- j >0^ - % A N "^ - "> * - ; -r- x ,\V -A, ^> -f- «5 '^ .0 o v • V A ^ ^ a'* * -■ * "> V ,y %. o> -n*. .A A v * n O. A /; \> . v ^. ^ * >• "W V* * A ■ ^ ' <*• K A ' <* ' A ^ \V i/ 1 c> A" *^ %^ " v I '^ ■ V s f> Si- C- -V. A X FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN CHRIST RAISING LAZARUS FROM THE TOMB CHARMING BIBLE STORIES WRITTEN IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND EMBRACING THE Whole Narrative of the Old and New Testaments PREPARED EXPRESSLY FOR THE INSTRUCTION, ENTERTAINMENT AND RELIGIOUS CULTURE OF PERSONS OF ALL AGES, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR HOMES, SUNDAY SCHOOLS, SOCIETIES OF CHRISTIAN WORKERS, ETC., ETC. CONTAINING ALSO A Choice Collection of Religious Emblems THE WHOLE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE A Greater Interest in the Bible and a Better Understanding of its Sacred Teachings £jjl BY HENRy DAVENPORT NORTHROP, D.O., Author of "Story of the New World," "Golden Manual," etc. PROFUSELY EMBELLISHED WITH SUPERB ENGRflUINGS NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO. 239 Levant Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA, At, Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894, by J. R. JONES, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. All Rights Reserved. / i'^r^ PREFACE. THE BEAUTIFUL STORIES of the Bible never lose their charm. They are always new, captivating and soul-stirring. The young read them with eager delight, yet no greater than that of the old. The great French writer, Victor Hugo, said the narratives of the Bible were for every mansion and cottage, and one of our greatest American statesmen said that unless the lessons they teach are learned by the masses of the people there is no future for the Nation. The young are in the springtime of life, and it is easy to plant in their hearts the noblest truths and principles. They are the hope of our country, and our new and attractive work, Charming Bible Stories, ought to be put into the hands of every one of them. It will be handled with ever-growing interest, read over and over again, and the thrilling truths and beautiful lessons it contains will never be forgotten. This volume is very comprehensive, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. The first pages are fragrant with Eden's floral bowers, and the last pages sparkle with the waters of the River of Life. The fascinating story of one event follows that of another until the whole Bible history is told in language choice and plain, and suited to every age. Let the story of Joseph in Egypt be read by every fireside. He was truthful, diligent, noble, and he dared to do right. Everywhere the Bible Story teaches the weightiest lessons. Majestic Moses is seen as the great leader and lawgiver of the Hebrew nation. He is pictured in his little life boat, at the burning bush, and on stormy Sinai, " whose rolling thunders jar the world." That great captain, Joshua, passes the River Jordan with his valiant host, and soon we hear the shout of victory. Gideon with his little army; Jephthah performing his rash vow; Samson vanquishing the lion and carrying the gates of Gaza; and Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz — the story of each is fully told. Then comes the charming account of the little boy Samuel who gave sign in childhood of what the man would be. The life of that strange monarch, King Saul, was full of startling incidents and ended in a tragedy. David, the Shepherd Boy, next appears upon the scene. Solomon is depicted in his dazzling glory ; the Temple rises in grandeur and beauty before our eyes, and then comes that strange man of the desert, the Prophet Elijah, who boldly rebuked public corruption. One after another the Hebrew Kings and the thrilling events associated with their names are fully described. Every reader is delighted with the graphic stories of the Jewish Captivity ; of heroic Daniel in Babylon ; of that young patriot, Nehemiah ; of Queen Esther, saving her people. How eagerly the world reads the Charming Story of Bethlehem — the story of the angelic choir ; of the wondering shepherds who heard the heavenly anthem of Peace and Good-will ; of the Holy Child laid in the humble manger; of the burning Star that lighted iii iv PREFACE. the Wise Men of the East to the feet of the infant Prophet, Priest and King ; and the thrill- ing incidents connected with His early life. As He grew up His hands were browned with honest toil, and He was a King without the crown or purple. In simple yet vivid language the captivating story is continued, and the interest grows at every step as the striking scenes are unfolded — such as the Expulsion of the Money- changers from the Temple; the beautiful discourse to the woman of Samaria; the delivery of the famous Sermon on the Mount, containing the grandest truths ever spoken; the stilling of the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee and the Rescue of Peter from a watery grave; the calling of the hardy fishermen to throw the Gospel Net and catch the kingdoms of the world ; and those noble deeds of love and mercy that gave healing to the sick, sight to the blind, hope to the desponding and life to the dying. How simple are the New Testament Parables, yet how sublime are their thoughts and beautiful their lessons. It has been well said that they are " Jewels in Words." The Closing Scenes in the Life of Christ depict the most startling tragedy known in history. In graphic pen-pictures the scenes of the Crucifixion are portrayed, and these are followed by the rending of the tomb and the sublime ascension. It would not be possible for human pen to depict more vividly those majestic events, at once awful and fascinating, which form the closing part of Christ's life upon earth. Then follows by a full account of the Lives of the Apostles. The graphic story embraces the brilliant career of the Apostle Paul, his stripes and persecutions ; his perils and sufferings, his thrilling shipwreck and last days at Rome. To these are added Sacred Allegories, by Rev. William Adams, who surpasses all other writers in teaching the most beautiful lessons under the captivating forms of parables and stories. This is a most delightful part of this very comprehensive volume. The author of Charming Bible Stories has followed closely the Bible narrative, using largely the exact language of the Holy Scriptures. In no instance has he departed from the meaning of the Sacred writers, yet making explanations in simple language wherever needed. The work will be found especially valuable to Parents and others desiring to instruct the young in the Truths of Religion. Special attention is called to the Vast Gallery of Superb Illustrations which this great work contains. These are new, and are the masterpieces of the world's most famous artists. The Emblematic Engravings teach the most striking truths of the Bible in a manner not likely to be forgotten. Contents. CHAPTER I. The Story of the Creation. PAGE The Story of the Creation — What was Made on Each Day — Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden — The Serpent Beguiles Eve — Cherubim and a Flaming Sword — Cain Kills his Brother Abel — A Mark Set Upon Cain 17 CHAPTER II. The Story of the Flood. The Story of the Flood— The World Grown Very Wicked — Noah Commanded to Build an Ark for the Saving of His Family — Every Living Thing on the Dry Land Destroyed — Noah Leaves the Ark and Offers Sacrifice — The Tower of Babel — Confusion of Tongues and Scattering of the People 25 CHAPTER III. The Story of Abraham. The Story of Abraham — Destruction of Sodom and Story of Lot — Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away — Abraham Offering up Isaac — Journey of Abraham's Servant — Isaac and Rebekah — Isaac Obtains a Wife from a far Country . . 33 CHAPTER IV. The Story of Esau and Jacob. The Story of Esau and Jacob — Birthright Sold for a Mess of Pottage — Two Kids from the Flock — Jacob Obtains the Blessing of Isaac — ■ Dream of the Ladder and Angels — Jacob Visits Laban — Leah and Rachel — Serving Fourteen Years to Obtain Rachel for a Wife — Happy Meeting of Jacob and Esau .... 49 CHAPTER V. The Story of Joseph. The Story of Joseph— A Boy in a Pit— Sold Away into Egypt — The Coat Dyed with Blood — Telling the Meaning of Dreams — Wearing the King's Ring — Famine in all Lands — Joseph's Brethren in Egypt — Jacob and Benjamin „ 59 CHAPTER VI. Joseph and his Brethren in Egypt. Joseph and his Brethren in Egypt — The Feast in the Palace — Story of Benjamin — The Cup in the Sack — The Plea of Judah — Joseph Makes Himself Known to his Brethren — Jacob's Journey to Egypt — A Home in a Far Country — The Blessing of Joseph's Two Sons — Jacob's Death and Burial — Last Days of Joseph 72 CHAPTER VII. The Story of Moses. The Story of Moses— The Little Lifeboat- Adopted Child of Pharoah's Daughter — Cruel Treatment of the Israelites in Egypt — Moses Slays an Egyptian — At the Burning Bush — Aaron's Rod Becomes a Serpent — The Ten Plagues — The First-born of the Egyptians Slain — Feast of the Passover — The Hebrews Pass Through the Red Sea — Pharaoh and his Host Drowned — The Song of Triumph ... 85 CHAPTER VIII. From the Red Sea to Sinai. From the Red Sea to Sinai— The Bitter Waters Made Sweet — Bread from Heaven — A Flock of Quails — Water from the Rock in Horeb — Battle with the Amalekites— The Ten Com- mandments Spoken from Sinai — Story of the Tabernacle and its Services — The Scapegoat Sent into the Wilderness 101 CHAPTER IX. Wanderings in the Wilderness. The Golden Calf— Moses Angry and Breaks the Tables of the Law — The Glory of Mount V VI CONTENTS. Sinai — Numbering the People — The Pillar of Fire — The Israelites Murmur — Punishment by- Fire — A Strong Wind Brings Quails for Food — Spies Sent to the Promised Land — The Brazen Serpent — Story of Balaam and Balak — Death of Moses — The People Mourn Thirty Days . 119 CHAPTER X. The Story of Joshua. Story of Joshua — Arrival of the Israelites at Jordan — Crossing the River — Rahab and the Spies- -Capture of Jericho — Battle at the City of Ai— Achan Stoned for Theft— Men in Old Clothes — A Furious Hailstorm — Joshua's Great Victory — The People Choose Whom they -will Serve 135 CHAPTER XI. The Story of Gideon. The King of Moab Slain — Deborah Judges the People — The Host of Sisera Scattered — Gideon and the Angel — Choosing an Army — Three Hundred Warriors — Trumpets and Pitchers — A Great Victory — Gideon's Wicked Sou — Capture of a City — Abimelech Killed by a Young Man 152 CHAPTER XII. The Story of Samson. Jephthah and his Daughter — An Angel Comes to Manoah — Birth of Samson — The Slain Lion — Honey from a Strange Source — A Hard Riddle to Guess — Jackals in the Corn — Samson Breaks his Bonds — The Giant Loses his Strength— The Cunning Trick of Delilah- Pillars of the Temple Fall— Death of Samson 166 CHAPTER XIII. The Story of Ruth. A Famine at Bethlehem — Naomi Returns from Moab — Ruth Cleaves to her Mother-in-law — Gleaners in the Harvest Field — Ruth at the Feet of Boaz — The Shoe Given to a Neighbor —Ruth Becomes the Wife of Boaz .... 174 CHAPTER XIV. The Story of Samuel. The Story of Samuel— Hannah's Prayer— The Boy Hears a Voice Calling Him — Sudden Death of Eli— Trouble with the Philistines— The Ark Carried Away — A Great Victory — Samuel Sets up a Stone — The Israelites Want a King 181 CHAPTER XV. The Story of Saul. Story of Saul — A Vial of Oil — Saul is Made King — Israel's Army — War with Amalek — The King's Disobedience — The Torn Mantle — An Evil Spirit— The Shepherd Boy and his Harp — David is Pursued — Saul and the Witch of Endor— The Last Battle— Death of Saul— What Was Done with the King's Body . . . 191 CHAPTER XVI. The Story of David. The Story of David — Anointed by the Piophet — The Sling that Slew a Giant— The Enemy Routed — Saul's Anger Against David — Jona- than's Friendship — The Wanderer — Saul Spared by David — Abigail Sends a Present and Becomes David's Wife — What Happened at Ziklag — Startling News from the Field of Battle 203 CHAPTER XVII. The Reign of David. The Reign of David — War with the Philistines — The Ark Brought to Jerusalem— David and Uriah — Nathan's Rebuke — Parable of the Ewe Lamb— The Dead Child— Rebellion of Absa- lom— David's Flight— A Great Battle— Death of Absalom — David's Grief — A Kis; and a Stab — Terrible Pestilence — David Yields his Throne to Solomon 221 CHAPTER XVIII. The Story of Solomon. The Story of Solomon — David's Choice of a King — The Anointing — Building the Temple , —The Ark Placed in the Holy of Holies — The Dedication of the Lord's House — Solomon Punishes Wrong-Doers- — Dispute About a Child — Visit from the Queen of Sheba — A Magnificent Throne— Horses and Chariots — Sin of Idolatry — Solomon's Proverbs — The Fool and Wise Man — The Virtuous Woman . 238 CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER XIX. The Story of Elijah. PAGE The Story of Elijah — Fed by Ravens— The Widow's Cruse of Oil and Barrel of Meal — Story of the Dead Child— The Prophet on Carrnel — Rain in Answer to Prayer — Under the Juniper Tree — Elijah on Mount Horeb — Naboth and his Vineyard — The Arrow that Smote Ahab— Ahaziah Comes to the Trone — Jehu Anointed King— Death of Jezebel — Elijah Taken up into Heaven 257 CHAPTER XX. The Story of Elisha. The Story of Elisha— Salt in the Water— War Against Moab — The Prophet's Chamber — The Woman of Shunem — Restoring a Dead Child — A Terrible Famine — Vessels of Oil — Iron Made to Swim — Story of Naaman — Sin of Gehazi — A Young Man's Vision — Stoning of the High-Priest — What Happened in Syria — Elisha' s Last Words and Death — The Syrians Defeated — Parable of the Thistle and Cedar . 273 CHAPTER XXI. Two Prophets and a King. Two Prophets and a King — Jonah Sent to Nine- veh—A Prophet Cast into the Sea— The Great Fish — A Good King in Judah — The Temple Purified — A Royal Feast— The Sickness of Hezekiah — Babylon and Assyria — Message from the Assyrian King — Isaiah Gives Cour- age to the Jews — A Wonderful Vision . . . 287 CHAPTER XXII. The Story of Daniel. The Story of Daniel — Captivity of the Jews — Three Hebrew Youths — The King's Great Image — The Fiery Furnace — Handwriting on the Wall — Weighed and Found Wanting — Daniel's Enemies — In the Den of Lions — A Remarkable Vision 298 CHAPTER XXIII. Return from the Captivity. Return from the Captivity — Rebuilding the Temple — King Darius — Ezra Arrives at Jeru- salem—Too Much Wickedness— Wives Taken from the Heathen — Arrival of Neheruiah— PAGE The Walls Rebuilt— The Enemy Thwarted— Ezra Reads the Law — Story of Queen Esther — A Great Feast — Queen Vashti— The Jews in Danger — Haman's Wicked Plot — Esther Saves Her People — Haman Hanged . . . .311 CHAPTER XXIV. The Story of Job. The Story of Job — Sons, Daughters and Great Possessions— Satan Among the Sons of God — Messengers Bring Startling News — Job Afflicted with Boils — A Visit from Three Friends — Job's Grievous Complaint — Better Days at Last — Presents and Congratulations — Increase of Riches 331 CHAPTER XXV. The Story of Bethlehem. The Story of Bethlehem — A Roman Emperor — Zacharias in the Temple — An Angel Brings a Message — Birth of John Foretold — An Angel Appears to Mary — Elisabeth Visits Her Cousin — The Child Named John — Joseph and Mary at Bethlehem — Birth of the Child Jesus — The Angels and Shepherds — Scene in the Temple — Happy Old Simeon — Good News for the World — The Anthem of Peace 339 CHAPTER XXVI. What Followed the Baptism. Story of John the Baptist — Jesus on the Banks of the Jordan — The Temptation in the Wilder- ness — The Fishermen Become Disciples — The Miracle in Cana of Galilee — Wine from Water — Jesus in Jerusalem — Buyers and Sellers Driven from the Temple — Words of Jesus not Understood — The Man Who Came by Night — Discourse to Nicodemus 357 CHAPTER XXVII. Jesus Returns to Galilee. The People of Samaria — The Woman at Jacob's Well — The Water of Life — In the Synagogue at Nazareth — Hatred of the Jews — Healing the Son of a Nobleman — Casting Out a Devil — Wonderful Cures — Jesus Calls Peter and An- drew — Discourses Upon the Law and Provi- dence — A Lesson from Birds and Flowers — House Built on the Rock — A Leper Healed — The Widow's Son Raised to Life 367 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVIII. Jesus Teaching and Healing. PAGE Jesus Dines in the House of a Pharisee — Mary Magdalene and Her Box of Ointment— Cure of the Man Sick of the Palsy— A Cluster of Parables — What the Kingdom of Heaven is Like — Story of the Prodigal — Publicans and Sinners — A Woman Healed — The Daughter of Jairus— The Troubled Sea Calmed— The Man Possessed of Devils — Followed by a Multitude — The Twelve Apostles 381 CHAPTER XXIX. Marvellous Works and Words. The Man at the Pool of Bethesda— Trouble With the Pharisees — Plucking Com on the Sabbath — David Eating the Shew-Bread— Death and Burial of Johu the Baptist — Feeding a Multi- tude—Storm on the Sea — Jesus Walking on the Water — Rescue of Peter — A Mother's Appeal for Her Daughter — The Deaf and Dumb Man — A Blind Man Healed — Peter Called a Rock — The Mount of Transfigura- tion — A Lunatic Cured 399 CHAPTER XXX. Last Visit of Jesus to Galilee. Lesson from a Little Child — The Unjust Steward — Money Found in a Strange Place — Feast of Tabernacles — Pharisees Angry — The Man Blind From His Birth — Ten Lepers Healed — Jesus Blessing Little Children — The Good Samaritan — Jesus at Jerusalem and Bethany — The Raising of Lazarus — Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight 411 CHAPTER XXXI. Last Days in the Temple. Jesus at Bethany — Anointing in the House of Martha, Mary and Lazarus — Entrv into Jeru- salem — Road Strewn With Palm-Branches — Children in the Temple— The Man Who Had a Vineyard — Disputing With the Pharisees — The Tribute-Money — The Fate of Hypocrites — The Poor Widow — Vivid Picture of the Sec- ond Coming 433 CHAPTER XXXII. Jesus Betrayed and Arrested. A Plot to Put Jesus to Death — Feast of the Pass- 443 456 PAOB over — Preparations for the Last Supper — Jesus Wishing the Feet of His Disciples — In the Garden of Gethsemane — A Prayer of Agony — The Traitor's Kiss — False Witnesses — Jesus Before the High-Priest— Denial of Peter — Sorrowful End of Judas — Jesus Before Pilate — A Furious Mob — The Purple Robe and Crown of Thorns CHAPTER XXXIII. The Story of the Crucifixion. Story of the Crucifixion — Bearing the Cross — A Prayer for Enemies — The Earthquake and Darkening of the Sun — Veil of the Temple Rent — The Burial — The Angel and Women at the Tomb — Surprise of the Disciples — Jesus at Emmaus — Again in Galilee — The Great Draught of Fishes — Solemn Charge to Peteo — Jesus at Bethany — The Ascension — Awe- Struck Disciples Appear in the Temple . . CHAPTER XXXIV. The Story of the Apostles. Casting Lots for Another Apostle — Choice of Matthias — Wonders on the Day of Pentecost — The Tongues of Fire — Peter's Remarkable Sermon — Thousands of Believers — The Lame Man Healed — Two Apostles in Prison — Story of Ananias and Sapphira — Prison Doors Thrown Open — Choosing Seven Deacons — Story of Stephen — The First Martyr — Simon the Sorcerer — Philip in Africa — A Man in a Chariot — A Queen's Treasurer Baptized . . 470 CHAPTER XXXV. The Story of Saul. The Story of Saul— The Bright Light from Heaven — A Persecutor Changed to an Apostle — Story of Barnabas — Jews Attempt to Kill Saul — Story of Peter and Dorcas — Peter on the Housetop — A Remarkable Vision — Simon the Tanner and Cornelius — Martyrdom of James — Peter's Escape from Prison— Herod's Speech — A Beautiful City — A Notorious Wizzard — The Apostles Suffer Persecution — Paul Stoned by a Mob — Success of the Gospel 4S4 CHAPTER XXXVI. Paul's Second Journey. Paul and Barnabas Separate — The Young Man Timothy— Paul and Silas at Philippi— The CONTENTS. IX House of Lydia — Casting Out an Evil Spirit- Locked Up in the Old Prison — An Earthquake — The Jailor's Fright — Leaving Thessalonica by Night — At Berea — Arrival at Athens — Paul Preaching on Mars' Hill — The City of Corinth — Story of Gallio — A New Preacher From Egypt — Aquila and Priscilla — Apollos Preach- ing in Greece 501 CHAPTER XXXVII. Paul's Third Journey. Journey Through Little Asia — At Ephesus and Corinth — Wizzards and Deceivers — Diana's Gorgeous Temple — Wild Uproar at Ephesus — The Apostle Travels in Greece — Story of Euty- chus — A Sad Parting — The Gospel at Tyre — Paul at Jerusalem — A Furious Mob — Paul Bound with Chains — Scene before the Council — An Infamous Plot — Paul Finds Friends in His Danger 514 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Paul at CvESarea and Rome. Paul Sent by Night to Caesarea — The Roman Governor Felix — Wicked Drusilla — A New Governor — Paul Before King Agrippa — A Pointed Sermon — Two Years in Prison — Plot to Take the Life of Paul— The Voyage to Rome — Furious Storm — The Ship Wrecked — Escape of All on Board — A Deadly Viper — Astonishment of the Heathen — Miracles of Healing — Paul's Arrival at Rome — A Noble Martyr — The Apostle John — Wonderful Visions 529 SACRED ALLEGORIES. The King's Messengers The Old Man's Home PAGE 545 C82 zv 1ST OF Ml PAGE Frontispiece Adam and Eve Driven Out of the Garden of Eden 19 Adam Tilling the Ground 20 Cain and Abel Making an Offering to the Lord 21 The Death of Abel 22 The Peaceable Fruits of the Spirit 23 Brotherly Love 24 Noah Building the Ark 26 Return of the Dove to the Ark 28 Noah and His Family Leaving the Ark ... 29 Noah's Sacrifice After the Flood 30 The Builders of Babel Scattered 31 Abram Entering the Land of Canaan .... 34 The Egyptian King Taking the Wife of Abram 35 Melchizedek Blessing Abram 37 "As the Stars, so Shall be Thy Posterity " . . 3S The Destruction of Sodom Foretold to Abra- ham 40 Lot and His Family Fleeing From Sodom . . 41 Departure of Hagar and Ishmael 42 Abraham Offering Isaac 44 Abraham's Servant Meeting Rebekah . ... 46 Isaac Welcoming Rebekah • . 47 Isaac Blessing Jacob 51 Jacob's Vision of Angels 52 Jacob Meeting Rebekah 54 Laban Hiring Jacob 55 Jacob Wrestling With the Angel 56 Meeting of Jacob and Esau 57 Joseph's Dream of the Sun, Moon and Eleven Stars 60 The Shepherd and His Flock 61 Joseph Sold by His Brethren 62 Joseph Interpreting Pharoah's Dreams ... 66 Joseph Proclaimed Ruler of Egypt 6S The Cup Found in Benjamin's Sack .... 75 Joseph Makes Himself Known to His Brethren 77 The Sons of Jacob Burying Their Father . . Si Embalming the Body of Joseph S3 Pharaoh's Daughter Finding Moses .... 86 Moses Brought Before Pharaoh's Daughter . . 87 The Israelites Made to Work Hard in Egypt . 88 Moses Slaying the Egyptian 89 x PAGS Moses at the Burning Bush ....... 90 Aaron's Rod Changed to a Serpent 92 The Feast of the Passover 96 Departure of the Israelites From Egypt ... 97 Pharaoh's Host Destroyed in the Red Sea . . 99 Moses Bringing Water From the Rock . . . 104 Aaron and Hur Holding Up the Hands of Moses 105 Moses Receiving the Tables of the Law . . . 107 The Setting Up of the Tabernacle in the Wil- derness 109 Outside View of the Tabernacle no The Ark of the Covenant in Furniture of the Tabernacle 112 The Laver 113 Sending the Scapegoat Into the Wilderness . 114 The High Priest Offering Incense on the Golden Altar . . . . 115 The Way to the Promised Land 117 The Fountain in the Wilderness 118 The Israelites Worshipping the Golden Calf . 120 Moses Destroying the Tables of the Law ... 121 Moses Bringing the New Tables of the Law . 122 The Spies Returning From Canaan .... 124 The High Priest in Full Dress 126 The Brazen Serpent 128 Balaam Met by the Angel of the Lord . . . 129 Balaam's Sacrifice on Seven Altars 130 Moses Rehearsing the Commandments to the Children of Israel 132 The Lord Appearing to Moses and Joshua in the Pillar of a Cloud 133 Moses Giving His Charge to Joshua .... 137 Rahab and the Spies 138 The Hebrews Crossing the Jordan 139 The Angel Appearing to Joshua 141 Falling of the Walls of Jericho 142 Joshua Capturing the City of Ai 143 The Inhabitants of Ai Witnessing the Defeat of Their Army 145 Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still . 147 Joshua Dividing the Land 149 Gideon's Offering Burnt b3 r Fire from the Rock 156 Gideon's Victory Over the Midianites . ■ . 159 A Woman Casts a Stone Upon Abimelech . . 162 ILLUSTRATIONS. XI PAGE Abimelech Slain by His Armor-Bearer ... 164 Jephthah Meeting His Daughter 167 Samson Slaying the Lion 169 Samson Caught and Bound by His Foes . . . 172 Ruth and Naomi 175 Ruth Gleaning in the Fields of Boaz . . . . 177 The Lord of Hosts 179 The Harvest Time 180 The Young Samuel Brought to EH .... 182 Hannah Visiting Samuel 184 The Call of Samuel 186 The Destruction of the Hagarites 194 Saul Tearing the Robe of Samuel 196 David Playing the Harp Before Saul .... 197 Saul and His Men Searching for David . . . 198 Saul and the Witch of Endor 200 Saul Kills Himself by Falling on His Sword . 201 Samuel Anointing David at Bethlehem . . . 204 David Slaying Goliath 206 Saul Casting the Javelin at David 208 The Covenant Between David and Jonathan . 211 David Spares the Sleeping Saul 214 Abagail's Present to David . . • 217 Peace and Joy 219 The Name of the Lord 220 David Anointed King Over Israel 222 David Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem With Great Rejoicing 224 David Mourning the Death of His Child . . 226 David Pardoning Absalom 228 Shimei Casting Stones at David 230 David Instructing Joab to Number the People 234 An Angel Goes Forth to Smite the Land . . 235 David Builds a New Altar 236 Solomon is Crowned King 240 The Judgment of Solomon 244 Husbandmen of Ancient Palestine Going Forth to Work 245 The Ark Brought Into the Temple by Solomon 247 Solomon Dedicating the Temple 248 The Ark and Furniture of the Temple . . . 250 The Queen of Sheba Visiting Solomon . . „ 251 Kings Bringing Gifts to Solomon 253 Solomon's Picture of the Fool and the Wise Man 254 The Virtuous Woman 255 Elijah Fed by Ravens 258 Elijah Raising the Widow's Son 260 Elijah Slaying the Prophets of Baal .... 262 Elijah at the Mouth of the Cave 263 The Death of King Ahab 265 The Body of Jezebel Eaten by Dogs .... 267 Elijah Taken Up into Heaven 269 Thanksgiving unto the Lord 271 The Path of Wisdom 272 Elisha Causing Iron to Swim 277 Naaman at the Door of Elisha 279 The Stoning of Zechariah 281 Defeat of the Syrians by the Israelites . . 283 Cleansed from Unrighteousness 285 The Sun and Shield 286 Jonah Sheltered by the Vine 289 The Molten Sea 290 Hezekiah Cleansing the Temple 291 The Lips of Isaiah Touched with a Coal from the Altar 293 The Vision of Isaiah 296 The Jews Led into Captivity 299 Daniel Refusing to Worship the Image . . . 302 Daniel Interpreting the King's Dream . . . 304 Daniel Touched by the Angel 306 Thorns in the Field of the Slothful .... 309 Summer and Winter Shall Not Cease .... 310 The Return of the Jews from Captivity . . . 312 Building a New Temple 314 Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem .... 318 Nehemiah and His Workmen 320 Two Pages of an Ancient Scroll of Scriptures . 322 Queen Esther Crowned . . • 324 The Treasures of Winter 329 " Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfeot Peace " . . 330 The Messengers Telling Job of His Losses . . 332 Job and His Three Friends 334 Job Visited by His Relatives 335 Christmas Carols 337 The Joys that are Unseen ' 338 The Angel Appearing to Mary 341 Zacharias Writing a Name for the Child . . . 343 Simeon Taking the Child in His Arms . . . 347 Wise Men of the East Presenting Their Gifts . 349 Killing the Male Children Under Two Years Old 350 Jesus Working at the Trade of a Carpenter . . 353 The Sure and Steadfast Anchor 355 Beautiful Garments 356 The Temptation on the Mountain 359 The Water Turned into Wine at Cana of Gali- lee 361 The Money-Changers Driven From the Temple 363 Christ Talking to Nicodemus 365 Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 368 "Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men " 374 Fall of the House Built on the Sand .... 378 Mary Anointing the Feet of Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee 3S2 The Enemy Sowing Tares by Night .... 385 Finding the Hidden Treasure 386 The Return of the Prodigal Son 388 The Beggar Lazarus at the Rich Man's Gate . 389, XI 1 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Christ Raising the Daughter of Jairus . . . 393 Good Trees Bring Forth Good Fruit .... 397 Joy After a Night of Weepiug 398 The Burial of John the Baptist 402 Christ Feeding the Multitude 404 The Transfiguration 409 Jesus Teaching Humility by a Little Child . 412 " Whereas I Was Blind, Now I See " .... 415 Jesus Blessing Little Children 419 Robbers Lying in Wait 421 The Priest and Levite Passing by the Wounded Man 422 The Good Samaritan 423 The Good Shepherd Dividing the Sheep from the Goats 425 The Raising of Lazarus 428 " Suffer Them to Come unto Me " 431 The Bread That Cometh Down from Heaven . 432 Mary of Bethany Anointing the Feet of Jesus 434 Christ's Entry into Jerusalem 436 The Children in the Temple 438 Jesus Washing the Feet of His Disciples . . 44.5 Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane .... 447 Judas Betraying Jesus With a Kiss 449 Peter Denying Christ 452 They Cried, " Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! " . 454 Christ Sinking under His Cross on the Way to Golgotha 457 Simon Compelled to Help Jesus Bear the Cross 458 The Crucifixion of Christ 459 The Burial of Christ 461 The Angel and Women at the Empty Tomb . 463 Jesus Convincing Thomas of His Resurrection * 466 The Ascension of Christ 468 Tongues of Fire Resting on the Disciples . . 472 Peter Healing the Lame Man at the Gate of the Temple 474 Stephen Stoned to Death by His Enemies . . 4S0 The Sanhedrim in Session 4S3 Saul Struck to the Earth on His Way to Damascus 485 Peter's Vision on the Housetop 491 Peter Delivered from Prison by an Angel . . 493 Antioch 500 Ancient Ships Paul Preaching on Mars' Hill Hall of Pillars— Ruins of Karnak, Egypt . . Demetrius Raising an Uproar at Ephesus Against Paul Paul Bound With Chains Paul Conveyed into the Castle The Solitary Places Made Glad The Glory of the New Jerusalem The Strong Supporting the Weak The First Christians at Rome Reading Paul's Letter The Shipwreck of St. Paul St. Paul's Arrival at Rome in Chains .... A Bulky Pile, and yet of What Avail ? One Book of Greater Worth Brings Down the Scale Loudly the Lean and Hungry Poor Complain, Yet to the Miser they Appeal in Vain . . . Faith. Hope and Charity, of Heavenly Birth, Bestow the Richest Blessings Known to Earth Not for a Crown will this Poor Wordling Pause, But Wastes His Life in Gathering Sticks and Straws Pride Decks Itself, but Soon the Charms are Past, And to a Skeleton it Comes at Last .... One Bears the Cross, the Other Lays it Down — Which of the Twain will Win the Golden Crown ? ■ Who Carry Luggage -will be Sure to Find That in the Race They're Sadly Left Behind . Fall Back, Thou Mighty Foe, and Bite the Dust, Slain by the Spirit's Sharp and Deadly Thrust Vain Efforts Theirs Who Try to Overtake The Bubbles Which, if Caught, Would Break . Presumption Often Ventures Quite too Near, Where Danger Should Awaken Wholesome Fear Base Error Shrinks and Trembles with Affright, When Truth Descends, Arrayed in Heavenly Light Vain Task to Merely Clip the Outer Shoots ; Let the Huge Trunk be Severed from the Roots The Slave of Habit Breaks His Galling Chains, And Through All-Conquering Grace His Free- dom Gains Fresh Flowers Bloom and Limpid Fountains Play To Cheer the Travellers on Their Upward Way I'AGB 507 509 512 5IS 523 525 527 528 532 534 540 542 547 551 559 563 567 571 575 579 5S3 566 590 595 601 605 Full Page Phototype Engravings. Abraham's Servant Meeting Rebekah at the Well. Abraham Offering Isaac. Joseph Proclaimed Ruler of Egypt. Joseph Making Himself Known to His Brethren. The Finding of Moses by Pharoah's Daughter. The Israelites at Mount Sinai. Jewish Maidens Mourning with Jephthah's Daughter. Elijah Fed by Ravens at the Brook Cherith. Elisha Witnessing the Translation of Elijah. The Messengers Telling Job of His Losses. The Angels Appearing to the Shepherds. The Wise Men Presenting Their Gifts. From Earth to Heaven. The Good Shepherd. Christ Raising Lazarus From the Tomb. The Angel and Women at the Sepulchre. CHARMING BIBLE STORIES CHAPTER I. B. C. 4004. The Story of the Creation — What was made on each day — Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden — The Serpent beguiles Eye — Cherubim and a Flaming Sword — Cain kills his brother Abel — A mark set upon Caix. On the third day God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear : and it was so. God called the dry land Earth, LONG time ago V there was no liv- ing thing on the earth. No grass, flowers, shrubs nor trees grew as they do now, and there were no insects, fishes, birds or beasts of any kind. There were no men, women or ^children, and no houses, villages or cities such as we see now. There was darkness .everywhere. Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. He saw that the light was good, and he divided the light from the darkness. The light he called Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. On the second day God made the firma- ment, or the sky, and called it Heaven. Under this sky there was only water, cover- ing all the earth ; there were no fields, valleys •or mountains, nothing but a great ocean, s and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. Then he made grass, herbs and trees to grow out of the land. The earth was now becoming very beautiful, and was last getting ready for the living creatures that were to dwell in it. Grass, trees and flowers covered all the dry land, and the herb, bearing seed, and fruit-trees with fruit upon them had begun to grow. It was a strange, silent world yet. No voice of any animal was heard in it, no singing of birds or humming of insects, no sound of any living thing, only the waving and rustling of the beautiful trees, and the noise of streams, waterfalls, and the waves breaking on the shore. On the fourth day God made two great lights ; the greater light to rule the day., and the lesser light to rule the night : he made the stars also. God set them in the firma. ment of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. So now there were the sun by day and the moon and the stars by night 17 18 THE STORY OF THE CREATION. shining down out of the sky upon this beautiful, green, silent world. On the fifth day God made fishes and all creatures that live in the water; and he- made birds to fly in the air ; so that the earth was no longer without living things in it. When he had made them, he bit them, so that there should be a great many of them, and that all the sea should be filled with living things, as it is to-day, and that there should be birds flying everywhere over the earth. On the sixth day God made all sorts of beasts and cattle, great and small, and insects, and everything that lives on the land, except birds, which had been made on the fifth day. Man and Woman Made. Afterwards, on this sixth day, when all these living things had been made on the earth, when birds were flying in the air and fishes were swimming in the sea, when green grass and herbs were growing, and flowers were blooming, and fruit-trees were laden with their fruit, and all things were ready for people to live and be happy here, then God made the first man and the first woman on the earth. God made man in his own image, after his own likeness. He formed him of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. God put the man that he had made into a garden where there grew every tree that is pleasant to the eye and good for food. And he called the man Adam. Then God said, It is not good that the man should be alone ; I will make a help- meet for him. So all the birds and beasts and living things that had been made were brought to Adam that he might give them names ; but among them all there was no one that could be a companion to him — nothing that could speak to him, or help him in anything he wanted to do. Then the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept : and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh : she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Then God blessed them, and told them that they and their children were to fill the earth with people, and that they were the masters and owners of everything on the earth. All the other things that God had made he gave to the man and woman to be theirs. He said to them, Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. God gave them the herb bearing seed and every kind of fruit for their food. To the animals he gave the grass and green herbs for their food. God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. When the seventh day came, God made no more new things. He rented from his work ; and he blessed the seventh day. and called it holy. The Garden of Eden. To Adam and his wife was given all this beautiful new world where everything was very good. They lived in a garden called Eden, which was the most beautiful part of it all. In this garden God had made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the eye and good for food ; and there was a river flowing through it to give them water. Adam was put into this garden to dress it and to keep it ; and he had his wife to help him. There they were glad and happy all THE STORY OF THE CREATION. 19 the time, for they were good, and did not know anything about being evil. God gave them one command. He told them there was one tree in the garden that the>- must never eat the fruit of. Every other tree they might eat the fruit of when- ever they chose ; but if they ate of that tree, they should surely die. This tree was spoke to the woman. He looked like a serpent, and said to the woman, Has God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden ? The woman answered and said, We may eat of the trees of the garden ; but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden God has said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ADAM AND EVE DRIVEN OUT OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN. in the midst of the garden, and it was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That meant that if Adam and his wife ate the fruit of it they would then not only know how to do evil things, but they would often wish to do them. Now Adam and his wife had an enemy. Same hated them. One day he came and Then the serpent said, Ye shall not surely die. He told the woman that the fruit of that tree would make them wise, and that God did not want them to be wise. The woman was persuaded. She took some of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and ate it ; and then she gave some to Adam, and he also ate it. 20 THE STORY OF THE CREATION. When they had eaten it they were no longer good and pure; they had disobeyed God, and knew now all about sin and wicked- ness. They did not want to meet God now ; they were afraid. When they heard his voice in the garden they tried to hide them- selves. But they could not hide from God. God called to Adam, and said to him, Where art thou ? And Adam said, I heard What is this that thou hast done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I did eat. God then spoke to the serpent, and said that he was cursed for what he had done; that he should creep along the ground in the dust always ; and that there should be hatred between Satan and the people in the world. Satan should always hate them and ADAM TILLING THE GROUND. thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked ; and I hid myself. Then God said, Who told thee that thou wast naked ? Hast thou eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat ? The man answered and said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said to the woman, try to do them harm ; but that some day One should come into the world to over- come Satan. Then God said to the woman, that she must in future have a great deal of sorrow and pain. Her sin would be pun- ished, and her life would be made unhappy because she did not obey God. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, THE STORY OF THE CREATION. 21 and hast eaten of the tree, of which I com- manded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life ; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Death had now come into the world. him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man ; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, Cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. The Two Brothers. After they left the garden, Adam and Eve had two sons: the eldest was called Cain, and was a tiller of the ground ; but the CAIN AND ABEL MAKING AN And Adam called his wife's name Eve ; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil : and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever : therefore the Lord God sent OFFERING TO THE LORD. younger was called Abel, and was a keeper of sheep. Now both brothers made offerings to the Lord : Cain offered of the fruits of the field and Abel of the firstlings of his flock. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and his offering, he had not respect. At this Cain became very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen ? If thou 22 THE STORY OF THE CREATION. doest well shalt thou not also receive a reward ? But if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And Cain talked with Abel, his brother ; and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not, am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done ; the voice of thy brother's blood THE DEATH OF ABEL crieth unto me from the ground? Cursed art thou from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its fruit. A fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid ; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth ; and it shall conic to pass that ever)- one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, No, it shall not be so. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him, should kill him. So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain became the father of a numerous family who, like him, did not fear the Lord ; and he builded a city, and called it after the name of his eldest son, Enoch. This was the first city ever built. And God gave to the first parents another son, and Eve called his name Seth, for God, said she, hath appointed me another son, instead of Abel whom Cain slew. And to Seth also was there born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. And God gave Adam many sons and daughters, and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years. One of his descendants was Enoch who lived sixty and five years, when Methuselah was born to him. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years when he died. His son Lamech lived seven hundred and seven years, and he called his son Noah, saying, The same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. And the sons of Noah were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Men now be- gan to multiply fast upon the face of the earth. THE PEACEABLE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. 23 BROTHERLY LOVE. 24 CHAPTER II. B. C. 2347- The Story of the Flood — The World Grown very Wicked — Noah Commanded to Build an Ark for the Saving of his Family — Every Living Thing on the Dry Land Destroyed — Noah Leaves the Ark and Offers Sacrifice — The Tower of Babel — Confusion of Tongues and Scattering of the People. GREAT many years passed away, and by this time there was a multi- tude of people in the world. They had be- come very wicked, and were all the time growing more so. And God looked upon the earth, and he saw that the wicked- ness of man was very great, and that the thoughts of his heart were only evil. He was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth ; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air ; for I am sorry that I made them. There was only one man amongst them all at this time who pleased God, and his name was Noah. He found grace, or favor, in the eyes of the Lord ; for he was a good man, and would have nothing to do with the sinful deeds of all the people who were living in those days. He walked with God, and he had brought up his children wisely and well. So God spoke to Noah, and told him what he was going to do. He said, Behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy by drowning everything that breathes ; and everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will take care of you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives. Noah Builds the Ark. Then he told Noah to make a very large boat, or ship, called an " ark," which should float upon the water when God should send down his great rain upon the earth. And into this ark of wood Noah and his family were to go, with two of every sort of living creature — fowls, and cattle, and creeping things — that they might be kept alive. And abundance of food was to be put into the ark for them all. Noah believed everything that God had said to him, and he began at once to make the ark, as he had been told. He and his sons cut down a great many large trees, and then he got carpenters tc help him to saw them into planks or boards, and to fasten them together. And all the time the ark was being made (for it took a great many years to build) Noah preached to the people, and warned them. He told them that God was going 25 26 THE STORY OF THE I I.OOD. to drown the world for their wickedness ; but they did not believe what he said. They went on eating and drinking and pleasing themselves, and doing everything just as usual. Noah told them that the}' were in danger, but they only laughed at him. And so year after year passed away. and curiously-built house in the open fi There was no sign of any flood yet ; the sun rose every morning and set every evening, and the people went on just in their old ways, not believing that any change coming. Then the Lord said to Noah, Come into the ark, you and all your family; NOAH BUILDING THE ARK. Noah still worked hard at the ark, which was to save him and his family from the great flood of waters, and he still went on preaching and warning his neighbors. At last the great ark, which had taken a hundred and twenty years to make, was quite finished, and was looking like a huge for you have walked uprightly before me in the. midst of a wicked people. And take with you two and two of every beast, and bird, and creeping thing. For in seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth ; the rain shall last for forty days and forty nights; and every li thine that I have made THE STORY OF THE FLOOD. 27 I will destroy from off the face of the earth. Noah went into the ark with his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives. And God made to follow him into that place of safety two and two of every sort of living creature that was upon the earth. After that, God himself shut the door. God still waited seven days, as he had said, to give them time to repent ; for he is slow to anger, and he does not like to be obliged to punish. But they took no heed : these last seven days were spent just like all the rest, and at last came the time for the flood. A Forty Days' Rain. Then the rain came down — such rain as has never been seen upon the earth, either before or since. It poured down night and day, for forty days, and the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the rivers and streams overflowed their banks. God, who had said to the sea, So far shalt thou go, and no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed, now commanded the sea to spread over the earth again, to help in the work of destruction. The water came rush- ing into the houses, and the frightened people fled to the upper rooms. But there was no escape ; the waters mounted higher and higher, and the upper rooms were soon reached and flooded, and all who were in them were drowned. Some climbed up into high trees ; but before long the top branches were reached, and those who were clinging there, drenched with rain and sick with fear, were swept away into the flood. Some, no doubt, tried to escape in boats ; but that tremendous rain and the rushing flood quickly overturned them, and the despairing people sank in the deep water. And so the flood prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, till at last all the high hills were completely covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing ; and every man, and every woman, and every child. All, all were drowned. Eight Persons Saved. But where was Noah ? Safe in the ark As the flood rose, so the ark rose too, float- ing securely upon that great mass of waters. Just eight persons were saved, and no more ; there were only eight among all the people on the earth who believed that God would do as he had said. And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark ; and God made the rain to cease, and he caused a wind to pass over the earth, to help to dry up the waters. Every day the water became less and less, but it was a long time yet before the earth was dry. When half a year had passed away, the ark rested on the top of a high mountain called Ararat ; and little by little the waters sank lower and lower, till at last all the tops of the mountains were seen. Noah wanted very much to know if the earth was getting dry again ; for though there was a window in the ark, it was so placed that he could not see anything out of it except the sky. He could open it, how- ever ; and so one day he took a raven and let it out through the window. But the raven did not come back ; it flew backwards and forwards over the water, and rested on the top of the ark, but it would not go into it again. Then Noah sent out a dove, which is a very gentle bird — very different to the wild and fierce raven. But the dove found no tree upon which she could perch, and no place where she could rest, so she flew back to the ark. And Noah was 28 THE STORY OF THE FLOOD. watching for her, and when he saw her come back, he put out his hand and took her come back quite so soon this time. She remained away till the evening; and when RETURN OF THE DOVE TO THE ARK. gently in through the window. After this Noah waited one week, and then he sent out the dove again. The gentle bird did not she returned to the ark, what do you think she had in her beak ? An olive leaf that she had plucked off a tree. Noah was- THE STORY OF THE FLOOD 29 pleased to see it, for he knew by this that the flood of waters had almost gone Yet again Noah waited a week ; and once more he sent out his little dove. But she never came back again. Then Noah took off the covering of the ark and looked out ; and, behold, the ground was dry. How he must have longed to go out, and to walk about again on the fresh and beautiful earth. But much as he longed to do so, he did not attempt to leave the ark till God should tell him he might. God himself had shut the door, and Noah would not open it without his leave. So he waited pa- tiently there eight weeks longer, till at last the joyful order came. God said to Noah, Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. And bring out with you every living thing that is with you in the ark — birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing. How glad they must all have been to tread on the soft green grass again, after having been shut up in the ark for a whole year. It was like a new world now. But what a solemn thought it was, that since Noah had last put his foot upon the ground, every soul except himself and his family had been drowned in that flood of waters. All his acquaintances and his neighbors were dead. As Noah thought of all this he felt thankful to God for his great deliverance. He builded an altar — that is, he made a heap of stones — and upon this heap, or altar, he offered a sacrifice to the Lord. And God was pleased ; and he blessed Noah and his sons, as he had blessed Adam and Eve in the beginning. And he told Noah that he should be master over all the beasts, and over every living thing upon the earth. Also, he now gave him permission for the first time to eat flesh. He said, Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you ; even as the green herb have I given you all things. Afterwards God made a very gracious promise to Noah and to his sons. He said to them, I will never again destroy the earth by a flood of waters ; but as long as the world lasts, seed-time and harvest, and cold NOAH AND HIS FAMILY LEAVING THE ARK and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease. And I will give you a sign that I will remember my promise. I do put my bow in the cloud, and when I bring a cloud over the earth, the bow shall be seen in the cloud. And you shall look at it, and I will look at it and remember the promise I have made you. In those days people lived a great deal longer than they do now. Noah was six hundred years old at the time of the flood, and he was nine hundred and fifty when he 30 THE STORY OF THE FLOOD. died. The sons of Noah who went forth out of the ark were Shem, Hani and Japheth. When Noah and his three sons, with their wives, had come out of the ark, they had again to begin and dig the ground, and to take care of the sheep and cattle, as they had done before. The ground that had been three sons — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — and told to them what should happen to their children's children in the far-off time in the future. He blessed Shem, and he blessed Japheth, and he told them that they should both be prosperous and great nations ; but he cursed Ham for his sin, and said that his NOAH S SACRIFICE AFTER THE FLOOD. cursed because of Adam's sin still brought forth briers and thistles ; and though the earth was once again so fresh and beautiful, Noah and his sons had to work hard for their daily food. Noah was a husbandman or farmer. He dug the ground, and sowed corn, and gathered in the grain at the time of harvest. One day Noah spoke to his family should not be great, but should be mean and despised, and that he should be "a servant of servants." At first the children of Ham, like the children of wicked Cain, seemed to prosper. One of his family was called Nimrod, and he became a very great man. He was a great hunter and a great builder, and he made THE STORY OF THE FLOOD. SI himself a kind of king. He built a great many cities, and he ruled over them. Then there was Canaan, another of Ham's family. He had a number of children, and they were very rich, and their country was very pleasantly situated ; but yet, like all the descendants of Ham, they were wicked. God's curse was upon them, and they did not prosper in the end. The country where Canaan had settled down was called after his name — the land of Canaan ; and by-and-by you will hear how God took away that beau- tiful land from the wicked children of Ham, and gave it to some of the family of Shem. A High Tower. The world soon began to be filled with people again after the flood, and everybody spoke the same language. Now, as you know, a great many diff- erent languages are spoken, and the people of one country cannot understand the people of another country, unless they have first, with much trouble and difficulty, learned to speak in the same language. But at the time of which I am telling you all spoke alike. As men began to increase in number, so they began to get careless and wicked again. They seemed quickly to forget God, and only cared to follow their own sinful inclinations. At first the people stayed near where the ark had rested, but as their families grew up, and more and more children were born, some of them began to journey further on till they came to a plain, or flat country, called the land of Shinar ; and there they lived. After a time they said to one another, Let us build 1 a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven ; and let us make a name for ourselves, so that we may not be scattered abroad, or separated from each other. This they agreed to do. But there was no stone in that part of the country, so they were obliged to make bricks for building the citv and the tower. When they said that they would build a tower which should reach to heaven, they they did not mean that it was possible it THE BUILDERS OF BABEL SCATTERED. should reach to the place that we mean by heaven — where God lives ; they only intended it to be so very high that it would look as if it reached to the skies . Perhaps they thought, too, that this tower would be a place of safety for them if another flood were to come upon the earth. The plain of Shinar was a very busy place now. The people worked hard at their brick-making, and at their building ; and all the time they were thinking what a grand place of safety it would be. And all the: 32 THE STORY OF THE FLOOD. time God was watching them ; and at last he came down to sec the city and the tower which the children of men were building. God not only looked at the city and the tower, but he looked into the people's hearts, and he saw how much sin and pride and disobedience there was there. So he would not let them finish their work. The Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language ; and now that they have begun to do this, they will stop at nothing, but will do whatever they have set their minds upon. Let us make them all speak a different language, that they may not understand each other any more. And God did so. The people were busy at work, as usual, one giving orders here, another arranging things there — here some were asking what they should do next, and there some were explaining how things were to be done — when, all at once, they found that they could not understand each other. They had never heard any language but their own before, and now every one was speaking what appeared to be nonsense to the others. They at once left off building ; for how could the workmen understand what the master was telling them to do ? And how could the builder explain his orders to the masons, when he was speaking in a language they had never heard before ? There was great confusion in the land of Shinar that day, and great astonishment. Their plans were all upset, they could not make each other understand, and there was so much confusion, disorder, and worry, that they called the name of the tower Babel, which means "confusion." And now the people began to separate from each other, and to spread themselves over the country. They wanted to keep together, but God scattered them. When their language was confounded, they did not wish to remain with those whom they could not understand. Some took their families and went in one direction, and some went in another direction, till they were all scattered. And thus it came to pass that the city and the high tower, which they thought would make them a name and make them famous, remained unfinished. The people had been living without God, and had been working against God ; so he rose up to stop them, and to bring theii work to nothing. Some of the families stayed quite near Babel, and others wandered farther off and settled by the sea. Afterward some of the children of these families wandered into new lands and went evervwhere. CHAPTER III. B. C. 1996. The Story of Abraham — Destruction of Sodom and Story of Lot— Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away — Abraham Offering up Isaac — Journey of Abraham's Servant — Isaac and Rebekah — Isaac Obtains a Wife from a far Country. the day of his death. Two hundred and N Ur of the Chaldees lived a man whose name was Terah. This Terah had three sens, namely, Haran, Nahor, and Abram. Now Ha- ran and Nahor worshipped idols, of which the moon- god was the chief. So did also all the people of the land ; but Abram knew the true God, and worshipped him only. Haran, son of Terah, had a son, Lot by name, and two daughters, Milcah and Iscah or Sarai ; and Milcah became the wife of Nahor, and Sarai the wife of Abram. After a while God appeared to Abram, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and go into the land that I shall show thee. Then Terah departed from Ur of the Chaldees, taking with him Abram, and Sarai his wife, and Lot his grandson, and all that he had. Westward he travelled till he came to Haran. Because the land was rich and fertile, and good for the feeding of flocks and herds, and because he himself also was now old and feeble, Terah would go no farther. So he abode in Haran, and Abram and Lot with him, till five years old was he when he died. When Terah was dead, God spake again to Abram, saying, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. So Abram rose, and took with him Lot, his brother's son, and their two households, and all their sheep and oxen — many thousands in all — and went into the land of Canaan. Where Abram Pitched his Tent. And having come thither he pitched his tent for the first time in Sichem, in the oak- grove which was called the oak -grove of Moreh. While he sojourned at Moreh the Lord appeared unto him, and said, This is the land which I promised to give to thee, and to thy children after thee. Then Abram built an altar and offered sacrifices unto the Lord. From Moreh he went to Luz — there also he built an altar — and from Luz he journeyed into the south country. But while he dwelt there, there was a grievous famine in the land, and he was constrained to go down into Egypt. Now as Abram came near to the borders of Egypt, he began to fear for his life. Sarai his wife was a very fair woman, and he 33 34 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. thought to himself, The Egyptians will kill me that they may take my wife. So he said to Sarai, Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister ; so wilt thou save my life. And Sarai consented ; for they had agreed be- tween them at the first when they set out on their wanderings that at every place whither they should come she should say of him, He is my brother. When they came to the borders of Egypt the officers that had the charge of these matters, sent to tell the king that a stranger had come from the north countiy, and that he had brought with him an exceed- ingly fair woman, who was, he said, his sister. So Sarai was taken into the house of Pharoah, the king of Egypt, that she might be added to the number of his wives. And Pharaoh gave many gifts to Abram — men-servants and maid servants, and camels and asses, and oxen and sheep. But the Lord sent sickness into Pharaoh's house, and his wise men told him that it had been sent on account of the stranger woman whom he had taken into his house. Therefore he sent for Abram, and said to him, What is this thou hast done? Why didst thou not tell me that this woman was thy wife ? Why didst thou say that she was thy sister ? I might have taken her to be my wife ; take now therefore thy wife, and go thy way. So Pharaoh sent Abram away. But he took not away from him the gifts that he had given him, nor aught that he had. Also he gave his officers a charge concerning him that he should suffer no harm, but should depart from the land in safety and peace. So Abram went back to the land of Canaan — for the famine had ceased — and pitched liis tent again at Luz. Now the land had already many inhabitants. And because Abram and Lot had many flocks and herds there was not room enough for the two. When therefore there arose strife between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot, because the pasture was not sufficient for both, Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between ABRAM ENTERING THE LAND OF CANAAN. me and thee, for we are brethren. The whole land is before thee. Choose what thou wilt for thyself. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right. If thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Then Lot looked out from Bethel and saw the country. When he looked to the north and to the south and to the west, all seemed barren. But eastward he looked on the plain of Jordan, and saw that it was green and well watered, even as a garden of the Lord. So Lot chose for himself the THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 35 plain of Jordan. And he separated himself walls. But the men of Sodom were wicked, from Abram, and journeyed to Sodom, and sinners before the Tord exceedingly. THE EGYPTIAN KING TAKING THE WIFE OF ABRAM. First he pitched his tent outside the city, but afterwards he took up his abode within the After Lot had departed, the Lord appeared again to Abram, and said, Lift up now thine 30 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and westward and eastward. For all the land which thou seest I will give to thee, and to thy children for ever. And I will make thy posterit the dust of the earth ; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy posterity also be numbered. Arise, walk- through the land in the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee A Tent Under a Tree. After this Abram removed his tent, and travelled to the place that was called Hebron, There he pitched his tent under the oak- tree of Mamie. This Mamre was a great chief among the Amorites. While he dwelt under the oak tree of Mamre, there came war in the east country ; And the cause of the war was this : While Abram still dwelt in Ur of the Chaldees, the king of Elam, and other kings of the east with him, had conquered the five cities of the plain of Jordan, and had laid a tribute upon them. But now the five cities rebelled, and refused to pay their tribute. Twelve years the)- had served, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled, and in the fourteenth year the king of Elam came up against them, having with him the two kings of Babylonia, and the king of the land of Assyria. First these four kings smote the tribes that dwelt in Haran, and in the land that lies between Arnon and the brook Jabbok, and in the land of Moab. Also they smote the tribes that dwelt in the caves of Mount Hor, and the Amalekites and the Amorites that dwelt eastward of Jordan, and so came at last to the Cities of the Plain. Then the kings of the five cities gathered together their army and went out to meet the armies of the east. In the valley of Siddim they met them. The valley was full of pits, and the five kings hoped that the chariots and horsemen of the eastern army would be ensnared amongst them. But the battle went against the five kings, and many of their people were slain, they that were left escaping to the mountains of Moab. Then the king of Elam and his allies spoiled the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, taking away all their possessions and all their food, and so departed. And they took Lot, that was Abram's nephew, and all his goods with them. Lot Rescued and Brought Back. But one that had escaped from the battle fled to Abram, where he dwelt under the oak-tree of Mamre, and told him that Lot had been carried away captive by the kings of the east. And when Abram heard that Lot his nephew had been carried away, he armed his servants — men born in his house and trained for war. They were three hun- dred and eighteen in number. Also he had with them certain of the people of Mamre and Aner and Eshcol, princes of the Amor- ites, for these were confederate with him ; with these he pursued the invaders, and overtook them at Laish (which place was afterwards called Dan, and was near to the springs of Jordan). Here they were en- camped, thinking that none would attack them. Then Abram divided the men that were with him into two parts, and attacked the four kings by night from either side of their encampment. So he put them to flight, and pursued them to Hobah, which lies between Damascus and Tadmor of the wilderness. He brought back with him all the goods that they had taken from the five cities, and Lot and his family, and all the prisoners. And as he returned, the king of Sodom came out to meet him, and said to him, Give me back now the prisoners that thou hast taken out of the hand of the kins' of o THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 37 Elam, for they are my own people ; but take all the goods to thyself. But Abram answered him, I have taken an oath, lifting up my hand, to the Lord, the most high God, whose are the heaven and the earth, that I will not take a thread or a shoe-latchet from thee. Nothing will I take of thine, lest thou say, and offered him first-fruits, even bread and wine, and blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, whose are heaven and earth ; and blessed be the most hieh God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. Then Abram gave him a tenth part of all the spoil that he had taken MELCHIZEDEK BLESSING ABRAM. I have made Abram rich. Nevertheless, that which the young men my servants have eaten on the way that thou shalt give them. These men, too, that have helped me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre ; let them take their portion. There also came to meet him Melchizedek, king of Salem, a priest of the most high God, And after these things he returned and dwelt at Mamre. Then God appeared to him in a vision and said, Fear not, Abram : I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Abram an- swered, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing that I am childless ? Then the Lord bade him go forth from 38 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. his tent and look up into the heavens, and said, Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. So shall be thy posterity. And Abram believed in the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Then the Lord said, I have brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees that thou mayest inherit this land. Abram said, How shall I know that I shall inherit it. The Lord said, Take a heifer, and a she-goat, and a ram, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. So Abram took them and divided the beasts into two por- tions, and laid the two portions over against each other ; but the birds he divided not. And when the sun went down he fell into a deep sleep, and heard a voice that said, Thy posterity shall dwell in a land that is not theirs, and shall be afflicted four hundred years ; but the nation that shall afflict them I will judge. After that they shall go out from among their oppressors with great riches, and shall come again to this land ; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And when the sun went "as th down and it was dark, Abram saw a smoking furnace and a burning lamp pass between the portions of the sacrifice, being the tokens of the presence of the Lord. Then, as Abram had passed between the portions, so the Lord passed between them, and a covenant was made between the Lord and Abram ; for the custom was that when two thus passed between the portions of a sacrifice a covenant was made between them. And the Lord said, Unto thy race have I given ail this land, from the river of Egypt unto ?.he great river, the river Euphrates. After these things Abram took to wife Sarai's maid Hagar, the Egyptian. And Sarai dealt so hardly with her that she fled from the tent. But as she lay by a well in the wilderness the angel of God spake to her, saying, Hagar, whence came-t thou ? and whither wilt thou go ? She answered, I flee from the face of Sarai my mistress. The angel said, Go back, and submit thyself to thy mistress. Thou shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. He shall be E STARS, SO SHALL EE THY POSTERITY." a wild man ; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And thereafter the well by which Hagar sat when the angel spake to her was called the well of Seeing and Living. So Hagar returned to her mistress ; and she bare a son to Abram, who calied his name Ishmael. Abram was fourscore and six years old when Hagar bare Ishmael to him. When Abram was now ninety and nine years old, and Ishmael his son thirteen, the Lord appeared again unto him. Then Abram fell on his face before God ; and the Lord spake to him again, saying, My covenant is THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 33 with thee, and I will make thee the father of many nations. Hereafter thy name shall not be any more Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham ; because I have made thee a father of many nations. And I will give thee, and thy children after thee, this land of Canaan to be a perpetual possession. Also He said to him, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah. I will bless her, and give her a son of thee. She shall be a mother of nations, and kings shall come from her. The Three Travellers. Not many days after, as Abraham sat in his tent-door, where he dwelt under the oak ofMamre, he espied three travellers. And when he saw them he ran from the tent-door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground before them, and said to him that seemed chief among them, My lord, if I have found favor in thy sight, -pass not on at once, but turn aside to visit me. Let a little water be fetched that ye may wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsel of bread that ye may refresh yourselves. After that ye shall pass on. And the man said, So do as thou hast said. Then Abraham hastened unto Sarah where she sat in the tent, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, and knead it, and bake cakes upon the hearth. This done, he ran to the stalls of the cattle and took thence a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who hasted to cook it. And he took butter and milk and the calf that had been cooked, and set them before the travellers, and stood by them under the tree as they ate. After this the men rose up, and departed, having their faces turned towards Sodom. And Abraham went with them to bring them on their way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ; for he shall become a great nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? For I know him, that he will com- mand his children and his household after him, to do judgment and justice. A Wicked City Then the Lord said to Abraham, Because the report of Sodom and Gomorrah is very evil, and their sin very grievous, I have come to see whether they have altogether sinned according to the report. Then two of the three went on towards Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. He bethought him of Lot, his brother's son, and of his household, and said to the Lord, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ? Peradventure there may be fifty righteous within the city ; wilt thou not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ? That be far from thee to slay the righteous with the wicked. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? The Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous, I will spare all the place for their sake. Abraham spake again, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, though I be but dust and ashes. Peradventure there may lack five of the fifty : wilt thou destroy all the city for the lack of five? The Lord said, If I find forty and five, I will not destroy it. Abraham said again, Peradventure forty will be found there. And the Lord answered, I will not do it if there be forty there. Then Abraham said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall be thirty found there. The Lord said, I will not do it. if I find thirty there. 40 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. Abraham spake again, Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. The Lord answered, I will spare it fur twenty's sake. Yet once again did Abraham speak. Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but this once only. Peradventure ten shall be found there. And the Lord said, I will that night, and prepared supper for them, and treated them kindly. The angels found that all the other men of the city cared for nothing but wickedness , and they said to Lot, Have you .sons or daughters in the city besides those in this house? If you have, bring them out of the place, for the wicked- ness of it is become great before the Lord ; THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM FORETOLD TO ABRAHAM. spare it for ten's sake. Then Abraham was satisfied; he left off praying for Sodom, and returned to his home. The angels that God had sent to see Sodom came into it in the evening. They met Lot in the gate of the city. Lot thought they were two men who were on a journey. He therefore asked them to stay in his house and he has sent us to destroy it. All the good people in the city could save their lives by leaving at once. Lot went out and said to the men whe had married his daughters, Up ! get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy it. But they would not believe him. When the morning dawned, the angels hastened Lot. ABRAHAM OFFERING ISAAC / THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 41 and said, Arise, take your wife and your two daughters that are here, and get away, lest you be destroyed in the punishment of the city. Strange to say, he still delayed ; but the angels caught them by the hand, and brought them out of the city, and said, Escape for your life ; do not look behind The. name of the little city was Zoar. As soon as Lot came into it, the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of heaven, and overthrew those cities, and all the inhabitants of the plain, and everything that grew upon the ground. But Lot's wife turned and looked back upon the LOT AND HIS FAMILY FLEEING FROM SODOM. you, nor stop anywhere in the plain ; escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed. Lot feared to go to the mountain, and he said, There is a little city in this plain ; let me stay there. It is but a little one ; will not God spare it ? And the angel said, I will not overthrow this city, for which you have spoken. Hasten ! escape to it ; for I cannot do anything till you are come into it. burning cities, and she became a pillar of salt After these things Abraham went down to sojourn in the south country and dwelt among the Philistines. And the Lord gave to Sarah a son as he had promised to her and Abraham. And Abraham called his name Isaac. Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. And wher. Isaac came to be a larger boy. 42 THE STORY OF AHkAIIAM. Abraham made a great feast. Now Ishmael had thought that he should be liis father's heir, and when he saw that he was supplanted, he was very wroth, and spake bitter words, and would have done harm to the child. His mother also encouraged him in his misdoing. Then Sarah said to Abraham, cast out this bondwoman and her son ; for children after thee, is not in Ishmael but in Isaac. Nevertheless, I will make of Ishmael a great nation. Then Abraham believed that no harm should happen to the lad. Therefore he rose up early the next morning, and gave Hagar provision of bread and a bottle of water, putting it on her shoulder, and sent DEPARTURE OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL. the son of a bondwoman shall not be heir along with my son, even with Isaac. But the thing was very grievous to Abraham, for he loved his son Ishmael. Then the Lord said to Abraham, Let not this thing that Sarah asketh of thee be grievous unto thee. Hearken to her words, for indeed the bless- ing that I have promised to thee, and to thy her and her son away. And Ishmael was now sixteen years of age or thereabouts. So Hagar departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. But all the water in the bottle was spent, and the lad lay under a shrub, likely to perish of thirst. Then Hagar went and sat herself down a long way off from the lad, even as far as a man mav shoot THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 43 an arrow. For she said to herself, Let me not see the death of the child. And she lifted up her voice and wept. Then the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said, Hagar, what aileth thee ? Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand. I will make him a great nation. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water ; and she went, and tilled the bottie with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer, and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. The Seven Lambs. While Abraham dwelt at Beersheba, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, with Phichol, who was captain of his host, came to him, and said, We see that God is with thee in ah that thou doest. Now therefore swear unto me that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, or with my son, or with my son's son, but wilt deal truly with me, as I have dealt truly with thee. And Abraham said, "I will swear." But he said also, Thy servants have taken a well by force from my servants. Abimelech answered, I know not who hath done this thing. Thou hast not told me aught of it till this day, nor indeed have I heard of it at all. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs by themselves ; and when Abime- lech asked him why he had so done, he said, Thou shalt take these seven ewe lambs from me, and thy taking them shall be a pledge that indeed my servants have digged this well. So these two, Abraham and Abimelech, made a covenant or agreement between them. For many days did Abraham dwell in Beersheba, and he planted a grove there and worshipped the Lord. After these thing's God tried Abraham's faith, saying to him, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovcst, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains that I shall show thee. The Sacrifice of Isaac. So Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of hi. young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave wood for a burnt-offering, and jour- neyed towards the place of which God had told him. On the third day of his journeying he saw the place afar off. Then he said to the young men, Abide here, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and will come again to you. For, indeed, he did not doubt but that the lad should come back again, even though he should slay him for a burnt-offering, for he believed that the Lord would even raise him up from the dead. And he took the wood for the burnt- offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son ; he took fire also, and a knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to Abraham, Behold the fire and the wood ; but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering ? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering. Then they came to the place of which God had told him ; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him upon the wood. Then he stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him out ol heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. Then the Lord said, Lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do thou anything unto him ; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me 44 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. Then Abraham looked behind him, and saw a ram caught in the thicket by his horns, and he took the ram and offered it up for a sacrifice instead of Isaac his son. I lien the Lord spake again to him, saying, Because thou hast done this thing, and not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in Abraham came to mourn for her, and to Weep for her. And Abraham ceased from mourning for the dead, and spake to the children of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me the possession of a burial- place among you, that I may bury my deac> out of my sight. ABRAHAM OFFERING ISAAC. multiplying I will multiply thy posterity as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand of the seashore for multitude. And in thy posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Then Abraham returned to the young men. After these things Sarah died, beine one hundred and twenty-seven years old ; and The children of Heth answered him, Thou art a prince, among us ; choose one of our sepulchres wherein to bury thy dead : none of us shall refuse thee his sepulchre. Then Abraham bowed himself to them, and said, If ye are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, intercede for me with Ephron, that he may sell me the cave THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 45 of Machpelah that he hath, which is in the end of his field: for as much money as it is worth shall he sell it me for a burying-place. Then Ephron the Hittite said to Abraham, My lord, I give thee the field and the cave; here in the presence of all the people I give ; t thee for a possession : bury thy dead. Then Abraham bowed himself down, and said, If thou art willing that I should have the field, I pray thee, hear me : I will give thee money for the field. Take the money from me, then will I bury my dead. Ephron answered him, My lord, hearken unto me: The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver ; but what is that between me and thee ? This was about two hundred and fort)' dollars of our money. Then Abraham weighed to Ephron the four hundred shekels of silver, even the price which he had named in the presence of the people. And the field was made over to him in the presence of all the people. After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah Finding a Wife for Isaac. Abraham was now old, and it seemed good to him that he should find a wife for Isaac his son. So he spake to Eliezer of Damascus, who was his steward and the eldest servant of his house, and said, Swear to me by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for Isaac my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. Thou shalt go unto my own kindred, and take a wife from among them for my son. Now Abraham knew that Nahor, his father's brother, had had sons born to him of Milcah, Sarah's sister, and that they dwelt in Haran, where he himself had dwelt before he came into the land of Canaan. Then Eliezer answered, Haply the woman will not be willing to follow me into this land : must I bring thy son again into the land from which thou earnest out ? Abraham said. Beware that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, sware unto me that he would give this land to me, and to my children after me. If the woman will not follow thee, then thou shalt be free of thy oath : but, in any case, thou shalt not persuade my son to go back to that land. Then Eliezer sware to his master that he would do his bidding. And he took ten camels of his master's — for all Abraham's goods were in his hand — and departed to Haran, in Mesopotamia, which was the city of Nahor. He Comes to a Well. And when he was come to the city, he made his camels kneel down by a well that was outside the walls ; and it was evening- time, when the women go out to draw water. He prayed, saying, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, show kindness to my master Abraham. Let this come to pass : if the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher that I may drink, shall say, Drink, and I will draw for thy camels also ; let the same be she whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac ; then shall I know that thou hast showed kindness to my master. And while he was yet speaking, Rebekah, that was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor and Milcah, came to the well. And she was a very fair virgin ; and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up again. Eliezer said to her, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water out of thy pitcher. So she let down her pitcher from her shoulder, whereon she carried it, to her 40 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. hand, and gave him to drink. And when he had drunk, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, till they shall have done drink- ing. So she hasted and emptied the pitcher into the trough, and went down again to the well, and drew for all the camels. And the Whose daughter art thou? Is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge? She answered, I am the daughter <»f Bethuel, tne sonofNahor. Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, for Abraham's servant meeting rebekah. man held his peace, wondering whether or j not the Lord had prospered his journey. When the camels had done drinking, he gave her an earring of gold of half a shekel in weight, and two bracelets that weighed ten shekels together. And he said to her, he hath not forgotten his mercy and truth, but hath led me to the house of my master's brethren. Meanwhile Rebekah ran and told all these things to her kindred. Xow she had a brother, whose name was Laban ; and Laban, THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. 47 when he saw the earring and the bracelets upon liis sister's hands, and heard all that wherefore standest thou without ? I have prepared thy lodging, and room for the ISAAC WELCOMING REBEKAH. his sister said, went out to meet the man, and said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; camels. Then Eliezer came into the house; and Laban ungirded his camels, and gave 48 THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. straw and provender for his camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men that were with him. Meat also was set before him to eat; but he said, I will not cat, till I have told my errand. And Laban said, Speak on. The Man Tells his Errand. The man said. I am Abraham's servant. And the Lord hath greatly blessed my master, and he is become great ; for the Lord hath given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold. The Lord gave my master a son in his old age, and my master hath given him all that he hath. Now my master made me swear that I would not take a wife for his son from the daughters of Canaan, but would go to his own kindred to seek among them a wife for his son. So I came hither. And I prayed to God, and said, I will stand by the well ; and when the damsel cometh to draw water from the well, and I say to her, Give me to drink ; if the damsel say, Drink, and I will draw for thy camels also ; let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed for my master's son. And lo ! even before I had done speaking, Rebekah came down to draw- water of the well. And she did as I had said. Then I asked her, Whose daughter art thou ? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel. Then I put the earring in her ear and the bracelets upon her hands. Then I bowed down my head and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to find a wife for my master's son among his own kindred. And now tell me whether ye will deal truly and kindly with my master, that I may go away? Laban and Bethuel answered, The thing is from the Lord : we cannot say bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is here, take her to be the wife of thy master's son, as the Lord hath spoken. Then Eliezer worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. Also lie- brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and gave them to Rebekah. He gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. After this he and the men that were with him ate and drank, and tarried all night. Rebekah Goes to Meet Isaac. The next morning they rose up, and Eliezer said, Send me away to my master. But the damsel's mother and brother said, Let Rebekah abide with us a few days, ten at the least. But he said, Hinder me not, seeing that the Lord hath prospered me ; send me away to my master. They an- swered, We will call the damsel, and ask whether she be willing. So they called Rebekah, and asked her, Wilt thou go with this man ? And Rebekah said, I will go. So they sent away Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed her. So Rebekah and her nurse, and the damsels that were with her, departed with Abraham's servant, riding upon camels. Now, when they came near to the place where Isaac dwelt, it chanced that Isaac had gone out into the field at eventide to meditate. When Rebekah saw him she asked, What man is that ? Eliezer answered her, That is my master. Then she alighted from her camel, and covered herself with a veil. And Eliezer told Isaac all that he had done. So Rebekah became Isaac's wife, and he was comforted after his mother's death. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife. Abraham lived yet thirty and five years after these things. And he died in a good old age, being one hundred and seventy- five years old. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. w M Eh Eh JACOB ? VISION' OF ANGELS. show or parade to excite Esau's feelings, and make him more angry and jealous. And he went on toward Haran ; and when he came to a certain place, at sunset. tired. And as he slept he dreamed. And in his dream he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and the angels of God And be- ascending and descending on it THE STORY OF ESAU AND JACOB. 53 hold, the Lord stood above it, and said that he would do great things for him. And he said, Behold, I am with thee, and will bring thee again to this land ; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob woke out of his sleep, and said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place ! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up on one end for a pillar, to mark the place, so that he would know it when he came back from his errand. And he poured oil on top of the pillar, as a token of praise to God. And he called the name of that place Bethel : that is, The House of God. The Sheep at the Well, And Jacob vowed a vow — or, as we say, he took an oath — and said, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this v/ay that I go, and will give me food and clothes, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house ; and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. And he looked, and saw a well in a field ; and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it ; for out of that well they Avatered the flocks. And a great stone was on the mouth of the well. And there were all the flocks gathered. And the shepherds rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep, and then put the stone back in its place again. Jacob drew near and asked them whence they came. We are from Haran, they said. Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor ? inquired Jacob. And they said, We know him. Jacob said to them, Is he well ? They said, He is well ; and behold, Rachel his daughter cometh this way with her sheep. And he told the men to make haste and water the sheep, and then go and feed them. But they said they could not do this ; that they must wait until all the flocks were gathered there ; then the stone would be rolled from the mouth of the well, and they could water the sheep. This was so there would be no waste of the precious water. And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came up with her father's sheep, for she took care of them. And when Jacob saw Rachel, he drew near, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy. And he told her that her father was his uncle, and that he was Rebekah's son. And Rachel ran and told her father. Laban's Two Daughters. When Laban heard that Jacob, his sister's son, was near, he ran to meet him, and threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And Jacob told Laban what he had come for. Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh ; and Jacob stayed with him for the space of a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, Because thou art related to me, shouldst thou work for me for nothing ? Tell me what shall thy wages be? Laban had two daughters : the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender- eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well formed. And Jacob loved Rachel. So when 54 THE STORY OF ESAU AND JACOB Laban asked what wages he would take, he said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel, thy younger daughter. Laban said, It i> better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man. So stay with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days, so great was his love for her. whom he had wed ; and he went at once tc Laban, and said, What is this thou ha^tdone to me? did I not serve with thee for Rachel ? Why hast thou played me such a trick ? Laban said, It is not the custom of our country' to give the younger before the first- born. Be true to Leah, and thou shalt have Rachel also, if thou wilt serve me for another JACOB MEETING RACHEL. • And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for the time is up that I said I would serve thee. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. And in the evening he brought in Leah, closely veiled, so that her face could not be seen, and Jacob took her for his wife. In the morning Jacob saw that it was Leah seven years. And Jacob did so, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel for a wife, for there was no law in those days to prevent a man from having more than one wife. And Jacob loved Rachel far more than he did Leah, and stayed with Laban even another seven years on her account. God gave children to Leah ; but Rachel had no children, THE STORY OF ESAU AND JACOB. 55 and her heart was sad, and she was very jealous of her sister. But at last God heard her prayer, and gave Rachel a son. And she called his name Joseph. By this time Jacob had become a rich man, and had flocks and herds of his own. \ id Laban's son spoke ill of Jacob ; and home of Isaac, his father. And on the way a company of angels met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, This is God's host And he called the name of that place Mahanaim, which means Two hosts, or camps. Jacob was still afraid of his brother Esau, and had sent messengers to speak with him, LABAN HIRING JACOB. Laban was not the good friend to him that he had been. And God told Jacob to go back to his own country. So Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels, and took all the flocks and herds, and everything that he owned, and left Laban, and went back to the and to offer him rich gifts if he would be at peace with him. The messengers brought word that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob with four hundred men. Jacob was in great fear, and prayed to God to save him from the hands of his brother who hated him 56 THE STORY OF ESAU AND JACOB. so. He said, I am not worthy the least of thy mercies, and of all the kind care thou hast given me. Hut save me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me. One night Jacob was left alone, and there came an angel, who wrestled with him till the break of day. And when the angel saw for as a prince thou hast power with God and with men The word Israel means, A prince of God. And Jacob said to the angel, who was in the form of a man, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Why dost thou need to ask my name? And he blessed him then and there. And Jacob called the name of JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL. that he could not throw Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh and put it out of joint. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And Jacob said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And the angel said to him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. The angel said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel : the place Peni-el : for I have seen God face to face, and my life is saved. The word Peni-el means, The face of God. When Jacob raised his eyes, he saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. And he went out in front of his wives and children, and bowed down to the ground seven times on his way to his brother. And Esau ran JOSEPH MADE RULER OVER ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT. THE STORY OF ESAU AND j'ACOB. 57 to meet him, and fell on his neck and kissed him ; and they both wept together, and all the past was forgiven. Then Esau raised his eyes, and saw the women and children, and said, Who are those with thee ? And Jacob said, The children which God hath given thy servant. And they all bowed down before Esau. Then Esau said, What face, and to know thou art pleased with me, is as if I had seen the face of God He said God had been good to him, and he had enough and to spare, and he urged Esau so strongly to take his gifts, that Esau did so. And Esau went back to Seir, where he lived ; and Jacob went on his way. And God told him to go up to Bethel and dwell THE MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU. meanest thou by all this drove which I met ? Jacob told him they were sent as a present to him. Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep what is thine own. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight (that is, if thou art good friends with me), then take the present I bring. For to have seen thy there for a while, and build there an altar to the God who came to him when he fled from his brother Esau. Now Rachel when she left her father's house stole some of the images that she had been wont to worship. And when God told Jacob to go up to Bethel he said to his household, and to all that were with him, 58 THE STORY OF ESAU AND JACOB. put away the strange gods that arc among you, and let US go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto God, who helped me when I was in distress, and took care of me on my journey. And they took their earrings from their ears, and gave them and the idols to Jacob, and he buried them in the ground under an oak tree which was near Shechem. And they came to Bethel, and Jacob built an altar there and gave praise to God. It was here that Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under an oak. God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him, telling him his name should not be called Jacob any more, but he should be called Israel. And a promise was given to Jacob that he should be the father of nations, and would have kings for his posterity. Then God said to Jacob, The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy children after thee will I give the land. And God went up from Jacob in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in that place; it was a pillar of stone, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where I talked with him Bethel. The meaning of the name Bethel is, the house of God. Jacob had been blessed and he set up the stone and poured oil on it to mark the place where the promise was made to him that nations should come from him. As the>' went from Bethel, they came near to a place called Ephrath — where Bethlehem now is. And there God gave Jacob and Rachel another son. And his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a stone on her grave, to mark the spot where she lay. Jacob came back to Hebron, to the land where Isaac his father dwelt, and made his home there. And Isaac lived to be one hundred and eighty years old, and then he died, and Jacob and Esau buried him. CHAPTER V. B. C. 1729. The Story of Joseph — A Boy in a Pit — Sold Away into Egypt — The Coat Dyeo with Blood — Telling the Meaning of Dreams — Wearing the King's Ring — Famine in all Lands — Joseph's Brethren in Egypt — Jacob and Benjamin. ACOB had twelve sons. The young- est two were Joseph and Ben- jamin, whose mother was Ra- chel. Jacob's sons were shep- herds ; and Jo- seph too, as soon as he was old enough, was sent out into the fields to help his brother to feed the flocks. Now of all his sons, Jacob loved Joseph the most. He was the child of Rachel whom Jacob dearly loved ; and also Joseph was more upright and true than his elder brothers. When he was with them out in the fields he saw them doing many wrong things, and he thought their father ought to know it. So Joseph told him of all their wicked conduct, and this made them dislike him very much. Besides this, they had another reason for hating him. Their father Jacob, to show how much he loved his favorite son, gave him a coat of many colors. This was a mark of very great distinction and honor, and it is supposed also to have been a sign that the person wearing it was intended to All these things made be his father's heir. Joseph's brothers so angry and jealous that they could not speak peaceably to him ; they hated him, and were rough and unkind to him. Joseph's Strange Dream. One night Joseph dreamed a very strange dream, and he told it to his brothers. Ke said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed. I thought we were all in the field binding sheaves, and, lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright ; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed low to my sheaf. Joseph's brothers were very angry when they heard this dream, and they said scorn- fully, Do you indeed think that you will reign over us ? and do you really suppose that you will have the mastery over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. After this he had another strange dream which he told to his brothers. He said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more ; and, behold, the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars, bowed down to me. Joseph told this dream to his father as well as to his brothers ; and his father rebuked him gently, and said, What is this dream that you have dreamed ? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth ? 59 GO THE STORY OF JOSEPH. And his brothers envied him. But his father thought a great deal about this dream and the strangeness of it, and wondered what it could really mean. You know, when people have large flocks of sheep and goats and cattle to take care of, they are obliged to take them from place to place to get fresh grass for them to eat. So, he answered, Here am I. And Jacob said, I pray you, see whether it be well with your brothers, and well with the (locks; and bring me word again. With a light heart. Joseph set off to do his father's bidding. How little could either of them know, when he left his father's tents that day, that he would never return to that JOSEPHS DREAM OF THE SUN, MOON AND ELEVEN STARS. after a time, Joseph's brothers took their ! father's flock to Shechem. to feed them there. One day Jacob said to Joseph, Your brothers are feeding the flock in Shechem. Come, and I will send you to them. Jacob never thought there could be any danger, and j Joseph was not afraid. He was quite ready j and willing to go wherever he was sent, so ' home any more ; and that years and years would pass away before he should again see that dear father's face. Without any fear of coming evil, Joseph passed on. out of the vale of Hebron, till he came to Shechem ; but his brothers were nowhere to be seen. He wandered about in the fields, looking for them, but he could not THE STORY OF JOSEPH. 61 find them. At last a man saw him as he was wandering about, and asked him, For what are you looking? Joseph answered, I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, I pray you, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are gone from here ; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. But while he was still a long way off, his * SHEPHERD LEADING HIS FLOCK, brothers saw him as he was crossing the valley to meet them ; and at the sight of him, wearing the coat of many colors, all their bitter, jealous feelings grew more strong. They hated him, and now their only wish was to kill him. So they began to plan how it was to be done. They said one to another, Look, this dreamer is coming. Come now, therefore, let us kill him and throw him into some large pit or hole, and then we will say that a savage animal has eaten him ; and we shall see what will become of his dreams. All of the wicked brothers agreed to this plan except Reuben, the eldest. He was shocked at the thought of killing his young brother. So he said to them, Do not let us kill him. Shed no blood, but throw him into this pit that is here in this lonely place in the wilderness ; and do not let us hurt him. For Reuben intended to take him out of the pit again secretly, and to take him back to his father. After they had cast Joseph into the pit, they coolly sat down to eat bread. But Reuben had gone away. The others were still sit- ting near the pit eating their meal, when they looked up and saw a company of Ish- maelites, with their camels, coming that way. They had with them some spices and balm and myrrh, which they •were carrying down into Egypt to sell there. And now a fresh thought came into the minds of these cruel men ; and Judah said to his brothers, What good will it do us if we kill our brother, or if we leave him in this pit to starve to death? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and do not let us hurt him; for after all he is our brother. And his brethren were content to do as Judah had said. So they lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and when the Ishmaelites passed by, they sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the Ishmaelites took him, and carried him into Egypt to be a slave. 62 THE STORY OF JOSEPH. Some time afterwards, when his brothers were out of sight, Reuben went to the pit to draw up poor Joseph, and to take him back- to his father again. lie looked in, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit ! In great distress and grief he tore his clothes. In that country it is a sign of great sorrow and he might not think the)- had done anything to Joseph. This is what they did. They iat of many colors, and they killed a kid of the goat-, ;.:; 1 dipped the coat in the blood. Then the}- carried the coat, all covered with blood, to their father, and said to him, We found this; do you JOSEPH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN. mourning to tear the clothes ; and Reuben showed by this how bitterly he grieved. He went at once to his brothers, and said to them, The child is gone — he is not in the pit ; and I, what shall I do ? where shall I go? And now they began to consult together what lie they should tell their father, so that think it can really be Joseph's coat or not ? When Jacob saw r it, he knew it at once, and a terrible pain came into his heart. He said, It is my son's coat ; a wild beast has devoured him : Joseph is without a doubt torn in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put a THE STORY OF JOSEPH. 63 coarse kind of cloth, called sackcloth, upon him (to wear sackcloth is another sign of grief) ; and he mourned his beloved son man\' days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him ; but he refused to be comforted. He said, I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. At last the Ishmaelites with their captive boy, and their camels, laden with spices, arrived in Egypt. Now Joseph was a very handsome youth ; and Potiphar, who was an officer of King Pharaoh, and captain of the guard, thought he would like to have him for a sen-ant. So he bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had carried him down into that country. And the Lord was with Joseph, so that he became a very prosperous man ; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. But what a change this was for him ! Instead of the robe of honor — the coat of many colors — he now wore the dress of a slave. Instead of being in the position of the favorite son of a rich and powerful chief, he was now a servant in a strange land. And instead of being free to look after his father's flocks in the green valleys and on the steep slopes of beautiful Canaan — he himself a young shepherd chief — he now had to wait upon the orders of his master, and could only go where he was sent. Joseph Promoted. Aid his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him faithfully ; so Potiphar made him overseer — that Is, gave him charge — over his house ; and all that he had he put into Joseph's hands. From the time that he had made him over- seer in his house, and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And Potiphar left the whole management of everything to Joseph, without even taking the trouble to look after him, for he knew that Joseph was faithful and upright. But it came to pass after these things that his master's wife, who was a very wicked woman, tried to make Joseph as wicked as herself. She was deceitful, and would do things behind her husband's back that she would not do if he were near; and she wanted Joseph to be deceitful too. But he would not listen to her; for he feared God, and he was true to his master. Many times she tried to tempt him into sin; but he said to her, My master trusts me. He has given into my charge every- thing that is in the house, and he has been very kind to me. How, then, can I deceive him? it would be a great wickedness, and a sin against God. Accused by a Woman. His master's wife became very angry at last, and she determined to get him into trouble and disgrace. So one day, as soon as Potiphar, her husband, had come into the house, she went to him and said, The Hebrew servant whom you have brought unto us is not as good as you think him to be. When you were out he came and was very rude to me, and mocked me; but when I cried out, he was frightened and ran away. When Potiphar heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying, After this manner did your servant behave to me. he was exceedingly angry. He never thought that his wicked wife was telling him what was untrue ; he believed all that she G4 THE STORY OF JOSEPH. said, and so he was determined to punish Joseph. He took him, and put him into the prison which was in his house. It was a place where the king's prisoners were bound ; and lie was there in the prison. Once more, you see, Joseph was suffering from the wickedness of others. lie had done nothing wrong, he had bravely done the right, vet now he was punished as a wrong-doer. He was bound with heavy chains ; and the iron chains that were round his feet hurt him very much ; and his heart was sad. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy. The keeper of the prison treated Joseph with kindness, so that before very long his chains were taken off, and he was allowed to walk about. Then, when the keeper of the prison saw how perfectly he was to be trusted, he gave into Joseph's care all the other prisoners that were in the prison ; and whatever they did there he was the doer of it. « Two More Prisoners. Nine long, weary years passed away, and Joseph was still a prisoner. Though he was so much trusted, yet he was not allowed to leave the prison ; he was still in disgrace — still suffering from the wicked lies of Poti- phar's wife. Now it happened one day that the king of Egypt was very angry with two of his servants. The chief butler and the chief baker had provoked the king so much that he told Potiphar to take them away to prison. Potiphar, therefore, brought them to Joseph, and ordered them to be bound with chains, and told him to be sure and keep them safely. The chief butler and the chief baker had been for some time in prison, when they both had a dream in the same night. Each of them had a different dream ; and when they awoke the>- could not help thinking about it, and it made them feel very miserable. When Joseph came in to them next morning, as he was always accustomed to do, t>» give them their food, he noticed at once that they were looking very much cast down. So he asked Pharaoh's sen-ants, saying, Why do you look so sad to-day ? Ami they said to him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to tell us the meaning of it. And Joseph said, God sends dreams, and he can show you what they mean ; so tell me, I pray you, what it is you have dreamed. A Vine With Three Branches. And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me. And on the vine were three branches ; and it seemed as if these branches began to bud and to blossom. Then clusters of grapes grew on them, and the grapes were quite ripe. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand ; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into the king's hand. This was the butler's dream. And when Joseph heard it, he knew at once what the meaning of it was ; for God gave him wisdom, and the power to explain or interpet dreams. And Joseph said to the chief butler, This is the meaning of your dream. The three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison, and will let you go back to your place in the king's house. And you shall give the cup of wine into Pharaoh's hand again, as you used to do when you were his butler. But do remember me when it shall be well with you, and show your kindness to me, I pray you ; and tell Pharaoh about me, so that I may be taken out of this prison. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews ; THE STORY OF JOSEPH. 65 and here also I have done nothing that they should shut me up in a place like this. Three White Baskets. When the chief baker saw what a happy meaning there was to the butler's dream, he was in a great hurry to tell about his own ; ind he said to Joseph, In my dream, I thought that I had three white baskets on my head. In the top basket there were all manner of cakes, and of baked meats, for Pharaoh ; and the birds came and ate all the cakes and baked meats out of the basket that was on my head. Joseph told him the meaning of his dream. He said, The three baskets mean three days. In three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison, and will have you hung up on a tree ; and when you are dead, the birds will come and will eat your flesh off you. Just as Joseph had said, it all came to pass. Three days after he had explained the mean- ing of the dreams, it was Pharaoh's birthday ; and the king made a great feast for all his servants. Then he sent for the chief butler and the chief baker out of prison ; and when they came before him, he forgave the butler, and said that he might wait upon him as he had done before : so the butler gave the cup again into Pharaoh's hand. But the king would not forgive the chief baker. He ordered him to be hanged, just as Joseph had told him he would do. The butler was a very ungrateful man. He quite forgot Joseph ; he quite forgot the earnest request that he would mention Joseph to the king, and get him taken out of prison. Month after month the poor prisoner waited, hoping that some one would come to set him free ; but he waited in vain. God had not forgotten Joseph, though he chose to try his patience by keeping him so long in prison. In his own good time he prepared the way for setting the prisoner free ; and this was how he brought it about. Two full years had passed away since the ungrateful butler had left the prison (where Joseph had now been shut up for more than eleven years), when one night Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had a very strange dream. The Fat and Lean Cows. He thought he was standing by the river Nile, which runs through the land of Egypt ; and, behold, there came up out of the river seven very nice-looking fat cows. In that country cattle are very fond of standing quite up to their necks in water, both because of the heat, and also to protect themselves from the flies and insects. These cows that Pharaoh was watching in his dream began to feed in a meadow. Afterwards bethought he saw seven other kine, or cows, come up out of the river; they were very thin and ugly, and they stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river. And the thin, ugly cows ate up the fat, nice-looking ones. Then Pharaoh awoke. But he slept again, and had another strange dream. This time he thought he saw seven ears of corn come up upon one stalk, full of good grain. And, behold, seven thin ears, all shrivelled and withered with the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin ears ate up the seven good and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. Sends for Joseph. In the morning his spirit was troubled. He felt that his dreams must have a meaning, and he longed to have them explained to him. So he sent for all the wise men of Egypt, and for the men who studied secret arts, and who pretended to understand dreams ; but when the king had told them 66 THE STl >\<\ I IF Jl >SEPH. his dreams, not one of them could tell him the meaning of them. At last the butler thought of Joseph, He felt ashamed and sorry that he could have forgotten him so long, and that he had not kept his promise to him. He spoke to the youug man, an Hebrew, servant to Potipuar, the captain of the guard ; and we told him our dreams, and he explained to us the meaning of them. lie said that I should be the kings butler again, but that the baker would be hanged. And it all happened JOSEPH INTERPRETING PHARAOH S DREAMS. king, and said, I do remember my faults this day. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker. And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he ; each of us had a different dream. And there was there with us a exactly as he had told us. When Pharaoh heard this, he ordered some men to go quickly and bring Joseph to him. So they went in haste and took him out of prison, where he had been so long. Then he shaved off his beard, and cut his hair short, in the way the Egyptians were accustomed to do ; THE STORY OF JOSEPH. <»7 and he changed his garments, to make him- self fit to appear before the king. Then, when he was quite ready, they brought him to Pharaoh. And the king said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to tell me what it means. But I hear that you are able to explain the meaning of dreams. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me — I cannot do it of myself ; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. ■What the Dreams Meant. And Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams. And Joseph said unto the king, Both the dreams have the same meaning; and God has showed Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven good kine are seven years ; and the seven good ears of corn are seven years ; the dream is one. And the seven thin kine, and the seven thin ears of corn, are also seven years — seven years of famine. This is what God is going to do, and what he has shown to Pharaoh. There are going to be seven years of very great plenty in all the land of Egypt. But afterwards there will come seven years of famine. And all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt- an d the famine shall consume the land ; for it shall be very grievous. And the reason that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, is because God will certainly bring it to pass ; and he will do it soon. When Joseph had finished explaining about the dreams to Pharaoh, he began to advise the king what to do. He said, Let Pharaoh look out a man who is very prudent and wise, and let him be set over the land of Egypt. And while the seven years of plenty last, let him be careful to gather up all the food of those good years that come, and save up corn for Pharaoh. So, when the seven years of famine come, there will be food for the people; and the land will not be destroyed with famine, even though no corn will be growing in the fields. Made Ruler of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to his servants, Where can we find such a wise man as Joseph ? for the Spirit of God is in him. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Because God has showed you all this, I know that you are more wise and prudent than any one else. So I will set you over my house, and all my people shall be ruled as you advise. And you shall be greater than any other man in my king- dom, except myself. Here was a great and wonderful change for Joseph. In the morning he was a prisoner and a slave; before evening came he was like a prince — honored and trusted by the king, and made the greatest man in all that land. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand ; and he gave him beautiful garments to wear, and he put a gold chain round his neck. He also made him to ride in a very grand chariot — one of his own carriages — and they called him the Father of the country. And the king said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. By this Pharaoh meant that he gave Joseph the power to do exactly as he liked in all that land, and that no one was to attempt to disobey his orders. As another mark of his favor, the king gave Joseph a wife out of one of the chief families in Egypt ; so he now had a happy home in the country where he had been a slave. And all the people showed him the same respect and reverence that was due to a great prince ; for King Pharaoh had made 6S THE STORY OF JOSH PH. Joseph ruler over the whole land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he was made ruler of Egypt. And as soon ^s he- had gone out from the presence of Pharaoh, he went through all the land of Egypt about the king's business. He did not neglect the work that was given him to do; and as he and cities he stored up the grain that he had collected out of the fields round those cities. .And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number. During those years of plenty, two little sons were born to Joseph, and this was a JOSEPH PROCLAIMED RULER OF EGYPT. had before been faithful and true in little things, he now showed himself to be equally upright and honest in great things. While the seven years of plentiful harvests and abundance of food lasted, Joseph was diligent in gathering up all the spare corn over all the country. In each of the towns great happiness and delight to him. He called the name of the first-born Manasseh, which means "forgetting; " for God, he said, has made me to forget all my troubles and sorrows. And his second son he called Ephraim, which means " fruitfulness ; " for, he said, THE STORY OF JOSEPH. 69 God lias greatly blessed me in the land of my affliction. The seven years of great plenty were at an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. The dearth, ' or scarceness of food, was not in the land of Egypt only, but in all the surrounding countries also ; yet it was only in Egypt that there was corn for making bread. A Great Famine. The people had nothing to eat, so they went to Pharaoh, and cried to him for bread — they told him they were starving. And Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, Go to Joseph, and whatever he says to you, do. Then the people took their money to Joseph, and he opened the storehouses, and sold corn to all the Egyptians. And the famine was very grievous. People also came from other countries to buy corn, because the famine was so sore. What do you think was happening in the land of Canaan all this time — in the land where Jacob lived ? The famine was there too ; and the sons of Jacob were in great dis- tress about it. They did not know what to do, or where they should go for food ; and they were afraid that their wives and their little children would all be starved to death. But Jacob, said to his sons one day, Why do you look one upon another ? Why do you stand still doing nothing? Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt ! Get you down to that country, and buy food for us, that we may live, and not die. So it was decided that Joseph's ten brothers should go down to Egypt to buy corn. But Jacob would not let Benjamin, his young- est son, go down with them, for he said, Perhaps some harm might befall him. When his brothers arrived before Joseph, they did not know him. They never once thought that this was the brother they had sold, more than twenty years before, for twenty pieces of silver. He was only a young lad then. Now they saw before them a very handsome man, with his hair cut and arranged in the peculiar way that the Egyptians were accustomed to wear it. He was also dressed like an Egyptian, and he was called by another name, which the king had given him, to make the people forget that he had come from another country, and was not really an Egyptian. Besides all this, he was the lord of the land ; so no wonder they did not know him. But Joseph knew them in a moment! Yet he would not tell them who he was, for he wanted to prove them, and to see whether they were better men than they were when he was at home with them. So when his ten brothers bowed down very humbly before him, with their faces to the earth, he spoke roughly to them, and said, Where do you come from ? And they answered, From the land of Canaan, to buy food. The Brothers Tell Who They Are. As Joseph saw them bowing down before him, he must have remembered the dream which he had dreamed as a boy, and how angry they were with him when he told them about it. He thought that they were all binding sheaves in the field, and that his sheaf stood upright, while theirs bowed down to his sheaf. Now the dream had come true. But Joseph still went on speaking roughly to them, and pretending not to know them. He said, You are spies ; you have come from our enemies, to see how poor the land is, and what harm you can do us. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are your servants come. We are all the sons of one man ; we are true 70 THE STORY OF JOSEPH. men : your servants are no spies. Joseph pretended not to believe them. He said, Nay, but you are come to see how poor and starved the land is. Then the ten brothers thought that if they were to tell this great lord who they wire, he would be more likely to believe them. So they said, Your servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, Now I shall see whether you are spies, or if you are true men. By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go away from here, except your youngest brother come down. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother ; and all the rest of you shail be kept in prison tiL he comes. By this I shall know whether you are speak- ing the truth, or whether you are spies. In Great Distress. When Joseph had said this, he ordered them all to be taken to prison ; and he kept them there for three days. On the third day, Joseph had his ten brothers brought before him, and he said to them, This is what you must do, and then you shall live ; for I fear God. If you are true men, then let one of your brethren be bound in the prison ; and all the rest may go back to your country, and carry corn for the famine of your houses. But bring your youngest brother unto me ; so shall your words be proved to be true, and you shall not die. When the men heard this they were greatly distressed. They could not bear the thought of leaving one of their number behind, in an Egyptian prison, while they returned to Canaan ; and besides this, they doubted very much if they would be able to persuade their father to let them bring Benjamin down. And now, in their trouble and sorrow, they remembered again the wicked deed they had done, more than twenty years before, and the\' said one to another, We are indeed guilty about our brother Joseph, because we saw the anguish of his soul when he begged us to spare him; and we would not hear.* It is because of what we did then that all this distress is come upon us now. And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the child ; and you would not hear ? And now God is punishing us for it. The brothers did not know that Joseph could understand them ; for they had been speaking in Hebrew, and he had been speak- ing to them in the language of Egypt, and had made a man, called an interpreter, explain to them what he had said. But when he heard their words — when he heard them speak in the familiar language of his dear old home — and when he found that they were sorry for their wickedness, his heart was so much touched that he could not keep back his tears. He turned away from them and wept. Money in the Sacks. He did not wish to make them unhappy, but he was determined to find out if Benjamin were safe. So presently he went back to them again, and talked with them a little. Then he took Simeon from them, and bound him before their eyes. Before the brothers set out on their home- ward way again, Joseph told some of his servants to fill their sacks with corn, and secretly to put back into each man's sack the money which each of them had brought to pay for the corn. He also gave them plenty of food to eat while on their journey. Thus did he unto them. Then the men put their sacks upon their asses, and departed. THK STORY OF JOSEPH. 71 It was with very heavy hearts that they journeyed back to Canaan again. They had bad news to take to their poor old father ; and they had already saddened his life so much, that it was a great distress to them to think that the tidings they would bring would cause him more sorrow. As they journeyed on they came to an inn, and there they stopped for a time to rest. And as one of them opened his sack, to his great surprise he saw his money there, for it was in the sack, lying on the top of the corn. He said to his brothers, My money is given back ; and, lo, it is even in my sack. And they were greatly afraid, saying one to another. What is this that God has done unto us ? At last they came unto Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, The man who is the lord of the land spoke very roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country And we said unto him, We are true men we are no spies. We be twelve brethren, sons of our father : one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, This is the way that I shall know- that you are true men : leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone ; and bring your youngest brother unto me : then I shall know that you are no spies, but that you are true men. So will I give your brother back to you again, and you shall buy and sell in the land. Jacob's Grief. These were very sad tidings for poor old Jacob. Simeon was a prisoner in Egypt ; and he would not be set free till Benjamin should be sent down. When they had finished telling him everything they began to empty their sacks, and to put away the corn which was so scarce and so precious into some safe place. And, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack, and when they saw it, both they and their father were very much afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, You have bereaved me of my children. Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me. Then Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Kill my two sons, if I do not bring Benjamin back to you safely. Deliver him into my hands, and I will bring him back to you again. My son shall not go down with you, Jacob said ; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. CHARTER VI. B. C. 1600. Joseph and his Brethren in Egypt — The Feast in the Pal,ace — Story of Benjamin — The Cup in the Sack — The Plea of Judah — Joseph Makes Himself Known to his Brethren — Jacob's Journey to Egypt — A Home in a Far Country — The Bu of Joseph's Two Sons — Jacob's Death and Burial — Last Days of Joseph. HE famine was still sore in the land of Canaan, as well as in Egypt and in many other coun- tries ; and with all their care, the corn that Joseph's broth- ers had brought out of Egypt could not last long. After a time it was all eaten up, and they were again in danger of starving unless they could go down to Egypt to buy more. But they knew it was useless to go unless they took Benjamin with them. At last their father Jacob said to them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah said to his father, The man did very solemnly declare to us that we should not see his face except our brother be with us. If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not go down ; for the man said unto us, You shall not see my face except your brother be with you. So their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this. Take some of the best fruits of the land, and carry down a 72 present to the man. Take a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds. And take double money in your hand : and the money that you found in your sacks, take it all back again ; perhaps it was by some mistake — some oversight — that it was returned. Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man. that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. At last they were all ready to start. They took Benjamin, and kissed their father, and their wives and little children, and bidding them all good-bye, they went down into Egypt. Once again they stood before Joseph. They went, as before, to the place where he was selling the corn ; and when Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, his heart went out in great love to his young brother, and he longed to put his arms round his neck. But he would not speak to any of them yet ; he wanted to prove his brothers still further. Besides, this was the time for serving out the corn to the people ; and as Joseph was always faithful in doing his duty, and attend- ing to his business, he still went on with his work, and would not leave off till noon, when he would go home to dinner. But Joseph spoke to his chief servant or « w Eh « pq CO M o Eh O i— i M r you shall \u: rich and prosper Jacob's Dying Words. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and shall bring you again into the land of your fathers. And Jacob called his sons unto him, and said, Gather yourselves together, even all of yOu, that I may tell you that which shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father. So Jacob's twelve sons came as he desired them to do, and gathered round his bed to hear his dying words. He spoke of each of his sons, beginning with Reuben his first-born ; and they all stood silently round him, listening very intently to his last words. He spoke of their faults too. He said that Reuben had lost the right of the eldest born, because he had been very wicked, and because his character was weak and uncertain. He strongly blamed Simeon and Levi for their cruelty in Shechem, and said that their families should suffer for that evil act, and should not be as strong and great as they otherwise would have been, but that they should be divided and scattered. But of Judah he prophesied great things. He said, Judah, you are he whom your brethren shall praise. There was much that was very noble in the character of Judah, as we have seen ; and Jacob said that he should be a great chief among his brethren, and that his father's children should bow down before him. Moreover, it was of the family of Judah that the Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be born ; so his tribe was honored far beyond all others. And to Joseph, or rather to his two sons, was given the birthright that Reuben had nunc. years. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN IN EGYPT. 81 Abraham bought for a possession of a burial- place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife ; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife ; and there I buried Leah. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons — when he had ex- plained to them all that he wanted them to lost by his sinful folly. For Jacob had said, Your two sons, Ephraim and Manassch, are mine; as Reuben ami Simeon, they shall be To each of his twelve sons, by turn, Jacob told what should befall him in the far-off And after he had done that, he blessed them all ; every one according to his -ing he blessed them. And he charged them, and said unto them, 1 am going to die : Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, in the land of Canaan, which 6 THE SONS OF JACOB BURYIXG THEIR FATHER. do — he gathered up his feet into the bed, and died. Then Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physi- cians to embalm his father's body. The Egyptians had a way of preserving 82 JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN IN EGYPT. bodies from decay. They used certain drugs and gums and spices, and used them so skillfully that to this day there are Egyptian mummies to be seen which are more than three thousand years old. An embalmed body is called a mummy. So the physicians, whose special duty it was to attend to this work, embalmed the dead body of the aged Israel. And his sons, and the Egyptians also, mourned for him seventy days. But Joseph had not forgotten the promise he had made to his dear old father. He had not forgotten how eagerly he had desired to be buried in the cave of Machpelah ; and Joseph was very anxious to carry out his wishes as soon as possible, yet he would not go without the king's permission. The King Allows Him to Go. So when the seventy days were past Joseph spoke unto the house of Pharaoh (that means to the king's family, or to the chief persons in his household), saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me make him a very solemn promise ; for he said to me, Lo, I die : in my grave which I have digged for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will come back again. And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, according as he made you swear. Why did not Joseph speak directly to the king himself, as he had always done before ? Why did he now, for the first time, make his request to Pharaoh through some of the king's family ? This was the reason. Joseph was accus- tomed to dress and to wear his hair in the same way that the Egyptians did. They always shaved off the beard and all the hair that grew on their faces. But when they were in mourning for a relative, they were obliged to let the hair grow on their faces again; for they were not allowed to shave then. Now it was not considered respectful or proper for the Egyptians to appear before their king unshaved ; so Joseph would not venture before him till all the mourning was ended, and till he might shave the hair off his face as before. As soon as Pharaoh had given Joseph leave to go, he went up to bury his father. And with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the ciders (or chief persons) of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt. All the house of Joseph went too, and all his brethren, and his father's house ; only their little ones, and their flocks and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with Joseph both char- iots and horsemen — an armed guard to watch over them in case they should meet with dangers on the road — and it was a very great company. The Funeral March to Canaan. There were Egyptian warriors, officers of the king, gentlemen of the court, and men of the highest rank in the land of Egypt, all doing honor to the memory of Jacob by accompanying his sons and grandsons on their funeral march to Canaan. They came at last to the promised land, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation. For seven days they mourned and wept, because the great shep- herd chief was dead. And the people of Canaan looked on in wonder. Seventeen years before, they had seen Jacob setting off in Egyptian wagons, with all his sons, and all his possessions, to go and live in the land of Goshen ; now his dead body was brought back with much love, and great honor, to be JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN IN EGYPT. S3 buried with his father and his grandfather. Then the sons of Israel buried their father in the land of Canaan, as he had commanded them. When this solemn duty was done, Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren, and all those who went up with him to bury his father. But Joseph's broth- ers were not at ease. They were afraid, now their father was dead, that Joseph would your brethren, and their sin ; for they did unto you evil. And now, we pray you, for- give the sin of the servants of the God of your father. When Joseph heard this message he wept. His heart was so true, and so tender and loving, that he could not understand how it was that his brothers did not believe in his complete forgiveness. And his brothers EMBALMING THE revenge himself upon them for all their cruelty and unkindness to him when he was a boy. They said, Joseph will hate us, and he will certainly punish us for all the evil which we did unto him. So they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Your father did command us before he died, saying, So shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray you now, the trespass of BODY OF JOSEPH. went to him, and fell down before his face ; and they said, Behold, we are your servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not ; for am I in the place of God ? He meant to say, Do not be afraid of me ; only fear God. But as for you, though you thought to do me evil, God meant it for good, that many people might be saved alive during that time of famine. Now therefore fear you not ; I will take care of you and of your little ones. 8-1 JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN IN EGYPT. And he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them. And Joseph lived in Egypt, he and all his father's house. And God blessed him there, and prospered him, and he saw his grand- children and great-grandchildren growing up around him. But when he was a hundred and ten years old, he said unto his brothers, I am dying ; and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land into the land which he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Joseph Buried in Canaan. And Joseph made the children of Israel promise that when the time should come for them to leave Egypt and return to Canaan, they should not forget to take his dead body with them, and to bury him in the promised land. God will surely visit you, he said, and you shall carry up my bones from here. So Joseph died. And they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt. But they did not bury him there. Faith- ful to their promise, they waited till they should leave the country where they had alread\ r lived so long. They little knew how long it would be before they should see the beautiful land of Canaan. They little thought that bitter sorrow and trouble and slavery were before them, and that the Egyptian people, who- were now so kind, would most cruelly oppress them. But God was very good to them. He never for one moment forgot them, neither did he forget his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When the right time had come, he took them out of the hands of those who were so cruelly ill-using them, and brought them out of the land of Egypt with a strong arm. The account of the journeyings of the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan is a very strange and wonderful story. When at last, several hundred years after Joseph died, the children of Israel reached the land of Canaan, they buried him in Shechem, in that parcel of ground which Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver, and which he afterwards gave to Joseph as the one portion more than his brothers had received. So the last wish of Joseph was fulfilled, that he should be buried in the land of Canaan. CHAPTER VII. B. C. 1571. The Story of Moses — The Little Lifeboat — Adopted Child of Pharaoh's Daughter — Cruel Treatment of the Israelites in Egypt — Moses Slays an Egyptian — At the Burning Bush — Aaron's Rod Becomes a Serpent — The Ten Plagues — The First-born of the Egyptians Slain — Feast of the Passover — The Hebrews Pass through the Red Sea — Pharaoh and his Host Drowned — The Song of Triumph. HEN Joseph and all his brothers were dead, and Pha- raoh and all the Egyptians who had known them were dead too, then a new- king ruled over Egypt. He was also called Pharaoh, for that was a name given to all the kings of Egypt beside their own names. This Pharaoh forgot the good that Joseph had done for the Egyptians, and he did not like to see the families of the children of I-rael becoming so large, and living in the best part of Egypt. When Jacob came from Canaan with his sons, and their wives, and their children, there were seventy people altogether. Now there were thousands and thousands — the families had grown so many and so large. Pharaoh was jealous of them. He said, I cannot have so many of these Hebrews, or Israelites, in the land. So he set them to very hard work, and treated them most cruelly, for he thought this would make them weak, and then they would die. But he could not destroy the people in this way, so he tried another plan. He told the nurses who went to help the mothers to take care of their little children, to throw all the boy-babies into the river Nile as soon as they were born. The nurses did not obey this wicked law, but saved all the babies alive that they could. At this time there lived a good man and his wife, who had one daughter named Miriam, and a little boy three years old, named Aaron. He was born before the king made this cruel law. Then another child was born; it was a little boy. He was such a beautiful baby that the mother said, I cannot throw him into the river. Hiding the Little Boy. For three months she took great pains to hide him, so that the Egyptians should not know that she had a little child. At the end of that time she could hide him no longer, for he was bigger and cried louder; and she was sadly afraid that he would be discovered. What carjt I do? she said. Must my little babe be thrown into the river ? She soon thought what she would do. There grew upon the banks of the river Nile a large reed or rush called papyrus. This was useful in many ways. A kind of paper was made from it ; our word paper comes from papyrus. It was also used for making such things as we make of wicker-work. 85 86 THE STORY OF MOSES. The mother thought. I will make a cradle- boat for my baby to lie in when I put him into the river. So she took the leaves of the papyrus, and plaited them into a cradle. When this little ark or boat was made, she covered it all over on the outside with a kind of pitch, so as to keep the water out. Very to the river, and placed it among the tall rushes which grew on its banks. She dared not stop to watch it herself, but she told her daughter Miriam to stay near the place, and see what became of it. Soon Miriam saw a lady and her maids coming along. She was a princess, the PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER FINDING MOSES. likely the mother filled the inside with some- thing- soft, and made it as comfortable as she could. The mother with many tears and prayers lifted the child from her bosom, and laid him in this strange cradle. Then she carried it daughter of Pharaoh the king. As she passed by the river-side, the lady saw some- thing like a tiny boat among the rushes. She told one of her maids to draw it out and bring it to her. When she opened it, she saw in it ? lovely THE STORY OF MOSES. S7 babe. As she and her maid looked, the child cried. No wonder! for all the faces one; she knew that it was one of the Hebrew children that had been put there, so that it MOSES BROUGHT BEFORE PHARAOH S DAUGHTER. were strange to him, and it was his mother's face that he wanted to see when he awoke. The princess was sorry for the poor little might not be killed according to her father's order. This beautiful boy shall be my child, she said; I will take care of him. 88 THE STORY OF MOSES. Jii-^t then Miriam came up to the princi she did not tell her that she was the baby's sister, but she asked, Shall I go and call you a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may take care of the child for you ? The princess told her to go. ians did see the babe, for they would not harm him. lie was to be treated, not as a Hebrew child, but as a young prince; he was to be like a son to Pharaoh's daughter. When he was old enough, his mother brought him to the princess, and she called THE ISRAELITES MADE TO WORK HARD IN EGYPT. So Miriam went and called the child's mother. When she came, Pharaoh's daughter said. Take this child, and nurse it for me; and I will pay you for your trouble. So the mother took the baby home with her. Now, she need not be afraid if the Egypt- his name Moses, because she said, I drew him out of the water. The word Moses means " drawn out." Moses lived at the court of Pharaoh until he was forty years old. He was taught in all the learning of the Egyptians, as if he PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER FINDING MOSES THE STORY OF MOSES. 89> were indeed the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and riches and honors were given him. And now came the time when he must choose between two things, whether he would suffer affliction with his own people or enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. For if he still dwelt in the king's court, he must needs do as they of the court were wont to do, following evil ways, and bowing king. One day he went to look at them, as they were working in the hot sun, bending under their heavy burdens. There was a poor man who had such a great weight to- carry that he could not move fast; so the Egyptian taskmaster, who was put over these- men to make the work, hit him hard. This cruel deed vexed Moses. And he looked this way and that way, and when. MOSES SLAYING THE EGYPTIAN. down to false gods. And because he had faith, believing in the things that were unseen, he chose the hard lot of the people of God rather than all the riches and honors that would have come in due course to the son of Pharaoh's daughter. But Moses did not forget his brethren the Israelites, who had to make bricks, and build cities, and work very hard indeed for the he saw that there was no man, he slew the- Egyptian and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together, and he said to him that did wrong, Where- fore smitest thou thy neighbor? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared. 90 THE STORY OF MOSES. and said, Surely this tiling is known, when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh into the land of Midian and sat down by a well. Now, the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds daughters, Where is lie? Why is it, that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses, Zipporah his daughter, to be his wife. Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his fither-in-law, the priest of Midian; and on a certain occasion he drove his flock into the MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH. came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel, their father, he said, How is it, that ye are come so soon to-day? And they said, An Egyptian deliv- ered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us and watered our flock. And he said unto his inner part of the desert, and came to the mountain of God on his way towards Horeb. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, but was not consumed. And Moses said, I will go and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. THE STORY OF MOSES. 91 And when the Lord saw that he went for- ward, He called to him out of the midst of the bush and said. Moses, Moses. And he answered, Here I am. And he said, Come not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground ; I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said to him, I have surely seen the affliction of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land into a good and large land, into a land flowing with milk and honey. Come now therefore, and I will send thee to Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. The Rod Becomes a Serpent. But Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh? And that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? God answered, Certainly I will be with thee, and thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, hath sent me unto you. But Moses answered and said, Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared to thee. And the Lord said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod. And the Lord said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. And the Lord said, Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it was turned into a rod again, That they may believe, saith he, that the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob hath appeared unto thee. And further the Lord said to him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And the Lord said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And the Lord said again, If they will not believe these two signs nor hearken to thy voice, then take water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land and it shall become blood. And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said to him,Who hath made man's mouth, or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say. In Egypt Again. Moses however entreated, and God appointed his brother Aaron to be his spokesman. Then Moses took his wife and his sons and returned to the land of Egypt, for God had told him to return and that all the men were dead who sought his life. And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went and met him in the mount of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken, and Moses did the signs in the sight of the people. 92 THE STORY OF MOSES. And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. After Moses and Aaron had told the Israel- ites that God would deliver them from the Egyptians, they went to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord God of Israel saith to you, Let had their own God, but as he did not own him as the true God, he would not obey his wishes. He found the work that the Israel- ites did so valuable, that he was not willing to part with them. He was quite as cruel as that King Phar- aoh who ordered all the little boy-babies to be thrown into the river. He made the Israelites to work harder than ever, for Ik aaron's rod changed to a serpent. my people go that they may serve me. Then Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Pharaoh, you see, neither knew nor cared anything about the true God ; but he, as well as all his people, worshipped many animals — such as bulls, serpents, and crocodiles. As the Egyptians had their false gods that they worshipped, so he thought that the Israelites said it was because they were idle that they wanted to go away. He told the taskmasters not to give them any straw to make their bricks, as they used to do ; but to let them go and get the straw for themselves, and they were to make just as many bricks every day as they had done before they had to find the straw. So the poor people went looking about for straw, and the taskmasters said to them. THE STORY OF MOSES. 93 Come, make haste ; finish your daily tasks ! But they could not finish them ; so the task- masters beat them. When the}- complained to Pharaoh, he only said. You are idle, you are idle ! God, however, saw their trouble and sorrow, and heard their groaning. He said to Moses and Aaron, Go again to Pharaoh, and take your rod with you. Throw it down before the king, and it shall ome a serpent. Then Moses and Aaron did so. When Pharaoh saw the rod changed into a serpent, he said, My wise men can do the same. He called them, and they threw down their rods, and they became serpents too ; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. Story of the Plagues. The next day Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord God of the Hebrews says, that if you will not let his people go, he will send terrible plagues over your land. Pharaoh did not heed ; so God sent the first terrible trouble, or plague, upon Egypt. God said to Moses, Tell Aaron to stretch his rod over the river Nile, and over all the streams and ponds, and the water shall be changed into blood. Ard Aaron did so ; and all the waters were turned into blood, and all the fishes in the river died ; and instead of water there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. This plague lasted seven days. At the end of that time, God said that he would bring another plague upon the land of Egypt, if Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh did not heed ; so God told Moses to say to Aaron, Stretch forth your rod over the rivers, the streams, and the ponds, and cause frogs to come up out of them, and cover the land. This was the second plague. When Aaron did so, the frogs came up and went everywhere. All places were full of them : not only out-of-doors, but in-doors too. They were even in their bedrooms and their beds, in their ovens, and in places where they kept their food. This was so unpleasant, that Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, Pray to your God to take away the frogs, and I will let your people go. So they asked God to take away the frogs and God made them die out of all the houses and the fields ; and the Egyptians put them together in heaps. Lice and Flies. When this trouble was over, Pharaoh would not keep his promise to let the Israel- ites go, so God sent the third plague. Aaron stretched out his rod over the dust of the land, and it became lice. These creeping insects came upon all the Egyptians, and upon their beasts too. Still, Pharaoh was not sorry. Then God sent a fourth plague — a griev- ous swarm of flies, so that the whole land was corrupted because of them. Pharaoh now said to Moses and Aaron, Ask God to take away the flies, and I will let the people go for a little way into the wilderness, to wor- ship God. And Moses prayed to God, and God took away the flies ; but neither at this time also would Pharaoh let the people go. Then God sent the fifth plague, which was a murrain, or fearful disease among the cattle, so that a great many horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep died. But only, those belonging to the Egyptians died. God took care of the cattle of the Israelites, and they did not lose one. Still Pharaoh heeded not, so God sent the sixth plague. This was very sore pimples or boils, which came upon man and beast. 94 THE STORY OF MOSES. and which caused great burning pain. Even after this Pharaoh still was self-willed, and would not obey God's command. So God sent Moses and Aaron to tell him that the next day he would send a dreadful tempest of thunder and lightning, and hail, and rain. So fetch in all your servants and cattle out of the fields, lest the hail kill them. Then those Egyptians who feared God brought their servants and cattle in ; but those who did not care for what God said, left them to stay out in the fields. A Frightful Hail-storm. The next morning, God sent a terrible hail- storm. This was the seventh plague. It thundered veiy loud and long, and the lightning was like fire running along the ground. It was an awful sight, and the large stones of hail knocked down and killed all the men and beasts who were in the fields. The trees were bent, and many were broken in this fearful storm, and the barley, and the flax, and many green herbs besides, were torn to pieces by its fury. But there was no storm in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh was frightened at the loud long- thunderings, and at the fierce lightning, so seldom heard and seen in Egypt ; and he said to Moses, Pray to God for me, it is enough, for I will let you go and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses did so, but when Pharaoh saw that the danger was passed, that it thundered no more, and that the hail ceased, then he said, I will not let the people go. Ground Covered with Locusts. Now God sent the eighth plague. He made a strong east wind blow, which brought locusts in such large numbers that no one could see the ground, it was so covered by them. This was a dreadful plague. A locust is an insect something like a grasshopper, only very much larger. These insects soon eat up all that is green. They will come in large flocks, hiding the light of the sun like a thick cloud, as they fly along. When the locusts settle, they very soon eat up every blade of grass, all the leaves and young shoots off the trees, and everything else in the way of fruits and vegetables. When they fly away again, the country looks brown, as if it was burnt with fire ; for all the grass is eaten, and the trees look bare as they do in winter, for every leaf is gone. Now God sent to the Egyptians these locusts, larger than they had ever seen before, and in such vast numbers too that the whole ground looked dark with them. They soon ate up everything that the hail had left, all the herbs, all the fruit ; and there remained not any green thing throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron in j great haste, and said, I have sinned against the Lord and against you ; forgive me I pray this once, and ask God to take away this great evil. Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh's presence, and prayed to God to take away the locusts. And God sent a strong west wind, which blew the locusts into the Red Sea, where they died ; there was not one left in all the land. Darkness that Could be Felt. But this sorrow of Pharaoh was only pre- tence ; he was sorry to have the locusts, but he was not sorry for his cruelty, nor for his sin in breaking his promise ; and again he said, I will not let the people go. Then God sent the ninth plague. For three days and nights he covered the whole land of Egypt with a thick darkness ; it seemed as if they could feel it, it was so thick. THE STORY OF MOSES. 95 Their lamps gave no light, and for three days they could not see each other. No one moved from his place, no one could work all that while ; every one was too frightened to do anything. The Israelites had light in all their dwell- ings, which showed the Egyptians most plainly that the darkness was sent as a punish- ment to them for their cruelty to God's people. Pharaoh now was willing to let the people go ; but he said, You shall not take your herds with you. Moses said, When they went they must take all that they had. Then was Pharaoh very angry, and he would not let them go. Now God sent a tenth plague over the land of Egypt. Nine fearful plagues had already swept over the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh was still obstinate and self-willed. But the time was now coming for him to obey the command of God, and to let the Israelites go. The First-born Slain. In the middle of the night the tenth awful trouble came, for in that hour of stillness and of darkness, God smote all the first-born of the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, to the first- born of the captive that was in the dungeon ; and all the first-born of the cattle. Every Egyptian household was awaked from its sleep to see the dying pain of its best beloved one, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. An exceedingly great and bitter cry of fear and grief was heard throughout all the land of Egypt — all were mourning for their slain ones. They could not see the hand that dealt the blow, but they knew that it was given by the God of the Israelites, for their many cruelties to his people. In great alarm, in the middle of the night, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Rise up, and go away out of my land, you and the Israelites. Go and serve the Lord as you said. Take your flocks and herds and be gone, and bless me also. The proud king was so much humbled now, that he asked them to bless him. He begged that he might not be under the wrath of that mighty God, whose power was so great, whose displeasure was so terrible. The Egyptians, too, prayed the Israelites to make haste and go away ; or, they said, We shall all be dead men. They willingly gave them all that they wanted, and all that they asked for, so anxious were they to have them go. Getting Ready to Go. But how could the Israelites leave the land of Egypt at such a short notice, and in the middle of the night too ? They were all ready to do so, though it was in the middle of the night. While every household in Egypt was awake, mourning for its dead, every household in Israel was awake keeping a feast. Moses had told them to prepare for the journey, for on that very night God would make Pharaoh consent to let them go. God had said, Tell them, I will pass through the land of Egypt, about midnight, and all the first-born, both of man and beast, in the land of Egypt shall die; but I will pass over your houses and not smite your first- born. You must kill a lamb and sprinkle its blood on your doorposts : then, when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not destroy you. You must all of you stay in-doors that night and eat a feast, while the Lord is passing through the land to destroy the Egyptians, This feast is to be called the feast of the Passover. You must keep it every year as the day comes 96 THE STORY OF MOSES round, and you must eat it then as you will eat it to-night. Then God told them to take the lamb, whose blood they had sprinkled on the door- Egypt soon turns bad, and it is not proper that part of a sacrifice to God should be spoiled and become corrupt. The lamb was to be eaten with unleavened posts, and to roast it whole. Each family | bread and with bitter herbs ; first of all to THE FEAST OF THE PASS >VER. was to have its Passover lamb. It was to be a lamb without disease or fault of any kind. After they had eaten as much as they required, they were to save none of it till morning, but burn with fire what was left. This was because meat in a hot country like remind them of the heavy and bitter bondage that they had suffered in Egypt. It was tc teach them, too, that sin corrupts and spreads like leaven, and that, like the bitter herb, it is a bitter and an evil thing. They were to eat it with their girdles 97 98 THE STORY OF MOSES. tightened round their waists, with their shoes on their feet, with their staves in their hands, and to eat it in haste, so as to be ready at a moment's notice when the order came to start on their journey. While the Israelites were thus eating that Passover feast, the order came for them all at once to leave the land of Egypt, where they had lived so many years. They wc re- quite ready to go; not one moment did they wait; and the Egyptians, who before were so anxious to keep them, now almost thrust them out of their land. This coin£ out of the Israelites from Egypt is called the Exodus — the word "exodus" means departure. A Vast Multitude. How many Israelites were there, do you think, who left Egypt under Moses? It is supposed about three millions of men, women, and children. If you counted a thousand every day, you would be more than eight years counting this great multi- tude. When Jacob came from Canaan to settle in Egypt, his sons, and daughters, and grand- children, were but seventy persons altogether; now, notwithstanding their hard bondage, they had increased to this large number. God showed them the way out of Egypt. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. The cloudy pillar sheltered them from the hot rays of the sun by day, and the fiery pillar gave them light by night. After they had journeyed for three days, they came to the borders of the Red Sea, and there they encamped, or set up their tents, and rested. By this time Pharaoh and his servants said, Why did we let the Israelites go from serving us ? What shall we do without their labor? Let us go and make them come back to their work. Then Pharaoh gave orders to his servants to get ready the war chariots, for he said, I and my soldiers will go after the Israelites and bring them back. So they made ready all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and overtook the Is- raelites as they were encamped by the sea. Great was the terror of the Israelites as they saw these armed men coming towards them. They had no arms themselves, so they could not fight them. They were shut in by the mountains on the one side, and by the Red Sea on the other, so they could not run away from them. There seemed no way in which they could get out of their hands. Overtaken by the Egyptians. In their distress they cried to God and he heard them. He said, You can do nothing, you need do nothing ; I will do all. Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of God ; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to- day, ye shall see again no more for ever. It was about evening when the Egyptians overtook the Israelites. They felt so sure that they could not get away from them, that they pitched their tents near to the place where the Israelites were encamped, and waited till morning meaning then to drive them back again to their slavery in Egypt. The Israelites were trembling with fear, when all at once they saw their pillar of fire move through the air and come between them and the Egyptians. Now it was a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud both at once. To them it was a pillar of fire giving them light, but to the Egyptians it was a pillar of cloud, covering them with darkness. The Egyptians could not see the camp of the Israelites all night, for the thick cloud hid them from their sight. Still they thought that they were safe in their power; they THE STORY OF MOSES. 99 could not climb the mountains, they could not walk over the sea. Now, what happened? Moses, at the command of God, stretched out his rod over the waters of the Red Sea, and they divided, and the sea was like a wall on the right hand and on the left. Then a strong east wind began to blow, which dried up a pathway Then they came to the spot where they thought the Israelites were staying, and they found them gone. And the Egyptians pur- sued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians PHARAOH S HOST DESTROYED IN THE RED SEA. for them through the sea. Now, Moses said, Go forward; so this vast host began its journey through this wonderful road to the land on the opposite side. It is supposed that the sea was eight miles wide in that part where the Israelites crossed. It was not until morning when the Israelites had nearly all reached the further side, that the Egyptians became aware of what had taken place. through the pillar of fire and of the cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily : so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon 100 THE STORY OF MOSES. their chariots, and upon their horsemen. ! And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared ; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of j the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them ; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea ; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians ; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians : and the people feared the Lord, and believed the the Lord, and his servant Moses. So obstinate, self-willed Pharaoh, who was bent on having his own way, found it was of no use to strive against what it was right for him to do. He found the truth of the words, He that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. The Israelites were full of gratitude as they looked at the dead bodies of their enemies now lying up the sea-shore. Now they could hurt them no more ; they need never fear the Egyptian again. They might well feel that it was a great work that the Lord had done for them. The news of this mighty deliverance spread abroad into the distant countries through which they had to pass, and other nations feared to injure a people who were so clearly under the special care of God. Moses and the Israelites sang a song of thanks to God for helping them in this time of great need. It was all about God's good- ness : it began and ended with, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. CHAPTER VIII. B. C. 1491. From the Aed Sea to Sinai — The Bitter Waters made Sweet — Bread from Heaven — A Flock of Quails — Water from the Rock in Horeb — Battle with the Amalek- ites — The Ten Commandments Spoken from Sinai — Story of the Tabernacle and its Services — The Scapegoat Sent into the Wilderness. . AVING left the spot at which they crossed the Red Sea, the Israelites went into the desert southward, towards Horeb. This was not the direct way to Canaan — the land promised by God to Abraham and to his children ; but first of all, before going there, the Israelites were to visit the place where Moses saw the burning bush. There they were to worship God, and he would then direct them what to do next. For three weary days they travelled on, but they came to no well of water. That which they had brought with them from their last resting-place was all gone, and now they were ready to die of thirst. In this cold country we do not know what it is to suffer from thirst as those do who live in hot countries where water is scarce. For three days the Israelites had toiled on, with the scorching, blazing sun above them, and the burning sands of the desert beneath their feet. No sound of streams gladdened their ears, no green tree or grass delighted their eyes. On, this vast multitude moves in silence, when at last they see green trees and bushes. Now they know that water is near. How they rush on to the streams, which are life to them, and the whole multitude stoops to drink. But, hark! what is the meaning of that loud, wild cry of pain and disappointment? Brave men groan aloud ; the mothers weep for their children, whose sufferings are worse to them than their own ; the little ones dash down the water with a moaning cry. But why? The water is so salt and bitter that they cannot drink it. The streams only mock the agony of their thirst, for they see w r ater, but they loathe to taste it. They had been used to the sweet water of the Nile, which is some of the finest in the w r orld. No wonder they were disappointed. But they murmured, instead of praying to God. He had helped them through worse troubles than this, and they should have trusted in him now. They grumbled to Moses, and said, What shall we drink? The Water Made Sweet. The Lord had pity on their suffering, and showed Moses a tree which he told him to throw into the waters, and then the bitter taste would be taken away, and they would be fit to drink. The name of the place where these bitter waters were was called Marah, for Marah means "bitter." The next day the Israelites moved on to 101 102 FROM THE RI1IJ) SEA TO SINAI. Elim, and there they rested under the shade of beautiful palm-trees, and there they found an abundance of sweet water. When the Israelites had been out of the land of Egypt for about a month, they found that thc\- had eaten up nearly all the corn and other food that they had brought with them. They were now in the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. They could buy no food in the desert, nor did any corn grow there. As they had before suffered thirst, so now they began to feel the pain of hunger. So they grumbled again. They said, It would have been better for us to have died in Egypt, than to come to this desert to die of hunger. Our first-born had better have been slain with those of the Egyptians, we had better have been drowned with our enemies in the Red Sea, than have come to this trouble. Then they began to think of the bread and meat they had eaten in Egypt, but they for- got how hard w r as their slavery there. Now they were free men, on their way to the land promised to their fathers. It was not brave of them to think so much of the difficulties by the way, and it was very faithless and foolish of them not to trust God, when he had helped them so often. A Large Flock of Quails. God was grieved that they should mur- mur, yet he had pity on their wants. He sent them both meat and bread. That very evening a vast flock of quails came up and covered the camp and the Israelites were able to catch them in great numbers. They were most likely going to Egypt to feast in the cornfields, for this was about the season when corn was ripe. Now the Israelites had plenty of meat, and they could also dry the flesh of the birds that they did not want for present use, read}- for a future day. This was done by stripping off the skin with the feathers, and putting the body of the bird into the hot sand for a little while, when it would be dry and keep good some time. This is the promise the Lord made, and we are also told how he kept his word. The Lord said unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you ; and the people shall go out and gather some every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in : and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt : and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory- of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord : and what are we, that ye murmur against us ? The Ground Covered with Bread. And Moses said, The Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morn- ing bread to the full ; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him : and what are we. Your mur- murings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses told Aaron to say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Lord : for he hath heard your murmurings. As Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked towards the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel : speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. 103 be filled with bread ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. In the evening the quails came up, and covered the camp : and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew was dried up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar-frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another. It is manna ; • for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath com- manded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer (about five pints) for every man, according to the number of your persons ; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they measured it, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack ; they gathered every man accord- ing to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwith- standing they hearkened not unto Moses ; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank : and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating ; and when ■ the sun waxed hot, it melted. The Manna Lasts Two Days. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man : and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord : bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe ; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade. And Moses said, Eat that to-day ; for to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. Some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws ? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days ; abide ye every man in his place ; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. The Israelites called the name of this bread "Manna," because they did not know what it was. The word manna comes from "man hu," the Hebrew of "what is this?" The manna was very nice ; it was like meal and honey when eaten raw, but when cooked it had a taste of fresh oil, a flavor much liked by the Israelites. God did not wish the Israelites to forget how he had fed them in the wilderness, when they reached Canaan. He said, Save a measure full of manna, that it may be kept for future generations, to see the bread where- with I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. The supply of manna never failed until they reached the land of Canaan. God gave them day by day their daily bread. A Fountain in a Rock. At last the Israelites left the wilderness of Sin, and came to a place called Rephidim. Here again they wanted water, and instead of being patient, and waiting for God's help, they began to blame Moses. They said, 104 FROM THK RFD SFA TO SINAI. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt come- water, so that the people may drink, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle i Then Moses went with the elder.-, of Israel with thirst? | to the rock in Hereb, and smote it, and Then Moses cried to God, and said, What shall I do ? the people are almost ready to waters (lowed from it in refreshing streams down to the place where the Israelites had MOSES BRINGING WATER FROM THE R>)CK. stone me to death. God said, Go in before the people, and take with you the elders of Israel ; and take the rod with which you divided the Red Sea. I will go before you, and show you a rock in Horeb which you shall smite with your rod, and out of it shall set up their tents. This water lasted them for the whole time that they remained in that neighborhood, which was more than a year. The rock which it was thought was struck by Moses, is to be seen by travelers at the present day. 2i t— ( CQ Eh Si P O En < CO 03 Eh l-H h-H H <1 CD EH FROM THE RED SKA TO SINAI. 105 Then came a people called the Amalekites, and tough: against the children of Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to a brave man whose name was Joshua, Choose men, and go out and fight with Amalek ; to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. Joshua did as Moses had said. He chose some brave tired, and they brought a stone for him to sit on ; his hands were heavy, and so Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on one side of him and the other on the other side. This they did until the sun went down. And Joshua and his men overcame Amalek. God was displeased with Amalek for making war against the children of Israel, AARON AND HUR HOLDING men and went to fight Amalek ; and Moses, Aaron and Hur, Miriam's husband, went to the top of the hill where they could see the battle in the valley below. When Moses held up his hand the chil- dren of Israel were successful and the battle was in their favor, but when Moses let down his hand Amalek prevailed. Moses was UP THE HANDS OF MOSES. and he said the time would come when the Amalekites would be destroyed and no one would remember them. Then Moses built an' altar to remind the people that God had said he would punish the Amalekites for their wickedness. Now when Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God 106 FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. had done for the children of Israel, he took Zipporah, Moses' wife, and his two sons Gershom and Eliezer and brought them to Moses. And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and kissed him, and hearkened to his voice, and did all he said. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods ; for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses' father- in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God : and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in- law before God. At the Foot of Mount Sinai. And Moses by Jethro's advice chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons : the hard cases they brought unto Moses but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father-in-law depart ; and he went his way into his own land. The Israelites next came to the desert of Sinai or Horeb, and there they encamped before the mountain. This mountain is about three miles in length, and it has two summits or peaks ; one is called Mount Horeb, the other Mount Sinai ; but Mount Sinai is by far the highest of all the mountains in the whole of that district. This was the place where Moses saw the burning bush, and here they were to wait, while God made known to them his will, and gave to them their laws as a nation. Here, too, it was that God gave the laws which we call " The Ten Commandments." Most likely the Israelites pitched their tents in a large plain on the south of Mount Sinai ; from this place all the vast host of Israel would have a good view of this grand "Mount of God." The ground here, oppo- site the mountain, rises, and they could pitch their tents, row above row, while Sinai would seem like a lofty pulpit from which God's words would be uttered in the hearing of every ear. God told Moses now to tell the people that if they would but obey his voice, then he would make them his special care, above all people. Moses told the people these words of the Lord, and they sent for answer, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. Now they had agreed to do as God bid them, and God had agreed to take particular care of them, and to make them his own people. This was an agreement or covenant, in which God said that he would do certain things if they would do certain things. We are quite sure that the Lord would always keep his covenant, but we shall soon see how easily the Israelites broke theirs. Thunders and Lightnings. God now said, In three days I will come down in sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai, so tell the people to get ready for that day. They must bathe their persons, they must wash their clothes, for I am holy, and they must put away all uncleanness. They must set bounds all round the Mount, so that no man nor beast may be able to go up FROM THK RED SEA TO SINAI. 107 the mountain, for it is to be kept sacred while I appear there. Then the people did as the Lord directed ; and on the morning of the third day, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the Mount. Now they heard the sound of a trumpet both loud and long, came down from heaven upon it in the fire; and the smoke was like that of a furnace, and the whole of this huge granite mountain shook. Again the trumpet sounded long, and the sound grew louder and louder. Then the voice of God said to Moses, Tell the people to beware how they come too MOSES RECEIVING THE TABLES OF THE LAW. and all the people trembled in their tents. They felt that God was there. Moses said to the people, Come from the camp to the bottom of the mountain, to meet with God. They came and stood there before the Lord. Now the whole mountain seemed altogether to smoke, for the Lord near ; for if they only touch the mountain, they must instantly die for their rashness, they must be stoned or thrust through with a dart. So Moses went to the people, and told them all these words. Then God spoke to the people, saying, I am Jehovah, who brought you out of the ins FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. land of Egypt ; you shall have no other gods but me. Some nations have many gods that they worship, but we know that they are not true gods ; for there is but one God who made- all things in heaven and in earth, and his name is Jehovah. Must Not Worship Idols. God also said that no one was to make any image, or the likeness of anything, to bow down to it and worship it. First of all people made idols; not that they thought the idols were God, but they thought that God would be worshipped through the idol ; and at last they forgot about God, and worshipped only the idol. People like to wor- ship what they can see ; so the Persians, for instance, thought, God is great and glorious, and bright and pure, what is most like him ? They thought fire was, which gives light and heat, so they worshipped God through the fire, but before long they forgot God and worshipped the fire, and the sun, and other things beside. God then told the people, that they must not take his name in vain, for he would hold the man guilty who did so. Again, God said, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you may work, but the seventh day is the Lord's day, in it you shall rest. You may do no work- on that day; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servants, nor your cattle. The Sabbath is like a sacred holiday, a rest- time given to all men by Gdd himself. The next commandment that God gave was, Honor your father and your mother, that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God will give you. The Bible says a great deal about obedience to parents, and respectful behavior to them. God here gives a promise to those who obey this com- mand. It shows how much he thinks of right conduct to parents. It will go well with the obedient child, but it will go ill with the child who dishonors his parents. Thou Shalt not Kill. Thou shalt not kill, was the sixth com- mandment that God gave. We must not give way to anger, for is not that one of the first feelings that lead on to murder? It is a very shocking thing to kill a man, but it is also a shocking thing to have angry, quarrel- some, unloving feelings in the heart. The seventh commandment teaches us to be modest and pure in our thoughts and feel- ings. How sad it is to hear loud roueh tones, or to see bold rude looks. Do you not love the drooping snowdrop, which has no stain upon its pure white flower? We should try to be like that in its modest\ . sweetness, and purity. We may often learn lessons from the beautiful flowers. In the eighth commandment God said, Thou shalt not steal. He who takes the very least thing belonging to another, without his knowing it, is a thief. Perhaps what you take may never be missed by men ; but it is none the less stealing. It is far better to suffer by going without, than to have every- thing you want, if you get it dishonestly. A mother who had a large garden full of fruit and flowers, always felt quite happy to let her children play in it anywhere. She said, " My children will never pluck the flowers, nor eat the fruit without leave, for if they find any fruit dropped from the trees they always bring it to me to ask if they may have it." Again, God said, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. That means, that we are not to say unkind things of others. We must not tell tales of our companions ; we may say all the good we THE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS. 109 110 FROM THK RED SEA TO SINAI. know of people, but we must not talk of their faults so as to injure them. We Must not Covet. Again, God spoke ; he said, You must not covet anything belonging to your neigh- bor. That is, you must not long to have your neighbor's goods. Before, God had said, You must not steal, now he says, You must not even wish to get away your neigh- bor's things from him. When God had spoken these ten command- ments, the Israelites felt that they could bear the awful scene no longer. Perhaps at OUTSIDE VIEW OF THE TABERNACLE the end of each command, the thunder pealed anew, and the trumpet sounded again, and the mountain smoked afresh. So terrible was the sight that even Moses said, I exceed- ingly fear and tremble. The people moved farther away from the mountain and stood afar off. They said to Moses, Do you speak to us, and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die. So the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was, to hear what other laws God had to give to the people. For rather more than eleven months the hosts of Israel were encamped in the plains of 1 loreb. During this time laws were given them, which separated them from all other nations. God was their chosen Xing. N they were under his law, for they had said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. They were told in what order they were to march when they journeyed, and also when the different tribes were to encamp. The kind of animals that they might eat was also shown them ; these were called clean animals, and those that they were not allowed to eat were called unclean. At this time a regular service for the wor- ship of God was established, and the tribe of Levi was set apart to be the priests or min- isters of religion. The tabernacle, too, was set up. This was a kind of palace-tent for their King Je- hovah, who by his covenant with them said that he would dwell among them, and a bright cloud was always to be seen resting over the ark in the holy of holies in token of his presence. God told Moses how this tabernacle was to be made. It was to be made so that it could be easily taken down and put up again like a tent, for this was necessary, as the Israelites had to carry it about with them through all their desert wanderings. This tabernacle was divided into two parts by a veil or curtain of costly make. The innermost part was called the holy of holies ; nothing was kept there but the ark of the covenant. This ark, or chest, or box, was made of hard wood, which was covered all FROM THE RED SKA TO SINAI. Ill over with pure gold. The top of it was called the mercy-seat ; two angels made of pure gold overshadowed it with their wings. This ark was chiefly made to hold the two tables of stone, upon which God wrote the Ten nmandments. Other precious things were put there, such as a golden pot full of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. No one ever went into this holiest place where the ark was but the =gj high priest, and he only went once every year. This was on the great day of atonement, when he went to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice before the Lord, thus to make an antonement for his own sins, and the sins of the people. The other part of the tabernacle outside this curtain, was called the holy place ; there the priests daily ministered. In this there was a golden candlestick, or rather lamp- stand, on which were placed seven lamps, the lights of which were kept burning with purest oil. There, also, was a table covered over with gold, upon which were kept loaves of bread, one for each tribe of Israel. This bread was called shew-bread, it was changed every week, and the stale loaves, or biscuits, were eaten only by the j|F;^i priests. ~~~ '"--.-- Here, too, just in front of the curtain which hid the holy of holies, was the golden altar of incense. On this was burnt sweet smelling woods and gums, so that a sweet odor was always going up towards God. The prayers of good people are like sweet incense, as they go up from earth to the throne of God in heaven. This tabernacle was furnished with spoons, basins, dishes, covers, and many other things all made of pure gold. It was like a dwell- ing-house with its furniture, and not merely a place of worship. It was built to show that the Lord God would dwell among them as their King. Bread and meat and wine were offered there, part of which was burnt or poured in sacrifice as God's portion, and THE ARK OF THE COVENANT. part went for the use of the priests, who were the servants of God's household. The tabernacle stood in a large court, which was enclosed by poles and curtains, like a wall all round, but was open at the top to the sky. Just at the entrance of this court was the large altar of burnt-offering, where the animals killed for sacrifice were 112 FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. burnt, and between this altar and the entrance to the tabernacle was the laver or fountain made of brass where the priests washed their hands and feet, while they were about the service of God. The whole of the tabernacle, with its cere- monies and sacrifices, pointed to good things to come, when all these would be done away with. Many of the sacrifices work, and the high priest put off his splendid robes, and only appeared in his plainest dl for it was a day of humbling before God, on account of sin. First of all, as Aaron and the priest-, were sinful men as well as the people, the\- had to offer a sin-offering to God for their own sins, before they could offer one for the sins of the people. This done, Aaron took two young goats, FURNITURE OF THE TARERNACLE. were to teach them to look forward to the time when Christ would come, and offer up his life for man's sin. I cannot tell you now of all the many sacrifices that God appointed. I have told you of the passover lamb, now I will tell you about the sin-offering, on the great day of atonement. On this solemn day the people did no and brought them before the altar. These were for the sin-offering of the people. One goat he killed, and took its blood into the holy of holies, and sprinkled it on the mercy- seat before God. Then Aaron laid his hands upon the head of the live goat, and said over all the sins of the people, and, as it were, put them upon the head of this goat. Then he sent the goat away into the wilderness, bear- FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. 113 ing with it all the sins of the people. This was to teach the people that God having pardoned their sins, would remember them against them no more. This points to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Besides the sacrifices and offerings at special times, there was a lamb offered every morning- and evening for their daily sins; so when they saw the smoke of the sacrifice ending they must have felt how constantly they needed to be forgiven. All the animals that Avere offered were to be quite free from any blemish, or spot. And the Lord said to Moses, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur. of the tribeof Judah : and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowl- edge, and in all manner of work- manship, to devise cunning works, to w r ork in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of work- manship. And in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. The Cloud over the Mercy-seat. After the tabernacle was finished, God did not call Moses on Mount Sinai again, to speak with him, but he called him into the tabernacle. For God came into the taber- nacle in a cloud over the mercy-seat and spoke with Moses there. And God told Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle to consecrate them, that is, make them priests. Then Moses brought them and he called all the people, that they might come and see what the Lord commanded him to do. And while they stood around the door of the tabernacle he took Aaron and his sons and washed them with water ; and he put on Aaron the beautiful garments that had been made for him. Afterwards he poured oil upon his head and anointed him. He took Aaron's sons also, and put their garments upon them and offered up sacrifices to God. So Aaron and his sons were made priests, to THE LAVER. stay at the tabernacle and burn incense and offer up sacrifices for the children of Israel. Before this time other men might offer up their own sacrifices, as Abel, Noah and the Patriarchs had done. But now that God had chosen Aaron and his sons to be priests, no one else might offer up a sacrifice ; every man must bring his offering to the tabernacle, and let the priests burn it for him upon the altar there. The priests were commanded to offer up two lambs every day, one in the morning and the other in evening, for the sins of all the people of Israel. But God told Moses that, if any 114 FROM THi: RED SEA TO SINAI. man wanted to bring an offering for his own sins, alone, he might bring an ox, or a sheep be pleased with it, for an offering, not because the blood of animals could take SENDING THE SCAPEGOAT INTO THE WILDERNESS. or a goat to the door of the tabernacle and lay his hand upon it and kill it, and God would away sins, but it served as a shadow and type of the sacrifice of Christ, who poured out his 115 116 FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. blood unto death, in order to take away trip- sins of the world. The priests were to dismiss the people with a blessing saying to them : The Lord bless thee, and keep thee ; the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee ; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Among the sacred seasons of the Israelites the most prominent were : the Sabbath day, the Pass- over or Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost, also called the Feast of Weeks and of the First Fruits ; the Feast of Taber- nacles, the great day of Atonement, the Sab- bath year, and the Year of Jubilee. Beautiful Garments. The garments of the priests, which desig- nated their office, were not worn by the Levites. The priestly garments were very simple ; the chief article was a tunic, made with sleeves, held together by a linen girdle, and extending from the neck to the ankles ; the material and the color, white linen, were symbols of purity and holiness. In addition to this official garment, the high priest wore a blue robe or coat, adorned on the hem with pomegranates and bells of gold ; the former were symbols of the Word, and the bell was a symbol of proclamation. He also wore an ephod attached to the shoulders, made of costly materials of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet; the breast-plate was attached to it in front, by means of rings and chains, made of gold. This breast-plate was adorned with twelve precious stones, on which the name-, of the twelve tribes were engraved ; it was a memorial implying that the high priest, as the highest mediator of the old covenant, should always bear the people upon his heart. A small plate of gold was, besides, attached to the priestly mitre bearing the inscription : Holiness to the Lord. The people had now remained an entire year in their tents, the law was given, the tabernacle was erected, the priests were already occupied with their official duties, and the period of departure was near at hand. After the number of men who were able to bear arms had again been taken, and the second passover had been celebrated, the Lord gave the appointed signal : the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle and guided the people in their journeying. The tabernacle was then taken down by the Levites, and set up again after a three days' journey in the wilderness of Paran, where the children of Israel encamped. And, whenever the ark was lifted up, Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate thee, flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. The tabernacle stood always in the middle of the camp, the tents of the Levites were next, and the tents of the other tribes were farther off, but on ever)' side of the taber- nacle. And they kept their tents in the same place until they took them down to go on their journey again. THE WAY TO THE PROMISED LAND 117 THE FOUNTAIN IN THE WILDERNESS. 118 CHAPTKR IX. SECURING 'l^ 1 ' the time Moses w as up on Mount speaking God about B. C. 1490. The Golden Calf — Moses Angry and Breaks the Tables of the Law — The Glory of Mount Sinai — Numbering the People — The Pillar of Fire — The Israelites Mur- mur — Punishment by Fire — A Strong Wind Brings Quails for Food — Spies Sent to the Promised Land — The Brazen Serpent — Story of Balaam and Balak — Death of Moses — The People Mourn Thirty Days. Then Aaron made of them the likeness of a calf or bull in gold. The most famous of the gods of Egypt was worshipped under the form of a bull, so Aaron thought it would please these people if he made for them a likeness of their own great God in the same form. Thus they broke the second command- ment, where God says, that they were not to make the likeness of anything, to bow down and worship it. Is it not wonderful that they forgot it so soon? One would have thought that they could never have looked up to the great mountain before them, with- out thinking of the solemn words that God had so lately uttered from its heights, amidst thunder, and lightning, and earthquake, and the loud trumpet, whose voice awoke the echo of the mountains round. things Sinai with all those told in the last story, the Israelites were very uneasy because he did not come back. He had been gone for forty days, when the people came to Aaron, and said, Where is Moses? We cannot tell what has become of him : we are afraid he is dead. Make us, therefore, ;e in the likeness of God, that we may worship before it. Aaron was afraid to tell the people how wicked this was, and he said, Bring me your golden ornaments. Probably he hoped the people would not be willing to part with what they liked so much, and then he would not be obliged to make them an image. But the people were determined to have a like- ness of a god, so they took off their orna- ments, and brought them to Aaron. They Worship an Image. When the image was set up, then all the people came before it, and offered sacrifices and feasted. While they were doing this, God said to Moses, Make haste and go down to the people, for they are sinning. Then Moses went, and he took in his hand the tablets of stone, which were the work of God, and the writing on them was the writing of God, engraven on the tablets. As he came near to the camp, he saw the people dancing 119 120 WAN UK RINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. round the calf; then he felt very grieved and very angry, and he threw down the tablets, on which God had written his laws and his covenant, and broke them at the bottom of the mount. The breaking of these tablets showed how the people had broken God's laws and the in the fire, ground the ashes to powder, and then threw the dust into the water that the people drank. They must have thought what a poor god it was, if it could be served so. Then Moses said, Who is on the Lord's side ? Let him come to me. So all the Levites came to him. Now I THE ISRAELITES WORSHIPPING THE GOLDEN CALF. covenant that they had so lately made with him, when they said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. Before this time, when they had done wrong, God had not punished them ; but now they had agreed to be under his laws, and because they had broken them they must suffer the consequences. First of all, Moses took the calf, burnt it Take your swords and kill those who have been chief in this sin. And the Levites killed three thousand men. Then Moses went back to the mountain, and prayed to God to forgive the people their sin. Afterwards God told Moses to get two more tablets of stone, like those which he had broken. On these God wrote the same WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 121 laws that he had written on the first tablets. Moses was away in the mountain with God just as long the second tune as he was the first. During those forty days he did neither eat bread nor drink water, for God kept him alive without the need of food. When he came down to the people, they looked at his face, and the skin of his face been the reflection of God's glory upon his face. We grow like to those with whom we live, in thought and feeling ; if we keep good company we shall be like our companions. Moses had been in glorious company, and some of that glory was shared by him. After this God commanded Moses to num- ber the people. He was told to find out how MOSES DESTROYING THE shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Then Moses put a veil over his face to hide its brightness, while he talked to the people of all the things that God had shown him, when he was up in Mount Sinai. What was it that made Moses' face shine so brightly ? You know that he had been with God in the Mount, and it must have TABLES OF THE LAW. many there were from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel. The families were numbered according to their heads. All those that were numbered by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. MOSES BRINGING THE NEW TABLES OF THE LAW. 122 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 123 At length the pillar of fire began to move, which was an order from God for the Israelites to leave the desert of Sinai, and march onwards towards Canaan. They alu ays knew when God wished them to move forward, and when it was his will that they should stay at any place, by the moving or resting of this wonderful pillar. It was a good thing that God chose when they should go or stay, for if Moses had done so, they would have been sure to have grumbled. The old people would have wanted to stay still in one spot, the young ones would have wanted to move on too fast; some would have liked one place, and some another ; but all would have been discon- tented. Now God, through this fiery pillar, fixed all their movements, and the people knew that it was their guide. For three days they journeyed till they came to the wilderness of Paran, and then the pillar rested ; so they set up their tents. At this place they began to complain. This grumbling, unthankful spirit displeased God, after all he had done for them. They did not like the hardship and weariness of a desert life, and said, How hot the sun is here, and how the sand scorches our feet! How dull it is in this still desert, and how uncomfortable to be always moving about from place to place ! They had many hard- ships, certainly ; but they were now on their way to the Promised Land, where they would have a beautiful and settled home. What Became of the Grumblers. God heard their murmurings ; and he did not pass them over now, for they were under his laws, and he punished them for their sin. He sent a fire, which burnt many of those who had grumbled most. Perhaps this fire was lightning, which struck them dead in a moment ; perhaps it was the hot desert wind, called the simoon, which breathed its scorch- ing breath upon them, and they died. The Israelites called this place Tabcrah, or " the burning," because of the sad end of some of their number. When the Israelites left Egypt, a great many of the lowest of the people went with them. They are called the " mixed multi- tude," and they were mostly the very lowest of the low. They were very often the first to begin to grumble, and to leave the worship of God, and were a constant trouble to the Israelites. At the very next place of encamp- ment when they left Taberah, these people again began to murmur. What is the matter now ? They do not want for water, for the streams from the smitten rock still follow them. They do not want for bread, for God has never once forgotten to rain down the manna from heaven. They Cry for Meat. They cry, We want meat. We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely ; the refreshing cucumbers, the cooling melons, the pleasant onions ! We have nothing but dry food here ; we are tired of having only this manna. It was not only the mixed multitude who grumbled. They began, and the sin spread like a disease, as all sin is, through the camp. Soon Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent; and the Lord heard, too. God told Moses to say to the people, You ask, Who shall give you flesh to eat? I will. You shall eat flesh; not for one day only, nor for two days, nor for five days, neither for ten days, nor for twenty days, but for a whole month, until you hate the sight of it. Then God sent a strong wind, which brought them quails. These birds came in very, very large numbers, and they flew so 124 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. low that the people caught them easily. Now they had flesh in abundance ; but God had not given it them in love, but in punish- ment It was a year since they had eaten meat, and now they ate so much that it made them ill — so ill that a very great many people died. God knew what was the best food for them to eat in the desert, and they would be land which God promised to your fathers: go up and take it ; do not be afraid of the people who live in it. Rut, the people said, We had better send twelve men before u — one man out of each tribe — to search the land, and bring us word again by what me must go up, and into what cities we shall come. khtj^ia.sc. THE SPIES RETURNING FROM CANAAN. quite sure that he would supply all their real wants. Whenever they tried to have their own way, they always got intu trouble ; but they were slow to learn that God's ways are best. After this they went on marching and resting, until at last they came to the southern border of the land of Canaan. Now, Moses said, you are in sight of the So twelve men were chosen to spy out the land. They left the camp early in Septem- ber, and came back about the middle of October. They were gone forty days, and they brought back with them some of the fruits which grew in the country to show their countrymen. How delighted they must have been to see the figs, and the grapes, and the pomegranates, which they were told WANDEKiNGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 125 grew in rich abundance in this land which was to be their own ! There was one large cluster of grapes, cut from the valley of Eschol, which they looked at with great surprise. It was carried by two men on a pole, partly because of its great size, and partly to keep it from being bruised. The twelve men said, We came unto the land where you sent us, and indeed it floweth with milk, and honey, and this is the fruit of it. They meant to say, it is a land where there is plenty of food and grass for our cattle, so we shall have plenty of milk ; and there are a great man)- wild bees which store large quantities of honey from the flowers. The Giants of Canaan. When the people heard this good account of the land, they longed to go and take it : then the spies said, Though it is a fruitful land, yet the people who live in it are like giants, and they have strong cities with walls all round them. This frightened the people, but Caleb, who was one of the twelve spies, said, Do not be afraid: we are well able to overcome the land ; let us go up at once to take it. And Joshua said the same. Then the other spies said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. The people, when they heard these words, actually wept from disappoint- ment and fear. They began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, and said, Oh that we had died in Egypt ! oh that we had died in the wilderness ! We had better return to Egypt : let us appoint a captain to take us back again. Then Joshua and Caleb said. Do not act so foolishly and wickedly : the land which we passed through to search is an exceedingly fruitful one. Do not be afraid of the people who live* there, for the Lord is with us to keep us from harm, but he is not with them : you need not fear them. The mean-spirited people would not listen to these two brave men, but took up stones to stone them to death. All at once the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle, in sight of all the people, so they knew that God was going to speak to them by Moses. This was what God said to these faithless, cowardly people, Because you have forgotten how I delivered you from your enemies in Egypt, and have helped you through all difficulties by the way; because you have not believed that I would still help you, to conquer all your other enemies, and give you the land that I promised you, none of you that are grown up men and women shall ever see this good land You shall wander for forty years in the wilderness, as the men were forty days in searching the land ; a year for each day shall you wander about in the wilderness, until all that are twenty years old and more shall be dead. Joshua and Caleb, who spoke the truth, shall go in, and so shall your little ones, who you said would be sure to be killed by the inhabitants. After forty years I will give the land to them, but not to you ; you are not worthy of it. The ten men who spoke evil of the land, and who discouraged the people, were struck dead by God's displeasure on the spot, but Joshua and Caleb lived on. In Great Trouble. And now the people mourned greatly. They had something to grieve over now, and they found, by their doom to wander forty years in the desert, with no hope ol seeing the good land, what an evil and bitter thing it is to sin against God. Thirty-eight years after God had sentenced the Israelites to wander for forty years in the wilderness, they came to Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried. Here they suffered greatly for want of water. With THE HIGH PRIEST IN FULL DRESS. 126 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 127 great impatience and folly they wished themselves dead, and acted just as their fathers had done at Rephidim. They scolded Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt, and behaved very badly. Then God said to Moses, Take the rod, make all the people come together; then do you speak to the rock which is before your eyes, and water shall come out of it for the people to drink. So Moses and Aaron gathered the people together before the rock, and Moses said, Hear now, ye rebels ; must we f etch you water out of this rock ? Then Moses lifted up his hand and smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly. Then God said to Moses and Aaron, You have not honored me before the people, so you shall not lead them into the good land which I have given them. Moses lost his temper, and spoke angrily to the people. God told him to speak to the rock, but he hit it twice. He said, Must we fetch you water? when it was only God's power that could bring water out of the rock. So, for his impatience and unbelief in God, in which Aaron joined, these two great men were not allowed to lead the Israelites into Canaan. Death of Aaron. Very soon after this the Israelites came to Mount Hor. Here, God told Aaron, was the place where he would die. Moses and Aaron, and Eleazer, the son of Aaron, went at God's command to the top of this bare and rugged mountain. All the people stood below, and watched these three as they walked up this dreary height — they knew that- only two out of the three would ever come down again, that their high priest was gone up to die. When they reached the top, Moses took off the priestly robes from Aaron and put them upon his son Eleazer ; then Aaron gave one look at the tents of Israel in the plains below, one long look towards the Promised Land, whose distant hills he could just see, and then Moses and Eleazer heard his last words, and Aaron died. For thirty days the whole congregation mourned for their lost high priest. At last the fiery pillar moved again, and they journeyed round the coasts of Edom. Here they were much cast down because of the troubles of the way. They had not yet learned the lesson of patient trust, and again they grumbled. They longed for other bread than manna, and spoke against God and against Moses. A Plague in the Tents. So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people so that a great many died. There were a great many pois- onous creatures in the desert ; but we never hear of their being bitten until now. God had always taken care of them, and kept them from this as well as other dangers ; but now, for their sin, he let the serpents follow their nature and bite the people. Perhaps the serpents were called "fiery" because their color was yellowish or bright. Perhaps it was because of the burning pain which followed their bite, or the raging thirst which people felt from the effect of poison in their blood. The people very soon confessed their sin, and begged Moses to pray to God to take away the serpents from them And Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, Make a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten shall feel well again, when he looks at it. Moses did so ; and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. And the children of Israel set forward and 128 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. pitched in the plains of Moab, near the river Jordan by Jericho. And when Balak, king of Moab, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, he was sore afraid of the people, and sent messengers unto a prophet named Balaam in Meso- potamia, to call him saying : Behold there is whom thou cursest is cursed. And they departed and came to Balaam with rewards. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them ; thou shalt not curse the people, for they are blessed. Therefore Balaam said unto the princes of Balak : Get you into your land, for the Lord refuseth to THE BRAZEN SERPENT. a people come out from Egypt, behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people, for they are too mighty for me ; perad venture I shall pre vail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land ; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he give me leave to go with you. But Balak sent again princes, more honorable and with richer gifts ; and God said to Balaam : Go with them ; yet the word which I shall say to thee, that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass and went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 129 because Balaam loved the wages of unright- eousness, and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. And the ass saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand ; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field ; and Balaam smote the ass to turn her into the way. But the Angel of the Lord stood in a path, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam : What have I done unto thee, that thou has smitten me these three times ? And Balaam said to the ass, because thou has mocked me ; I wish there were a sword in my hand, for then I would kill thee. Then the Lord opened the BALAAM MET BY THE shut in by vineyard walls on each side. And when the ass saw the Angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall ; and he smote her again. And the Angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the Angel, she fell down under Balaam ; 9 ANGEL OF THE LORD. eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand ; and Balaam bowed himself and fell flat to the ground, and said to the Angel of the Lord, I have sinned ; now therefore, if it displease thee, I will return. And the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, shalt thou speak. 130 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 131 So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And on the morrow Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into a high place that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. And Balaam did as Balak had spoken ; and they offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and he said, From Aram hath Balak brought me, the king of Moab, from the mountains of the earth, saying. Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed, or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? The Anger of Balak. And Balaam seeing the vision of the Almighty and falling into a trance, said again, I shall see him, but not now, I shall behold him, but not nigh ; there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the princes of Moab and overthrow all the sons of tumult. Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his. And Balak 's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together, and said to Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times ; therefore npw flee thou to thy place. And he sent him away without any of the silver and gold which Balaam wanted so much. Notwithstanding, Balaam afterwards craftly advised the Moabites and Midianites to entice Israel to practice idolatrous rites ; this plan was so successful, that a plague, which the Lord sent, destroyed 24,000 of the people. Hence the Lord commanded Moses to make war against the Moabites and Midianites and they slew their kings and people ; and Balaam also they slew with the edge of the sword. The Last Days of Moses. Moses knew that he could not lead the people into the land of Canaan. He must die as the Lord had said, for he had sinned at the rock. He feared the Israelites would not think how they had been led through the desert. He talked to them for the last time and brought back to their minds all the things God had done for them. He asked the Lord to choose a man to take his place, lest if they had no guide to lead them they might be lost as sheep with no shepherd. The Lord said Joshua should lead them. Moses told the people they must keep the laws of God and teach their children to do so at all times ; and they must talk to them of God, so that they would learn to love him. And when the Lord led them into Canaan and gave them all the great cities that they had not built, and wells that they had not digged, and vineyards and olive trees which they had not planted, they must think of the Lord and how much he had done for them. He had led them for long years and fed them, and their clothes had not grown old and their feet had not been sore by the way. He had brought them out of that place to this good land full of streams, where the wheat grew and grapes and all sorts of fruit. They should not want. They would find brass and iron if they dug in the ground and could make tools and all sorts of things for their use. Their flocks and herds would do well in that land, and they would grow rich, but they must not think they had gained all these things by their own might. They must keep in mind that the Lord their God had given them all. If they did not serve him, but ,32 MOSES REHOUSING THE COMMANDMENTS TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNESS. 133 took other gods, they would be served in the same way as he meant to serve the nations that lived In sin. Moses told them they must soon eross the Jordan and the Lord would lead them. The people of the land might try to keep them out but he would make them win. Though they had -inned in the desert, he was still their God. found there. The people of Canaan had set up their false gods on hills and under trees in all parts of their land. They had built altars and burnt up their own children on them. Moses told the children of Israel that they must pull down all these places and break the false gods. And if one of the men of the land should try to make them THE LORD APPEARING TO MOSES AND JOSHUA IN THE PILLAR OF A CLOUD. The land of Canaan was a place of streams. Egypt had one river, the Nile, which flowed over its banks once a year so that the fields near it bore much fruit. But the soil far off was dry, and men had to carry water to it, so that the grass and plants might grow. In Canaan rain fell and grain and grass grew well, and vines and all sorts of fruit were kneel down to these false gods, he must be stoned to death. If there was a poor man among them, they must lend him what he needed and the Lord would bless them. They must keep some cities where one who had killed a man by chance might hide. If he had meant to kill the man for hate, then he must be put to 134 WANDERINGS IN THE WILDERNE death. But if the thing whs done by chance, and the friends of the dead man chased him to kill him, he might fly to one of these cities. When he reached the gate, he must tell the guard what he had done. Then they would give him a place to stay. If the friends of the man whom he had killed came to ask for him, they would not give him up, as he had not meant to do wrong. But if a man who meant to kill came there, they were not to let him in, but he must be put to death for his sin. When they lived in the land each man must take the first of his grain and the first fruit that was ripe and bring them to the Lord's house. The priest would take these gifts and set them down in front of the altar. The man must say, I have brought the first fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And he must pray to the Lord and leave all his gifts there for the use of the priests. The priests were to have no fields to raise grain or fruit of their own, so the first fruits of the land must be brought to them each year. Stones and Clay. Moses told them that on the day they should go over Jordan they must raise a great pile of stones, and on these they must smear soft clay, and write all the laws of God on this clay. When it grew hard, all who went by could read the law of God on it. Moses told them that if they kept the law of God, he would bless them and all that was theirs. Their foes would flee from them. But if they sinned, their fields should not bring forth grain, for locusts should eat it, and their vines would not bring forth grapes. He would send plagues on them and foes who would not spare them but would make them slaves. And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die : call Joshua, and present yourselves in the taber- nacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud : and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho ; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession : and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people ; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people : because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah- Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin ; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee ; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed : I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died. CHAPTER X. B. C. 1451. Story of Joshua— Arrival of the Israelites at Jordan — Crossing the River — Rahae d the Spies — Capture of Jericho — Battle at the City of Ai — Achan Stoned for Theft — Men in Old Clothes — A Furious Hailstorm — Joshua's Great Victory— The People Choose Whom they will Serve. MONG the chil- dren of Israel that came out of Egypt there was a certain Hoshea, the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. Moses had seen that he was valiant and skillful, and when the Amalekites came out against Israel at Rephidim, to slay them on their journey to Sinai, Moses appointed him to be captain of the host. So he went and defeated the Amalekites in a great battle; and after that Moses called him by the name of Jehoshua or Joshua, which is, being inter- preted, The Lord's Salvation. And when Moses went up into the moun- tain of Sinai to receive the law from God, Joshua went with Aaron and the elders so far as it was lawful for them to go; and while he was in the mount Joshua waited for him. From the day when Moses came down from the mount Joshua became his minister, attending on him continually, and dwelling in his tent. ALo he was one of the seventy judges whom Moses appointed to do justice among the people. Very zealous was he for the honor of his chief; for when two of the seventy, Eldad and Medad by name, tarried in the camp, and prophesied there (but the rest prophesied in the tabernacle), he said, My lord Moses, forbid them. But Moses answered, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them! In the second year after the departure of Israel from the land of Egypt, the people approached to the borders of the land which the Lord had promised to their fathers to give them ; and they pitched their camp in the wilderness of Paran. Then Moses, as we have seen, chose twelve men, one out of each tribe, that they might go as spies and see the land what it was, and the people that dwelt therein, whether they were strong or weak, few or many, and whether they dwelt in tents or in strongholds. Be of good cour- age, he said to them, and bring of the fruit of the land. They Went Through all the Land- And the time at which the men were sent was the time of the first ripe grapes. Joshua was chosen from the tribe of Ephraim, and Caleb from the tribe of Judah. So these twelve men went throughout the land from the wilderness of the south to Mount Lebanon in the north. And when they came to the 135 136 THE STORY OF JOSHUA. brook Eshcol (which is near to Hebron) they cut down one of the clusters of grapes, and carried it upon a staff between two. Also they brought figs and pomegranates from the land. The time which they spent upon their journey was forty days. And when they came back to the place whence they had come, and showed to the people the fruits which they had brought, thus they said to Moses, vVe came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey ; and this is the fruit of it. But the people that dwell in the land are strong, great and mighty nations — the Amaiekites in the south, and the Amorites in the mountains, and the Canaanites by the sea and by the banks of Jordan, and the children of Anak that are giants. VVe are but grass- hoppers in their sight and in our own. But Caleb said, Let us go up at once and possess the land ; for we are well able to overcome the people that inhabit it. Joshua also said, Let us go up. But the people believed the ten spies rather than Caleb and Joshua, and they wept, saying, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or in the wilderness. The People Murmur. And they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and said to one another, Let us make us a captain that he may lead us back into the land of Egypt. But Caleb and Joshua ran among them with their clothes rent, and cried, The land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord have a favor for us, He will bring us into it ; and as for the people that dwell therein, their strength is gone from them, for the Lord is with us : therefore fear them not. B'lt the people ran upon them, and would have stoned them with stones had they not feared the glory of the Lord, for the glory appeared at that time above the tabernacle. Then the Lord was wroth with the people, and said that all that murmured, from twenty years old and upward, should perish in the wilderness ; and the ten spies that gave the evil report died of the plague. Only Caleb and Joshua were left alive. But when forty years were accomplished from the coming out of Egypt, the children of Israel approached the Promised Land, coming to it from the east. First they sub- dued the country that is eastward of Jordan, the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and 0