord, come and\nstay at my house.\" And she made us do so.\n\n\nPAUL AND SILAS IN MACEDONIA\n\nOne day as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who\nwas under the control of a spirit that made her clairvoyant, so that she\nbrought great gain to her owners by fortune-telling. She kept following\nPaul and the rest of us, crying, \"These men are servants of the Most\nHigh God; they proclaim to you the way of salvation.\" This she did for\nmany days until Paul, unable to stand it longer, turned and said to the\nspirit, \"In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her.\"\nAnd it left her at once.\n\nBut when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized\nPaul and Silas and dragged them into the public square before the city\nofficials. Bringing them before the military rulers, they said, \"These\nare Jews who are making a disturbance in our city; they proclaim customs\nwhich it is not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or follow.\" The mob\nalso joined in the attack upon them, so the military rulers tore their\ngarments off them and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After beating\nthem severely, they threw them in prison and ordered the jailer to be\nsure to keep them safely. On receiving this strict order, he put them\ninto the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.\n\nAbout midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,\nand while the prisoners were listening to them, there was suddenly such\na great earthquake that the very foundations of the prison were shaken.\nImmediately all the doors were opened and the chains that bound all the\nprisoners were loosened.\n\nWhen the jailer suddenly awoke and saw the prison doors wide open, he\ndrew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had\nescaped. But Paul shouted, \"Do no harm to yourself, for we are all\nhere!\" So calling for lights, the jailer rushed in, and trembling with\nfear, fell down before Paul and Silas. Then bringing them out of the\nprison he said, \"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?\" They answered,\n\"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be\nsaved.\" So Paul and Silas preached the word of the Lord to him and to\nall his family. Then the jailer took them at that very hour of the night\nand washed their wounds, and he and all his family were at once\nbaptized. He then brought them to his house and gave them food to eat,\nand greatly rejoiced with all his family that they had come to believe\nin God.\n\nThe next morning the city officials sent the police with the order,\n\"Release these men.\" So the jailer told Paul, \"The police have brought\nan order to have you released; now you may come out and go in peace.\"\nBut Paul answered, \"They have beaten us publicly without trial, although\nwe are Roman citizens, and they put us in prison! Now they are going to\nsend us out secretly! No, indeed. Let them come here themselves and take\nus out.\"\n\nThe police reported this to the military rulers, who, when they heard\nthat they were Roman citizens, were afraid and came to make peace with\nthem, and when they had brought them out of prison, they begged them to\nleave the city. So Paul and Silas left the prison, and went to Lydia's\nhouse; and after they had seen the brothers and encouraged them, they\nleft the city.\n\nAfter they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to\nThessalonica, where the Jews had a synagogue. As usual, Paul went in,\nand for three weeks he argued with them, to prove to them from the\nscriptures that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and\nPaul said that \"this Jesus I proclaim to you is the Christ.\" Some of the\nJews and a large number of God-fearing Greeks and many of the leading\nwomen believed and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas.\n\nBut the Jews were jealous and got hold of the loafers in the\nmarket-place, and raised a mob and started a riot in the city. They\nattacked Jason's house, so as to bring Paul and Silas out before the\npeople, and when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of\nthe brothers before the city officials, shouting, \"These men who have\nupset the whole world have come here too! Jason has welcomed them. They\ndo not keep the laws of Caesar and declare that some one else called\nJesus is king.\" On hearing this the crowd and the city officials were\ngreatly troubled; but after Jason and the others had pledged to keep the\npeace, they let them go.\n\nThen the brothers at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea.\nWhen they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue, where the\npeople were of a nobler spirit than at Thessalonica, for they were very\nready to hear the teaching about Jesus, and studied their scriptures\ndaily to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed and\nalso prominent Greek women and many men.\n\nAs soon as the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message was being\nproclaimed by Paul at Beroea, they came there also to stir up the\npeople to riot. Then the brothers at once sent Paul on his way to the\nsea-coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Beroea. The friends who\nescorted Paul went with him as far as Athens, and left him there, after\nreceiving instructions that Silas and Timothy were to come to him as\nsoon as possible.\n\n\nPAUL'S GREAT SPEECH AT ATHENS\n\nWhile Paul was waiting at Athens for Silas and Timothy, his anger was\naroused when he saw that the city was filled with idols. So he argued in\nthe synagogue with the Jews and with the Greeks who joined in their\nworship, and every day with those whom he happened to meet in the\nmarket-place. A few of the philosophers also met him. Some of them said,\n\"What has this picker-up of scraps of learning to say?\" Others said, \"He\nseems to be a herald of some new deities.\" This was because he had been\ntelling the good news about Jesus and how he rose from the dead. And\nthey took him to the Court of Areopagus and said, \"May we hear what this\nnew teaching of yours is? For the things you are saying sound strange to\nus; so we want to know what they mean.\" (For all the Athenians and the\nforeign visitors spent their time doing nothing but telling or hearing\nsomething new.)\n\nSo Paul stood in the middle of the Court and said, \"Men of Athens, I see\nwherever I go that you are very religious, for as I passed along and\nlooked at your objects of worship, I found an altar with the\ninscription,\n\n _TO AN UNKNOWN GOD_\n\nWhom, therefore, you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you. The\nGod who made the world and all things in it is Lord of heaven and\nearth and does not live in temples made by men. He is not served by\nmen's hands, as though he needed anything, for he it is who gives to all\nmen life and breath and all things. He has made all nations from one\nfamily that they may live over the whole earth. He has also fixed for\nthem when and where they are to live, that they should seek God in the\nhope that, as they feel after him, they may find him, for he is not far\nfrom each one of us; for it is in him that we live, and move, and have\nour being, as in fact, some of your own poets have said, 'We also are\nhis children.'\n\n[Illustration: _St. Paul Preaching at Athens_\n\nPainted by Raphael]\n\n\"Therefore, as the children of God, we ought not to think of the divine\nnature as being like gold or silver or stone, carved by man's art and\ninvention. God overlooked the ages of ignorance, but now he commands all\nmen everywhere to repent, for he has fixed a day on which he will judge\nthe world justly by the one whom he has appointed, and he has given\nproof of this to all mankind by raising him from the dead.\"\n\nWhen they heard of raising one from the dead, some sneered, but others\nsaid, \"We will hear what you have to say about that some other time.\" So\nPaul went out from among them. Some men, however, joined him and\nbelieved, among whom were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the\nAreopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others. After this Paul\nleft Athens and went to Corinth.\n\n\nPAUL WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS AT THESSALONICA\n\nPaul and Silas and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians which\nlives in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nMay good-will and peace be granted to you.\n\nWe thank God always for you all and mention you in our prayers, for we\nconstantly remember before our God and Father your active faith and\nloving service and firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nYou yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not without\nresults. At Philippi, as you remember, we had the courage through divine\nhelp to tell you the good news of God even though we had been ill\ntreated and insulted. We loved you so much and you had become so dear to\nus that we would gladly have given to you not only God's good news, but\nalso our very lives.\n\nBrothers, you remember our hard labor and toil, how we worked at our\ntrade night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, while we\ntold you God's good news. You are witnesses, and so is God, that our\ndealings with you who believe in Christ were pure, just, and beyond\nreproach, and that we treated each of you as a father treats his own\nchildren, persuading and encouraging you, and appealing to you to live\nso that you would be worthy of the God who calls you to his own Kingdom\nand glory.\n\nWe thank God constantly for this also, that when you received God's\nmessage from us you accepted it not as a mere word of man but for what\nit really is, the message of God, which even now is doing its work in\nthe hearts of you who believe. You have begun to follow the example of\nthe churches of God in Judea which are united with Jesus Christ, for you\nhave suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they have\nsuffered from the Jews who killed the Lord Jesus.\n\nBrothers, when we were torn away from you for a little time (out of\nsight but not out of mind!), we were exceedingly eager to see you face\nto face. We did want to come to you--I, Paul, did more than once, but\nSatan put difficulties in our way. For who is \"our hope, our joy, our\ncrown\" of which we have a right to be proud? Is it not you? For you are\nour glory and our joy!\n\nSo when I could stand it no longer, I decided that it was best to remain\nalone at Athens and send Timothy, our brother and God's servant in\ntelling the good news about Christ, to strengthen your faith and so to\nencourage you that none of you might be disturbed by the troubles\nthrough which you are passing, for you know that we must have them.\n\nBut now that Timothy has just come back and brought me the good news of\nyour faith and love and how you always remember me lovingly, longing to\nsee me as I long to see you, I have been comforted, brothers, in all my\ndistress and trouble by your faith.\n\nHow can we thank God enough for all the joy that comes to us through\nyou? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see your faces and\nsupply whatever is lacking in your faith. May our God and Father himself\nand our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, and may the Lord make your\nlove for one another and for all men grow ever greater, even as does our\nlove for you, so as to make your hearts strong and your characters\nwithout fault in the sight of our God and Father.\n\nI solemnly charge you in the name of the Lord to have this letter read\naloud to all the brothers. The love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with\nyou.\n\n\nPAUL'S WORK AT CORINTH\n\nAnd Paul left the place and went to the home of Titius Justus, who\nworshipped God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the\npresident of the synagogue, and all his family, believed in the Lord;\nand many of the Corinthians when they heard Paul, believed and were\nbaptized. One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, \"Do not be\nafraid, but speak and do not stop, for I am with you and no one shall\nharm you; I have many followers in this city.\" So Paul lived there a\nyear and a half and taught them the word of God.\n\nBut when Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews joined in an attack on\nPaul and brought him before the court on the charge that he led people\nto worship God contrary to the law. But just as Paul was about to speak,\nGallio said to the Jews, \"If it were something about wrong-doing or a\nserious crime, there would be some reason for my listening to you, O\nJews; but if these are only questions about names and your own law, take\ncare of them yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of matters like\nthese.\" And he drove them out of the court. Then all the people caught\nhold of Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and beat him in front\nof the court; but Gallio paid no attention to these things. Paul, after\nstaying some time longer in Corinth, said good-by to the brothers and\nwith Priscilla and Aquila, sailed for Syria.\n\n\nPAUL WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS IN CORINTH\n\nPaul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and\nbrother Sosthenes to the church of God at Corinth.\n\nI thank God continually for the blessing which he has given you through\nJesus Christ. Through him you have been so richly and fully gifted with\nevery kind of speech and knowledge that you have proved the truth of\nthe testimony which I bore to Christ when I was with you.\n\nBrothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I beg of you all to agree\nin your statement of faith. There must be no quarrels among you, but you\nmust be one both in your way of thinking and in your purpose. For I have\nbeen told, brothers, by the members of Chloe's household, that there are\nquarrels among you.\n\nAvoid all impurity! Every other sin that a man commits is outside the\nbody, but the impure man sins against his own body. Do you not know that\nyour body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that is within you, which you\nhave received from God? You do not belong to yourselves, for you were\nbought for a price. Be sure to honor God with your bodies.\n\nNo temptation has come to you that is beyond your power to resist. God\nis faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond what you can stand;\nbut when the temptation comes, he will provide the way of escape, so\nthat you will have strength to endure.\n\nIn all things I can do as I like, but they are not all good for me. In\nall things I can do as I like, but they do not all make me a better man.\nEach of us must seek not only his own good but that of his neighbor.\n\nDo you not know that in a race, though all run, only one wins the prize?\nSo run that you may win the prize. Every athlete exercises\nself-restraint in every way; but while they do this to win a crown that\nperishes, we do it to secure one that is eternal. So then I run as one\nwho is sure of his goal. I do not plant my blows as a boxer who beats\nthe air; rather I constantly train my body and keep it under control for\nfear that I, who told others of the contest, might myself be\ndisqualified.\n\nNow brothers, I wish you to understand about spiritual gifts. There are\ndifferent kinds of gifts, but all are given by the same Spirit. There\nare different ways of serving, but all are for the same Master. There\nare different ways in which God's power is shown, but the same God is\nworking in all of you in all these ways. Each is given his own gift of\nthe Spirit for the common good.\n\nJust as a man's body has many parts, and these parts, although many,\nform only one body, so it is with Christ. For we have all been baptized\nby the one Spirit so as to form one body. Whether we were Jews or\nGreeks, slaves or freemen, we have all been given the same Spirit. For\nthe body consists not of one part but of many. If the foot were to say,\n\"Because I am not the hand I do not belong to the body,\" that would not\nmake it any less a part of the body. If the ear were to say, \"Because I\nam not an eye, I do not belong to the body,\" it would be, for all that,\na part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the\nhearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of\nsmell be? But as it is, God gave each part of the body its proper place,\nexactly as he wished. If they were all only one part, where would the\nbody be? As it is, while there are many parts, there is only one body.\n\nThe eye cannot say to the hand, \"I have no need of you,\" nor can the\nhead say to the feet, \"I have no need of you.\" On the contrary, even\nthose parts of the body which seem weaker are necessary. If one part\nsuffers, all parts suffer with it. If one part is honored, all the parts\nshare its honor.\n\nNow you are one body--the body of Christ, and each of you are parts of\nit. And God gave each his proper place in the church: apostles first,\nprophets next, teachers third, then workers of miracles, healers,\nhelpers, and directors.\n\nAre all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all able to\nwork miracles? Are all healers? Are all able to tell what their words\nmean? But always seek to attain the highest gifts.\n\nYet I will show you a far better way. Though I speak with the tongues of\nmen and of angels but have not love, I am only sounding brass or a\nclanging cymbal. Even though I have the gift of prophecy, and can\nunderstand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have faith enough to\nremove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I give all I\nhave to feed the poor and my body to be burned, but have not love, I\ngain nothing.\n\nLove is patient and kind; love is not envious; love is not boastful, is\nnot conceited, does not act rudely, is not selfish, is never provoked,\ndoes not resent wrong; rejoices not in evil, but rejoices in the truth.\nLove forgives all things, believes all things, hopes for all things,\nendures all things.\n\nLove never fails. As for prophecies they shall come to an end. As for\ntongues they shall cease. As for knowledge it also shall come to an end;\nfor we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is\nperfect has come, that which is imperfect shall come to an end.\n\nWhen I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as\na child; but now that I am a man I have put away childish ways. For now\nwe see only the dim reflection in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I\nknow only in part, but then I shall know fully, even as also I am fully\nknown.\n\nAnd now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of\nthese is love.\n\n\nTHE NEW LIFE AFTER DEATH\n\nNow, brothers, remember the good news I preached to you, that Christ\ndied for our sins, and that he was buried and rose again the third day.\n\nNow if we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why do some of you say\nthat there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no such thing as\na resurrection of the dead, then Christ did not rise; and if Christ did\nnot rise then our preaching is of no value and your faith also is of no\nvalue.\n\nBut some one will say, \"How do the dead rise and what kind of body will\nthey have when they come back?\" Foolish one! The seed you sow does not\ncome to life again unless it dies. What you sow is not the body that\nwill be, but a mere grain, perhaps of wheat or of some other seed. God\ngives it the kind of body that he sees fit, to each kind of seed a body\nof its own.\n\nAll flesh is not the same; there is human flesh, another flesh of\nbeasts, another flesh of birds, and another of fishes. There are\nheavenly bodies and also earthly bodies, but the splendor of the\nheavenly is one thing and that of the earthly is another. There is one\nsplendor of the sun, another splendor of the moon, and another splendor\nof the stars; for one star differs from another in splendor.\n\nSo it is with a man's body when he rises from the dead. It is sown a\nperishable thing, it is raised imperishable; it is sown without honor,\nit is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it\nis sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a\nnatural body, there is also a spiritual body.\n\nIn a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall be changed and this\nperishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body put on\nimmortality. Then shall come true what is written in Scripture \"Death is\nswallowed up by victory. O grave, where is your victory? O death, where\nis your sting?\" Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our\nLord Jesus Christ.\n\n\nWAYS OF SHOWING LOVE\n\nNow about the collection for God's people in Jerusalem, you must carry\nout the same directions that I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the\nfirst day of every week let each one put aside a certain part of what he\nhas gained, so that the money will not have to be collected when I come.\nWhen I arrive I will send those whom you select, with letters, to carry\nyour gift to Jerusalem, and if it is worth while for me to go too, they\nshall go with me.\n\nI will come to you after I have passed through Macedonia, for I am going\nthere. Perhaps I shall spend some time, or even pass the winter with\nyou, that you may start me on my way, wherever I may be going. I do not\nwish to see you merely in passing, for my hope is to stay some time with\nyou, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until the Feast of\nPentecost, for I have a great opportunity here for work, and there are\nmany foes.\n\nIf Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear while among you, for\nhe is carrying on the Lord's work even as I am. So let no one slight\nhim, but see him safely on his way that he may come to me, for I am\nwaiting for him along with the other brothers.\n\nBe watchful, stand firm in the faith, be men, be strong! Let all that\nyou do be done in love.\n\nThe churches of the province in Asia send you greetings. Aquila and\nPrisca, with the church that meets in their home, also send you\ngreetings, and so do all the brothers.\n\nI, Paul, add this greeting with my own hand: \"The Love of the Lord Jesus\nChrist be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.\"\n\n\nPAUL'S TRIALS AND VICTORIES AT EPHESUS\n\nAfter spending some time at Antioch Paul went off on a trip to Galatia\nand Phrygia to strengthen the faith of all the disciples; then he\nreturned to Ephesus. There Paul entered the synagogue, and spoke out\nfearlessly for three months, arguing and trying to convince people\nabout the Kingdom of God. But as some were stubborn and refused to be\nconvinced and publicly slandered the Christian way of thinking and\nliving, Paul, taking the disciples with him, left the synagogue and\ncontinued his teaching every day in the lecture-room of Tyrannus. This\ncontinued for two years, so that all the people who lived in the\nprovince of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message of the Lord.\n\nAnd God did wonderful miracles through Paul, and the name of the Lord\nJesus was held in high honor. Many who believed in him came to confess\nand to tell all the wicked things they had done.\n\nAbout that time a great disturbance arose over the Christian way of\nteaching and living. A silversmith, by the name of Demetrius, made\nsilver models of the temple of Artemis which brought much profit to his\nworkmen. He gathered the workmen together, and others who were in the\nsame kind of business, and said to them, \"Men, you know that we get our\nwealth from this business of ours. You also see and hear that, not only\nat Ephesus but throughout the whole province of Asia, this Paul has\ndrawn away many people by telling them that gods made by human hands are\nnot gods at all. There is danger not only that this business will be\nhurt, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be\nneglected, and that she will even lose her importance in all the\nprovince of Asia and throughout the world.\"\n\nWhen they heard this they were greatly enraged, and shouted, \"Great is\nArtemis of the Ephesians!\" The uproar spread throughout the whole city\nuntil the people all rushed into the theatre, dragging along Gaius and\nAristarchus, men of Macedonia, who were Paul's travelling companions.\nPaul wanted to enter the assembly, but the disciples would not let him.\nSome of the leading religious officers of the province of Asia, who were\nfriends of his, also sent messages begging him not to risk going into\nthe theatre.\n\nSome of the people shouted one thing and some another, for the assembly\nwas all in confusion, and most of those present did not know why they\nhad come together. For about two hours they shouted, \"Great is Artemis\nof the Ephesians!\" When the city recorder had quieted the mob, he said:\n\"Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that this city is\nthe guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that\nfell from heaven? As these facts cannot be denied, you should keep calm\nand do nothing reckless. You have brought these men here who are\nneither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. If Demetrius\nand his fellow workers have a complaint against anybody, there are the\ncourts and the Roman officials; let both sides state their charges. But\nif there is anything else you want, it must be settled in the regular\nassembly. We are indeed in danger of being charged with riot because of\nwhat we have done to-day, for there is no good reason that we can give\nfor this gathering.\" With these words he dismissed the assembly.\n\nWhen the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged\nthem. Then, after bidding them good-by, he started for Macedonia.\n\n\nPAUL WRITES TO THE CHRISTIANS AT ROME\n\nPaul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart to\ntell God's good news about Jesus Christ our Lord, to all God's loved\nones who are in Rome and have been called to be his people: Love to you,\nand peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nFirst of all I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because\nyour faith is reported throughout the whole world. The God whom I serve\nwith my spirit, as I tell the good news about his Son, is my witness how\noften I speak of you in my prayers, asking that at last the way may be\nopened for me to come to you, if it is God's will. For I long to see you\nthat I may give you some spiritual gift, that you may be strengthened;\nor rather that we may each be encouraged by the other's faith, I by\nyours, and you by mine.\n\nBrothers, I also wish you to know that many times I planned to come to\nyou (but thus far was prevented) that I might gather some fruit from my\nlabors among you, as I have already in the other nations. I have a duty\nto perform both to Greeks and to barbarians; both to the wise and to the\nignorant; so I am eager to tell the good news to you also who are in\nRome. I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is the power of God that\nis able to save every one who believes it, the Jew first and the Greek\nas well.\n\nDo not follow the example of those who have not heard the good news, but\nbe made different by a complete change of mind, so that you may be able\nto know what is the will of God, even what is good and perfect and\nacceptable to him.\n\nLet your love be sincere; abhor that which is evil, cling to that which\nis good. In your love for your brothers, feel genuine devotion for one\nanother. Be eager to honor one another. Never let your zeal grow less;\nkeep alive your enthusiasm; serve the Lord; rejoice in your hope. Be\npatient in trouble, persevering in prayer; share with fellow Christians\nin need, be friendly and generous.\n\nBless those who persecute you, bless and curse not. Rejoice with those\nwho rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be sympathetic with one\nanother. Set not your heart on high things but be ready to do humble\ntasks. Do not be conceited.\n\nDo not pay back evil for evil; aim to do what is honorable in the eyes\nof all men. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with\nall men. Never seek revenge, dear friends, but let God punish those who\nwrong you. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is\nthirsty, give him drink, for in so doing you will heap coals of fire\nupon his head. Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil with\ngood.\n\nOwe no man anything, except to love one another, for he who loves his\nneighbor has done what the law demands. For all the commandments are\nsummed up in this one command: \"You shall love your neighbor as\nyourself.\" Love never wrongs a fellow man; that is why love meets all\nthe demands of the law.\n\nI have, for several years, been longing to visit you when I go to Spain.\nI am hoping to see you on my way there, and to be sent on my journey by\nyou after I have first enjoyed being with you for a time. But now I am\non my way to Jerusalem to do a service for God's people; for the\nChristians in Macedonia and Greece have been good enough to make a\ncontribution for the poor Christians at Jerusalem.\n\nNow I beg of you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by\nthe love which his Spirit inspires, that you join me in earnest prayer\nto God in my behalf. Pray that I may be delivered from those in Judea\nwho refuse to believe in Jesus, that my mission to Jerusalem may prove\nacceptable to God's people, and that I may through the will of God come\nto you joyfully and find rest with you.\n\nMay the God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.\n\n\nPAUL'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM\n\nAfter we had said good-by to the elders of Ephesus we sailed to Syria\nand landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload her cargo. There we\nfound certain Christian disciples and stayed a week with them. Speaking\nunder the influence of the Spirit, they told Paul not to set foot in\nJerusalem; but when it was time for us to go, we went on our way, and\nthey all, with their wives and children, came with us until we were out\nof the city. Then kneeling on the beach, we prayed and said good-by to\none another; we went on board and they returned home.\n\nSailing from Tyre to Ptolemais, we completed our voyage. After greeting\nthe Christian brothers who lived there, we spent a day with them. The\nnext morning we set out and reached Caesarea, where we went to the house\nof Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.\nHe had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy.\n\nDuring our stay there, which lasted a number of days, a prophet named\nAgabus came down from Judea. Coming up to us, he took Paul's belt, bound\nhis own feet and hands with it, and said: \"This is what the Holy Spirit\nsays, 'In the same way the Jews will bind the owner of this belt at\nJerusalem and will turn him over to the Romans.'\" When we and the\nbrothers who lived there heard this, we begged Paul not to go up to\nJerusalem, but Paul answered, \"What do you mean by weeping and breaking\nmy heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but to die in Jerusalem\nfor the cause of the Lord Jesus.\" So when he could not be kept from\ngoing, we stopped pleading and said: \"The Lord's will be done.\"\n\nAfter some days we started for Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from\nCaesarea went with us and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus,\none of the early disciples, with whom we were to stay. When we reached\nJerusalem the brothers welcomed us gladly.\n\nThe next day Paul went with us to see James, and all the elders of the\nchurch were present. After Paul had greeted them, he told, one by one,\nall the things that God had done among the foreign peoples through his\nministry. When they heard it they praised God and said to him, \"Brother,\nyou see how many thousands of Christian believers there are among the\nJews and that they are all eager to have men keep the law. They have\nbeen told that you teach all Jews living in foreign lands not to keep\nthe law of Moses. Now what is to be done? They will certainly hear that\nyou have come; therefore do this: we have here four men who have\nsolemnly promised to make certain offerings at the Temple. Join with\nthem, pay their expenses, and all will know that there is no truth in\nthe stories told about you, but that you live as the law of Moses\ncommands.\"\n\nSo Paul joined the men the next day and went with them into the Temple\nto give notice of the time when sacrifice was to be offered for every\none of them.\n\n\nPAUL'S NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH\n\nThe seven days during which the men had promised to make special\nofferings were almost over when some Jews from Asia, who saw Paul in the\nTemple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, shouting, \"Men\nof Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men, everywhere, to\ndespise the Jewish people, the Jewish law, and this sacred place.\" So\nthe whole city was aroused. The people rushed together, seized Paul, and\ndragged him outside the Temple; and at once the doors were closed.\n\nThe people were trying to kill Paul when it was reported to the\ncommander of the soldiers that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at\nonce took some soldiers and officers and rushed down among them. When\nthey saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then\nthe commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with\ntwo chains, and inquired, \"Who is he and what has he done?\" Some of the\ncrowd shouted one thing, some another; and as the commander could not\nlearn the real truth on account of the uproar, he ordered Paul to be\ntaken to the castle. When Paul reached the steps, he had to be carried\nby the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd, for all the\npeople followed, shouting, \"Kill him!\"\n\nJust as Paul was being taken into the castle, he said to the commander,\n\"May I say something to you?\" The commander said: \"Do you speak Greek?\nThen you are not the Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion and\nled four thousand outlaws into the desert?\" Paul answered, \"I am a Jew,\nof Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of a great city. I beg of you, let me\nspeak to the people.\"\n\nSo when the commander had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps\nand motioned with his hand to the people, and when there was a great\nsilence, he spoke to them in Hebrew: \"Brothers, and fathers, listen to\nthe defense I now make before you.\" When they heard him speaking to them\nin Hebrew they were all the more quiet; so he went on to say, \"I am a\nJew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated\nunder Gamaliel in all the strictness of our law. I was as eager to serve\nGod as you all are to-day. I persecuted and even killed the followers of\nJesus. I bound and put in prison both men and women, as the high priest\nhimself and all the elders can testify.\n\n\"It was also from them that I had letters to our fellow Jews in\nDamascus, and I was on my way to bring the Christians who were there\nback to Jerusalem in chains for punishment. While I was on my way not\nfar from Damascus, suddenly, about noon, a bright light from heaven\nshone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,\n'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who art thou, Lord?' I asked. He\nanswered, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one whom you are persecuting.'\nAnd I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Rise, and\ngo to Damascus, and there it shall be told you what you are to do.' And\nwhen I could not see because of the bright light, I went to Damascus,\nled by the hand of those who were with me. And one Ananias, a religious\nman, well thought of by the Jews, came and, standing beside me, said,\n'Brother Saul, receive your sight,' and that very minute I received my\nsight and saw him. And he said to me, 'The God of our fathers has chosen\nyou to know his will and to see the Righteous One. For you shall be his\nwitness to all men of what you have seen and heard.' And the Lord said\nto me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to those who are not Jews.'\"\n\nUp to this time the people had listened to him, but when they heard\nthese words they shouted, \"Away with such a fellow from the earth, for\nhe is not fit to live,\" and they threw off their clothes and flung dust\ninto the air until the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the\ncastle and examined, by flogging, to find out why the people had shouted\nso against him. When they had tied him up with straps, Paul said to the\nofficer who was standing by, \"Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman\ncitizen without trial?\" When the officer heard this he reported it to\nthe commander and said: \"Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman\ncitizen.\" Then the commander came to Paul and said, \"Tell me, are you a\nRoman citizen?\" He said, \"Yes.\" The commander answered, \"I paid a large\nsum for this citizenship\"; and Paul said, \"But I was born a Roman\ncitizen.\" The men who were to have examined him, at once left him. And\nthe commander, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, was also\nafraid because he had bound him.\n\nThe next day the commander, so as to find out just what charge the Jews\nhad made against Paul, unbound him and ordered the high priests and all\nthe members of the council to come together. Then they brought Paul down\nand placed him before them. Paul, looking straight at the members of the\ncouncil, said: \"Brothers, I have done my duty, with a clear conscience\nbefore God, up to the present moment.\"\n\nWhen Paul saw that some of the council were Sadducees and some\nPharisees, he cried out, \"Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.\nIt is because of my hope that the dead will live again that I am on\ntrial!\" When he said this a quarrel arose between the Pharisees and the\nSadducees, and there was a great difference of opinion among them. For\nthe Sadducees say that there is no life after death, nor angel, nor\nspirit; but the Pharisees believe in all these; so there was a great\nuproar. Some of the scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees\nsprang to their feet and protested, \"We find this man guilty of no\ncrime. What if some spirit or an angel has spoken to him?\" When the\nuproar became so great that the commander was afraid that Paul would be\ntorn in pieces by them, he ordered the troops to go down and take him\nfrom among them by force and bring him into the castle.\n\nThe next night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, \"Be of good cheer,\nfor as you have spoken for me at Jerusalem, so you must speak also at\nRome.\"\n\nEarly the next morning the Jews plotted together and solemnly promised\nnot to eat or drink until they had killed Paul, and there were more than\nforty who made this promise. They went to the high priests and elders\nand said, \"We have made a solemn promise to taste no food until we have\nkilled Paul. Now you and the council must tell the commander that you\nwish him to bring Paul down to you, as though you wanted to examine more\ncarefully the charges brought against him. We shall be ready to kill him\nbefore he comes here.\"\n\nBut Paul's sister's son heard of their plot and went to the castle and\ntold Paul. And Paul called one of the officers and said, \"Take this\nyoung man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.\" So the\nofficer took him to the commander and said, \"Paul the prisoner asked me\nto bring this young man to you, for he has something to tell you.\" The\ncommander then took him by the hand, and after he had led him aside,\nasked him privately, \"What is it that you have to tell me?\" He said,\n\"The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to-morrow to the\ncouncil pretending that they wish to examine his case more carefully.\nNow do not grant their request, for more than forty are lying in wait\nfor him and have solemnly promised not to eat or drink until they have\nkilled him. Even now they are ready, only waiting for your consent.\"\n\nThe commander let the young man go, bidding him, \"Tell no one that you\nhave informed me of this.\" Then he called two officers and said, \"Get\nready two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen\nby nine o'clock to-night to go as far as Caesarea.\" He also told them to\nprovide horses for Paul to ride on so as to bring him safely to Felix\nthe governor. So the soldiers, as they had been commanded, took Paul and\nbrought him by night to Antipatris. The next day the soldiers returned\nto the castle, leaving the horsemen to go on with him. When they reached\nCaesarea they brought Paul to the governor.\n\n\nA PRISONER WHO PREACHED TO HIS JUDGES\n\nSome days later Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was a Jewess,\nand sent for Paul and heard what he had to say about the faith in Christ\nJesus. But when he talked about upright living, self-control, and the\nfuture judgment, Felix became alarmed and said, \"You may go for the\npresent; when I can find a convenient time I will send for you.\" All the\ntime Felix was hoping that Paul would give him money, and for this\nreason he sent for him often and talked with him. But after two years\nhad passed Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, who, wishing to win\nthe favor of the Jews, left Paul in prison.\n\nAfter Festus had been governor three days, he went up from Caesarea to\nJerusalem. Then the high priests and the leading Jews made charges to\nhim against Paul and begged Festus as a favor to send and have him\nbrought to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him on the way. But\nFestus answered that Paul would be kept in Caesarea and that he himself\nwas going there in a short time. \"Therefore,\" he said, \"let your leading\nmen go down with me and let them charge the man with whatever crime he\nhas committed.\" After staying eight or ten days in Jerusalem, Festus\nwent back to Caesarea.\n\nThe next day Festus took his place on the judgment seat and ordered\nPaul to be brought in. When he came, the Jews who had come down from\nJerusalem surrounded him and brought many and serious charges against\nhim which they were unable to prove. In answer to them Paul said, \"I\nhave committed no crime against the Jewish law or the Temple or the\nEmperor.\"\n\nBut as Festus wished to win the favor of the Jews, he interrupted Paul\nwith the question, \"Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried\nbefore me there on these charges?\" Paul said, \"I am standing before the\nEmperor's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong\nto the Jews, as you yourself very well know. If, however, I have broken\nthe law or have committed any crime that deserves death, I am willing to\ndie. But if there is no truth in any of their charges against me, then\nno man has the right to give me up to them. I appeal to the Emperor!\"\nAfter talking with the council, Festus answered, \"You have appealed to\nthe Emperor, to the Emperor you shall go.\"\n\nAfter some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea\nto visit Festus. As they remained there for many days, Festus laid\nPaul's case before the King. Agrippa said to Festus, \"I should like to\nhear the man myself.\" \"You shall hear him to-morrow,\" said Festus. So\nthe next day Agrippa and Bernice came with much pomp to the court-room,\nalong with the commanders and the leading citizens; and at the command\nof Festus Paul was brought in. And Agrippa said to Paul, \"You have\npermission to speak for yourself.\" At this Paul stretched out his hand\nand began his defense: \"I am happy, King Agrippa, that I am permitted\nthis day to defend myself before you against all the charges which the\nJews have brought against me, for you know all about the Jewish customs\nand questions. So I beg of you to hear me patiently. All the Jews know\nthe kind of life I lived from my youth, among the men of my own nation\nand in Jerusalem. As a Pharisee I lived according to the standards of\nthe strictest party in our religion. I indeed believed that it was my\nduty to do all in my power to oppose the cause of Jesus of Nazareth.\nThis I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the high priests, I put\nmany of Jesus' followers in prison. When they were put to death, I voted\nagainst them. In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to\nmake them speak against the name of Jesus, and in my insane fury I\nfollowed them even to distant cities.\n\n\"When I was travelling to Damascus on this business, with written\nauthority from the high priests, I saw, on the road in the middle of\nthe day, a light from heaven, more dazzling than the glare of the sun,\nshining around me and those who were travelling with me. We fell to the\nground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul, why do you\npersecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' I asked,\n'Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord answered, 'I am Jesus whom you are\npersecuting. Rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you so\nas to appoint you my servant and a witness to what you have seen and to\nthe things that I will show you. I chose you from the Jews and the other\npeoples to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, that they may turn\nfrom darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that they may\nreceive forgiveness of their sins and a place among those who have given\nthemselves to me because they believe in me.' O, King Agrippa, I have\nnot disobeyed the heavenly vision. To this day I have had the help of\nGod and have stood firm and, without adding a single word beyond what\nthe prophets and Moses said would take place, I have testified to small\nand great how the Christ was to suffer and to be the first to rise from\nthe dead and to proclaim the message of light not only to the Jews but\nto all peoples.\"\n\nWhen Paul said these words in his defense, Festus cried, \"Paul, you are\nmad! Your great learning is driving you insane!\" But Paul said, \"I am\nnot insane, most noble Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth. For\nthe King, to whom I can speak freely, knows about these things, for I am\nsure that nothing escaped his notice, since this has not been done in a\ncorner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do.\"\nBut Agrippa said to Paul, \"With but little persuasion you would make me\na Christian!\" Paul replied, \"I pray to God that whether with little or\nmuch not only you but also every one who hears me this day may become a\nChristian as I am.\"\n\nThen the King, together with the governor and Bernice and those who had\nbeen sitting with them, rose and, when they were alone, they said to one\nanother, \"This man has done nothing deserving of death or of\nimprisonment.\" And Agrippa said to Festus, \"This man might have been set\nfree if he had not appealed to the Emperor.\"\n\n\nPAUL'S SHIPWRECK\n\nWhen it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, Paul and certain\nother prisoners were placed in charge of Julius, an officer of the\nEmperor's regiment. We went on board a ship which was bound for the\nseaports of Asia Minor. The next day we stopped at Sidon, where Julius\nvery kindly allowed Paul to visit his friends and be entertained by\nthem. Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, for the\nwind was against us. Then after sailing past Cilicia and Pamphylia, we\ncame to Myra in Lycia. There the officer found a ship from Alexandria\nbound for Italy and put us on board. For many days we made slow progress\nand it was only with great difficulty that we arrived off Cnidus. Then\nas the wind was against us we sailed under the lee of Crete, opposite\nCape Salmone, and after coasting along with great difficulty came to a\nplace called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.\n\nAs our voyage had taken some time and sailing had become dangerous (for\nit was already late in October) Paul warned them, saying, \"Men, I see\nthat the voyage will mean serious injury and loss, not only to the cargo\nand the ship but also to our own lives.\" But the officer paid more\nattention to the captain and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul\nsaid. As the harbor was not a good one in which to winter, most of them\nadvised putting to sea from there, hoping that they could get to\nPhoenix (a safe harbor) so as to winter there.\n\nWhen a light breeze from the south sprang up, they thought that they\ncould reach Phoenix. So, after lifting up the anchor, they ran close\nalong the coast of Crete: but in a short time a tempestuous wind called\na \"Northeaster\" beat down upon them. The ship was caught in it and was\nunable to keep her head to the wind. So we had to give up and run before\nit. Running under the lee of a little island called Cauda, we managed\nwith difficulty to haul in the ship's boat. After lifting it on board,\nthe men used ropes to bind together the lower part of the ship. As they\nwere afraid that they might run ashore on the African quicksands, they\nlowered the sail and drifted. But as we were being terribly battered by\nthe storm, the next day the men began to throw out the ship's cargo. On\nthe third day, with their own hands, they threw overboard the ship's\ntackle. For many days neither sun nor stars were seen and the heavy gale\ncontinued, so at last all hope that we would be saved was given up.\n\nWhen the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them\nand said, \"Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from\nCrete, then you would have escaped this hardship and loss. But now I\nurge you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life, but only of\nthe ship. For last night, an angel of the God, to whom I belong and whom\nI serve, stood beside me and said, 'Paul, have no fear, for you must\nstand before the Emperor. God also has granted you the lives of all of\nthose who sail with you.' Therefore, men, cheer up! For I believe God\nand am sure that it will be just as I have been told; but we will be\nwrecked on a certain island.\"\n\nWhen the fourteenth night came and we were drifting about in the\nAdriatic Sea, the sailors about midnight thought that they were nearing\nland. So they took soundings and found one hundred and twenty feet of\nwater; and when they had gone a little farther they found ninety feet.\nFearing that we might be wrecked on the rocks, they threw out four\nanchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. The sailors wanted to\nescape from the ship and had even lowered the boat into the sea,\npretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, when\nPaul said to the officer and to the soldiers, \"Unless these men stay on\nboard, we cannot be saved.\" Then the soldiers cut the ropes which held\nthe boat and let her drift away.\n\nJust before daybreak Paul begged them all to take some food, and said,\n\"This is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly on the watch,\ntaking little or no food. Take some food, then, I beg of you, because\nthis will keep you alive, for not one of you will lose even a hair from\nhis head.\" When he had said this, he took bread, and gave thanks to God\nbefore them all, and he broke the bread and began to eat it. Then they\nwere all cheered up and they also took food. There were about\nseventy-six of us on board. When they had eaten enough, they lightened\nthe ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.\n\nWhen it was day they could not make out what land it was; but they saw\nan inlet with a sandy beach on which they planned, if possible, to run\nthe ship ashore. So cutting away the anchors they left them in the sea.\nAt the same time unloosing the ropes which tied the rudders and hoisting\nthe foresail to the wind, they made for the beach; but coming to a place\nwhere two seas met they ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and\ncould not be moved, but the stern began to break up under the beating of\nthe waves. Then the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners for fear some\nof them might swim ashore and escape. But as the officer wished to save\nPaul, he kept them from carrying out their plan, and ordered those who\ncould swim to jump overboard and get first to the land; the rest\nfollowed, some on planks and some on other things from the ship. In this\nway they all got safely to land. After we had escaped we found that the\nisland was called Malta.\n\n\nTHE END OF PAUL'S LONG JOURNEY\n\nThe natives of the island showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a\nfire and welcomed us all, because of the pouring rain and the cold. Now\nPaul had gathered a bundle of sticks and was laying it on the fire when\na poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.\nWhen the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to\none another, \"Surely this man is a murderer; although he has been saved\nfrom the sea, justice will not let him live.\" But he shook the creature\noff into the fire and was unhurt. They expected that he would at once\nswell up or fall down dead; but after they had waited a long time and\nsaw that no harm had come to him, they changed their minds and said that\nhe was a god.\n\nOn the part of the island where we landed there was an estate belonging\nto Publius the governor. He welcomed us and entertained us most\ngenerously for three days. Now it happened that the father of Publius\nwas lying ill from fever and dysentery. So Paul went to see him and\nprayed, and, laying his hands on him, cured him. After this the other\nsick people in the island came and were cured. They also presented us\nwith many gifts, and when we sailed, they put on board everything we\nneeded.\n\nAfter three months we set sail on a ship from Alexandria called \"The\nTwin Brothers,\" which had wintered at the island. We put in at Syracuse,\nand remained there three days. Then we tacked around and came to\nRhegium. The next day a south wind sprang up, and we arrived on the\nfollowing day at Puteoli, where we found Christian brothers who asked us\nto spend a week with them, and so we reached Rome.\n\nThe brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Market\nof Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he\nthanked God and took courage.\n\nWhen we reached Rome, Paul received permission to live by himself with\nthe soldier who guarded him. Three days after our arrival, Paul invited\nthe leading Jews to meet him and said to them, \"Brothers, although I\nhave done nothing against the Jewish law or the customs of our fathers,\nI was handed over as a prisoner from Jerusalem to the Romans, who, when\nthey had examined me, were willing to set me free, for I was innocent of\nany crime deserving of death. But the Jews objected; so I was forced to\nappeal to the Emperor--not that I had any charge to bring against my\nnation. This is the reason why I have asked to see you and speak with\nyou, for it is on account of Israel's hope that I am bound.\"\n\nThey replied, \"We have received no letters about you from Judea nor has\nany brother come here with any bad report or statement about you; but we\nwish to hear from you what you teach, for we know that the Christian\nsect is everywhere attacked.\" So they fixed a day and many of them came\nto him to the place where he was staying. Then from morning until\nevening he explained his teachings and told them about the Kingdom of\nGod, and tried to lead them to believe in Jesus by proofs from the law\nof Moses and from the prophets. Some believed what he taught and others\nwould not believe. When they could not agree among themselves they\ndeparted after Paul had said to them: \"Well did the Holy Spirit say to\nyour fathers through the prophet Isaiah:\n\n \"'Go to this people and say to them,\n You will hear and hear but never understand,\n You will look and look but never see;\n For this people's mind is stupid,\n And their ears are too dull to hear,\n And they have closed their eyes,\n To keep them from seeing with their eyes,\n Or hearing with their ears,\n Or understanding with their minds,\n And turning back that I may heal them.'\n\n\"Remember, therefore, that this opportunity to be saved, that God has\ngiven you, is given to other peoples, and they will listen to it.\"\n\nFor two whole years Paul lived in his own hired house. He welcomed all\nwho came to him, and preached the Kingdom of God, and taught about the\nLord Jesus Christ openly, no one stopping him.\n\n\nPAUL'S LAST WORDS TO HIS FRIENDS\n\nPaul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all of Christ's followers\nin Philippi, as well as to the ministers and their helpers. May love\nand peace be granted you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nI hope, if the Lord permits, to send Timothy to you before long, that I\ntoo may be cheered by news about you. I have no other like him who will\ntake a genuine interest in you, for every one is looking out for his own\ninterests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know how Timothy has stood\nthe test, how like a son working with his father he has served with me\nin spreading the good news. So I hope to send him shortly, as soon as I\nsee how it will go with me; though I am confident, if the Lord permits,\nthat I myself will come to you before long.\n\nRejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice. Let all know that you\nare patient. Do not be anxious, but always make your requests known to\nGod in earnest prayer and thanksgiving; so shall the peace of God, which\nis beyond all human understanding, keep guard over your hearts and your\nminds in union with Christ Jesus.\n\nFinally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is\njust, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report,\nif there be any virtue or anything worthy of praise, consider the value\nof these things. Practise also what you have learned and received and\nheard and seen in me, and then the God of peace will be with you.\n\nIt is a great joy to me as a Christian brother to know that you are\nagain thoughtful of me. Indeed, you have always been thoughtful, but you\ndid not have an opportunity to show it. Not that I speak of want, for I\nhave learned, wherever I am, to be content. I know how to live simply; I\nknow, too, how to live in prosperity. I have learned in all things the\nsecret of being content, both when I have plenty and when I am hungry,\nwhen I am in prosperity and when I am in want. I can do everything\nthrough Christ who strengthens me.\n\nBut you acted nobly in sharing my affliction. Even when I was in\nThessalonica, more than once you sent money for my needs. It is not the\ngift I am seeking, but the growing reward that is to your credit! I have\nenough of everything, and more than enough. I am fully supplied by what\nI received from you through Epaphroditus. It is like fragrant incense, a\nsacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God. My God will supply your\nevery need out of his glorious wealth in Christ Jesus. Now to God our\nFather be glory forever and ever.\n\nAlready my life-blood is poured out and the time for me to go has come.\nI have fought the good fight. I have finished the course, I have kept\nthe faith. Now the crown for right-doing awaits me which the Lord, the\nrighteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only but to\nall who have loved and longed for his appearing.\n\n\nTHE MEANING OF FAITH\n\nNow faith is the confidence that we shall receive the things for which\nwe hope, the proof of the reality of things we do not see. It was\nbecause of their faith that the men of old were approved by God. Through\nfaith we know that the universe was made perfect by God's command and\nthat what is seen was made out of what is not seen.\n\nThrough faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, and so\nreceived the assurance that he was an upright man, for God approved of\nhis gifts. Though dead, yet because of his faith he still speaks.\n\nThrough faith Noah, having been told by God about things still unseen,\nin reverent obedience built an ark to save his household; and in doing\nso he condemned the world and became heir to the righteousness that\ncomes through faith.\n\nThrough faith Abraham obeyed, when he was called to go to the place\nwhich he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing\nwhere he was going. Through faith he made his home in the land that had\nbeen promised to him as in a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac\nand Jacob, who shared the same promise with him.\n\nThrough faith Abraham, when put to the test, sacrificed Isaac, yes, was\nready to sacrifice his only son, although he had received the divine\npromises and had been told, \"It is through Isaac that your family name\nwill be carried on,\" for he believed that God was able to raise men even\nfrom the dead. In a sense, he did receive his son back from the dead.\n\nThrough faith, also, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even telling them of\nthings to come. Through faith Joseph, as he was dying, thought of the\ntime when the Israelites would go out of Egypt and gave orders about his\nown bones.\n\nThrough faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after\nbirth because they saw that the child was beautiful, and because they\ndid not fear the King's command.\n\nThrough faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son\nof Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill treatment with God's\npeople than to enjoy for a short time the pleasures of sin.\n\nThrough faith he left Egypt, not because he feared the King's wrath, but\nlike one who saw the Unseen King he never faltered.\n\nThrough faith the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as through dry land,\nand when the Egyptians tried to cross they were drowned.\n\nWhat more shall I say? For time would fail me if I tried to tell of\nGideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the\nprophets--they who through faith conquered kingdoms, did righteous acts,\nreceived promises from God, closed the mouths of lions, quenched the\npower of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, in the hour of weakness\nwere made strong, who proved mighty in war and put to flight foreign\narmies!\n\nWomen received back their dead restored to life. Others were tortured,\nrefusing release, that they might be raised to a better life. Others\nstood the test of taunts and blows, yes, even chains and imprisonment.\nThey were stoned, they were burned, they were sawn in two, they were\nkilled by the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats,\nlacking everything, persecuted, ill treated (men of whom the world was\nunworthy), wandering in lonely places and among the hills, in caves and\nin holes in the ground. Through faith they all won God's approval, but\nthey did not receive the promised blessing, for God had planned\nsomething better for us, that apart from us they should not be made\nperfect.\n\nTherefore, surrounded as we are by such a host of witnesses, let us also\nlay aside every handicap and the sin which clings so closely to us, and\nlet us run with patience the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes\non Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy which lay\nbefore him, patiently endured the cross, thinking nothing of the shame,\nand is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.\n\n\nTHE IMPORTANCE OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT\n\nJames, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the true\nIsraelites scattered among the nations, greeting.\n\nMy brothers, regard it as only a cause for joy, when you fall into all\nkinds of trials. Know that the testing of your faith develops patience;\nbut let your patience do its perfect work, that you may be perfect and\ncomplete, lacking nothing.\n\nIf any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men\nliberally and without reproach, and it will be given him. Only let him\nask with faith, with never a doubt, for the man who doubts is like the\nwaves of the sea, driven and tossed by the winds. Let not such a man\nthink, that a half-hearted man, unstable in all his ways, will receive\nanything from God.\n\nBlessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has stood the\ntest, he will receive the crown of life which is promised to all who\nlove God. Let no man say when he is being tempted: \"I am tempted of\nGod,\" for God cannot be tempted to do wrong, and he himself tempts no\none. Each man is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own\nevil desire. Then the evil desire gives birth to sin, and sin, when it\nis full grown, brings death.\n\nDo not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every\nperfect blessing comes from above, from the Father who is the source of\nall light, with whom there is no variation nor shadow made by turning.\n\nKnow this, my beloved brothers: let every one be quick to hear, slow to\nspeak, slow to be angry, for a man's anger does not promote the\nrighteousness that God approves. So putting away all that is vile and\nwicked, receive with humility the message of truth that is deeply rooted\nin you which is able to save your soul.\n\nDo what that message commands, and do not merely hear it and deceive\nyourselves. For if any one hears that message but does not do as it\ncommands, he is like a man who looks at his own face in the mirror, for\nhe looks at himself, goes off, and at once forgets what he is like. But\nhe who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues to do so, not\nmerely listening to it and then forgetting, but does real work, will be\nblessed in what he does.\n\nIf any one thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but\ndeceives himself, his religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and\nstainless, such as God our Father approves is this: to visit the orphans\nand widows in their trouble and to keep oneself clean from the evil of\nthe world.\n\n\nTHE LOVE THAT MAKES MEN BROTHERS\n\nWe know what love is by this, that Christ laid down his life for us; so\nwe ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if any one has this\nworld's wealth and looks on while his brother is in need and shows no\nsympathy for him, how can the love of God remain in him? My dear\nchildren, let us show our love not with words nor with our lips only,\nbut by deeds and sincerity.\n\nBeloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one\nwho loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not\nknow God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his\nonly Son into the world that through him we might have life. His love is\nshown in this, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his\nSon to be the sacrifice that made possible the forgiveness of our sins.\n\nBeloved, if God so loved us, then we ought also to love one another. No\none has ever seen God; but if we love one another, then God lives in us,\nand the love which is his is made perfect in us. By this we know that we\nshall live in him and he in us, because he has given us a portion of his\nown Spirit, and we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent\nthe Son to be the Saviour of the world.\n\nWe ourselves know and believe in the love that God has for us. God is\nlove, and he whose life is full of love lives in God and God lives in\nhim. In love there is no fear, but perfect love drives out all fear, for\nfear means punishment, and he who fears has not become perfect in love.\nWe love him because he first loved us.\n\nIf any one says, \"I love God,\" and yet hates his brother, he is a liar;\nfor he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God\nwhom he has not seen. And we have this command from him, that he who\nloves God is to love his brother also.\n\nEvery one who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is a child of God; and\nevery one who loves the Father, loves every child of his. We know that\nwe are his children when we love him and obey his commands, for love for\nGod means obeying his commands. And his commands are not hard to follow,\nfor whatever is born of God conquers the world. And our faith is the\npower that conquers the world. Who is the conqueror of the world but he\nwho believes that Jesus is the Son of God?\n\nNow the confidence that we have in God is this, that he listens to us\nwhenever we ask anything in accordance with his will. And if we know\nthat he listens to whatever we ask, we know that we have the things\nwhich we have asked from him.\n\n\nTHE GLORY AND HONOR THAT JESUS HAS WON\n\nJohn, to the seven churches in the province of Asia. May a blessing be\ngranted you and peace from him who is and was and ever shall be, and\nfrom the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ who is\nthe faithful witness, the first of the dead to be restored to life and\nthe ruler of the kings of the earth.\n\nI, John, your brother who shares with you the distress, the dominion,\nand the patient endurance which we have through our faith in Jesus,\nfound myself in the island called Patmos because of my loyalty to God's\nmessage and to the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's Day I was under the\ninfluence of the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a\ntrumpet calling, \"Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven\nchurches.\"\n\nThen I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me; and on turning\naround I saw seven golden lamps and in the midst of the lamps One, like\na Son of man, clothed in a long robe and with a belt of gold around his\nbreast. His head and hair were white as wool, white as snow; his eyes\nwere like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze melted in\nthe furnace, his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right\nhand he held seven stars; a sharp, two-edged sword came out from his\nmouth, and his face shone like the sun in its full strength.\n\nWhen I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead; but he laid his\nhand on me and said: \"Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last, I\nwas dead but now I am alive for evermore. Therefore write down what you\nsee and what is now and shall be hereafter. As for the secret meaning of\nthe seven stars which you have seen in my right hand and of the seven\ngolden lamps--the seven stars represent the angels of the seven\nchurches, and the seven lamps represent the seven churches.\"\n\nAfter this I saw a door opening into heaven. And the voice like a\ntrumpet which I had previously heard talking with me, said: \"Come up\nhere, and I will show you what must take place in the future.\" At once I\nfound myself under the influence of the Spirit, and there stood a throne\nin heaven whose appearance was like a diamond or ruby and One was\nsitting on the throne. Encircling the throne was a rainbow which looked\nlike an emerald; also around the throne were twenty-four other thrones,\nand on these thrones were seated twenty-four elders, clothed in white\nrobes with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne came flashes\nof lightning and voices and peals of thunder, while in front of the\nthrone were seven flaming torches, which were the seven spirits of God.\n\nIn front of the throne there appeared to be a sea of glass which looked\nlike crystal. In the space about the throne and encircling it were four\nliving creatures, and day and night they never ceased chanting:\n\n \"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,\n Who was and is and ever shall be.\"\n\nThen I saw, lying at the right hand of him who was seated on the throne,\na book sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel saying in a\nloud voice: \"Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?\" But\nno one was worthy, either in heaven or on the earth or under the earth\nto open the book or look into it. So I began to weep bitterly because no\none was found worthy to open the book or look into it; but one of the\nelders said to me: \"Weep not; behold the Lion of Judah's tribe, the\nScion of David--he has won the right to open the book and its seven\nseals.\"\n\nThen in the space between the throne and the four living creatures I saw\na Lamb standing among the elders. He seemed to have been slain, but he\nhad seven horns and seven eyes. And he came and took the book out of the\nright hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he took the\nbook, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down\nbefore the Lamb, each with his harp, and with his golden bowls full of\nincense which represent the prayers of the saints. They were singing\nthis new song: \"Thou art worthy to take the book and open its seals, for\nthou wast slain and by thy blood thou hast ransomed for God, men from\nevery tribe and language and people and nation; thou hast made them a\nkingdom and priests for our God, and they shall reign on the earth.\"\n\nAnd I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and\nof the living creatures and of the elders, numbering ten thousand times\nten thousand and thousands of thousands, crying aloud, \"Worthy is the\nLamb that has been slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and\nmight and honor and glory and blessing.\" And I heard every creature in\nheaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all things\nthat are in them crying, \"To him who is seated on the throne and to the\nLamb, be blessing and honor and praise and dominion forever and ever!\"\nThen the four living creatures said, \"Amen,\" and the elders fell down\nand worshipped.\n\n\nTHE REWARD OF THE FAITHFUL\n\nAfter that I saw a vast host, which no one could count, from every\nnation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne\nand before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their\nhands. They cried aloud, \"It is to our God who is seated on the throne\nand to the Lamb that we owe our salvation!\"\n\nThen one of the elders turned to me and said: \"Who are these dressed in\nwhite robes, and from where have they come?\" I said to him, \"You know,\nmy lord.\" So he told me, \"These are the people who have come through the\ngreat persecution and have washed their robes and made them white in the\nblood of the Lamb. For this reason they are now before the throne of God\nand serve him day and night within his temple. He who is sitting on the\nthrone will shelter them; never again will they be hungry or thirsty;\nnever again will the sun or any scorching heat smite them, for the Lamb\nthat stands in the space before the throne will be their shepherd and\nwill guide them to fountains of living water; and God will wipe away all\ntears from their eyes.\"\n\nThen I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven with an eternal message of\ngood news for the inhabitants of the earth, for every nation, tribe,\nlanguage, and people. He cried aloud, \"Revere God, praise him, for the\nhour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made heaven and earth,\nthe sea and the flowing springs.\"\n\nAnd I saw a great white throne and One seated upon it from whose\npresence earth and sky fled away, and were no more to be found. And I\nsaw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne. Then\nbooks were opened; also another book, the Book of Life, was opened, and\nthe dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what\nthey had done. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and the Abode of the\nDeparted also gave up their dead, and all were judged according to what\nthey had done.\n\n\nTHE NEW HEAVEN ON EARTH\n\nThen I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the\nfirst earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the Holy\nCity, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, all ready\nlike a bride attired to meet her husband. I also heard a loud voice from\nthe throne which said: \"Behold, God's dwelling-place is with men, and he\nshall dwell among men, and they shall be his people, and God himself\nwill be with them. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and\ndeath shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning nor wailing, nor\npain, for the first things have passed away.\" The One who is seated on\nthe throne said: \"Behold, I make all things new!\" And he added, \"Write\nthis: 'These words are faithful and true.'\"\n\nAnd he said to me, \"All is over! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First\nand the Last. I will let the thirsty drink freely of the fountain of\nlife. He who conquers shall obtain this, and I will be his God and he\nshall be my son.\"\n\nThe city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give it light, for\nthe glory of God illumines it and its light is the Lamb. Its gates shall\nnever be shut by day and there shall be no night there. Nothing unclean\nnor any one who does what is shameful or deceitful shall enter it, but\nonly those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.\n\nThen he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal,\nflowing through the streets of the city from the throne of God and the\nLamb. On both sides of the river grew the tree that gives life, which\nbore twelve kinds of fruit and yielded its fruit each month; and the\nleaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.\n\nAnd the throne of God and the Lamb will be in that city; and his\nservants will serve and worship him; they will see his face and his name\nwill be on their foreheads. There will be no more night there, and they\nwill have no need of the light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be\ntheir light, and they will reign forever and ever.\n\nAnd he said to me: \"Do not keep secret the prophetic words contained in\nthis book, for the time of their fulfilment is near. He who does wrong,\nlet him still do wrong, and he who is filthy, let him still be filthy,\nand he who is righteous, let him still do right, and he who is pure, let\nhim still be pure. Know that I am coming quickly and I will bring my\nrewards to repay each for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the\nOmega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are\nthose who wash their robes, that they may have a right to the tree of\nlife and to go through the gates into the city.\n\n\"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you for the churches. I am\nthe Scion and Offspring of David, the bright, the Morning Star. Both\nthe Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' Let him who hears say, 'Come,' let\nhim who is thirsty come, and whoever will, let him take of the water of\nlife freely.\"\n\n \"For God so loved the world, that he gave his\n only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in\n him, should not perish, but have everlasting\n life.\"\n\n\n\n\nScribner Illustrated Classics for Younger Readers\n\n * * * * *\n\nStories which have been loved by young readers for several generations\nare included in the Scribner Illustrated Classics. They are all books of\nrare beauty and tested literary quality, presented in handsome format\nand strikingly illustrated in color by such famous artists as N. C.\nWyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, and others. No other\nseries of books for youthful readers can compare with them; they make\ngifts of lasting value which will be cherished into adult years. They\nare to be found in one of two groups--the popular group, issued at a\nremarkably low price, and the Quality Group, published at a higher but\nstill very reasonable price. Check over the following complete list. The\nvolume you want will be available in one of the two groups.\n\n _By Robert Louis Stevenson_\n DAVID BALFOUR\n THE BLACK ARROW\n KIDNAPPED\n TREASURE ISLAND\n A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES\n\n _By Eugene Field_\n POEMS OF CHILDHOOD\n\n _By Jules Verne_\n MICHAEL STROGOFF\n THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND\n TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES\n UNDER THE SEA\n\n _By Frances Hodgson Burnett_\n LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY\n A LITTLE PRINCESS\n\n _By J. M. Barrie_\n PETER PAN AND WENDY\n\n * * * * *\n\n HANS BRINKER\n _By_ MARY MAPES DODGE\n\n THE DEERSLAYER\n _By_ J. FENIMORE COOPER\n\n QUENTIN DURWARD\n _By_ SIR WALTER SCOTT, Bart.\n\n SMOKY\n _By_ WILL JAMES\n\n LONE COWBOY\n _By_ WILL JAMES\n\n DRUMS\n _By_ JAMES BOYD\n\n THE STORY OF SIEGFRIED\n _By_ JAMES BALDWIN\n\n THE CHILDREN'S BIBLE\n _By_ HENRY A. SHERMAN _and_ CHARLES FOSTER KENT\n\n JINGLEBOB\n _By_ PHILIP ASHTON ROLLINS\n\n THE STORY OF ROLAND\n _By_ JAMES BALDWIN\n\n THE LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME\n _By_ JOHN FOX, JR.\n\n THE SCOTTISH CHIEFS\n _By_ JANE PORTER\n\n WESTWARD HO!\n _By_ CHARLES KINGSLEY\n\n GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES\n\n THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS\n _By_ J. FENIMORE COOPER\n\n THE BOY'S KING ARTHUR\n _By_ SIDNEY LANIER\n\n THE ARABIAN NIGHTS\n\n THE CHILDREN OF DICKENS\n _By_ SAMUEL MCCHORD CROTHERS\n\n THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS\n _By_ KENNETH GRAHAME\n\n THE QUEEN'S MUSEUM AND OTHER FANCIFUL TALES\n _By_ FRANK R. STOCKTON\n\n * * * * *","title":"The Children's Bible","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":138696}