{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_45195/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_45195","id":"gutenberg_45195","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45195","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories, English","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"[Illustration: THE MADONNA OF THE CHAIR, BY RAPHAEL\n\nIN THE PITTI PALACE, FLORENCE]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE\n\n ARRANGED FROM THE\n KING JAMES VERSION\n\n WITH TWENTY-FOUR FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS\n FROM OLD MASTERS\n\n [Illustration]\n\n The Century Co.\n NEW YORK\n\n\n\n\n Copyright, 1902, by\n THE CENTURY CO.\n\n _Published October 1902_\n\n\n PRINTED IN U. S. A.\n\n\n\n\nPUBLISHERS' NOTE\n\n\nThe Bible for Young People tells the sweet and simple stories of the\nBible in the Bible language, omitting only genealogies and doctrines,\nand whatever is generally regarded as unprofitable to young readers.\nMoreover, it is so divided into subjects, forming complete stories,\nthat the child will be interested in every part of it. The life of\nJesus is put together in a continuous account taken from the four\nEvangelists; and while there are omissions and changes, the wording and\nspelling of the King James version remain the same.\n\nVerse divisions have been disregarded, and a totally new system of\nchapters introduced in place of the familiar ones, and it is hoped\nthat this novelty will give fresh interest to the old book. One of the\nfeatures which will be appreciated is the table of contents, giving the\nsubject of each book and its subdivisions, so that one may readily turn\nto any Bible story of which he is in search.\n\nWith great discrimination and sympathy, the compiler, Mrs. Joseph B.\nGilder, has accomplished this task, and the book now stands as the\nembodiment of what is universally considered the best in the Bible for\nyoung people, \"best\" meaning here what is most suited to the minds of\ngirls and boys and appropriate to their moral range.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTABLE OF CONTENTS\n\n\n PART I\n\n THE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n\n BOOK I--THE BEGINNINGS\n\n CHAPTER PAGE\n 1 THE CREATION OF THE WORLD 3\n 2 THE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE 5\n 3 THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE 6\n 4 THE MURDER OF ABEL 7\n 5 THE FLOOD 8\n 6 THE ARK RESTS ON ARARAT 10\n 7 THE TOWER OF BABEL 11\n\n\n BOOK II--ABRAHAM AND ISAAC\n\n 8 THE CALL OF ABRAM 13\n 9 DESTRUCTION OF SODOM 17\n 10 HAGAR AND ISHMAEL 19\n 11 ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE 20\n 12 THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH 21\n 13 HOW REBEKAH BECAME ISAAC'S WIFE 22\n\n\n BOOK III--JACOB AND JOSEPH\n\n 14 JACOB AND ESAU 26\n 15 JACOB AND RACHEL 29\n 16 JACOB AND LABAN 32\n 17 MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU 34\n 18 THE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN 36\n 19 JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN 38\n 20 JOSEPH BEFORE PHARAOH 41\n 21 THE FAMINE 43\n 22 BENJAMIN BROUGHT TO JOSEPH 45\n 23 ISRAEL GOES DOWN INTO EGYPT 49\n 24 THE DEATH OF JACOB 51\n 25 THE BURIAL OF JACOB 53\n\n\n BOOK IV--MOSES AND THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT\n\n 26 THE FINDING OF MOSES 55\n 27 THE BURNING BUSH 57\n 28 THE ISRAELITES IN BONDAGE 59\n 29 THE PLAGUES OF BLOOD AND FROGS 61\n 30 THE PLAGUES OF LICE, FLIES, MURRAIN, AND BOILS 63\n 31 THE PLAGUE OF HAIL 64\n 32 THE PLAGUES OF LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS 65\n 33 THE TENTH PLAGUE: THE FIRST-BORN OF EGYPT SLAIN--THE\n PASSOVER 67\n 34 THE ISRAELITES GO UP OUT OF EGYPT 69\n 35 THE OVERWHELMING OF THE EGYPTIANS 70\n 36 THE SONG OF MOSES 72\n\n\n BOOK V--ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS\n\n 37 THE ISRAELITES FED WITH MANNA 74\n 38 MOSES BRINGS WATER FROM THE ROCK--MOSES AND HIS FATHER IN\n LAW 76\n 39 THE LAW GIVEN FROM MOUNT SINAI 78\n 40 MOSES CALLED UP INTO THE MOUNT 80\n 41 A TABERNACLE AND THE PRIESTHOOD 81\n 42 THE PEOPLE WORSHIP THE GOLDEN CALF 84\n 43 THE SECOND SET OF TABLES 86\n 44 THE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE 88\n 45 THE DAY OF ATONEMENT 89\n 46 THE PEOPLE ARE COMMANDED TO BE HOLY 90\n 47 THE FEASTS OF THE LORD 91\n 48 THE SEVENTH YEAR AND THE YEAR OF JUBILE 93\n 49 THE NUMBERING OF THE PEOPLE 94\n 50 THE OFFERINGS OF THE PRINCES--THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL\n JOURNEY 95\n 51 THE PEOPLE MURMUR 96\n 52 MIRIAM'S LEPROSY 98\n 53 THE SPIES SENT OUT 99\n 54 THE ISRAELITES REBEL, AND ARE TURNED BACK TO WANDER IN\n THE WILDERNESS 100\n 55 THE REBELLION OF KORAH 102\n 56 AARON'S ROD 104\n 57 THE BRAZEN SERPENT 106\n 58 BALAK AND BALAAM 106\n 59 THE ISRAELITES NUMBERED THE SECOND TIME 111\n 60 THE DEATH OF MOSES 113\n\n\n BOOK VI--JOSHUA AND THE CONQUEST OF PALESTINE\n\n 61 RAHAB CONCEALS THE SPIES 119\n 62 THE ISRAELITES PASS OVER JORDAN 121\n 63 THE SIEGE OF JERICHO 123\n 64 THE TRESPASS OF ACHAN 125\n 65 THE CAPTURE OF AI 126\n 66 THE CRAFT OF GIBEONITES 128\n 67 JOSHUA CONQUERS THE KING OF CANAAN 130\n 68 JOSHUA DIVIDES THE LAND 131\n 69 THE PEOPLE RENEW THE COVENANT 134\n 70 THE ISRAELITES FORSAKE GOD 136\n 71 DEBORAH AND BARAK DELIVER ISRAEL 138\n 72 GIDEON IS SENT TO DELIVER ISRAEL 139\n 73 JEPHTHAH AND HIS DAUGHTER 143\n 74 SAMSON 144\n 75 THE STORY OF RUTH 148\n\n\n BOOK VII--SAMUEL AND SAUL\n\n 76 SAMUEL 153\n 77 THE PHILISTINES TAKE THE ARK 155\n 78 THE ISRAELITES DESIRE A KING 157\n 79 SAUL ANOINTED KING 158\n 80 SAUL REJECTED FOR DISOBEDIENCE 160\n 81 DAVID CHOSEN KING 162\n 82 DAVID CONQUERS GOLIATH 163\n 83 DAVID AND JONATHAN 165\n 84 SAUL PURSUES DAVID 169\n 85 DAVID SPARES SAUL'S LIFE THE SECOND TIME 171\n 86 SAUL CONSULTS THE WITCH OF EN-DOR 173\n 87 THE DEATH OF SAUL 174\n\n\n BOOK VIII--DAVID THE KING\n\n 88 DAVID ANOINTED KING 176\n 89 DAVID BRINGS THE ARK TO ZION 178\n 90 DAVID SENDS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH 178\n 91 DAVID TAKES THE WIFE OF URIAH 179\n 92 THE REVOLT OF ABSALOM 181\n 93 THE DEATH OF ABSALOM 185\n 94 DAVID BROUGHT BACK TO JERUSALEM 187\n 95 DAVID'S CHOICE 188\n\n\n BOOK IX--SOLOMON THE KING\n 96 SOLOMON ANOINTED KING 190\n 97 DEATH OF KING DAVID 192\n 98 SOLOMON'S JUDGMENT 193\n 99 THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE 194\n 100 THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE 196\n 101 THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 200\n 102 SOLOMON'S RICHES--HE FORSAKES THE LORD 200\n\n\n BOOK X--THE DIVIDED KINGDOM\n\n 103 REHOBOAM--THE REVOLT OF THE TEN TRIBES 203\n 104 THREE KINGS OF JUDAH 206\n 105 THE WICKED KINGS OF ISRAEL 207\n 106 ELIJAH 208\n 107 ELIJAH AND THE PROPHETS OF BAAL 209\n 108 THE STILL SMALL VOICE 211\n 109 SIEGE OF SAMARIA 213\n 110 NABOTH'S VINEYARD 214\n 111 JEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JUDAH 216\n 112 AHAZIAH, KING OF ISRAEL 217\n 113 ELIJAH TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN 218\n 114 WAR WITH THE MOABITES 219\n 115 THE WIDOW'S OIL--THE SHUNAMMITE 220\n 116 NAAMAN HEALED--THE IRON SWIMS 222\n 117 BEN-HADAD, KING OF SYRIA, MAKES WAR ON ISRAEL 224\n 118 JEHU EXECUTES JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSE OF AHAB 227\n 119 JOASH, KING OF JUDAH 229\n 120 DEATH OF ELISHA 231\n 121 JOASH AND AMAZIAH 232\n 122 ISRAEL CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ASSYRIA 234\n 123 SENNACHERIB INVADES THE LAND 235\n 124 HEZEKIAH'S SICKNESS 236\n 125 MANASSEH, AMON, AND JOSIAH 237\n\n\n BOOK XI--THE CAPTIVITY AND THE RETURN\n\n 126 THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY 241\n 127 THE RETURN 242\n 128 THE SECOND TEMPLE 243\n 129 EZRA GOES UP FROM BABYLON 245\n 130 THE BUILDING OF JERUSALEM 247\n 131 ESTHER'S REQUEST 250\n 132 THE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI 254\n\n\n BOOK XII--THE POETICAL BOOKS\n\n 133 JOB SMITTEN 258\n 134 JOB'S COMFORTERS 260\n 135 THE LORD REASONETH WITH JOB 272\n 136 PSALMS 276\n 137 PROVERBS 301\n 138 REMEMBER THY CREATOR 306\n\n\n BOOK XIII--THE PROPHETS\n\n 139 PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH 308\n 140 PROMISES OF THE MESSIAH AND OF GOSPEL GRACE 311\n 141 GOOD TIDINGS 315\n 142 WORDS OF JEREMIAH 318\n 143 THE POTTER'S VESSEL 319\n 144 JEREMIAH IS PERSECUTED 320\n 145 EZEKIEL AMONG THE CAPTIVES 321\n 146 EVERY MAN JUDGED BY HIS OWN ACTIONS 322\n 147 THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES 323\n 148 DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS 324\n 149 NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM 325\n 150 THE THREE HEBREWS IN THE FURNACE 327\n 151 BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST 329\n 152 DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 331\n 153 JONAH 332\n 154 ZECHARIAH'S PREDICTIONS CONCERNING CHRIST 334\n 155 MALACHI'S PROPHECY OF CHRIST 335\n\n\n\n\nPART II\n\nTHE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n\n BOOK I--THE BIRTH AND YOUTH OF JESUS\n\n CHAPTER PAGE\n 1 THE ANNUNCIATION 339\n 2 THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 341\n 3 THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST 342\n 4 SIMEON AND ANNA 343\n 5 THE WISE MEN OF THE EAST 343\n 6 CHRIST FOUND IN THE TEMPLE 344\n 7 JOHN BAPTIZES JESUS 345\n\n\n BOOK II--THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS\n\n 8 THE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS 347\n 9 DISCIPLES CALLED 348\n 10 THE FIRST MIRACLE 349\n 11 NICODEMUS COMES TO JESUS BY NIGHT 350\n 12 THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA 351\n 13 THE NOBLEMAN'S SON 352\n 14 JESUS PREACHES AT NAZARETH 353\n 15 THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES 353\n 16 JESUS HEALS THE SICK 354\n 17 THE APOSTLES CALLED 355\n 18 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 356\n 19 THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS 360\n 20 THE POOL OF BETHESDA 361\n 21 JESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH DAY 362\n 22 THE CENTURION'S SERVANT AND THE WIDOW'S SON 363\n 23 THE WOMAN THAT WAS A SINNER 365\n 24 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 366\n 25 THE TARES, THE MUSTARD SEED, THE LEAVEN, ETC. 367\n 26 JESUS CALMS THE STORM 368\n 27 THE HERD OF SWINE 369\n 28 THE APOSTLES SENT FORTH 369\n 29 DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 370\n 30 MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES 370\n 31 JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA 371\n 32 JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE 371\n 33 THE GREEK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER AND A DEAF AND DUMB MAN HEALED 373\n 34 JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE A SECOND TIME 374\n 35 PETER CONFESSES CHRIST 375\n 36 THE TRANSFIGURATION 376\n 37 CHRIST TEACHES HUMILITY AND FORGIVENESS 377\n 38 JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 378\n 39 THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 380\n 40 THE GOOD SAMARITAN 382\n 41 THE LORD'S PRAYER AND OTHER SAYINGS OF CHRIST 383\n 42 JESUS LAMENTS OVER JERUSALEM 386\n 43 THE BLIND MAN AT THE POOL OF SILOAM 387\n 44 THE GOOD SHEPHERD 388\n 45 THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING SUPPER 390\n 46 THE LOST SHEEP, THE LOST COIN, AND THE PRODIGAL SON 391\n 47 THE UNJUST STEWARD, THE RICH MAN, AND LAZARUS 392\n 48 THANKS AND PRAYER 393\n 49 JESUS RAISES LAZARUS 394\n 50 JESUS BLESSES THE CHILDREN 396\n 51 THE LABOURERS 397\n\n\n BOOK III--THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS\n\n 52 JESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM 399\n 53 THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN 401\n 54 THE BARREN FIG TREE 402\n 55 PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST 404\n 56 THE WIDOW'S MITE 405\n 57 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND THE END OF THE WORLD 405\n 58 THE LAST SUPPER 408\n 59 JESUS COMFORTS HIS DISCIPLES 410\n 60 THE TRUE VINE 411\n 61 JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES 413\n 62 JESUS BETRAYED AND DENIED 415\n 63 JESUS CONDEMNED AND CRUCIFIED 417\n 64 THE RESURRECTION 420\n 65 APPEARANCES OF CHRIST AFTER THE RESURRECTION 422\n 66 THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST 424\n\n\n BOOK IV--THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE LIFE\n AND LETTERS OF PAUL\n\n 67 THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVEN 425\n 68 PETER AND JOHN CURE THE LAME MAN 426\n 69 ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA 428\n 70 STEPHEN 429\n 71 SIMON THE SORCERER--THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH 430\n 72 THE CONVERSION OF SAUL 432\n 73 DORCAS 433\n 74 CORNELIUS 433\n 75 PETER IN PRISON 435\n 76 MISSION OF PAUL AND BARNABAS TO THE GENTILES 436\n 77 PAUL AND SILAS IMPRISONED 438\n 78 PAUL PREACHES AT THESSALONICA, ATHENS, AND CORINTH 440\n 79 GALLIO 441\n 80 A PART OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 442\n 81 DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS 444\n 82 A PART OF THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 445\n 83 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS 446\n 84 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS 447\n 85 EUTYCHUS--THE ELDERS OF EPHESUS 449\n 86 PAUL GOES UP TO JERUSALEM 451\n 87 PAUL SENT UNTO FELIX 452\n 88 PAUL ACCUSED BEFORE FESTUS 454\n 89 PAUL SENT TO ROME 456\n 90 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS 458\n 91 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS 459\n 92 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS 460\n 93 A PART OF THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO TIMOTHY 461\n 94 A PART OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 462\n\n\n BOOK V--LETTERS OF JAMES, PETER, AND JOHN\n\n 95 A PART OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES 465\n 96 A PART OF THE EPISTLES OF PETER 467\n 97 A PART OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN 469\n 98 JOHN TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA 470\n 99 THE THRONE AND THE LAMB 471\n 100 THE NEW JERUSALEM 474\n\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n THE MADONNA OF THE CHAIR, BY RAPHAEL _Frontispiece_\n IN THE PITTI PALACE, FLORENCE\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n FACING PAGE\n\n THE FLIGHT OF LOT, BY RUBENS 18\n IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE BANISHMENT OF HAGAR, BY GUERCINO 20\n IN THE BRERA, MILAN\n\n REBECCA AND ELIEZER, BY MURILLO 24\n IN THE PRADO MUSEUM, MADRID\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n JACOB'S LADDER, BY MURILLO 30\n IN THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM, ST. PETERSBURG\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n JOSEPH CONDUCTED TO PRISON, BY JACOPO CARRUCCI (CALLED JACOPO\n DA PONTORMO) 40\n IN THE UFFIZI GALLERY, FLORENCE\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n MOSES STRIKING THE ROCK, BY MURILLO 76\n IN LA CARIDAD MUSEUM, SEVILLE\n\n THE INFANT SAMUEL AT PRAYER, BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS 154\n IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON, BY BONIFACIO VERONESE 194\n IN THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, VENICE\n\n DANIEL'S VISION, BY REMBRANDT 330\n IN THE BERLIN MUSEUM\n\n JONAH CAST TO THE WHALE, BY NICOLAS POUSSIN 332\n IN THE ROYAL GALLERY, WINDSOR\n\n THE VISITATION OF THE VIRGIN TO ST. ELIZABETH, BY ALBERTINELLI 340\n IN THE UFFIZI GALLERY, FLORENCE\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI, BY FABRIANO 342\n IN THE ACADEMY, FLORENCE\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST, BY FRANCIA 344\n IN THE DRESDEN GALLERY\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE MIRACULOUS DRAFT OF FISHES, BY RAPHAEL 356\n IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n CHRIST HEALING THE SICK OF THE PALSY, BY VAN DYCK 368\n IN THE POSSESSION OF KING EDWARD VII\n\n THE TRANSFIGURATION, BY RAPHAEL 376\n IN THE VATICAN, ROME\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n CHRIST DISPUTING WITH THE DOCTORS, BY LUINI 384\n IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n CHRIST CROWNED WITH THORNS, BY VAN DYCK 416\n IN THE PRADO MUSEUM, MADRID\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS, BY RUBENS 418\n IN THE CATHEDRAL, ANTWERP\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE ENTOMBMENT, BY TITIAN 420\n IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE SUPPER AT EMMAUS, BY REMBRANDT 422\n IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n THE DEATH OF ANANIAS, BY RAPHAEL 428\n IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n ST. PAUL AT ATHENS, BY RAPHAEL 440\n IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON\n From a carbon print by Braun, Cl\u00e9ment & Co.\n\n\n\n\nPART I\n\nTHE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE\n\n\n\n\nBOOK I--THE BEGINNINGS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 1\n\nTHE CREATION OF THE WORLD\n\n\nIN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth\nwas without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.\nAnd the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said,\nLet there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it\nwas good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called\nthe light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and\nthe morning were the first day.\n\nAnd God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and\nlet it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament,\nand divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters\nwhich were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the\nfirmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.\n\nAnd God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together\nunto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God\ncalled the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters\ncalled he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the\nearth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree\nyielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:\nand it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding\nseed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in\nitself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening\nand the morning were the third day.\n\nAnd God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to\ndivide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for\nseasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the\nfirmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.\nAnd God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and\nthe lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set\nthem in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and\nto rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from\nthe darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the\nmorning were the fourth day.\n\nAnd God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature\nthat hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open\nfirmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living\ncreature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after\ntheir kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it\nwas good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and\nfill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And\nthe evening and the morning were the fifth day.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 1]\n\nAnd God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his\nkind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his\nkind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his\nkind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon\nthe earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said,\nLet us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have\ndominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and\nover the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing\nthat creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in\nthe image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And\nGod blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,\nand replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the\nfish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living\nthing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given\nyou every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth,\nand every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;\nto you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to\nevery fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,\nwherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it\nwas so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was\nvery good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 2]\n\nThus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.\nAnd on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he\nrested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God\nblessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had\nrested from all his work which God created and made.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 2\n\nTHE CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE\n\n\nTHESE are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they\nwere created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the\nheavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and\nevery herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused\nit to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.\nBut there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of\nthe ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and\nbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living\nsoul.\n\nAnd the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put\nthe man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God\nto grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;\nthe tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of\nknowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the\ngarden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.\n\nAnd the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to\ndress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of\nevery tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the\nknowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day\nthat thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.\n\nAnd the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I\nwill make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God\nformed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought\nthem unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam\ncalled every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave\nnames to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of\nthe field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.\n\nAnd the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:\nand he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;\nand the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman,\nand brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my\nbones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she\nwas taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his\nmother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.\nAnd they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 3\n\nTHE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE\n\n\nNOW the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the\nLORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye\nshall not eat of every tree of the garden?\n\nAnd the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the\ntrees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst\nof the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye\ntouch it, lest ye die.\n\nAnd the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God\ndoth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be\nopened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.\n\nAnd when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was\npleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she\ntook of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband\nwith her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and\nthey knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and\nmade themselves aprons.\n\nAnd they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the\ncool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence\nof the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.\n\nAnd the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 3]\n\nAnd he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because\nI was naked; and I hid myself.\n\nAnd he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the\ntree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?\n\nAnd the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me\nof the tree, and I did eat.\n\nAnd the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?\nAnd the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.\n\nAnd the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,\nthou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;\nupon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of\nthy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between\nthy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise\nhis heel.\n\nUnto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy\nconception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire\nshall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.\n\nAnd unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice\nof thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,\nsaying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake;\nin sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also\nand thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb\nof the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou\nreturn unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou\nart, and unto dust shalt thou return.\n\nAnd Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all\nliving.\n\nUnto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins,\nand clothed them.\n\nAnd the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know\ngood and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of\nthe tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the LORD God\nsent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence\nhe was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the\ngarden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way,\nto keep the way of the tree of life.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 4\n\nTHE MURDER OF ABEL\n\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 4]\n\nAND Eve bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she\nagain bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain\nwas a tiller of the ground.\n\nAnd in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit\nof the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought\nof the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD\nhad respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his\noffering he had not respect.\n\nAnd Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy\ncountenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and\nif thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be\nhis desire, and thou shalt rule over him.\n\nAnd Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they\nwere in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew\nhim. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?\n\nAnd he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?\n\nAnd he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood\ncrieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth,\nwhich hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy\nhand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto\nthee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the\nearth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I\ncan bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of\nthe earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive\nand a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one\nthat findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore\nwhosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And\nthe LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.\n\nAnd Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land\nof Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain's wife bare Enoch: and he builded\na city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son,\nEnoch. And from Enoch was descended Lamech.\n\nAnd Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and\nthe name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of\nsuch as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's\nname was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and\norgan. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every\nartificer in brass and iron.\n\nAnd Eve again bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she,\nhath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to\nSeth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos.\nAnd from Enos was descended Enoch. And Enoch walked with God: and he\nwas not; for God took him. And from Enoch was descended Methuselah, who\nlived nine hundred sixty and nine years, and had a son Lamech, whose\nson was Noah.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 5\n\nTHE FLOOD\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the\nearth, that GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,\nand that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil\ncontinually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the\nearth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will\ndestroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man,\nand beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it\nrepenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of\nthe LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 6]\n\nNoah was a just man and walked with God. And Noah begat three sons,\nShem, Ham, and Japheth.\n\nThe earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with\nviolence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt;\nfor all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.\n\nAnd God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the\nearth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy\nthem with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou\nmake in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And\nthis is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark\nshall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the\nheight of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in\na cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou\nset in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt\nthou make it.\n\nAnd, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to\ndestroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven;\nand every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I\nestablish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy\nsons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.\n\nAnd of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou\nbring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male\nand female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind,\nof every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort\nshall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of\nall food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall\nbe for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all\nthat God commanded him, so did he. And the LORD said unto Noah, Come\nthou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous\nbefore me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to\nthee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not\nclean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by\nsevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of\nall the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon\nthe earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that\nI have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah\ndid according unto all that the LORD commanded him. And Noah was six\nhundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 7]\n\nAnd Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with\nhim, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts,\nand of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that\ncreepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah into the\nark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.\n\nAnd it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were\nupon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second\nmonth, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the\nfountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were\nopened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.\n\nIn the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the\nsons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with\nthem, into the ark; they, and every beast after his kind, and all the\ncattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon\nthe earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of\nevery sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all\nflesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in\nmale and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD\nshut him in.\n\nAnd the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased,\nand bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters\nprevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went\nupon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon\nthe earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven,\nwere covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the\nmountains were covered.\n\nAnd all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of\ncattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon\nthe earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life,\nof all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was\ndestroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle,\nand the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were\ndestroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that\nwere with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an\nhundred and fifty days.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 6\n\nTHE ARK RESTS ON ARARAT\n\n\nAND God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle\nthat was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the\nearth, and the waters asswaged; the fountains also of the deep and\nthe windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was\nrestrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and\nafter the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.\n\nAnd the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of\nthe month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased\ncontinually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day\nof the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the\nwindow of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which\nwent forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the\nearth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were\nabated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for\nthe sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the\nwaters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his\nhand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 8]\n\nAnd he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove\nout of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in\nher mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters\nwere abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and\nsent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first\nmonth, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off\nthe earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and,\nbehold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the\nseven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.\n\nAnd God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy\nwife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring forth with\nthee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl,\nand of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the\nearth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful,\nand multiply upon the earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his\nwife, and his sons' wives with him: every beast, every creeping thing,\nand every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their\nkinds, went forth out of the ark.\n\nAnd Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast,\nand of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.\nAnd the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart,\nI will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the\nimagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again\nsmite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth\nremaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and\nwinter, and day and night shall not cease.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 11]\n\nAnd God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and\nmultiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread\nof you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of\nthe air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes\nof the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that\nliveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given\nyou all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood\nthereof, shall ye not eat.\n\nAnd you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the\nearth, and multiply therein.\n\nAnd God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I,\nbehold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after\nyou; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of\nthe cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go\nout of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my\ncovenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the\nwaters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy\nthe earth.\n\nAnd God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between\nme and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual\ngenerations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token\nof a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass,\nwhen I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the\ncloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and\nevery living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become\na flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I\nwill look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between\nGod and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And\nGod said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have\nestablished between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.\n\nAnd the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham,\nand Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons\nof Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.\n\nAnd Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all\nthe days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 7\n\nTHE TOWER OF BABEL\n\n\nAND the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came\nto pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in\nthe land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another,\nGo to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick\nfor stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us\nbuild us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let\nus make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the\nwhole earth.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 11]\n\nAnd the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the\nchildren of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one,\nand they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now\nnothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.\nGo to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may\nnot understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad\nfrom thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build\nthe city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD\ndid there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did\nthe LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK II--ABRAHAM AND ISAAC\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 8\n\nTHE CALL OF ABRAM\n\n\nAND Abram was the son of Terah, who was descended from Shem. Terah\nbegat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Abram and Nahor\ntook them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of\nNahor's wife, Milcah. But Sarai had no child. And Terah took Abram his\nson, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in\nlaw, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the\nChaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and\ndwelt there. And Terah died in Haran.\n\nNow the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from\nthy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew\nthee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,\nand make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless\nthem that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee\nshall all families of the earth be blessed.\n\nSo Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with\nhim: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of\nHaran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and\nall their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had\ngotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and\ninto the land of Canaan they came.\n\nAnd Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the\nplain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD\nappeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and\nthere builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he\nremoved from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched\nhis tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he\nbuilded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.\nAnd Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.\n\nAnd there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to\nsojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came\nto pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto\nSarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look\nupon: therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see\nthee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but\nthey will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that\nit may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of\nthee.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the\nEgyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair: and the woman was\ntaken into Pharaoh's house. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house\nwith great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called\nAbram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst\nthou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, She is my\nsister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold\nthy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Abram went up out of Egypt, he,\nand his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.\nAnd Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went\non his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place of the\naltar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on\nthe name of the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 12]\n\nAnd Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.\nAnd the land was not able to bear them: for their substance was great,\nso that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between\nthe herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And\nAbram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me\nand thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.\nIs not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from\nme: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or\nif thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot\nlifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was\nwell watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,\neven as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou\ncomest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot\njourneyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.\nAbram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of\nthe plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were\nwicked and sinners before the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 13]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from\nhim, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art\nnorthward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land\nwhich thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And\nI will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can\nnumber the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.\nArise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of\nit; for I will give it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came\nand dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an\naltar unto the LORD.\n\n[And it came to pass that there was a battle in the vale of Siddim, by\nthe Dead Sea: four kings fought against five. And among the five were\nthe kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot dwelt.]\n\nAnd the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom\nand Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to\nthe mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and\nall their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's\nbrother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.\n\nAnd there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew. And\nwhen Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his\ntrained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen,\nand pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and\nhis servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah,\nwhich is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the\ngoods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the\nwomen also, and the people.\n\nAnd the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the\nslaughter of the kings. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth\nbread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he\nblessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor\nof heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath\ndelivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.\nAnd the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take\nthe goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift\nup mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven\nand earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet,\nand that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest\nsay, I have made Abram rich: save only that which the young men have\neaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and\nMamre; let them take their portion.\n\nAfter these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision,\nsaying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great\nreward.\n\nAnd Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless?\n\nAnd he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and\ntell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him,\nSo shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it\nto him for righteousness.\n\nAnd he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of\nthe Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord\nGOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto\nhim, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three\nyears old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young\npigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst,\nand laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.\nAnd when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.\nAnd when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo,\nan horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know\nof a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not\ntheir's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred\nyears; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and\nafterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go\nto thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in\nthe fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity\nof the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the\nsun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning\nlamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a\ncovenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from\nthe river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.\n\nNow Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid,\nan Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar\nher maid the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his\nwife. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 15]\n\nAnd the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the\nwilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar,\nSarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she\nsaid, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the\nLORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under\nher hands. I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not\nbe numbered for multitude. Behold, thou shalt bear a son, and shalt\ncall his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And\nhe will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every\nman's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his\nbrethren.\n\nAnd she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest\nme: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? And\nHagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar\nbare, Ishmael.\n\nAnd when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to\nAbram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and\nbe thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and\nwill multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God\ntalked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee,\nand thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any\nmore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of\nmany nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful,\nand I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And\nI will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after\nthee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto\nthee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy\nseed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of\nCanaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 18]\n\nAnd God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call\nher name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and\ngive thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a\nmother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell\nupon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be\nborn unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is\nninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might\nlive before thee!\n\nAnd God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou\nshalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him\nfor an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for\nIshmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make\nhim fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall\nhe beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I\nestablish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set\ntime in the next year.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 9\n\nDESTRUCTION OF SODOM\n\n\nAND the LORD appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre: and he sat\nin the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and\nlooked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran\nto meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,\nand said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not\naway, I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, I pray you, be\nfetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I\nwill fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that\nye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they\nsaid, So do, as thou hast said.\n\nAnd Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready\nquickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the\nhearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and\ngood, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he\ntook butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it\nbefore them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.\nAnd the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham\nwent with them to bring them on the way. And the LORD said, Shall I\nhide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall\nsurely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the\nearth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command\nhis children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way\nof the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon\nAbraham that which he hath spoken of him.\n\n[Illustration: THE FLIGHT OF LOT, BY RUBENS\n\nIN THE LOUVRE, PARIS]\n\nAnd the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and\nbecause their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether\nthey have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come\nunto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from\nthence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.\n\nAnd Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous\nwith the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city:\nwilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous\nthat are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to\nslay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as\nthe wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth\ndo right?\n\nAnd the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city,\nthen I will spare all the place for their sakes.\n\nAnd Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to\nspeak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there\nshall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city\nfor lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will\nnot destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure\nthere shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for\nforty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and\nI will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he\nsaid, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 19]\n\nAnd he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord:\nPeradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not\ndestroy it for twenty's sake.\n\nAnd he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but\nthis once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will\nnot destroy it for ten's sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he\nhad left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.\n\nAnd there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of\nSodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself\nwith his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold now, my lords,\nturn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night,\nand wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways.\nAnd they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he\npressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered\ninto his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened\nbread, and they did eat.\n\nAnd the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and\nthy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city,\nbring them out of this place: for we will destroy this place, because\nthe cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the\nLORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his\nsons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of\nthis place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one\nthat mocked unto his sons in law.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 21]\n\nAnd when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying,\nArise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou\nbe consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men\nlaid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the\nhand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they\nbrought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass,\nwhen they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy\nlife; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape\nto the mountain, lest thou be consumed.\n\nAnd Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: behold now, thy servant\nhath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which\nthou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the\nmountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: behold now, this city is\nnear to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither,\n(is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto\nhim, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will\nnot overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee,\nescape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.\nTherefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon\nthe earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom\nand upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and\nhe overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants\nof the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked\nback from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.\n\nAnd Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood\nbefore the LORD: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward\nall the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the\ncountry went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when\nGod destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham,\nand sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the\ncities in the which Lot dwelt.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 10\n\nHAGAR AND ISHMAEL\n\n\nAND the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and she bare Abraham a son\nin his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And\nAbraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah\nbare to him, Isaac. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son\nIsaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh,\nso that all that hear will laugh with me. And the child grew, and was\nweaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was\nweaned.\n\n[Illustration: THE BANISHMENT OF HAGAR, BY GUERCINO\n\nIN THE BRERA, MILAN]\n\nAnd Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto\nAbraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this\nbondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be\nheir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in\nAbraham's sight because of his son.\n\nAnd God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because\nof the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said\nunto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be\ncalled. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation,\nbecause he is thy seed.\n\nAnd Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle\nof water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and\nthe child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the\nwilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and\nshe cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her\ndown over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she\nsaid, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against\nhim, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the\nlad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto\nher, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice\nof the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine\nhand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and\nshe saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with\nwater, and gave the lad drink.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 22]\n\nAnd God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness,\nand became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his\nmother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 11\n\nABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE\n\n\nAND it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and\nsaid unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said,\nTake now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee\ninto the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon\none of the mountains which I will tell thee of.\n\nAnd Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took\ntwo of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood\nfor the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which\nGod had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and\nsaw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye\nhere with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and\ncome again to you.\n\nAnd Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac\nhis son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went\nboth of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and\nsaid, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold\nthe fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 23]\n\nAnd Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt\noffering: so they went both of them together.\n\nAnd they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built\nan altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son,\nand laid him on the altar upon the wood.\n\nAnd Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his\nson.\n\nAnd the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,\nAbraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine\nhand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know\nthat thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine\nonly son from me.\n\nAnd Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram\ncaught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram,\nand offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And\nAbraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to\nthis day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.\n\nAnd the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second\ntime, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because\nthou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only\nson: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will\nmultiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which\nis upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his\nenemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;\nbecause thou hast obeyed my voice.\n\nSo Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went\ntogether to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 12\n\nTHE DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH\n\n\nAND Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the\nyears of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Hebron in the land of\nCanaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.\n\nAnd Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons\nof Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a\npossession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of\nmy sight.\n\nAnd the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us,\nmy lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our\nsepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his\nsepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.\n\nAnd Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land,\neven to the children of Heth. And he communed with them, saying, If it\nbe your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and\nintreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the\ncave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for\nas much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a\nburyingplace amongst you. And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth:\nand Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me:\nthe field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in\nthe presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.\n\nAnd Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he\nspake unto Ephron, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear\nme: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will\nbury my dead there.\n\nAnd Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me:\nthe land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt\nme and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto\nEphron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in\nthe audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver.\n\nAnd the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before\nMamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees\nthat were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were\nmade sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children\nof Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.\n\nAnd after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field\nof Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 13\n\nHOW REBEKAH BECAME ISAAC'S WIFE\n\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 24]\n\nAND Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed\nAbraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his\nhouse, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand\nunder my thigh: and I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of\nheaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto\nmy son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou\nshalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my\nson Isaac.\n\nAnd the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be\nwilling to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again\nunto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him,\nBeware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The LORD God of\nheaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my\nkindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto\nthy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee,\nand thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman\nwill not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this\nmy oath: only bring not my son thither again. And the servant put his\nhand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning\nthat matter.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 24]\n\nAnd the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and\ndeparted; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he\narose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his\ncamels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time\nof the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he\nsaid, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed\nthis day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand\nhere by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city\ncome out to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the damsel to\nwhom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink;\nand she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let\nthe same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and\nthereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.\n\nAnd it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah\ncame out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor,\nAbraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel\nwas very fair to look upon: and she went down to the well, and filled\nher pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said,\nLet me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.\n\nAnd she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher\nupon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him\ndrink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they\nhave done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the\ntrough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his\ncamels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the\nLORD had made his journey prosperous or not.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took\na golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her\nhands of ten shekels weight of gold; and said, Whose daughter art thou?\ntell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to\nlodge in?\n\nAnd she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah,\nwhich she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both\nstraw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed\ndown his head, and worshipped the LORD.\n\nAnd he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath\nnot left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in\nthe way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. And\nthe damsel ran, and told them of her mother's house these things. And\nRebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto\nthe man, unto the well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring\nand bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of\nRebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came\nunto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And\nhe said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou\nwithout? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.\n\n[Illustration: REBECCA AND ELIEZER, BY MURILLO\n\nIN THE PRADO MUSEUM, MADRID]\n\nAnd the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave\nstraw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the\nmen's feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him to\neat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he\nsaid, Speak on.\n\nAnd he said, I am Abraham's servant. And the LORD hath blessed my\nmaster greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks,\nand herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and\ncamels, and asses. And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master\nwhen she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my\nmaster made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of\nthe daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: but thou shalt\ngo unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my\nson. And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow\nme. And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his\nangel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my\nson of my kindred, and of my father's house: then shalt thou be clear\nfrom this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not\nthee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath. And I came this day unto\nthe well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do\nprosper my way which I go: behold, I stand by the well of water; and it\nshall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water,\nand I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher\nto drink; and she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for\nthy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out\nfor my master's son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart,\nbehold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she\nwent down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me\ndrink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from\nher shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also:\nso I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and\nsaid, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel,\nNahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her\nface, and the bracelets upon her hands. And I bowed down my head, and\nworshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham,\nwhich had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's\ndaughter unto his son. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with\nmy master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right\nhand, or to the left.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 24]\n\nThen Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the\nLORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before\nthee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the\nLORD hath spoken.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words,\nhe worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant\nbrought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and\ngave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother\nprecious things. And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were\nwith him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and\nhe said, Send me away unto my master. And her brother and her mother\nsaid, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after\nthat she shall go. And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the\nLORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.\nAnd they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. And\nthey called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And\nshe said, I will go.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 25]\n\nAnd they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's\nservant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou\nart our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let\nthy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.\n\nAnd Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and\nfollowed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.\n\nAnd Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in\nthe south country. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the\neventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels\nwere coming.\n\nAnd Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off\nthe camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that\nwalketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my\nmaster: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.\n\nAnd the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.\n\nAnd Abraham lived an hundred threescore and fifteen years. Then Abraham\ngave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of\nyears; and was gathered to his people.\n\nAnd his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah,\nin the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was\nAbraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death\nof Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well\nLahai-roi.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK III--JACOB AND JOSEPH\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 14\n\nJACOB AND ESAU\n\n\nAND Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife: and Rebekah\nbare twins. And the first was red, all over like an hairy garment; and\nthey called his name Esau; and his brother was called Jacob.\n\nAnd the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field;\nand Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau,\nbecause he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.\n\nAnd Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:\nand Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red\npottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob\nsaid, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at\nthe point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And\nJacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold\nhis birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of\nlentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus\nEsau despised his birthright.\n\nAnd there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was\nin the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the\nPhilistines unto Gerar.\n\nAnd the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt;\ndwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: sojourn in this land,\nand I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto\nthy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the\noath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed\nto multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all\nthese countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be\nblessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my\ncommandments, my statutes, and my laws.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 27]\n\nThen Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an\nhundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great,\nand went forward, and grew until he became very great: for he had\npossession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of\nservants: and the Philistines envied him. For all the wells which his\nfather's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the\nPhilistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.\n\nAnd Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier\nthan we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the\nvalley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of\nwater, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for\nthe Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he\ncalled their names after the names by which his father had called them.\nAnd Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of\nspringing water.\n\nAnd the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying,\nThe water is our's: and he called the name of the well Esek; because\nthey strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for\nthat also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from\nthence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he\ncalled the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath\nmade room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. And he went\nup from thence to Beer-sheba. And the LORD appeared unto him the same\nnight, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am\nwith thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant\nAbraham's sake. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name\nof the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants\ndigged a well.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that Isaac's servants came, and told him\nconcerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have\nfound water. And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is\nBeer-sheba unto this day.\n\nAnd Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter\nof Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:\nwhich were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim,\nso that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto\nhim, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said,\nBehold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: now therefore\ntake, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to\nthe field, and take me some venison; and make me savoury meat, such as\nI love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee\nbefore I die. And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And\nEsau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.\n\nAnd Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy\nfather speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make\nme savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before\nmy death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which\nI command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good\nkids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father,\nsuch as he loveth: and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may\neat, and that he may bless thee before his death.\n\nAnd Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a\nhairy man, and I am a smooth man: my father peradventure will feel me,\nand I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon\nme, and not a blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy\ncurse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.\n\nAnd he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his\nmother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took\ngoodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the\nhouse, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: and she put the skins\nof the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his\nneck: and she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had\nprepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 27]\n\nAnd he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here\nam I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau\nthy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray\nthee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac\nsaid unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my\nson? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. And Isaac\nsaid unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son,\nwhether thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac\nhis father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but\nthe hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his\nhands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. And\nhe said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said,\nBring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul\nmay bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he\nbrought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him,\nCome near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him:\nand he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said,\nSee, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath\nblessed: therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness\nof the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve thee,\nand nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy\nmother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee,\nand blessed be he that blesseth thee. And it came to pass, as soon as\nIsaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone\nout from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came\nin from his hunting.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 28]\n\nAnd he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father,\nand said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's\nvenison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said unto\nhim, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. And\nIsaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath\ntaken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou\ncamest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. And when\nEsau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding\nbitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my\nfather. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken\naway thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he\nhath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and,\nbehold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not\nreserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau,\nBehold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to\nhim for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what\nshall I do now unto thee, my son?\n\nAnd Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father?\nbless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and\nwept.\n\nAnd Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling\nshall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;\nand by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it\nshall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt\nbreak his yoke from off thy neck. And Esau hated Jacob because of the\nblessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart,\nThe days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my\nbrother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to\nRebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto\nhim, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself,\npurposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and\narise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few\ndays, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger\nturn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him:\nthen I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived\nalso of you both in one day?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 15\n\nJACOB AND RACHEL\n\n\nAND Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto\nhim, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go\nto Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take\nthee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.\nAnd God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply\nthee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the\nblessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou\nmayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave\nunto Abraham.\n\n[Illustration: JACOB'S LADDER, BY MURILLO\n\nIN THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM, ST. PETERSBURG]\n\nAnd Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of\nBethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.\n\nAnd Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he\nlighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the\nsun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them\nfor his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed,\nand behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to\nheaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.\nAnd, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of\nAbraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest,\nto thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the\ndust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the\neast, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed\nshall all the families of the earth be blessed.\n\nAnd, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither\nthou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not\nleave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And\nJacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this\nplace; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is\nthis place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the\ngate of heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 29]\n\nAnd Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had\nput for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon\nthe top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el. And Jacob\nvowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this\nway that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so\nthat I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be\nmy God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's\nhouse: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth\nunto thee. Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of\nthe people of the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field,\nand, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that\nwell they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's\nmouth. And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the\nstone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone\nagain upon the well's mouth in his place.\n\nAnd Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of\nHaran are we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?\nAnd they said, We know him. And he said unto them, Is he well? And they\nsaid, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the\nsheep. And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the\ncattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed\nthem. And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered\ntogether, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we\nwater the sheep.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 30]\n\nAnd while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep:\nfor she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the\ndaughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his\nmother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the\nwell's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. And\nJacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told\nRachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son:\nand she ran and told her father.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's\nson, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and\nbrought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. And Laban\nsaid to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with\nhim the space of a month.\n\nAnd Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest\nthou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?\nAnd Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the\nname of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was\nbeautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will\nserve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said,\nIt is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to\nanother man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel;\nand they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.\n\nAnd Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled.\nAnd Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.\nAnd it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter,\nand brought her to him. And it came to pass, that in the morning he\nsaid to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve\nwith thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban\nsaid, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before\nthe firstborn. We will give thee Rachel also for the service which\nthou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so: and\nhe gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Jacob loved also\nRachel more than Leah. And Leah had four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi,\nand Judah. And Rachel envied her sister, and said, Give me children,\nor else I die. And Jacob was angry with her, and said, Am I in God's\nstead, who hath withheld children from thee? And she gave him her maid\nBilhah to wife: and Bilhah bare Jacob Dan and Naphtali. Then Leah gave\nZilpah her maid to Jacob to wife: and she bare him two sons, Gad and\nAsher. And Leah bare Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter whom she\ncalled Dinah.\n\nAnd God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her. And she bare a\nson; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: and she called his name\nJoseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 16\n\nJACOB AND LABAN\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto\nLaban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my\ncountry. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee,\nand let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.\n\nAnd Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine\neyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath\nblessed me for thy sake. And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will\ngive it. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and\nhow thy cattle was with me. For it was little which thou hadst before\nI came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath\nblessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own\nhouse also? And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou\nshalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will\nagain feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock to\nday, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all\nthe brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among\nthe goats: and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness\nanswer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before\nthy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats,\nand brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And\nLaban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he\nremoved that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and\nall the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that\nhad some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them\ninto the hand of his sons.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 30]\n\nAnd he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed\nthe rest of Laban's flocks. And the LORD caused the stronger cattle\nto bear cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted, and the feebler\nto bear brown cattle: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger\nJacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and\nmaidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.\n\nAnd he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away\nall that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he\ngotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and,\nbehold, it was not toward him as before. And the LORD said unto Jacob,\nReturn unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be\nwith thee.\n\nAnd Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,\nand said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not\ntoward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye\nknow that with all my power I have served your father.\n\nAnd your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times;\nbut God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled\nshall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said\nthus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle\nringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and\ngiven them to me.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 31]\n\nAnd Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any\nportion or inheritance for us in our father's house? are we not counted\nof him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our\nmoney. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that\nis our's, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto\nthee, do.\n\nThen Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he\ncarried away all his cattle, and all his goods, for to go to Isaac his\nfather in the land of Canaan. And Laban went to shear his sheep: and\nRachel had stolen the images that were her father's. And Jacob stole\naway unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he\nfled. So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over\nthe river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.\n\nAnd it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. And he took\nhis brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and\nthey overtook him in the mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian\nin a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not\nto Jacob either good or bad.\n\nThen Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount:\nand Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. And Laban\nsaid to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares\nto me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword?\nWherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and\ndidst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and\nwith songs, with tabret, and with harp? and hast not suffered me to\nkiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so\ndoing. It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of\nyour father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou\nspeak not to Jacob either good or bad. And now, though thou wouldest\nneeds be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet\nwherefore hast thou stolen my gods?\n\nAnd Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said,\nPeradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. With\nwhomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren\ndiscern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew\nnot that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban searched, but found not the\nimages. And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered\nand said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast\nso hotly pursued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff,\nwhat hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my\nbrethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. This\ntwenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not\ncast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That\nwhich was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of\nit; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen\nby night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost\nby night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty\nyears in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters,\nand six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.\nExcept the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac,\nhad been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath\nseen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee\nyesternight.\n\nAnd Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my\ndaughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my\ncattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day\nunto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?\nNow therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it\nbe for a witness between me and thee. And Jacob took a stone, and set\nit up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones;\nand they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon\nthe heap. And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee\nthis day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; and Mizpah; for\nhe said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one\nfrom another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt\ntake other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is\nwitness betwixt me and thee. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap,\nand behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; this\nheap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over\nthis heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this\npillar unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the\nGod of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of\nhis father Isaac.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 32]\n\nThen Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to\neat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.\nAnd early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his\ndaughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his\nplace.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 17\n\nMEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU\n\n\nAND Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when\nJacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of\nthat place Mahanaim.\n\nAnd Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land\nof Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus\nshall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have\nsojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: and I have oxen, and\nasses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to\ntell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 32]\n\nAnd the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother\nEsau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.\nThen Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people\nthat was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two\nbands; and said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then\nthe other company which is left shall escape.\n\nAnd Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac,\nthe LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy\nkindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least\nof all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto\nthy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am\nbecome two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother,\nfrom the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me,\nand the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do\nthee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be\nnumbered for multitude.\n\nAnd he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to\nhis hand a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she goats, and\ntwenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milch camels\nwith their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten\nfoals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove\nby themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put\na space betwixt drove and drove.\n\nAnd he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth\nthee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou?\nand whose are these before thee? Then thou shalt say, They be thy\nservant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold,\nalso he is behind us. And so commanded he the second, and the third,\nand all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak\nunto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant\nJacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present\nthat goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure\nhe will accept of me. So went the present over before him: and himself\nlodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night, and took\nhis two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and\npassed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the\nbrook, and sent over that he had.\n\nAnd Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the\nbreaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him,\nhe touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh\nwas out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for\nthe day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou\nbless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.\nAnd he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for\nas a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.\nAnd Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he\nsaid, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed\nhim there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have\nseen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over\nPenuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore\nthe children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon\nthe hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow\nof Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.\n\nAnd Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and\nwith him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and\nunto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and\ntheir children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel\nand Joseph hindermost.\n\nAnd he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven\ntimes, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and\nembraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.\n\nAnd he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and\nsaid, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath\ngraciously given thy servant. Then the handmaidens came near, they\nand their children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also with her\nchildren came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near\nand Rachel, and they bowed themselves. And he said, What meanest thou\nby all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in\nthe sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep\nthat thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now\nI have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand:\nfor therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of\nGod, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that\nis brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and\nbecause I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 35]\n\nAnd he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go\nbefore thee. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children\nare tender, and the flocks and herds are with me: and if men should\nover-drive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I\npray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly,\naccording as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able\nto endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. And Esau said, Let me\nnow leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said,\nWhat needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Esau\nreturned that day on his way unto Seir. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth,\nand built him an house, and made booths for his cattle. And Jacob came\nto Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he\ncame from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 18\n\nTHE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN\n\n\nAND God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there:\nand make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou\nfleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 36]\n\nThen Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put\naway the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change\nyour garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make\nthere an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and\nwas with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the\nstrange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which\nwere in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by\nShechem. And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities\nthat were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of\nJacob.\n\nSo Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el,\nhe and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar,\nand called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him,\nwhen he fled from the face of his brother. But Deborah Rebekah's\nnurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak. And God\nappeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed\nhim. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be\ncalled any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his\nname Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and\nmultiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings\nshall descend from thee; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac,\nto thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the\nland. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.\nAnd Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a\npillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured\noil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake\nwith him, Beth-el.\n\nAnd they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come\nto Ephrath: and Rachel bare a son. And it came to pass, as her soul was\nin departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his\nfather called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way\nto Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave:\nthat is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.\n\nAnd Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.\n\nNow the sons of Jacob were twelve: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and\nSimeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun, and Dan, and\nNaphtali, and Gad, and Asher, and the sons of Rachel, Joseph and\nBenjamin.\n\nAnd Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of\nArbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the\ndays of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. And Isaac gave up\nthe ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and\nfull of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. And Esau took\nhis wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his\nhouse, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which\nhe had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the\nface of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more than that they\nmight dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could\nnot bear them because of their cattle. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir:\nEsau is Edom.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 19\n\nJOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN\n\n\nAND Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the\nland of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being\nseventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren: and\nJoseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved\nJoseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old\nage: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw\nthat their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him,\nand could not speak peaceably unto him.\n\nAnd Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated\nhim yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream\nwhich I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the\nfield, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold,\nyour sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his\nbrethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou\nindeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his\ndreams, and for his words.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 37]\n\nAnd he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said,\nBehold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the\nmoon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his\nfather, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto\nhim, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother\nand thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the\nearth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.\n\nAnd his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And\nIsrael said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?\ncome, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.\nAnd he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy\nbrethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent\nhim out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.\n\nAnd a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the\nfield: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I\nseek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.\nAnd the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let\nus go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in\nDothan.\n\nAnd when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them,\nthey conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another,\nBehold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him,\nand cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath\ndevoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And\nReuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let\nus not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him\ninto this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that\nhe might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 39]\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they\nstript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on\nhim; and they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty,\nthere was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they\nlifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites\ncame from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh,\ngoing to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What\nprofit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and\nlet us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him;\nfor he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.\nThen there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted\nup Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty\npieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.\n\nAnd Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the\npit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and\nsaid, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took\nJoseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in\nthe blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it\nto their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be\nthy son's coat or no.\n\nAnd he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath\ndevoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent\nhis clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son\nmany days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort\nhim; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down\ninto the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.\n\nAnd the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of\nPharaoh's, and captain of the guard.\n\nAnd the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was\nin the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the\nLORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in\nhis hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and\nhe made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into\nhis hand.\n\nAnd it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his\nhouse, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's\nhouse for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that\nhe had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in\nJoseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he\ndid eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And it\ncame to pass after these things, that his master's wife tempted Joseph\nto sin. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my\nmaster wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed\nall that he hath to my hand; there is none greater in this house than\nI; neither hath he kept back any thing from me: how then can I do\nthis great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as\nshe spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her. And\nshe spake unto her lord according to these words, saying, The Hebrew\nservant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me.\nAnd it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, that\nhis wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into\nthe prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was\nthere in the prison.\n\n[Illustration: JOSEPH CONDUCTED TO PRISON, BY JACOPO CARRUCCI (CALLED\nJACOPO DA PONTORMO)\n\nIN THE UFFIZI GALLERY, FLORENCE]\n\nBut the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour\nin the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison\ncommitted to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison;\nand whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the\nprison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the\nLORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king\nof Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And\nPharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the\nbutlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward\nin the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place\nwhere Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph\nwith them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 40]\n\nAnd they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night,\neach man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and\nthe baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And\nJoseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and,\nbehold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with\nhim in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly\nto day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is\nno interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations\nbelong to God? tell me them, I pray you. And the chief butler told\nhis dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was\nbefore me; and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it\nbudded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought\nforth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the\ngrapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into\nPharaoh's hand.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three\nbranches are three days: yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up\nthine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver\nPharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast\nhis butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew\nkindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh,\nand bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the\nland of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they\nshould put me into the dungeon.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 41]\n\nWhen the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto\nJoseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets\non my head: and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of\nbakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket\nupon my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation\nthereof: The three baskets are three days: yet within three days shall\nPharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree;\nand the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.\n\nAnd it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that\nhe made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of\nthe chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he\nrestored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the\ncup into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had\ninterpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but\nforgat him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 20\n\nJOSEPH BEFORE PHARAOH\n\n\nAND it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed:\nand, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of\nthe river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a\nmeadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the\nriver, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon\nthe brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did\neat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he\nslept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came\nup upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and\nblasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin\nears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and,\nbehold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his\nspirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of\nEgypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream;\nbut there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.\n\nThen spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my\nfaults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in\nward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:\nand we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man\naccording to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with\nus a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we\ntold him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to\nhis dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to\nus, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.\n\nThen Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out\nof the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and\ncame in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a\ndream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of\nthee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph\nanswered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an\nanswer of peace.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the\nbank of the river: and, behold, there came up out of the river seven\nkine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: and,\nbehold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured\nand leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for\nbadness: and the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first\nseven fat kine: and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known\nthat they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the\nbeginning. So I awoke.\n\nAnd I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk,\nfull and good: and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted\nwith the east wind, sprung up after them: and the thin ears devoured\nthe seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was\nnone that could declare it to me.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath\nshewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven\nyears; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And\nthe seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven\nyears; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be\nseven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto\nPharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there\ncome seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:\nand there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the\nplenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall\nconsume the land; and the plenty shall not be known in the land by\nreason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And\nfor that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the\nthing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.\nNow therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set\nhim over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint\nofficers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt\nin the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those\ngood years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and\nlet them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to\nthe land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land\nof Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 41]\n\nAnd the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all\nhis servants.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this\nis, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph,\nForasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet\nand wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto\nthy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be\ngreater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee\nover all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his\nhand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of\nfine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to\nride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow\nthe knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh\nsaid unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up\nhis hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's\nname Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of\nPotipherah priest of On.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 41]\n\nAnd Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of\nEgypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went\nthroughout all the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.\nAnd he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the\nland of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the\nfield, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And\nJoseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left\nnumbering; for it was without number.\n\nAnd unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came,\nwhich Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.\nAnd Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said\nhe, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And\nthe name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be\nfruitful in the land of my affliction.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 21\n\nTHE FAMINE\n\n\nAND the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt,\nwere ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as\nJoseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land\nof Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished,\nthe people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the\nEgyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was\nover all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses,\nand sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of\nEgypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn;\nbecause that the famine was so sore in all lands.\n\nNow when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his\nsons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have\nheard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us\nfrom thence; that we may live, and not die.\n\nAnd Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin,\nJoseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest\nperadventure mischief befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy\ncorn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.\nAnd Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to\nall the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down\nthemselves before him with their faces to the earth.\n\nAnd Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange\nunto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence\ncome ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph\nknew his brethren, but they knew not him.\n\nAnd Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said\nunto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.\nAnd they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants\ncome. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no\nspies. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land\nye are come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons\nof one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day\nwith our father, and one is not.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye\nare spies: hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall\nnot go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. Send one\nof you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison,\nthat your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or\nelse by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all\ntogether into ward three days.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 42]\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear\nGod: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house\nof your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: but\nbring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified,\nand ye shall not die. And they did so.\n\nAnd they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our\nbrother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us,\nand we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And\nReuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin\nagainst the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his\nblood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for\nhe spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from\nthem, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and\ntook from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.\n\nThen Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore\nevery man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the\nway: and thus did he unto them. And they laded their asses with the\ncorn, and departed thence. And as one of them opened his sack to give\nhis ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it\nwas in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is\nrestored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them,\nand they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God\nhath done unto us?\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 43]\n\nAnd they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told\nhim all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of\nthe land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.\nAnd we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: we be twelve\nbrethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day\nwith our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the\ncountry, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave\none of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your\nhouseholds, and be gone: and bring your youngest brother unto me: then\nshall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I\ndeliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.\n\nAnd it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every\nman's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their\nfather saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their\nfather said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is\nnot, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these\nthings are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay\nmy two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and\nI will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down\nwith you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief\nbefall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my\ngray hairs with sorrow to the grave.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 22\n\nBENJAMIN BROUGHT TO JOSEPH\n\n\nAND the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had\neaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father\nsaid unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto\nhim, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not\nsee my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our\nbrother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: but if thou wilt\nnot send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall\nnot see my face, except your brother be with you.\n\nAnd Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man\nwhether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The man asked us straitly\nof our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive?\nhave ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of\nthese words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your\nbrother down?\n\nAnd Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we\nwill arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou,\nand also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt\nthou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before\nthee, then let me bear the blame for ever: for except we had lingered,\nsurely now we had returned this second time.\n\nAnd their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this;\ntake of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the\nman a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh,\nnuts, and almonds: and take double money in your hand; and the money\nthat was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in\nyour hand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother,\nand arise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give you mercy\nbefore the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin.\nIf I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.\n\nAnd the men took that present, and they took double money in their\nhand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood\nbefore Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the\nruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for\nthese men shall dine with me at noon.\n\nAnd the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into\nJoseph's house. And the men were afraid, because they were brought into\nJoseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned\nin our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek\noccasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our\nasses.\n\nAnd they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed\nwith him at the door of the house, and said, O sir, we came indeed down\nat the first time to buy food: and it came to pass, when we came to the\ninn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in\nthe mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it\nagain in our hand. And other money have we brought down in our hands to\nbuy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And he said,\nPeace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath\ngiven you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought\nSimeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house,\nand gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their\nasses provender. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at\nnoon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 43]\n\nAnd when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in\ntheir hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.\nAnd he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well,\nthe old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy\nservant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed\ndown their heads, and made obeisance.\n\nAnd he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's\nson, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me?\nAnd he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste;\nfor his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep;\nand he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his\nface, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.\n\nAnd they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and\nfor the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the\nEgyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews. And they sat before\nhim, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest\naccording to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. And he\ntook and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was\nfive times so much as any of their's. And they drank, and were merry\nwith him.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 44]\n\nAnd he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks\nwith food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his\nsack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of\nthe youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that\nJoseph had spoken.\n\nAs soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and\ntheir asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far\noff, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when\nthou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil\nfor good? is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed\nhe divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.\n\nAnd he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. And they\nsaid unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that\nthy servants should do according to this thing: behold, the money,\nwhich we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of\nthe land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house\nsilver or gold? with whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let\nhim die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also\nlet it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be\nmy servant; and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down\nevery man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he\nsearched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the\ncup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and\nladed every man his ass, and returned to the city.\n\nAnd Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet\nthere: and they fell before him on the ground.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye\nnot that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What\nshall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear\nourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold,\nwe are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is\nfound. And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in\nwhose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you,\nget you up in peace unto your father.\n\nThen Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant,\nI pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger\nburn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked\nhis servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto\nmy lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age,\na little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his\nmother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants,\nBring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said\nunto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave\nhis father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants,\nExcept your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my\nface no more. And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant\nmy father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go\nagain, and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down: if\nour youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not\nsee the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy\nservant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:\nand the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces;\nand I saw him not since: and if ye take this also from me, and mischief\nbefall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.\nNow therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not\nwith us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; it shall\ncome to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will\ndie: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant\nour father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for\nthe lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I\nshall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee,\nlet thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let\nthe lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father,\nand the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall\ncome on my father.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 45]\n\nThen Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by\nhim; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood\nno man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.\nAnd he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.\nAnd Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet\nlive? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at\nhis presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I\npray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother,\nwhom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with\nyourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you\nto preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the\nland: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither\nbe earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a\nposterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.\nSo now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me\na father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout\nall the land of Egypt.\n\nHaste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son\nJoseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry\nnot: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be\nnear unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and\nthy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:\nand there will I nourish thee; for yet there\nare five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that\nthou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of\nmy brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And\nye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye\nhave seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he\nfell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon\nhis neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and\nafter that his brethren talked with him.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 46]\n\nAnd the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's\nbrethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And\nPharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your\nbeasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and take your father\nand your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of\nthe land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art\ncommanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for\nyour little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.\nAlso regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is\nyour's.\n\nAnd the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons,\naccording to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for\nthe way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to\nBenjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of\nraiment. And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden\nwith the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and\nbread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away,\nand they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by\nthe way.\n\nAnd they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto\nJacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he\nis governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for\nhe believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which\nhe had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent\nto carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: and Israel\nsaid, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him\nbefore I die.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 23\n\nISRAEL GOES DOWN INTO EGYPT\n\n\nAND Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to\nBeer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.\nAnd God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob,\nJacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy\nfather: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee\na great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also\nsurely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine\neyes.\n\nAnd Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob\ntheir father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons\nwhich Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, and\ntheir goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into\nEgypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: his sons, and his sons' sons\nwith him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed\nbrought he with him into Egypt. And the sons of Joseph, which were born\nhim in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob,\nwhich came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.\n\nAnd he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto\nGoshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready\nhis chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and\npresented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his\nneck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I\nhave seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.\n\nAnd Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will\ngo up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's\nhouse, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; and the men\nare shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have\nbrought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it\nshall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is\nyour occupation? that ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about\ncattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers:\nthat ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an\nabomination unto the Egyptians.\n\nThen Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren,\nand their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come\nout of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of\nGoshen. And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented\nthem unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your\noccupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds,\nboth we, and also our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For\nto sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture\nfor their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now\ntherefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 47]\n\nAnd Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren\nare come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of\nthe land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen\nlet them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them,\nthen make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph brought in Jacob his\nfather, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And\nPharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh,\nThe days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years:\nfew and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not\nattained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the\ndays of their pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from\nbefore Pharaoh.\n\nAnd Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a\npossession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the\nland of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his\nfather, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread,\naccording to their families.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 47]\n\nAnd there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore,\nso that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason\nof the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in\nthe land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they\nbought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when\nmoney failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the\nEgyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should\nwe die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give\nyour cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And\nthey brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in\nexchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the\nherds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their\ncattle for that year. When that year was ended, they came unto him the\nsecond year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how\nthat our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there\nis not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our\nlands: wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land?\nbuy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants\nunto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that\nthe land be not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for\nPharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine\nprevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the\npeople, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt\neven to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he\nnot; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did\neat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not\ntheir lands.\n\nThen Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day\nand your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow\nthe land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give\nthe fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for\nseed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households,\nand for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved\nour lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be\nPharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt\nunto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land\nof the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.\n\nAnd Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and\nthey had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And\nJacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of\nJacob was an hundred forty and seven years.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 24\n\nTHE DEATH OF JACOB\n\n\nAND the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son\nJoseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight,\nput, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly\nwith me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: but I will lie with my\nfathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their\nburyingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said,\nSwear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the\nbed's head.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold,\nthy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and\nEphraim. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh\nunto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. And\nJacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the\nland of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold, I will make\nthee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude\nof people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an\neverlasting possession.\n\nAnd now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee\nin the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine;\nas Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou\nbegettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the\nname of their brethren in their inheritance. And as for me, when I came\nfrom Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when\nyet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her\nthere in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.\n\nAnd Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph\nsaid unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in\nthis place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will\nbless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could\nnot see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and\nembraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see\nthy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 48]\n\nAnd Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed\nhimself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim\nin his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left\nhand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And\nIsrael stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head,\nwho was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding\nhis hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.\n\nAnd he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham\nand Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this\nday, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let\nmy name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;\nand let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.\n\nAnd when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head\nof Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to\nremove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said\nunto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy\nright hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it,\nmy son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be\ngreat: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his\nseed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day,\nsaying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim\nand as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 50]\n\nAnd Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you,\nand bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have\ngiven to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the\nhand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.\n\nAnd Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together,\nand hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. And he\ncharged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people:\nbury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the\nHittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before\nMamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought for a possession of\na buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there\nthey buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. The\npurchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the\nchildren of Heth.\n\nAnd when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up\nhis feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto\nhis people.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 25\n\nTHE BURIAL OF JACOB\n\n\nAND Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed\nhim. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his\nfather: and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were\nfulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are\nembalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.\nAnd when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the\nhouse of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes,\nspeak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me\nswear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the\nland of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I\npray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee\nswear.\n\nAnd Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the\nservants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the\nland of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his\nfather's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their\nherds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both\nchariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. And they came\nto the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they\nmourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning\nfor his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the\nCanaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is\na grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was\ncalled Abel-mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. And his sons did unto him\naccording as he commanded them: for his sons carried him into the land\nof Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which\nAbraham bought.\n\n[Sidenote: Genesis 50]\n\nAnd Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went\nup with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.\n\nAnd when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said,\nJoseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all\nthe evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph,\nsaying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say\nunto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren,\nand their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee,\nforgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And\nJoseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and\nfell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.\nAnd Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But\nas for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,\nto bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now\ntherefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he\ncomforted them, and spake kindly unto them.\n\nAnd Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived\nan hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the\nthird generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were\nbrought up upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I\ndie: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto\nthe land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph\ntook an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit\nyou, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being\nan hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in\na coffin in Egypt.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK IV\n\nMOSES AND THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 26\n\nTHE FINDING OF MOSES\n\n\nNOW these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into\nEgypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon,\nLevi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali,\nGad, and Asher. And all the souls that came from Jacob were seventy\nsouls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his\nbrethren, and all that generation.\n\nAnd the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and\nmultiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with\nthem.\n\nNow there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he\nsaid unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are\nmore and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest\nthey multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any\nwar, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get\nthem up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters\nto afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure\ncities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more\nthey multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children\nof Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with\nrigour: and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter,\nand in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their\nservice, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. And the king\nof Egypt commanded that all the male children of the Hebrews be put\nto death. But the Hebrew women did not as the king of Egypt commanded\nthem, but saved the men children alive: and the people multiplied, and\nwaxed very mighty.\n\nAnd there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter\nof Levi. And the woman bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a\ngoodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer\nhide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with\nslime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the\nflags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what\nwould be done to him.\n\nAnd the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river;\nand her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the\nark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had\nopened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had\ncompassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then\nsaid his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee\na nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?\nAnd Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called\nthe child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this\nchild away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And\nthe woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she\nbrought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she\ncalled his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the\nwater.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 2]\n\nAnd it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went\nout unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an\nEgyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this\nway and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the\nEgyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day,\nbehold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that\ndid the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made\nthee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou\nkilledst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is\nknown. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But\nMoses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian:\nand he sat down by a well.\n\nNow the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew\nwater, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the\nshepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them,\nand watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father,\nhe said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And they said,\nAn Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also\ndrew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his\ndaughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call\nhim, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the\nman: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son,\nand he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in\na strange land.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 3]\n\nAnd it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died:\nand the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they\ncried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God\nheard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham,\nwith Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel,\nand God had respect unto them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 27\n\nTHE BURNING BUSH\n\n\nNOW Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of\nMidian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to\nthe mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared\nunto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked,\nand, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.\nAnd Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why\nthe bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to\nsee, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses,\nMoses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put\noff thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest\nis holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God\nof Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his\nface; for he was afraid to look upon God.\n\nAnd the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which\nare in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters;\nfor I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of\nthe hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto\na good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. Now\ntherefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me:\nand I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress\nthem. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou\nmayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.\n\nAnd Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and\nthat I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?\n\nAnd he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token\nunto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the\npeople out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.\n\nAnd Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of\nIsrael, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me\nunto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say\nunto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus\nshalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.\nAnd God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children\nof Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of\nIsaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name\nfor ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather\nthe elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your\nfathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me,\nsaying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you\nin Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of\nEgypt, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken\nto thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto\nthe king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the\nHebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three\ndays' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD\nour God.\n\nAnd I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by\na mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with\nall my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he\nwill let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the\nEgyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not\ngo empty: but every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her\nthat sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and\nraiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters;\nand ye shall spoil the Egyptians.\n\nAnd Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor\nhearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared\nunto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And\nhe said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on\nthe ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the\ntail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in\nhis hand: that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the\nGod of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared\nunto thee.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 4]\n\nAnd the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy\nbosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out,\nbehold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand\ninto thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and\nplucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his\nother flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee,\nneither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe\nthe voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will\nnot believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that\nthou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry\nland: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become\nblood upon the dry land.\n\nAnd Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither\nheretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow\nof speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath\nmade man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing,\nor the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be\nwith thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my\nLord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And\nthe anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not\nAaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also,\nbehold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will\nbe glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in\nhis mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will\nteach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the\npeople: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth,\nand thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod\nin thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 5]\n\nAnd Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto\nhim, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in\nEgypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses,\nGo in peace. And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into\nEgypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took\nhis wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the\nland of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the LORD\nsaid unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do\nall those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but\nI will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou\nshalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my\nfirstborn: and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me:\nand if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy\nfirstborn.\n\nAnd the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.\nAnd he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. And\nMoses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all\nthe signs which he had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went and\ngathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: and Aaron\nspake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the\nsigns in the sight of the people. And the people believed: and when\nthey heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that\nhe had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and\nworshipped.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 28\n\nTHE ISRAELITES IN BONDAGE\n\n\nAND afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the\nLORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto\nme in the wilderness.\n\nAnd Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let\nIsrael go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.\n\nAnd they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we\npray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto\nthe LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the\nsword. And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and\nAaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And\nPharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make\nthem rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the\ntaskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more\ngive the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and\ngather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did\nmake heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought\nthereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and\nsacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that\nthey may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.\n\nAnd the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and\nthey spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give\nyou straw. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought\nof your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad\nthroughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.\nAnd the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily\ntasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of\nIsrael, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and\ndemanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick\nboth yesterday and to day, as heretofore?\n\nThen the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto\nPharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There\nis no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick:\nand, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own\npeople. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let\nus go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for\nthere shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of\nbricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they\nwere in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from\nyour bricks of your daily task.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 6]\n\nAnd they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth\nfrom Pharaoh: and they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and\njudge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of\nPharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand\nto slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore\nhast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent\nme? for since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil\nto this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.\n\nThen the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to\nPharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong\nhand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and\nsaid unto him, I am the LORD: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,\nand unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was\nI not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them,\nto give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein\nthey were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children\nof Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my\ncovenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD,\nand I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and\nI will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a\nstretched out arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to me\nfor a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am\nthe LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the\nEgyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which\nI did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will\ngive it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 7]\n\nAnd Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not\nunto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. And the LORD\nspake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt,\nthat he let the children of Israel go out of his land. And Moses\nspake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have\nnot hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me? And the LORD\nsaid unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron\nthy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command\nthee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the\nchildren of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart,\nand multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh\nshall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and\nbring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of\nthe land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that\nI am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring\nout the children of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as\nthe LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years\nold, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto\nPharaoh.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh\nshall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt\nsay unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall\nbecome a serpent.\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD\nhad commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before\nhis servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the\nwise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did\nin like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man\nhis rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their\nrods. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them;\nas the LORD had said.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 29\n\nTHE PLAGUES OF BLOOD AND FROGS\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth\nto let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he\ngoeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink\nagainst he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou\ntake in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the\nHebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may\nserve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not\nhear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD:\nbehold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters\nwhich are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish\nthat is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the\nEgyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and\nstretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams,\nupon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools\nof water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood\nthroughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in\nvessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded;\nand he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river,\nin the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the\nwaters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that\nwas in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could\nnot drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout\nall the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their\nenchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken\nunto them; as the LORD had said.\n\nAnd Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his\nheart to this also. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river\nfor water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 8]\n\nAnd seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the\nriver.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus\nsaith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if thou\nrefuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:\nand the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and\ncome into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and\ninto the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine\novens, and into thy kneedingtroughs: and the frogs shall come up both\non thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand\nwith thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and\ncause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out\nhis hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered\nthe land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments,\nand brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD,\nthat he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will\nlet the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses\nsaid unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and\nfor thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee\nand thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said,\nTo morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest\nknow that there is none like unto the LORD our God. And the frogs shall\ndepart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from\nthy people; they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron\nwent out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the\nfrogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. And the LORD did according\nto the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the\nvillages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon\nheaps: and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite,\nhe hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had\nsaid.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 30\n\nTHE PLAGUES OF LICE, FLIES, MURRAIN, AND BOILS\n\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 8]\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and\nsmite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the\nland of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with\nhis rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man,\nand in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the\nland of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to\nbring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and\nupon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger\nof God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto\nthem; as the LORD had said.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand\nbefore Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him,\nThus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else,\nif thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies\nupon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy\nhouses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of\nflies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I will sever in that\nday the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of\nflies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD\nin the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people\nand thy people: to morrow shall this sign be. And the LORD did so; and\nthere came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and\ninto his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was\ncorrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.\n\nAnd Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice\nto your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for\nwe shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our\nGod: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before\ntheir eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey\ninto the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall\ncommand us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice\nto the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far\naway: intreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I\nwill intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh,\nfrom his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh\ndeal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to\nthe LORD. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. And\nthe LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms\nof flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there\nremained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also,\nneither would he let the people go.\n\nThen the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus\nsaith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may\nserve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,\nbehold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field,\nupon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and\nupon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. And the LORD\nshall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and\nthere shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And\nthe LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this\nthing in the land. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all\nthe cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel\ndied not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the\ncattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened,\nand he did not let the people go.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 9]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of\nashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in\nthe sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land\nof Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and\nupon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of\nthe furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward\nheaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and\nupon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because\nof the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the\nEgyptians. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened\nnot unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 31\n\nTHE PLAGUE OF HAIL\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand\nbefore Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the\nHebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this\ntime send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and\nupon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in\nall the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite\nthee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the\nearth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to\nshew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all\nthe earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou\nwilt not let them go?\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 10]\n\nBehold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very\ngrievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation\nthereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and\nall that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which\nshall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail\nshall come down upon them, and they shall die.\n\nHe that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made\nhis servants and his cattle flee into the houses: and he that regarded\nnot the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven,\nthat there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon\nbeast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.\nAnd Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent\nthunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD\nrained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled\nwith the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the\nland of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout\nall the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast;\nand the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the\nfield. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were,\nwas there no hail.\n\nAnd Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto\nthem, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my\npeople are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be\nno more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye\nshall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone\nout of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the\nthunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou\nmayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for thee and thy\nservants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God. And the flax\nand the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax\nwas bolled. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were\nnot grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread\nabroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and\nthe rain was not poured upon the earth. And when Pharaoh saw that the\nrain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and\nhardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was\nhardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD\nhad spoken by Moses.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 32\n\nTHE PLAGUES OF LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened\nhis heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my\nsigns before him: and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son,\nand of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my\nsigns which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the\nLORD. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him,\nThus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to\nhumble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.\nElse, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I\nbring the locusts into thy coast: and they shall cover the face of the\nearth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the\nresidue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the\nhail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:\nand they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and\nthe houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy\nfathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth\nunto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.\n\nAnd Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a\nsnare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God:\nknowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? And Moses and Aaron were\nbrought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD\nyour God: but who are they that shall go? And Moses said, We will go\nwith our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters,\nwith our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast\nunto the LORD.\n\nAnd he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you\ngo, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Not so:\ngo now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire.\nAnd they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 10]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of\nEgypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt,\nand eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.\nAnd Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the\nLORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that\nnight; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.\nAnd the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all\nthe coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were\nno such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they\ncovered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and\nthey did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees\nwhich the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the\ntrees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.\n\nThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have\nsinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore\nforgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your\nGod, that he may take away from me this death only. And he went out\nfrom Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. And the LORD turned a mighty\nstrong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the\nRed sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.\nBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the\nchildren of Israel go.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 11]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven,\nthat there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which\nmay be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and\nthere was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: they\nsaw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days:\nbut all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.\n\nAnd Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only\nlet your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go\nwith you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt\nofferings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. Our cattle also\nshall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof\nmust we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we\nmust serve the LORD, until we come thither.\n\nBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.\nAnd Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see\nmy face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And\nMoses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 33\n\nTHE TENTH PLAGUE: THE FIRSTBORN OF EGYPT SLAIN--THE PASSOVER\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon\nPharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when\nhe shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.\nSpeak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his\nneighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and\njewels of gold.\n\nAnd the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.\nMoreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the\nsight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.\n\nAnd Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into\nthe midst of Egypt: and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall\ndie, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even\nunto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all\nthe firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all\nthe land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like\nit any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog\nmove his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the\nLORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all\nthese thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves\nunto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and\nafter that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; that\nmy wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD\nhardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of\nIsrael go out of his land.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,\nThis month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the\nfirst month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of\nIsrael, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them\nevery man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for\nan house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him\nand his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number\nof the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count\nfor the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first\nyear: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye\nshall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the\nwhole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the\nevening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two\nside posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall\neat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire,\nand unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat\nnot of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his\nhead with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let\nnothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it\nuntil the morning ye shall burn with fire.\n\nAnd thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your\nfeet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it\nis the LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt\nthis night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,\nboth man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute\njudgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon\nthe houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over\nyou, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite\nthe land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and\nye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye\nshall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye\neat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out\nof your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day\nuntil the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in\nthe first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh\nday there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall\nbe done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be\ndone of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in\nthis selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt:\ntherefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance\nfor ever.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 12]\n\nIn the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye\nshall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the\nmonth at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your\nhouses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul\nshall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a\nstranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all\nyour habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 12]\n\nThen Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them,\nDraw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the\npassover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood\nthat is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with\nthe blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the\ndoor of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to\nsmite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and\non the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not\nsuffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.\n\nAnd ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy\nsons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land\nwhich the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye\nshall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children\nshall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say,\nIt is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses\nof the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and\ndelivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And\nthe children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded\nMoses and Aaron, so did they.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn\nin the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his\nthrone unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and\nall the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and\nall his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in\nEgypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 34\n\nTHE ISRAELITES GO UP OUT OF EGYPT\n\n\nAND Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up,\nand get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of\nIsrael; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks\nand your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And\nthe Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them\nout of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And the\npeople took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs\nbeing bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children\nof Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the\nEgyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and the\nLORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that\nthey lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the\nEgyptians.\n\nAnd the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six\nhundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed\nmultitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very\nmuch cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they\nbrought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were\nthrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for\nthemselves any victual.\n\nNow the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was\nfour hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the\nfour hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass,\nthat all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is\na night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from\nthe land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all\nthe children of Israel in their generations. And it came to pass the\nselfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the\nland of Egypt by their armies.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the\nfirstborn among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is\nmine.\n\nAnd Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out\nfrom Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the\nLORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be\neaten. And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land\nwhich he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk\nand honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days\nthou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a\nfeast to the LORD. And there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee,\nneither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And\nthou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of\nthat which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And\nit shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial\nbetween thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with\na strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt\ntherefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 13]\n\nAnd it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the\nCanaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give\nit thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the LORD every firstling that\ncometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD'S. And\nevery firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and all the\nfirstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 35\n\nTHE OVERWHELMING OF THE EGYPTIANS\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led\nthem not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although\nthat was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when\nthey see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about,\nthrough the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of\nIsrael went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the\nbones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of\nIsrael, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my\nbones away hence with you.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 14]\n\nAnd they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in\nthe edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in\na pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar\nof fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: he took not away\nthe pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from\nbefore the people.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of\nIsrael, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol\nand the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by\nthe sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are\nentangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will\nharden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be\nhonoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may\nknow that I am the LORD. And they did so.\n\nAnd it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart\nof Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they\nsaid, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving\nus? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: and he\ntook six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and\ncaptains over every one of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of\nPharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and\nthe children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians\npursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his\nhorsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside\nPi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.\n\nAnd when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their\neyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were\nsore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And\nthey said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou\ntaken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus\nwith us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we\ndid tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the\nEgyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than\nthat we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people,\nFear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he\nwill shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye\nshall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you,\nand ye shall hold your peace.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak\nunto the children of Israel, that they go forward: but lift thou up\nthy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and\nthe children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the\nsea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they\nshall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all\nhis host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians\nshall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon\nPharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.\n\nAnd the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed\nand went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before\ntheir face, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of the\nEgyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to\nthem, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not\nnear the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the\nsea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all\nthat night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.\nAnd the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry\nground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and\non their left.\n\nAnd the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the\nsea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And\nit came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the\nhost of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and\ntroubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels,\nthat they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee\nfrom the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the\nEgyptians.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that\nthe waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and\nupon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea,\nand the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the\nEgyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the\nmidst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots,\nand the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea\nafter them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children\nof Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters\nwere a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the\nLORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel\nsaw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great\nwork which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the\nLORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 36\n\nTHE SONG OF MOSES\n\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 15]\n\nTHEN sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD,\nand spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed\ngloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.\n\nThe LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is\nmy God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I\nwill exalt him.\n\nThe LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.\n\nPharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen\ncaptains also are drowned in the Red sea.\n\nThe depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 15]\n\nThy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O\nLORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.\n\nAnd in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that\nrose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them\nas stubble.\n\nAnd with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together,\nthe floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in\nthe heart of the sea.\n\nThe enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the\nspoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my\nhand shall destroy them.\n\nThou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead\nin the mighty waters.\n\nWho is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee,\nglorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?\n\nThou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.\n\nThou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed:\nthou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.\n\nThe people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the\ninhabitants of Palestina.\n\nThen the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab,\ntrembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan\nshall melt away.\n\nFear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they\nshall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till\nthe people pass over, which thou hast purchased.\n\nThou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine\ninheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to\ndwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established.\n\nThe LORD shall reign for ever and ever.\n\nFor the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his\nhorsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea\nupon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of\nthe sea.\n\nAnd Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her\nhand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with\ndances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath\ntriumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the\nsea.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK V--ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 37\n\nTHE ISRAELITES FED WITH MANNA\n\n\nSO Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the\nwilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and\nfound no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of\nthe waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it\nwas called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What\nshall we drink? and he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him\na tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made\nsweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he\nproved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of\nthe LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and\nwilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will\nput none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the\nEgyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.\n\nAnd they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore\nand ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters. And they\ntook their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children\nof Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and\nSinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing\nout of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children\nof Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: and the\nchildren of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the\nhand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots,\nand when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth\ninto this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 16]\n\nThen said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven\nfor you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every\nday, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.\nAnd it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare\nthat which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather\ndaily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At\neven, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the\nland of Egypt: and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the\nLORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what\nare we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be, when\nthe LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning\nbread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye\nmurmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against\nus, but against the LORD.\n\nAnd Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the\nchildren of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard\nyour murmurings. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole\ncongregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the\nwilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of\nthe children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat\nflesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall\nknow that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the\nquails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay\nround about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold,\nupon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small\nas the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw\nit, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it\nwas. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath\ngiven you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded,\nGather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man,\naccording to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them\nwhich are in his tents.\n\nAnd the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.\nAnd when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had\nnothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered\nevery man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of\nit till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses;\nbut some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms,\nand stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every\nmorning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot,\nit melted.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much\nbread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation\ncame and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD\nhath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD:\nbake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe;\nand that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the\nmorning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it\ndid not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat\nthat to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not\nfind it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh\nday, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.\n\n[Illustration: MOSES STRIKING THE ROCK, BY MURILLO\n\nIN LA CARIDAD MUSEUM, SEVILLE]\n\nAnd it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the\nseventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto\nMoses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for\nthat the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on\nthe sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place,\nlet no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested\non the seventh day.\n\nAnd the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like\ncoriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with\nhoney.\n\nAnd Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an\nomer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread\nwherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth\nfrom the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put\nan omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be\nkept for your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid\nit up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel did\neat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did\neat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 38\n\nMOSES BRINGS WATER FROM THE ROCK--MOSES AND HIS FATHER IN LAW\n\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 17]\n\nAND all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the\nwilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment\nof the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the\npeople to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said,\nGive us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye\nwith me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the people thirsted there\nfor water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore\nis this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our\nchildren and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD,\nsaying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone\nme. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take\nwith thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest\nthe river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee\nthere upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and\nthere shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses\ndid so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of\nthe place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children\nof Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among\nus, or not?\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 18]\n\nThen came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said\nunto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to\nmorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine\nhand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek:\nand Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came\nto pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when\nhe let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy;\nand they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and\nAaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the\nother on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down\nof the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge\nof the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial\nin a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly\nput out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an\naltar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: for he said, Because\nthe LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from\ngeneration to generation.\n\nWhen Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all\nthat God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the\nLORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; then Jethro, Moses' father in\nlaw, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, and her\ntwo sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have\nbeen an alien in a strange land: and the name of the other was Eliezer;\nfor the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from\nthe sword of Pharaoh: and Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his\nsons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at\nthe mount of God: and he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am\ncome unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.\n\nAnd Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and\nkissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came\ninto the tent. And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had\ndone unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the\ntravail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered\nthem. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done\nto Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.\nAnd Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of\nthe hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath\ndelivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know\nthat the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they\ndealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took\na burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the\nelders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people:\nand the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And\nwhen Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said,\nWhat is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou\nthyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?\nAnd Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me\nto enquire of God: when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I\njudge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of\nGod, and his laws. And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing\nthat thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and\nthis people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee;\nthou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my\nvoice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou\nfor the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:\nand thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the\nway wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover\nthou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God,\nmen of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be\nrulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and\nrulers of tens: and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it\nshall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every\nsmall matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and\nthey shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and\nGod command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this\npeople shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the\nvoice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And Moses\nchose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people,\nrulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers\nof tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes\nthey brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 19]\n\nAnd Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his\nown land.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 39\n\nTHE LAW GIVEN FROM MOUNT SINAI\n\n\nIN the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of\nthe land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.\nFor they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of\nSinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped\nbefore the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto\nhim out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of\nJacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto\nthe Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you\nunto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep\nmy covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all\npeople: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of\npriests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak\nunto the children of Israel.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 20]\n\nAnd Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before\ntheir faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the\npeople answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we\nwill do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. And\nthe LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that\nthe people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever.\nAnd Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them\nto day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready\nagainst the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the\nsight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds\nunto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye\ngo not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth\nthe mount shall be surely put to death: there shall not an hand touch\nit, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast\nor man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall\ncome up to the mount.\n\nAnd Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the\npeople; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be\nready against the third day.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were\nthunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the\nvoice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was\nin the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the\ncamp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.\nAnd mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended\nupon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a\nfurnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the\ntrumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God\nanswered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on\nthe top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the\nmount; and Moses went up.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they\nbreak through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. And let\nthe priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves,\nlest the LORD break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the LORD, The\npeople cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying,\nSet bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. And the LORD said unto\nhim, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with\nthee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up\nunto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. So Moses went down unto\nthe people, and spake unto them.\n\nAnd God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which\nhave brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of\nbondage.\n\nThou shalt have no other gods before me.\n\nThou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any\nthing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that\nis in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to\nthem, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting\nthe iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth\ngeneration of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of\nthem that love me, and keep my commandments.\n\nThou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD\nwill not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.\n\nRemember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour,\nand do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD\nthy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy\ndaughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy\nstranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven\nand earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh\nday: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.\n\nHonour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the\nland which the LORD thy God giveth thee.\n\nThou shalt not kill.\n\nThou shalt not commit adultery.\n\nThou shalt not steal.\n\nThou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.\n\nThou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy\nneighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,\nnor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 24]\n\nAnd all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the\nnoise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw\nit, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak\nthou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we\ndie. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove\nyou, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And\nthe people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness\nwhere God was.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of\nIsrael, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall\nnot make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of\ngold. An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice\nthereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and\nthine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee,\nand I will bless thee.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 40\n\nMOSES CALLED UP INTO THE MOUNT\n\n\nAND he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab,\nand Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar\noff. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come\nnigh; neither shall the people go up with him.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 25]\n\nAnd Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all\nthe judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said,\nAll the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all\nthe words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded\nan altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve\ntribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel,\nwhich offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen\nunto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons;\nand half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book\nof the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said,\nAll that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took\nthe blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood\nof the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these\nwords.\n\nThen went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the\nelders of Israel: and they saw the God of Israel: and there was under\nhis feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were\nthe body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the\nchildren of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat\nand drink.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and\nbe there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and\ncommandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And\nMoses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the\nmount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until\nwe come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if\nany man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went\nup into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the\nLORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the\nseventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the\nsight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of\nthe mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into\nthe midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in\nthe mount forty days and forty nights.\n\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 41\n\nTHE TABERNACLE AND THE PRIESTHOOD\n\n\nAND the LORD commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel to bring\nhim offerings of gold, and silver, and brass, of blue, and purple,\nand scarlet, and fine linen, of rams' skins, and badgers' skins, and\nshittim wood, oil, spices, and sweet incense, and stones to be set in\nthe priests' garments.\n\nAnd they were to make an ark of shittim wood overlaid with gold, with\ngold rings in the four corners, and staves to put in the rings to bear\nit with: and in the ark they were to put the testimony which God should\ngive them.\n\nAnd they were to make a mercy seat of pure gold, with two cherubims,\none on each end, with their faces looking toward each other, and their\nwings stretched out over the mercy seat. And the mercy seat was to rest\nupon the ark.\n\nAnd God said, There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee\nfrom above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are\nupon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in\ncommandment unto the children of Israel.\n\nAnd they were to make a table of shittim wood overlaid with gold, with\nrings and staves to bear it, and dishes and spoons of pure gold: and on\nthe table was to be set the shewbread before God alway. And they were\nto make a candlestick of pure gold, with six branches coming out of\nthe sides of it, three branches on each side: and its seven lamps were\nto be kept lighted. And there were to be tongs and snuffdishes of pure\ngold.\n\nAnd the tabernacle was to be made with ten curtains of fine twined\nlinen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, fastened with loops of blue\nand gold. And over these were to be eleven curtains of goats' hair, and\nthese were to be covered with rams' skins dyed red, and over these a\ncovering of badgers' skins. And the boards and bars for the tabernacle\nwere to be made of shittim wood overlaid with gold, with fastenings of\nsilver. And they were to make a vail of fine twined linen, and hang it\nupon four pillars of shittim wood, to divide between the holy place and\nthe most holy. And the ark of the testimony was to be brought within\nthe vail, and the mercy seat put upon it in the most holy place. But\nthe table and the candlestick were to be without the vail.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 26]\n\nAnd the hanging for the door of the tent was to be of blue, and purple,\nand scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.\n\nAnd they were to make an altar of shittim wood, with horns on the\ncorners, and staves to bear it, and to overlay it all with brass, and\nto make vessels of brass for the altar.\n\nAnd the tabernacle was to have a court round about it, enclosed by\nlinen curtains hung on pillars of brass. And the gate of the court was\nto be hung with blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen,\nwrought with needlework.\n\nAnd the children of Israel were commanded to bring pure oil olive\nbeaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. And Aaron and\nhis sons were to order it from evening to morning before the LORD.\n\nAnd Aaron and his sons were to minister unto the LORD in the priest's\noffice. And Moses was commanded to make holy garments for them; an\nephod of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, and on\nthe shoulders of the ephod were to be two onyx stones, with the names\nof the children of Israel graven on them: six of their names on one\nstone, and the other six names on the other stone, according to their\nbirth. And they were to make the breastplate of judgment with four rows\nof stones set in it: the first row a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle;\nthe second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row\na ligure, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl, and\nan onyx, and a jasper. And the names of the twelve tribes of the\nchildren of Israel were to be engraved on the stones. And God said unto\nMoses, And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the\nbreastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy\nplace, for a memorial before the LORD continually.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 29]\n\nAnd the robe of the ephod was to be made of blue, and upon the hem of\nit pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and golden bells\nbetween the pomegranates.\n\nAnd God said, Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon\nit, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou\nshalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the\nforefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's\nforehead. And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt\nmake for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory\nand for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his\nsons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify\nthem, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.\n\nAnd they were to offer upon the altar two lambs of the first year\nday by day; one lamb in the morning, and the other lamb at even; to\nbe a continual burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the\ncongregation before the LORD.\n\nAnd God said, There I will meet with the children of Israel, and the\ntabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. And I will sanctify the\ntabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also\nboth Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.\n\nAnd I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.\nAnd they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them\nforth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the\nLORD their God.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the\nchildren of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man\na ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that\nthere be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they\nshall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half\na shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: an half shekel shall be\nthe offering of the LORD. Every one that passeth among them that are\nnumbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto\nthe LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give\nless than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to\nmake an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement\nmoney of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service\nof the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto\nthe children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your\nsouls.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name\nBezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:\nand I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in\nunderstanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to\ndevise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,\nand in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to\nwork in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him\nAholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts\nof all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all\nthat I have commanded thee. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an\nend of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,\ntables of stone, written with the finger of God.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 42\n\nTHE PEOPLE WORSHIP THE GOLDEN CALF\n\n\nAND when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the\nmount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said\nunto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this\nMoses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not\nwhat is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden\nearrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of\nyour daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off\nthe golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto\nAaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a\ngraving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These\nbe thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.\nAnd when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made\nproclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose\nup early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace\nofferings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to\nplay.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 32]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which\nthou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:\nthey have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them:\nthey have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have\nsacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have\nbrought thee up out of the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold,\nit is a stiffnecked people: now therefore let me alone, that my wrath\nmay wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will\nmake of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the LORD his God, and\nsaid, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou\nhast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with\na mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For\nmischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to\nconsume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath,\nand repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac,\nand Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and\nsaidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven,\nand all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and\nthey shall inherit it for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which\nhe thought to do unto his people.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 32]\n\nAnd Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of\nthe testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their\nsides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the\ntables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God,\ngraven upon the tables.\n\nAnd when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said\nunto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not\nthe voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of\nthem that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I\nhear.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he\nsaw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast\nthe tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he\ntook the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground\nit to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of\nIsrael drink of it.\n\nAnd Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou\nhast brought so great a sin upon them?\n\nAnd Aaron said, Let not the anger of my LORD wax hot: thou knowest the\npeople, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us\ngods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that\nbrought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of\nhim. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it\noff. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came\nout this calf.\n\nThen Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the\nLORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered\nthemselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the\nLORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in\nand out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his\nbrother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And\nthe children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell\nof the people that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said,\nConsecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son,\nand upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people,\nYe have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD;\nperadventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.\n\nAnd Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned\na great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt\nforgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book\nwhich thou hast written.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him\nwill I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the\nplace of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go\nbefore thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their\nsin upon them. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the\ncalf, which Aaron made.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 43\n\nTHE SECOND SET OF TABLES\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the\npeople which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto a land\nflowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee;\nfor thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.\n\nAnd when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man\ndid put on him his ornaments.\n\nAnd Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar\noff from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.\nAnd it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto\nthe tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. And it\ncame to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the\npeople rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after\nMoses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as\nMoses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and\nstood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.\nAnd all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door:\nand all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his\nfriend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the\nson of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 33]\n\nAnd Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this\npeople: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet\nthou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace\nin my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy\nsight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace\nin thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.\n\nAnd he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.\n\nAnd he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up\nhence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have\nfound grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so\nshall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are\nupon the face of the earth.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast\nspoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.\n\nAnd he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.\n\nAnd he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will\nproclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom\nI will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And\nhe said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and\nlive.\n\nAnd the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt\nstand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth\nby, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee\nwith my hand while I pass by: and I will take away mine hand, and thou\nshalt see my back: but my face shall not be seen.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 34]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto\nthe first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in\nthe first tables, which thou brakest. And be ready in the morning, and\ncome up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to\nme in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee, neither\nlet any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks\nnor herds feed before that mount.\n\nAnd he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose\nup early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD\nhad commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.\nAnd the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and\nproclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him,\nand proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious,\nlongsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for\nthousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will\nby no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon\nthe children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to\nthe fourth generation.\n\nAnd Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and\nworshipped. And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O\nLord, let my LORD, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked\npeople; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine\ninheritance.\n\nAnd he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will\ndo marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any\nnation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of\nthe LORD. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the\ninhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare\nin the midst of thee: but ye shall destroy their altars, break their\nimages, and cut down their groves: for thou shalt worship no other god:\nfor the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the\ntenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.\nAnd he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did\nneither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the\nwords of the covenant, the ten commandments.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the\ntwo tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the\nmount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he\ntalked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw\nMoses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come\nnigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of\nthe congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And\nafterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in\ncommandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.\n\nAnd till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.\nBut when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took\nthe vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the\nchildren of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of\nIsrael saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and\nMoses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with\nhim.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 44\n\nTHE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE\n\n\nAND Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,\nsaying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye\nfrom among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing\nheart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD.\n\nAnd all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the\npresence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up,\nand every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S\noffering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all\nhis service, and for the holy garments. And all the women that were\nwise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they\nhad spun. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun\ngoats' hair. And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones for the\nephod, and for the breastplate; and spice, and oil for the light, and\nfor the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.\n\n[Sidenote: Exodus 35]\n\nThen wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom\nthe LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner\nof work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the\nLORD had commanded. And they received of Moses all the offering, which\nthe children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of\nthe sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free\nofferings every morning.\n\nAnd they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than\nenough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.\n\nAnd Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed\nthroughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more\nwork for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained\nfrom bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work\nto make it, and too much.\n\nThus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation\nfinished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD\ncommanded Moses, so did they. And Moses did look upon all the work,\nand, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had\nthey done it: and Moses blessed them.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the\nfirst day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. Then a\ncloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD\nfilled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent\nof the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of\nthe LORD filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from\nover the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their\njourneys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not\ntill the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon\nthe tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all\nthe house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.\n\n[Sidenote: Leviticus 16]\n\nAnd Moses consecrated Aaron and his sons, as God had commanded; and\nAaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded through\nMoses.\n\nAnd Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and\ncame down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering,\nand peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of\nthe congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory\nof the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out\nfrom before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering\nand the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on\ntheir faces.\n\nAnd Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer,\nand put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire\nbefore the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire\nfrom the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then\nMoses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will\nbe sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I\nwill be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 45\n\nTHE DAY OF ATONEMENT\n\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron,\nwhen they offered before the LORD, and died; and the LORD said unto\nMoses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times\ninto the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is\nupon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the\nmercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young\nbullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall\nput on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon\nhis flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen\nmitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall\nhe wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of\nthe congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a\nsin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer\nhis bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an\natonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two\ngoats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle\nof the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one\nlot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall\nbring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin\noffering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat,\nshall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with\nhim, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. And Aaron\nshall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and\nshall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill\nthe bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: and he shall\ntake a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before\nthe LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring\nit within the vail: and he shall put the incense upon the fire before\nthe LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that\nis upon the testimony, that he die not: and he shall take of the blood\nof the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat\neastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with\nhis finger seven times.\n\nThen shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the\npeople, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as\nhe did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy\nseat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement for\nthe holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,\nand because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he\ndo for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them\nin the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the\ntabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement\nin the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for\nhimself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.\nAnd he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make\nan atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and\nof the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round\nabout. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger\nseven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the\nchildren of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the\nholy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he\nshall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the\nhead of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the\nchildren of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins,\nputting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the\nhand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him\nall their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the\ngoat in the wilderness.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 46\n\nTHE PEOPLE ARE COMMANDED TO BE HOLY\n\n\n[Sidenote: Leviticus 19]\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation\nof the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for\nI the LORD your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and\nhis father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. [Sidenote:\nLeviticus 23]\n\nTurn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the\nLORD your God.\n\nAnd when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap\nthe corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of\nthy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou\ngather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor\nand stranger: I am the LORD your God.\n\nYe shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.\n\nAnd ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane\nthe name of thy God: I am the LORD.\n\nThou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him\nthat is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.\n\nThou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the\nblind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.\n\nYe shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect\nthe person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in\nrighteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.\n\nThou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither\nshalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.\n\nThou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise\nrebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.\n\nThou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy\npeople, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.\n\nThou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the\nold man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.\n\nAnd if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.\n\nBut the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born\namong you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in\nthe land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.\n\nYe shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or\nin measure.\n\nJust balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye\nhave: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of\nEgypt.\n\nTherefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and\ndo them: I am the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 47\n\nTHE FEASTS OF THE LORD\n\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of\nIsrael, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye\nshall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six\ndays shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest;\nye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your\ndwellings.\n\nIn the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover.\n\nAnd on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened\nbread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the\nfirst day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile\nwork therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD\nseven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no\nservile work therein.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of\nIsrael, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give\nunto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a\nsheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall\nwave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow\nafter the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day\nwhen ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year\nfor a burnt offering unto the LORD. And ye shall eat neither bread,\nnor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have\nbrought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever\nthroughout your generations in all your dwellings.\n\nAnd ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from\nthe day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths\nshall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall\nye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the\nLORD.\n\nIn the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a\nsabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets. Ye shall do no servile work\ntherein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.\n\nAlso on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of\natonement; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made\nby fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for\nit is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD\nyour God. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have\ngathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD\nseven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth\nday shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the\nboughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick\ntrees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD\nyour God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven\ndays in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations:\nye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths\nseven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: that\nyour generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell\nin booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD\nyour God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of\nthe LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Leviticus 24]\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel,\nthat they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause\nthe lamps to burn continually.\n\nAnd thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two\ntenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows,\nsix on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. And thou shalt put\npure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a\nmemorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Leviticus 25]\n\nEvery sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually,\nbeing taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And\nit shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy\nplace: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made\nby fire by a perpetual statute.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 48\n\nTHE SEVENTH YEAR AND THE YEAR OF JUBILE\n\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the\nchildren of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which\nI give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years\nthou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard,\nand gather in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a\nsabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt\nneither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of\nits own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the\ngrapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.\nAnd ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout\nall the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile\nunto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye\nshall return every man unto his family. Ye shall not sow, neither reap\nthat which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy\nvine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye\nshall eat the increase thereof out of the field.\n\nThe land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are\nstrangers and sojourners with me. And if thy brother that dwelleth by\nthee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to\nserve as a bondservant: but as an hired servant, and as a sojourner,\nhe shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:\nand then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with\nhim, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of\nhis fathers shall he return. For unto me the children of Israel are\nservants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of\nEgypt: I am the LORD your God.\n\nIf ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;\nthen I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her\nincrease, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your\nthreshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach\nunto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and\ndwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye\nshall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil\nbeasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.\nAnd ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the\nsword. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall\nbe my people. But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all\nthese commandments, but break my covenant: I will set my face against\nyou, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you\nshall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. And\nif ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish\nyou seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your\npower; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:\nand your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield\nher increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.\nAnd ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies\nshall eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine away in\ntheir iniquity in your enemies' lands.\n\nIf they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their\nfathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and\nthat also they have walked contrary unto me: then will I remember my\ncovenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my\ncovenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.\nAnd yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will\nnot cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly,\nand to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But\nI will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom\nI brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen,\nthat I might be their God: I am the LORD. These are the statutes and\njudgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of\nIsrael in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 49\n\nTHE NUMBERING OF THE PEOPLE\n\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 1]\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the\ntabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month,\nin the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,\nsaying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of\nIsrael, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the\nnumber of their names, every male by their polls; from twenty years old\nand upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and\nAaron shall number them by their armies.\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron assembled all the congregation together on the\nfirst day of the second month. And as the LORD commanded Moses, so he\nnumbered them in the wilderness of Sinai, every male from twenty years\nold and upward, all that were able to go forth to war. All they that\nwere numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five\nhundred and fifty.\n\nBut the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered\namong them. For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying, Only thou\nshalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among\nthe children of Israel: but thou shalt appoint the Levites over the\ntabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over\nall things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all\nthe vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp\nround about the tabernacle.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 7]\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near,\nand present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto\nhim. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they\nare wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. And thou shalt\nappoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's\noffice: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the\nLevites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn\namong the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;\nbecause all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the\nfirstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in\nIsrael, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,\nNumber the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their\nfamilies: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number\nthem. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he\nwas commanded.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his\nsons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel,\nsaying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make his\nface shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the LORD lift up his\ncountenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name\nupon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 50\n\nTHE OFFERINGS OF THE PRINCES--THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL JOURNEY\n\n\nAND it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the\ntabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the\ninstruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and\nhad anointed them, and sanctified them; that the princes of Israel,\nheads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the\ntribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: and they\nbrought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve\noxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they\nbrought them before the tabernacle.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they\nmay be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and\nthou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his\nservice. And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the\nLevites.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each\nprince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.\n\n[And all the princes of Israel offered the same offering, each on his\nday. They were twelve days offering.]\n\nThis was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed,\nby the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver\nbowls, twelve spoons of gold: each charger of silver weighing an\nhundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels\nweighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the\nsanctuary: the golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten\nshekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the\nspoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. All the oxen for the burnt\noffering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first\nyear twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for\nsin offering twelve. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace\nofferings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats\nsixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of\nthe altar, after that it was anointed. And when Moses was gone into the\ntabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the\nvoice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon\nthe ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto\nhim.\n\nAnd on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered\nthe tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there\nwas upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until\nthe morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the\nappearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the\ntabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in\nthe place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched\ntheir tents. At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel\njourneyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as\nthe cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. And\nwhen the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the\nchildren of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 11]\n\nAnd it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the\nsecond year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the\ntestimony. And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the\nwilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.\nAnd they first took their journey according to the commandment of the\nLORD by the hand of Moses.\n\nAnd they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and\nthe ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days'\njourney, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the\nLORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. And it came\nto pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD,\nand let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee\nbefore thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many\nthousands of Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 51\n\nTHE PEOPLE MURMUR\n\n\nAND when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD\nheard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt\namong them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the\ncamp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the\nLORD, the fire was quenched. And the children of Israel also wept\nagain, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish,\nwhich we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and\nthe leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried\naway: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And\nthe manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour\nof bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it\nin mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes\nof it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 11]\n\nAnd when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon\nit.\n\nThen Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man\nin the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly;\nMoses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast\nthou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in\nthy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have\nI conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest\nsay unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the\nsucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?\nWhence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep\nunto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear\nall this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal\nthus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour\nin thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the\nelders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people,\nand officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the\ncongregation, that they may stand there with thee.\n\nAnd I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the\nspirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall\nbear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself\nalone. And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to\nmorrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the\nLORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us\nin Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye\nshall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days,\nnor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your\nnostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised\nthe LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came\nwe forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, among whom I am,\nare six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them\nflesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds\nbe slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be\ngathered together for them, to suffice them? And the LORD said unto\nMoses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my\nword shall come to pass unto thee or not. And Moses gat him into the\ncamp, he and the elders of Israel.\n\nAnd there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the\nsea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this\nside, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about\nthe camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.\nAnd the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the\nnext day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered\nten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about\nthe camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was\nchewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the\nLORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name\nof that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people\nthat lusted. And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto\nHazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 52\n\nMIRIAM'S LEPROSY\n\n\nMIRIAM and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman\nwhom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they\nsaid, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken\nalso by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek,\nabove all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD\nspake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye\nthree unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.\nAnd the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the\ndoor of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came\nforth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you,\nI the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak\nunto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all\nmine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and\nnot in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold:\nwherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?\nAnd the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.\nAnd the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam\nbecame leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and,\nbehold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my LORD, I\nbeseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly,\nand wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the\nflesh is half consumed.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 12]\n\nAnd Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech\nthee. And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her\nface, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from\nthe camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And\nMiriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed\nnot till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people removed\nfrom Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 53\n\nTHE SPIES SENT OUT\n\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 13]\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may\nsearch the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel:\nof every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler\namong them.\n\nAnd Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them,\nGet you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: and see the\nland, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they\nbe strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell\nin, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell\nin, whether in tents, or in strong holds; and what the land is, whether\nit be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of\ngood courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the\ntime of the firstripe grapes.\n\nSo they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto\nRehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came\nunto Hebron; and they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from\nthence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between\ntwo upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the\nfigs. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.\n\nAnd they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the\ncongregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of\nParan, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the\ncongregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him,\nand said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it\nfloweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless\nthe people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled,\nand very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The\nAmalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the\nJebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites\ndwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.\n\nAnd Caleb [who was one of the twelve spies that went up] stilled the\npeople before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it;\nfor we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him\nsaid, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger\nthan we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had\nsearched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which\nwe have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants\nthereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great\nstature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of\nthe giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we\nwere in their sight.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 54\n\nTHE ISRAELITES REBEL, AND ARE TURNED BACK TO WANDER IN THE WILDERNESS\n\n\nAND all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the\npeople wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against\nMoses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them,\nWould God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had\ndied in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto\nthis land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should\nbe a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they\nsaid one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into\nEgypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly\nof the congregation of the children of Israel.\n\nAnd Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were\nof them that searched the land, rent their clothes: and they spake unto\nall the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we\npassed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD\ndelight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a\nland which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the\nLORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for\nus: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear\nthem not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And\nthe glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation\nbefore all the children of Israel.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 14]\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me?\nand how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which\nI have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and\ndisinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier\nthan they.\n\nAnd Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for\nthou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) and they\nwill tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that\nthou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face,\nand that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them,\nby day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.\n\nNow if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations\nwhich have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the\nLORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware\nunto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now,\nI beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou\nhast spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy,\nforgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the\nguilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto\nthe third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity\nof this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou\nhast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 14]\n\nAnd the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly\nas I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.\nBecause all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which\nI did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten\ntimes, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see\nthe land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them\nthat provoked me see it: but my servant Caleb, because he had another\nspirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the\nland whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. To morrow turn\nyou, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I\nbear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard\nthe murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.\nSay unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken\nin mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcases shall fall in this\nwilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole\nnumber, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against\nme, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I\nsware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and\nJoshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be\na prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye\nhave despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this\nwilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land,\neven forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities,\neven forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the LORD\nhave said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that\nare gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be\nconsumed, and there they shall die.\n\nAnd the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and\nmade all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a\nslander upon the land, even those men that did bring up the evil report\nupon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son\nof Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went\nto search the land, lived still. And Moses told these sayings unto all\nthe children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.\n\nAnd they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of\nthe mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place\nwhich the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. And Moses said,\nWherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it\nshall not prosper. Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be\nnot smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites\nare there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are\nturned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. But\nthey presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the\ncovenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then\nthe Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill,\nand smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 55\n\nTHE REBELLION OF KORAH\n\n\nNOW Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and\nDathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons\nof Reuben, took men: and they rose up before Moses, with certain of\nthe children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly,\nfamous in the congregation, men of renown: and they gathered themselves\ntogether against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take\ntoo much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of\nthem, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves\nabove the congregation of the LORD?\n\nAnd when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: and he spake unto Korah\nand unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who\nare his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him:\neven him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This\ndo; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; and put fire therein,\nand put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that\nthe man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much\nupon you, ye sons of Levi.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 16]\n\nAnd Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: seemeth\nit but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated\nyou from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to\ndo the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the\ncongregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to\nhim, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the\npriesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are\ngathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur\nagainst him?\n\nAnd Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which\nsaid, We will not come up: is it a small thing that thou hast brought\nus up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in\nthe wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?\nMoreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk\nand honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou\nput out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.\n\nAnd Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou\ntheir offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt\none of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company\nbefore the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: and take every\nman his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD\nevery man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and\nAaron, each of you his censer.\n\nAnd they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and\nlaid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle\nof the congregation with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all\nthe congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of\nthe congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the\ncongregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,\nSeparate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume\nthem in a moment.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 16]\n\nAnd they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits\nof all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the\ncongregation?\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation,\nsaying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and\nAbiram.\n\nAnd Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders\nof Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying,\nDepart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch\nnothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat\nup from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side:\nand Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents,\nand their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses\nsaid, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these\nworks; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the\ncommon death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of\nall men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new\nthing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that\nappertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye\nshall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words,\nthat the ground clave asunder that was under them: and the earth opened\nher mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men\nthat appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that\nappertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed\nupon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all\nIsrael that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they\nsaid, Lest the earth swallow us up also.\n\nBut on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel\nmurmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the\npeople of the LORD. And it came to pass, when the congregation was\ngathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the\ntabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and\nthe glory of the LORD appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the\ntabernacle of the congregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,\nGet you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in\na moment. And they fell upon their faces.\n\nAnd Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off\nthe altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation,\nand make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the\nLORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran\ninto the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun\namong the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the\npeople. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague\nwas stayed.\n\nNow they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven\nhundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And\nAaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the\ncongregation: and the plague was stayed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 56\n\nAARON'S ROD\n\n\nAND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of\nIsrael, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of\ntheir fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their\nfathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. And\nthou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall\nbe for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them\nup in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I\nwill meet with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom\nI shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the\nmurmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.\n\nAnd Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their\nprinces gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to\ntheir fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was\namong their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the\ntabernacle of witness.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 17]\n\nAnd it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle\nof witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was\nbudded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded\nalmonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto\nall the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the\ntestimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt\nquite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. And Moses\ndid so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he. And the children of\nIsrael spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all\nperish. Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD\nshall die: shall we be consumed with dying?\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their\nland, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and\nthine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have\ngiven the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance,\nfor their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle\nof the congregation.\n\nNeither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle\nof the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites\nshall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they\nshall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout\nyour generations, that among the children of Israel they have no\ninheritance. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer\nas an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to\ninherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel\nthey shall have no inheritance.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 20]\n\nThen came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the\ndesert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and\nMiriam died there, and was buried there.\n\nAnd there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered\nthemselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people\nchode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when\nour brethren died before the LORD! And why have ye brought up the\ncongregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle\nshould die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of\nEgypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or\nof figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water\nto drink. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly\nunto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon\ntheir faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou\nthe assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto\nthe rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou\nshalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give\nthe congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from\nbefore the LORD, as he commanded him.\n\nAnd Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock,\nand he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out\nof this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote\nthe rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation\ndrank, and their beasts also.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to\nsanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall\nnot bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This\nis the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the\nLORD, and he was sanctified in them.\n\nAnd the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from\nKadesh, and came unto mount Hor.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of\nthe land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for\nhe shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children\nof Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.\nTake Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: and\nstrip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and\nAaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.\n\nAnd Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor\nin the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his\ngarments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in\nthe top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.\nAnd when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for\nAaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 57\n\nTHE BRAZEN SERPENT\n\n\nAND they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass\nthe land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged\nbecause of the way. And the people spake against God, and against\nMoses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the\nwilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our\nsoul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among\nthe people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.\n\nTherefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we\nhave spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD,\nthat he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the\npeople. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and\nset it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is\nbitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent\nof brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a\nserpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he\nlived.\n\nAnd Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,\nLet me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or\ninto the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but\nwe will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.\nAnd Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon\ngathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the\nwilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And Israel\nsmote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon\nunto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the\nchildren of Ammon was strong. And Israel took all these cities: and\nIsrael dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all\nthe villages thereof. Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.\nAnd they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of\nBashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at\nEdrei. And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered\nhim into thy hand, and all his people, and his land, and thou shalt do\nto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at\nHeshbon. So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until\nthere was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 58\n\nBALAK AND BALAAM\n\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 21]\n\nAND the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of\nMoab on this side Jordan by Jericho.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 22]\n\nAnd Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the\nAmorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were\nmany: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And\nMoab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all\nthat are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.\nAnd Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.\n\nHe sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor,\nwhich is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to\ncall him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt:\nbehold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against\nme: come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they\nare too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite\nthem, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom\nthou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.\n\nAnd the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the\nrewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and\nspake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto them, Lodge here\nthis night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak\nunto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.\n\nAnd God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? And\nBalaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent\nunto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which\ncovereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure\nI shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto\nBalaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people:\nfor they are blessed.\n\nAnd Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak,\nGet you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go\nwith you. And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak,\nand said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.\n\nAnd Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.\nAnd they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of\nZippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: for\nI will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever\nthou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.\nAnd Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would\ngive me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word\nof the LORD my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you,\ntarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say\nunto me more.\n\nAnd God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come\nto call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall\nsay unto thee, that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the morning,\nand saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.\n\nAnd God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD\nstood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon\nhis ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel\nof the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and\nthe ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and\nBalaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the\nLORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and\na wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she\nthrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the\nwall: and he smote her again. And the angel of the LORD went further,\nand stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the\nright hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD,\nshe fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he\nsmote the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass,\nand she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast\nsmitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because\nthou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now\nwould I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass,\nupon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I\never wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.\n\nThen the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the\nLORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed\ndown his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD\nsaid unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times?\nbehold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse\nbefore me: and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times:\nunless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and\nsaved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have\nsinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now\ntherefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the\nangel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word\nthat I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went\nwith the princes of Balak.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 23]\n\nAnd when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him\nunto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the\nutmost coast. And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto\nthee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able\nindeed to promote thee to honour? And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am\ncome unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word\nthat God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. And Balaam went with\nBalak, and they came unto Kirjath-huzoth. And Balak offered oxen and\nsheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. And\nit came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him\nup into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost\npart of the people.\n\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me\nhere seven oxen and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken;\nand Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And\nBalaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go:\nperadventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth\nme I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 23]\n\nAnd God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars,\nand I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. And the LORD\nput a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus\nthou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his\nburnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.\n\nAnd he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath\nbrought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come,\ncurse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath\nnot cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For\nfrom the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him:\nlo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the\nnations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth\npart of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last\nend be like his!\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to\ncurse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And\nhe answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD\nhath put in my mouth? And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with\nme unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt\nsee but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse\nme them from thence. And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to\nthe top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and\na ram on every altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt\noffering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And the LORD met Balaam, and\nput a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.\nAnd when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and\nthe princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the\nLORD spoken?\n\nAnd he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken\nunto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie;\nneither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall\nhe not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold,\nI have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot\nreverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen\nperverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout\nof a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it\nwere the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against\nJacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to\nthis time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God\nwrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift\nup himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the\nprey, and drink the blood of the slain.\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them\nat all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee,\nsaying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?\n\nAnd Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto\nanother place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse\nme them from thence. And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor,\nthat looketh toward Jeshimon. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here\nseven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And\nBalak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every\naltar. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his\ntents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.\nAnd he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said,\nand the man whose eyes are open hath said: he hath said, which heard\nthe words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a\ntrance, but having his eyes open: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,\nand thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as\ngardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD\nhath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the\nwater out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his\nking shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God\nbrought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an\nunicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their\nbones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down\nas a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he\nthat blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.\n\nAnd Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands\ntogether: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine\nenemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three\ntimes. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee\nunto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.\nAnd Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which\nthou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of\nsilver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to\ndo either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that\nwill I speak? And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and\nI will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the\nlatter days.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 24]\n\nAnd he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said,\nand the man whose eyes are open hath said: he hath said, which heard\nthe words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw\nthe vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes\nopen: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh:\nthere shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out\nof Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the\nchildren of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a\npossession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob\nshall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that\nremaineth of the city. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his\nplace: and Balak also went his way.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 59\n\nTHE ISRAELITES NUMBERED THE SECOND TIME\n\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 26]\n\nAND it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar\nthe son of Aaron the priest, saying, Take the sum of all the\ncongregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and\nupward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war\nin Israel. And these were the numbered of the children of Israel, six\nhundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty. These are\nthey that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered\nthe children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.\nBut among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the\npriest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the\nwilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely\ndie in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb\nthe son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and\nsee the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when\nthou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as\nAaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment\nin the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me\nat the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh\nin the wilderness of Zin.\n\nAnd Moses spake unto the LORD, saying, Let the LORD, the God of the\nspirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out\nbefore them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them\nout, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be\nnot as sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take\nthee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine\nhand upon him; and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all\nthe congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt\nput some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the\nchildren of Israel may be obedient.\n\nAnd Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set\nhim before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: and he\nlaid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded\nby the hand of Moses.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel\nof the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.\nAnd Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto\nthe war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of\nMidian. And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded\nMoses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian:\nBalaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.\n\nNow the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great\nmultitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land\nof Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; the children\nof Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to\nEleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,\nIf we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy\nservants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.\n\nAnd they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here\nfor our cattle, and cities for our little ones: but we ourselves will\ngo ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought\nthem unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced\ncities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto\nour houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his\ninheritance.\n\nAnd Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go\narmed before the LORD to war, build you cities for your little ones,\nand folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your\nmouth. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto\nMoses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. Our little\nones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the\ncities of Gilead: but thy servants will pass over, every man armed for\nwar, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith. And Moses gave unto\nthem, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and\nunto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon\nking of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land,\nwith the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country\nround about.\n\n[Sidenote: Numbers 33]\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near\nJericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto\nthem, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; then\nye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you,\nand destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images,\nand quite pluck down all their high places: and ye shall dispossess\nthe inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you\nthe land to possess it. And ye shall divide the land by lot for an\ninheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the\nmore inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance:\nevery man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth;\naccording to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. But if ye\nwill not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then\nit shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be\npricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the\nland wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do\nunto you, as I thought to do unto them.\n\nAnd the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near\nJericho, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they give unto\nthe Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in;\nand ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round\nabout them. And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites\nthere shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the\nmanslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and\ntwo cities. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall\nbe forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 1]\n\nYe shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall\nye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge, both\nfor the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner\namong them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee\nthither. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger;\nthat the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in\njudgment.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 60\n\nTHE DEATH OF MOSES\n\n\nAND it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the\nfirst day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel,\naccording unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto\nthem. And Moses, after rehearsing to them the story of God's promises\nand of his anger at their unbelief and disobedience; and how after\ntheir wanderings they had conquered Sihon the Amorite, and Og the king\nof Bashan, and taken possession of their lands, said,\n\nI commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that\nthe LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do\nunto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Ye shall not fear them: for\nthe LORD your God he shall fight for you. And I besought the LORD at\nthat time, saying, O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy\ngreatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in\nearth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?\nI pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond\nJordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.\n\nBut the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me:\nand the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me\nof this matter. Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine\neyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold\nit with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. But charge\nJoshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over\nbefore this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which\nthou shalt see.\n\nBehold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD\nmy God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go\nto possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom\nand your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear\nall these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and\nunderstanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God\nso nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call\nupon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and\njudgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this\nday? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou\nforget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart\nfrom thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and\nthy sons' sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD\nthy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people\ntogether, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to\nfear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that\nthey may teach their children. And ye came near and stood under the\nmountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven,\nwith darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the LORD spake unto you\nout of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw\nno similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his\ncovenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and\nhe wrote them upon two tables of stone. Take heed unto yourselves, lest\nye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you,\nand make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the\nLORD thy God hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God is a consuming\nfire, even a jealous God.\n\nWhen thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall\nhave remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make\na graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in\nthe sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: I call heaven\nand earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly\nperish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye\nshall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.\nAnd the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left\nfew in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And\nthere ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone,\nwhich neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence\nthou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him\nwith all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation,\nand all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if\nthou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice:\n(for the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee,\nneither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he\nsware unto them.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 6]\n\nKnow therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD\nhe is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none\nelse. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments,\nwhich I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with\nthy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the\nearth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.\n\nAnd Moses rehearsed to the people the ten commandments, and said,\n\nHear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the\nLORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all\nthy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in\nthine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,\nand shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou\nwalkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.\nAnd thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall\nbe as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the\nposts of thy house, and on thy gates.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 8]\n\nAnd thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee\nthese forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove\nthee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep\nhis commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to\nhunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did\nthy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live\nby bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of\nthe LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither\ndid thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in\nthine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God\nchasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD\nthy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.\n\nFor the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks\nof water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and\nhills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and\npomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt\neat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a\nland whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig\nbrass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the\nLORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that\nthou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments,\nand his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:\nlest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses,\nand dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and\nthy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is\nmultiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy\nGod, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house\nof bondage; who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness,\nwherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there\nwas no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;\nwho fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,\nthat he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee\ngood at thy latter end; and thou say in thine heart, My power and the\nmight of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember\nthe LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,\nthat he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers,\nas it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD\nthy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them,\nI testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the\nnations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish;\nbecause ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.\n\nThou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in\nhis ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his\njudgments, and to hearken unto his voice: and the LORD hath avouched\nthee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and\nthat thou shouldest keep all his commandments; and to make thee high\nabove all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in\nhonour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God,\nas he hath spoken.\n\nAnd Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand\nupon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan;\nSimeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:\nand these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher,\nand Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall speak, and say\nunto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, Cursed be the man that\nmaketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the\nwork of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.\nAnd all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed be he that\nsetteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall\nsay, Amen. Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And\nall the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that maketh the blind to\nwander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he\nthat perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.\nAnd all the people shall say, Amen.\n\nAnd it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the\nvoice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments\nwhich I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on\nhigh above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come\non thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of\nthe LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt\nthou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the\nfruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy\nkine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy\nstore. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt\nthou be when thou goest out.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 27]\n\nIf thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are\nwritten in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful\nname, THE LORD THY GOD; then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful.\n\nAnd it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee,\nthe blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou\nshalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God\nhath driven thee, and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt\nobey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and\nthy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; that then\nthe LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon\nthee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the\nLORD thy God hath scattered thee.\n\nFor this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden\nfrom thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou\nshouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us,\nthat we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou\nshouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us,\nthat we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee,\nin thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 31]\n\nSee, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;\nin that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk\nin his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his\njudgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God\nshall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if\nthine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn\naway, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this\nday, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your\ndays upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess\nit. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have\nset before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose\nlife, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the\nLORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest\ncleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that\nthou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to\nAbraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.\n\nAnd Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto\nthem, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go\nout and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go\nover this Jordan. The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and\nhe will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess\nthem: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.\n\nAnd Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of\nLevi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the\nelders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every\nseven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of\ntabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God\nin the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all\nIsrael in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women,\nand children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may\nhear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe\nto do all the words of this law: and that their children, which have\nnot known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as\nlong as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou\nmust die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of\nthe congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua\nwent, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.\nAnd the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and\nthe pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. And the\nLORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this\nmountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that\nis over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give\nunto the children of Israel for a possession: and die in the mount\nwhither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy\nbrother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: because\nye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of\nMeribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not\nin the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land\nbefore thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give\nthe children of Israel.\n\n[Sidenote: Deuteronomy 34]\n\nAnd Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to\nthe top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed\nhim all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of\nEphraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,\nand the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm\ntrees, unto Zoar. And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I\nsware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it\nunto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou\nshalt not go over thither.\n\nSo Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab,\naccording to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in\nthe land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his\nsepulchre unto this day.\n\nAnd Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was\nnot dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept\nfor Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and\nmourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of\nthe spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the\nchildren of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded\nMoses.\n\nAnd there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the\nLORD knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the\nLORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his\nservants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all\nthe great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK VI\n\nJOSHUA AND THE CONQUEST OF PALESTINE\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 61\n\nRAHAB CONCEALS THE SPIES\n\n\nNOW after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass,\nthat the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister,\nsaying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this\nJordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to\nthem, even to the children of Israel. There shall not any man be able\nto stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses,\nso I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be\nstrong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide\nfor an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give\nthem. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou\nshalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do\naccording to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make\nthy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I\ncommanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither\nbe thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou\ngoest.\n\nThen Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through\nthe host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for\nwithin three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess\nthe land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.\n\nAnd to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of\nManasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Moses the\nservant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given\nyou rest, and hath given you this land. Your wives, your little ones,\nand your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this\nside Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the\nmighty men of valour, and help them; until the LORD have given your\nbrethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the\nland which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the\nland of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant\ngave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.\n\nAnd they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will\ndo, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we\nhearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only\nthe LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be\nthat doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy\nwords in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death.\n\nAnd Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly,\nsaying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into\nthe house of a woman named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told\nthe king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night\nof the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of\nJericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to\nthee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search\nout all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and\nsaid thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: and\nit came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was\ndark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue\nafter them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought\nthem up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of\nflax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued\nafter them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which\npursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 2]\n\nAnd before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;\nand she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the\nland, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the\ninhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the\nLORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of\nEgypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were\non the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And\nas soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did\nthere remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD\nyour God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.\n\nNow therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have\nshewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's\nhouse, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father,\nand my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have,\nand deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life\nfor your's, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when\nthe LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly\nwith thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for\nher house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she\nsaid unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you;\nand hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned:\nand afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will\nbe blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold,\nwhen we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread\nin the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring\nthy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's\nhousehold, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out\nof the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his\nhead, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the\nhouse, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if\nthou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which\nthou hast made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words,\nso be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the\nscarlet line in the window. And they went, and came unto the mountain,\nand abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the\npursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 3]\n\nSo the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed\nover, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that\nbefell them: and they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered\ninto our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the\ncountry do faint because of us.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 62\n\nTHE ISRAELITES PASS OVER JORDAN\n\n\nAND Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim,\nand came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there\nbefore they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that\nthe officers went through the host; and they commanded the people,\nsaying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and\nthe priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your\nplace, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it,\nabout two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye\nmay know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way\nheretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for\nto morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the\npriests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before\nthe people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before\nthe people.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in\nthe sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses,\nso I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear\nthe ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the\nwater of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.\n\nAnd Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear\nthe words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know\nthat the living God is among you. Behold, the ark of the covenant of\nthe Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now\ntherefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every\ntribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the\nfeet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the\nearth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan\nshall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they\nshall stand upon an heap.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass\nover Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the\npeople; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the\nfeet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the\nwater, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)\nthat the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an\nheap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those\nthat came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed,\nand were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And\nthe priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on\ndry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over\non dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 4]\n\nAnd it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan,\nthat the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the\npeople, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying, Take you\nhence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests'\nfeet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you,\nand leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.\nThen Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children\nof Israel, out of every tribe a man: and Joshua said unto them, Pass\nover before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and\ntake you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto\nthe number of the tribes of the children of Israel. And the children\nof Israel did so as Joshua commanded. And Joshua set up twelve stones\nin the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests\nwhich bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this\nday. For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan,\nuntil every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak\nunto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the\npeople hasted and passed over. And the children of Reuben, and the\nchildren of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed\nbefore the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: about forty\nthousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to\nthe plains of Jericho.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 6]\n\nOn that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and\nthey feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. And\nthe LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear the\nark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore\ncommanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to\npass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD\nwere come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests'\nfeet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan\nreturned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did\nbefore.\n\nAnd the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first\nmonth, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And\nthose twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch\nin Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your\nchildren shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean\nthese stones? then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came\nover this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters\nof Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your\nGod did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were\ngone over: that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the\nLORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were\non the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites,\nwhich were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of\nJordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over,\nthat their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more,\nbecause of the children of Israel. And the children of Israel encamped\nin Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at\neven in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the old corn of the\nland on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched\ncorn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after\nthey had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children\nof Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land\nof Canaan that year. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho,\nthat he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man\nover against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto\nhim, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he\nsaid, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And\nJoshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto\nhim, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S\nhost said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place\nwhereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 63\n\nTHE SIEGE OF JERICHO\n\n\nNOW Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel:\nnone went out, and none came in. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See,\nI have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the\nmighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war,\nand go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And\nseven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns:\nand the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the\npriests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that\nwhen they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the\nsound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout;\nand the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall\nascend up every man straight before him.\n\nAnd Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take\nup the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets\nof rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. And he said unto the people,\nPass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before\nthe ark of the LORD. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto\nthe people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams'\nhorns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the\nark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. And the armed men went\nbefore the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came\nafter the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And\nJoshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make\nany noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your\nmouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. So the ark\nof the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came\ninto the camp, and lodged in the camp.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 6]\n\nAnd Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark\nof the LORD. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns\nbefore the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the\ntrumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came\nafter the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the\ntrumpets. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned\ninto the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh\nday, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed\nthe city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they\ncompassed the city seven times.\n\nAnd it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the\ntrumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given\nyou the city. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that\nare therein, to the LORD: only Rahab shall live, she and all that are\nwith her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And\nye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make\nyourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the\ncamp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold,\nand vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they\nshall come into the treasury of the LORD.\n\nSo the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it\ncame to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and\nthe people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat,\nso that the people went up into the city, every man straight before\nhim, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was\nin the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and\nass, with the edge of the sword. And Joshua saved Rahab alive, and her\nfather's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel\neven unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent\nto spy out Jericho.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 7]\n\nAnd Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before\nthe LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay\nthe foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall\nhe set up the gates of it.\n\nSo the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the\ncountry.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 64\n\nTHE TRESPASS OF ACHAN\n\n\nBUT the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed\nthing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, of the tribe of Judah, took of\nthe accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the\nchildren of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is\nbeside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them,\nsaying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.\nAnd they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people\ngo up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai;\nand make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.\nSo there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and\nthey fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about\nthirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto\nShebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the\npeople melted, and became as water.\n\nAnd Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before\nthe ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel,\nand put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD,\nwherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver\nus into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had\nbeen content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall\nI say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the\nCanaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and\nshall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what\nwilt thou do unto thy great name?\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus\nupon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed\nmy covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the\naccursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they\nhave put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of\nIsrael could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs\nbefore their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be\nwith you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up,\nsanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow:\nfor thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in\nthe midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies,\nuntil ye take away the accursed thing from among you. In the morning\ntherefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall\nbe, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the\nfamilies thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come\nby households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come\nman by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed\nthing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he\nhath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought\nfolly in Israel.\n\nSo Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their\ntribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: and he brought the family\nof Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the\nfamily of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: and he brought\nhis household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of\nZabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua\nsaid unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of\nIsrael, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast\ndone; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed\nI have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I\ndone: when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two\nhundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight,\nthen I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the\nearth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.\n\nSo Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it\nwas hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of\nthe midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the\nchildren of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and\nall Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and\nthe garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters,\nand his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that\nhe had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua\nsaid, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day.\nAnd all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after\nthey had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap\nof stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of\nhis anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of\nAchor, unto this day.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 65\n\nTHE CAPTURE OF AI\n\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 8]\n\nAND the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:\ntake all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I\nhave given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city,\nand his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto\nJericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof,\nshall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the\ncity behind it.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 8]\n\nSo Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and\nJoshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them\naway by night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in\nwait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the\ncity, but be ye all ready: and I, and all the people that are with me,\nwill approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come\nout against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, (for\nthey will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for\nthey will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will\nflee before them. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon\nthe city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And it\nshall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on\nfire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have\ncommanded you.\n\nJoshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and\nabode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged\nthat night among the people. And Joshua rose up early in the morning,\nand numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel,\nbefore the people to Ai. And all the people, even the people of war\nthat were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city,\nand pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between\nthem and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie\nin ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. And\nwhen they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north\nof the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua\nwent that night into the midst of the valley.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and\nrose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to\nbattle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain;\nbut he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the\ncity. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before\nthem, and fled by the way of the wilderness. And all the people that\nwere in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued\nafter Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. And there was not a\nman left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they\nleft the city open, and pursued after Israel. And the LORD said unto\nJoshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I\nwill give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that\nhe had in his hand toward the city. And the ambush arose quickly out\nof their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand:\nand they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the\ncity on fire. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw,\nand, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they\nhad no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled\nto the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. And when Joshua and\nall Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke\nof the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.\nAnd the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the\nmidst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they\nsmote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. And the\nking of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And it came to\npass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai\nin the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they\nwere all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed,\nthat all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge\nof the sword. And so it was, that all that fell that day were twelve\nthousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua drew not his hand back,\nwherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed\nall the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of that city\nIsrael took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of\nthe LORD which he commanded Joshua. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it\nan heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. And the king of Ai\nhe hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down,\nJoshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree,\nand cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon\na great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.\n\nThen Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,\nas Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel,\nas it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole\nstones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered\nthereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.\nAnd he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he\nwrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And all Israel, and\ntheir elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the\nark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark\nof the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born\namong them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them\nover against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded\nbefore, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he\nread all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to\nall that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all\nthat Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation\nof Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that\nwere conversant among them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 66\n\nTHE CRAFT OF THE GIBEONITES\n\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 9]\n\nAND it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan,\nin the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great\nsea over against Lebanon, heard thereof; that they gathered themselves\ntogether, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. And\nwhen the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho\nand to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been\nambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles,\nold, and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and clouted upon their feet,\nand old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was\ndry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and\nsaid unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country:\nnow therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto\nthem, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league\nwith you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua\nsaid unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said\nunto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of\nthe name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and\nall that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the\nAmorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og\nking of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all\nthe inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with\nyou for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are\nyour servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread\nwe took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came\nforth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: and\nthese bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be\nrent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of\nthe very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked\nnot counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them,\nand made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the\ncongregation sware unto them.\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a\nleague with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and\nthat they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and\ncame unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon,\nand Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. And the children of\nIsrael smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had\nsworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation\nmurmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the\ncongregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now\ntherefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even\nlet them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we\nsware unto them; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water\nunto all the congregation.\n\nAnd Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore\nhave ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell\namong us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be\nfreed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for\nthe house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it\nwas certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded\nhis servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the\ninhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid\nof our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold,\nwe are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto\nus, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of\nthe children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them\nthat day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and\nfor the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he\nshould choose.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 67\n\nJOSHUA CONQUERS THE KINGS OF CANAAN\n\n\nNOW it came to pass, when Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem had heard\nhow Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; and how the\ninhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;\nthat they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of\nthe royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men\nthereof were mighty. Wherefore Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem sent unto\nthe kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, saying, Come up unto\nme, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with\nJoshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of\nthe Amorites gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all\ntheir hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. And\nthe men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack\nnot thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and\nhelp us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains\nare gathered together against us. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he,\nand all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.\nAnd the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered\nthem into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.\nJoshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all\nnight. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with\na great slaughter at Gibeon. And it came to pass, as they fled from\nbefore Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD\ncast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they\ndied: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the\nchildren of Israel slew with the sword.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 10]\n\nThen spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up\nthe Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight\nof Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the\nvalley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until\nthe people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this\nwritten in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of\nheaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no\nday like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the\nvoice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 14]\n\nAnd Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.\nBut these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.\nAnd it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave\nat Makkedah. And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the\ncave, and set men by it for to keep them: and stay ye not, but pursue\nafter your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to\nenter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into\nyour hand. And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel\nhad made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they\nwere consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced\ncities. And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah\nin peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.\nThen said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five\nkings unto me out of the cave. And they did so, and brought forth those\nfive kings unto him out of the cave. And it came to pass, when they\nbrought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men\nof Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with\nhim, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they\ncame near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said\nunto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage:\nfor thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.\nAnd afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on\nfive trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. And\nit came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua\ncommanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into\nthe cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's\nmouth, which remain until this very day.\n\nSo Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and\nof the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none\nremaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of\nIsrael commanded. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto\nGaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. And all these\nkings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God\nof Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua smote one and thirty kings\nin all, and took the whole land, and gave it for an inheritance unto\nIsrael.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 68\n\nJOSHUA DIVIDES THE LAND\n\n\nTHESE are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the\nland of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun,\nand the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel,\ndistributed for inheritance to them. By lot was their inheritance,\nas the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and\nfor the half tribe. For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes\nand an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he\ngave none inheritance among them. For the children of Joseph were two\ntribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the\nLevites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for\ntheir cattle and for their substance. As the LORD commanded Moses, so\nthe children of Israel did, and they divided the land.\n\nThen the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the\nson of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing\nthat the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee\nin Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the\nLORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him\nword again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went\nup with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed\nthe LORD my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land\nwhereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy\nchildren's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.\nAnd now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty\nand five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while\nthe children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am\nthis day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day\nas I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even\nso is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now\ntherefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day;\nfor thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that\nthe cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me,\nthen I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. And Joshua\nblessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an\ninheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the\nson of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly\nfollowed the LORD God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was\nKirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the\nland had rest from war.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 15]\n\nThis then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their\nfamilies; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward\nwas the uttermost part of the south coast. And their south border was\nfrom the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward:\nand the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan.\nAnd their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at\nthe uttermost part of Jordan: and the border went up by the valley of\nthe son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is\nJerusalem: and the west border was to the great sea, and the coast\nthereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about\naccording to their families. As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of\nJerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the\nJebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.\n\nAnd the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto\nthe water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from\nJericho throughout mount Beth-el, and goeth out from Beth-el to Luz,\nunto the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings\nout thereof are at the sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and\nEphraim, took their inheritance. And they drave not out the Canaanites\nthat dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites\nunto this day, and serve under tribute.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 18]\n\nAnd the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together\nat Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the\nland was subdued before them. And there remained among the children of\nIsrael seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. And\nJoshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to\npossess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?\nGive out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them,\nand they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according\nto the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me. And they\nshall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast\non the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on\nthe north. Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and\nbring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here\nbefore the LORD our God. But the Levites have no part among you; for\nthe priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben,\nand half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond\nJordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them. And\nthe men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to\ndescribe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe\nit, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before\nthe LORD in Shiloh. And the men went and passed through the land, and\ndescribed it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to\nJoshua to the host at Shiloh. And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh\nbefore the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of\nIsrael according to their divisions.\n\nWhen they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their\ncoasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son\nof Nun among them: according to the word of the LORD they gave him\nthe city which he asked, even Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim: and he\nbuilt the city, and dwelt therein. So they made an end of dividing the\ncountry. Then the children of Israel appointed six cities of refuge,\nthree on each side of Jordan, as the LORD commanded. And forty and\neight cities with their suburbs they set apart by lot, out of the\ninheritance of other tribes, for the tribe of Levi.\n\nAnd the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto\ntheir fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD\ngave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their\nfathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them;\nthe LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not\nought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of\nIsrael; all came to pass.\n\nThen Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half\ntribe of Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the\nservant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that\nI commanded you: ye have not left your brethren these many days unto\nthis day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your\nGod. And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren,\nas he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your\ntents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant\nof the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan. But take diligent heed\nto do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD\ncharged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways,\nand to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him\nwith all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua blessed them, and\nsent them away: and they went unto their tents.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 69\n\nTHE PEOPLE RENEW THE COVENANT\n\n\nAND it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest\nunto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old\nand stricken in age. And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their\nelders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their\nofficers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: and ye\nhave seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations\nbecause of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.\nBehold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to\nbe an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations\nthat I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the LORD\nyour God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out\nof your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God\nhath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to\ndo all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn\nnot aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; that ye come not\namong these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention\nof the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve\nthem, nor bow yourselves unto them: but cleave unto the LORD your God,\nas ye have done unto this day.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 23]\n\nAnd, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know\nin all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath\nfailed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning\nyou; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed\nthereof. Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are\ncome upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD\nbring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off\nthis good land which the LORD your God hath given you. When ye have\ntransgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you,\nand have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them;\nthen shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall\nperish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.\n\n[Sidenote: Joshua 24]\n\nAnd Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called\nfor the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges,\nand for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And\nJoshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,\nYour fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even\nTerah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served\nother gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the\nflood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied\nhis seed, and gave him Isaac. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and\nI gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children\nwent down into Egypt. I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt,\naccording to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you\nout. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea;\nand the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen\nunto the Red sea. And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness\nbetween you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and\ncovered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and\nye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. And I brought you into the\nland of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they\nfought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess\ntheir land; and I destroyed them from before you. Then Balak the son\nof Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and\ncalled Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: but I would not hearken\nunto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of\nhis hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men\nof Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and\nthe Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites,\nand the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. And I sent the\nhornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two\nkings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. And I\nhave given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye\nbuilt not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which\nye planted not do ye eat.\n\nNow therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:\nand put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of\nthe flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil\nunto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve;\nwhether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side\nof the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:\nbut as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people\nanswered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to\nserve other gods. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the\nLORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive\nyour transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the LORD, and serve\nstrange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after\nthat he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay;\nbut we will serve the LORD. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are\nwitnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve\nhim. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he,\nthe strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the\nLORD God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God\nwill we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant\nwith the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in\nShechem.\n\nAnd Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took\na great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the\nsanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold,\nthis stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words\nof the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness\nunto you, lest ye deny your God. So Joshua let the people depart, every\nman unto his inheritance.\n\nAnd it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the\nservant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they\nburied him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is\nin mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And Israel\nserved the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders\nthat overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD,\nthat he had done for Israel.\n\nAnd the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out\nof Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob\nbought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces\nof silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.\nAnd Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that\npertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 2]\n\nAnd also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and\nthere arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor\nyet the works which he had done for Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 70\n\nTHE ISRAELITES FORSAKE GOD\n\n\nAND the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and\nserved Baalim: and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which\nbrought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the\ngods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves\nunto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD,\nand served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot\nagainst Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that\nspoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round\nabout, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.\nWhithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for\nevil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and\nthey were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges,\nwhich delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 3]\n\nAnd when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the\njudge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days\nof the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by\nreason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass,\nwhen the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves\nmore than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to\nbow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from\ntheir stubborn way.\n\nAnd the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because\nthat this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded\ntheir fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not\nhenceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua\nleft when he died: that through them I may prove Israel, whether\nthey will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers\ndid keep it, or not. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without\ndriving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand\nof Joshua. Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove\nIsrael; namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites,\nand the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from\nmount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to\nprove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the\ncommandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the\nhand of Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites,\nHittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:\nand they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their\ndaughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of\nIsrael did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their\nGod, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD\nwas hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the king of\nMesopotamia: and the children of Israel served him eight years. And\nwhen the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a\ndeliverer, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's\nyounger brother. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he\njudged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered the king\nof Mesopotamia into his hand. And the land had rest forty years. And\nOthniel the son of Kenaz died.\n\nAnd the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and\nthe LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because\nthey had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered unto\nhim the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and\npossessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served\nEglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel\ncried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son\nof Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded. And after him was Shamgar,\nwhich slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he\nalso delivered Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 71\n\nDEBORAH AND BARAK DELIVER ISRAEL\n\n\nAND the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD,\nwhen Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king\nof Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera.\nAnd the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred\nchariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children\nof Israel.\n\nAnd Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at\nthat time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah\nand Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to\nher for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out\nof Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel\ncommanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee\nten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of\nZebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the\ncaptain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I\nwill deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt\ngo with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I\nwill not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding\nthe journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the\nLORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose,\nand went with Barak to Kedesh.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 4]\n\nAnd Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with\nten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber\nthe Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of\nMoses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent\nunto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera\nthat Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera\ngathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron,\nand all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles\nunto the river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is\nthe day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not\nthe LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor,\nand ten thousand men after him. And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and\nall his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before\nBarak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on\nhis feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host,\nunto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon\nthe edge of the sword; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera\nfled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite:\nfor there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of\nHeber the Kenite.\n\nAnd Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord,\nturn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the\ntent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I\npray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened\na bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said\nunto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man\ndoth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that\nthou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and\ntook an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the\nnail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast\nasleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera,\nJael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew\nthee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold,\nSisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on\nthat day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And\nthe hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against\nJabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 6]\n\nThen sang Deborah on that day, saying, Blessed above women shall Jael\nthe wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in\nthe tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth\nbutter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right\nhand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera,\nshe smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his\ntemples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he\nbowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of\nSisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is\nhis chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?\nHer wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, Have\nthey not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or\ntwo; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of\nneedlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the\nnecks of them that take the spoil? So let all thine enemies perish, O\nLORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in\nhis might.\n\nAnd the land had rest forty years.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 72\n\nGIDEON IS SENT TO DELIVER ISRAEL\n\n\nAND the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the\nLORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand\nof Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the\nchildren of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and\ncaves, and strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the\nMidianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east,\neven they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and\ndestroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left\nno sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came\nup with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers\nfor multitude; for both they and their camels were without number:\nand they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly\nimpoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel\ncried unto the LORD.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD\nbecause of the Midianites, that the LORD sent a prophet unto the\nchildren of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of\nIsrael, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the\nhouse of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians,\nand out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from\nbefore you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, I am the LORD\nyour God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:\nbut ye have not obeyed my voice. And there came an angel of the LORD,\nand sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the\nAbi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide\nit from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him,\nand said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.\nAnd Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why\nthen is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our\nfathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?\nbut now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of\nthe Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy\nmight, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have\nnot I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I\nsave Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least\nin my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be\nwith thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said\nunto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign\nthat thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come\nunto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he\nsaid, I will tarry until thou come again.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 6]\n\nAnd Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an\nephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in\na pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.\nAnd the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened\ncakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did\nso. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was\nin his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there\nrose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened\ncakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when\nGideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas,\nO Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.\nAnd the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt\nnot die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it\nJehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.\n\nThen all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the\neast were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley\nof Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a\ntrumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers\nthroughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent\nmessengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they\ncame up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save\nIsrael by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a fleece of\nwool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry\nupon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel\nby mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early\non the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out\nof the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not\nthine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me\nprove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry\nonly upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God\ndid so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was\ndew on all the ground.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 7]\n\nThen Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and\npitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites\nwere on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.\nAnd the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too\nmany for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel\nvaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now\ntherefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever\nis fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount\nGilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and\nthere remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people\nare yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them\nfor thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This\nshall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I\nsay unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.\nSo he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto\nGideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog\nlappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth\ndown upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped,\nputting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the\nrest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the\nLORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I\nsave you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the\nother people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals\nin their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel\nevery man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the\nhost of Midian was beneath him in the valley.\n\nAnd it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise,\nget thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.\nBut if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to\nthe host: and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine\nhands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with\nPhurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the\nhost. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of\nthe east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and\ntheir camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for\nmultitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told\na dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo,\na cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a\ntent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay\nalong. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the\nsword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand\nhath God delivered Midian, and all the host.\n\nAnd it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the\ninterpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host\nof Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your\nhand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into\nthree companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty\npitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look\non me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the\ncamp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a\ntrumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also\non every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of\nGideon.\n\nSo Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the\noutside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had\nbut newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the\npitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the\ntrumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left\nhands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they\ncried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man\nin his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and\nfled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every\nman's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the\nhost fled. And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of\nNaphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after\nthe Midianites. And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and\nZeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the\nwinepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb\nand Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 8]\n\nThen the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou,\nand thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from\nthe hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over\nyou, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.\n\nAnd Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in\nthe sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.\n\nAnd the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had\ndelivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:\nneither shewed they kindness to the house of Gideon, according to all\nthe goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 73\n\nJEPHTHAH AND HIS DAUGHTER\n\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 10]\n\nAND the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD,\nand served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods\nof Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon,\nand the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not\nhim. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them\ninto the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children\nof Ammon. Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight\nalso against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of\nEphraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. And the children of Israel\ncried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because\nwe have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. And the LORD said\nunto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians,\nand from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the\nPhilistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites,\ndid oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their\nhand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will\ndeliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let\nthem deliver you in the time of your tribulation.\n\nAnd the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou\nunto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray\nthee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and\nserved the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.\nThen the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in\nGilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and\nencamped in Mizpeh. And the people and princes of Gilead said one to\nanother, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children\nof Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.\n\nNow Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour. And it was so,\nthat when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders\nof Gilead said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may\nfight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders\nof Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of\nAmmon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And\nthe elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between\nus, if we do not so according to thy words. Then Jephthah went with the\nelders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them:\nand Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.\n\nThen the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah.\n\nAnd Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without\nfail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be,\nthat whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when\nI return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the\nLORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.\n\nSo Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against\nthem; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he smote them\nfrom Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and\nunto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus\nthe children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. And\nJephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came\nout to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only\nchild; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass,\nwhen he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter!\nthou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble\nme: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And\nshe said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the\nLORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth;\nforasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies,\neven of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this\nthing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and\ndown upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And\nhe said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her\ncompanions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came\nto pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father,\nwho did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. And it was a\ncustom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament\nthe daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 13]\n\nAnd Jephthah judged Israel six years, and he died. And after him were\nthree other judges in Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 74\n\nSAMSON\n\n\nAND the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and\nthe LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.\nAnd there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites,\nwhose name was Manoah; and his wife had no children. And the angel of\nthe LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold, thou shalt\nbear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor\nstrong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: for the child shall be a\nNazarite unto God from his birth: and he shall begin to deliver Israel\nout of the hand of the Philistines.\n\nAnd the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child\ngrew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began\nto move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.\nAnd Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the\ndaughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and\nhis mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters\nof the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his\nfather and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the\ndaughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to\ntake a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his\nfather, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and\nhis mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion\nagainst the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion\nover Israel.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 14]\n\nThen went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and\ncame to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared\nagainst him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and\nhe rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his\nhand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And\nhe went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.\nAnd after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see\nthe carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and\nhoney in the carcase of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, and\nwent on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them,\nand they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out\nof the carcase of the lion. So his father went down unto the woman:\nand Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. And it\ncame to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to\nbe with him. And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle\nunto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of\nthe feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and\nthirty change of garments: but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall\nye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said\nunto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto\nthem, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came\nforth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.\nAnd it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's\nwife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest\nwe burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to\ntake that we have? is it not so? And Samson's wife wept before him, and\nsaid, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a\nriddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he\nsaid unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and\nshall I tell it thee? And she wept before him the seven days, while\ntheir feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he\ntold her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to\nthe children of her people. And the men of the city said unto him on\nthe seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey?\nand what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not\nplowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.\n\nAnd the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon,\nand slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change\nof garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was\nkindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife was\ngiven to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.\n\nBut it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest,\nthat Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to\nmy wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.\n\nAnd her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated\nher; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger\nsister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And\nSamson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the\nPhilistines, though I do them a displeasure. And Samson went and caught\nthree hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail,\nand put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had\nset the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the\nPhilistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn,\nwith the vineyards and olives. Then the Philistines said, Who hath\ndone this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite,\nbecause he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the\nPhilistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. And Samson\nsaid unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you,\nand after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with a\ngreat slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 15]\n\nThen the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread\nthemselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up\nagainst us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to\nhim as he hath done to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to\nthe top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the\nPhilistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto\nus? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto\nthem. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we\nmay deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto\nthem, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. And they\nspake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver\nthee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound\nhim with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock. And when he\ncame unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit\nof the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his\narms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from\noff his hands. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his\nhand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. And Samson said,\nWith the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass\nhave I slain a thousand men. And it came to pass, when he had made an\nend of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and\ncalled that place Ramath-lehi. And he was sore athirst, and called on\nthe LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the\nhand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into\nthe hand of the uncircumcised? But God clave an hollow place that was\nin the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his\nspirit came again, and he revived. And he judged Israel in the days of\nthe Philistines twenty years.\n\n[Sidenote: Judges 16]\n\nThen went Samson to Gaza. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson\nis come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all\nnight in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying,\nIn the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till\nmidnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the\ncity, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put\nthem upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill\nthat is before Hebron. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a\nwoman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of\nthe Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and\nsee wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail\nagainst him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee\nevery one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Delilah said to\nSamson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and\nwherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said unto\nher, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried,\nthen shall I be weak, and be as another man. Then the lords of the\nPhilistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been\ndried, and she bound him with them. Now there were men lying in wait,\nabiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines\nbe upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is\nbroken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.\nAnd Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told\nme lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.\nAnd he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never\nwere occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Delilah\ntherefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him,\nThe Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait\nabiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a\nthread.\n\nAnd Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told\nme lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto\nher, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she\nfastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon\nthee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the\npin of the beam, and with the web. And she said unto him, How canst\nthou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast\nmocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great\nstrength lieth. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with\nher words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; that\nhe told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a\nrazor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my\nbirth: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall\nbecome weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he\nhad told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the\nPhilistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his\nheart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought\nmoney in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she\ncalled for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of\nhis head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.\nAnd she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of\nhis sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake\nmyself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.\n\nBut the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him\ndown to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind\nin the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again\nafter he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them\ntogether for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to\nrejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into\nour hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for\nthey said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the\ndestroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass,\nwhen their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that\nhe may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison\nhouse; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.\nAnd Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that\nI may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean\nupon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords\nof the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three\nthousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And\nSamson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray\nthee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I\nmay be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson\ntook hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and\non which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the\nother with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines.\nAnd he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the\nlords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he\nslew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then\nhis brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him,\nand brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the\nburyingplace of Manoah his father.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 75\n\nTHE STORY OF RUTH\n\n\n[Sidenote: Ruth 1]\n\nNOW it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there\nwas a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went\nto sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two\nsons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife\nNaomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of\nBeth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued\nthere. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her\ntwo sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of\nthe one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled\nthere about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them;\nand the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.\n\n[Sidenote: Ruth 2]\n\nThen she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from\nthe country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that\nthe LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she\nwent forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law\nwith her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.\nAnd Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her\nmother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with\nthe dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each\nof you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they\nlifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we\nwill return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my\ndaughters: why will ye go with me? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth\nme much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.\n\nAnd they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her\nmother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy\nsister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return\nthou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave\nthee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest,\nI will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be\nmy people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there\nwill I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but\ndeath part thee and me. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to\ngo with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until\nthey came to Beth-lehem.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the\ncity was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said\nunto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt\nvery bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me\nhome again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath\ntestified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi\nreturned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which\nreturned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the\nbeginning of barley harvest.\n\nAnd Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of\nthe family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess\nsaid unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn\nafter him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go,\nmy daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the\nreapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto\nBoaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. And, behold, Boaz came from\nBeth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they\nanswered him, The LORD bless thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant that\nwas set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that\nwas set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel\nthat came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: and she said, I\npray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves:\nso she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that\nshe tarried a little in the house.\n\nThen said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to\nglean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by\nmy maidens: let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go\nthou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not\ntouch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink\nof that which the young men have drawn. Then she fell on her face,\nand bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found\ngrace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing\nI am a stranger? And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully\nbeen shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since\nthe death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy\nmother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which\nthou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full\nreward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou\nart come to trust. Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my\nlord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken\nfriendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine\nhandmaidens. And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and\neat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.\n\n[Sidenote: Ruth 2]\n\nAnd she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and\nshe did eat, and was sufficed, and left. And when she was risen up\nto glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even\namong the sheaves, and reproach her not: and let fall also some of the\nhandfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them,\nand rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat\nout that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.\n\nAnd she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw\nwhat she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she\nhad reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother in law said unto\nher, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed\nbe he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law\nwith whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought\nto day is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be\nhe of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and\nto the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us,\none of our next kinsmen. And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me\nalso, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all\nmy harvest. And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good,\nmy daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not\nin any other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean\nunto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with\nher mother in law.\n\n[Sidenote: Ruth 3]\n\nThen Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not\nseek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz\nof our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth\nbarley to night in the threshingfloor. Wash thyself therefore, and\nanoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the\nfloor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have\ndone eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that\nthou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and\nuncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou\nshalt do. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.\n\nAnd she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her\nmother in law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his\nheart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn:\nand she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. And it\ncame to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself:\nand, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And\nshe answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt\nover thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed\nbe thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness\nin the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst\nnot young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I\nwill do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people\ndoth know that thou art a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am\nthy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry this\nnight, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto\nthee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if\nhe will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part\nof a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.\n\nAnd she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one\ncould know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came\ninto the floor. Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee,\nand hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley,\nand laid it on her: and she went into the city. And when she came to\nher mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told\nher all that the man had done to her. And she said, These six measures\nof barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother\nin law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how\nthe matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have\nfinished the thing this day.\n\nThen went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold,\nthe kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a\none! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And\nhe took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here.\nAnd they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come\nagain out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was\nour brother Elimelech's: and I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy\nit before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou\nwilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell\nme, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee: and\nI am after thee. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself,\nlest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I\ncannot redeem it.\n\n[Sidenote: Ruth 4]\n\nAnd Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are\nwitnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and\nall that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover\nRuth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife,\nto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of\nthe dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of\nhis place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in\nthe gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses.\n\nSo Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and she bare a son. And the\nwomen said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee\nthis day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And\nhe shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine\nold age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to\nthee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid\nit in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours\ngave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called\nhis name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK VII--SAMUEL AND SAUL\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 76\n\nSAMUEL\n\n\nNOW there was a certain man of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah:\nand he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name\nof the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no\nchildren. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to\nsacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli,\nHophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And when the\ntime was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all\nher sons and her daughters, portions: but unto Hannah he gave a worthy\nportion; for he loved Hannah. And her adversary also provoked her sore;\ntherefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to\nher, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy\nheart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?\n\nSo Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had\ndrunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of\nthe LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD,\nand wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou\nwilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me,\nand not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man\nchild, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life,\nand there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as\nshe continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now\nHannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was\nnot heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said\nunto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.\nAnd Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful\nspirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured\nout my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter\nof Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I\nspoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God\nof Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she\nsaid, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her\nway, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up\nin the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and\ncame to their house to Ramah; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it\ncame to pass, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying,\nBecause I have asked him of the LORD. And the man Elkanah, and all his\nhouse, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his\nvow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not\ngo up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he\nmay appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her\nhusband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have\nweaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and\ngave her son suck until she weaned him.\n\n[Illustration: THE INFANT SAMUEL AT PRAYER,\n\nBY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS\n\nIN THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON]\n\nAnd when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three\nbullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought\nhim unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And\nthey slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my\nlord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee\nhere, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath\ngiven me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have lent\nhim to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And\nhe worshipped the LORD there. And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 2]\n\nNow the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. But\nSamuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen\nephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to\nhim from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the\nyearly sacrifice.\n\nAnd Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife. And the LORD visited Hannah, so\nthat she bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew\non, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. And the\nchild Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the\nLORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.\n\nAnd it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place,\nand his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp\nof God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was,\nand Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the LORD called Samuel: and\nhe answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for\nthou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he\nwent and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel\narose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me.\nAnd he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did\nnot yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed\nunto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose\nand went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli\nperceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto\nSamuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt\nsay, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down\nin his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other\ntimes, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant\nheareth.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 4]\n\nAnd the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at\nwhich both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In\nthat day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken\nconcerning his house. For I have told him that I will judge his house\nfor ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made\nthemselves vile, and he restrained them not. And Samuel lay until the\nmorning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel\nfeared to shew Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said,\nSamuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, What is the\nthing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from\nme: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of\nall the things that he said unto thee. And Samuel told him every whit,\nand hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what\nseemeth him good.\n\nAnd Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his\nwords fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba\nknew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the\nLORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel\nin Shiloh by the word of the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 77\n\nTHE PHILISTINES TAKE THE ARK\n\n\nAND the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against\nthe Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the\nPhilistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines fought, and Israel\nwas smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a\nvery great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.\nAnd the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and\nPhinehas, were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army,\nand came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth\nupon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside\nwatching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man\ncame into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli\nheard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this\ntumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety\nand eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And\nthe man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to\nday out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the\nmessenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and\nthere hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two\nsons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.\nAnd it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he\nfell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck\nbrake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged\nIsrael forty years.\n\nAnd the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer\nunto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it\ninto the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod\narose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to\nthe earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him\nin his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning,\nbehold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark\nof the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands\nwere cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to\nhim. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into\nDagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this\nday. But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod. And when\nthe men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God\nof Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and\nupon Dagon our god. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of\nthe Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of\nthe God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel\nbe carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of\nIsrael about thither. And it was so, that, after they had carried it\nabout, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great\ndestruction. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came\nto pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out,\nsaying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us,\nto slay us and our people. So they sent and gathered together all the\nlords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of\nIsrael, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and\nour people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city;\nthe hand of God was very heavy there.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 5]\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 7]\n\nAnd the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven\nmonths. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners,\nsaying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we\nshall send it to his place. And they said, If ye send away the ark\nof the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him\na trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known\nto you why his hand is not removed from you. Now therefore make a new\ncart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and\ntie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: and\ntake the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels\nof gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by\nthe side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. And see, if it\ngoeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done\nus this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his\nhand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. And the men\ndid so. And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh,\nand went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside\nto the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went\nafter them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. And they of Beth-shemesh\nwere reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up\ntheir eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came\ninto the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there\nwas a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered\nthe kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the Levites took down\nthe ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the\njewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of\nBeth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same\nday unto the LORD. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen\nit, they returned to Ekron the same day. And the men of Kirjath-jearim\ncame, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the\nhouse of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep\nthe ark of the LORD. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in\nKirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and\nall the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 78\n\nTHE ISRAELITES DESIRE A KING\n\n\nAND Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from\nyear to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged\nIsrael in all those places. And his return was to Ramah; for there was\nhis house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto\nthe LORD.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges\nover Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of\nhis second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked\nnot in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and\nperverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves\ntogether, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold,\nthou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to\njudge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when\nthey said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.\nAnd the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in\nall that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they\nhave rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all\nthe works which they have done since the day that I brought them up\nout of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and\nserved other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken\nunto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them\nthe manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all\nthe words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he\nsaid, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He\nwill take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots,\nand to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he\nwill take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to\nbe bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your\noliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And\nhe will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to\nhis officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants,\nand your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses,\nand put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye\nshall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your\nking which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in\nthat day.\n\nNevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they\nsaid, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like\nall the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us,\nand fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people,\nand he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to\nSamuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said\nunto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 79\n\nSAUL ANOINTED KING\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 9]\n\nNOW there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a Benjamite, a\nmighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice\nyoung man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel\na goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher\nthan any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost.\nAnd Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee,\nand arise, go seek the asses. And he passed through mount Ephraim, and\npassed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then\nthey passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and\nhe passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.\nAnd when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant\nthat was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring\nfor the asses, and take thought for us. And he said unto him, Behold\nnow, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable\nman; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither;\nperadventure he can shew us our way that we should go. And they went\nup into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel\ncame out against them, for to go up to the high place. Now the LORD\nhad told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow\nabout this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and\nthou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may\nsave my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked\nupon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw\nSaul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of!\nthis same shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel\nin the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house\nis. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me\nunto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I\nwill let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. And\nas for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on\nthem; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is\nit not on thee, and on all thy father's house? And Saul answered and\nsaid, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?\nand my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?\nwherefore then speakest thou so to me? And Samuel took Saul and his\nservant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the\nchiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty\npersons. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 10]\n\nAnd when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel\ncommuned with Saul upon the top of the house. And they arose early:\nand it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called\nSaul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away.\nAnd Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.\nAnd as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to\nSaul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand\nthou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God. Then Samuel\ntook a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and\nsaid, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over\nhis inheritance? When thou art departed from me to day, then thou\nshalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at\nZelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to\nseek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses,\nand sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? Then shalt\nthou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of\nTabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Beth-el,\none carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread,\nand another carrying a bottle of wine: and they will salute thee, and\ngive thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.\nAfter that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of\nthe Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither\nto the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down\nfrom the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a\nharp, before them; and they shall prophesy: and the Spirit of the LORD\nwill come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be\nturned into another man. And it was so, that when he had turned his\nback to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs\ncame to pass that day.\n\nAnd Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; and\nsaid, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of\nEgypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out\nof the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: and ye\nhave this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your\nadversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but\nset a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by\nyour tribes, and by your thousands. And when Samuel had caused all the\ntribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When\nhe had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families,\nthe family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and\nwhen they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they enquired\nof the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD\nanswered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and\nfetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher\nthan any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said\nto all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is\nnone like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and\nsaid, God save the king. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the\nkingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And\nSamuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 15]\n\nAnd all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before\nthe LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace\nofferings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel\nrejoiced greatly.\n\nSo Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his\nenemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon,\nand against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the\nPhilistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. And he\ngathered an host, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of\nthe hands of them that spoiled them. And there was sore war against the\nPhilistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or\nany valiant man, he took him unto him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 80\n\nSAUL REJECTED FOR DISOBEDIENCE\n\n\nSAMUEL also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king\nover his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice\nof the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that\nwhich Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when\nhe came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all\nthat they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant\nand suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people\ntogether, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen,\nand ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and\nlaid wait in the valley. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah\nuntil thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag\nthe king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people\nwith the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and\nthe best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the\nlambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but\neverything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 15]\n\nThen came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth\nme that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from\nfollowing me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved\nSamuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. And Samuel came to Saul:\nand Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed\nthe commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this\nbleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I\nhear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for\nthe people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice\nunto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then\nSamuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath\nsaid to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said,\nWhen thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head\nof the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?\nAnd the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy\nthe sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be\nconsumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD,\nbut didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?\nAnd Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings\nand sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey\nis better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For\nrebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity\nand idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath\nalso rejected thee from being king.\n\nAnd Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the\ncommandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people,\nand obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and\nturn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto\nSaul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of\nthe LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.\nAnd as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt\nof his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath\nrent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to\na neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength\nof Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should\nrepent. Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee,\nbefore the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with\nme, that I may worship the LORD thy God. So Samuel turned again after\nSaul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.\n\nThen said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the\nAmalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely\nthe bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath\nmade women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And\nSamuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.\n\nThen Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of\nSaul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death:\nnevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had\nmade Saul king over Israel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 81\n\nDAVID CHOSEN KING\n\n\nAND the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,\nseeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn\nwith oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for\nI have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel did that which\nthe LORD spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town\ntrembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said,\nPeaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves,\nand come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his\nsons, and called them to the sacrifice.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 16]\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and\nsaid, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto\nSamuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature;\nbecause I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for\nman looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the\nheart. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And\nSamuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. And Samuel said\nunto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth\nyet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said\nunto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come\nhither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal\nof a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said,\nArise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil,\nand anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the\nLORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went\nto Ramah.\n\nBut the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from\nthe LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now,\nan evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy\nservants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning\nplayer on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from\nGod is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be\nwell. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can\nplay well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants, and\nsaid, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is\ncunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and\nprudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 17]\n\nWherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David\nthy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with\nbread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son\nunto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved\nhim greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse,\nsaying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found\nfavour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God\nwas upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so\nSaul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 82\n\nDAVID CONQUERS GOLIATH\n\n\nNOW the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. And Saul\nand the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the\nvalley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.\nAnd the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel\nstood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between\nthem. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines,\nnamed Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he\nhad an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of\nmail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.\nAnd he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass\nbetween his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's\nbeam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and\none bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto\nthe armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set\nyour battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul?\nchoose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able\nto fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but\nif I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants,\nand serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel\nthis day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all\nIsrael heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and\ngreatly afraid.\n\nNow David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose\nname was Jesse. And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed\nSaul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the\nbattle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and\nthe third Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest\nfollowed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his\nfather's sheep at Beth-lehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and\nevening, and presented himself forty days. And Jesse said unto David\nhis son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn,\nand these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; and carry\nthese ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy\nbrethren fare, and take their pledge.\n\nAnd David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a\nkeeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to\nthe trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for\nthe battle. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of\nthe carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.\nAnd as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion,\nthe Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the\nPhilistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard\nthem. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him,\nand were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this\nman that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall\nbe, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great\nriches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house\nfree in Israel.\n\nAnd David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be\ndone to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the\nreproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he\nshould defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him\nafter this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth\nhim. And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed\nthem before Saul: and he sent for him.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 17]\n\nAnd David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy\nservant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to\nDavid, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with\nhim: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.\nAnd David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and\nthere came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I\nwent out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth:\nand when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote\nhim, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and\nthis uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath\ndefied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that\ndelivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the\nbear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul\nsaid unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. And Saul armed David\nwith his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he\narmed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his\narmour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it.\n\nAnd David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not\nproved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his\nhand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them\nin a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was\nin his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine\ncame on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield\nwent before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David,\nhe disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair\ncountenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou\ncomest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.\nAnd the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh\nunto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said\nDavid to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a\nspear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD\nof hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This\nday will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee,\nand take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host\nof the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild\nbeasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in\nIsrael. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with\nsword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you\ninto our hands.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 18]\n\nAnd it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh\nto meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the\nPhilistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a\nstone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the\nstone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.\n\nSo David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,\nand smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the\nhand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine,\nand took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew\nhim, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw\ntheir champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah\narose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the\nvalley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines\nfell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And\nthe children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and\nthey spoiled their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine,\nand brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. And as\nDavid returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him,\nand brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 83\n\nDAVID AND JONATHAN\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul,\nthat the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan\nloved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let\nhim go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made\na covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped\nhimself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his\ngarments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And\nDavid went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely:\nand Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight\nof all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it\ncame to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter\nof the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel,\nsinging and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and\nwith instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they\nplayed, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten\nthousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and\nhe said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they\nhave ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?\nAnd Saul eyed David from that day and forward.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came\nupon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David\nplayed with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in\nSaul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David\neven to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.\nAnd Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was\ndeparted from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him\nhis captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the\npeople. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD\nwas with him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out\nand came in before them.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 18]\n\nAnd Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the\nthing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be\na snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against\nhim. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David\nsecretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all\nhis servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law. And\nSaul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said,\nSeemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that\nI am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told\nhim, saying, On this manner spake David. And Saul said, Thus shall ye\nsay to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but to be avenged of\nthe king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand\nof the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it\npleased David well to be the king's son in law. Wherefore David arose\nand went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred\nmen. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. And Saul saw and\nknew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter\nloved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became\nDavid's enemy continually. And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and\nto all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's\nson delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my\nfather seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed\nto thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide\nthyself: and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field\nwhere thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I\nsee, that I will tell thee.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 19]\n\nAnd Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto\nhim, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because\nhe hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to\ntheeward very good: for he did put his life in his hand, and slew the\nPhilistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou\nsawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against\ninnocent blood, to slay David without a cause? And Saul hearkened unto\nthe voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not\nbe slain. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those\nthings. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence,\nas in times past.\n\nAnd there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the\nPhilistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from\nhim.\n\nAnd the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house\nwith his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. And\nSaul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he\nslipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the\nwall: and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers\nunto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and\nMichal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to\nnight, to morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through\na window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took an\nimage, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his\nbolster, and covered it with a cloth. And when Saul sent messengers to\ntake David, she said, He is sick. And Saul sent the messengers again to\nsee David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.\nAnd when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the\nbed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster. And Saul said unto\nMichal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he\nis escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why\nshould I kill thee?\n\nSo David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him\nall that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in\nNaioth. And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before\nJonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin\nbefore thy father, that he seeketh my life? And he said unto him, God\nforbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either\ngreat or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father\nhide this thing from me? it is not so. And David sware moreover, and\nsaid, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine\neyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:\nbut truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a\nstep between me and death. Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever\nthy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. And David said unto\nJonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail\nto sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself\nin the field unto the third day at even. If thy father at all miss\nme, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to\nBeth-lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the\nfamily. If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but\nif he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. And\nJonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And\nthey went out both of them into the field. Then Jonathan said to David,\nTo morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat\nwill be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt\ngo down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself\nwhen the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And\nI will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a\nmark. And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows.\nIf I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side\nof thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and\nno hurt; as the LORD liveth. But if I say thus unto the young man,\nBehold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent\nthee away.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 20 ]\n\nSo David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come,\nthe king sat him down to eat meat. And the king sat upon his seat, as\nat other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and\nAbner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. Nevertheless\nSaul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath\nbefallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. And it came\nto pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that\nDavid's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore\ncometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?\nAnd Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go\nto Beth-lehem: and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family\nhath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to\nbe there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get\naway, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto\nthe king's table. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and\nhe said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I\nknow that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion?\nFor as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not\nbe established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto\nme, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and\nsaid unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? And\nSaul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it\nwas determined of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arose from the\ntable in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month:\nfor he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 21]\n\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the\nfield at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.\nAnd he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot.\nAnd as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the lad was\ncome to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried\nafter the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? And Jonathan\ncried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad\ngathered up the arrows, and came to his master. But the lad knew not\nany thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave\nhis artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the\ncity.\n\nAnd as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the\nsouth, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three\ntimes: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until\nDavid exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as\nwe have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be\nbetween me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he\narose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 84\n\nSAUL PURSUES DAVID\n\n\nTHEN came David to Nob, and asked Ahimelech the priest for bread. So\nthe priest gave him hallowed bread.\n\nAnd David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand\nspear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with\nme, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said,\nThe sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley\nof Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if\nthou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And\nDavid said, There is none like that; give it me. And David arose, and\nfled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.\nAnd the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of\nthe land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying,\nSaul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David\nlaid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the\nking of Gath. And he departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam:\nand when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went\ndown thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every\none that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered\nthemselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were\nwith him about four hundred men. And David went thence to Mizpeh of\nMoab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother,\nI pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do\nfor me. And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt\nwith him all the while that David was in the hold. And the prophet Gad\nsaid unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the\nland of Judah.\n\nWhen Saul heard that David was discovered, and that Ahimelech had given\nhim the hallowed bread, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine, he\nsent to call Ahimelech the priest. And the king said, Thou shalt surely\ndie, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. And the king said\nunto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of\nthe LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew\nwhen he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king\nwould not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.\nAnd the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And\nDoeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that\nday fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob,\nthe city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men\nand women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep,\nwith the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son\nof Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar\nshewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests. And David said\nunto Abiathar, Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my\nlife seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 23]\n\nAnd David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a\nmountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but\nGod delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come\nout to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.\n\nAnd Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and\nstrengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear not: for the\nhand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over\nIsrael, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father\nknoweth. And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode\nin the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.\n\nAnd David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men\ncompassed David and his men round about to take them. But there came a\nmessenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines\nhave invaded the land. Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after\nDavid, and went against the Philistines. And David went up from thence,\nand dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the\nPhilistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the\nwilderness of En-gedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of\nall Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the\nwild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave;\nand Saul went in to the cave: and David and his men remained in the\nsides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day\nof which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy\ninto thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto\nthee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.\nAnd it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because\nhe had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid\nthat I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to\nstretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the\nLORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them\nnot to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went\non his way. David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and\ncried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind\nhim, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 26]\n\nAnd David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying,\nBehold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen\nhow that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave:\nand some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I\nwill not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S\nanointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in\nmy hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee\nnot, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression\nin mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my\nsoul to take it. The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and\nthee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these\nwords unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And\nSaul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art\nmore righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have\nrewarded thee evil. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely\nbe king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine\nhand. Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut\noff my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of\nmy father's house. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but\nDavid and his men gat them up unto the hold.\n\nAnd Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and\nlamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.\n\nAnd David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 85\n\nDAVID SPARES SAUL'S LIFE THE SECOND TIME\n\n\nAND the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide\nhimself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? Then Saul\narose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand\nchosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of\nZiph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before\nJeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw\nthat Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out\nspies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.\n\nAnd David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and\nDavid beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the\ncaptain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched\nround about him. Then David said, Who will go down with me to Saul to\nthe camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and\nAbishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping\nwithin the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster:\nbut Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to\nDavid, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now\ntherefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the\nearth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said\nto Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against\nthe LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the\nLORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or\nhe shall descend into battle, and perish. The LORD forbid that I should\nstretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee,\ntake thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water,\nand let us go. So David took the spear and the cruse of water from\nSaul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew\nit, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep\nfrom the LORD was fallen upon them.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 26]\n\nThen David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an\nhill afar off; a great space being between them: and David cried to\nthe people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not,\nAbner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the\nking? And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is\nlike to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord\nthe king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy\nlord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth,\nye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S\nanointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of\nwater that was at his bolster. And Saul knew David's voice, and said,\nIs this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my\nlord, O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his\nservant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? Then said\nSaul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee\nharm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I\nhave played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. And David answered\nand said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come\nover and fetch it. The LORD render to every man his righteousness and\nhis faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but\nI would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed. And,\nbehold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my\nlife be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out\nof all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son\nDavid: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail.\nSo David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 28]\n\nAnd David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of\nSaul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape\ninto the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek\nme any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.\nAnd David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were\nwith him unto Achish, king of Gath. And it was told Saul that David was\nfled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 86\n\nSAUL CONSULTS THE WITCH OF EN-DOR\n\n\nNOW Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him\nin Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had\nfamiliar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines\ngathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul\ngathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul\nsaw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly\ntrembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him\nnot, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.\n\nThen said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar\nspirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said\nto him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.\nAnd Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and\ntwo men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said,\nI pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him\nup, whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold,\nthou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have\nfamiliar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then\nlayest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to\nher by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment\nhappen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring\nup unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw\nSamuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul,\nsaying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said\nunto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto\nSaul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What\nform is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered\nwith a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped\nwith his face to the ground, and bowed himself.\n\nAnd Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?\nAnd Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war\nagainst me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more,\nneither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that\nthou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel,\nWherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from\nthee, and is become thine enemy? Moreover the LORD will also deliver\nIsrael with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt\nthou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of\nIsrael into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway\nall along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of\nSamuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all\nthe day, nor all the night.\n\nAnd the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and\nsaid unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have\nput my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou\nspakest unto me. Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the\nvoice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee;\nand eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.\nBut he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together\nwith the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So\nhe arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. And the woman had a fat\ncalf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and\nkneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: and she brought it\nbefore Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose\nup, and went away that night.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 87\n\nTHE DEATH OF SAUL\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Samuel 31]\n\nNOW the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled\nfrom before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.\nAnd the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and\nthe Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's\nsons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit\nhim; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his\narmourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest\nthese uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his\narmourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a\nsword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was\ndead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died,\nand his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same\nday together.\n\nAnd when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley,\nand they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel\nfled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities,\nand fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to\npass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that\nthey found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.\n\nIt came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out\nof the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head:\nand so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and\ndid obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he\nsaid unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said\nunto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered,\nThe people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are\nfallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And David\nsaid unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and\nJonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I\nhappened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his\nspear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.\nAnd when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I\nanswered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered\nhim, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee,\nupon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is\nyet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure\nthat he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown\nthat was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have\nbrought them hither unto my lord. Then David took hold on his clothes,\nand rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him.\n\n[Sidenote: II. SAMUEL 1]\n\nAnd David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan\nhis son:\n\nThe beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty\nfallen!\n\nTell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest\nthe daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the\nuncircumcised triumph.\n\nYe mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain,\nupon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty\nis vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been\nanointed with oil.\n\nFrom the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of\nJonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.\n\nSaul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their\ndeath they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were\nstronger than lions.\n\nYe daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet,\nwith other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.\n\nHow are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou\nwast slain in thine high places.\n\nI am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou\nbeen unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.\n\nHow are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK VIII--DAVID THE KING\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 88\n\nDAVID ANOINTED KING\n\n\nAND it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD,\nsaying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD\nsaid unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he\nsaid, Unto Hebron. So David went up thither: and the men of Judah came,\nand there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. But Abner\nthe son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth the son of\nSaul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; and made him king over all\nIsrael. But the house of Judah followed David. And the time that David\nwas king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six\nmonths.\n\nAnd Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of\nSaul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. And Joab the son of Zeruiah,\nand the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool\nof Gibeon. And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was\nbeaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.\n\nNow there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of\nDavid: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul\nwaxed weaker and weaker. And Abner was displeased with Ish-bosheth, and\nrevolted to David; and had communication with the elders of Israel,\nsaying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you: now\nthen do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand\nof my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of\nthe Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. And Abner\nalso spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in\nthe ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that\nseemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. So Abner came to David to\nHebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that\nwere with him a feast. And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go,\nand will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a\nleague with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart\ndesireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 5]\n\nAnd, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop,\nand brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David\nin Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. When\nJoab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab,\nsaying, Abner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is\ngone in peace. Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou\ndone? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him\naway, and he is quite gone? Thou knowest Abner, that he came to deceive\nthee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that\nthou doest. And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers\nafter Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David\nknew it not. And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside\nin the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the\nfifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. And\nafterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless\nbefore the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner. And\nDavid said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your\nclothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king\nDavid himself followed the bier. And they buried Abner in Hebron: and\nthe king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all\nthe people wept.\n\nThen came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake,\nsaying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when\nSaul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in\nIsrael: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel,\nand thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel\ncame to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them\nin Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.\nDavid was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty\nyears. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and\nin Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and\nJudah.\n\nAnd the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the\ninhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Thou shalt not\ncome in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the\nsame is the city of David. And David went on, and grew great, and the\nLORD God of hosts was with him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 89\n\nDAVID BRINGS THE ARK TO ZION\n\n\nAGAIN, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty\nthousand. And David arose, and went with all the people that were with\nhim from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose\nname is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between\nthe cherubims. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought\nit out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and\nAhio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. And when they came to\nNachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God,\nand took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD\nwas kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and\nthere he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the\nLORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place\nPerez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day,\nand said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? So David would not\nremove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David\ncarried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark\nof the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three\nmonths: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.\n\nAnd it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house\nof Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark\nof God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of\nObed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And David danced before\nthe LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.\nSo David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD\nwith shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And they brought\nin the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the\ntabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt\nofferings and peace offerings before the LORD. And as soon as David had\nmade an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed\nthe people in the name of the LORD of hosts. And he dealt among all the\npeople, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women\nas men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a\nflagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 6]\n\nAnd after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines,\nand subdued them. And he smote Moab: and the Moabites became David's\nservants, and brought gifts. He smote also the Syrians, and dedicated\nunto the LORD the silver and gold of all the nations which he subdued.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 90\n\nDAVID SENDS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 11]\n\nAND David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul,\nthat I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was of the\nhouse of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called\nhim unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy\nservant is he. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house\nof Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said\nunto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.\nAnd the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king,\nBehold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.\nThen king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir. Now\nwhen Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come\nunto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said,\nMephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto\nhim, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy\nfather's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father;\nand thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself,\nand said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a\ndead dog as I am? Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and\nsaid unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained\nto Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy\nservants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the\nfruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth\nthy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Then said Ziba unto\nthe king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his\nservant, so shall thy servant do. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem:\nfor he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both\nhis feet.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 91\n\nDAVID TAKES THE WIFE OF URIAH\n\n\nAND it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings\ngo forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him,\nand all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged\nRabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in\nan eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the\nroof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing\nherself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent\nand enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba,\nthe daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent\nmessengers, and took her. And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah\nthe Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. And David wrote a letter to\nJoab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter,\nsaying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire\nye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass,\nwhen Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where\nhe knew that valiant men were. And the men of the city went out, and\nfought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of\nDavid; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David\nall the things concerning the war. So the messenger went, and came and\nshewed David all that Joab had sent him for. And the messenger said\nunto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us\ninto the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the\ngate. And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and\nsome of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite\nis dead also. Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say\nunto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth\none as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city,\nand overthrow it: and encourage thou him. And when the wife of Uriah\nheard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And\nwhen the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house,\nand she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David\nhad done displeased the LORD.\n\nAnd the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said\nunto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other\npoor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor\nman had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and\nnourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children;\nit did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his\nbosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto\nthe rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own\nherd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took\nthe poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.\nAnd David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to\nNathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall\nsurely die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this\nthing, and because he had no pity.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 12]\n\nAnd Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Wherefore hast thou\ndespised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou\nhast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife\nto be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of\nAmmon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house. And\nDavid said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said\nunto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.\nHowbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the\nenemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee\nshall surely die.\n\nAnd Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that\nUriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore\nbesought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay\nall night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and went\nto him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did\nhe eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that\nthe child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the\nchild was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive,\nwe spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will\nhe then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when\nDavid saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child\nwas dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead?\nAnd they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed,\nand anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house\nof the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when\nhe required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his\nservants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst\nfast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child\nwas dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child\nwas yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD\nwill be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead,\nwherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him,\nbut he shall not return to me.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 13]\n\nAnd David comforted Bath-sheba his wife: and she bare a son, and he\ncalled his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 92\n\nTHE REVOLT OF ABSALOM\n\n\nNOW Absalom, the king's son, had slain his brother Amnon, and had fled\nfrom his father's face. And Absalom went to Geshur, and was there\nthree years. And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto him.\nAnd when Joab perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom, he\ncaused a woman of Tekoah, by a parable, to incline the king's heart\nto fetch home Absalom. So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought\nAbsalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, Let him turn to his own house,\nand let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house. Now\nin all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his\nbeauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there\nwas no blemish in him. And when he polled his head, (for it was at\nevery year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him,\ntherefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred\nshekels after the king's weight.\n\nSo Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's\nface. Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king;\nbut he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time,\nhe would not come. Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's\nfield is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire.\nAnd Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose, and\ncame to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy\nservants set my field on fire? And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I\nsent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king,\nto say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to\nhave been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if\nthere be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. So Joab came to the king,\nand told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king,\nand bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the\nking kissed Absalom.\n\nAnd it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and\nhorses, and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom rose up early, and\nstood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that\nhad a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called\nunto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is\nof one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy\nmatters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king\nto hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the\nland, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me,\nand I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh\nto him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and\nkissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to\nthe king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.\n\nAnd it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king,\nI pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the\nLORD, in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in\nSyria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem,\nthen I will serve the LORD. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So\nhe arose, and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies throughout all the\ntribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet,\nthen ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went\ntwo hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in\ntheir simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for\nAhithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from\nGiloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for\nthe people increased continually with Absalom.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 15]\n\nAnd there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of\nIsrael are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that\nwere with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not\nelse escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us\nsuddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of\nthe sword. And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy\nservants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.\nAnd the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in\na place that was far off. And all the country wept with a loud voice,\nand all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the\nbrook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the\nwilderness. And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him,\nbearing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of\nGod; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out\nof the city. And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God\ninto the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will\nbring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: but if he thus\nsay, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as\nseemeth good unto him. Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of\nGod again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 16]\n\nAnd David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went\nup, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people\nthat was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping\nas they went up. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the\nconspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn\nthe counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And it came to pass, that\nwhen David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God,\nbehold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and\nearth upon his head: unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me,\nthen thou shalt be a burden unto me: but if thou return to the city,\nand say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been\nthy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then\nmayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. And hast thou not\nthere with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be,\nthat what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou\nshalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have\nthere with them their two sons; and by them ye shall send unto me every\nthing that ye can hear. So Hushai David's friend came into the city,\nand Absalom came into Jerusalem.\n\nAnd when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of\nthe family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of\nGera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. Then said Abishai\nthe son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my\nlord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And\nthe king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let\nhim curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall\nthen say, Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and\nto all his servants, Behold, my son seeketh my life: how much more\nnow may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for\nthe LORD hath bidden him. It may be that the LORD will look on mine\naffliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this\nday. And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the\nhill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones\nat him, and cast dust.\n\nAnd Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem,\nand Ahithophel with him. And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite,\nDavid's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom,\nGod save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said to Hushai, Is\nthis thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?\nAnd Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people,\nand all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will\nI abide. And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the\npresence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will\nI be in thy presence.\n\nThen said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall\ndo. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days,\nwas as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the\ncounsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.\n\nAnd Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand\nmen, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: and I will\ncome upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him\nafraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will\nsmite the king only: and I will bring back all the people unto thee.\nAnd the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.\n\nThen said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear\nlikewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom\nspake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner:\nshall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou. And Hushai said unto\nAbsalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this\ntime. For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they\nbe mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of\nher whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not\nlodge with the people. Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some\nother place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown\nat the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter\namong the people that follow Absalom. And he also that is valiant,\nwhose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all\nIsrael knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with\nhim are valiant men. Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally\ngathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by\nthe sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.\nSo shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we\nwill light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and\nof all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as\none. Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring\nropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be\nnot one small stone found there. And Absalom and all the men of Israel\nsaid, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of\nAhithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of\nAhithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 17]\n\nThen said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and\nthus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and\nthus and thus have I counselled. Now therefore send quickly, and tell\nDavid, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness,\nbut speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the\npeople that are with him. Now the sons of Zadok and Abiathar stayed by\nEn-rogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench\nwent and told them; and they went and told king David. Nevertheless\na lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away\nquickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his\ncourt; whither they went down.\n\nAnd the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and\nspread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. And when\nAbsalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where\nis Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone\nover the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find\nthem, they returned to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, after they were\ndeparted, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king\nDavid, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water:\nfor thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you. Then David arose, and\nall the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by\nthe morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over\nJordan. And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he\nsaddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city,\nand put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was\nburied in the sepulchre of his father.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 18]\n\nThen David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all\nthe men of Israel with him. And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host\ninstead of Joab. So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 93\n\nTHE DEATH OF ABSALOM\n\n\nAND David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of\nthousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth a\nthird part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part\nunder the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a\nthird part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto\nthe people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people\nanswered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not\ncare for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now\nthou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou\nsuccour us out of the city.\n\nAnd the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the\nking stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds\nand by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai,\nsaying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.\nAnd all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge\nconcerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against\nIsrael: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; where the people of\nIsrael were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a\ngreat slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was\nthere scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured\nmore people that day than the sword devoured.\n\nAnd Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule,\nand the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head\ncaught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the\nearth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw\nit, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.\nAnd Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest\nhim, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would\nhave given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. And the man said\nunto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine\nhand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for\nin our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying,\nBeware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise I should have\nwrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid\nfrom the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.\nThen said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts\nin his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was\nyet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab's\narmour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew\nthe trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for\nJoab held back the people. And they took Absalom, and cast him into a\ngreat pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him:\nand all Israel fled every one to his tent.\n\nThen said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king\ntidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies. And Joab\nsaid unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt\nbear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings,\nbecause the king's son is dead. Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the\nking what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.\nThen said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever,\nlet me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore\nwilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? But\nhowsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz\nran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi. And Ahimaaz called, and\nsaid unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon\nhis face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which\nhath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the\nking. And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz\nanswered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw\na great tumult, but I knew not what it was. And the king said unto him,\nTurn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still. And,\nbehold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the\nLORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.\nAnd the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi\nanswered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against\nthee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. And the king was much\nmoved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he\nwent, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God\nI had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 19]\n\nAnd it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for\nAbsalom. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all\nthe people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved\nfor his son. And the people gat them by stealth that day into the\ncity, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. But\nthe king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my\nson Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! And Joab came into the house\nto the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy\nservants, which have saved thy life; in that thou lovest thine enemies,\nand hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou\nregardest neither princes nor servants: for I perceive, that if Absalom\nhad lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.\nNow therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants:\nfor I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one\nwith thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the\nevil that befell thee from thy youth until now.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 19]\n\nThen the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the\npeople, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the\npeople came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 94\n\nDAVID BROUGHT BACK TO JERUSALEM\n\n\nAND all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel,\nsaying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he\ndelivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out\nof the land for Absalom. And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is\ndead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the\nking back?\n\nAnd king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak\nunto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king\nback to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king,\neven to his house. Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh:\nwherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? And he bowed the\nheart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that\nthey sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.\nSo the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to\ngo to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. And Shimei the\nson of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down\nwith the men of Judah to meet king David. And there were a thousand men\nof Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and\nhis fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over\nJordan before the king. And there went over a ferry boat to carry over\nthe king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the\nson of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan; and\nsaid unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither\ndo thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my\nlord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to\nhis heart. For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore,\nbehold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go\ndown to meet my lord the king. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered\nand said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed\nthe LORD'S anointed? And David said, What have I to do with you, ye\nsons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall\nthere any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know\nthat I am this day king over Israel? Therefore the king said unto\nShimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.\n\nAnd David had many mighty men. And Abishai the brother of Joab was the\nchief among them. And when David fought against the Philistines three\nof the mighty men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto\nthe cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the\nvalley of Rephaim. And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of\nthe Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. And David longed, and said, Oh\nthat one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem,\nwhich is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the host\nof the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that\nwas by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he\nwould not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 95\n\nDAVID'S CHOICE\n\n\nAND again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he\nmoved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. And Joab\nand the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king,\nto number the people of Israel. So when they had gone through all the\nland, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.\nAnd Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and\nthere were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the\nsword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 24]\n\nAnd David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And\nDavid said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done:\nand now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant;\nfor I have done very foolishly. For when David was up in the morning,\nthe word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,\nGo and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things;\nchoose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to\nDavid, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine\ncome unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before\nthine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days'\npestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return\nto him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait:\nlet us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great:\nand let me not fall into the hand of man.\n\nSo the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to\nthe time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to\nBeer-sheba seventy thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his\nhand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil,\nand said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay\nnow thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of\nAraunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the\nangel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have\ndone wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I\npray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Samuel 24]\n\nAnd Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar\nunto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David\nwent up as the LORD commanded. So the LORD was intreated for the land,\nand the plague was stayed from Israel.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK IX--SOLOMON THE KING\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 96\n\nSOLOMON ANOINTED KING\n\n\nNOW king David was old and stricken in years. And Adonijah the son\nof Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared\nhim chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his\nfather had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou\ndone so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him\nafter Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with\nAbiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok\nthe priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet,\nand the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. And\nAdonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth,\nand called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah\nthe king's servants: but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the\nmighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.\n\nWherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying,\nHast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and\nDavid our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, let me, I pray\nthee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the\nlife of thy son Solomon. Go and get thee in unto king David, and say\nunto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid,\nsaying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall\nsit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? Behold, while thou\nyet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and\nconfirm thy words.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 1]\n\nAnd Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber, and spake as\nNathan had commanded her. And, lo, while she yet talked with the king,\nNathan the prophet also came in. And they told the king, saying, Behold\nNathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed\nhimself before the king with his face to the ground. And Nathan said,\nMy lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and\nhe shall sit upon my throne? For he is gone down this day, and hath\nslain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called\nall the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the\npriest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save\nking Adonijah. But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and\nBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not\ncalled. Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not\nshewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the\nking after him?\n\nThen king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came\ninto the king's presence, and stood before the king. And the king\nsware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out\nof all distress, even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel,\nsaying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall\nsit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.\nThen Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to\nthe king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.\n\nAnd king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet,\nand Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. The\nking also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and\ncause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to\nGihon: and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there\nking over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king\nSolomon. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon\nmy throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him\nto be ruler over Israel and over Judah.\n\nAnd Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the\nLORD God of my lord the king say so too. As the LORD hath been with my\nlord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater\nthan the throne of my lord king David.\n\nSo Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of\nJehoiada, and the king's body-guard, went down, and caused Solomon to\nride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the\npriest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon.\nAnd they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king\nSolomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped\nwith pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with\nthe sound of them.\n\nAnd Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they\nhad made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the\ntrumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an\nuproar? And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar\nthe priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art\na valiant man, and bringest good tidings. And Jonathan answered and\nsaid to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.\nAnd Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in\nGihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city\nrang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. And also Solomon\nsitteth on the throne of the kingdom. And moreover the king's servants\ncame to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon\nbetter than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne.\nAnd the king bowed himself upon the bed. And also thus said the king,\nBlessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my\nthrone this day, mine eyes even seeing it. And all the guests that were\nwith Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.\n\nAnd Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught\nhold on the horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying,\nBehold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on\nthe horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day\nthat he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, If\nhe will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall\nto the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.\nSo king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he\ncame and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go\nto thine house.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 97\n\nDEATH OF KING DAVID\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 2]\n\nNOW the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged\nSolomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong\ntherefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the LORD thy\nGod, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments,\nand his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the\nlaw of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and\nwhithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the LORD may continue his word\nwhich he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to\ntheir way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all\ntheir soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of\nIsrael.\n\nSo David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.\nAnd the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven\nyears reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in\nJerusalem. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and\nhis kingdom was established greatly. And Solomon made affinity with\nPharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her\ninto the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own\nhouse, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 98\n\nSOLOMON'S JUDGMENT\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 3]\n\nAND Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his\nfather. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was\nthe great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon\nthat altar. In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night:\nand God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast\nshewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he\nwalked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness\nof heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness,\nthat thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this\nday. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead\nof David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go\nout or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which\nthou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted\nfor multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to\njudge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is\nable to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the\nLord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because\nthou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life;\nneither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine\nenemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;\nbehold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a\nwise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee\nbefore thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I\nhave also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and\nhonour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee\nall thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and\nmy commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy\ndays.\n\nAnd Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to\nJerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and\noffered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a\nfeast to all his servants.\n\nThen came there two women unto the king, and stood before him. And the\none woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I\nwas delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the\nthird day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered\nalso: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house,\nsave we two in the house. And this woman's child died in the night;\nbecause she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son\nfrom beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom,\nand laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to\ngive my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered\nit in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And\nthe other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is\nthy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is\nmy son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one\nsaith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the\nother saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.\nAnd the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before\nthe king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give\nhalf to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the\nliving child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son,\nand she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay\nit. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide\nit. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in\nno wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the\njudgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they\nsaw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.\n\n[Illustration: THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON, BY BONIFACIO VERONESE\n\nIN THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, VENICE]\n\nAnd Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of\nthe Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents,\nand served Solomon all the days of his life. And Judah and Israel dwelt\nsafely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even\nto Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.\n\nAnd God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and\nlargeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And\nSolomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east\ncountry, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men:\nand his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three\nthousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake\nof trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop\nthat springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl,\nand of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people\nto hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had\nheard of his wisdom.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 99\n\nTHE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 5]\n\nAND Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had\nheard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for\nHiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,\nThou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto\nthe name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on\nevery side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. But\nnow the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is\nneither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I purpose to build\nan house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto\nDavid my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in\nthy room, he shall build an house unto my name. Now therefore command\nthou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants\nshall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy\nservants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest\nthat there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto\nthe Sidonians.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 6]\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he\nrejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath\ngiven unto David a wise son over this great people. And Hiram sent\nto Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest\nto me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar,\nand concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down from\nLebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in floats unto the\nplace that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged\nthere, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt accomplish my\ndesire, in giving food for my household. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar\ntrees and fir trees according to all his desire. And Solomon gave\nHiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and\ntwenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.\nAnd king Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was\nthirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month\nby courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and\nAdoniram was over the levy.\n\nAnd Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and\nfourscore thousand hewers in the mountains; beside the chief of\nSolomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three\nhundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. And the\nking commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed\nstones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solomon's builders and\nHiram's builders did hew them: so they prepared timber and stones to\nbuild the house.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the\nchildren of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth\nyear of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the\nsecond month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. And the\nhouse, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it\nwas brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any\ntool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building. So he built\nthe house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards\nof cedar. And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and\nopen flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen. And the oracle\nhe prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant\nof the LORD. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had\nfinished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he\noverlaid with gold.\n\nAnd within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten\ncubits high. And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they\nstretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the\none touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched\nthe other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of\nthe house. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. And he carved all\nthe walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims\nand palm trees and open flowers, within and without. And the floor of\nthe house he overlaid with gold, within and without. And he built the\ninner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.\nIn the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid,\nin the month Zif: and in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which\nis the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts\nthereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years\nin building it.\n\nAnd king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was a widow's\nson of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a\nworker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and\ncunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and\nwrought all his work. For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen\ncubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of\nthem about. And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple. And\nhe made a molten sea. It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward\nthe north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward\nthe south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above\nupon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. And it was an hand\nbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup,\nwith flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. And Hiram made\nthe lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. In the plain of Jordan\ndid the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.\n\nAnd Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding\nmany: neither was the weight of the brass found out. And Solomon made\nall the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar\nof gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was, and the\ncandlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the\nleft, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs\nof gold, and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the\nspoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for\nthe doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors\nof the house, to wit, of the temple. So was ended all the work that\nking Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the\nthings which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the\ngold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of\nthe LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 100\n\nTHE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 8]\n\nTHEN Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the\ntribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king\nSolomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant\nof the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men\nof Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the\nmonth Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel\ncame, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of\nthe LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy\nvessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the\nLevites bring up. And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel,\nthat were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing\nsheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And\nthe priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his\nplace, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under\nthe wings of the cherubims. For the cherubims spread forth their two\nwings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and\nthe staves thereof above. There was nothing in the ark save the two\ntables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a\ncovenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of\nEgypt. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy\nplace, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests\ncould not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the\nLORD had filled the house of the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 8]\n\nThen spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick\ndarkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled\nplace for thee to abide in for ever. And the king turned his face\nabout, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the\ncongregation of Israel stood;) and he said, Blessed be the LORD God of\nIsrael, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with\nhis hand fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I brought forth my\npeople Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of\nIsrael to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose\nDavid to be over my people Israel. And it was in the heart of David\nmy father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.\nAnd the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart\nto build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine\nheart. Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that\nshall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my\nname. And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am\nrisen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of\nIsrael, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name\nof the LORD God of Israel. And I have set there a place for the ark,\nwherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers,\nwhen he brought them out of the land of Egypt.\n\nAnd Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all\nthe congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:\nand he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven\nabove, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy\nservants that walk before thee with all their heart: who hast kept with\nthy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also\nwith thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this\nday. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and\nheaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I\nhave builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and\nto his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the\nprayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: that thine eyes\nmay be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of\nwhich thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken\nunto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And\nhearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people\nIsrael, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven\nthy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.\n\nIf any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon\nhim to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in\nthis house: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants,\ncondemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying\nthe righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.\n\nWhen heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned\nagainst thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name,\nand turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: then hear thou\nin heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people\nIsrael, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and\ngive rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an\ninheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence,\nblasting, mildew, locust, or if there be a caterpiller; if their enemy\nbesiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever\nsickness there be; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any\nman, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague\nof his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then\nhear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give\nto every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for\nthou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)\nthat they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which\nthou gavest unto our fathers.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 8]\n\nMoreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel,\nbut cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake; (for they shall\nhear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched\nout arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in\nheaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger\ncalleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to\nfear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this\nhouse, which I have builded, is called by thy name.\n\nIf thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou\nshalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which\nthou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:\nthen hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and\nmaintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man\nthat sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to\nthe enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the\nenemy, far or near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land\nwhither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication\nunto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We\nhave sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;\nand so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul,\nin the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray\nunto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the\ncity which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy\nname: then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven\nthy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people\nthat have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein\nthey have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before\nthem who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:\nfor they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest\nforth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: that thine\neyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the\nsupplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that\nthey call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all\nthe people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by\nthe hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of\nEgypt, O Lord GOD.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 8]\n\nNow therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the\nark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with\nsalvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, turn\nnot away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy\nservant.\n\nAnd it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this\nprayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar\nof the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to\nheaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with\na loud voice, saying, Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto\nhis people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not\nfailed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand\nof Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our\nfathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may incline our\nhearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments,\nand his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.\nAnd let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the\nLORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the\ncause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times,\nas the matter shall require: that all the people of the earth may know\nthat the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart\ntherefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes,\nand to keep his commandments, as at this day.\n\nNow when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from\nheaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the\nglory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter\ninto the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled\nthe LORD'S house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the\nfire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed\nthemselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and\nworshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy\nendureth for ever.\n\nThen the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.\nAnd king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen,\nand an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the\npeople dedicated the house of God.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 101\n\nTHE QUEEN OF SHEBA\n\n\nAND when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning\nthe name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And\nshe came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare\nspices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come\nto Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And\nSolomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from\nthe king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen\nall Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of\nhis table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his\nministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by\nwhich he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit\nin her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in\nmine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the\nwords, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half\nwas not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I\nheard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand\ncontinually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD\nthy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel:\nbecause the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to\ndo judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty\ntalents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones:\nthere came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of\nSheba gave to king Solomon.\n\nAnd king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire,\nwhatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal\nbounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 102\n\nSOLOMON'S RICHES--HE FORSAKES THE LORD\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 10]\n\nNOW the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six\nhundred threescore and six talents of gold, beside that he had of the\nmerchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all\nthe kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. And king\nSolomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of\ngold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten\ngold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them\nin the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great\nthrone of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. The throne had six\nsteps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays\non either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the\nstays. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other\nupon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. And\nall king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels\nof the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of\nsilver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. For the\nking had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in\nthree years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver,\nivory, and apes, and peacocks. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings\nof the earth for riches and for wisdom.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 11]\n\nAnd all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God\nhad put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels\nof silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices,\nhorses, and mules, a rate year by year. And Solomon gathered together\nchariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots,\nand twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for\nchariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver to\nbe in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore\ntrees that are in the vale, for abundance. And Solomon had horses\nbrought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the\nlinen yarn at a price.\n\nBut king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter\nof Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and\nHittites. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives\nturned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect\nwith the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. And\nSolomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the\nLORD, as did David his father.\n\nAnd the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from\nthe LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had\ncommanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other\ngods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Wherefore the LORD\nsaid unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not\nkept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will\nsurely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.\nNotwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's\nsake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not\nrend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David\nmy servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.\n\nAnd the LORD stirred up adversaries against Solomon. And Jeroboam\nthe son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, even\nhe lifted up his hand against the king. And the man Jeroboam was a\nmighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was\nindustrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of\nJoseph. And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of\nJerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way;\nand he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in\nthe field: and Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent\nit in twelve pieces: and he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for\nthus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom\nout of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. Howbeit\nI will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him\nprince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I\nchose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: but I will take\nthe kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten\ntribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant\nmay have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have\nchosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt\nreign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over\nIsrael. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command\nthee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to\nkeep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I\nwill be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David,\nand will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of\nDavid, but not for ever.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 11]\n\nSolomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled\ninto Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the\ndeath of Solomon.\n\nAnd the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was\nforty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the\ncity of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK X--THE DIVIDED KINGDOM\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 103\n\nREHOBOAM--THE REVOLT OF THE TEN TRIBES\n\n\nAND Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to\nmake him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who\nwas yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of\nking Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) that they sent and called\nhim. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake\nunto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore\nmake thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which\nhe put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto\nthem, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people\ndeparted.\n\nAnd king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon\nhis father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may\nanswer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be\na servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer\nthem, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for\never. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given\nhim, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and\nwhich stood before him: and he said unto them, What counsel give ye\nthat we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the\nyoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? And the young men that\nwere grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak\nunto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our\nyoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto\nthem, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And now\nwhereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your\nyoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you\nwith scorpions.\n\nSo Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the\nking had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. And the\nking answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel\nthat they gave him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young\nmen, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your\nyoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you\nwith scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for\nthe cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which\nthe LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.\n\nSo when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the\npeople answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David?\nneither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O\nIsrael: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto\ntheir tents.\n\nBut as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah,\nRehoboam reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was\nover the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died.\nTherefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to\nflee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto\nthis day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was\ncome again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and\nmade him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house\nof David, but the tribe of Judah only.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 12]\n\nAnd when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of\nJudah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand\nchosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel,\nto bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word\nof God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam,\nthe son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and\nBenjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the\nLORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children\nof Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me.\nThey hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to\ndepart, according to the word of the LORD.\n\nThen Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and\nwent out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart,\nNow shall the kingdom return to the house of David: if this people go\nup to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall\nthe heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam\nking of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of\nJudah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold,\nand said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:\nbehold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of\nEgypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And\nthis thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one,\neven unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of\nthe lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 14]\n\nAt that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said\nto his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be\nnot known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold,\nthere is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over\nthis people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse\nof honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the\nchild. And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and\ncame to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes\nwere set by reason of his age.\n\nAnd the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to\nask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt\nthou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall\nfeign herself to be another woman. And it was so, when Ahijah heard the\nsound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in,\nthou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I\nam sent to thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the\nLORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people,\nand made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away\nfrom the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been\nas my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me\nwith all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but\nhast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and\nmade thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and\nhast cast me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon\nthe house of Jeroboam. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall\nthe dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the\nair eat: for the LORD hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee\nto thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child\nshall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he\nonly of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found\nsome good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.\nMoreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut\noff the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now. For the LORD\nshall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall\nroot up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers,\nand shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their\ngroves, provoking the LORD to anger. And he shall give Israel up\nbecause of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to\nsin.\n\nAnd Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when\nshe came to the threshold of the door, the child died; and they buried\nhim; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD,\nwhich he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. And the\ndays which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept\nwith his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 104\n\nTHREE KINGS OF JUDAH\n\n\nAND Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty\nand one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen\nyears in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the\ntribes of Israel, to put his name there. And Judah did evil in the\nsight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins\nwhich they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak\nking of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: and he took away the treasures\nof the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he\neven took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which\nSolomon had made. And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all\ntheir days. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with\nhis fathers in the city of David. And Abijam his son reigned in his\nstead.\n\nNow in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned\nAbijam over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And he walked\nin all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his\nheart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his\nfather. Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him\na lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish\nJerusalem: because David did that which was right in the eyes of the\nLORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all\nthe days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.\nAnd Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of\nDavid: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 14]\n\nAnd in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over\nJudah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And Asa did\nthat which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: for he\ntook away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and\nbrake down the images, and cut down the groves: and commanded Judah\nto seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the\ncommandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high\nplaces and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. And he\nbuilt fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war\nin those years; because the LORD had given him rest.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 15]\n\nIn the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel\ncame up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might\nlet none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out\nsilver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of\nthe king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at\nDamascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was\nbetween my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and\ngold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may\ndepart from me. And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the\ncaptains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote\nIjon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.\nAnd it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building\nof Ramah, and let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah;\nand they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof,\nwherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.\nAnd Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the\ncity of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 105\n\nTHE WICKED KINGS OF ISRAEL\n\n\nAND Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second\nyear of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. And he\ndid evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father,\nand in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Baasha the son\nof Ahijah conspired against him, and smote him, and reigned in his\nstead. And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the\nhouse of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until\nhe had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he\nspake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. In the third year of Asa\nking of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel\nin Tirzah, twenty and four years. And he did evil in the sight of\nthe LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith\nhe made Israel to sin. Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son\nof Hanani against Baasha, saying, Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of\nthe dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast\nwalked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin,\nto provoke me to anger with their sins; behold, I will take away the\nposterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy\nhouse like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. So Baasha slept with\nhis fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his\nstead. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired\nagainst him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house\nof Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. And Zimri went in and smote\nhim, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of\nJudah, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he began to\nreign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of\nBaasha.\n\nAnd the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the\nPhilistines. And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath\nconspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made\nOmri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.\nAnd Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they\nbesieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was\ntaken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt\nthe king's house over him with fire, and died. Then were the people of\nIsrael divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the\nson of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. But the people\nthat followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the\nson of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. But Omri wrought evil\nin the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.\nSo Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his\nson reigned in his stead.\n\nAnd in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the\nson of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab reigned over Israel in\nSamaria twenty and two years. And Ahab did evil in the sight of the\nLORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had\nbeen a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of\nNebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of\nthe Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he\nreared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in\nSamaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD\nGod of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before\nhim.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 106\n\nELIJAH\n\n\nAND Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said\nunto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand,\nthere shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.\nAnd the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and\nturn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is\nbefore Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook;\nand I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did\naccording unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook\nCherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and\nflesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank\nof the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried\nup, because there had been no rain in the land.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 17]\n\nAnd the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to\nZarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have\ncommanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went\nto Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the\nwidow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and\nsaid, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may\ndrink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said,\nBring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said,\nAs the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal\nin a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering\ntwo sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we\nmay eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as\nthou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it\nunto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the\nLORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall\nthe cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon\nthe earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and\nshe, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal\nwasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word\nof the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. And it came to pass after these\nthings, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell\nsick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in\nhim. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man\nof God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to\nslay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out\nof her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid\nhim upon his own bed. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my\nGod, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by\nslaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times,\nand cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let\nthis child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of\nElijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.\nAnd Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into\nthe house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy\nson liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou\nart a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 18]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 107\n\nELIJAH AND THE PROPHETS OF BAAL\n\n\nAND it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came\nto Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and\nI will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto\nAhab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah,\nwhich was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD\ngreatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD,\nthat Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a\ncave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah,\nGo into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks:\nperadventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive,\nthat we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them\nto pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went\nanother way by himself.\n\nAnd as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him,\nand fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? And he\nanswered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he\nsaid, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into\nthe hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no\nnation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and\nwhen they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and\nnation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy\nlord, Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I\nam gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither\nI know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee,\nhe shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. Was it\nnot told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD,\nhow I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and\nfed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord,\nBehold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. And Elijah said, As the\nLORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself\nunto him to day. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab\nwent to meet Elijah.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art\nthou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled\nIsrael; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the\ncommandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore\nsend, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets\nof Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four\nhundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the\nchildren of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount\nCarmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye\nbetween two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then\nfollow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah\nunto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but\nBaal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give\nus two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and\ncut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will\ndress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and\ncall ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the\nLORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the\npeople answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the\nprophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it\nfirst; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no\nfire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they\ndressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until\nnoon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that\nanswered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to\npass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is\na god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey,\nor peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud,\nand cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till\nthe blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was\npast, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening\nsacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any\nthat regarded.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 19]\n\nAnd Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the\npeople came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that\nwas broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number\nof the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD\ncame, saying, Israel shall be thy name: and with the stones he built an\naltar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar,\nas great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in\norder, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and\nsaid, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice,\nand on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it\nthe second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the\nthird time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the\ntrench also with water.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 19]\n\nAnd it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening\nsacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of\nAbraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art\nGod in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all\nthese things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people\nmay know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their\nheart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the\nburnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked\nup the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it,\nthey fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the\nLORD, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of\nBaal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah\nbrought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.\n\nAnd Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a\nsound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And\nElijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the\nearth, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant,\nGo up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said,\nThere is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to\npass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little\ncloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto\nAhab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee\nnot. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black\nwith clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and\nwent to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded\nup his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 108\n\nTHE STILL SMALL VOICE\n\n\nAND Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had\nslain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger\nunto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make\nnot thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.\n\nAnd when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to\nBeer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But\nhe himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat\ndown under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might\ndie; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am\nnot better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper\ntree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and\neat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals,\nand a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid\nhim down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time,\nand touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too\ngreat for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the\nstrength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount\nof God.\n\nAnd he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the\nword of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou\nhere, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of\nhosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown\ndown thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I\nonly, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go\nforth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD\npassed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in\npieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and\nafter the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:\nand after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and\nafter the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard\nit, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in\nthe entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him,\nand said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very\njealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have\nforsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets\nwith the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life,\nto take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to\nthe wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be\nking over Syria: and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be\nking over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt\nthou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that\nhim that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that\nescapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me\nseven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal,\nand every mouth which hath not kissed him.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 19]\n\nSo he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was\nplowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth:\nand Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left\nthe oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my\nfather and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto\nhim, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back\nfrom him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their\nflesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and\nthey did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto\nhim.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 109\n\nSIEGE OF SAMARIA\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 20]\n\nAND Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and\nthere were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots:\nand he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. And he\nsent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto\nhim, Thus saith Ben-hadad, thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives\nalso and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of\nIsrael answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying,\nI am thine, and all that I have. And the messengers came again, and\nsaid, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee,\nsaying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives,\nand thy children; yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow\nabout this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of\nthy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine\neyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away. Then the king\nof Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray\nyou, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my\nwives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and\nI denied him not. And all the elders and all the people said unto\nhim, Hearken not unto him, nor consent. Wherefore he said unto the\nmessengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst\nsend for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may\nnot do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again. And\nBen-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more\nalso, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the\npeople that follow me. And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell\nhim, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that\nputteth it off. And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message,\nas he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said\nunto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in\narray against the city.\n\nAnd, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying,\nThus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold,\nI will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I\nam the LORD. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD,\nEven by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said,\nWho shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. Then he numbered the\nyoung men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred\nand thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all\nthe children of Israel, being seven thousand. So these young men of\nthe princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which\nfollowed them. And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled;\nand Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an\nhorse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the\nhorses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.\n\nAnd the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go,\nstrengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the\nreturn of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. And\nit came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered\nthe Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. And the\nchildren of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went\nagainst them. And they pitched one over against the other seven days.\nAnd so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the\nchildren of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in\none day.\n\nAnd Ben-hadad's servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that\nthe kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray\nthee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out\nto the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. So they\ngirded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came\nto the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray\nthee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? Go ye, bring him. Then\nBen-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the\nchariot. And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took\nfrom thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee\nin Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send\nthee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent\nhim away.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 21]\n\nAnd the LORD sent a prophet unto the king of Israel. And he said unto\nhim, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a\nman whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go\nfor his life, and thy people for his people. And the king of Israel\nwent to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 110\n\nNABOTH'S VINEYARD\n\n\nAND it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had\na vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of\nSamaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that\nI may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house:\nand I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem\ngood to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth\nsaid to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance\nof my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and\ndispleased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken\nto him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my\nfathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face,\nand would eat no bread.\n\nBut Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy\nspirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her,\nBecause I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give\nme thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give\nthee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee\nmy vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern\nthe kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be\nmerry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she\nwrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent\nthe letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city,\ndwelling with Naboth, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high\namong the people: and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear\nwitness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And\nthen carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 21]\n\nAnd the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the\ninhabitants in his city, did as it was written in the letters which\nshe had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high\namong the people.\n\nAnd there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him:\nand the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in\nthe presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the\nking. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him\nwith stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth\nis stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that\nNaboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise,\ntake possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he\nrefused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.\nAnd it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab\nrose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take\npossession of it.\n\nAnd the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise,\ngo down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he\nis in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.\nAnd thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou\nkilled, and also taken possession? Thus saith the LORD, In the place\nwhere dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even\nthine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And\nhe answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work\nevil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and\nwill take away thy posterity, and will make thine house like the house\nof Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of\nAhijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger,\nand made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The\ndogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab\nin the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall\nthe fowls of the air eat.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his\nclothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in\nsackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah\nthe Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?\nbecause he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his\ndays: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 111\n\nJEHOSHAPHAT, KING OF JUDAH\n\n\nAND they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.\nAnd it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of\nJudah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto\nhis servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is our's, and we be still,\nand take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? And he said unto\nJehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And\nJehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as\nthy people, my horses as thy horses.\n\nAnd Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee,\nat the word of the LORD to day. Then the king of Israel gathered\nthe prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them,\nShall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And\nthey said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the\nking. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD\nbesides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto\nJehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom\nwe may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy\ngood concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king\nsay so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten\nhither Micaiah the son of Imlah. So he came to the king. And the king\nsaid unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or\nshall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD\nshall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him,\nHow many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that\nwhich is true in the name of the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel\nscattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the\nLORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house\nin peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell\nthee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And the\nking of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the\ngovernor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; and say, Thus saith\nthe king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of\naffliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. And\nMicaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken\nby me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 22]\n\nSo the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to\nRamoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will\ndisguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes.\nAnd the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. But\nthe king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule\nover his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save\nonly with the king of Israel. And it came to pass, when the captains\nof the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king\nof Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat\ncried out. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots\nperceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back\nfrom pursuing him. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote\nthe king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he\nsaid unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out\nof the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day: and\nthe king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at\neven: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.\nAnd there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down\nof the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own\ncountry. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried\nthe king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria;\nand the dogs licked up his blood; according unto the word of the LORD\nwhich he spake. So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son\nreigned in his stead.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Kings 22]\n\nJehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year\nof Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when\nhe began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem.\nAnd he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside\nfrom it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. And\nJehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in\nthe city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 112\n\nAHAZIAH, KING OF ISRAEL\n\n\nAHAZIAH the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the\nseventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years\nover Israel. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in\nthe way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way\nof Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: for he served\nBaal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel,\naccording to all that his father had done.\n\nThen Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.\n\nAnd Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was\nin Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them,\nGo, enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of\nthis disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,\nArise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say\nunto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go\nto enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the\nLORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up,\nbut shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. So he died according to the\nword of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his\nstead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 113\n\nELIJAH TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by\na whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And fifty men of\nthe sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two\nstood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together,\nand smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that\nthey two went over on dry ground.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto\nElisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.\nAnd Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be\nupon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if\nthou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but\nif not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went\non, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and\nhorses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a\nwhirlwind into heaven.\n\nAnd Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of\nIsrael, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took\nhold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also\nthe mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood\nby the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell\nfrom him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of\nElijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and\nthither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which\nwere to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth\nrest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the\nground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with\nthy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy\nmaster: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and\ncast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall\nnot send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send.\nThey sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found\nhim not. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,)\nhe said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 2]\n\nAnd the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the\nsituation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is\nnaught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and\nput salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto\nthe spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus\nsaith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from\nthence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto\nthis day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.\n\nAnd he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by\nthe way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked\nhim, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.\nAnd he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name\nof the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and\ntare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount\nCarmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 114\n\nWAR WITH THE MOABITES\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 3]\n\nNOW Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the\neighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.\nAnd he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father,\nand like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father\nhad made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of\nNebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.\n\nAnd Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of\nIsrael an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with\nthe wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of\nMoab rebelled against the king of Israel.\n\nAnd king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all\nIsrael. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying,\nThe king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against\nMoab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people\nas thy people, and my horses as thy horses. And he said, Which way\nshall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of\nEdom. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king\nof Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there\nwas no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them. And\nthe king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three\nkings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! But Jehoshaphat\nsaid, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of\nthe LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and\nsaid, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the\nhands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with\nhim. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went\ndown to him. And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do\nwith thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets\nof thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD\nhath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand\nof Moab. And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I\nstand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat\nthe king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now\nbring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played,\nthat the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, Thus saith the\nLORD, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the LORD, Ye\nshall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall\nbe filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and\nyour beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he\nwill deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every\nfenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and\nstop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.\nAnd it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered,\nthat, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was\nfilled with water.\n\nAnd when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight\nagainst them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and\nupward, and stood in the border. And they rose up early in the morning,\nand the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the\nother side as red as blood: and they said, This is blood: the kings are\nsurely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab,\nto the spoil. And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites\nrose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they\nwent forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country. And they\nbeat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man\nhis stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and\nfelled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones\nthereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.\n\nAnd when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him,\nhe took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through\neven unto the king of Edom: but they could not. Then he took his eldest\nson that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt\noffering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel:\nand they departed from him, and returned to their own land.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 115\n\nTHE WIDOW'S OIL--THE SHUNAMMITE\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 4]\n\nNOW there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the\nprophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and\nthou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is\ncome to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto\nher, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house?\nAnd she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a\npot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy\nneighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art\ncome in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and\nshalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that\nwhich is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and\nupon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.\nAnd it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto\nher son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a\nvessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God.\nAnd he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy\nchildren of the rest.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 4]\n\nAnd it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great\nwoman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft\nas he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto\nher husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God,\nwhich passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray\nthee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table,\nand a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to\nus, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came\nthither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. And he said to\nGehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her,\nshe stood before him. And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold,\nthou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done\nfor thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of\nthe host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. And he said,\nWhat then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath\nno child, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her. And when he\nhad called her, she stood in the door. And he said, About this season,\naccording to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said,\nNay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. And the\nwoman bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her.\n\nAnd when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his\nfather to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head.\nAnd he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken\nhim, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon,\nand then died. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of\nGod, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called unto her\nhusband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and\none of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.\nAnd he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new\nmoon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. Then she saddled\nan ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy\nriding for me, except I bid thee. So she went and came unto the man of\nGod to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her\nafar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that\nShunammite: run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it\nwell with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?\nAnd she answered, It is well.\n\nAnd when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the\nfeet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said,\nLet her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid\nit from me, and hath not told me. Then she said, Did I desire a son of\nmy lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?\n\nThen he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine\nhand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any\nsalute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of\nthe child. And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and\nas thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed\nher. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face\nof the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he\nwent again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.\nAnd when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead,\nand laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon\nthem twain, and prayed unto the LORD. And he went up, and lay upon the\nchild, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes,\nand his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child;\nand the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in\nthe house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and\nthe child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he\ncalled Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And\nwhen she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went\nin, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up\nher son, and went out.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 116\n\nNAAMAN HEALED--THE IRON SWIMS\n\n\nNOW Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man\nwith his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given\ndeliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was\na leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought\naway captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited\non Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord\nwere with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of\nhis leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus\nsaid the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria\nsaid, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And\nhe departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand\npieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter\nto the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee,\nbehold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou\nmayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king\nof Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am\nI God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to\nrecover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see\nhow he seeketh a quarrel against me.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 5]\n\nAnd it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king\nof Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying,\nWherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he\nshall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with\nhis horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house\nof Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash\nin Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and\nthou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said,\nBehold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call\non the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place,\nand recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus,\nbetter than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be\nclean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came\nnear, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid\nthee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much\nrather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he\ndown, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying\nof the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a\nlittle child, and he was clean.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 6]\n\nAnd he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came,\nand stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no\nGod in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take\na blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before\nwhom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but\nhe refused. And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be\ngiven to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will\nhenceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods,\nbut unto the LORD. In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that\nwhen my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he\nleaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD\npardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace.\nSo he departed from him a little way.\n\nBut Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my\nmaster hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands\nthat which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him,\nand take somewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when\nNaaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to\nmeet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well. My master\nhath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount\nEphraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray\nthee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. And Naaman said,\nBe content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents\nof silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon\ntwo of his servants; and they bare them before him. And when he came\nto the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the\nhouse: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and\nstood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou,\nGehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto\nhim, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his\nchariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive\ngarments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and\nmenservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall\ncleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his\npresence a leper as white as snow.\n\nAnd the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place\nwhere we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee,\nunto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a\nplace there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said,\nBe content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I\nwill go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut\ndown wood. But as one was felling a beam, the ax head fell into the\nwater: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And\nthe man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And\nhe cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.\nTherefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and\ntook it.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 117\n\nBEN-HADAD, KING OF SYRIA, MAKES WAR ON ISRAEL\n\n\nTHEN the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with\nhis servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And\nthe man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou\npass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the\nking of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and\nwarned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore\nthe heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he\ncalled his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of\nus is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my\nlord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the\nking of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 6]\n\nAnd he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And\nit was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he\nthither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night,\nand compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God\nwas risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city\nboth with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas,\nmy master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that\nbe with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed,\nand said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the\nLORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the\nmountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.\nAnd when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said,\nSmite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with\nblindness according to the word of Elisha.\n\nAnd Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the\ncity: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he\nled them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into\nSamaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they\nmay see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold,\nthey were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto\nElisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite\nthem? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite\nthose whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set\nbread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to\ntheir master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they\nhad eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 7]\n\nAnd it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered\nall his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great\nfamine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head\nwas sold for fourscore pieces of silver.\n\nThen said the king, God do so and more also to me, if the head of\nElisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. But Elisha sat\nin his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from\nbefore him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders,\nSee ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head?\nlook, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at\nthe door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? And while\nhe yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and\nhe said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the\nLORD any longer?\n\nThen Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD,\nTo morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for\na shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of\nSamaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of\nGod, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might\nthis thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes,\nbut shalt not eat thereof.\n\nAnd there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and\nthey said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We\nwill enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall\ndie there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come,\nand let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive,\nwe shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. And they rose\nup in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they\nwere come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was\nno man there. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a\nnoise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great\nhost: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired\nagainst us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians,\nto come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and\nleft their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as\nit was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the\nuttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and\ndrink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and\nhid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried\nthence also, and went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do\nnot well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace:\nif we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us:\nnow therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. So\nthey came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them,\nsaying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no\nman there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and\nthe tents as they were. And he called the porters; and they told it to\nthe king's house within.\n\nAnd the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will\nnow shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be\nhungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in\nthe field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them\nalive, and get into the city. And one of his servants answered and\nsaid, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which\nare left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel\nthat are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude\nof the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see. They\ntook therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host\nof the Syrians, saying, Go and see. And they went after them unto\nJordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which\nthe Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned,\nand told the king. And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of\nthe Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two\nmeasures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. And\nthe king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge\nof the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as\nthe man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 8]\n\nAnd Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick;\nand it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the\nking said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the\nman of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of\nthis disease? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him,\neven of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came\nand stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath\nsent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? And Elisha\nsaid unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit\nthe LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die. And he settled his\ncountenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God\nwept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because\nI know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their\nstrong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay\nwith the sword, and wilt dash their children. And Hazael said, But\nwhat, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And\nElisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over\nSyria. So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to\nhim, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou\nshouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he\ntook a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face,\nso that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 118\n\nJEHU EXECUTES JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSE OF AHAB\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 8]\n\n\nIN the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoram the\nson of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. Now when Jehoram was\nrisen up to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself, and\nslew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes\nof Israel. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as\ndid the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he\nwrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD. Howbeit the LORD\nwould not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he\nhad made with David, and as he promised to give a light to him and to\nhis sons for ever. And there came a writing to him from Elijah the\nprophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because\nthou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the\nways of Asa king of Judah, but hast walked in the way of the kings of\nIsrael, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which\nwere better than thyself: behold, with a great plague will the LORD\nsmite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods.\nAnd after all this the LORD smote him with an incurable disease: so he\ndied of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like\nthe burning of his fathers. Thirty and two years old was he when he\nbegan to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed\nwithout being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David,\nbut not in the sepulchres of the kings. And Ahaziah his son reigned in\nhis stead. Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;\nand he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the\nhouse of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house\nof Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab. And he went\nwith Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in\nRamoth-gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. And king Joram went back\nto be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him\nat Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the\nson of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in\nJezreel, because he was sick.\n\nAnd Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and\nsaid unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine\nhand, and go to Ramoth-gilead: and when thou comest thither, look out\nthere Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and\nmake him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner\nchamber; then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say,\nThus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open\nthe door, and flee, and tarry not.\n\nSo the young man went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the\ncaptains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to\nthee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To\nthee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured\nthe oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of\nIsrael, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even\nover Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I\nmay avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all\nthe servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. And the dogs shall\neat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury\nher. And he opened the door, and fled.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 9]\n\nThen Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto\nhim, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said\nunto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. And they said, It is\nfalse; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying,\nThus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then they\nhasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top\nof the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. And Jehu\nsaid, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the\ncity to go to tell it in Jezreel. So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went\nto Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come\ndown to see Joram. And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel,\nand he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company.\nAnd Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him\nsay, Is it peace? So there went one on horseback to meet him, and\nsaid, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou\nto do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying,\nThe messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. Then he sent out a\nsecond on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king,\nIs it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn\nthee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them,\nand cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the\nson of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. And Joram said, Make ready.\nAnd his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah\nking of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against\nJehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came\nto pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he\nanswered, What peace, so long as the sins of thy mother Jezebel and her\nwitchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said\nto Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his\nfull strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went\nout at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. Then said Jehu to\nBidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field\nof Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode\ntogether after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;\nsurely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his\nsons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith\nthe LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground,\naccording to the word of the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 11]\n\nBut when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of\nthe garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him\nalso in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is\nby Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants\ncarried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre\nwith his fathers in the city of David.\n\nAnd when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted\nher face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu\nentered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?\nAnd he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side?\nwho? And there looked out to him two or three officers. And he said,\nThrow her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was\nsprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.\nAnd when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now\nthis cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they\nwent to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the\nfeet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told\nhim. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his\nservant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall\ndogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as\ndung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that\nthey shall not say, This is Jezebel.\n\nSo Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all\nhis great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him\nnone remaining. And they brought forth the images out of the house of\nBaal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake\ndown the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus\nJehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the\nlaw of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not\nfrom the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. In those days the\nLORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts\nof Israel.\n\nAnd Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And\nJehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned\nover Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 119\n\nJOASH, KING OF JUDAH\n\n\nWHEN Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she\narose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter\nof king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and\nstole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid\nhim, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that\nhe was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six\nyears. And Athaliah did reign over the land.\n\nAnd the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over\nhundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him\ninto the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took\nan oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's\nson. And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things\nthat Jehoiada the priest commanded. And to the captains over hundreds\ndid the priest give king David's spears and shields, that were in the\ntemple of the LORD. And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in\nhis hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to\nthe left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple. And\nhe brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave\nhim the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they\nclapped their hands, and said, God save the king.\n\nAnd when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people,\nshe came to the people into the temple of the LORD. And when she\nlooked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the\nprinces and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land\nrejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and\ncried, Treason, Treason. But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains\nof the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her\nforth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the\nsword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of\nthe LORD. And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by which\nthe horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 12]\n\nAnd Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the\npeople, that they should be the LORD'S people; between the king also\nand the people. And all the people of the land went into the house of\nBaal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces\nthoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And\nthe priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD. And he took\nthe rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the\npeople of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of\nthe LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's\nhouse. And he sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the\nland rejoiced, and the city was in quiet. Seven years old was Joash\nwhen he began to reign. In the seventh year of Jehu Joash began to\nreign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem, and did that which was\nright in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest\ninstructed him. But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he\ndied; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. And they\nburied him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done\ngood in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house. Now after the\ndeath of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the\nking. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of\nthe LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath\ncame upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. And the Spirit\nof God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood\nabove the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress\nye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye\nhave forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired\nagainst him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king\nin the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered\nnot the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew\nhis son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require\nit.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 13]\n\nAnd it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came\nup against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed\nall the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the\nspoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians\ncame with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great\nhost into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their\nfathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were\ndeparted from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own\nservants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada\nthe priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him\nin the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the\nkings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 120\n\nDEATH OF ELISHA\n\n\nIN the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of\nJudah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria,\nand reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the\nsight of the LORD. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against\nIsrael, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria,\nand into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And\nJehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him: for he saw\nthe oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.\n(And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under\nthe hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their\ntents, as beforetime. Nevertheless they departed not from the sins\nof the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein:\nand there remained the grove also in Samaria.) Neither did he leave\nof the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and\nten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and\nhad made them like the dust by threshing. And Jehoahaz slept with his\nfathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in\nhis stead.\n\nNow Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash\nthe king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and\nsaid, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen\nthereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took\nunto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine\nhand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his\nhands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward.\nAnd he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said,\nThe arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance\nfrom Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have\nconsumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And\nhe said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote\nthrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said,\nThou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten\nSyria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria\nbut thrice.\n\nAnd Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites\ninvaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as\nthey were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and\nthey cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was\nlet down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on\nhis feet.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 121\n\nJOASH AND AMAZIAH\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 14]\n\nIN the second year of Joash king of Israel reigned Amaziah king of\nJudah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD. And\nit came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand,\nthat he slew his servants which had slain the king his father. But the\nchildren of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is\nwritten in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded,\nsaying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the\nchildren be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put\nto death for his own sin. Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and\nsent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel,\nsaying, Come, let us see one another in the face. And Joash king of\nIsrael sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was\nin Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy\ndaughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was\nin Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. So Joash the king of Israel\nwent up; and Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled\nevery man to his tent. And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king\nof Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and\nbrought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from\nthe gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And Joash\nslept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of\nIsrael; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead. And Amaziah the son\nof Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz\nking of Israel fifteen years. Now they made a conspiracy against him in\nJerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish,\nand slew him there. And they brought him on horses: and he was buried\nat Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. And all the people\nof Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king\ninstead of his father Amaziah. And Azariah, who was also called Uzziah,\nreigned over Judah fifty and two years, and he did that which was right\nin the sight of the LORD. But the kings of Israel were evil kings:\nJeroboam and Zachariah his son, and Shallum and Menahem and Pekahiah.\nIn the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of\nRemaliah conspired against Pekahiah, and killed him, and reigned in his\nstead. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. In the\ndays of Pekah came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took all the\nland of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the\nson of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and\nsmote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 15]\n\nIn the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began\nJotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years\nold was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in\nJerusalem. He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed\nagainst them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an\nhundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten\nthousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him,\nboth the second year, and the third. So Jotham became mighty, because\nhe prepared his ways before the LORD his God. And Jotham slept with his\nfathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son\nreigned in his stead.\n\nAhaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned\nsixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in\nthe sight of the LORD, like David his father: for he walked in the\nways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.\nWherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of\nSyria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them\ncaptives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into\nthe hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.\nAnd the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two\nhundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much\nspoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. For the LORD brought\nJudah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and\ntransgressed sore against the LORD. And Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria\ncame unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. For Ahaz\ntook away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house\nof the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria:\nbut he helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he trespass\nyet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed\nunto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the\ngods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to\nthem, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all\nIsrael. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the\ncity, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres\nof the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 122\n\nISRAEL CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ASSYRIA\n\n\nIN the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah\nto reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did that which was\nevil in the sight of the LORD.\n\nAgainst him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became\nhis servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found\nconspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt,\nand brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year\nby year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in\nprison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and\nwent up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.\n\nIn the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and\ncarried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in\nHabor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For\nso it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD\ntheir God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from\nunder the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods.\nYet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the\nprophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways,\nand keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law\nwhich I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants\nthe prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their\nnecks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the\nLORD their God. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their\nGod, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove,\nand worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused\ntheir sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used\ndivination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the\nsight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very\nangry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none\nleft but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments\nof the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they\nmade. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them,\nand delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them\nout of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So\nwas Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.\nAnd the king of Assyria brought people from his own country, and placed\nthem in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and\nthey possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 17]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 123\n\nSENNACHERIB INVADES THE LAND\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 18]\n\nNOW it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of\nIsrael, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.\nAnd he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to\nall that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake\nthe images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen\nserpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel\ndid burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the\nLORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the\nkings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD,\nand departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which\nthe LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered\nwhithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of\nAssyria, and served him not. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib\nwas come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, he took\ncounsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the\nfountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there\nwas gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and\nthe brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should\nthe kings of Assyria come, and find much water? Also he strengthened\nhimself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to\nthe towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of\nDavid, and made darts and shields in abundance. And he set captains of\nwar over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of\nthe gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong\nand courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor\nfor all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than\nwith him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God\nto help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves\nupon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.\n\nAfter this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to\nJerusalem, unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at\nJerusalem, saying, Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do\nye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah\npersuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst,\nsaying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king\nof Assyria? Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the\npeople of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any\nways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? Who was there among\nall the gods of those nations that could deliver his people out of mine\nhand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?\nNow therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this\nmanner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom\nwas able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand\nof my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine\nhand? And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against\nhis servant Hezekiah. He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of\nIsrael, and to speak against him.\n\nThen they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people\nof Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble\nthem; that they might take the city. And they spake against the God of\nJerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were\nthe work of the hands of man. And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and\nthe prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.\n\nAnd Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and\nread it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread\nit before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O\nLORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the\nGod, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made\nheaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine\neyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him\nto reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have\ndestroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into\nthe fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood\nand stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD\nour God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the\nkingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou\nonly.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Kings 20]\n\nThen Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith\nthe LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against\nSennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. Therefore thus saith the LORD\nconcerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor\nshoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank\nagainst it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and\nshall not come into this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this\ncity, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.\n\nAnd it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out,\nand smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five\nthousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were\nall dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went\nand returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was\nworshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that two of his sons smote\nhim with the sword. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 124\n\nHEZEKIAH'S SICKNESS\n\n\nIN those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the\nson of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set\nthine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned\nhis face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee,\nO LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with\na perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And\nHezekiah wept sore.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Chronicles 33]\n\nAnd it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court,\nthat the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell\nHezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of\nDavid thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears:\nbehold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the\nhouse of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I\nwill deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria;\nand I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant\nDavid's sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and\nlaid it on the boil, and he recovered.\n\nAnd Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD\nwill heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the\nthird day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that\nthe LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go\nforward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It\nis a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let\nthe shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried\nunto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which\nit had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.\n\nAt that time Berodach-baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a\npresent unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.\nAnd Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his\nprecious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the\nprecious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was\nfound in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his\ndominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet\nunto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from\nwhence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far\ncountry, even from Babylon. And he said, What have they seen in thine\nhouse? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house\nhave they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not\nshewed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.\nBehold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which\nthy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into\nBabylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.\n\nAnd Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in\nhis stead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 125\n\nMANASSEH, AMON, AND JOSIAH\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Chronicles 34]\n\nMANASSEH was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned\nfifty and five years in Jerusalem: but did that which was evil in the\nsight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the\nLORD had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again\nthe high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he\nreared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the\nhost of heaven, and served them. And he set a carved image, the idol\nwhich he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David\nand to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have\nchosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever. So\nManasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do\nworse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children\nof Israel. And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they\nwould not hearken. Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of\nthe host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns,\nand bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he\nwas in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself\ngreatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him: and he was\nintreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to\nJerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was\nGod. So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own\nhouse: and Amon his son reigned in his stead. But he did that which\nwas evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father; and\nhumbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled\nhimself; but Amon trespassed more and more. And his servants conspired\nagainst him, and slew him in his own house. But the people of the land\nslew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people\nof the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. Josiah was eight\nyears old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and\nthirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD.\nFor in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began\nto seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year\nhe began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the\ngroves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And they brake\ndown the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on\nhigh above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images,\nand the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and\nstrowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And\nhe burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah\nand Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim,\nand Simeon, even unto Naphtali. And when he had cut down all the idols\nthroughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Chronicles 35]\n\nNow in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land,\nand the house, he sent Shaphan and Maaseiah the governor of the city,\nand Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the\nLORD his God. And when they brought out the money that was brought into\nthe house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of\nthe LORD given by Moses. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.\nThen Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath\ngiven me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to\npass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his\nclothes. And the king commanded, saying, Go, enquire of the LORD for\nme, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the\nwords of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD\nthat is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word\nof the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book. And Hilkiah,\nand they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess;\nand they spake to her to that effect. And she answered them, Thus saith\nthe LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, Thus\nsaith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon\nthe inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the\nbook which they have read before the king of Judah: because they have\nforsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might\nprovoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my\nwrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.\nAnd as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so\nshall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the\nwords which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou\ndidst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against\nthis place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself\nbefore me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have\neven heard thee also, saith the LORD. Behold, I will gather thee to\nthy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither\nshall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place,\nand upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word\nagain.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Chronicles 35]\n\nThen the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and\nJerusalem, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,\nand the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small:\nand he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant\nthat was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood in his\nplace, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD,\nand to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes,\nwith all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the\ncovenant which are written in this book. And he caused all that were\npresent in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants\nof Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their\nfathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the\ncountries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that\nwere present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And\nall his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of\ntheir fathers.\n\nMoreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they\nkilled the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. And he\nset the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of\nthe house of the LORD. And the children of Israel that were present\nkept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven\ndays. And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the\ndays of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep\nsuch a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites,\nand all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of\nJerusalem.\n\n[Sidenote: II. Chronicles 35]\n\nAfter all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of\nEgypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah\nwent out against him. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king\nsaid to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants\ntherefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second\nchariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died,\nand was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah\nand Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah:\nand all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their\nlamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and,\nbehold, they are written in the lamentations.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK XI--THE CAPTIVITY AND THE RETURN\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 126\n\nTHE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY\n\n\nTHEN the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made\nhim king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and\nthree years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months\nin Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and\ncondemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of\ngold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah\nand Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim; and took Jehoahaz, and\ncarried him to Egypt.\n\nJehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and\nhe reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil\nin the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar\nking of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. And\nJehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.\n\nAnd Jehoiachin did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. And\nwhen the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him\nto Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and\nmade Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was\none and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven\nyears in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of\nthe LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet\nspeaking from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against king\nNebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his\nneck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month,\nin the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon\ncame, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it;\nand they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged\nunto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the\nfourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread\nfor the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men\nof war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which\nis by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round\nabout:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of\nthe Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of\nJericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the\nking, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they\ngave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his\neyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of\nbrass, and carried him to Babylon.\n\nAnd all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the\ntreasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and\nof his princes; all these Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon. And they\nburnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt\nall the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels\nthereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to\nBabylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign\nof the kingdom of Persia: to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth\nof Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as\nshe lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 127\n\nTHE RETURN\n\n\n[Sidenote: Ezra 1]\n\nNOW in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the\nLORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred\nup the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation\nthroughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus\nsaith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all\nthe kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house\nat Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his\npeople? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is\nin Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the\nGod,) which is in Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of\nJudah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them\nwhose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD\nwhich is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened\ntheir hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with\nbeasts, and with precious things.\n\nAlso Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD,\nwhich Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put\nthem in the house of his gods; even those did Cyrus king of Persia\nbring forth, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezra 3]\n\nNow the children of the province that went up out of the captivity,\nof those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of\nBabylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem\nand Judah, every one unto his city; the whole congregation together\nwas forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, beside their\nservants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three\nhundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing\nmen and singing women. Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six;\ntheir mules, two hundred forty and five; their camels, four hundred\nthirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.\n\nAnd some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of\nthe LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to\nset it up in his place: they gave after their ability unto the treasure\nof the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five\nthousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.\n\nAnd when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were\nin the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to\nJerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren\nthe priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren,\nand builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings\nthereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they\noffered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings\nmorning and evening.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 128\n\nTHE SECOND TEMPLE\n\n\nAND when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD,\nthey set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites\nthe sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance\nof David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising\nand giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy\nendureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a\ngreat shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the\nhouse of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and\nchief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first\nhouse, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes,\nwept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: so that the\npeople could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise\nof the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout,\nand the noise was heard afar off.\n\nThen the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah,\nand troubled them in building. And Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai\nthe scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king of\nPersia in this sort: be it known unto the king, that this city is a\nrebellious city, and that they have moved sedition within the same of\nold time: for which cause was this city destroyed. Then sent the king\nan answer, saying, Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease,\nand that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be\ngiven from me. Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at\nJerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius\nking of Persia.\n\nThen the prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied unto the Jews that\nwere in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel. Then rose\nup Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and began to build the house of God which is\nat Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. At\nthe same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and\nShethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath\ncommanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? But the\neye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not\ncause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius.\n\nThen Tatnai sent a letter unto Darius the king concerning this matter,\nwherein was written that the Jews had answered him, saying, In the\nfirst year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a\ndecree to build this house of God, and to take the vessels also of gold\nand silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the\ntemple that was in Jerusalem, and carry them into the temple that is\nin Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezra 5]\n\nThen Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house\nof the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there\nwas found a decree of Cyrus the king to build the house of God at\nJerusalem, and also that the golden and silver vessels of the house\nof God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at\nJerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again\nunto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place.\n\nNow therefore, wrote Darius, let the work of this house of God alone;\nlet the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this\nhouse of God in his place. Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to\nthe elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that\nof the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith\nexpences be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. And that\nwhich they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for\nthe burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil,\naccording to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem,\nlet it be given them day by day without fail: that they may offer\nsacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the\nlife of the king, and of his sons. Also I have made a decree, that\nwhosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his\nhouse, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon. And the God that\nhath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that\nshall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which\nis at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezra 7]\n\nThen Tatnai, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, according to that\nwhich Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily. And the elders of\nthe Jews builded, and this house was finished in the sixth year of the\nreign of Darius the king.\n\nAnd the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest\nof the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house\nof God with joy: and they made an offering at the dedication of this\nhouse of God, and a sin offering for all Israel. And they set the\npriests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the\nservice of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of\nMoses. And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the\nfourteenth day of the first month. And the children of Israel kept the\nfeast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made\nthem joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them,\nto strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of\nIsrael.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 129\n\nEZRA GOES UP FROM BABYLON\n\n\nNOW after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra\nwent up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses:\nand the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the\nLORD his God upon him.\n\nNow this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave\nunto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the\ncommandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. Artaxerxes,\nking of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of\nheaven, perfect peace. I make a decree, that all they of the people of\nIsrael, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded\nof their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. Forasmuch\nas thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire\nconcerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which\nis in thine hand; and to carry the silver and gold, which the king\nand his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose\nhabitation is in Jerusalem, and all the silver and gold that thou canst\nfind in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the\npeople, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their\nGod which is in Jerusalem: that thou mayest buy speedily with this\nmoney bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink\nofferings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which\nis in Jerusalem.\n\nAnd whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do\nwith the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of\nyour God. The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the\nhouse of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. And\nwhatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou\nshalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure\nhouse. And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the\ntreasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest,\nthe scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it\nbe done speedily, unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred\nmeasures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred\nbaths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Whatsoever is\ncommanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house\nof the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm\nof the king and his sons? Also we certify you, that touching any of the\nministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll,\ntribute, or custom, upon them. And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy\nGod, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge\nall the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws\nof thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. And whosoever will\nnot do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be\nexecuted speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment,\nor to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.\n\nBlessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing\nas this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which\nis in Jerusalem: and hath extended mercy unto me before the king,\nand his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And\nI was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and\nI gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me. And I\ngathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there\nabode we in tents three days. Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the\nriver of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek\nof him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our\nsubstance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers\nand horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had\nspoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for\ngood that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them\nthat forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he\nwas intreated of us.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezra 8]\n\nThen we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the\nfirst month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon\nus, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay\nin wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three\ndays. Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels\nweighed in the house of our God, by number and by weight of every one:\nand all the weight was written at that time. Also the children of those\nthat had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity,\noffered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel. And they delivered the\nking's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on\nthis side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of\nGod.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 130\n\nTHE BUILDING OF JERUSALEM\n\n\n[Sidenote: Nehemiah 1]\n\nTHE words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the\nmonth Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,\nthat Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah;\nand I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left\nof the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The\nremnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in\ngreat affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken\ndown, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass,\nwhen I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain\ndays, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, I\nbeseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that\nkeepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his\ncommandments: let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open,\nthat thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before\nthee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants,\nand confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned\nagainst thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt\nvery corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor\nthe statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant\nMoses.\n\nRemember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant\nMoses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the\nnations: but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do\nthem; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the\nheaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto\nthe place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy\nservants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power,\nand by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear\nbe attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy\nservants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy\nservant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I\nwas the king's cupbearer.\n\nAnd it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of\nArtaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine,\nand gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his\npresence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad,\nseeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.\nThen I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, Let the king live\nfor ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the\nplace of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are\nconsumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make\nrequest? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If\nit please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight,\nthat thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers'\nsepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen\nalso sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt\nthou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.\nMoreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be\ngiven me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me\nover till I come into Judah; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the\nking's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates\nof the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the\ncity, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted\nme, according to the good hand of my God upon me.\n\nThen I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's\nletters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with\nme. So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in\nthe night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my\nGod had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast\nwith me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by\nthe gate of the valley, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were\nbroken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. And the\nrulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet\ntold it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the\nrulers, nor to the rest that did the work.\n\nThen said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how\nJerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire:\ncome, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a\nreproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon\nme; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said,\nLet us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this\ngood work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the\nAmmonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn,\nand despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel\nagainst the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of\nheaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and\nbuild.\n\n[Sidenote: Nehemiah 4]\n\nBut it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the\nwall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.\nAnd he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said,\nWhat do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they\nsacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones\nout of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the\nAmmonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox\ngo up, he shall even break down their stone wall. Hear, O our God; for\nwe are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give\nthem for a prey in the land of captivity: and cover not their iniquity,\nand let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have\nprovoked thee to anger before the builders. So built we the wall; and\nall the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people\nhad a mind to work.\n\nBut it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians,\nand the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of\nJerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped,\nthen they were very wroth, and conspired all of them together to come\nand to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made\nour prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night,\nbecause of them. And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens\nis decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build\nthe wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see,\ntill we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work\nto cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them\ncame, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall\nreturn unto us they will be upon you.\n\n[Sidenote: Nehemiah 6]\n\nTherefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher\nplaces, I even set the people after their families with their swords,\ntheir spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto\nthe nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not\nye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and\nfight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and\nyour houses.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us,\nand God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of\nus to the wall, every one unto his work. And it came to pass from that\ntime forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the\nother half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and\nthe habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.\nThey which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those\nthat laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and\nwith the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had\nhis sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the\ntrumpet was by me. And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and\nto the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are\nseparated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore\nye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God\nshall fight for us.\n\nSo we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the\nrising of the morning till the stars appeared. So the wall was finished\nin the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.\nAnd it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all\nthe heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast\ndown in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought\nof our God.\n\nAnd all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the\nstreet that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the\nscribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had\ncommanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the\ncongregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with\nunderstanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read\ntherein before the street that was before the water gate from the\nmorning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that\ncould understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto\nthe book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood,\nwhich they had made for the purpose. And Ezra opened the book in the\nsight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when\nhe opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the LORD, the\ngreat God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up\ntheir hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with\ntheir faces to the ground.\n\nAnd Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe,\nand the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This\nday is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the\npeople wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto\nthem, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions\nunto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our\nLord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.\n\nAnd the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people\nalso cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy\ncity, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed\nall the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.\nAnd at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites\nout of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the\ndedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing,\nwith cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. And the sons of the singers\ngathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round\nabout Jerusalem, and from the villages; and they stood in two companies\nupon the wall, the singers and the priests with trumpets. And the\nsingers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer. Also that day they\noffered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice\nwith great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the\njoy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 131\n\nESTHER'S REQUEST\n\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 1]\n\nNOW it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which\nreigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and\ntwenty provinces:) in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto\nall his princes and his servants: when he shewed the riches of his\nglorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days,\neven an hundred and fourscore days.\n\nAnd when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the\npeople that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and\nsmall, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;\nwhere were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of\nfine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds\nwere of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white,\nand black, marble. And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the\nvessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance,\naccording to the state of the king. Also Vashti the queen made a feast\nfor the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 2]\n\nOn the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine,\nhe commanded the seven chamberlains to bring Vashti the queen before\nthe king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her\nbeauty: for she was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to\ncome at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the\nking very wroth, and his anger burned in him. Then the king said to the\nwise men, which knew the times, What shall we do unto the queen Vashti\naccording to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of\nthe king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before\nthe king and the princes, If it please the king, let there go a royal\ncommandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the\nPersians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no\nmore before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto\nanother that is better than she.\n\nAnd the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did\naccording to the word of Memucan.\n\nThen said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there\nbe fair young virgins sought for the king: and let the maiden which\npleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the\nking; and he did so.\n\nNow in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was\nMordecai, who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity\nwhich had been carried away with Jeconiah [Jehoiachin] king of Judah,\nwhom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he\nbrought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she\nhad neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful;\nwhom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own\ndaughter.\n\nSo it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was\nheard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the\npalace, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the\ncustody of Hegai, keeper of the women. And the maiden pleased him, and\nshe obtained kindness of him: and he preferred her and her maids unto\nthe best place of the house of the women. Esther had not shewed her\npeople nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should\nnot shew it. And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the\nwomen's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.\n\nNow when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus,\nwhatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house\nof the women unto the king's house. Now when the turn of Esther was\ncome, she required nothing but what the king's chamberlain appointed.\nAnd Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon\nher. So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in\nthe tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his\nreign.\n\nAnd the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace\nand favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the\nroyal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then\nthe king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even\nEsther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts,\naccording to the state of the king.\n\nIn those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the\nking's chamberlains, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and\nsought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to\nMordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the\nking thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquisition was made of the\nmatter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree:\nand it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.\n\nAfter these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the Agagite, and\nadvanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with\nhim. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed,\nand reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But\nMordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants,\nwhich were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest\nthou the king's commandment?\n\nNow it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened\nnot unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters\nwould stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman\nsaw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman\nfull of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone;\nfor they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought\nto destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of\nAhasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 3]\n\nAnd Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered\nabroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy\nkingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep\nthey the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to\nsuffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be\ndestroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands\nof those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the\nking's treasuries.\n\nAnd the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman, the\nJews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee,\nthe people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee.\n\nThen were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first\nmonth, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded\nunto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every\nprovince; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with\nthe king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's\nprovinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both\nyoung and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the\nthirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to\ntake the spoil of them for a prey.\n\nThe posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the\ndecree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down\nto drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 4]\n\nWhen Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes,\nand put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the\ncity, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; and came even before the\nking's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with\nsackcloth. And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment\nand his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and\nfasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.\n\nSo Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was\nthe queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai,\nand to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not. Then\ncalled Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had\nappointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai,\nto know what it was, and why it was. So Hatach went forth to Mordecai\nunto the street of the city, which was before the king's gate.\n\nAnd Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum\nof the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries\nfor the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the copy of the writing\nof the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it\nunto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she\nshould go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make\nrequest before him for her people. And Hatach came and told Esther the\nwords of Mordecai.\n\nAgain Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;\nAll the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do\nknow, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king\ninto the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put\nhim to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden\nsceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto\nthe king these thirty days.\n\nAnd they told to Mordecai Esther's words. Then Mordecai commanded to\nanswer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the\nking's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest\nthy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance\narise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house\nshall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the\nkingdom for such a time as this?\n\nThen Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together\nall the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and\nneither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens\nwill fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not\naccording to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his\nway, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.\n\nNow it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal\napparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over\nagainst the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the\nroyal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when\nthe king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained\nfavour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre\nthat was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the\nsceptre.\n\nThen said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is\nthy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.\nAnd Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and\nHaman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. Then\nthe king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther\nhath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had\nprepared.\n\nAnd the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy\npetition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even\nto the half of the kingdom it shall be performed. Then answered Esther,\nand said, My petition and my request is; If I have found favour in the\nsight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and\nto perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that\nI shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said.\n\nThen went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when\nHaman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor moved\nfor him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless\nHaman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called\nfor his friends, and Zeresh his wife. And Haman told them of the glory\nof his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things\nwherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above\nthe princes and servants of the king. Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther\nthe queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that\nshe had prepared but myself; and to morrow am I invited unto her also\nwith the king. Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see\nMordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 6]\n\nThen said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows\nbe made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king\nthat Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the\nking unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the\ngallows to be made.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 132\n\nTHE ADVANCEMENT OF MORDECAI\n\n\nON that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring\nthe book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the\nking. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of two of the\nking's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand\non the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honour and dignity hath\nbeen done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that\nministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. And the king said,\nWho is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the\nking's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows\nthat he had prepared for him. And the king's servants said unto him,\nBehold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come\nin. So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done\nunto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought\nin his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than\nto myself? And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king\ndelighteth to honour, let the royal apparel be brought which the king\nuseth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown\nroyal which is set upon his head: and let this apparel and horse be\ndelivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that\nthey may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and\nbring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim\nbefore him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth\nto honour. Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the\napparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai\nthe Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all\nthat thou hast spoken. Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and\narrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of\nthe city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man\nwhom the king delighteth to honour.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 7]\n\nAnd Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his\nhouse mourning, and having his head covered. And Haman told Zeresh\nhis wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then\nsaid his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the\nseed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not\nprevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him. And while they\nwere yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to\nbring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.\n\nSo the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. And the\nking said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine,\nWhat is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and\nwhat is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of\nthe kingdom. Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found\nfavour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be\ngiven me at my petition, and my people at my request: for we are sold,\nI and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish.\n\nThen the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who\nis he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And\nEsther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman\nwas afraid before the king and the queen. And Harbonah, one of the\nchamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty\ncubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for\nthe king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him\nthereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for\nMordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.\n\nOn that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews'\nenemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for\nEsther had told what he was unto her. And the king took off his ring,\nwhich he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther\nset Mordecai over the house of Haman.\n\nAnd Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet,\nand besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the\nAgagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then\nthe king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose,\nand stood before the king, and said, If it please the king, and if I\nhave found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the\nking, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the\nletters devised by Haman, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are\nin all the king's provinces: for how can I endure to see the evil that\nshall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction\nof my kindred? Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and\nto Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman,\nand him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand\nupon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the\nking's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is\nwritten in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man\nreverse. Then were the king's scribes called. And Mordecai wrote in\nthe king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent\nletters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young\ndromedaries: wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city\nto gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy,\nto slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and\nprovince that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to\ntake the spoil of them for a prey, upon one day in all the provinces of\nking Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,\nwhich is the month Adar.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 8]\n\nAnd Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of\nblue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of\nfine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.\nThe Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every\nprovince, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and\nhis decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day.\nAnd many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the\nJews fell upon them.\n\nAnd in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred\nmen. And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and\ndestroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace; now what is thy\npetition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further?\nand it shall be done. Then said Esther, If it please the king, let\nit be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also\naccording unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged\nupon the gallows. And the king commanded it so to be done: and the\ndecree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.\n\n[Sidenote: Esther 9]\n\nAnd Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews\nthat were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and\nfar, to stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth\nday of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, as\nthe days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month\nwhich was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a\ngood day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of\nsending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. Because Haman,\nthe enemy of all the Jews, had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume\nthem, and to destroy them: wherefore they called these days Purim after\nthe name of Pur.\n\nAnd the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the\nisles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might,\nand the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king\nadvanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of\nthe kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king\nAhasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of\nhis brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to\nall his seed.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK XII--THE POETICAL BOOKS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 133\n\nJOB SMITTEN\n\n\nTHERE was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was\nperfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And\nthere were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance\nalso was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five\nhundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great\nhousehold; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the\neast. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day;\nand sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with\nthem. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about,\nthat Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning,\nand offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for\nJob said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their\nhearts. Thus did Job continually.\n\nNow there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves\nbefore the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto\nSatan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From\ngoing to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And\nthe LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that\nthere is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one\nthat feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and\nsaid, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about\nhim, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?\nthou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased\nin the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath,\nand he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan,\nBehold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not\nforth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 2]\n\nAnd there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and\ndrinking wine in their eldest brother's house: and there came a\nmessenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses\nfeeding beside them: and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them\naway; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and\nI only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there\ncame also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven,\nand hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them;\nand I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking,\nthere came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands,\nand fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain\nthe servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone\nto tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and\nsaid, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their\neldest brother's house: and, behold, there came a great wind from\nthe wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell\nupon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to\ntell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head,\nand fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked was I\nborn, and naked shall I die: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken\naway; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor\ncharged God foolishly.\n\nAgain there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves\nbefore the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto\nSatan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said,\nFrom going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.\nAnd the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that\nthere is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one\nthat feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his\nintegrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without\ncause. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all\nthat a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand\nnow, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy\nface. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but\nsave his life.\n\nSo went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with\nsore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him\na potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.\nThen said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity?\ncurse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the\nfoolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God,\nand shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his\nlips.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 134\n\nJOB'S COMFORTERS\n\n\nNOW when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon\nhim, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and\nBildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an\nappointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And\nwhen they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted\nup their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and\nsprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with\nhim upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word\nunto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.\n\nAfter this opened Job his mouth, and said,\n\n Let the day perish wherein I was born.\n Why died I not from my birth?\n For now should I have lain still and been quiet,\n I should have slept: then had I been at rest,\n With kings and counsellors of the earth,\n Which built desolate places for themselves.\n There the wicked cease from troubling;\n And there the weary be at rest.\n There the prisoners rest together;\n They hear not the voice of the oppressor.\n The small and great are there;\n And the servant is free from his master.\n For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,\n And that which I was afraid of is come unto me.\n I was not in safety, neither had I rest,\n Neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 2]\n\nThen Eliphaz answered and said,\n\n Behold, thou hast instructed many,\n And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.\n Thy words have upholden him that was falling,\n And thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.\n But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest;\n It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.\n Is not this thy fear, thy confidence,\n Thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?\n Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?\n Or where were the righteous cut off?\n Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,\n And sow wickedness, reap the same.\n By the blast of God they perish,\n And by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.\n Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust,\n Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;\n Yet man is born unto trouble,\n As the sparks fly upward.\n I would seek unto God,\n And unto God would I commit my cause:\n Which doeth great things and unsearchable;\n Marvellous things without number:\n Who giveth rain upon the earth,\n And sendeth waters upon the fields:\n To set up on high those that be low;\n That those which mourn may be exalted to safety.\n So the poor hath hope,\n And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.\n Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth:\n Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:\n For he maketh sore, and bindeth up:\n He woundeth, and his hands make whole.\n He shall deliver thee in six troubles:\n Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.\n In famine he shall redeem thee from death:\n And in war from the power of the sword.\n Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue:\n Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.\n At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh:\n Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.\n For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field:\n And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.\n And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace;\n And thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.\n Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,\n And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.\n Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,\n Like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.\n Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;\n Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 6]\n\n[Sidenote: Job 7]\n\nBut Job answered and said,\n\n Oh that my grief were throughly weighed,\n And my calamity laid in the balances together!\n For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea:\n Therefore my words are swallowed up.\n Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?\n Or loweth the ox over his fodder?\n Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?\n Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?\n The things that my soul refused to touch\n Are as my sorrowful meat.\n Oh that I might have my request;\n And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!\n Even that it would please God to destroy me;\n That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!\n Then should I yet have comfort;\n Yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare;\n For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.\n What is my strength, that I should hope?\n And what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?\n To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend;\n But he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.\n Teach me, and I will hold my tongue:\n And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.\n O remember that my life is wind:\n Mine eye shall no more see good.\n The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more:\n Thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.\n As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away:\n So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.\n He shall return no more to his house,\n Neither shall his place know him any more.\n Therefore I will not refrain my mouth;\n I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;\n I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.\n What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him?\n And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?\n And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,\n And try him every moment?\n I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men?\n Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee,\n So that I am a burden to myself?\n And why dost thou not pardon my transgression,\n And take away mine iniquity?\n For now shall I sleep in the dust;\n And thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.\n\nThen answered Bildad, and said,\n\n How long wilt thou speak these things?\n And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?\n Doth God pervert judgment?\n Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?\n If thy children have sinned against him,\n And he have cast them away for their transgression;\n If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes,\n And make thy supplication to the Almighty;\n If thou wert pure and upright;\n Surely now he would awake for thee,\n And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.\n Though thy beginning was small,\n Yet thy latter end should greatly increase.\n Can the rush grow up without mire?\n Can the flag grow without water?\n Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down,\n It withereth before any other herb.\n So are the paths of all that forget God;\n And the hypocrite's hope shall perish:\n Whose hope shall be cut off,\n And whose trust shall be a spider's web.\n He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand:\n He shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.\n He is green before the sun,\n And his branch shooteth forth in his garden.\n His roots are wrapped about the heap,\n And seeth the place of stones.\n If he destroy him from his place,\n Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.\n Behold, this is the joy of his way,\n And out of the earth shall others grow.\n Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,\n Neither will he help the evil doers.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 9]\n\nThen Job answered and said,\n\n I know it is so of a truth:\n But how should man be just with God?\n If he will contend with him,\n He cannot answer him one of a thousand.\n He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength:\n Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?\n Which removeth the mountains, and they know not:\n Which overturneth them in his anger.\n Which shaketh the earth out of her place,\n And the pillars thereof tremble.\n Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not;\n And sealeth up the stars.\n Which alone spreadeth out the heavens,\n And treadeth upon the waves of the sea.\n Which doeth great things past finding out;\n Yea, and wonders without number.\n Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not:\n He passeth on also, but I perceive him not.\n Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him?\n Who will say unto him, What doest thou?\n How much less shall I answer him,\n And choose out my words to reason with him?\n Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer,\n But I would make supplication to my judge.\n If I had called, and he had answered me;\n Yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.\n For he breaketh me with a tempest,\n And multiplieth my wounds without cause.\n He will not suffer me to take my breath,\n But filleth me with bitterness.\n If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong:\n And if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?\n If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me:\n If I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.\n This is one thing, therefore I said it,\n He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.\n\nThen answered Zophar, and said,\n\n Should not the multitude of words be answered?\n And should a man full of talk be justified?\n Should thy lies make men hold their peace?\n And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?\n For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure,\n And I am clean in thine eyes.\n But oh that God would speak,\n And open his lips against thee:\n And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom,\n That they are double to that which is!\n Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity\n deserveth.\n Canst thou by searching find out God?\n Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?\n It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do?\n Deeper than hell; what canst thou know?\n The measure thereof is longer than the earth,\n And broader than the sea.\n For he knoweth vain men:\n He seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?\n For vain man would be wise,\n Though man be born like a wild ass's colt.\n If thou prepare thine heart,\n And stretch out thine hands toward him;\n If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away,\n And let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.\n For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;\n Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:\n Because thou shalt forget thy misery,\n And remember it as waters that pass away:\n And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday;\n Thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.\n And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;\n Yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.\n Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;\n Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 12]\n\n[Sidenote: Job 13]\n\nAnd Job answered and said,\n\n No doubt but ye are the people,\n And wisdom shall die with you.\n But I have understanding as well as you;\n I am not inferior to you:\n Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?\n I am as one mocked of his neighbour,\n Who calleth upon God, and he answereth him:\n The just upright man is laughed to scorn.\n But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;\n And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:\n Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:\n And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.\n Who knoweth not in all these\n That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?\n In whose hand is the soul of every living thing,\n And the breath of all mankind.\n Doth not the ear try words?\n And the mouth taste his meat?\n With the ancient is wisdom;\n And in length of days understanding.\n With him is wisdom and strength,\n He hath counsel and understanding.\n Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again:\n He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.\n Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:\n Also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.\n With him is strength and wisdom:\n The deceived and the deceiver are his.\n He leadeth counsellors away spoiled,\n And maketh the judges fools.\n He looseth the bond of kings,\n And girdeth their loins with a girdle.\n He leadeth princes away spoiled,\n And overthroweth the mighty.\n He removeth away the speech of the trusty,\n And taketh away the understanding of the aged.\n He poureth contempt upon princes,\n And weakeneth the strength of the mighty.\n He discovereth deep things out of darkness,\n And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.\n He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them:\n He enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.\n He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth,\n And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.\n They grope in the dark without light,\n And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.\n Lo, mine eye hath seen all this,\n Mine ear hath heard and understood it.\n What ye know, the same do I know also:\n I am not inferior unto you.\n Surely I would speak to the Almighty,\n And I desire to reason with God.\n But ye are forgers of lies,\n Ye are all physicians of no value.\n Hold your peace, let me alone,\n That I may speak, and let come on me what will.\n Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth,\n And put my life in mine hand?\n Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:\n But I will maintain mine own ways before him.\n He also shall be my salvation:\n For an hypocrite shall not come before him.\n Man that is born of a woman\n Is of few days, and full of trouble.\n He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down:\n He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.\n And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one,\n And bringest me into judgment with thee?\n As the waters fail from the sea,\n And the flood decayeth and drieth up:\n So man lieth down, and riseth not:\n Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake,\n Nor be raised out of their sleep.\n O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave,\n That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past,\n That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!\n If a man die, shall he live again?\n All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.\n Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee:\n Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.\n For now thou numberest my steps:\n Dost thou not watch over my sin?\n\nAnd Eliphaz reproved Job. And again Job answered and said,\n\n Miserable comforters are ye all.\n I also could speak as ye do:\n If your soul were in my soul's stead,\n I could heap up words against you,\n And shake mine head at you.\n But I would strengthen you with my mouth,\n And the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.\n My friends scorn me:\n But mine eye poureth out tears unto God.\n O that one might plead for a man with God,\n As a man pleadeth for his neighbour!\n\nAnd Bildad reproved Job. Then\n\nJob answered and said,\n\n How long will ye vex my soul,\n And break me in pieces with words?\n These ten times have ye reproached me:\n Ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.\n And be it indeed that I have erred,\n Mine error remaineth with myself.\n If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me,\n And plead against me my reproach:\n Know now that God hath overthrown me,\n And hath compassed me with his net.\n Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:\n I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.\n He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass,\n And he hath set darkness in my paths.\n He hath stripped me of my glory,\n And taken the crown from my head.\n He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone:\n And mine hope hath he removed like a tree.\n He hath also kindled his wrath against me,\n And he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.\n His troops come together, and raise up their way against me,\n And encamp round about my tabernacle.\n He hath put my brethren far from me,\n And mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.\n My kinsfolk have failed,\n And my familiar friends have forgotten me.\n Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;\n For the hand of God hath touched me.\n Why do ye persecute me as God,\n And are not satisfied with my flesh?\n Oh that my words were now written!\n Oh that they were printed in a book!\n That they were graven with an iron pen\n And lead in the rock for ever!\n For I know that my redeemer liveth,\n And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:\n And though after my skin worms destroy this body,\n Yet in my flesh shall I see God:\n Whom I shall see for myself,\n And mine eyes shall behold, and not another;\n Though my reins be consumed within me.\n\n [Sidenote: Job 20]\n\n Then answered Zophar, and said,\n\n Knowest thou not this of old,\n Since man was placed upon earth,\n That the triumphing of the wicked is short,\n And the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?\n He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found:\n Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.\n The eye also which saw him shall see him no more;\n Neither shall his place any more behold him.\n His children shall seek to please the poor,\n And his hands shall restore their goods.\n His bones are full of the sin of his youth,\n Which shall lie down with him in the dust.\n That which he laboured for shall he restore,\n And shall not swallow it down:\n According to his substance shall the restitution be,\n And he shall not rejoice therein.\n Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor;\n Because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;\n He shall flee from the iron weapon,\n And the bow of steel shall strike him through.\n The heaven shall reveal his iniquity;\n And the earth shall rise up against him.\n The increase of his house shall depart,\n And his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.\n This is the portion of a wicked man from God,\n And the heritage appointed unto him by God.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 21]\n\nBut Job answered and said,\n\n Hear diligently my speech,\n And let this be your consolations.\n Suffer me that I may speak;\n And after that I have spoken, mock on.\n Wherefore do the wicked live,\n Become old, yea, are mighty in power?\n Their seed is established in their sight with them,\n And their offspring before their eyes.\n Their houses are safe from fear,\n Neither is the rod of God upon them.\n They send forth their little ones like a flock,\n And their children dance.\n They take the timbrel and harp,\n And rejoice at the sound of the organ.\n They spend their days in wealth,\n And in a moment go down to the grave.\n Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;\n For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.\n What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?\n And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?\n Lo, their good is not in their hand:\n The counsel of the wicked is far from me.\n How oft is the candle of the wicked put out!\n And how oft cometh their destruction upon them!\n God distributeth sorrows in his anger.\n They are as stubble before the wind,\n And as chaff that the storm carrieth away.\n God layeth up his iniquity for his children:\n He rewardeth him, and he shall know it.\n His eyes shall see his destruction,\n And he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.\n Have ye not asked them that go by the way?\n And do ye not know their tokens,\n That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction?\n They shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.\n Who shall declare his way to his face?\n And who shall repay him what he hath done?\n Yet shall he be brought to the grave,\n And shall remain in the tomb.\n The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,\n And every man shall draw after him,\n As there are innumerable before him.\n How then comfort ye me in vain,\n Seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?\n\nThen Eliphaz accused Job of divers sins, and exhorted him to repentance\nwith promises of mercy. Then Job answered and said,\n\n Even to day is my complaint bitter:\n My stroke is heavier than my groaning.\n Oh that I knew where I might find him!\n That I might come even to his seat!\n I would order my cause before him,\n And fill my mouth with arguments.\n I would know the words which he would answer me,\n And understand what he would say unto me.\n Will he plead against me with his great power?\n No; but he would put strength in me.\n There the righteous might dispute with him;\n So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.\n Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;\n And backward, but I cannot perceive him:\n On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him:\n He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:\n But he knoweth the way that I take:\n When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.\n My foot hath held his steps,\n His way have I kept, and not declined.\n Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;\n I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.\n But he is in one mind, and who can turn him?\n And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.\n For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me:\n And many such things are with him.\n Therefore am I troubled at his presence:\n When I consider, I am afraid of him.\n For God maketh my heart soft,\n And the Almighty troubleth me:\n Because I was not cut off before the darkness,\n Neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 25]\n\nThen Bildad replied to Job, and Job answered and said,\n\n How hast thou helped him that is without power?\n How savest thou the arm that hath no strength?\n How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom?\n And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?\n To whom hast thou uttered words?\n And whose spirit came from thee?\n Dead things are formed\n From under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.\n Hell is naked before him,\n And destruction hath no covering.\n He stretcheth out the north over the empty place,\n And hangeth the earth upon nothing.\n He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;\n And the cloud is not rent under them.\n He holdeth back the face of his throne,\n And spreadeth his cloud upon it.\n He hath compassed the waters with bounds,\n Until the day and night come to an end.\n The pillars of heaven tremble\n And are astonished at his reproof.\n He divideth the sea with his power,\n And by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.\n By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens;\n His hand hath formed the crooked serpent.\n Lo, these are parts of his ways:\n But how little a portion is heard of him?\n But the thunder of his power who can understand?\n Whence then cometh wisdom?\n And where is the place of understanding?\n Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,\n And kept close from the fowls of the air.\n Destruction and death say,\n We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.\n God understandeth the way thereof,\n And he knoweth the place thereof.\n For he looketh to the ends of the earth,\n And seeth under the whole heaven;\n To make the weight for the winds;\n And he weigheth the waters by measure.\n When he made a decree for the rain,\n And a way for the lightning of the thunder:\n Then did he see it, and declare it;\n He prepared it, yea, and searched it out.\n And unto man he said,\n Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;\n And to depart from evil is understanding.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 31]\n\nMoreover Job continued his parable, and said,\n\n Oh that I were as in months past,\n As in the days when God preserved me;\n When his candle shined upon my head,\n And when by his light I walked through darkness;\n As I was in the days of my youth,\n When the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;\n When the Almighty was yet with me,\n When my children were about me;\n When I washed my steps with butter,\n And the rock poured me out rivers of oil;\n When I went out to the gate through the city,\n When I prepared my seat in the street!\n The young men saw me, and hid themselves:\n And the aged arose, and stood up.\n The princes refrained talking,\n And laid their hand on their mouth.\n The nobles held their peace,\n And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.\n When the ear heard me, then it blessed me;\n And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:\n Because I delivered the poor that cried,\n And the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.\n The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me:\n And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.\n I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:\n My judgment was as a robe and a diadem.\n I was eyes to the blind,\n And feet was I to the lame.\n I was a father to the poor:\n And the cause which I knew not I searched out.\n But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,\n Whose fathers I would have disdained\n To have set with the dogs of my flock.\n I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me:\n I stand up, and thou regardest me not.\n Thou art become cruel to me:\n With thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.\n Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it,\n And dissolvest my substance.\n For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,\n And to the house appointed for all living.\n Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave,\n Though they cry in his destruction.\n Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?\n Was not my soul grieved for the poor?\n When I looked for good, then evil came unto me:\n And when I waited for light, there came darkness.\n If I have withheld the poor from their desire,\n Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;\n Or have eaten my morsel myself alone,\n And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;\n If I have seen any perish for want of clothing,\n Or any poor without covering;\n If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,\n When I saw my help in the gate:\n Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade,\n And mine arm be broken from the bone.\n If I have made gold my hope,\n Or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;\n If I rejoiced because my wealth was great,\n And because mine hand had gotten much:\n This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge:\n For I should have denied the God that is above.\n If my land cry against me,\n Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;\n If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,\n Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:\n Let thistles grow instead of wheat,\n And cockle instead of barley.\n\nThe words of Job are ended.\n\nSo these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in\nhis own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu: against Job was\nhis wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also\nagainst his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found\nno answer, and yet had condemned Job.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 34]\n\nAnd Elihu reasoned with Job, that God gave no account of his ways to\nmen, but called them to repentance. And Elihu said,\n\n Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing,\n And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,\n I am clean without transgression, I am innocent;\n Neither is there iniquity in me.\n Behold, he findeth occasions against me,\n He counteth me for his enemy,\n He putteth my feet in the stocks,\n He marketh all my paths.\n Behold, in this thou art not just:\n I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.\n Why dost thou strive against him?\n For he giveth not account of any of his matters.\n For God speaketh once,\n Yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.\n He keepeth back his soul from the pit,\n And his life from perishing by the sword.\n Then he is gracious unto him, and saith,\n Deliver him from going down to the pit:\n I have found a ransom.\n He looketh upon men, and if any say,\n I have sinned, and perverted that which was right,\n And it profited me not;\n He will deliver his soul from going into the pit,\n And his life shall see the light.\n Lo, all these things worketh God\n Oftentimes with man,\n To bring back his soul from the pit,\n To be enlightened with the light of the living.\n For his eyes are upon the ways of man,\n And he seeth all his goings.\n There is no darkness, nor shadow of death,\n Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.\n When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?\n And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?\n Whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:\n Surely it is meet to be said unto God,\n I have borne chastisement,\n I will not offend any more:\n That which I see not teach thou me:\n If I have done iniquity, I will do no more.\n Job hath spoken without knowledge,\n And his words were without wisdom.\n My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end\n Because of his answers for wicked men.\n For he addeth rebellion unto his sin,\n He clappeth his hands among us,\n And multiplieth his words against God.\n\nElihu also proceeded, and said,\n\n Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee\n That I have yet to speak on God's behalf.\n I will fetch my knowledge from afar,\n And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.\n For truly my words shall not be false:\n He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.\n Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:\n He is mighty in strength and wisdom.\n He preserveth not the life of the wicked:\n But giveth right to the poor.\n He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:\n But with kings are they on the throne;\n Yea, he doth establish them for ever,\n and they are exalted.\n And if they be bound in fetters,\n And be holden in cords of affliction;\n Then he sheweth them their work,\n And their transgressions that they have exceeded.\n He openeth also their ear to discipline,\n And commandeth that they return from iniquity.\n If they obey and serve him,\n They shall spend their days in prosperity,\n And their years in pleasures.\n But if they obey not,\n They shall perish by the sword,\n And they shall die without knowledge.\n He delivereth the poor in his affliction,\n And openeth their ears in oppression.\n Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait\n Into a broad place, where there is no straitness;\n And that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.\n But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked:\n Judgment and justice take hold on thee.\n Behold, God is great, and we know him not,\n Neither can the number of his years be searched out.\n For he maketh small the drops of water:\n They pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:\n Which the clouds do drop\n And distil upon man abundantly.\n Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,\n Or the noise of his tabernacle?\n Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it,\n And covereth the bottom of the sea.\n With clouds he covereth the light;\n And commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.\n God thundereth marvellously with his voice;\n Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.\n For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth;\n Likewise to the small rain,\n And to the great rain of his strength.\n Out of the south cometh the whirlwind:\n And cold out of the north.\n By the breath of God frost is given:\n And the breadth of the waters is straitened.\n Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in\n power,\n And in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.\n Men do therefore fear him:\n He respecteth not any that are wise of heart.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 135\n\nTHE LORD REASONETH WITH JOB\n\n\n[Sidenote: Job 38]\n\n[Sidenote: Job 39]\n\nTHEN the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,\n\n Who is this that darkeneth counsel\n By words without knowledge?\n Gird up now thy loins like a man;\n For I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.\n Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?\n Declare, if thou hast understanding.\n Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?\n Or who hath stretched the line upon it?\n Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?\n Or who laid the corner stone thereof;\n When the morning stars sang together,\n And all the sons of God shouted for joy?\n Or who shut up the sea with doors?\n When I made the cloud the garment thereof,\n And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,\n And set bars and doors,\n And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further:\n And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?\n Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days;\n And caused the dayspring to know his place;\n That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,\n That the wicked might be shaken out of it?\n It is turned as clay to the seal;\n And they stand as a garment.\n And from the wicked their light is withholden,\n And the high arm shall be broken.\n Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?\n Or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?\n Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?\n Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?\n Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth?\n Declare if thou knowest it all.\n Where is the way where light dwelleth?\n And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,\n That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,\n And that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?\n Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born?\n Or because the number of thy days is great?\n Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?\n Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,\n Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,\n Against the day of battle and war?\n By what way is the light parted,\n Which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?\n Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters,\n Or a way for the lightning of thunder;\n To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is;\n On the wilderness wherein there is no man;\n To satisfy the desolate and waste ground;\n And to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?\n Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go,\n And say unto thee, Here we are?\n Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?\n Or who hath given understanding to the heart?\n Who can number the clouds in wisdom?\n Or who can stay the bottles of heaven,\n When the dust groweth into hardness,\n And the clods cleave fast together?\n Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?\n Or fill the appetite of the young lions,\n When they couch in their dens,\n And abide in the covert to lie in wait?\n Who provideth for the raven his food?\n When his young ones cry unto God,\n They wander for lack of meat.\n Who hath sent out the wild ass free?\n Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?\n Whose house I have made the wilderness,\n And the barren land his dwellings.\n He scorneth the multitude of the city,\n Neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.\n The range of the mountains is his pasture,\n And he searcheth after every green thing.\n Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee,\n Or abide by thy crib?\n Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow?\n Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?\n Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?\n Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?\n Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed,\n And gather it into thy barn?\n Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks?\n Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?\n Which leaveth her eggs in the earth,\n And warmeth them in dust,\n And forgetteth that the foot may crush them,\n Or that the wild beast may break them.\n She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her's:\n Her labour is in vain without fear;\n Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,\n Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.\n What time she lifteth up herself on high,\n She scorneth the horse and his rider.\n Hast thou given the horse strength?\n Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?\n Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?\n The glory of his nostrils is terrible.\n He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:\n He goeth on to meet the armed men.\n He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted;\n Neither turneth he back from the sword.\n The quiver rattleth against him,\n The glittering spear and the shield.\n He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage:\n Neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.\n He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha;\n And he smelleth the battle afar off,\n The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.\n Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom,\n And stretch her wings toward the south?\n Doth the eagle mount up at thy command,\n And make her nest on high?\n She dwelleth and abideth on the rock,\n Upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.\n From thence she seeketh the prey,\n And her eyes behold afar off.\n Her young ones also suck up blood:\n And where the slain are, there is she.\n\n[Sidenote: Job 40]\n\nMoreover the LORD answered Job, and said,\n\n Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?\n He that reproveth God, let him answer it.\n\nThen Job answered the LORD, and said,\n\n Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee?\n I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.\n Once have I spoken; but I will not answer:\n Yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.\n\nThen answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,\n\n Gird up thy loins now like a man:\n I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.\n Wilt thou also disannul my judgment?\n Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?\n Hast thou an arm like God?\n Or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?\n Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency;\n And array thyself with glory and beauty.\n Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath:\n And behold every one that is proud, and abase him.\n Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low;\n And tread down the wicked in their place.\n Hide them in the dust together;\n And bind their faces in secret.\n Then will I also confess unto thee\n That thine own right hand can save thee.\n Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee;\n He eateth grass as an ox.\n His bones are as strong pieces of brass;\n His bones are like bars of iron.\n He is the chief of the ways of God:\n He that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.\n He lieth under the shady trees,\n In the covert of the reed, and fens.\n The shady trees cover him with their shadow;\n The willows of the brook compass him about.\n Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not:\n He trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.\n Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?\n Or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?\n Canst thou put an hook into his nose?\n Or bore his jaw through with a thorn?\n Will he make many supplications unto thee?\n Will he speak soft words unto thee?\n Will he make a covenant with thee?\n Wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?\n Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?\n Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?\n Shall the companions make a banquet of him?\n Shall they part him among the merchants?\n Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons?\n Or his head with fish spears?\n Lay thine hand upon him,\n Remember the battle, do no more.\n Behold, the hope of him is in vain:\n Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?\n None is so fierce that dare stir him up:\n Who then is able to stand before me?\n Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him?\n Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.\n\nThen Job answered the LORD, and said,\n\n I know that thou canst do every thing,\n And that no thought can be withholden from thee.\n I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:\n But now mine eye seeth thee.\n Wherefore I abhor myself,\n And repent in dust and ashes.\n\nAnd it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the\nLORD said to Eliphaz, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against\nthy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right,\nas my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and\nseven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a\nburnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will\nI accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not\nspoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.\n\nSo Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar went, and did according as the LORD\ncommanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. And the LORD turned the\ncaptivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave\nJob twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his\nbrethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his\nacquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they\nbemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had\nbrought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every\none an earring of gold.\n\nSo the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for\nhe had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand\nyoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and\nthree daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the\nname of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.\nAnd in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of\nJob: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.\n\nAfter this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and\nhis sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full\nof days.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 136\n\nPSALMS\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 1\n\n\n BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,\n Nor standeth in the way of sinners,\n Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.\n But his delight is in the law of the LORD;\n And in his law doth he meditate day and night.\n And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,\n That bringeth forth his fruit in his season;\n His leaf also shall not wither;\n And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.\n The ungodly are not so:\n But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.\n Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,\n Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.\n For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:\n But the way of the ungodly shall perish.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 8\n\n\n O LORD our Lord,\n How excellent is thy name in all the earth!\n Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.\n Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength\n Because of thine enemies,\n That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.\n When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,\n The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;\n What is man, that thou art mindful of him?\n And the son of man, that thou visitest him?\n For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,\n And hast crowned him with glory and honour.\n Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;\n Thou hast put all things under his feet:\n All sheep and oxen,\n Yea, and the beasts of the field;\n The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,\n And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.\n O LORD our Lord,\n How excellent is thy name in all the earth!\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 15\n\n\n LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?\n Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?\n He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,\n And speaketh the truth in his heart.\n He that backbiteth not with his tongue,\n Nor doeth evil to his neighbour,\n Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.\n In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;\n But he honoureth them that fear the LORD.\n He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.\n He that putteth not out his money to usury,\n Nor taketh reward against the innocent.\n He that doeth these things shall never be moved.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 16\n\n\n PRESERVE me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.\n O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord:\n My goodness extendeth not to thee;\n But to the saints that are in the earth,\n And to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.\n Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god:\n Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer,\n Nor take up their names into my lips.\n The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:\n Thou maintainest my lot.\n The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;\n Yea, I have a goodly heritage.\n I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel:\n My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.\n I have set the LORD always before me:\n Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.\n Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:\n My flesh also shall rest in hope.\n For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;\n Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.\n Thou wilt shew me the path of life:\n In thy presence is fulness of joy;\n At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 19\n\n\n THE heavens declare the glory of God;\n And the firmament sheweth his handywork.\n Day unto day uttereth speech,\n And night unto night sheweth knowledge.\n There is no speech nor language,\n Where their voice is not heard.\n Their line is gone out through all the earth,\n And their words to the end of the world.\n In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,\n Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,\n And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.\n His going forth is from the end of the heaven,\n And his circuit unto the ends of it:\n And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.\n The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:\n The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.\n The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:\n The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.\n The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:\n The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.\n More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:\n Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.\n Moreover by them is thy servant warned:\n And in keeping of them there is great reward.\n Who can understand his errors?\n Cleanse thou me from secret faults.\n Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;\n Let them not have dominion over me:\n Then shall I be upright,\n And I shall be innocent from the great transgression.\n Let the words of my mouth,\n And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight,\n O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 23\n\n\n THE LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.\n He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:\n He leadeth me beside the still waters.\n He restoreth my soul:\n He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.\n Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,\n I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;\n Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.\n Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:\n Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.\n Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:\n And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 24\n\n\n THE earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof;\n The world, and they that dwell therein.\n For he hath founded it upon the seas,\n And established it upon the floods.\n Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?\n Or who shall stand in his holy place?\n He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;\n Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,\n Nor sworn deceitfully.\n He shall receive the blessing from the LORD,\n And righteousness from the God of his salvation.\n This is the generation of them that seek him,\n That seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.\n Lift up your heads, O ye gates;\n And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;\n And the King of glory shall come in.\n Who is this King of glory?\n The LORD strong and mighty,\n The LORD mighty in battle.\n Lift up your heads, O ye gates;\n Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;\n And the King of glory shall come in.\n Who is this King of glory?\n The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 29\n\n\n GIVE unto the LORD, O ye mighty,\n Give unto the LORD glory and strength.\n Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;\n Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.\n The voice of the LORD is upon the waters:\n The God of glory thundereth:\n The LORD is upon many waters.\n The voice of the LORD is powerful;\n The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.\n The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars;\n Yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.\n He maketh them also to skip like a calf;\n Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.\n The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.\n The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness;\n The LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.\n The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve,\n And discovereth the forests:\n And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.\n The LORD sitteth upon the flood;\n Yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.\n The LORD will give strength unto his people;\n The LORD will bless his people with peace.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 33\n\n\n REJOICE in the LORD, O ye righteous:\n For praise is comely for the upright.\n Praise the LORD with harp:\n Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.\n Sing unto him a new song;\n Play skilfully with a loud noise.\n For the word of the LORD is right;\n And all his works are done in truth.\n He loveth righteousness and judgment:\n The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.\n By the word of the LORD were the heavens made;\n And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.\n He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:\n He layeth up the depth in storehouses.\n Let all the earth fear the LORD:\n Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.\n For he spake, and it was done;\n He commanded, and it stood fast.\n The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:\n He maketh the devices of the people of none effect.\n The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever,\n The thoughts of his heart to all generations.\n Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD;\n And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.\n The LORD looketh from heaven;\n He beholdeth all the sons of men.\n From the place of his habitation he looketh\n Upon all the inhabitants of the earth.\n He fashioneth their hearts alike;\n He considereth all their works.\n There is no king saved by the multitude of an host:\n A mighty man is not delivered by much strength.\n An horse is a vain thing for safety:\n Neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.\n Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,\n Upon them that hope in his mercy;\n To deliver their soul from death,\n And to keep them alive in famine.\n Our soul waiteth for the LORD:\n He is our help and our shield.\n For our heart shall rejoice in him,\n Because we have trusted in his holy name.\n Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us,\n According as we hope in thee.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 34\n\n\n I WILL bless the LORD at all times:\n His praise shall continually be in my mouth.\n My soul shall make her boast in the LORD:\n The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.\n O magnify the LORD with me,\n And let us exalt his name together.\n I sought the LORD, and he heard me,\n And delivered me from all my fears.\n They looked unto him, and were lightened:\n And their faces were not ashamed.\n This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him,\n And saved him out of all his troubles.\n The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him,\n And delivereth them.\n O taste and see that the LORD is good:\n Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.\n O fear the LORD, ye his saints:\n For there is no want to them that fear him.\n The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger:\n But they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.\n Come, ye children, hearken unto me:\n I will teach you the fear of the LORD.\n What man is he that desireth life,\n And loveth many days, that he may see good?\n Keep thy tongue from evil,\n And thy lips from speaking guile.\n Depart from evil, and do good;\n Seek peace, and pursue it.\n The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,\n And his ears are open unto their cry.\n The face of the LORD is against them that do evil,\n To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.\n The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth,\n And delivereth them out of all their troubles.\n The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;\n And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.\n Many are the afflictions of the righteous:\n But the LORD delivereth him out of them all.\n He keepeth all his bones:\n Not one of them is broken.\n Evil shall slay the wicked:\n And they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.\n The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants:\n And none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 42\n\n\n As the hart panteth after the water brooks,\n So panteth my soul after thee, O God.\n My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:\n When shall I come and appear before God?\n My tears have been my meat day and night,\n While they continually say unto me,\n Where is thy God?\n When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:\n For I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of\n God,\n With the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept\n holyday.\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted in me?\n Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him\n For the help of his countenance.\n O my God, my soul is cast down within me:\n Therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan,\n And of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.\n Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:\n All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.\n Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,\n And in the night his song shall be with me,\n And my prayer unto the God of my life.\n I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me?\n Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?\n As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me;\n While they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him,\n Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 43\n\n\n JUDGE me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation:\n O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.\n For thou art the God of my strength: Why dost thou cast me off?\n Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?\n O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me;\n Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.\n Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy:\n Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.\n Why art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him,\n Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 45\n\n\n MY heart is inditing a good matter:\n I speak of the things which I have made touching the king:\n My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.\n Thou art fairer than the children of men:\n Grace is poured into thy lips:\n Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.\n Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty,\n With thy glory and thy majesty.\n And in thy majesty ride prosperously\n Because of truth and meekness and righteousness;\n And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.\n Thine arrows are sharp\n In the heart of the king's enemies;\n Whereby the people fall under thee.\n Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:\n The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.\n Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:\n Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee\n With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.\n All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,\n Out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.\n Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women:\n Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.\n Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;\n Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;\n So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty:\n For he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.\n And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift;\n Even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.\n The king's daughter is all glorious within:\n Her clothing is of wrought gold.\n She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework:\n The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.\n With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought:\n They shall enter into the king's palace.\n Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,\n Whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.\n I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:\n Therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 46\n\n\n GOD is our refuge and strength,\n A very present help in trouble.\n Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,\n And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;\n Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,\n Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.\n There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,\n The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.\n God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:\n God shall help her, and that right early.\n The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:\n He uttered his voice, the earth melted.\n The LORD of hosts is with us;\n The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.\n Come, behold the works of the LORD,\n What desolations he hath made in the earth.\n He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;\n He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;\n He burneth the chariot in the fire.\n Be still, and know that I am God:\n I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.\n The LORD of hosts is with us;\n The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 47\n\n\n O CLAP your hands, all ye people;\n Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.\n For the LORD most high is terrible;\n He is a great King over all the earth.\n He shall subdue the people under us,\n And the nations under our feet.\n He shall choose our inheritance for us,\n The excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.\n God is gone up with a shout,\n The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.\n Sing praises to God, sing praises:\n Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.\n For God is the King of all the earth:\n Sing ye praises with understanding.\n God reigneth over the heathen:\n God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.\n The princes of the people are gathered together,\n Even the people of the God of Abraham:\n For the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 51\n\n\n HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:\n According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my\n transgressions.\n Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,\n And cleanse me from my sin.\n For I acknowledge my transgressions:\n And my sin is ever before me.\n Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,\n And done this evil in thy sight:\n That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,\n And be clear when thou judgest.\n Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;\n And in sin did my mother conceive me.\n Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:\n And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.\n Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:\n Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.\n Make me to hear 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 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 And take not thy holy spirit from me.\n Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;\n And uphold me with thy free spirit.\n Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;\n And sinners shall be converted unto thee.\n Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation:\n And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.\n O Lord, open thou my lips;\n And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.\n For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:\n Thou delightest not in burnt offering.\n The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:\n A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.\n Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion:\n Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.\n Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,\n with burnt offering and whole burnt offering:\n Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 63\n\n\n O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:\n My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee\n In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;\n To see thy power and thy glory,\n So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.\n Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,\n My lips shall praise thee.\n Thus will I bless thee while I live:\n I will lift up my hands in thy name.\n My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;\n And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:\n When I remember thee upon my bed,\n And meditate on thee in the night watches.\n Because thou hast been my help,\n Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice....\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 65\n\n\n PRAISE waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion:\n And unto thee shall the vow be performed.\n O thou that hearest prayer,\n Unto thee shall all flesh come.\n Iniquities prevail against me:\n As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.\n Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,\n And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts:\n We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy\n holy temple.\n By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us,\n O God of our salvation;\n Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them\n that are afar off upon the sea:\n Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;\n Being girded with power:\n Which stilleth the noise of the seas,\n The noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.\n They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:\n Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.\n Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it:\n Thou greatly enrichest it\n With the river of God, which is full of water:\n Thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.\n Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly:\n Thou settlest the furrows thereof:\n Thou makest it soft with showers:\n Thou blessest the springing thereof.\n Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;\n And thy paths drop fatness.\n They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness:\n And the little hills rejoice on every side.\n The pastures are clothed with flocks;\n The valleys also are covered over with corn;\n They shout for joy, they also sing.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 77\n\n\n I CRIED unto God with my voice,\n Even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.\n In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:\n My sore ran in the night, and ceased not:\n My soul refused to be comforted.\n I remembered God, and was troubled:\n I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.\n Thou holdest mine eyes waking:\n I am so troubled that I cannot speak.\n I have considered the days of old,\n The years of ancient times.\n I call to remembrance my song in the night:\n I commune with mine own heart:\n And my spirit made diligent search.\n Will the Lord cast off for ever?\n And will he be favourable no more?\n Is his mercy clean gone for ever?\n Doth his promise fail for evermore?\n Hath God forgotten to be gracious?\n Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.\n And I said, This is my infirmity:\n But I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.\n I will remember the works of the LORD:\n Surely I will remember thy wonders of old.\n I will meditate also of all thy work,\n And talk of thy doings.\n Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:\n Who is so great a God as our God?\n Thou art the God that doest wonders:\n Thou hast declared thy strength among the people.\n Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,\n The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.\n The waters saw thee, O God,\n The waters saw thee; they were afraid:\n The depths also were troubled.\n The clouds poured out water:\n The skies sent out a sound:\n Thine arrows also went abroad.\n The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven:\n The lightnings lightened the world:\n The earth trembled and shook.\n Thy way is in the sea,\n And thy path in the great waters,\n And thy footsteps are not known.\n Thou leddest thy people like a flock\n By the hand of Moses and Aaron.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 84\n\n\n HOW amiable are thy tabernacles,\n O LORD of hosts!\n My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD:\n My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.\n Yea, the sparrow hath found an house,\n And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,\n Even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.\n Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:\n They will be still praising thee. Selah.\n Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;\n In whose heart are the ways of them.\n Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well;\n The rain also filleth the pools.\n They go from strength to strength,\n Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.\n O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer:\n Give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.\n Behold, O God our shield,\n And look upon the face of thine anointed.\n For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.\n I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,\n Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.\n For the LORD God is a sun and shield:\n The LORD will give grace and glory:\n No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.\n O LORD of hosts,\n Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 86\n\n\n BOW down thine ear, O LORD, hear me:\n For I am poor and needy.\n Preserve my soul; for I am holy:\n O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.\n Be merciful unto me, O Lord:\n For I cry unto thee daily.\n Rejoice the soul of thy servant:\n For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.\n For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive;\n And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.\n Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer;\n And attend to the voice of my supplications.\n In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee:\n For thou wilt answer me.\n Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord;\n Neither are there any works like unto thy works.\n All nations whom thou hast made\n Shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;\n And shall glorify thy name.\n For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:\n Thou art God alone.\n Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth:\n Unite my heart to fear thy name.\n I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart:\n And I will glorify thy name for evermore.\n For great is thy mercy toward me:\n And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.\n O God, the proud are risen against me,\n And the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul;\n And have not set thee before them.\n But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious,\n Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.\n O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;\n Give thy strength unto thy servant,\n And save the son of thine handmaid.\n Shew me a token for good;\n That they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed:\n Because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 90\n\n\n LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place\n In all generations.\n Before the mountains were brought forth,\n Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,\n Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.\n Thou turnest man to destruction;\n And sayest, Return, ye children of men.\n For a thousand years in thy sight\n Are but as yesterday when it is past,\n And as a watch in the night.\n Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep:\n In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.\n In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;\n In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.\n For we are consumed by thine anger,\n And by thy wrath are we troubled.\n Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,\n Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.\n For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:\n We spend our years as a tale that is told.\n The days of our years are threescore years and ten;\n And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,\n Yet is their strength labour and sorrow;\n For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.\n Who knoweth the power of thine anger?\n Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.\n So teach us to number our days,\n That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.\n Return, O LORD, how long?\n And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.\n O satisfy us early with thy mercy;\n That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.\n Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,\n And the years wherein we have seen evil.\n Let thy work appear unto thy servants,\n And thy glory unto their children.\n And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us:\n And establish thou the work of our hands upon us;\n Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 91\n\n\n HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High\n Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.\n I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:\n My God; in him will I trust.\n Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,\n And from the noisome pestilence.\n He shall cover thee with his feathers,\n And under his wings shalt thou trust:\n His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.\n Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night;\n Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;\n Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness;\n Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.\n A thousand shall fall at thy side,\n And ten thousand at thy right hand;\n But it shall not come nigh thee.\n Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold\n And see the reward of the wicked.\n Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge,\n Even the most High, thy habitation;\n There shall no evil befall thee,\n Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.\n For he shall give his angels charge over thee,\n To keep thee in all thy ways.\n They shall bear thee up in their hands,\n Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.\n Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:\n The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.\n Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:\n I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.\n He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:\n I will be with him in trouble;\n I will deliver him, and honour him.\n With long life will I satisfy him,\n And shew him my salvation.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 93\n\n\n THE LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty;\n The LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself:\n The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.\n Thy throne is established of old:\n Thou art from everlasting.\n The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their\n voice;\n The floods lift up their waves.\n The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,\n Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.\n Thy testimonies are very sure:\n Holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 95\n\n\n O COME, let us sing unto the LORD:\n Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.\n Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,\n And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.\n For the LORD is a great God,\n And a great King above all gods.\n In his hand are the deep places of the earth:\n The strength of the hills is his also.\n The sea is his, and he made it:\n And his hands formed the dry land.\n O come, let us worship and bow down:\n Let us kneel before the LORD our maker.\n For he is our God;\n And we are the people of his pasture,\n And the sheep of his hand.\n To day if ye will hear his voice,\n Harden not your heart, as in the provocation,\n And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:\n When your fathers tempted me,\n Proved me, and saw my work.\n Forty years long was I grieved with this generation,\n And said, It is a people that do err in their heart,\n And they have not known my ways:\n Unto whom I sware in my wrath\n That they should not enter into my\n rest.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 96\n\n\n O SING unto the LORD a new song:\n Sing unto the LORD, all the earth.\n Sing unto the LORD, bless his name;\n Shew forth his salvation from day to day.\n Declare his glory among the heathen,\n His wonders among all people.\n For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised:\n He is to be feared above all gods.\n For all the gods of the nations are idols:\n But the LORD made the heavens.\n Honour and majesty are before him:\n Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.\n Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people,\n Give unto the LORD glory and strength.\n Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name:\n Bring an offering, and come into his courts.\n O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness:\n Fear before him, all the earth.\n Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth:\n The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:\n He shall judge the people righteously.\n Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;\n Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.\n Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:\n Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD:\n For he cometh,\n For he cometh to judge the earth:\n He shall judge the world with righteousness,\n And the people with his truth.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 98\n\n\n O SING unto the LORD a new song;\n For he hath done marvellous things:\n His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.\n The LORD hath made known his salvation:\n His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.\n He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel:\n All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.\n Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth:\n Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.\n Sing unto the LORD with the harp;\n With the harp, and the voice of a psalm.\n With trumpets and sound of cornet\n Make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.\n Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;\n The world, and they that dwell therein.\n Let the floods clap their hands:\n Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD;\n For he cometh to judge the earth:\n With righteousness shall he judge the world,\n And the people with equity.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 100\n\n\n MAKE a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.\n Serve the LORD with gladness:\n Come before his presence with singing.\n Know ye that the LORD he is God:\n It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;\n We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.\n Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with\n praise:\n Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.\n For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;\n And his truth endureth to all generations.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 103\n\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 forgiveth all thine iniquities;\n Who healeth all thy diseases;\n Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;\n Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;\n Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;\n So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.\n The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment\n For all that are oppressed.\n He made known his ways unto Moses,\n His acts unto the children of Israel.\n The LORD is merciful and gracious,\n Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.\n He will not always chide:\n Neither will he keep his anger for ever.\n He hath not dealt with us after our sins;\n Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.\n For as the heaven is high above the earth,\n So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.\n As far as the east is from the west,\n So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.\n Like as a father pitieth his children,\n So the LORD pitieth them that fear him.\n For he knoweth our frame;\n He remembereth that we are dust.\n As for man, his days are as grass:\n As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.\n For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;\n And the place thereof shall know it no more.\n But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon\n them that fear him,\n And his righteousness unto children's children;\n To such as keep his covenant,\n And to those that remember his commandments to do them.\n The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens;\n And his kingdom ruleth over all.\n Bless the LORD, ye his angels,\n That excel in strength, that do his\n commandments,\n Hearkening unto the voice of his word.\n Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts;\n Ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.\n Bless the LORD, all his works\n In all places of his dominion:\n Bless the LORD, O my soul.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 104\n\n\n BLESS the LORD, O my soul.\n O LORD my God, thou art very great;\n Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.\n Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:\n Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:\n Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters:\n Who maketh the clouds his chariot:\n Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:\n Who maketh his angels spirits;\n His ministers a flaming fire:\n Who laid the foundations of the earth,\n That it should not be removed for ever.\n Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment:\n The waters stood above the mountains.\n At thy rebuke they fled;\n At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.\n They go up by the mountains;\n They go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded\n for them.\n Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;\n That they turn not again to cover the earth.\n He sendeth the springs into the valleys,\n Which run among the hills.\n They give drink to every beast of the field:\n The wild asses quench their thirst.\n By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation,\n Which sing among the branches.\n He watereth the hills from his chambers:\n The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.\n He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,\n And herb for the service of man:\n That he may bring forth food out of the earth;\n And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,\n And oil to make his face to shine,\n And bread which strengtheneth man's heart.\n The trees of the LORD are full of sap;\n The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;\n Where the birds make their nests:\n As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.\n The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats;\n And the rocks for the conies.\n He appointed the moon for seasons:\n The sun knoweth his going down.\n Thou makest darkness, and it is night:\n Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.\n The young lions roar after their prey,\n And seek their meat from God.\n The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together,\n And lay them down in their dens.\n Man goeth forth unto his work\n And to his labour until the evening.\n O LORD, how manifold are thy works!\n In wisdom hast thou made them all:\n The earth is full of thy riches.\n So is this great and wide sea,\n Wherein are things creeping innumerable,\n Both small and great beasts.\n There go the ships:\n There is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.\n These wait all upon thee;\n That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.\n That thou givest them they gather:\n Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.\n Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled:\n Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.\n Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created:\n And thou renewest the face of the earth.\n The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever:\n The LORD shall rejoice in his works.\n He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth:\n He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.\n I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live:\n I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.\n My meditation of him shall be sweet:\n I will be glad in the LORD.\n Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth,\n And let the wicked be no more.\n Bless thou the LORD, O my soul.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 107\n\n\n O GIVE thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,\n Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;\n And gathered them out of the lands,\n From the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.\n They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way;\n They found no city to dwell in.\n Hungry and thirsty,\n Their soul fainted in them.\n Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble,\n And he delivered them out of their distresses.\n And he led them forth by the right way,\n That they might go to a city of habitation.\n Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n For he satisfieth the longing soul,\n And filleth the hungry soul with goodness.\n Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,\n Being bound in affliction and iron;\n Because they rebelled against the words of God,\n And contemned the counsel of the most High:\n Therefore he brought down their heart with labour;\n They fell down, and there was none to help.\n Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble,\n And he saved them out of their distresses.\n He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,\n And brake their bands in sunder.\n Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n For he hath broken the gates of brass,\n And cut the bars of iron in sunder.\n Fools because of their transgression,\n And because of their iniquities, are afflicted.\n Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat;\n And they draw near unto the gates of death.\n Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble,\n And he saveth them out of their distresses.\n He sent his word, and healed them,\n And delivered them from their destructions.\n Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,\n And declare his works with rejoicing.\n They that go down to the sea in ships,\n That do business in great waters;\n These see the works of the LORD,\n And his wonders in the deep.\n For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,\n Which lifteth up the waves thereof.\n They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:\n Their soul is melted because of trouble.\n They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,\n And are at their wit's end.\n Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble,\n And he bringeth them out of their distresses.\n He maketh the storm a calm,\n So that the waves thereof are still.\n Then are they glad because they be quiet;\n So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.\n Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,\n And for his wonderful works to the children of men!\n Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people,\n And praise him in the assembly of the elders.\n He turneth rivers into a wilderness,\n And the watersprings into dry ground;\n A fruitful land into barrenness,\n For the wickedness of them that dwell therein.\n He turneth the wilderness into a standing water,\n And dry ground into watersprings.\n And there he maketh the hungry to dwell,\n That they may prepare a city for habitation;\n And sow the fields, and plant vineyards,\n Which may yield fruits of increase.\n He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly;\n And suffereth not their cattle to decrease.\n Again, they are minished and brought low\n Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow.\n He poureth contempt upon princes,\n And causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.\n Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction,\n And maketh him families like a flock.\n The righteous shall see it, and rejoice:\n And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.\n Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,\n Even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 111\n\n\n PRAISE ye the LORD.\n I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,\n In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.\n The works of the LORD are great,\n Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.\n His work is honourable and glorious:\n And his righteousness endureth for ever.\n He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:\n The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.\n He hath given meat unto them that fear him:\n He will ever be mindful of his covenant.\n He hath shewed his people the power of his works,\n That he may give them the heritage of the heathen.\n The works of his hands are verity and judgment;\n All his commandments are sure.\n They stand fast for ever and ever,\n And are done in truth and uprightness.\n He sent redemption unto his people:\n He hath commanded his covenant for ever:\n Holy and reverend is his name.\n The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:\n A good understanding have all they that do his commandments:\n His praise endureth for ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 116\n\n\n I LOVE the LORD, because he hath heard\n My voice and my supplications.\n Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,\n Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.\n The sorrows of death compassed me,\n And the pains of hell gat hold upon me:\n I found trouble and sorrow.\n Then called I upon the name of the LORD;\n O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.\n Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;\n Yea, our God is merciful.\n The LORD preserveth the simple:\n I was brought low, and he helped me.\n Return unto thy rest, O my soul;\n For the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.\n For thou hast delivered my soul from death,\n Mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.\n I will walk before the LORD\n In the land of the living.\n I believed, therefore have I spoken:\n I was greatly afflicted:\n I said in my haste,\n All men are liars.\n What shall I render unto the LORD\n For all his benefits toward me?\n I will take the cup of salvation,\n And call upon the name of the LORD.\n I will pay my vows unto the LORD now\n In the presence of all his people.\n Precious in the sight of the LORD\n Is the death of his saints.\n O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant,\n And the son of thine handmaid:\n Thou hast loosed my bonds.\n I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,\n And will call upon the name of the LORD.\n I will pay my vows unto the LORD now\n In the presence of all his people,\n In the courts of the LORD'S house,\n In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 118\n\n\n O GIVE thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:\n Because his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let Israel now say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let the house of Aaron now say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n Let them now that fear the LORD say,\n That his mercy endureth for ever.\n I called upon the LORD in distress:\n The LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.\n The LORD is on my side; I will not fear:\n What can man do unto me?\n The LORD taketh my part with them that help me:\n Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.\n It is better to trust in the LORD\n Than to put confidence in man.\n It is better to trust in the LORD\n Than to put confidence in princes.\n All nations compassed me about:\n But in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.\n They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about:\n But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.\n They compassed me about like bees;\n They are quenched as the fire of thorns:\n For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.\n Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall:\n But the LORD helped me....\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 121\n\n\n I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills,\n From whence cometh my help.\n My help cometh from the LORD,\n Which made heaven and earth.\n He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:\n He that keepeth thee will not slumber.\n Behold, he that keepeth Israel\n Shall neither slumber nor sleep.\n The LORD is thy keeper:\n The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.\n The sun shall not smite thee by day,\n Nor the moon by night.\n The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil:\n He shall preserve thy soul.\n The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in\n From this time forth, and even for evermore.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 136\n\n\n O GIVE thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks unto the God of gods:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks to the Lord of lords:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him who alone doeth great wonders:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him that by wisdom made the heavens:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him that made great lights:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n The sun to rule by day:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n The moon and stars to rule by night:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And brought out Israel from among them:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him which divided the Red sea into parts:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him which led his people through the wilderness:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n To him which smote great kings:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And slew famous kings:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n Sihon king of the Amorites:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And Og the king of Bashan:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And gave their land for an heritage:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Who remembered us in our low estate:\n For his mercy endureth for ever:\n And hath redeemed us from our enemies:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n Who giveth food to all flesh:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n O give thanks unto the God of heaven:\n For his mercy endureth for ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 138\n\n\n I WILL praise thee with my whole heart:\n Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.\n I will worship toward thy holy temple,\n And praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:\n For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.\n In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,\n And strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.\n All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD,\n When they hear the words of thy mouth.\n Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD:\n For great is the glory of the LORD.\n Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly:\n But the proud he knoweth afar off.\n Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:\n Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,\n And thy right hand shall save me.\n The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:\n Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever:\n Forsake not the works of thine own hands.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 139\n\n\n O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.\n Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,\n Thou understandest my thought afar off.\n Thou compassest my path and my lying down,\n And art acquainted with all my ways.\n For there is not a word in my tongue,\n But, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.\n Thou hast beset me behind and before,\n And laid thine hand upon me.\n Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;\n It is high, I cannot attain unto it.\n Whither shall I go from thy spirit?\n Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?\n If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:\n If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.\n If I take the wings of the morning,\n And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;\n Even there shall thy hand lead me,\n And thy right hand shall hold me.\n If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;\n Even the night shall be light about me.\n Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;\n But the night shineth as the day:\n The darkness and the light are both alike to thee....\n I will praise thee;\n For I am fearfully and wonderfully made:\n Marvellous are thy works;\n And that my soul knoweth right well....\n Search me, O God, and know my heart:\n Try me, and know my thoughts:\n And see if there be any wicked way in me,\n And lead me in the way everlasting.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 145\n\n\n I WILL extol thee, my God, O king;\n And I will bless thy name for ever and ever.\n Every day will I bless thee;\n And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.\n Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;\n And his greatness is unsearchable.\n One generation shall praise thy works to another,\n And shall declare thy mighty acts.\n I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty,\n And of thy wondrous works.\n And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts:\n And I will declare thy greatness.\n They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness,\n And shall sing of thy righteousness.\n The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion;\n Slow to anger, and of great mercy.\n The LORD is good to all:\n And his tender mercies are over all his works.\n All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD;\n And thy saints shall bless thee.\n They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,\n And talk of thy power;\n To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,\n And the glorious majesty of his kingdom.\n Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,\n And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.\n The LORD upholdeth all that fall,\n And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.\n The eyes of all wait upon thee;\n And thou givest them their meat in due season.\n Thou openest thine hand,\n And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.\n The LORD is righteous in all his ways,\n And holy in all his works.\n The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him,\n To all that call upon him in truth.\n He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him:\n He also will hear their cry, and will save them.\n The LORD preserveth all them that love him:\n But all the wicked will he destroy.\n My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD:\n And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 146\n\n\n PRAISE ye the LORD.\n Praise the LORD, O my soul.\n While I live will I praise the LORD:\n I will sing praises unto my God while\n I have any being.\n Put not your trust in princes,\n Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.\n His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;\n In that very day his thoughts perish.\n Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,\n Whose hope is in the LORD his God:\n Which made heaven, and earth,\n The sea, and all that therein is:\n Which keepeth truth for ever:\n Which executeth judgment for the oppressed:\n Which giveth food to the hungry.\n The LORD looseth the prisoners:\n The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind:\n The LORD raiseth them that are bowed down:\n The LORD loveth the righteous:\n The LORD preserveth the strangers;\n He relieveth the fatherless and widow:\n But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.\n The LORD shall reign for ever,\n Even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 147\n\n\n PRAISE ye the LORD:\n For it is good to sing praises unto our God;\n For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.\n The LORD doth build up Jerusalem:\n He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.\n He healeth the broken in heart,\n And bindeth up their wounds.\n He telleth the number of the stars;\n He calleth them all by their names.\n Great is our Lord, and of great power:\n His understanding is infinite.\n The LORD lifteth up the meek:\n He casteth the wicked down to the ground.\n Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving;\n Sing praise upon the harp unto our God:\n Who covereth the heaven with clouds,\n Who prepareth rain for the earth,\n Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.\n He giveth to the beast his food,\n And to the young ravens which cry.\n He delighteth not in the strength of the horse:\n He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.\n The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him,\n In those that hope in his mercy.\n Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem;\n Praise thy God, O Zion.\n For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates;\n He hath blessed thy children within thee.\n He maketh peace in thy borders,\n And filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.\n He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth:\n His word runneth very swiftly.\n He giveth snow like wool:\n He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.\n He casteth forth his ice like morsels:\n Who can stand before his cold?\n He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:\n He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.\n He sheweth his word unto Jacob,\n His statutes and his judgments unto Israel.\n He hath not dealt so with any nation:\n And as for his judgments, they have not known them.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 148\n\n\n PRAISE ye the LORD.\n Praise ye the LORD from the heavens:\n Praise him in the heights.\n Praise ye him, all his angels:\n Praise ye him, all his hosts.\n Praise ye him, sun and moon:\n Praise him, all ye stars of light.\n Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,\n And ye waters that be above the heavens.\n Let them praise the name of the LORD:\n For he commanded, and they were created.\n He hath also stablished them for ever and ever:\n He hath made a decree which shall not pass.\n Praise the LORD from the earth,\n Ye dragons, and all deeps:\n Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours;\n Stormy wind fulfilling his word:\n Mountains, and all hills;\n Fruitful trees, and all cedars:\n Beasts, and all cattle;\n Creeping things, and flying fowl:\n Kings of the earth, and all people;\n Princes, and all judges of the earth:\n Both young men, and maidens;\n Old men, and children:\n Let them praise the name of the LORD:\n For his name alone is excellent;\n His glory is above the earth and heaven.\n He also exalteth the horn of his people,\n The praise of all his saints;\n Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nPSALM 150\n\n\n PRAISE ye the LORD.\n Praise God in his sanctuary:\n Praise him in the firmament of his power.\n Praise him for his mighty acts:\n Praise him according to his excellent greatness.\n Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:\n Praise him with the psaltery and harp.\n Praise him with the timbrel and dance:\n Praise him with stringed instruments and organs.\n Praise him upon the loud cymbals:\n Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.\n Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.\n Praise ye the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 137\n\nPROVERBS\n\n\n[Sidenote: Proverbs 1]\n\n[Sidenote: Proverbs 4]\n\n[Sidenote: Proverbs 9]\n\n[Sidenote: Proverbs 16]\n\n[Sidenote: Proverbs 24]\n\nTHE proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.\n\n The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge:\n But fools despise wisdom and instruction.\n My son, hear the instruction of thy father,\n And forsake not the law of thy mother:\n For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head,\n And chains about thy neck.\n My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.\n Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:\n Bind them about thy neck;\n Write them upon the table of thine heart:\n So shalt thou find favour and good understanding\n In the sight of God and man.\n Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;\n And lean not unto thine own understanding.\n In all thy ways acknowledge him,\n And he shall direct thy paths.\n Be not wise in thine own eyes:\n Fear the LORD, and depart from evil.\n My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;\n Neither be weary of his correction:\n For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth;\n Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.\n Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,\n And the man that getteth understanding.\n For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,\n And the gain thereof than fine gold.\n She is more precious than rubies:\n And all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.\n Length of days is in her right hand;\n And in her left hand riches and honour.\n Her ways are ways of pleasantness,\n And all her paths are peace.\n Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:\n And with all thy getting get understanding.\n Exalt her, and she shall promote thee:\n She shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.\n She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace:\n A crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.\n The path of the just is as the shining light,\n That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.\n The way of the wicked is as darkness:\n They know not at what they stumble.\n Keep thy heart with all diligence;\n For out of it are the issues of life.\n Go to the ant, thou sluggard;\n Consider her ways, and be wise:\n Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,\n Provideth her meat in the summer,\n And gathereth her food in the harvest.\n How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?\n When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?\n Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,\n A little folding of the hands to sleep:\n So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth,\n And thy want as an armed man.\n These six things doth the LORD hate:\n Yea, seven are an abomination unto him:\n A proud look, a lying tongue,\n And hands that shed innocent blood,\n An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,\n Feet that be swift in running to mischief,\n A false witness that speaketh lies,\n And he that soweth discord among brethren.\n Doth not wisdom cry?\n And understanding put forth her voice?\n She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city,\n At the coming in at the doors.\n Unto you, O men, I call;\n And my voice is to the sons of man.\n Wisdom is better than rubies;\n And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.\n I love them that love me;\n And those that seek me early shall find me.\n Riches and honour are with me;\n Yea, durable riches and righteousness.\n The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way,\n Before his works of old.\n I was set up from everlasting,\n From the beginning, or ever the earth was.\n When there were no depths, I was brought forth;\n When there were no fountains abounding with water.\n Before the mountains were settled,\n Before the hills was I brought forth:\n While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,\n Nor the highest part of the dust of the world.\n When he prepared the heavens, I was there:\n When he set a compass upon the face of the depth:\n When he established the clouds above:\n When he strengthened the fountains of the deep:\n When he gave to the sea his decree,\n That the waters should not pass his commandment:\n When he appointed the foundations of the earth:\n Then I was by him, as one brought up with him:\n And I was daily his delight,\n Rejoicing always before him;\n Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth;\n And my delights were with the sons of men.\n Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children:\n For blessed are they that keep my ways.\n Hear instruction, and be wise,\n And refuse it not.\n Blessed is the man that heareth me,\n Watching daily at my gates,\n Waiting at the posts of my doors.\n For whoso findeth me findeth life,\n And shall obtain favour of the LORD.\n But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:\n All they that hate me love death.\n The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:\n And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.\n A wise son maketh a glad father:\n But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.\n He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand:\n But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.\n Hatred stirreth up strifes:\n But love covereth all sins.\n He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction:\n But he that refuseth reproof erreth.\n He that hideth hatred with lying lips,\n And he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.\n In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:\n But he that refraineth his lips is wise.\n The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich,\n And he addeth no sorrow with it.\n When pride cometh, then cometh shame:\n But with the lowly is wisdom.\n A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:\n But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.\n The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:\n But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.\n The lip of truth shall be established for ever:\n But a lying tongue is but for a moment.\n Lying lips are abomination to the LORD:\n But they that deal truly are his delight.\n He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:\n But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.\n He that spareth his rod hateth his son:\n But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.\n He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth:\n But he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.\n A soft answer turneth away wrath:\n But grievous words stir up anger.\n The eyes of the LORD are in every place,\n Beholding the evil and the good.\n A fool despiseth his father's instruction:\n But he that regardeth reproof is prudent.\n Better is little with the fear of the LORD,\n Than great treasure and trouble therewith.\n Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,\n Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.\n Pride goeth before destruction,\n And an haughty spirit before a fall.\n Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,\n Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.\n The hoary head is a crown of glory,\n If it be found in the way of righteousness.\n He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;\n And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.\n Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker:\n And he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.\n Whoso rewardeth evil for good,\n Evil shall not depart from his house.\n The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:\n Therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.\n A friend loveth at all times,\n And a brother is born for adversity.\n A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:\n But a broken spirit drieth the bones.\n He also that is slothful in his work\n Is brother to him that is a great waster.\n Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep;\n And an idle soul shall suffer hunger.\n Even a child is known by his doings,\n Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.\n Whoso curseth his father or his mother,\n His lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.\n To do justice and judgment\n Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.\n Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor,\n He also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.\n He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man:\n He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.\n Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue\n Keepeth his soul from troubles.\n A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,\n And loving favour rather than silver and gold.\n The rich and poor meet together:\n The LORD is the maker of them all.\n Train up a child in the way he should go:\n And when he is old, he will not depart from it.\n He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed;\n For he giveth of his bread to the poor.\n Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;\n But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.\n Rob not the poor, because he is poor:\n Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate.\n Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,\n And despise not thy mother when she is old.\n Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,\n When it giveth his colour in the cup,\n When it moveth itself aright.\n At the last it biteth like a serpent,\n And stingeth like an adder.\n Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,\n And let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth.\n If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat;\n And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:\n For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head,\n And the LORD shall reward thee.\n Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?\n There is more hope of a fool than of him.\n Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein:\n And he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.\n Boast not thyself of to morrow;\n For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.\n Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;\n A stranger, and not thine own lips.\n Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not.\n A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself;\n But the simple pass on, and are punished.\n Iron sharpeneth iron;\n So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.\n Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof:\n So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.\n As in water face answereth to face,\n So the heart of man to man.\n The wicked flee when no man pursueth:\n But the righteous are bold as a lion.\n Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness,\n Than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.\n Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son:\n But he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.\n He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,\n Even his prayer shall be abomination.\n Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way,\n He shall fall himself into his own pit:\n But the upright shall have good things in possession.\n He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:\n But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.\n Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved:\n But he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.\n He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread:\n But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.\n He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour\n Than he that flattereth with the tongue.\n Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no\n transgression;\n The same is the companion of a destroyer.\n He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife:\n But he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.\n He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:\n But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.\n He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack:\n But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.\n He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck,\n Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.\n When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice:\n But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.\n A man that flattereth his neighbour\n Spreadeth a net for his feet.\n The righteous considereth the cause of the poor:\n But the wicked regardeth not to know it.\n If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man,\n Whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.\n A fool uttereth all his mind:\n But a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.\n Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words?\n There is more hope of a fool than of him.\n An angry man stirreth up strife,\n And a furious man aboundeth in transgression.\n A man's pride shall bring him low:\n But honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.\n Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul:\n He heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.\n The fear of man bringeth a snare:\n But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.\n Every word of God is pure:\n He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 138\n\nREMEMBER THY CREATOR\n\n\n[Sidenote: Ecclesiastes 12]\n\n REMEMBER now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,\n While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh,\n When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;\n While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not\n darkened,\n Nor the clouds return after the rain:\n In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,\n And the strong men shall bow themselves,\n And the grinders cease because they are few,\n And those that look out of the windows be darkened,\n And the doors shall be shut in the streets,\n When the sound of the grinding is low,\n And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird,\n And all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;\n Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high,\n And fears shall be in the way,\n And the almond tree shall flourish,\n And the grasshopper shall be a burden,\n And desire shall fail:\n Because man goeth to his long home,\n and the mourners go about the streets:\n Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken,\n Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at\n the cistern.\n Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:\n And the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.\n\n[Sidenote: Ecclesiastes 12]\n\nLet us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his\ncommandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring\nevery work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good,\nor whether it be evil.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK XIII--THE PROPHETS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 139\n\nPROPHECIES OF ISAIAH\n\n\nTHE vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah\nand Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,\nkings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD\nhath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have\nrebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's\ncrib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Come\nnow, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be\nas scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like\ncrimson, they shall be as wool.\n\nAnd it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the\nLORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and\nshall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.\nAnd many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the\nmountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will\nteach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion\nshall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And\nhe shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and\nthey shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into\npruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither\nshall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us\nwalk in the light of the LORD.\n\nTherefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin\nshall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.\nButter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and\nchoose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil,\nand choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of\nboth her kings.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 9]\n\nThe people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that\ndwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light\nshined. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the\ngovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called\nWonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The\nPrince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there\nshall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to\norder it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from\nhenceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform\nthis.\n\nAnd there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch\nshall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon\nhim, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel\nand might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and\nshall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he\nshall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the\nhearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor,\nand reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite\nthe earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips\nshall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his\nloins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall\ndwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and\nthe calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little\nchild shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young\nones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.\nAnd the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned\nchild shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt\nnor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the\nknowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.\n\nAnd in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for\nan ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest\nshall be glorious. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not\nbe afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also\nis become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out\nof the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the\nLORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make\nmention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done\nexcellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout,\nthou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the\nmidst of thee. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD\nwill wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people\nshall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.\nAnd it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited\nfor him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him,\nwe will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.\n\nIn that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a\nstrong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye\nthe gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter\nin. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:\nbecause he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the\nLORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: for he bringeth down them that\ndwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even\nto the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it\ndown, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way\nof the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of\nthe just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for\nthee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance\nof thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my\nspirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in\nthe earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.\n\nThus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a\nstone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he\nthat believeth shall not make haste. Behold, a king shall reign in\nrighteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be\nas an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as\nrivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a\nweary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the\nears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall\nunderstand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready\nto speak plainly.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 26]\n\nHear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near,\nacknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath\nsurprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring\nfire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that\nwalketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain\nof oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that\nstoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from\nseeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the\nmunitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.\nThine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land\nthat is very far off.\n\nThe LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king;\nhe will save us.\n\nThe wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the\ndesert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. Strengthen ye the weak\nhands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful\nheart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance,\neven God with a recompence; he will come and save you.\n\nThen the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf\nshall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the\ntongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out,\nand streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool,\nand the thirsty land springs of water.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 40]\n\nAnd the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with\nsongs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and\ngladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 140\n\nPROMISES OF THE MESSIAH AND OF GOSPEL GRACE\n\n\nCOMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably\nto Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that\nher iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand\ndouble for all her sins.\n\nThe voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of\nthe LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every\nvalley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:\nand the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:\nand the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see\nit together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said,\nCry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the\ngoodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth,\nthe flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it:\nsurely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but\nthe word of our God shall stand for ever.\n\nO Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high\nmountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice\nwith strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah,\nBehold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and\nhis arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his\nwork before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall\ngather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall\ngently lead those that are with young.\n\nWho hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted\nout heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in\na measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a\nbalance? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted\nas the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a\nvery little thing. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are\ncounted to him less than nothing, and vanity.\n\nTo whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto\nhim? Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you\nfrom the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of\nthe earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and\nthe inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the\nheavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:\nthat bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth\nas vanity. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith\nthe Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created\nthese things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them\nall by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in\npower; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O\nIsrael, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over\nfrom my God?\n\nHast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the\nLORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is\nweary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to\nthe faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even\nthe youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly\nfall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;\nthey shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be\nweary; and they shall walk, and not faint. When the poor and needy seek\nwater, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the\nLORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will\nopen rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys:\nI will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of\nwater. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and\nthe myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree,\nand the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know,\nand consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath\ndone this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.\n\nBehold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul\ndelighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth\njudgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his\nvoice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and\nthe smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment\nunto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set\njudgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 41]\n\nThus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched\nthem out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of\nit; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them\nthat walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and\nwill hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant\nof the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to\nbring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness\nout of the prison house. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory\nwill I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold,\nthe former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before\nthey spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new song,\nand his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea,\nand all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let\nthe wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages\nthat Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let\nthem shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the\nLORD, and declare his praise in the islands. The LORD shall go forth\nas a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall\ncry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time\nholden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will\nI cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I\nwill make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I\nwill make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will\nbring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths\nthat they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and\ncrooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not\nforsake them.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 43]\n\nBut now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that\nformed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have\ncalled thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the\nwaters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not\noverflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be\nburned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy\nGod, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. Since thou wast precious in\nmy sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore\nwill I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am\nwith thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from\nthe west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not\nback: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the\nearth; even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him\nfor my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.\n\nBring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have\nears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be\nassembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things?\nlet them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or\nlet them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the\nLORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe\nme, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed,\nneither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside\nme there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have\nshewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my\nwitnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. Yea, before the day was I am\nhe; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and\nwho shall let it?\n\nRemember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have\nformed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten\nof me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and,\nas a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing,\nO ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the\nearth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree\ntherein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in\nIsrael. Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, I am the LORD that maketh\nall things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth\nabroad the earth by myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars,\nand maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh\ntheir knowledge foolish; that confirmeth the word of his servant, and\nperformeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem,\nThou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be\nbuilt, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: that saith to\nthe deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: that saith of Cyrus,\nHe is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to\nJerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall\nbe laid. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I\nsaid not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak\nrighteousness, I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves\nand come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they\nhave no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray\nunto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let\nthem take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time?\nwho hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no\nGod else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.\nLook unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God,\nand there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out\nof my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every\nknee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the\nLORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and\nall that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall\nall the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. Behold, I have\nrefined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace\nof affliction. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then\nhad thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of\nthe sea. There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. Sing,\nO heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O\nmountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy\nupon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my\nLord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she\nshould not have compassion on her son? yea, they may forget, yet will I\nnot forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;\nthy walls are continually before me. For the LORD shall comfort Zion:\nhe will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness\nlike Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness\nshall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 45]\n\nHearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a\nlaw shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a\nlight of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone\nforth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon\nme, and on mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens,\nand look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like\nsmoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell\ntherein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever,\nand my righteousness shall not be abolished.\n\nHearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart\nis my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of\ntheir revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the\nworm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever,\nand my salvation from generation to generation.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 52]\n\nAwake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the\nancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut\nRahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the\nsea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the\nsea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the\nLORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting\njoy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and\nsorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comforteth\nyou: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall\ndie, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest\nthe LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the\nfoundations of the earth?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 141\n\nGOOD TIDINGS\n\n\nHOW beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good\ntidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good,\nthat publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!\nBreak forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem:\nfor the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.\nBehold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and\nextolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage\nwas so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of\nmen: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their\nmouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see;\nand that which they had not heard shall they consider.\n\nWho hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD\nrevealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as\na root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when\nwe shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is\ndespised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with\ngrief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and\nwe esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our\nsorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.\nBut he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our\niniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his\nstripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have\nturned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the\niniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he\nopened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and\nas a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.\nHe was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his\ngeneration? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the\ntransgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with\nthe wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no\nviolence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD\nto bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul\nan offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,\nand the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of\nthe travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall\nmy righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.\nTherefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall\ndivide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul\nunto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the\nsin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.\n\nHo, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath\nno money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without\nmoney and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which\nis not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken\ndiligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul\ndelight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear,\nand your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with\nyou, even the sure mercies of David.\n\nSeek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is\nnear: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his\nthoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon\nhim; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts\nare not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.\nFor as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher\nthan your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain\ncometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but\nwatereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give\nseed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that\ngoeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it\nshall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing\nwhereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with\npeace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into\nsinging, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead\nof the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall\ncome up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an\neverlasting sign that shall not be cut off.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 55]\n\nThus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation\nis near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the\nman that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that\nkeepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing\nany evil. Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls\na place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give\nthem an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of\nthe stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to\nlove the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth\nthe sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even\nthem will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house\nof prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted\nupon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for\nall people.\n\n[Sidenote: Isaiah 57]\n\nFor thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose\nname is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is\nof a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,\nand to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend\nfor ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail\nbefore me, and the souls which I have made. I have seen his ways, and\nwill heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and\nto his mourners. Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that\nis near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like\nthe troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and\ndirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Wherefore have we\nfasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our\nsoul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye\nfind pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife\nand debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast\nas ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.\n\nIs it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his\nsoul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth\nand ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable\nday to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose\nthe bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the\noppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy\nbread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to\nthy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that\nthou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break\nforth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and\nthy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be\nthy rereward.\n\nIf thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure\non my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD,\nhonourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding\nthine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou\ndelight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the\nhigh places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy\nfather: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.\n\nArise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen\nupon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross\ndarkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory\nshall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and\nkings to the brightness of thy rising.\n\nThe sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall\nthe moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an\neverlasting light, and thy God thy glory.\n\nThe Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed\nme to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the\nbrokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening\nof the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year\nof the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all\nthat mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto\nthem beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of\npraise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of\nrighteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.\n\nI will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God;\nfor he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered\nme with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself\nwith ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For\nas the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the\nthings that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause\nrighteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.\n\nI will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of\nthe LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the\ngreat goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on\nthem according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his\nlovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that\nwill not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was\nafflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in\nhis pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the\ndays of old.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 142\n\nWORDS OF JEREMIAH\n\n\n[Sidenote: Jeremiah 1]\n\nTHE words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, to whom the word of the LORD\ncame in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah. It came\nalso in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, unto the end of the\neleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the\ncarrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.\n\nHear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families\nof the house of Israel: thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your\nfathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked\nafter vanity, and are become vain? For my people have committed two\nevils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed\nthem out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.\n\nYea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the\nturtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming;\nbut my people know not the judgment of the LORD.\n\nIs there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is\nnot the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Oh that my head\nwere waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day\nand night for the slain of the daughter of my people!\n\n[Sidenote: Jeremiah 18]\n\nThus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,\nneither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man\nglory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that\nhe understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise\nlovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these\nthings I delight, saith the LORD.\n\nCan the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may\nye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 143\n\nTHE POTTER'S VESSEL\n\n\nTHE word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go\ndown to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my\nwords. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought\na work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in\nthe hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed\ngood to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me,\nsaying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith\nthe LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in\nmine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning\na nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down,\nand to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced,\nturn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do\nunto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation,\nand concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in\nmy sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good,\nwherewith I said I would benefit them.\n\nThus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of\nthe ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; and go\nforth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of\nthe east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, and\nsay, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants\nof Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold,\nI will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his\nears shall tingle. Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the\nmen that go with thee, and shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of\nhosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh\na potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury\nthem in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.\n\nNow Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in\nthe house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.\nThen Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that\nwere in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah\nout of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, Thou, Pashur, and all\nthat dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come\nto Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou,\nand all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.\n\nThe word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus speaketh the\nLORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken\nunto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I\nwill bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the\nLORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their\nfathers, and they shall possess it.\n\nThe LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee\nwith an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn\nthee.\n\nHear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles\nafar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep\nhim, as a shepherd doth his flock.\n\nBehold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant\nwith the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according\nto the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took\nthem by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my\ncovenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the\nLORD: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of\nIsrael; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their\ninward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and\nthey shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his\nneighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they\nshall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,\nsaith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember\ntheir sin no more.\n\n[Sidenote: Jeremiah 37]\n\nBehold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good\nthing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house\nof Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of\nrighteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and\nrighteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and\nJerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall\nbe called, The LORD our righteousness.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 144\n\nJEREMIAH IS PERSECUTED\n\n\nAND it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken\nup from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, then Jeremiah went\nforth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate\nhimself thence in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate\nof Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah;\nand he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the\nChaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the\nChaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and\nbrought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with\nJeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan\nthe scribe: for they had made that the prison. [Sidenote: Ezekiel 1]\n\nWhen Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and\nhad remained there many days, Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out:\nand the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any\nword from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou\nshalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Then Zedekiah\nthe king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of\nthe prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out\nof the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. So\nJeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem\nwas taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.\n\nAnd Jeremiah wrote these words in his lamentations: It is of the LORD'S\nmercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.\nThey are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.\n\nThe LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.\nThe LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh\nhim. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the\nsalvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in\nhis youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne\nit upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be\nhope. He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full\nwith reproach.\n\nFor the Lord will not cast off for ever: but though he cause grief, yet\nwill he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For\nhe doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.\n\nWherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his\nsins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let\nus lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 145\n\nEZEKIEL AMONG THE CAPTIVES\n\n\nNOW it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the\nfifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of\nChebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. And\nhe said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak\nunto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and\nset me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said\nunto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a\nrebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers\nhave transgressed against me, even unto this very day. Therefore say,\nThus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the\nheathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet\nwill I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they\nshall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather\nyou from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye\nhave been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And I will\ngive them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will\ntake the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart\nof flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances,\nand do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.\n\nAfterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the\nSpirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision\nthat I had seen went up from me. Then I spake unto them of the\ncaptivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 146\n\nEVERY MAN JUDGED BY HIS OWN ACTIONS\n\n\nTHE word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the\nland sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch\nout mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof,\nand will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:\nthough these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should\ndeliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.\nIf I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it,\nso that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the\nbeasts: though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord\nGOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be\ndelivered, but the land shall be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon\nthat land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man\nand beast from it: though these three men were in it, as I live, saith\nthe Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they\nonly shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that\nland, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and\nbeast: though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the\nLord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but\ndeliver their own souls by their righteousness.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezekiel 14]\n\nThe word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye\nuse this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers\nhave eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I\nlive, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use\nthis proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the\nfather, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it\nshall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,\nand hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge,\nhath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and\nhath covered the naked with a garment; he that hath not given forth\nupon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his\nhand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,\nhath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly;\nhe is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.\n\nIf he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that\ndoeth not any of those duties, shall he then live? he shall not live;\nhe shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he\nbeget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and\nconsidereth, and doeth not such like, but hath given his bread to the\nhungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, that hath executed\nmy judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the\niniquity of his father, he shall surely live. Yet say ye, Why? doth not\nthe son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that\nwhich is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done\nthem, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The\nson shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father\nbear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall\nbe upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if\nthe wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep\nall my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely\nlive, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed,\nthey shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath\ndone he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should\ndie? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways,\nand live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness,\nand committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations\nthat the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that\nhe hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath\ntrespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.\n\n[Sidenote: Ezekiel 37]\n\nTherefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to\nhis ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your\ntransgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you\nall your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a\nnew heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For\nI have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD:\nwherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 147\n\nTHE VALLEY OF DRY BONES\n\n\nTHE hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of\nthe LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of\nbones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there\nwere very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he\nsaid unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord\nGOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones,\nand say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus\nsaith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to\nenter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and\nwill bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath\nin you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I\nprophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise,\nand behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.\nAnd when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and\nthe skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said\nhe unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to\nthe wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath,\nand breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he\ncommanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood\nup upon their feet, an exceeding great army.\n\nThen he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of\nIsrael: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we\nare cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus\nsaith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and\ncause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land\nof Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened\nyour graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and\nshall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in\nyour own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and\nperformed it, saith the LORD.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 148\n\nDANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS\n\n\nIN the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came\nNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And\nthe Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the\nvessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar\nto the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure\nhouse of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his\neunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of\nthe king's seed, and of the princes; children in whom was no blemish,\nbut well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge,\nand understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand\nin the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the\ntongue of the Chaldeans. Now among these were of the children of Judah,\nDaniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: unto whom the prince of the\neunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar;\nand to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to\nAzariah, of Abed-nego.\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 1]\n\nAs for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all\nlearning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and\ndreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should\nbring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before\nNebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was\nfound none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood\nthey before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding,\nthat the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all\nthe magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 149\n\nNEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM\n\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 2]\n\nAND in the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams,\nwherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then\nthe king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the\nsorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they\ncame and stood before the king. And the king said unto them, I have\ndreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then\nspake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever:\ntell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. The\nking answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me:\nif ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation\nthereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a\ndunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye\nshall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew\nme the dream, and the interpretation thereof. They answered again and\nsaid, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the\ninterpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know of certainty\nthat ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from\nme. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one\ndecree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak\nbefore me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream,\nand I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. The\nChaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon\nthe earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king,\nlord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer,\nor Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there\nis none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose\ndwelling is not with flesh.\n\nFor this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to\ndestroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that\nthe wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows\nto be slain. Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch\nthe captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise\nmen of Babylon, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch\nmade the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of\nthe king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king\nthe interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing\nknown to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they\nwould desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that\nDaniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men\nof Babylon.\n\nThen was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel\nblessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the\nname of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he\nchangeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up\nkings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know\nunderstanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what\nis in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and\npraise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and\nmight, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for\nthou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.\n\nTherefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to\ndestroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him;\nDestroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and\nI will shew unto the king the interpretation. Then Arioch brought\nin Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have\nfound a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the\nking the interpretation. The king answered and said to Daniel, whose\nname was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream\nwhich I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? Daniel answered in\nthe presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath\ndemanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the\nsoothsayers, shew unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that\nrevealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what\nshall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head\nupon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into\nthy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that\nrevealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as\nfor me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have\nmore than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the\ninterpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of\nthy heart.\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 2]\n\nThou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose\nbrightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was\nterrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms\nof silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his\nfeet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was\ncut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were\nof iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the\nclay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,\nand became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind\ncarried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that\nsmote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.\nThis is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before\nthe king.\n\nThou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given\nthee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the\nchildren of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the\nheaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over\nthem all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise\nanother kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass,\nwhich shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall\nbe strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth\nall things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in\npieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of\npotter's clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but\nthere shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou\nsawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were\npart of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong,\nand partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay,\nthey shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not\ncleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the\ndays of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which\nshall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other\npeople, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,\nand it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone\nwas cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces\nthe iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God\nhath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the\ndream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 3]\n\nThen the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel,\nand commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto\nhim. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that\nyour God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of\nsecrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made\nDaniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler\nover the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all\nthe wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of\nBabylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 150\n\nTHE THREE HEBREWS IN THE FURNACE\n\n\nNEBUCHADNEZZAR the king made an image of gold, whose height was\nthreescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up\nin the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar\nthe king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the\ncaptains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs,\nand all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the\nimage which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the\ngovernors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,\nthe sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered\ntogether unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king\nhad set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had\nset up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people,\nnations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the\ncornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of\nmusick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar\nthe king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall\nthe same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.\nTherefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the\nmusick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and\nworshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.\n\nWherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the\nJews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for\never. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear\nthe sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,\nand all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:\nand whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast\ninto the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom\nthou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they\nserve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.\n\nThen was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was\nchanged against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake,\nand commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than\nit was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that\nwere in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to\ncast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound\nin their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments,\nand were cast into the midst of the furnace. Therefore because the\nking's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the\nflame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and\nAbed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell\ndown bound into the midst of the fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar\nthe king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto\nhis counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the\nfire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered\nand said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire,\nand they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of\nGod.\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 3]\n\nThen Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery\nfurnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye\nservants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.\nAnd the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors,\nbeing gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire\nhad no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were\ntheir coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then\nNebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach,\nMeshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his\nservants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and\nyielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god,\nexcept their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people,\nnation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of\nShadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their\nhouses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can\ndeliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and\nAbed-nego, in the province of Babylon.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 151\n\nBELSHAZZAR'S FEAST\n\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 5]\n\nBELSHAZZAR the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and\ndrank wine before the thousand. Whiles he tasted the wine, he commanded\nto bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar\nhad taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and\nhis princes, and his wives, might drink therein. Then they brought the\ngolden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God\nwhich was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, and his wives,\ndrank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of\nsilver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came\nforth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick\nupon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king\nsaw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was\nchanged, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins\nwere loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried\naloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers.\nAnd the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever\nshall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall\nbe clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and\nshall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's\nwise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the\nking the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly\ntroubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were\nastonied.\n\nNow the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came\ninto the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for\never: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be\nchanged: there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the\nholy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and\nwisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king\nNebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of\nthe magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as\nan excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of\ndreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were\nfound in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let\nDaniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.\n\n[Illustration: DANIEL'S VISION, BY REMBRANDT\n\nIN THE BERLIN MUSEUM]\n\nThen was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and\nsaid unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children\nof the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of\nJewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in\nthee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found\nin thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought\nin before me, that they should read this writing, and make known\nunto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the\ninterpretation of the thing: and I have heard of thee, that thou canst\nmake interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the\nwriting, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt\nbe clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and\nshalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.\n\nThen Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to\nthyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing\nunto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king,\nthe most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and\nmajesty, and glory, and honour: and for the majesty that he gave him,\nall people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him:\nwhom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he\nwould he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was\nlifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his\nkingly throne, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven\nfrom the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his\ndwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen,\nand his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most\nhigh God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it\nwhomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled\nthine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself\nagainst the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his\nhouse before thee, and thou, and thy lords, and thy wives, have drunk\nwine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of\nbrass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and\nthe God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast\nthou not glorified: then was the part of the hand sent from him; and\nthis writing was written. And this is the writing that was written,\nMENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing:\nMENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art\nweighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is\ndivided, and given to the Medes and Persians.\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 5]\n\nThen commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and\nput a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning\nhim, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.\n\nIn that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And\nDarius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two\nyears old.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 152\n\nDANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN\n\n\n[Sidenote: Daniel 6]\n\nIT pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty\nprinces, which should be over the whole kingdom; and over these three\npresidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give\naccounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this\nDaniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an\nexcellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over\nthe whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find\noccasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find\nnone occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was\nthere any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall\nnot find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against\nhim concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes\nassembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius,\nlive for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and\nthe princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together\nto establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever\nshall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee,\nO king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish\nthe decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to\nthe law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king\nDarius signed the writing and the decree.\n\nNow when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his\nhouse; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he\nkneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks\nbefore his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and\nfound Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they\ncame near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast\nthou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of\nany God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast\ninto the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true,\naccording to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.\nThen answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of\nthe children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor\nthe decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a\nday. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with\nhimself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured\ntill the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled\nunto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of\nthe Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king\nestablisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought\nDaniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said\nunto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver\nthee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den;\nand the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his\nlords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.\n\n[Illustration: JONAH CAST TO THE WHALE, BY NICOLAS POUSSIN\n\nIN THE ROYAL GALLERY AT WINDSOR]\n\nThen the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither\nwere instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from\nhim. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste\nunto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a\nlamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel,\nO Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest\ncontinually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto\nthe king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath\nshut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before\nhim innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I\ndone no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded\nthat they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up\nout of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he\nbelieved in his God.\n\nAnd the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused\nDaniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children,\nand their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all\ntheir bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Then\nking Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell\nin all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That\nin every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God\nof Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his\nkingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be\neven unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs\nand wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the\npower of the lions.\n\nSo this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of\nCyrus the Persian.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 153\n\nJONAH\n\n[Sidenote: Jonah 1]\n\nNOW the word of the LORD came unto Jonah, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh,\nthat great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up\nbefore me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence\nof the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to\nTarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go\nwith them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.\n\nBut the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty\ntempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the\nmariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth\nthe wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.\nBut Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was\nfast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What\nmeanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God\nwill think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his\nfellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause\nthis evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.\nThen said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this\nevil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what\nis thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I\nam an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made\nthe sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and\nsaid unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled\nfrom the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.\n\n[Sidenote: Jonah 2]\n\nThen said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may\nbe calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said\nunto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the\nsea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest\nis upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land;\nbut they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against\nthem. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O\nLORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay\nnot upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased\nthee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the\nsea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,\nand offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.\n\nNow the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah\nwas in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah\nprayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried\nby reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me. Salvation\nis of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out\nJonah upon the dry land. And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the\nsecond time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and\npreach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went\nunto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an\nexceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter\ninto the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days,\nand Nineveh shall be overthrown.\n\nSo the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put\non sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.\nFor word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne,\nand he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and\nsat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through\nNineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither\nman nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor\ndrink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry\nmightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and\nfrom the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn\nand repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?\nAnd God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God\nrepented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and\nhe did it not.\n\nBut it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he\nprayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my\nsaying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto\nTarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow\nto anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.\nTherefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is\nbetter for me to die than to live.\n\nThen said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of\nthe city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a\nbooth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would\nbecome of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to\ncome up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver\nhim from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God\nprepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the\ngourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise,\nthat God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head\nof Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It\nis better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou\nwell to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry,\neven unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd,\nfor the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which\ncame up in a night, and perished in a night: and should not I spare\nNineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand\npersons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left\nhand; and also much cattle?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 154\n\nZECHARIAH'S PREDICTIONS CONCERNING CHRIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: Zechariah 6]\n\nTHUS speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is\nThe BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build\nthe temple of the LORD: even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and\nhe shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he\nshall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be\nbetween them both.\n\nRejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:\nbehold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation;\nlowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And\nhe shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from\nsea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. In\nthat day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and\nto the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. Awake,\nO sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow,\nsaith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be\nscattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And the LORD\nshall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD,\nand his name one.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 155\n\nMALACHI'S PROPHECY OF CHRIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: Malachi 3]\n\nBEHOLD, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before\nme: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even\nthe messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall\ncome, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming?\nand who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire,\nand like fullers' sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier\nof silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as\ngold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in\nrighteousness.\n\nFor, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the\nproud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day\nthat cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall\nleave them neither root nor branch.\n\nBut unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise\nwith healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves\nof the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be\nashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,\nsaith the LORD of hosts.\n\n\n\n\nPART II\n\nTHE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK I--THE BIRTH AND YOUTH OF JESUS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 1\n\nTHE ANNUNCIATION\n\n\nIN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word\nwas God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made\nby him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him\nwas life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in\ndarkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.\n\nThere was in the days of Herod, the king of Jud\u00e6a, a certain priest\nnamed Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the\ndaughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both\nrighteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances\nof the Lord blameless. And they had no child, and they both were now\nwell stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the\npriest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the\ncustom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went\ninto the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were\npraying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an\nangel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.\nAnd when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.\n\n[Illustration: THE VISITATION OF THE VIRGIN TO ST. ELIZABETH\n\nBY ALBERTINELLI\n\nIN THE UFFIZI GALLERY, FLORENCE]\n\nBut the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is\nheard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt\ncall his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many\nshall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the\nLord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be\nfilled with the Holy Ghost. And many of the children of Israel shall he\nturn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit\nand power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,\nand the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people\nprepared for the Lord.\n\nAnd Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am\nan old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering\nsaid unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and\nam sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And,\nbehold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that\nthese things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words,\nwhich shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for\nZacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And\nwhen he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that\nhe had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and\nremained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of\nhis ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.\n\nAnd in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city\nof Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name\nwas Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.\nAnd the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly\nfavoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when\nshe saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what\nmanner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear\nnot, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt\nbring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great,\nand shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give\nunto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the\nhouse of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then\nsaid Mary unto the angel, How shall this be? And the angel answered and\nsaid unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of\nthe Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which\nshall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. For with God\nnothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the\nLord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from\nher.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 1]\n\nAnd Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with\nhaste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias,\nand saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elisabeth heard\nthe salutation of Mary, she spake out with a loud voice, and said,\nBlessed art thou among women. And whence is this to me, that the mother\nof my Lord should come to me? And Mary said,\n\n My soul doth magnify the Lord,\n And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.\n For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:\n For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.\n For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;\n And holy is his name.\n And his mercy is on them that fear him\n From generation to generation.\n He hath shewed strength with his arm;\n He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.\n He hath put down the mighty from their seats,\n And exalted them of low degree.\n He hath filled the hungry with good things;\n And the rich he hath sent empty away.\n He hath holpen his servant Israel,\n In remembrance of his mercy;\n As he spake to our fathers,\n To Abraham, and to his seed for ever.\n\nAnd Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own\nhouse.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 2\n\nTHE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 1]\n\nAND Elisabeth brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins\nheard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced\nwith her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to\ncircumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of\nhis father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be\ncalled John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that\nis called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would\nhave him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying,\nHis name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened\nimmediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And\nfear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings\nwere noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Jud\u00e6a. And all\nthey that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner\nof child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.\n\nAnd his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and\nprophesied, saying,\n\n Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;\n For he hath visited and redeemed his people,\n And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us\n In the house of his servant David;\n As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been\n since the world began:\n That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of\n all that hate us;\n To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,\n And to remember his holy covenant;\n The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,\n That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the\n hand of our enemies\n Might serve him without fear,\n In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.\n And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:\n For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;\n To give knowledge of salvation unto his people\n By the remission of their sins,\n Through the tender mercy of our God;\n Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,\n To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,\n To guide our feet into the way of peace.\n\nAnd the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts\ntill the day of his shewing unto Israel.\n\n[Illustration: THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI, BY FABRIANO\n\nIN THE ACADEMY, FLORENCE]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 3\n\nTHE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST\n\n\nAND it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from\nC\u00e6sar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to\nbe taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from\nGalilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Jud\u00e6a, unto the city of\nDavid, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and\nlineage of David:) to be taxed, with Mary his espoused wife, who was\ngreat with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days\nwere accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth\nher firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him\nin a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 2]\n\nAnd there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,\nkeeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord\ncame upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and\nthey were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,\nbehold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all\npeople. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,\nwhich is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall\nfind the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And\nsuddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host\npraising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth\npeace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were\ngone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,\nLet us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to\npass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste,\nand found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when\nthey had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them\nconcerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those\nthings which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these\nthings, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned,\nglorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and\nseen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished\nfor the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 4\n\nSIMEON AND ANNA\n\n\nAND, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;\nand the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of\nIsrael: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him\nby the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the\nLord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the\nparents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of\nthe law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,\n\n Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,\n According to thy word:\n For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,\n Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;\n A light to lighten the Gentiles,\n And the glory of thy people Israel.\n\nAnd Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken\nof him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold,\nthis child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and\nfor a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce\nthrough thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be\nrevealed.\n\nAnd there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the\ntribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband\nseven years; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years,\nwhich departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and\nprayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks\nlikewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for\nredemption in Jerusalem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 5\n\nTHE WISE MEN OF THE EAST\n\n\nNOW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Jud\u00e6a in the days of Herod the\nking, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying,\nWhere is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in\nthe east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard\nthese things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he\nhad gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,\nhe demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto\nhim, In Bethlehem of Jud\u00e6a: for thus it is written by the prophet,\nAnd thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the\nprinces of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule\nmy people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men,\nenquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent\nthem to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young\nchild; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may\ncome and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed;\nand, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till\nit came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the\nstar, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.\n\n[Illustration: THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST, BY FRANCIA\n\nIN THE DRESDEN GALLERY]\n\nAnd when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with\nMary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they\nhad opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and\nfrankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they\nshould not return to Herod, they departed into their own country\nanother way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord\nappeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child\nand his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring\nthee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he\narose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed\ninto Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be\nfulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of\nEgypt have I called my son.\n\nThen Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was\nexceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in\nBethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under,\naccording to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.\nThen was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,\nIn Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great\nmourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted,\nbecause they are not.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 2]\n\nBut when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a\ndream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and\nhis mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which\nsought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child\nand his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard\nthat Archelaus did reign in Jud\u00e6a in the room of his father Herod, he\nwas afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a\ndream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt\nin a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken\nby the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 6\n\nCHRIST FOUND IN THE TEMPLE\n\n\nAND the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom:\nand the grace of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem\nevery year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years\nold, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when\nthey had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried\nbehind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But\nthey, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey;\nand they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And\nwhen they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking\nhim. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the\ntemple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and\nasking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his\nunderstanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed:\nand his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?\nbehold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto\nthem, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my\nFather's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake\nunto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was\nsubject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.\nAnd Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and\nman.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 7\n\nJOHN BAPTIZES JESUS\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 3]\n\nTHERE was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a\nwitness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might\nbelieve. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that\nLight. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh\ninto the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and\nthe world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him\nnot. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the\nsons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born,\nnot of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but\nof God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld\nhis glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of\ngrace and truth.\n\nIn the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius C\u00e6sar, Pontius Pilate\nbeing governor of Jud\u00e6a, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, Annas and\nCaiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the\nson of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country\nabout Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of\nsins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet,\nsaying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way\nof the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and\nevery mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be\nmade straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh\nshall see the salvation of God. And the same John had his raiment of\ncamel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was\nlocusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Jud\u00e6a,\nand all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in\nJordan, confessing their sins. Then said he to the multitude that came\nforth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned\nyou to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy\nof repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham\nto our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones\nto raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto\nthe root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth\ngood fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked\nhim, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them,\nHe that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he\nthat hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be\nbaptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto\nthem, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers\nlikewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said\nunto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be\ncontent with your wages.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 3]\n\nAnd as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their\nhearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered,\nsaying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier\nthan I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose:\nhe shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is\nin his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather\nthe wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire\nunquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto\nthe people.\n\nThen cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of\nhim. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee,\nand comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to\nbe so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he\nsuffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out\nof the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the\nSpirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a\nvoice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK II--THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 8\n\nTHE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS\n\n\nTHEN was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted\nof the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he\nwas afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If\nthou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he\nanswered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,\nbut by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.\n\nThen the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a\npinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God,\ncast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge\nconcerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at\nany time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is\nwritten again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil\ntaketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the\nkingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All\nthese things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.\nThen saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,\nThou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.\nThen the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered\nunto him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 9\n\nDISCIPLES CALLED\n\n\nTHESE things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was\nbaptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,\nBehold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This\nis he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before\nme: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be\nmade manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And\nJohn bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like\na dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent\nme to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt\nsee the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which\nbaptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is\nthe Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his\ndisciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the\nLamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed\nJesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them,\nWhat seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being\ninterpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and\nsee. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for\nit was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak,\nand followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth\nhis own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias,\nwhich is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.\nAnd when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona:\nthou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. The\nday following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip,\nand saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city\nof Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We\nhave found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,\nJesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can\nthere any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come\nand see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an\nIsraelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence\nknowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip\ncalled thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael\nanswered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art\nthe King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said\nunto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt\nsee greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I\nsay unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God\nascending and descending upon the Son of man.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 1]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 10\n\nTHE FIRST MIRACLE\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 2]\n\nAND the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and\nthe mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and his\ndisciples, to the marriage.\n\nAnd when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They\nhave no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with\nthee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants,\nWhatsoever he saith unto you, do it.\n\nAnd there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of\nthe purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.\nJesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled\nthem up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear\nunto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.\n\nWhen the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,\nand knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water\nknew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto\nhim, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men\nhave well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good\nwine until now.\n\nThis beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested\nforth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.\n\nAfter this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his\nbrethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.\nAnd the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,\nand found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and\nthe changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small\ncords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the\noxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and\nsaid unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my\nFather's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered\nthat it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then\nanswered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us,\nseeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them,\nDestroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said\nthe Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt\nthou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.\nWhen therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered\nthat he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and\nthe word which Jesus had said.\n\nNow when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many\nbelieved in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But\nJesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and\nneeded not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 11\n\nNICODEMUS COMES TO JESUS BY NIGHT\n\n\nTHERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:\nthe same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that\nthou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles\nthat thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto\nhim, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he\ncannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man\nbe born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's\nwomb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,\nExcept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into\nthe kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that\nwhich is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto\nthee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and\nthou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,\nand whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.\nNicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus\nanswered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest\nnot these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do\nknow, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.\nIf I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye\nbelieve, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up\nto heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which\nis in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,\neven so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in\nhim should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the\nworld, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in\nhim should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his\nSon into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him\nmight be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that\nbelieveth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the\nname of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,\nthat light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than\nlight, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil\nhateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be\nreproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds\nmay be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 3]\n\nAfter these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of\nJud\u00e6a; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was\nbaptizing in \u00c6non near to Salim, because there was much water there:\nand they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into\nprison.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 12\n\nTHE WOMAN OF SAMARIA\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 4]\n\nWHEN therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus\nmade and baptized more disciples than John, (though Jesus himself\nbaptized not, but his disciples,) he left Jud\u00e6a, and departed again\ninto Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a\ncity of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground\nthat Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus\ntherefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and\nit was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw\nwater: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were\ngone away unto the city to buy meat.)\n\nThen saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a\nJew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have\nno dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If\nthou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me\nto drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee\nliving water.\n\nThe woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and\nthe well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art\nthou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank\nthereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and\nsaid unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:\nbut whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never\nthirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of\nwater springing up into everlasting life.\n\nThe woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst\nnot, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy\nhusband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no\nhusband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:\nfor thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy\nhusband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir,\nI perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this\nmountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought\nto worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh,\nwhen ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship\nthe Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for\nsalvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the\ntrue worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for\nthe Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that\nworship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith\nunto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he\nis come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak\nunto thee am he.\n\nAnd upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with\nthe woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou\nwith her? The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the\ncity, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things\nthat ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the\ncity, and came unto him.\n\nIn the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he\nsaid unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said\nthe disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?\nJesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,\nand to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then\ncometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on\nthe fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth\nreceiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he\nthat soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is\nthat saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap\nthat whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are\nentered into their labours.\n\nAnd many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying\nof the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when\nthe Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would\ntarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed\nbecause of his own word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not\nbecause of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that\nthis is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 13\n\nTHE NOBLEMAN'S SON\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 4]\n\nNOW when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed\ninto Galilee. For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no\nhonour in his own country. Then when he was come into Galilee, the\nGalil\u00e6ans received him, having seen all the things that he did at\nJerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. So Jesus\ncame again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine.\n\nAnd there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When\nhe heard that Jesus was come out of Jud\u00e6a into Galilee, he went unto\nhim, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he\nwas at the point of death.\n\nThen said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not\nbelieve. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.\nJesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed\nthe word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.\n\nAnd as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him,\nsaying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began\nto amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the\nfever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the\nwhich Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and\nhis whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when\nhe was come out of Jud\u00e6a into Galilee.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 14\n\nJESUS PREACHES AT NAZARETH\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 4]\n\nAND Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his\ncustom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood\nup for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the\nprophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place\nwhere it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he\nhath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to\nheal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and\nrecovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are\nbruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the\nbook, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes\nof all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he\nbegan to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your\nears.\n\nAnd all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which\nproceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?\nAnd he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb,\nPhysician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum,\ndo also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No\nprophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth,\nmany widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was\nshut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout\nall the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta,\na city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were\nin Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was\ncleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue,\nwhen they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up,\nand thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill\nwhereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.\nBut he passing through the midst of them went his way.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 15\n\nTHE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES\n\n\nAND it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the\nword of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships\nstanding by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were\nwashing their nets.\n\nAnd he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him\nthat he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and\ntaught the people out of the ship.\n\nNow when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the\ndeep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said\nunto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing:\nnevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had\nthis done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net\nbrake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other\nship, that they should come and help them.\n\nAnd they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.\nWhen Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart\nfrom me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and\nall that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had\ntaken: and so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which\nwere partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from\nhenceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships\nto land, they forsook all, and followed him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 16\n\nJESUS HEALS THE SICK\n\n\nAND they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he\nentered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at\nhis doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as\nthe scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean\nspirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with\nthee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee\nwho thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold\nthy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn\nhim, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all\namazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What\nthing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth\nhe even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his\nfame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 1]\n\nAnd forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered\ninto the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's\nwife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And\nhe came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately\nthe fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the\nsun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them\nthat were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together\nat the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and\ncast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because\nthey knew him.\n\nAnd in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out,\nand departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and\nthey that were with him followed after him. And when they had found\nhim, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them,\nLet us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for\ntherefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout\nall Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him,\nbeseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou\nwilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion,\nput forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be\nthou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy\ndeparted from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him,\nand forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him, See thou say nothing\nto any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for\nthy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto\nthem. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze\nabroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into\nthe city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from\nevery quarter.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 6]\n\nAnd again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised\nthat he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together,\ninsomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as\nabout the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto\nhim, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when\nthey could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the\nroof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the\nbed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he\nsaid unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But\nthere were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their\nhearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins\nbut God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that\nthey so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye\nthese things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick\nof the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up\nthy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power\non earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say\nunto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.\nAnd immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them\nall; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We\nnever saw it on this fashion.\n\nAnd he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted\nunto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son\nof Alph\u00e6us sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow\nme. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus\nsat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together\nwith Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed\nhim. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and\nsinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and\ndrinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto\nthem, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that\nare sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 17\n\nTHE APOSTLES CALLED\n\n\nAND it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain\nto pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was\nday, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve,\nwhom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and\nAndrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and\nThomas, James the son of Alph\u00e6us, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas\nthe brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.\n\n[Illustration: THE MIRACULOUS DRAFT OF FISHES, BY RAPHAEL\n\nIN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON]\n\nAnd he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of\nhis disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Jud\u00e6a and\nJerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear\nhim, and to be healed of their diseases; and they that were vexed with\nunclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought\nto touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 18\n\nTHE SERMON ON THE MOUNT\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 5]\n\nAND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was\nset, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught\nthem, saying,\n\nBlessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven.\n\nBlessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.\n\nBlessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.\n\nBlessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for\nthey shall be filled.\n\nBlessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.\n\nBlessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.\n\nBlessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of\nGod.\n\nBlessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for\ntheir's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile\nyou, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you\nfalsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your\nreward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before\nyou.\n\nYe are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,\nwherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but\nto be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light\nof the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do\nmen light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;\nand it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so\nshine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your\nFather which is in heaven.\n\nThink not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am\nnot come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till\nheaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass\nfrom the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break\none of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be\ncalled the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and\nteach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.\nFor I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the\nrighteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case\nenter into the kingdom of heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 6]\n\nYe have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not\nkill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but\nI say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a\ncause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to\nhis brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever\nshall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if\nthou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy\nbrother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar,\nand go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and\noffer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in\nthe way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the\njudge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into\nprison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence,\ntill thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.\n\nAgain, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou\nshalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine\noaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it\nis God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by\nJerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou\nswear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.\nBut let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is\nmore than these cometh of evil.\n\nYe have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth\nfor a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever\nshall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if\nany man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have\nthy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with\nhim twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow\nof thee turn not thou away.\n\nYe have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,\nand hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them\nthat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which\ndespitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of\nyour Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the\nevil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.\nFor if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even\nthe publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do\nye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore\nperfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.\n\nTake heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:\notherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.\nTherefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before\nthee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that\nthey may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their\nreward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy\nright hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father\nwhich seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou\nprayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray\nstanding in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they\nmay be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But\nthou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut\nthy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which\nseeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not\nvain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be\nheard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for\nyour Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.\nAfter this manner therefore pray ye:\n\nOur Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.\nThy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our\ndaily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And\nlead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the\nkingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.\n\nFor if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also\nforgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will\nyour Father forgive your trespasses.\n\nLay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust\ndoth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up\nfor yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth\ncorrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where\nyour treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body\nis the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be\nfull of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full\nof darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how\ngreat is that darkness!\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 6]\n\nNo man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love\nthe other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye\ncannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought\nfor your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for\nyour body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and\nthe body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,\nneither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father\nfeedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking\nthought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for\nraiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil\nnot, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in\nall his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so\nclothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast\ninto the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?\nTherefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we\ndrink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all these things\ndo the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have\nneed of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and\nhis righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take\ntherefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought\nfor the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 7]\n\nJudge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye\nshall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured\nto you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's\neye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt\nthou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;\nand, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out\nthe beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast\nout the mote out of thy brother's eye.\n\nGive not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls\nbefore swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again\nand rend you.\n\nAsk, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it\nshall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he\nthat seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or\nwhat man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him\na stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then,\nbeing evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much\nmore shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that\nask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to\nyou, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.\n\nEnter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is\nthe way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in\nthereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which\nleadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.\n\nBeware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but\ninwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.\nDo men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good\ntree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil\nfruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt\ntree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good\nfruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.\n\nWherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith\nunto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he\nthat doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to\nme in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and\nin thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful\nworks? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from\nme, ye that work iniquity.\n\nTherefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I\nwill liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and\nthe rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat\nupon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And\nevery one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall\nbe likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and\nthe rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat\nupon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.\n\nAnd it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people\nwere astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having\nauthority, and not as the scribes.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 19\n\nTHE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS\n\n\nAND when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much\npeople gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And, behold,\nthere cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and\nwhen he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying,\nMy little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and\nlay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And\nJesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.\nAnd a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had\nsuffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she\nhad, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had\nheard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.\nFor she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And\nstraightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her\nbody that she was healed of that plague.\n\nAnd Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of\nhim, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?\nAnd his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging\nthee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see\nher that had done this thing.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 5]\n\nBut the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came\nand fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto\nher, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be\nwhole of thy plague.\n\nWhile he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house\ncertain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the\nMaster any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken,\nhe saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.\nAnd he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John\nthe brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the\nsynagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.\nAnd when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado,\nand weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him\nto scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and\nthe mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in\nwhere the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and\nsaid unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say\nunto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she\nwas of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great\nastonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it;\nand commanded that something should be given her to eat.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 20\n\nTHE POOL OF BETHESDA\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 5]\n\nAFTER this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to\nJerusalem.\n\nNow there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called\nin the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a\ngreat multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for\nthe moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season\ninto the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the\ntroubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease\nhe had.\n\nAnd a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight\nyears. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long\ntime in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The\nimpotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is\ntroubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another\nsteppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed,\nand walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed,\nand walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.\n\nThe Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day:\nit is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that\nmade me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then\nasked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy\nbed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus\nhad conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.\n\nAfterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold,\nthou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.\nThe man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made\nhim whole.\n\nAnd therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him,\nbecause he had done these things on the sabbath day.\n\nBut Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.\nTherefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only\nhad broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making\nhimself equal with God.\n\nThen answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,\nThe Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for\nwhat things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the\nFather loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth:\nand he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For\nas the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the\nSon quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath\ncommitted all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the\nSon, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son\nhonoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say\nunto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,\nhath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is\npassed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour\nis coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son\nof God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in\nhimself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath\ngiven him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of\nman. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that\nare in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that\nhave done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done\nevil, unto the resurrection of damnation.\n\nI can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment\nis just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father\nwhich hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not\ntrue. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that\nthe witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and\nhe bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man:\nbut these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and\na shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his\nlight. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works\nwhich the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do,\nbear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father\nhimself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither\nheard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his\nword abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 12]\n\nSearch the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and\nthey are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye\nmight have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that\nye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and\nye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will\nreceive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and\nseek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will\naccuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses,\nin whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me:\nfor he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye\nbelieve my words?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 21\n\nJESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH DAY\n\n\nAT that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his\ndisciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to\neat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy\ndisciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But\nhe said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an\nhungred, and they that were with him; how he entered into the house of\nGod, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat,\nneither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have\nye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the\ntemple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That\nin this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what\nthis meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have\ncondemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath\nday.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 7]\n\nAnd when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: and,\nbehold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked\nhim, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might\naccuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you,\nthat shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath\nday, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is\na man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the\nsabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And\nhe stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.\nThen the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they\nmight destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from\nthence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;\nand charged them that they should not make him known: that it might\nbe fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold\nmy servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well\npleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to\nthe Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man\nhear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and\nsmoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto\nvictory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. While he yet talked\nto the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without,\ndesiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother\nand thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he\nanswered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are\nmy brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and\nsaid, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will\nof my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister,\nand mother.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 22\n\nTHE CENTURION'S SERVANT AND THE WIDOW'S SON\n\n\nNOW when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people,\nhe entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who\nwas dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of\nJesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that\nhe would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they\nbesought him instantly, saying that he was worthy for whom he should\ndo this: for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.\nThen Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house,\nthe centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not\nthyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:\nwherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in\na word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under\nauthority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he\ngoeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this,\nand he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him,\nand turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say\nunto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they\nthat were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that\nhad been sick.\n\nAnd it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called\nNain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now\nwhen he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead\nman carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and\nmuch people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had\ncompassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched\nthe bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I\nsay unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak.\nAnd he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and\nthey glorified God, saying, A great prophet is risen up among us; God\nhath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout\nall Jud\u00e6a, and throughout all the region round about.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 11]\n\nNow when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two\nof his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or\ndo we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew\nJohn again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive\ntheir sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf\nhear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to\nthem. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.\n\nAnd as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning\nJohn, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with\nthe wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft\nraiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But\nwhat went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more\nthan a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send\nmy messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.\nVerily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not\nrisen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least\nin the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John\nthe Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the\nviolent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied\nuntil John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to\ncome. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.\n\nBut whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children\nsitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We\nhave piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you,\nand ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking,\nand they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking,\nand they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of\npublicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 7]\n\nThen began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works\nwere done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe\nunto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you,\nhad been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in\nsackcloth and ashes.\n\nBut I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at\nthe day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art\nexalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty\nworks, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would\nhave remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more\ntolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.\n\nAt that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of\nheaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and\nprudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so\nit seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my\nFather: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any\nman the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal\nhim. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will\ngive you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek\nand lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke\nis easy, and my burden is light.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 23\n\nTHE WOMAN THAT WAS A SINNER\n\n\nAND one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he\nwent into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a\nwoman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at\nmeat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and\nstood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with\ntears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his\nfeet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which\nhad bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he\nwere a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is\nthat toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto\nhim, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say\non. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed\nfive hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to\npay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them\nwill love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom\nhe forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And\nhe turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?\nI entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but\nshe hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of\nher head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came\nin hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not\nanoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore\nI say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved\nmuch: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he\nsaid unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with\nhim began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins\nalso? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 24\n\nTHE PARABLE OF THE SOWER\n\n\nON a certain day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.\nAnd great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went\ninto a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And\nhe spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower\nwent forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side,\nand the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places,\nwhere they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because\nthey had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were\nscorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some\nfell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other\nfell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold,\nsome sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 13]\n\nAnd the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them\nin parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto\nyou to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is\nnot given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have\nmore abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away\neven that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they\nseeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.\nAnd in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By\nhearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall\nsee, and shall not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross,\nand their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;\nlest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their\nears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted,\nand I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and\nyour ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets\nand righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and\nhave not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have\nnot heard them.\n\nHear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the\nword of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked\none, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he\nwhich received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed\ninto stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with\njoy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a\nwhile: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the\nword, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the\nthorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the\ndeceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.\nBut he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the\nword, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth\nforth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 25\n\nTHE TARES, THE MUSTARD SEED, THE LEAVEN, ETC.\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 13]\n\n\nANOTHER parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven\nis likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men\nslept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his\nway. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then\nappeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and\nsaid unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from\nwhence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.\nThe servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them\nup? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up\nalso the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and\nin the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together\nfirst the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the\nwheat into my barn.\n\nAnother parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven\nis like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his\nfield: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it\nis the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of\nthe air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake\nhe unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman\ntook, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.\n\nThen Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his\ndisciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the\ntares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the\ngood seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are\nthe children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the\nwicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the\nend of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the\ntares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of\nthis world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall\ngather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do\niniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be\nwailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as\nthe sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him\nhear.\n\n[Illustration: CHRIST HEALING THE SICK OF THE PALSY, BY VAN DYCK\n\nIN THE POSSESSION OF KING EDWARD VII]\n\nAgain, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the\nwhich when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and\nselleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of\nheaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he\nhad found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and\nbought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was\ncast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full,\nthey drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels,\nbut cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the\nangels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and\nshall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and\ngnashing of teeth.\n\nJesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say\nunto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe\nwhich is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that\nis an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new\nand old.\n\nAnd it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he\ndeparted thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught\nthem in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said,\nWhence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this\nthe carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren,\nJames, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not\nall with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were\noffended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without\nhonour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not\nmany mighty works there because of their unbelief.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 26\n\nJESUS CALMS THE STORM\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 4]\n\nAND the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let\nus pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the\nmultitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were\nalso with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of\nwind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he\nwas in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake\nhim, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he\narose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.\nAnd the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them,\nWhy are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared\nexceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that\neven the wind and the sea obey him?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 27\n\nTHE HERD OF SWINE\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 8]\n\nAND when he was come to the other side into the country of the\nGergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the\ntombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And,\nbehold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus,\nthou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?\nAnd there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.\nSo the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to\ngo away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when\nthey were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the\nwhole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and\nperished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their\nways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the\npossessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet\nJesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart\nout of their coasts.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 28\n\nTHE APOSTLES SENT FORTH\n\n\nAND when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them\npower against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner\nof sickness and all manner of disease. These twelve Jesus sent forth,\nand commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and\ninto any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost\nsheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom\nof heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the\ndead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide\nneither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your\njourney, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the\nworkman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye\nshall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go\nthence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be\nworthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your\npeace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your\nwords, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of\nyour feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the\nland of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.\n\nBehold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye\ntherefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. And ye shall be\nhated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end\nshall be saved. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able\nto kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both\nsoul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and\none of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the\nvery hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye\nare of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess\nme before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in\nheaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny\nbefore my Father which is in heaven. And he that taketh not his cross,\nand followeth after me, is not worthy of me. And whosoever shall give\nto drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the\nname of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his\nreward.\n\nAnd they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast\nout many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed\nthem.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 29\n\nDEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST\n\n\nAND king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and\nhe said that John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore\nmighty works shewed forth themselves in him. Others said it was Elias,\nand others that it was one of the prophets. But when Herod heard\nthereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the\ndead. For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and\nbound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for\nhe had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful\nfor thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel\nagainst him, and would have killed him; but she could not: for Herod\nfeared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed\nhim; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.\nAnd when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a\nsupper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; and\nwhen the daughter of Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod\nand them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me\nwhatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her,\nWhatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of\nmy kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall\nI ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in\nstraightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that\nthou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And\nthe king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their\nsakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the\nking sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he\nwent and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger,\nand gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And\nwhen his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and\nlaid it in a tomb. And they went and told Jesus.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 30\n\nMIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 6]\n\nWHEN Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert\nplace apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed\nhim on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great\nmultitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed\ntheir sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying,\nThis is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude\naway, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.\nBut Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.\nAnd they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He\nsaid, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit\ndown on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and\nlooking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his\ndisciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat,\nand were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve\nbaskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men,\nbeside women and children.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 31\n\nJESUS WALKS ON THE SEA\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 14]\n\nAND straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship,\nand to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes\naway, because he perceived that they were about to come and take him\nby force, to make him king. And when he had sent the multitudes away,\nhe went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was\ncome, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea,\ntossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch\nof the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the\ndisciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It\nis a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake\nunto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter\nanswered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on\nthe water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the\nship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind\nboisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying,\nLord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and\ncaught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst\nthou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.\nThen they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of\na truth thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they\ncame into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had\nknowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and\nbrought unto him all that were diseased; and besought him that they\nmight only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were\nmade perfectly whole.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 32\n\nJESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE\n\n\nTHE day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the\nsea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto\nhis disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples\ninto the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone: when the\npeople therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples,\nthey also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And\nwhen they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto\nhim, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said,\nVerily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the\nmiracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour\nnot for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto\neverlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him\nhath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do,\nthat we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them,\nThis is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.\nThey said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may\nsee, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna\nin the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to\neat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses\ngave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true\nbread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from\nheaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord,\nevermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread\nof life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth\non me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that ye also have seen\nme, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;\nand him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down\nfrom heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.\nAnd this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he\nhath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at\nthe last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one\nwhich seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:\nand I will raise him up at the last day.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 6]\n\nThe Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which\ncame down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of\nJoseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith,\nI came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them,\nMurmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father\nwhich hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.\nIt is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.\nEvery man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father,\ncometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which\nis of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He\nthat believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life.\nYour fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the\nbread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and\nnot die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man\neat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will\ngive is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 7]\n\nThe Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man\ngive us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I\nsay unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his\nblood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my\nblood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For\nmy flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth\nmy flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the\nliving Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth\nme, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from\nheaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth\nof this bread shall live for ever.\n\nThese things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many\ntherefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is an hard\nsaying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples\nmurmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if\nye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the\nspirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that\nI speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are\nsome of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who\nthey were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said,\nTherefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were\ngiven unto him of my Father.\n\nFrom that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with\nhim. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon\nPeter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of\neternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ,\nthe Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you\ntwelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son\nof Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 33\n\nTHE GREEK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER AND A DEAF AND DUMB MAN HEALED\n\n\nAND from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon,\nand entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could\nnot be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean\nspirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: the woman was a\nGreek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would\ncast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let\nthe children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's\nbread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto\nhim, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's\ncrumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil\nis gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she\nfound the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.\n\nAnd again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto\nthe sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And\nthey bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his\nspeech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took\nhim aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and\nhe spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed,\nand saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his\nears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake\nplain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more\nhe charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and\nwere beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well:\nhe maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 34\n\nJESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE A SECOND TIME\n\n\nIN those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to\neat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have\ncompassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three\ndays, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their\nown houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from\nfar.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 8]\n\nAnd his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these\nmen with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many\nloaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to\nsit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks,\nand brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did\nset them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he\nblessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat,\nand were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left\nseven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he\nsent them away.\n\nAnd straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came\ninto the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began\nto question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting\nhim. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this\ngeneration seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no\nsign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering\ninto the ship again departed to the other side. Now the disciples had\nforgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more\nthan one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the\nleaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned\namong themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when\nJesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no\nbread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet\nhardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and\ndo ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand,\nhow many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him,\nTwelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full\nof fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them,\nHow is it that ye do not understand?\n\nAnd he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and\nbesought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and\nled him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his\nhands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and\nsaid, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again\nupon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every\nman clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into\nthe town, nor tell it to any in the town.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 35\n\nPETER CONFESSES CHRIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 16]\n\nWHEN Jesus came into the coasts of C\u00e6sarea Philippi, he asked his\ndisciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they\nsaid, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others,\nJeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye\nthat I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the\nSon of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed\nart thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it\nunto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee,\nThat thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and\nthe gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto\nthee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind\non earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on\nearth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that\nthey should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.\n\nFrom that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that\nhe must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and\nchief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third\nday. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far\nfrom thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said\nunto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for\nthou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.\n\nThen said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let\nhim deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever\nwill save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life\nfor my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall\ngain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give\nin exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory\nof his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man\naccording to his works.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 36\n\nTHE TRANSFIGURATION\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 9]\n\nAND after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John,\nand leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and\nhe was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining,\nexceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And\nthere appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with\nJesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us\nto be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one\nfor Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they\nwere sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and\na voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear\nhim. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man\nany more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from\nthe mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things\nthey had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they\nkept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the\nrising from the dead should mean.\n\n[Illustration: THE TRANSFIGURATION, BY RAPHAEL\n\nIN THE VATICAN, ROME]\n\nAnd when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about\nthem, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the\npeople, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him\nsaluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?\nAnd one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought\nunto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh\nhim, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and\npineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him\nout; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless\ngeneration, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?\nbring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw\nhim, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and\nwallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since\nthis came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast\nhim into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou\ncanst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said\nunto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that\nbelieveth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said\nwith tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw\nthat the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit,\nsaying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of\nhim, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him\nsore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many\nsaid, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up;\nand he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked\nhim privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them,\nThis kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.\n\nAnd they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not\nthat any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto\nthem, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall\nkill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But\nthey understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 37\n\nCHRIST TEACHES HUMILITY AND FORGIVENESS\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 18]\n\nAT the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the\ngreatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto\nhim, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto\nyou, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall\nnot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble\nhimself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom\nof heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name\nreceiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which\nbelieve in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged\nabout his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Take\nheed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,\nThat in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father\nwhich is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was\nlost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be\ngone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the\nmountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he\nfind it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than\nof the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the\nwill of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones\nshould perish.\n\nMoreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him\nhis fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast\ngained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee\none or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word\nmay be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto\nthe church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee\nas an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye\nshall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall\nloose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if\ntwo of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall\nask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For\nwhere two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the\nmidst of them.\n\nThen came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin\nagainst me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him,\nI say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.\nTherefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which\nwould take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon,\none was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But\nforasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold,\nand his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be\nmade. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying,\nLord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of\nthat servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave\nhim the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his\nfellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on\nhim, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And\nhis fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying,\nHave patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but\nwent and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when\nhis fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came\nand told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that\nhe had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave\nthee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also\nhave had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?\nAnd his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he\nshould pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly\nFather do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one\nhis brother their trespasses. And he turned him unto his disciples, and\nsaid privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:\nfor I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those\nthings which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things\nwhich ye hear, and have not heard them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 38\n\nJESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 7]\n\nAFTER these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in\nJewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of\ntabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart\nhence, and go into Jud\u00e6a, that thy disciples also may see the works\nthat thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret,\nand he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things,\nshew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in\nhim. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time\nis alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because\nI testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this\nfeast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full\ncome. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.\n\nBut when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the\nfeast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him\nat the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among\nthe people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others\nsaid, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of\nhim for fear of the Jews.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 7]\n\nNow about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and\ntaught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,\nhaving never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not\nmine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know\nof the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.\nHe that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh\nhis glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in\nhim. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the\nlaw? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, Thou\nhast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? Then said some of them of\nJerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speaketh\nboldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that\nthis is the very Christ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but\nwhen Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.\n\nThen cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me,\nand ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent\nme is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he\nhath sent me. Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on\nhim, because his hour was not yet come. And many of the people believed\non him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than\nthese which this man hath done?\n\nThe Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning\nhim; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take\nhim. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and\nthen I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find\nme: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among\nthemselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go\nunto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What\nmanner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall\nnot find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? In the last day,\nthat great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man\nthirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as\nthe scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living\nwater. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on\nhim should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that\nJesus was not yet glorified.)\n\nMany of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of\na truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But\nsome said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture\nsaid that Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of\nBethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people\nbecause of him. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid\nhands on him.\n\nThen came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they\nsaid unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered,\nNever man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are\nye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed\non him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus\nsaith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)\nDoth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?\nThey answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and\nlook: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. And every man went unto\nhis own house.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 39\n\nTHE LIGHT OF THE WORLD\n\n\nJESUS went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came\nagain into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat\ndown, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a\nwoman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they\nsay unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very\nact. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but\nwhat sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to\naccuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the\nground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him,\nhe lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among\nyou, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down,\nand wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by\ntheir own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest,\neven unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing\nin the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the\nwoman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no\nman condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her,\nNeither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 8]\n\nThen spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:\nhe that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the\nlight of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest\nrecord of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto\nthem, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know\nwhence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and\nwhither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I\njudge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father\nthat sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two\nmen is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that\nsent me beareth witness of me. Then said they unto him, Where is thy\nFather? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had\nknown me, ye should have known my Father also. These words spake Jesus\nin the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on\nhim; for his hour was not yet come.\n\nAnd he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of\nthis world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye\nshall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall\ndie in your sins. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus\nsaith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.\nI have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is\ntrue; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.\nThey understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said\nJesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye\nknow that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father\nhath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me:\nthe Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that\nplease him. As he spake these words, many believed on him.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 8]\n\nThen said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue\nin my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the\ntruth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be\nAbraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou,\nYe shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto\nyou, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant\nabideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son\ntherefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye\nare Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no\nplace in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do\nthat which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto\nhim, Abraham is our father.\n\nJesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the\nworks of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you\nthe truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the\ndeeds of your father. Then said they to him, We have one Father, even\nGod. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me:\nfor I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but\nhe sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot\nhear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your\nfather ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode\nnot in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh\na lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of\nit. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you\nconvinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe\nme? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them\nnot, because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said unto\nhim, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?\nJesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do\ndishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh\nand judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying,\nhe shall never see death.\n\nThen said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.\nAbraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my\nsaying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father\nAbraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou\nthyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it\nis my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:\nyet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know\nhim not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his\nsaying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and\nwas glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years\nold, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily,\nI say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to\ncast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going\nthrough the midst of them, and so passed by.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 40\n\nTHE GOOD SAMARITAN\n\n\nAND, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying,\nMaster, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What\nis written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou\nshalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,\nand with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as\nthyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and\nthou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus,\nAnd who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went\ndown from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped\nhim of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half\ndead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when\nhe saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when\nhe was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other\nside. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and\nwhen he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound\nup his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast,\nand brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when\nhe departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said\nunto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when\nI come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest\nthou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said,\nHe that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou\nlikewise.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 10]\n\nNow it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain\nvillage: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.\nAnd she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and\nheard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to\nhim, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to\nserve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and\nsaid unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many\nthings: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part,\nwhich shall not be taken away from her.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 41\n\nTHE LORD'S PRAYER AND OTHER SAYINGS OF CHRIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 11]\n\nAND it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when\nhe ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,\nas John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray,\nsay, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom\ncome. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day\nour daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one\nthat is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us\nfrom evil.\n\nAnd he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go\nunto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;\nfor a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing\nto set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me\nnot: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot\nrise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give\nhim, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will\nrise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and\nit shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall\nbe opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that\nseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son\nshall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a\nstone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or\nif he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being\nevil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more\nshall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?\n\nAnd he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass,\nwhen the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.\nBut some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the\nchief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign\nfrom heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every\nkingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house\ndivided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against\nhimself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out\ndevils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by\nwhom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.\nBut if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom\nof God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace,\nhis goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon\nhim, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he\ntrusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me:\nand he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit\nis gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and\nfinding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.\nAnd when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he,\nand taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and\nthey enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse\nthan the first.\n\n[Illustration: CHRIST DISPUTING WITH THE DOCTORS, BY LUINI\n\nIN THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON]\n\nAnd as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and\nhe went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he\nmarvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said\nunto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and\nthe platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.\nYe fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which\nis within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and,\nbehold, all things are clean unto you.\n\nWhen there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people,\ninsomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his\ndisciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which\nis hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed;\nneither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have\nspoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have\nspoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.\nAnd I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the\nbody, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn\nyou whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power\nto cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows\nsold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?\nBut even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not\ntherefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 12]\n\nAlso I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall\nthe Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that\ndenieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And\nwhosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be\nforgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it\nshall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and\nunto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye\nshall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Ghost shall teach you\nin the same hour what ye ought to say.\n\nAnd one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that\nhe divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made\nme a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed,\nand beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the\nabundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable\nunto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth\nplentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,\nbecause I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This\nwill I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will\nI bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul,\nthou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat,\ndrink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy\nsoul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be,\nwhich thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself,\nand is not rich toward God.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 12]\n\nAnd he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no\nthought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what\nye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than\nraiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which\nneither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more\nare ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can\nadd to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing\nwhich is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies\nhow they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you,\nthat Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If\nthen God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to\nmorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye\nof little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall\ndrink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the\nnations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have\nneed of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all\nthese things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is\nyour Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.\n\nLet your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye\nyourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return\nfrom the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto\nhim immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he\ncometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird\nhimself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and\nserve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the\nthird watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this\nknow, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief\nwould come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house\nto be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man\ncometh at an hour when ye think not.\n\nThen Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us,\nor even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise\nsteward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give\nthem their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom\nhis lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you,\nthat he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that\nservant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin\nto beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be\ndrunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh\nnot for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in\nsunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that\nservant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither\ndid according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he\nthat knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten\nwith few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be\nmuch required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will\nask the more.\n\nHe spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his\nvineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then\nsaid he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I\ncome seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why\ncumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it\nalone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it\nbear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.\n\nAnd he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And,\nbehold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen\nyears, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.\nAnd when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman,\nthou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her:\nand immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the\nruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus\nhad healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six\ndays in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed,\nand not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou\nhypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his\nass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this\nwoman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these\neighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when\nhe had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all\nthe people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 13]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 42\n\nJESUS LAMENTS OVER JERUSALEM\n\n\nAND he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying\ntoward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be\nsaved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate:\nfor many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\nWhen once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the\ndoor, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying,\nLord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know\nyou not whence ye are: then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and\ndrunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he\nshall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me,\nall ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of\nteeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the\nprophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And\nthey shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north,\nand from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And,\nbehold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which\nshall be last.\n\nThe same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get\nthee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto\nthem, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do\ncures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.\nNevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following:\nfor it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem,\nJerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent\nunto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a\nhen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold,\nyour house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye\nshall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he\nthat cometh in the name of the Lord.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 43\n\nTHE BLIND MAN AT THE POOL OF SILOAM\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 9]\n\nAND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.\nAnd his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man,\nor his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath\nthis man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be\nmade manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while\nit is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in\nthe world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he\nspat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the\neyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the\npool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way\ntherefore, and washed, and came seeing.\n\nThe neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he\nwas blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is\nhe: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said\nthey unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man\nthat is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto\nme, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I\nreceived sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know\nnot.\n\nThey brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was\nthe sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then\nagain the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He\nsaid unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.\nTherefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because\nhe keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a\nsinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say\nunto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened\nthine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe\nconcerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until\nthey called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they\nasked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how\nthen doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that\nthis is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now\nseeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of\nage; ask him: he shall speak for himself.\n\nThese words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the\nJews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was\nChrist, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his\nparents, He is of age; ask him. Then again called they the man that\nwas blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this\nman is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no,\nI know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.\nThen said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine\neyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear:\nwherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then\nthey reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses'\ndisciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we\nknow not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why\nherein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and\nyet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners:\nbut if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he\nheareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the\neyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could\ndo nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born\nin sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. Jesus heard\nthat they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto\nhim, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is\nhe, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou\nhast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said,\nLord, I believe. And he worshipped him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 44\n\nTHE GOOD SHEPHERD\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 10]\n\nVERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into\nthe sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and\na robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the\nsheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and\nhe calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he\nputteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow\nhim: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but\nwill flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This\nparable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they\nwere which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily,\nverily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came\nbefore me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I\nam the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go\nin and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal,\nand to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,\nand that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd:\nthe good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an\nhireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the\nwolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth\nthem, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an\nhireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and\nknow my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even\nso know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other\nsheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,\nand they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one\nshepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,\nthat I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down\nof myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it\nagain. This commandment have I received of my Father.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 10]\n\nThere was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.\n\nAnd it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.\nAnd Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews\nround about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to\ndoubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them,\nI told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's\nname, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not\nof my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know\nthem, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they\nshall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.\nMy Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is\nable to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.\nThen the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them,\nMany good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those\nworks do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work\nwe stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a\nman, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your\nlaw, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word\nof God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom\nthe Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest;\nbecause I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my\nFather, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe\nthe works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and\nI in him.\n\nTherefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their\nhand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at\nfirst baptized; and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and\nsaid, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man\nwere true. And many believed on him there.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 45\n\nTHE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING SUPPER\n\n\nAND it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief\nPharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And,\nbehold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And\nJesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it\nlawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he\ntook him, and healed him, and let him go; and answered them, saying,\nWhich of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not\nstraightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer\nhim again to these things.\n\nAnd he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked\nhow they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art\nbidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest\na more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee\nand him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with\nshame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit\ndown in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say\nunto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the\npresence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth\nhimself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.\n\nThen said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner\nor a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy\nkinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and\na recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the\npoor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for\nthey cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the\nresurrection of the just.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 14]\n\nAnd when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he\nsaid unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of\nGod. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and\nbade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that\nwere bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one\nconsent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a\npiece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me\nexcused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go\nto prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have\nmarried a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came,\nand shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being\nangry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of\nthe city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt,\nand the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast\ncommanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant,\nGo out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that\nmy house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men\nwhich were bidden shall taste of my supper.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 46\n\nTHE LOST SHEEP, THE LOST COIN, AND THE PRODIGAL SON\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 15]\n\nTHEN drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.\nAnd the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth\nsinners, and eateth with them.\n\nAnd he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having\nan hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety\nand nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he\nfind it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders,\nrejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends\nand neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my\nsheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in\nheaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine\njust persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten\npieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and\nsweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she\nhath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together,\nsaying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.\nLikewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of\nGod over one sinner that repenteth.\n\nAnd he said, A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said\nto his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to\nme. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the\nyounger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far\ncountry, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when\nhe had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he\nbegan to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of\nthat country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he\nwould fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat:\nand no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How\nmany hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and\nI perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say\nunto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and\nam no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired\nservants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a\ngreat way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and\nfell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father,\nI have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy\nto be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth\nthe best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes\non his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us\neat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was\nlost, and is found. And they began to be merry.\n\nNow his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the\nhouse, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants,\nand asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother\nis come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath\nreceived him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in:\ntherefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering\nsaid to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither\ntransgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest\nme a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this\nthy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou\nhast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou\nart ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we\nshould make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is\nalive again; and was lost, and is found.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 47\n\nTHE UNJUST STEWARD, THE RICH MAN, AND LAZARUS\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 16]\n\nAND he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man,\nwhich had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had\nwasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that\nI hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou\nmayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What\nshall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot\ndig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am\nput out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.\nSo he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto\nthe first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred\nmeasures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down\nquickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest\nthou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him,\nTake thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust\nsteward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are\nin their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto\nyou, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that,\nwhen ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He\nthat is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and\nhe that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye\nhave not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to\nyour trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that\nwhich is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?\nNo servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,\nand love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the\nother. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were\ncovetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said\nunto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God\nknoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is\nabomination in the sight of God.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 17]\n\nThere was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine\nlinen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar\nnamed Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring\nto be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:\nmoreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that\nthe beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom:\nthe rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his\neyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in\nhis bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me,\nand send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and\ncool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said,\nSon, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and\nlikewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art\ntormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great\ngulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;\nneither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he\nsaid, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to\nmy father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto\nthem, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith\nunto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he\nsaid, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead,\nthey will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the\nprophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the\ndead.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 48\n\nTHANKS AND PRAYER\n\n\nAND it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through\nthe midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain\nvillage, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:\nand they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy\non us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves\nunto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were\ncleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back,\nand with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his\nfeet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering\nsaid, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are\nnot found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And\nhe said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.\n\nAnd when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God\nshould come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not\nwith observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for,\nbehold, the kingdom of God is within you.\n\nAnd he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall\ndesire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see\nit. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after\nthem, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of\nthe one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven;\nso shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer\nmany things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the\ndays of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They\ndid eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,\nuntil the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came,\nand destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot;\nthey did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they\nbuilded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and\nbrimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in\nthe day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be\nupon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to\ntake it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return\nback. Remember Lot's wife.\n\nAnd he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always\nto pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which\nfeared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that\ncity; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And\nhe would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though\nI fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me,\nI will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the\nLord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge\nhis own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long\nwith them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless\nwhen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?\n\nAnd he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves\nthat they were righteous, and despised others: two men went up into\nthe temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The\nPharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that\nI am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even\nas this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that\nI possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so\nmuch as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be\nmerciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house\njustified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself\nshall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 49\n\nJESUS RAISES LAZARUS\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 11]\n\nNOW a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary\nand her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with\nointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was\nsick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he\nwhom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness\nis not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might\nbe glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and\nLazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two\ndays still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to\nhis disciples, Let us go into Jud\u00e6a again. His disciples say unto him,\nMaster, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither\nagain? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any\nman walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of\nthis world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there\nis no light in him. These things said he: and after that he saith unto\nthem, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out\nof sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do\nwell. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had\nspoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly,\nLazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to\nthe intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said\nThomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also\ngo, that we may die with him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he\nhad lain in the grave four days already.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 11]\n\nNow Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: and\nmany of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning\ntheir brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was\ncoming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said\nMartha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had\nnot died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of\nGod, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall\nrise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again\nin the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the\nresurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were\ndead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me\nshall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord:\nI believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come\ninto the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called\nMary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for\nthee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.\n\nNow Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where\nMartha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and\ncomforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went\nout, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.\nThen when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at\nhis feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother\nhad not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews\nalso weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was\ntroubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord,\ncome and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!\nAnd some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of\nthe blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus\ntherefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave,\nand a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha,\nthe sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he\nstinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I\nnot unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the\nglory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the\ndead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank\nthee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always:\nbut because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may\nbelieve that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried\nwith a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.\n\nAnd he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes:\nand his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them,\nLoose him, and let him go.\n\nThen many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which\nJesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the\nPharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the\nchief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for\nthis man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will\nbelieve on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place\nand nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that\nsame year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that\nit is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and\nthat the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself:\nbut being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die\nfor that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should\ngather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.\nThen from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him\nto death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but\nwent thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called\nEphraim, and there continued with his disciples. And the Jews' passover\nwas nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem\nbefore the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus,\nand spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye,\nthat he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the\nPharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were,\nhe should shew it, that they might take him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 50\n\nJESUS BLESSES THE CHILDREN\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 10]\n\nAND they brought young children to Jesus, that he should touch them:\nand his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw\nit, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little\nchildren to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the\nkingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the\nkingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he\ntook them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 20]\n\nAnd when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and\nkneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I\nmay inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou\nme good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the\ncommandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do\nnot bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And\nhe answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from\nmy youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One\nthing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to\nthe poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up\nthe cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away\ngrieved: for he had great possessions.\n\nAnd Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly\nshall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the\ndisciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again,\nand saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in\nriches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to\ngo through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the\nkingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among\nthemselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith,\nWith men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things\nare possible.\n\nThen Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have\nfollowed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you,\nThere is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or\nfather, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the\ngospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses,\nand brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with\npersecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are\nfirst shall be last; and the last first.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 51\n\nTHE LABOURERS\n\n\nJESUS said, For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an\nhouseholder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into\nhis vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a\nday, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third\nhour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto\nthem; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will\ngive you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth\nand ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went\nout, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye\nhere all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired\nus. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever\nis right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of\nthe vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them\ntheir hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came\nthat were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a\npenny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have\nreceived more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when\nthey had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,\nsaying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them\nequal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he\nanswered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not\nthou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I\nwill give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to\ndo what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So\nthe last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but\nfew chosen.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 20]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK III--THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 52\n\nJESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM\n\n\nAND they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before\nthem: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And\nhe took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should\nhappen unto him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of\nman shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes;\nand they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the\nGentiles: and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall\nspit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise\nagain. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying,\nMaster, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall\ndesire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?\nThey said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right\nhand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto\nthem, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink\nof? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they\nsaid unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink\nof the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized\nwithal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left\nhand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is\nprepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased\nwith James and John. But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto\nthem, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles\nexercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority\nupon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be\ngreat among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be\nthe chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not\nto be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom\nfor many. And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with\nhis disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartim\u00e6us, the son\nof Tim\u00e6us, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it\nwas Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son\nof David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold\nhis peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have\nmercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And\nthey call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise;\nhe calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to\nJesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I\nshould do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might\nreceive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath\nmade thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed\nJesus in the way.\n\nAnd behold, there was a man named Zacch\u00e6us, which was the chief among\nthe publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was;\nand could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he\nran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was\nto pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and\nsaw him, and said unto him, Zacch\u00e6us, make haste, and come down; for\nto day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down,\nand received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured,\nsaying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And\nZacch\u00e6us stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my\ngoods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by\nfalse accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This\nday is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of\nAbraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was\nlost.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 19]\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.\nAnd it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany,\nat the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,\nsaying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your\nentering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose\nhim, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him?\nthus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they\nthat were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.\nAnd as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them,\nWhy loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And\nthey brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt,\nand they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes\nin the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the\nmount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice\nand praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had\nseen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord:\npeace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees\nfrom among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.\nAnd he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should\nhold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 12]\n\nAnd when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,\nsaying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the\nthings which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine\neyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast\na trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every\nside, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within\nthee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because\nthou knewest not the time of thy visitation. These things understood\nnot his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then\nremembered they that these things were written of him, and that they\nhad done these things unto him. The people therefore that was with\nhim when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the\ndead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him, for that\nthey heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said\namong themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the\nworld is gone after him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 53\n\nTHE VOICE FROM HEAVEN\n\n\nAND there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at\nthe feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida\nof Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip\ncometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And\nJesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man\nshould be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of\nwheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it\nbringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and\nhe that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.\nIf any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall\nalso my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.\nNow is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from\nthis hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify\nthy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both\nglorified it, and will glorify it again.\n\nThe people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it\nthundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and\nsaid, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is\nthe judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be\ncast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men\nunto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people\nanswered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for\never: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is\nthis Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the\nlight with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon\nyou: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.\nWhile ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children\nof light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself\nfrom them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet\nthey believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might\nbe fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and\nto whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?\n\nNevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but\nbecause of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be\nput out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than\nthe praise of God.\n\nJesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but\non him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I\nam come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should\nnot abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not,\nI judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the\nworld. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that\njudgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in\nthe last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which\nsent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should\nspeak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever\nI speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.\n\nAnd Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that\nsold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the\nmoneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto\nthem, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but\nye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to\nhim in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and\nscribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying\nin the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore\ndispleased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus\nsaith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and\nsucklings thou hast perfected praise?\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 54\n\nTHE BARREN FIG TREE\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 21]\n\nAND he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged\nthere. Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.\nAnd when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found\nnothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow\non thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered\naway. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon\nis the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them,\nVerily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not\nonly do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say\nunto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;\nit shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,\nbelieving, ye shall receive.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 21]\n\nAnd when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders\nof the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what\nauthority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?\nAnd Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing,\nwhich if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I\ndo these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of\nmen? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From\nheaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we\nshall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.\nAnd they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.\n\nAnd he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these\nthings. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to\nthe first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered\nand said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came\nto the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir:\nand went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They\nsay unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto\nyou, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God\nbefore you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye\nbelieved him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and\nye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe\nhim.\n\nHear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted\na vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it,\nand built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far\ncountry: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants\nto the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the\nhusbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and\nstoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and\nthey did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son,\nsaying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the\nson, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill\nhim, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast\nhim out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the\nvineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto\nhim, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his\nvineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in\ntheir seasons.\n\nJesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone\nwhich the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:\nthis is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore\nsay I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given\nto a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall\non this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it\nwill grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had\nheard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they\nsought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they\ntook him for a prophet.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 55\n\nPARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST\n\n\nAND Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,\nThe kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a\nmarriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that\nwere bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent\nforth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I\nhave prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all\nthings are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it,\nand went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and\nthe remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew\nthem. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth\nhis armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.\nThen saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which\nwere bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as\nmany as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out\ninto the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found,\nboth bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when\nthe king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on\na wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in\nhither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said\nthe king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away,\nand cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing\nof teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 22]\n\nThen went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle\nhim in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the\nHerodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest\nthe way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou\nregardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?\nIs it lawful to give tribute unto C\u00e6sar, or not? But Jesus perceived\ntheir wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me\nthe tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith\nunto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him,\nC\u00e6sar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto C\u00e6sar the\nthings which are C\u00e6sar's; and unto God the things that are God's.\nWhen they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and\nwent their way. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the\nSadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them,\nwhich was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,\nMaster, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him,\nThou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy\nsoul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.\nAnd the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as\nthyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.\n\nWhile the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying,\nWhat think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of\nDavid. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord,\nsaying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I\nmake thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is\nhe his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any\nman from that day forth ask him any more questions.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 56\n\nTHE WIDOW'S MITE\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Mark 12]\n\nAND Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast\nmoney into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And\nthere came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which\nmake a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto\nthem, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in,\nthan all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast\nin of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she\nhad, even all her living.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 57\n\nTHE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND THE END OF THE WORLD\n\n\nAND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples\ncame to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said\nunto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There\nshall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown\ndown.\n\nAnd as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him\nprivately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall\nbe the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus\nanswered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For\nmany shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive\nmany. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be\nnot troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is\nnot yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against\nkingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,\nin divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall\nthey deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall\nbe hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be\noffended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And\nmany false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because\niniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that\nshall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of\nthe kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all\nnations; and then shall the end come.\n\nBut of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,\nbut my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the\ncoming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the\nflood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,\nuntil the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the\nflood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the\nSon of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,\nand the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one\nshall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not\nwhat hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman\nof the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would\nhave watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.\nTherefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son\nof man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord\nhath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?\nBlessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so\ndoing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his\ngoods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord\ndelayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and\nto eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come\nin a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not\naware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with\nthe hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 25]\n\nThen shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which\ntook their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of\nthem were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took\ntheir lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their\nvessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all\nslumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the\nbridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose,\nand trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of\nyour oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying,\nNot so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to\nthem that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy,\nthe bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the\nmarriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins,\nsaying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say\nunto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day\nnor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 25]\n\nFor the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country,\nwho called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And\nunto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to\nevery man according to his several ability; and straightway took his\njourney. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded\nwith the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that\nhad received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received\none went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a\nlong time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.\nAnd so he that had received five talents came and brought other five\ntalents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold,\nI have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him,\nWell done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over\na few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into\nthe joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and\nsaid, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained\ntwo other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good\nand faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I\nwill make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy\nlord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord,\nI knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not\nsown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid,\nand went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is\nthine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful\nservant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where\nI have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to\nthe exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own\nwith usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him\nwhich hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given,\nand he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken\naway even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into\nouter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\n\nWhen the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels\nwith him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before\nhim shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one\nfrom another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he\nshall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then\nshall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my\nFather, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the\nworld: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and\nye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye\nclothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came\nunto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we\nthee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When\nsaw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?\nOr when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the\nKing shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch\nas ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have\ndone it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,\nDepart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the\ndevil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I\nwas thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took\nme not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye\nvisited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw\nwe thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or\nin prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them,\nsaying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of\nthe least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into\neverlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 58\n\nTHE LAST SUPPER\n\n\nAND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he\nsaid unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of\nthe passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then\nassembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders\nof the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called\nCaiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and\nkill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar\namong the people.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 26]\n\nNow when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,\nthere came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious\nointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his\ndisciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this\nwaste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to\nthe poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye\nthe woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the\npoor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath\npoured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I\nsay unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole\nworld, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a\nmemorial of her.\n\nThen one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief\npriests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver\nhim unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.\nAnd from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.\n\nNow the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came\nto Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee\nto eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and\nsay unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the\npassover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as\nJesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. And as they\nwere eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave\nit to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took\nthe cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all\nof it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for\nmany for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink\nhenceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it\nnew with you in my Father's kingdom.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 13]\n\nNow before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was\ncome that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having\nloved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. He\nriseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and\ngirded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to\nwash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he\nwas girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him,\nLord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What\nI do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith\nunto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash\nthee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord,\nnot my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He\nthat is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every\nwhit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him;\ntherefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their\nfeet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto\nthem, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord:\nand ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have\nwashed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have\ngiven you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily,\nverily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;\nneither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these\nthings, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all: I know whom\nI have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth\nbread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before\nit come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.\nVerily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send\nreceiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.\n\nWhen Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and\nsaid, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.\nThen the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.\nNow there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus\nloved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it\nshould be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto\nhim, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a\nsop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it\nto Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered\ninto him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now\nno man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For\nsome of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said\nunto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or,\nthat he should give something to the poor. He then having received the\nsop went immediately out: and it was night.\n\nTherefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man\nglorified, and God is glorified in him. Little children, yet a little\nwhile I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews,\nWhither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment\nI give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that\nye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my\ndisciples, if ye have love one to another.\n\nSimon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered\nhim, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow\nme afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now?\nI will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay\ndown thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock\nshall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 59\n\nJESUS COMFORTS HIS DISCIPLES\n\n\nLET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.\nIn my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would\nhave told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare\na place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that\nwhere I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way\nye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest;\nand how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the\ntruth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye\nhad known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth\nye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us\nthe Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so\nlong time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that\nhath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us\nthe Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father\nin me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the\nFather that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am\nin the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very\nworks' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me,\nthe works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these\nshall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask\nin my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the\nSon. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 14]\n\nIf ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he\nshall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;\neven the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it\nseeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth\nwith you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will\ncome to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye\nsee me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know\nthat I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my\ncommandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that\nloveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will\nmanifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how\nis it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?\nJesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my\nwords: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make\nour abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and\nthe word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.\nThese things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But\nthe Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in\nmy name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your\nremembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you,\nmy peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let\nnot your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how\nI said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye\nwould rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is\ngreater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that,\nwhen it is come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk\nmuch with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing\nin me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the\nFather gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 60\n\nTHE TRUE VINE\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 15]\n\nI AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch\nin me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that\nbeareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now\nye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in\nme, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except\nit abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the\nvine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the\nsame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If\na man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;\nand men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.\nIf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye\nwill, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified,\nthat ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father\nhath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye\nkeep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept\nmy Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I\nspoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy\nmight be full.\n\nThis is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.\nGreater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for\nhis friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.\nHenceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what\nhis lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I\nhave heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen\nme, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and\nbring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever\nye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things\nI command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye\nknow that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world,\nthe world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but\nI have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.\nRemember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than\nhis lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if\nthey have kept my saying, they will keep your's also. But all these\nthings will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not\nhim that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not\nhad sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me\nhateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which\nnone other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen\nand hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word\nmight be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without\na cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from\nthe Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,\nhe shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have\nbeen with me from the beginning.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 16]\n\nThese things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.\nThey shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that\nwhosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these\nthings will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father,\nnor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall\ncome, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said\nnot unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my\nway to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?\nBut because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your\nheart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that\nI go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;\nbut if I depart, I will send him unto you. I have yet many things to\nsay unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit\nof truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not\nspeak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:\nand he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall\nreceive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father\nhath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall\nshew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a\nlittle while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 17]\n\nThen said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that\nhe saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again,\na little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father? They\nsaid therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot\ntell what he saith. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him,\nand said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A\nlittle while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and\nye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and\nlament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but\nyour sorrow shall be turned into joy. And in that day ye shall ask me\nnothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the\nFather in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing\nin my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These\nthings have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I\nshall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly\nof the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto\nyou, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth\nyou, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from\nGod. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again,\nI leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him,\nLo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we\nsure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should\nask thee: by this we believe that thou earnest forth from God. Jesus\nanswered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now\ncome, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave\nme alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These\nthings I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the\nworld ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome\nthe world.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 61\n\nJESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES\n\n\nTHESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,\nFather, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may\nglorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he\nshould give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is\nlife eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus\nChrist, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I\nhave finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father,\nglorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with\nthee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men\nwhich thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou\ngavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that\nall things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.\n\nFor I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they\nhave received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee,\nand they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray\nnot for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are\nthine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified\nin them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,\nand I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom\nthou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with\nthem in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me\nI have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that\nthe scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these\nthings I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in\nthemselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,\nbecause they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I\npray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou\nshouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as\nI am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is\ntruth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent\nthem into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they\nalso might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these\nalone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;\nthat they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,\nthat they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou\nhast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;\nthat they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me,\nthat they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that\nthou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father,\nI will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I\nam; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou\nlovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father,\nthe world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have\nknown that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name,\nand will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may\nbe in them, and I in them. And when they had sung an hymn, they went\nout into the mount of Olives. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall\nbe offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite\nthe shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.\nBut after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter\nanswered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of\nthee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say\nunto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me\nthrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I\nnot deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 62\n\nJESUS BETRAYED AND DENIED\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 26]\n\nTHEN cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith\nunto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he\ntook with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be\nsorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding\nsorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he\nwent a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my\nFather, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not\nas I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and\nfindeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch\nwith me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:\nthe spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again\nthe second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not\npass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and\nfound them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them,\nand went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.\nThen cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now,\nand take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is\nbetrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he\nis at hand that doth betray me.\n\nAnd while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with\nhim a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests\nand elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign,\nsaying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And\nforthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And\nJesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they,\nand laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which\nwere with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck\na servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus\nunto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take\nthe sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now\npray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve\nlegions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that\nthus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye\ncome out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I\nsat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.\nBut all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be\nfulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.\n\nAnd they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high\npriest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter\nfollowed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and\nsat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and\nelders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to\nput him to death; but found none: yea, though many false witnesses\ncame, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, and\nsaid, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and\nto build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto\nhim, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against\nthee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said\nunto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether\nthou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast\nsaid: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of\nman sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of\nheaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken\nblasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have\nheard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is\nguilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and\nothers smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto\nus, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?\n\n[Illustration: CHRIST CROWNED WITH THORNS, BY VAN DYCK\n\nIN THE PRADO MUSEUM, MADRID]\n\nNow Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him,\nsaying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them\nall, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into\nthe porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there,\nThis fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with\nan oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they\nthat stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for\nthy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying,\nI know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered\nthe word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou\nshalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 27]\n\nWhen the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the\npeople took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: and when they\nhad bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate\nthe governor.\n\nThen Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,\nrepented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to\nthe chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have\nbetrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see\nthou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and\ndeparted, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the\nsilver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the\ntreasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and\nbought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore\nthat field was called the field of blood unto this day. Then was\nfulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they\ntook the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued,\nwhom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the\npotter's field, as the Lord appointed me.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 63\n\nJESUS CONDEMNED AND CRUCIFIED\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 18]\n\nTHEN led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was\nearly; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they\nshould be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then\nwent out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this\nman? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we\nwould not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them,\nTake ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore\nsaid unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: that\nthe saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what\ndeath he should die. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again,\nand called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?\nJesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others\ntell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and\nthe chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?\nJesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were\nof this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be\ndelivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate\ntherefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou\nsayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause\ncame I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every\none that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What\nis truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews,\nand saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. And they were the\nmore fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout\nall Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of\nGalilee, he asked whether the man were a Galil\u00e6an. And as soon as he\nknew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,\nwho himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.\n\nAnd when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to\nsee him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and\nhe hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.\n\nThen he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.\nAnd the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.\nAnd Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and\narrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the\nsame day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they\nwere at enmity between themselves.\n\nAnd Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the\nrulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto\nme, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined\nhim before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things\nwhereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and,\nlo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise\nhim, and release him. Now at that feast the governor was wont to\nrelease unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then\na notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered\ntogether, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you?\nBarabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy\nthey had delivered him.\n\n[Illustration: THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS, BY RUBENS\n\nIN THE CATHEDRAL, ANTWERP]\n\nWhen he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him,\nsaying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered\nmany things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests\nand elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and\ndestroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of\nthe twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate\nsaith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called\nChrist? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor\nsaid, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying,\nLet him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing,\nbut that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands\nbefore the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just\nperson: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood\nbe on us, and on our children. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and\nscourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on\nhis head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of\nthe Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went\nforth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you,\nthat ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth,\nwearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto\nthem, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw\nhim, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith\nunto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.\nThe Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,\nbecause he made himself the Son of God.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 27]\n\nWhen Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;\nand went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence\nart thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him,\nSpeakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to\ncrucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou\ncouldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee\nfrom above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater\nsin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews\ncried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not C\u00e6sar's\nfriend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against C\u00e6sar. When\nPilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat\ndown in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but\nin the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover,\nand about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your\nKing! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him.\nPilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests\nanswered, We have no king but C\u00e6sar. Then delivered he him therefore\nunto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 23]\n\nAnd as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian,\ncoming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he\nmight bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of\npeople, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus\nturning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but\nweep for yourselves, and for your children. And there were also two\nother, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they\nwere come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified\nhim, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the\nleft. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what\nthey do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people\nstood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying,\nHe saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of\nGod. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him\nvinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.\nAnd Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing\nwas, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many\nof the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the\ncity: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the\nchief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews;\nbut that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have\nwritten I have written.\n\nAnd one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If\nthou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked\nhim, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same\ncondemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of\nour deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto\nJesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus\nsaid unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in\nparadise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness\nover all the earth until the ninth hour.\n\nNow there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's\nsister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus\ntherefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved,\nhe saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the\ndisciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her\nunto his own home.\n\nNow from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the\nninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,\nsaying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God,\nwhy hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they\nheard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of\nthem ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on\na reed, and gave him to drink. When Jesus therefore had received the\nvinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up\nthe ghost.\n\n[Illustration: THE ENTOMBMENT, BY TITIAN\n\nIN THE LOUVRE, PARIS]\n\nThe Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies\nshould not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath\nday was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken,\nand that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake\nthe legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.\nBut when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they\nbrake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his\nside, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it\nbare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true,\nthat ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture\nshould be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again\nanother scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. And,\nbehold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the\nbottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves\nwere opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came\nout of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,\nand appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with\nhim, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were\ndone, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. When\nthe even was come, there came a rich man of Arimath\u00e6a, named Joseph,\nwho also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the\nbody of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when\nJoseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and\nlaid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he\nrolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And\nthere was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the\nsepulchre.\n\nNow the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief\npriests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we\nremember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three\ndays I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made\nsure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal\nhim away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the\nlast error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye\nhave a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and\nmade the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 64\n\nTHE RESURRECTION\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Matthew 28]\n\nIN the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of\nthe week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.\nAnd, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the\nLord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from\nthe door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his\nraiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and\nbecame as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women,\nFear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is\nnot here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the\nLord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from\nthe dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall\nye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the\nsepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples\nword. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to\nthe sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did\noutrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down,\nand looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then\ncometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and\nseeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head,\nnot lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by\nitself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to\nthe sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the\nscripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples\nwent away again unto their own home.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 20]\n\nBut Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she\nstooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in\nwhite sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where\nthe body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest\nthou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and\nI know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she\nturned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was\nJesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest\nthou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if\nthou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I\nwill take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself,\nand saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto\nher, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my\nbrethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;\nand to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples\nthat she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto\nher. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the\ncity, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.\nAnd when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel,\nthey gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples\ncame by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to\nthe governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took\nthe money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly\nreported among the Jews until this day.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 65\n\nAPPEARANCES OF CHRIST AFTER THE RESURRECTION\n\n\n[Illustration: THE SUPPER AT EMMAUS, BY REMBRANDT\n\nIN THE LOUVRE, PARIS]\n\nAND, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus,\nwhich was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked\ntogether of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass,\nthat, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew\nnear, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should\nnot know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are\nthese that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the\none of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou\nonly a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are\ncome to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things?\nAnd they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a\nprophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: and\nhow the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to\ndeath, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which\nshould have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third\nday since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our\ncompany made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and when\nthey found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a\nvision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them\nwhich were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the\nwomen had said: but him they saw not.\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 24]\n\nThen he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that\nthe prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these\nthings, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all\nthe prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things\nconcerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they\nwent: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they\nconstrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and\nthe day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to\npass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and\nbrake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him;\nand he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did\nnot our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and\nwhile he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour,\nand returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and\nthem that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath\nappeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and\nhow he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake,\nJesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace\nbe unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that\nthey had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and\nwhy do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that\nit is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and\nbones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them\nhis hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and\nwondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him\na piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and\ndid eat before them. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you:\nas my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said\nthis, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy\nGhost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and\nwhose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the\ntwelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other\ndisciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said\nunto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and\nput my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his\nside, I will not believe.\n\n[Sidenote: St. John 20]\n\nAnd after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with\nthem: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst,\nand said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy\nfinger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it\ninto my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered\nand said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,\nbecause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that\nhave not seen, and yet have believed.\n\nAnd he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you,\nwhile I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were\nwritten in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,\nconcerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might\nunderstand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and\nthus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third\nday: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached\nin his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are\nwitnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father\nupon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued\nwith power from on high.\n\nAfter these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at\nthe sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were\ntogether Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana\nin Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.\nSimon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also\ngo with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately;\nand that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come,\nJesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.\nThen Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered\nhim, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the\nship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not\nable to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple\nwhom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon\nPeter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him,\n(for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other\ndisciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but\nas it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon\nthen as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and\nfish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish\nwhich ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to\nland full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all\nthere were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them,\nCome and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou?\nknowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and\ngiveth them, and fish likewise.\n\nSo when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of\nJonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord;\nthou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He\nsaith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou\nme? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He\nsaith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon,\nson of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto\nhim the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou\nknowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto\nhim, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast\nyoung, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but\nwhen thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another\nshall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake\nhe, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had\nspoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about,\nseeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on\nhis breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?\nPeter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?\nJesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that\nto thee? follow thou me.\n\nAnd there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if\nthey should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself\ncould not contain the books that should be written. Amen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 66\n\nTHE ASCENSION OF CHRIST\n\n\n[Sidenote: St. Luke 24]\n\nAND he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands,\nand blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was\nparted from them, and carried up into heaven. And while they looked\nstedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them\nin white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye\ngazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you\ninto heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into\nheaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great\njoy: and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God,\nAmen.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK IV--THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF PAUL\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 67\n\nTHE HOLY SPIRIT GIVEN\n\n\nAND the apostles appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was\nsurnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord,\nwhich knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou\nhast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship,\nfrom which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own\nplace. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias;\nand he was numbered with the eleven apostles.\n\nAnd when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one\naccord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as\nof a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were\nsitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,\nand it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy\nGhost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them\nutterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out\nof every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the\nmultitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man\nheard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and\nmarvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak\nGalil\u00e6ans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were\nborn? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter,\nstanding up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them,\nYe men of Jud\u00e6a, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto\nyou, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose,\nseeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was\nspoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days,\nsaith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh. And I will shew\nwonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; and it shall\ncome to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall\nbe saved.\n\nYe men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved\nof God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did\nby him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being\ndelivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye\nhave taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God\nhath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not\npossible that he should be holden of it. Therefore being by the right\nhand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of\nthe Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.\nTherefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath\nmade that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.\n\nNow when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said\nunto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what\nshall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every\none of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and\nye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto\nyou, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many\nas the Lord our God shall call.\n\nThen they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same\nday there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they\ncontinued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in\nbreaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and\nmany wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And they, continuing\ndaily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house\nto house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,\npraising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added\nto the church daily such as should be saved.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 68\n\nPETER AND JOHN CURE THE LAME MAN\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 3]\n\nNOW Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of\nprayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his birth\nwas carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is\ncalled Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;\nwho seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.\nAnd Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.\nAnd he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.\nThen Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give\nI thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And\nhe took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his\nfeet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and\nwalked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping,\nand praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God:\nand they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate\nof the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that\nwhich had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held\nPeter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that\nis called Solomon's, greatly wondering.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 4]\n\nAnd as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the\ntemple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they\ntaught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the\ndead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next\nday: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word\nbelieved; and the number of the men was about five thousand.\n\nAnd it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders,\nand scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and\nAlexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were\ngathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the\nmidst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?\nThen Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of\nthe people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the\ngood deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be\nit known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the\nname of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised\nfrom the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.\nThis is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is\nbecome the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other:\nfor there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we\nmust be saved.\n\nNow when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that\nthey were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took\nknowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man\nwhich was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.\nBut when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they\nconferred among themselves. And they called them, and commanded them\nnot to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John\nanswered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God\nto hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but\nspeak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further\nthreatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might\npunish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that\nwhich was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this\nmiracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their\nown company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had\nsaid unto them.\n\n[Illustration: THE DEATH OF ANANIAS, BY RAPHAEL\n\nIN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON]\n\nAnd the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one\nsoul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he\npossessed was his own; but they had all things common. Neither was\nthere any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of\nlands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that\nwere sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution\nwas made unto every man according as he had need.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 69\n\nANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA\n\n\nBUT a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a\npossession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy\nto it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.\nBut Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to\nthe Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While\nit remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not\nin thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?\nthou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these\nwords fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them\nthat heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and\ncarried him out, and buried him.\n\nAnd it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not\nknowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me\nwhether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.\nThen Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to\ntempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have\nburied thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell\nshe down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the\nyoung men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried\nher by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon\nas many as heard these things.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 5]\n\nAnd by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought\namong the people. And believers were the more added to the Lord,\nmultitudes both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth\nthe sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that\nat the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of\nthem. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto\nJerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean\nspirits: and they were healed every one.\n\nThen the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, and laid\ntheir hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the\nangel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them\nforth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all\nthe words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the\ntemple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came,\nand they that were with him, and called the council together, and all\nthe senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have\nthem brought. But when the officers came, and found them not in the\nprison, they returned, and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut\nwith all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors:\nbut when we had opened, we found no man within. Then came one and\ntold them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing\nin the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with\nthe officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the\npeople, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought\nthem, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,\nsaying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in\nthis name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine,\nand intend to bring this man's blood upon us.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 6]\n\nThen Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey\nGod rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye\nslew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand\nto be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and\nforgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so\nis also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.\n\nWhen they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to\nslay them. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named\nGamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people,\nand commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; and said unto\nthem, Ye men of Israel, refrain from these men, and let them alone: for\nif this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if\nit be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to\nfight against God. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the\napostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in\nthe name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence\nof the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame\nfor his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased\nnot to teach and preach Jesus Christ.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 70\n\nSTEPHEN\n\n\nAND Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles\namong the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, disputing\nwith Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the\nspirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have\nheard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And\nthey stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came\nupon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, and set up\nfalse witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous\nwords against this holy place, and the law: for we have heard him say,\nthat this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change\nthe customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council,\nlooking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an\nangel.\n\nThen said the high priest, Are these things so? And Stephen answered\nand said, Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and\nthey have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One;\nof whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received\nthe law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.\n\nWhen they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they\ngnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost,\nlooked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus\nstanding on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens\nopened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then\nthey cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon\nhim with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and\nthe witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose\nname was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying,\nLord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a\nloud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had\nsaid this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And\nat that time there was a great persecution against the church which\nwas at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the\nregions of Jud\u00e6a and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men\ncarried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As\nfor Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and\nhaling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were\nscattered abroad went every where preaching the word.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 71\n\nSIMON THE SORCERER--THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 8]\n\nTHEN Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ\nunto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things\nwhich Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. And\nthere was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called\nSimon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched\nthe people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to\nwhom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This\nman is the great power of God. But when they believed Philip preaching\nthe things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ,\nthey were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed\nalso: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered,\nbeholding the miracles and signs which were done.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 8]\n\nNow when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had\nreceived the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when\nthey were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy\nGhost: (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were\nbaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands\non them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that\nthrough laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he\noffered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever\nI lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him,\nThy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift\nof God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in\nthis matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent\ntherefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought\nof thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in\nthe gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered\nSimon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things\nwhich ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified\nand preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached\nthe gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.\n\nAnd the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go\ntoward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza,\nwhich is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia,\nan eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians,\nwho had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for\nto worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the\nprophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself\nto this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the\nprophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he\nsaid, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip\nthat he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture\nwhich he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and\nlike a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: in\nhis humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare\nhis generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch\nanswered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet\nthis? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth,\nand began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as\nthey went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch\nsaid, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And\nPhilip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And\nhe answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.\nAnd he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both\ninto the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And\nwhen they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught\naway Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way\nrejoicing.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 72\n\nTHE CONVERSION OF SAUL\n\n\nAND Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the\ndisciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him\nletters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this\nway, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto\nJerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly\nthere shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the\nearth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest\nthou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus\nwhom thou persecutest. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what\nwilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into\nthe city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men\nwhich journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing\nno man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened,\nhe saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into\nDamascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor\ndrink.\n\nAnd there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him\nsaid the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here,\nLord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which\nis called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called\nSaul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a\nman named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might\nreceive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of\nthis man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: and\nhere he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on\nthy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen\nvessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the\nchildren of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer\nfor my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the\nhouse; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even\nJesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent\nme, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy\nGhost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:\nand he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when\nhe had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days\nwith the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached\nChrist in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 9]\n\nAnd after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill\nhim: but their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the\ngates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night,\nand let him down by the wall in a basket. And when Saul was come to\nJerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they\nwere all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But\nBarnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto\nthem how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to\nhim, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 73\n\nDORCAS\n\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 9]\n\nNOW there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by\ninterpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works\nand almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that\nshe was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in\nan upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the\ndisciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men,\ndesiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose\nand went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper\nchamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats\nand garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put\nthem all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the\nbody said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw\nPeter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and\nwhen he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it\nwas known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 74\n\nCORNELIUS\n\n\nTHERE was a certain man in C\u00e6sarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the\nband called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God\nwith all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to\nGod alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day\nan angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And\nwhen he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And\nhe said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial\nbefore God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose\nsurname is Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is\nby the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when\nthe angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his\nhousehold servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him\ncontinually; and when he had declared all these things unto them, he\nsent them to Joppa.\n\nOn the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the\ncity, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:\nand he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made\nready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain\nvessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the\nfour corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner\nof four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping\nthings, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise,\nPeter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never\neaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto\nhim again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou\ncommon. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into\nheaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he\nhad seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius\nstood before the gate, and called, and asked whether Simon, which was\nsurnamed Peter, were lodged there.\n\nWhile Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold,\nthree men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with\nthem, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. Then Peter went down to\nthe men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I\nam he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they\nsaid, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God,\nand of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from\nGod by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words\nof thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow\nPeter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied\nhim.\n\nAnd the morrow after they entered into C\u00e6sarea. And Cornelius waited\nfor them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. And\nas Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet,\nand worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself\nalso am a man. And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many\nthat were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it\nis an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come\nunto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not\ncall any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without\ngainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent\nye have sent for me? And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting\nuntil this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and,\nbehold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius,\nthy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the\nsight of God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose\nsurname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by\nthe sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Immediately\ntherefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come.\nNow therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things\nthat are commanded thee of God.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 10]\n\nThen Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God\nis no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him,\nand worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which God\nsent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ:\n(he is Lord of all:) that word, I say, ye know, which was published\nthroughout all Jud\u00e6a, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which\nJohn preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost\nand with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were\noppressed of the devil; for God was with him. And we are witnesses of\nall things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem;\nwhom they slew and hanged on a tree: him God raised up the third day,\nand shewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen\nbefore of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he\nrose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and\nto testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of\nquick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his\nname whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 12]\n\nWhile Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them\nwhich heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were\nastonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles\nalso was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them\nspeak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man\nforbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received\nthe Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in\nthe name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.\n\nThen departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: and when he had\nfound him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a\nwhole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much\npeople. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.\n\nAnd in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there\nstood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that\nthere should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to\npass in the days of Claudius C\u00e6sar. Then the disciples, every man\naccording to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren\nwhich dwelt in Jud\u00e6a: which also they did, and sent it to the elders by\nthe hands of Barnabas and Saul.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 75\n\nPETER IN PRISON\n\n\nNOW about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex\ncertain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the\nsword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further\nto take Peter also. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in\nprison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep\nhim; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter\ntherefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of\nthe church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him\nforth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound\nwith two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And,\nbehold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in\nthe prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying,\nArise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel\nsaid unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did.\nAnd he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And\nhe went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was\ndone by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the\nfirst and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth\nunto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went\nout, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed\nfrom him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a\nsurety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out\nof the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of\nthe Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house\nof Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were\ngathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the\ngate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's\nvoice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how\nPeter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But\nshe constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his\nangel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door,\nand saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the\nhand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought\nhim out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James,\nand to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Now\nas soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what\nwas become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him\nnot, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to\ndeath. And he went down from Jud\u00e6a to C\u00e6sarea, and there abode.\n\nAnd upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his\nthrone, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout,\nsaying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the\nangel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he\nwas eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 76\n\nMISSION OF PAUL AND BARNABAS TO THE GENTILES\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 13]\n\nNOW there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and\nteachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,\nand Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost\nsaid, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have\ncalled them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands\non them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy\nGhost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.\nAnd when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the\nsynagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 14]\n\nAnd when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a\ncertain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:\nwhich was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent\nman; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of\nGod. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation)\nwithstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then\nSaul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his\neyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou\nchild of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not\ncease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand\nof the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun\nfor a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness;\nand he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the\ndeputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the\ndoctrine of the Lord.\n\nNow when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga\nin Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But\nwhen they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and\nwent into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after\nthe reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue\nsent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of\nexhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and preached\nunto them of Jesus and the resurrection. And when the Jews were gone\nout of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be\npreached to them the next sabbath.\n\nAnd the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear\nthe word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled\nwith envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul,\ncontradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and\nsaid, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been\nspoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves\nunworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath\nthe Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the\nGentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the\nearth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified\nthe word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life\nbelieved. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the\nregion. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and\nthe chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and\nBarnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off\nthe dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the\ndisciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. And they\ncame unto Lystra. And there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet,\nbeing a cripple who never had walked: the same heard Paul speak: who\nstedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be\nhealed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he\nleaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they\nlifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods\nare come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas,\nJupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then\nthe priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and\ngarlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.\nWhich when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their\nclothes, and scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done\nsacrifice unto them. And they departed to Derbe. And when they had\npreached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned\nagain to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of\nthe disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that\nwe must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And\nwhen they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with\nfasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And\nafter they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And\nwhen they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:\nand thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to\nthe grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were\ncome, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God\nhad done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the\nGentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples. And Paul\nsaid unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every\ncity where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.\nAnd Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.\nBut Paul thought not good to take him with them. And the contention was\nso sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other:\nand so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose\nSilas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace\nof God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 77\n\nPAUL AND SILAS IMPRISONED\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 16]\n\nNOW when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia,\nthey came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night;\nThere stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into\nMacedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately\nwe endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord\nhad called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing\nfrom Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the\nnext day to Neapolis; and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief\ncity of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city\nabiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a\nriver side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and\nspake unto the women which resorted thither.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 16]\n\nAnd a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of\nThyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened,\nthat she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when\nshe was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye\nhave judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and\nabide there. And she constrained us.\n\nAnd it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed\nwith a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much\ngain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying,\nThese men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the\nway of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved,\nturned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus\nChrist to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her\nmasters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and\nSilas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought\nthem to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly\ntrouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to\nreceive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up\ntogether against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and\ncommanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them,\nthey cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:\nwho, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison,\nand made their feet fast in the stocks.\n\nAnd at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and\nthe prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so\nthat the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the\ndoors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper\nof the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors\nopen, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing\nthat the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice,\nsaying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a\nlight, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul\nand Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be\nsaved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt\nbe saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord,\nand to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of\nthe night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his,\nstraightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat\nbefore them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And\nwhen it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those\nmen go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The\nmagistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in\npeace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned,\nbeing Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust\nus out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch\nus out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and\nthey feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and\nbesought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of\nthe city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house\nof Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and\ndeparted.\n\n[Illustration: ST. PAUL AT ATHENS, BY RAPHAEL\n\nIN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 78\n\nPAUL PREACHES AT THESSALONICA, ATHENS, AND CORINTH\n\n\nNOW when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came\nto Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his\nmanner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with\nthem out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must\nneeds have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this\nJesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed,\nand consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great\nmultitude, and of the chief women not a few.\n\nBut the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them\ncertain fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all\nthe city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought\nto bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they\ndrew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying,\nThese that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom\nJason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of C\u00e6sar,\nsaying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the\npeople and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 17]\n\nAnd the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto\nBerea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These\nwere more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the\nword with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,\nwhether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of\nhonourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the\nJews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of\nPaul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And\nthen immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the\nsea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. And they that conducted\nPaul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas\nand Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.\n\nNow while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in\nhim, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Then Paul stood in\nthe midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that\nin all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld\nyour devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN\nGOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.\nGod that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord\nof heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither\nis worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing\nhe giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one\nblood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and\nhath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their\nhabitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel\nafter him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for\nin him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your\nown poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as\nwe are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is\nlike unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.\nAnd the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all\nmen every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the\nwhich he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath\nordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath\nraised him from the dead.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 18]\n\nAnd when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and\nothers said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed\nfrom among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed:\namong the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named\nDamaris, and others with them.\n\nAfter these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and\nfound a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from\nItaly, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded\nall Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he\nwas of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their\noccupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every\nsabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and\nTimotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit,\nand testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed\nthemselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them,\nYour blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will\ngo unto the Gentiles. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a\nvision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with\nthee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people\nin this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching\nthe word of God among them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 79\n\nGALLIO\n\n\nAND when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection\nwith one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,\nsaying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the\nlaw. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto\nthe Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews,\nreason would that I should bear with you: but if it be a question of\nwords and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge\nof such matters. And he drave them from the judgment seat. Then all the\nGreeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him\nbefore the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.\n\nAnd Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his\nleave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him\nPriscilla and Aquila. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but\nhe himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.\nAnd God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: and many that\nbelieved came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them\nalso which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned\nthem before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it\nfifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and\nprevailed.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 80\n\nA PART OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Corinthians 1]\n\nPAUL, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of\nGod, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are\nsanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every\nplace call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and\nour's: grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from\nthe Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto\nthe fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you,\nbrethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the\nsame thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be\nperfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.\nFor it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which\nare of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.\nNow this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of\nApollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul\ncrucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? Eye hath\nnot seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,\nthe things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Who is Paul,\nand who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord\ngave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the\nincrease. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he\nthat watereth; but God that giveth the increase. For we are labourers\ntogether with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. For\nother foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus\nChrist. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit\nof God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him\nshall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.\nTherefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; whether\nPaul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things\npresent, or things to come; all are your's; and ye are Christ's; and\nChrist is God's. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye\ndo, do all to the glory of God.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Corinthians 10]\n\nThough I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not\ncharity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And\nthough I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and\nall knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove\nmountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all\nmy goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and\nhave not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long,\nand is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is\nnot puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,\nis not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity,\nbut rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things,\nhopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but\nwhether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues,\nthey shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.\nFor we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is\nperfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I\nwas a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as\na child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now\nwe see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in\npart; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth\nfaith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.\n\nMoreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto\nyou, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. For I delivered\nunto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died\nfor our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and\nthat he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and\nthat he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was\nseen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part\nremain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he\nwas seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was\nseen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least\nof the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because\nI persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I\nam: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I\nlaboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God\nwhich was with me.\n\nNow if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some\namong you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be\nno resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ\nbe not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they\nalso which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life\nonly we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now\nis Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that\nslept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection\nof the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be\nmade alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;\nafterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end,\nwhen he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;\nwhen he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For\nhe must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last\nenemy that shall be destroyed is death.\n\nBut some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body\ndo they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened,\nexcept it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body\nthat shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other\ngrain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every\nseed his own body. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory\nof the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth\nfrom another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.\nIt is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in\ndishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised\nin power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.\nThere is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And as we have\nborne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the\nheavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit\nthe kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. For\nthis corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on\nimmortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,\nand this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to\npass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O\ndeath, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of\ndeath is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God,\nwhich giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 81\n\nDIANA OF THE EPHESIANS\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 19]\n\nAFTER these things Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed\nthrough Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have\nbeen there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of them\nthat ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed\nin Asia for a season. And the same time there arose no small stir about\nthat way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made\nsilver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;\nwhom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said,\nSirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see\nand hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia,\nthis Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that\nthey be no gods, which are made with hands: so that not only this our\ncraft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the\ngreat goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be\ndestroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard\nthese sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is\nDiana of the Ephesians.\n\nAnd the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius\nand Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they\nrushed with one accord into the theatre. And when Paul would have\nentered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And\ncertain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him,\ndesiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre.\nSome therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly\nwas confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come\ntogether. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he dismissed\nthe assembly. And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the\ndisciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 82\n\nA PART OF THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS\n\n\n[Sidenote: II. Cor. 1]\n\nPAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our\nbrother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the\nsaints which are in all Achaia: grace be to you and peace from God\nour Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the\nFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of\nall comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be\nable to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith\nwe ourselves are comforted of God. For our light affliction, which\nis but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal\nweight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but\nat the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are\ntemporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know\nthat if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a\nbuilding of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.\nTherefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home\nin the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by\nsight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from\nthe body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that,\nwhether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all\nappear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive\nthe things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether\nit be good or bad. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we\nthus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he\ndied for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto\nthemselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Therefore\nif any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed\naway; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who\nhath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the\nministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling\nthe world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Now\nthen we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by\nus: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath\nmade him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the\nrighteousness of God in him.\n\nWe then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive\nnot the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a\ntime accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:\nbehold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)\nGiving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but\nin all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much\npatience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes,\nin imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;\nby pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy\nGhost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God,\nby the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by\nhonour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and\nyet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we\nlive; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing;\nas poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing\nall things.\n\nHaving therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse\nourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting\nholiness in the fear of God. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus\nChrist, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,\nthat ye through his poverty might be rich. He which soweth sparingly\nshall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap\nalso bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,\nso let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a\ncheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;\nthat ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to\nevery good work.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 83\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS\n\n\n[Sidenote: Galatians 1]\n\nPAUL, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and\nGod the Father, who raised him from the dead;) and all the brethren\nwhich are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: grace be to you and\npeace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave\nhimself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil\nworld, according to the will of God and our Father.\n\nChrist hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse\nfor us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a\ntree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through\nJesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through\nfaith. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For\nas many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.\nThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there\nis neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if\nye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the\npromise. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil\nthe lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and\nthe Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the\nother: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But the fruit of\nthe Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,\nfaith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they\nthat are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and\nlusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.\n\n[Sidenote: Romans 1]\n\nLet us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying\none another. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law\nof Christ. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man\nsoweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall\nof the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall\nof the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well\ndoing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have\ntherefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto\nthem who are of the household of faith. God forbid that I should\nglory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world\nis crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus\nneither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new\ncreature. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your\nspirit. Amen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 84\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS\n\n\nPAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, to all that be in Rome, beloved of\nGod, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father,\nand the Lord Jesus Christ. As much as in me is, I am ready to preach\nthe gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the\ngospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every\none that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For\ntherein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as\nit is written, The just shall live by faith. There is no respect of\npersons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also\nperish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be\njudged by the law; in the day when God shall judge the secrets of\nmen by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Now we know that what\nthings soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:\nthat every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty\nbefore God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be\njustified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now\nthe righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed\nby the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is\nby faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:\nfor there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of\nthe glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the\nredemption that is in Christ Jesus.\n\nTherefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our\nLord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace\nwherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not\nonly so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation\nworketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and\nhope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our\nhearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet\nwithout strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely\nfor a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some\nwould even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,\nwhile we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Wherefore, as by one man\nsin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all\nmen, for that all have sinned. As by one man's disobedience many were\nmade sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.\nLet not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it\nin the lusts thereof. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves\nservants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin\nunto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But now being made free\nfrom sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness,\nand the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the\ngift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.\n\n[Sidenote: Romans 5]\n\nThere is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ\nJesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For to be\ncarnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and\npeace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not\nsubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. But ye are not in the\nflesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.\nNow if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. For\nas many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The\nSpirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children\nof God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with\nChrist; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified\ntogether. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not\nworthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And\nwe know that all things work together for good to them that love God,\nto them who are the called according to his purpose. He that spared not\nhis own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him\nalso freely give us all things?\n\nWho shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that\njustifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea\nrather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who\nalso maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love\nof Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,\nor nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more\nthan conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that\nneither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,\nnor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any\nother creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,\nwhich is in Christ Jesus our Lord.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 20]\n\nI beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye\npresent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,\nwhich is your reasonable service. Let love be without dissimulation.\nAbhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly\naffectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring\none another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the\nLord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in\nprayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.\n\nBless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them\nthat do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one\ntoward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low\nestate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for\nevil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible,\nas much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved,\navenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is\nwritten, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if\nthine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so\ndoing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of\nevil, but overcome evil with good. Owe no man any thing, but to love\none another. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is\nthe fulfilling of the law. For none of us liveth to himself, and no\nman dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and\nwhether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or\ndie, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose,\nand revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But\nwhy dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy\nbrother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.\nLet not then your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is\nnot meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy\nGhost. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 85\n\nEUTYCHUS--THE ELDERS OF EPHESUS\n\n\nAND when the Jews laid wait for Paul, as he was about to sail into\nSyria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. And we sailed away\nfrom Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came to Troas,\nwhere we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the\ndisciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready\nto depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And\nthere were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered\ntogether. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus,\nbeing fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he\nsunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken\nup dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said,\nTrouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was\ncome up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long\nwhile, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the\nyoung man alive, and were not a little comforted.\n\nAnd we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to\ntake in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And\nwhen he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Miletus. And\nfrom Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.\nAnd when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the\nfirst day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you\nat all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with\nmany tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of\nthe Jews: and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,\nbut have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to\nhouse, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance\ntoward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold,\nI go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that\nshall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every\ncity, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 20]\n\nBut none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto\nmyself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,\nwhich I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the\ngrace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have\ngone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore\nI take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all\nmen. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.\nAnd now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace.\nI have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves\nknow, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them\nthat were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring\nye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord\nJesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them\nall. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,\nsorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should\nsee his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 86\n\nPAUL GOES UP TO JERUSALEM\n\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 21]\n\nAND it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had\nlaunched, we came with a straight course unto Patara: and finding a\nship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth, and\nlanded at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. And when\nwe were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the\nday following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were\npresent. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what\nthings God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.\n\nAnd Paul and the men that were with him went into the temple. And the\nJews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up\nall the people, and laid hands on him. And all the city was moved,\nand the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of\nthe temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they went about\nto kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that\nall Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and\ncenturions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain\nand the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain\ncame near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains;\nand demanded who he was, and what he had done. And some cried one\nthing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know\nthe certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the\ncastle. And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne\nof the soldiers for the violence of the people. For the multitude of\nthe people followed after, crying, Away with him. And as Paul was to be\nled into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, I beseech thee,\nsuffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him licence,\nPaul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people.\nAnd when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the\nHebrew tongue, and declared to them how he was converted to the faith\nof Christ, and that he was sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.\n\nAnd they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their\nvoices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is\nnot fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their\nclothes, and threw dust into the air, the chief captain commanded him\nto be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by\nscourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.\nAnd as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that\nstood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and\nuncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief\ncaptain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.\nThen the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a\nRoman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great\nsum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then\nstraightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and\nthe chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman,\nand because he had bound him. On the morrow, because he would have\nknown the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him\nfrom his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council\nto appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 87\n\nPAUL SENT UNTO FELIX\n\n\nAND Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I\nhave lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the\nhigh priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on\nthe mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited\nwall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to\nbe smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest\nthou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he\nwas the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of\nthe ruler of thy people. And when there arose a great dissension, the\nchief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of\nthem, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from\namong them, and to bring him into the castle. And the night following\nthe Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou\nhast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at\nRome.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 23]\n\nAnd when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound\nthemselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink\ntill they had killed Paul. And they came to the chief priests and\nelders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we\nwill eat nothing until we have slain Paul. And when Paul's sister's\nson heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle,\nand told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and\nsaid, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a\ncertain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief\ncaptain. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with\nhim aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?\nAnd he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest\nbring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would\nenquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto\nthem: for there lie in wait for him more than forty men, which have\nbound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink\ntill they have killed him. So the chief captain then let the young man\ndepart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed\nthese things to me. And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make\nready two hundred soldiers to go to C\u00e6sarea, and horsemen threescore\nand ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; and\nprovide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto\nFelix the governor. And he wrote a letter after this manner:\n\nClaudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth\ngreeting. This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed\nof them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood\nthat he was a Roman. And when I would have known the cause wherefore\nthey accused him, I brought him forth into their council: whom I\nperceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing\nlaid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told me\nhow that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee,\nand gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they\nhad against him. Farewell.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 24]\n\nThen the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought\nhim by night to Antipatris. On the morrow they left the horsemen\nto go with him, who, when they came to C\u00e6sarea, and delivered the\nepistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him. And when the\ngovernor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And\nwhen he understood that he was of Cilicia; I will hear thee, said he,\nwhen thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in\nHerod's judgment hall.\n\nAnd after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders,\nand with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor\nagainst Paul. And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse\nhim, saying, We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover\nof sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader\nof the sect of the Nazarenes: who also hath gone about to profane the\ntemple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. But\nthe chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him\naway out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by\nexamining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things,\nwhereof we accuse him. And the Jews also assented, saying that these\nthings were so.\n\nThen Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak,\nanswered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge\nunto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself: because\nthat thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I\nwent up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they neither found me in the\ntemple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither\nin the synagogues, nor in the city. But this I confess unto thee,\nthat after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my\nfathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the\nprophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow,\nthat there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and\nunjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience\nvoid of offence toward God, and toward men.\n\nAnd when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of\nthat way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain\nshall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. And he\ncommanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and\nthat he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto\nhim. And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla,\nwhich was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the\nfaith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and\njudgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this\ntime; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped\nalso that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose\nhim: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.\nBut after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix,\nwilling to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 88\n\nPAUL ACCUSED BEFORE FESTUS\n\n\nNow when Festus was come into the province, after three days he\nascended from C\u00e6sarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief\nof the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, that he would\nsend for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. But\nFestus answered, that Paul should be kept at C\u00e6sarea, and that he\nhimself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he,\nwhich among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if\nthere be any wickedness in him. And when he had tarried among them more\nthan ten days, he went down unto C\u00e6sarea; and the next day sitting on\nthe judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come,\nthe Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid\nmany and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.\nBut Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said,\nWilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things\nbefore me? Then said Paul, I stand at C\u00e6sar's judgment seat, where I\nought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well\nknowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy\nof death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things\nwhereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto\nC\u00e6sar.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 25]\n\nThen Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast\nthou appealed unto C\u00e6sar? unto C\u00e6sar shalt thou go.\n\nAnd after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto C\u00e6sarea to\nsalute Festus. And when they had been there many days, Festus declared\nPaul's cause unto the king. Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also\nhear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him. And on\nthe morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and\nwas entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and\nprincipal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought\nforth. And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here\npresent with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the\nJews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that\nhe ought not to live any longer. Of whom I have no certain thing to\nwrite unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and\nspecially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I\nmight have somewhat to write. For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send\na prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 26]\n\nThen Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself.\nThen Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: I think\nmyself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day\nbefore thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews.\nMy manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine\nown nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the\nbeginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect\nof our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for\nthe hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers. I verily thought\nwith myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of\nJesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of\nthe saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the\nchief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against\nthem. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to\nblaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them\neven unto strange cities.\n\nWhereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the\nchief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven,\nabove the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which\njourneyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard\na voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul,\nSaul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against\nthe pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus\nwhom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have\nappeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a\nwitness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things\nin the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people,\nand from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes,\nand to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan\nunto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance\namong them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.\n\nWhereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly\nvision: but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and\nthroughout all the coasts of Jud\u00e6a, and then to the Gentiles, that they\nshould repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Having\ntherefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing\nboth to small and great, saying none other things than those which the\nprophets and Moses did say should come: that Christ should suffer, and\nthat he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should\nshew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.\n\nAnd as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul,\nthou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he\nsaid, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of\ntruth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom\nalso I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are\nhidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa,\nbelievest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa\nsaid unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul\nsaid, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me\nthis day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these\nbonds.\n\nAnd when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and\nBernice, and they that sat with them: and when they were gone aside,\nthey talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy\nof death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might\nhave been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto C\u00e6sar.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 89\n\nPAUL SENT TO ROME\n\n\nAND when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they\ndelivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a\ncenturion of Augustus' band. And entering into a ship of Adramyttium,\nwe launched, and the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius\ncourteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his\nfriends to refresh himself. And when we had launched from thence, we\nsailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had\nsailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city\nof Lycia. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing\ninto Italy; and he put us therein. And when we had sailed slowly many\ndays, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against\nSalmone; and, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called\nthe Fair Havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea. Now when much\ntime was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast\nwas now already past, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs,\nI perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not\nonly of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. Nevertheless the\ncenturion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than\nthose things which were spoken by Paul. And when the south wind blew\nsoftly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence,\nthey sailed close by Crete.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 27]\n\nBut not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind. And when\nthe ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her\ndrive. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day\nthey lightened the ship; and the third day we cast out with our own\nhands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many\ndays appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should\nbe saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood\nforth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened\nunto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm\nand loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall\nbe no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there\nstood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,\nsaying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before C\u00e6sar: and, lo, God\nhath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of\ngood cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.\nHowbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.\n\n[Sidenote: The Acts 28]\n\nBut when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down\nin Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some\ncountry. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast\nfour anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.\n\nAnd we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen\nsouls. And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered\na certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if\nit were possible, to thrust in the ship. And falling into a place\nwhere two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck\nfast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with\nthe violence of the waves. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the\nprisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.\n\nBut the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose;\nand commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first\ninto the sea, and get to land: and the rest, some on boards, and some\non broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped\nall safe to land.\n\nAnd when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called\nMelita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they\nkindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain,\nand because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,\nand laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and\nfastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast\nhang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a\nmurderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth\nnot to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no\nharm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down\ndead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm\ncome to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.\nAnd after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had\nwintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at\nSyracuse, we tarried there three days: and so we went toward Rome. And\nwhen the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii\nforum, and the Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and\ntook courage. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the\nprisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell\nby himself with a soldier that kept him. And Paul dwelt two whole\nyears in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,\npreaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern\nthe Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 90\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS\n\n\nPAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints\nwhich are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: grace be to\nyou, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.\nIn whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,\naccording to the riches of his grace. For by grace are ye saved through\nfaith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works,\nlest any man should boast. For this cause I bow my knees unto the\nFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and\nearth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his\nglory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;\nthat Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted\nand grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is\nthe breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of\nChrist, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the\nfulness of God.\n\n[Sidenote: Ephesians 1]\n\nI therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk\nworthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness\nand meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;\nendeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.\nThere is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope\nof your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father\nof all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Wherefore\nputting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we\nare members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun\ngo down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.\n\nLet him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working\nwith his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him\nthat needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,\nbut that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister\ngrace unto the hearers.\n\nAnd grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto\nthe day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and\nclamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and\nbe ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even\nas God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.\n\nChildren, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. And, ye\nfathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the\nnurture and admonition of the Lord.\n\nServants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the\nflesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto\nChrist; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of\nChrist, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing\nservice, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good\nthing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether\nhe be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,\nforbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven;\nneither is there respect of persons with him.\n\nFinally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his\nmight. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand\nagainst the wiles of the devil. Stand therefore, having your loins girt\nabout with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and\nyour feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all,\ntaking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all\nthe fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and\nthe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with\nall prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with\nall perseverance and supplication for all saints.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 91\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS\n\n\n[Sidenote: Philippians 1]\n\nPAUL and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in\nChrist Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: grace\nbe unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus\nChrist. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every\nprayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship\nin the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this\nvery thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it\nuntil the day of Jesus Christ.\n\nLet this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in\nthe form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made\nhimself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and\nwas made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man,\nhe humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of\nthe cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a\nname which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee\nshould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under\nthe earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is\nLord, to the glory of God the Father.\n\nWhat things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea\ndoubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the\nknowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of\nall things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be\nfound in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,\nbut that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which\nis of God by faith. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:\nbut this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and\nreaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the\nmark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. For our\nconversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,\nthe Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be\nfashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby\nhe is able even to subdue all things unto himself.\n\nRejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Be careful\nfor nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with\nthanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of\nGod, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds\nthrough Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,\nwhatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever\nthings are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of\ngood report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think\non these things. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.\nAmen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 92\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS\n\n\nIF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,\nwhere Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on\nthings above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your\nlife is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall\nappear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore\nyour members which are upon the earth. But now ye also put off all\nthese; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of\nyour mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the\nold man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed\nin knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is\nneither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian,\nScythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on\ntherefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,\nkindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one\nanother, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against\nany: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these\nthings put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the\npeace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in\none body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you\nrichly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms\nand hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the\nLord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the\nLord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him; knowing that of\nthe Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve\nthe Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong\nwhich he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.\n\n[Sidenote: Colossians 3]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 93\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO TIMOTHY\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. Timothy 1]\n\nPAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our\nSaviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; unto Timothy, my\nown son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and\nJesus Christ our Lord. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all\nacceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of\nwhom I am chief.\n\nGodliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into\nthis world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food\nand raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich\nfall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful\nlusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of\nmoney is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they\nhave erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many\nsorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after\nrighteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the\ngood fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also\ncalled, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.\nCharge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded,\nnor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us\nrichly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in\ngood works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. Wherefore I\nput thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in\nthee by the putting on of my hands. Be not thou therefore ashamed of\nthe testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker\nof the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who\nhath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to\nour works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given\nus in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by\nthe appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death,\nand hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.\nFor the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not\nashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is\nable to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.\nThou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Flee\nalso youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace,\nwith them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Continue thou in\nthe things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing\nof whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known\nthe holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation\nthrough faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by\ninspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for\ncorrection, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may\nbe perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.\n\nI charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who\nshall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;\npreach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,\nexhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For I am now ready to be\noffered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good\nfight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth\nthere is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the\nrighteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but\nunto all them also that love his appearing.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 94\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS\n\n\nGOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto\nthe fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by\nhis Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he\nmade the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express\nimage of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,\nwhen he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of\nthe Majesty on high.\n\nForasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he\nalso himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he\nmight destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.\nWherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his\nbrethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in\nthings pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the\npeople. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able\nto succour them that are tempted.\n\n[Sidenote: Hebrews 1]\n\nSeeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the\nheavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For\nwe have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling\nof our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet\nwithout sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,\nthat we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.\nAnd truly there were many priests, because they were not suffered to\ncontinue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever,\nhath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them\nto the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to\nmake intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is\nholy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than\nthe heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up\nsacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this\nhe did once, when he offered up himself. So Christ was once offered to\nbear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear\nthe second time without sin unto salvation.\n\nFor it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take\naway sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice\nand offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in\nburnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then\nsaid I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to\ndo thy will, O God. By the which will we are sanctified through the\noffering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.\n\n[Sidenote: Hebrews 11]\n\nHaving therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the\nblood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated\nfor us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an\nhigh priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart\nin full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil\nconscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast\nthe profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that\npromised.\n\nNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things\nnot seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by\nthe word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things\nwhich do appear. Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he\nthat cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder\nof them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God\nof things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the\nsaving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became\nheir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he\nwas called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an\ninheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By\nfaith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,\ndwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of\nthe same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations,\nwhose builder and maker is God. By faith Abraham, when he was tried,\noffered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his\nonly begotten son. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused\nto be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer\naffliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin\nfor a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than\nthe treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the\nreward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king:\nfor he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.\n\nAnd what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of\nGedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also,\nand Samuel, and of the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms,\nwrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,\nquenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of\nweakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight\nthe armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life\nagain: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they\nmight obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel\nmockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they\nwere stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with\nthe sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being\ndestitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:)\nthey wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of\nthe earth.\n\n[Sidenote: Hebrews 12]\n\nWherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of\nwitnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so\neasily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set\nbefore us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;\nwho for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising\nthe shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.\nFor consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against\nhimself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet\nresisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the\nexhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise\nnot thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked\nof him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every\nson whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you\nas with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Now\nno chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:\nnevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness\nunto them which are exercised thereby. Follow peace with all men, and\nholiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.\n\nLet brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:\nfor thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Let your\nconversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things\nas ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake\nthee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not\nfear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over\nyou, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow,\nconsidering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same\nyesterday, and to day, and for ever.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBOOK V--LETTERS OF JAMES, PETER, AND JOHN\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 95\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES\n\n\nJAMES, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve\ntribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all\njoy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying\nof your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work,\nthat ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack\nwisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and\nupbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith,\nnothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven\nwith the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall\nreceive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all\nhis ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:\nbut the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the\ngrass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning\nheat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and\nthe grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man\nfade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for\nwhen he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord\nhath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted,\nI am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither\ntempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away\nof his own lust, and enticed. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every\ngood gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from\nthe Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of\nturning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we\nshould be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved\nbrethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:\nfor the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore\nlay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive\nwith meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.\nBut be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own\nselves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like\nunto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth\nhimself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of\nman he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and\ncontinueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of\nthe work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Pure religion and\nundefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless\nand widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the\nworld.\n\nMy brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of\nglory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a\nman with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor\nman in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay\nclothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to\nthe poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not\nthen partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?\nHearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this\nworld rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to\nthem that love him?\n\n[Sidenote: James 2]\n\nFor he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;\nand mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren,\nthough a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save\nhim? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and\none of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;\nnotwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to\nthe body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works,\nis dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have\nworks: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my\nfaith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest\nwell: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain\nman, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father\njustified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?\nSeest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith\nmade perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham\nbelieved God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he\nwas called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is\njustified, and not by faith only.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Peter 1]\n\nMy brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the\ngreater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man\noffend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to\nbridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that\nthey may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the\nships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds,\nyet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the\ngovernor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth\ngreat things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And\nthe tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among\nour members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire\nthe course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind\nof beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea,\nis tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man\ntame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we\nGod, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after\nthe similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and\ncursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain\nsend forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig\ntree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no\nfountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued\nwith knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his\nworks with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife\nin your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. For where\nenvying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But\nthe wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,\nand easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without\npartiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is\nsown in peace of them that make peace. Behold, we count them happy\nwhich endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the\nend of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.\nBut above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven,\nneither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be\nyea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among\nyou afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any\nsick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them\npray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the\nprayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;\nand if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your\nfaults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.\nThe effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Let him\nknow, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way\nshall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 96\n\nA PART OF THE EPISTLES OF PETER\n\n\nPETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered\nthroughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, grace unto\nyou, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our\nLord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten\nus again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from\nthe dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that\nfadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power\nof God through faith unto salvation.\n\nBut as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner\nof conversation. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and\nhypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes,\ndesire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Honour\nall men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. This is\nthankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering\nwrongfully. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also\nsuffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his\nsteps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when\nhe was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;\nbut committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self\nbare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,\nshould live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For\nye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd\nand Bishop of your souls. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having\ncompassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:\nnot rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise\nblessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit\na blessing. The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober,\nand watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among\nyourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Likewise, ye\nyounger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject\none to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the\nproud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore\nunder the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:\ncasting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be\nvigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh\nabout, seeking whom he may devour.\n\n[Sidenote: I. Peter 2]\n\nI think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by\nputting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my\ntabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.\n\nBut, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with\nthe Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord\nis not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but\nis longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but\nthat all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come\nas a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with\na great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth\nalso and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then\nthat all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought\nye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Nevertheless we,\naccording to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein\ndwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for\nsuch things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without\nspot, and blameless.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 97\n\nA PART OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN\n\n\n[Sidenote: I. John 1]\n\nTHAT which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may\nhave fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father,\nand with his Son Jesus Christ. This then is the message which we have\nheard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is\nno darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and\nwalk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the\nlight, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and\nthe blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say\nthat we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.\nIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,\nand to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not\nsinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.\n\nMy little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.\nAnd if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ\nthe righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for\nours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do\nknow that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I\nknow him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth\nis not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love\nof God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he\nabideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. He\nthat saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness\neven until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and\nthere is none occasion of stumbling in him. I write unto you, little\nchildren, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. Love\nnot the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man\nlove the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is\nin the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the\npride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world\npasseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God\nabideth for ever.\n\nBehold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we\nshould be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,\nbecause it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it\ndoth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall\nappear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every\nman that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.\n\nWhosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the\ntransgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take\naway our sins; and in him is no sin.\n\nWhosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen\nhim, neither known him. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of\nGod, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message\nthat ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.\n\nHereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for\nus: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath\nthis world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his\nbowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My\nlittle children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in\ndeed and in truth. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of\nGod; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that\nloveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested\nthe love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son\ninto the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not\nthat we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the\npropitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also\nto love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one\nanother, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby\nknow we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of\nhis Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the\nSon to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus\nis the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have\nknown and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he\nthat dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our\nlove made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:\nbecause as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love;\nbut perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that\nfeareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first\nloved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a\nliar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he\nlove God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him,\nthat he who loveth God love his brother also.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 98\n\nJOHN TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA\n\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 1]\n\nJOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and\npeace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from\nJesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of\nthe dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved\nus, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us\nkings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion\nfor ever and ever. Amen.\n\nBehold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they\nalso which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail\nbecause of him. Even so, Amen.\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 4]\n\nI John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and\nin the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is\ncalled Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus\nChrist. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me\na great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the\nfirst and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send\nit unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto\nSmyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto\nPhiladelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that\nspake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and\nin the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man,\nclothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with\na golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white\nas snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto\nfine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound\nof many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of\nhis mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the\nsun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as\ndead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not;\nI am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and,\nbehold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of\ndeath. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,\nand the things which shall be hereafter.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 99\n\nTHE THRONE AND THE LAMB\n\n\nAFTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the\nfirst voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me;\nwhich said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be\nhereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne\nwas set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to\nlook upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow\nround about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about\nthe throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four\nand twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on\ntheir heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings\nand thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning\nbefore the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.\n\nAnd before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and\nin the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four\nbeasts full of eyes before and behind. And I saw in the right hand of\nhim that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside,\nsealed with seven seals. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst stood a\nLamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are\nthe seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and\ntook the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.\nAnd when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty\nelders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and\ngolden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they\nsung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open\nthe seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by\nthy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;\nand hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on\nthe earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round\nabout the throne: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten\nthousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy\nis the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,\nand strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature\nwhich is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as\nare in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,\nand honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the\nthrone, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. After this I beheld, and,\nlo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and\nkindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before\nthe Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried\nwith a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon\nthe throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about\nthe throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before\nthe throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Blessing, and\nglory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,\nbe unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 7]\n\nAnd one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which\nare arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him,\nSir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of\ngreat tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in\nthe blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God,\nand serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the\nthrone shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither\nthirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For\nthe Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall\nlead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all\ntears from their eyes.\n\nAnd I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a\ncloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the\nsun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little\nbook open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot\non the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and\nwhen he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the\nseven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I\nheard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which\nthe seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I\nsaw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,\nand sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven,\nand the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that\ntherein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there\nshould be time no longer.\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 17]\n\nAnd I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an\nhundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in\ntheir foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many\nwaters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of\nharpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song\nbefore the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no\nman could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand,\nwhich were redeemed from the earth. And in their mouth was found no\nguile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.\n\nAnd I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the\neverlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to\nevery nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud\nvoice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment\nis come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and\nthe fountains of waters. Here is the patience of the saints: here are\nthey that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I\nheard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead\nwhich die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that\nthey may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. And\nI looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like\nunto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand\na sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with\na loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and\nreap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the\nearth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on\nthe earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the\ntemple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another\nangel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried\nwith a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy\nsharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for\nher grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the\nearth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great\nwinepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without\nthe city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse\nbridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.\n\nAnd I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that\nhad gotten the victory stand on the sea of glass, having the harps\nof God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the\nsong of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God\nAlmighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall\nnot fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy.\nAnd a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye\nhis servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard\nas it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many\nwaters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for\nthe Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And I saw a great white throne, and\nhim that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;\nand there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and\ngreat, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book\nwas opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of\nthose things which were written in the books, according to their works.\nAnd the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell\ndelivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every\nman according to their works.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER 100\n\nTHE NEW JERUSALEM\n\n\nAND I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the\nfirst earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John\nsaw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,\nprepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice\nout of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and\nhe will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself\nshall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears\nfrom their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor\ncrying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things\nare passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make\nall things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true\nand faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega,\nthe beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the\nfountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit\nall things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. And the city\nhad no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the\nglory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And\nthe gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no\nnight there. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that\ndefileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but\nthey which are written in the Lamb's book of life.\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 21]\n\nAnd he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,\nproceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of\nthe street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree\nof life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit\nevery month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the\nnations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and\nof the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they\nshall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there\nshall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the\nsun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever\nand ever.\n\n[Sidenote: Rev. 22]\n\nAnd he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the\nLord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants\nthe things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed\nis he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I\nJohn saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen,\nI fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me\nthese things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy\nfellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep\nthe sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not\nthe sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He\nthat is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let\nhim be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous\nstill: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come\nquickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his\nwork shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the\nfirst and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that\nthey may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the\ngates into the city. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you\nthese things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David,\nand the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say,\nCome. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst\ncome. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. He\nwhich testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even\nso, come, Lord Jesus.\n\nThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n * * * * *\n\nTranscriber's Notes: Only the most obvious punctuation errors repaired.\nAll King James spelling was retained; this includes things such as\n\"their's\" and \"instucter\".\n\nPage 343, Sidenote: Luke 3 was deleted as the page is Luke 1 and 2.\nLuke 3 does not begin until page 345 and has its own Luke 3 note.","title":"The Bible for Young People","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":259089}