,,wee ,,ones' ,,bible ,,stories         
,,short ,,sketches ,,of ,,the ,,bible   
,,specially ,,illustrated ,,for ,,the   
,,little ,,folks   ,illustration3       
,knock4 ,it shall be opened unto you    
#aijc4     ,,feeding ,,the ,,multitudes4
   ,jesus had chosen twelve out of the  
many who flocked about ,him wishing to  
be ,his disciples1 and these twelve were
 called apostles4 ,he sent them forth to
 preach the gospel1 giving them power to
 cast out evil spirits and to heal      
diseases2 and when they were about to go
 forth upon their mission1 ,he gave them
 instructions regarding what they were  
to do1 and warned them of the           
persecutions which would be heaped upon 
them4 ,he also bade them be strong and  
not fear those who had power to kill the
 body only1 because the soul was far    
more precious4 ,so the apostles went out
 into the cities and towns and preached 
the word of ,god and carried blessing   
with them4  ,when they came back they   
told ,jesus what they had done1 and they

 went with ,him across the sea of       
,galilee to a quiet spot where they     
could rest and talk over their work4    
,but the people went around the sea1 or 
lake1 to join them on the other side2   
and when ,jesus saw the crowds ,he was  
sorry for them1 and taught and healed   
them again as ,he had done so many      
times4  ,in the evening ,his disciples  
urged ,him to send the people away that 
they might buy food for themselves in   
the village2 but ,jesus said1 ,give ye  
them to eat4  ,the disciples thought    
this would be impossible4 ,we have here 
but five loaves and two fishes1 they    
told ,him2 and when ,he said1 ,bring    
them hither to ,me1 they obeyed ,him    
with wonder4  ,then ,jesus commanded the
 people to sit down in groups upon the  
green grass2 and ,he took the loaves and
 gave thanks to ,god for them1 and broke
 them into pieces1 handing them to ,his 
disciples to give to the people4  ,he   
divided the fishes also in the same way1
 and the disciples went about among the 

groups giving each person a share1 and  
everyone had enough to eat2 for although
 there were about five thousand men     
there1 besides women and children1 the  
food was sufficient for all4 ,even more 
than this1 when the multitude had eaten 
all that they wanted1 the disciples     
gathered up twelve baskets full of the  
broken pieces4  ,when the people saw    
this wonderful miracle which ,jesus had 
done1 they wished to make ,him king at  
once1 for they thought ,he was the      
,promised ,one for whom they had been so
 long waiting1 and they did not know    
that the kingdom of ,christ was not to  
be an earthly kingdom4  ,but ,jesus     
would not allow them to make ,him king1 
and ,he left them and went up on the top
 of a mountain alone4  ,on another      
occasion when a great crowd had gathered
 to hear ,him and had been for a long   
time without food1 ,he called ,his      
disciples to ,him and told them that ,he
 felt very sorry for the people because 
they had been fasting three days1 and   

,he could not send them away so weak and
 hungry for fear they would faint before
 they could reach home4  ,but ,his      
disciples said they did not know where  
they could get food for so many1 as they
 were in the wilderness4  ,jesus asked  
them how many loaves of bread they had1 
and they told ,him seven1 and also a few
 small fishes4  ,then ,jesus bade the   
people sit down on the ground around    
,him1 and ,he took the seven loaves and 
the fishes and offered thanks to ,god2  
afterwards1 ,he broke the loaves into   
pieces as ,he had done before and gave  
them1 with the fishes1 to ,his          
disciples1 and the disciples distributed
 them among the people4 ,as they gave   
out the food it continued to increase   
wonderfully1 so that all the people were
 fed2 and even after that there was food
 enough left so that they took up seven 
baskets full1 although about four       
thousand men1 with many women and       
children1 had eaten4  ,these miracles   
show not only the power of our ,lord1   

but ,his tenderness and thoughtfulness  
for those around ,him in the everyday   
affairs of life4 ,he not only cared for 
the souls of ,his people1 but for their 
physical comfort as well2 for ,his heart
 was ever open to the cry of human need4
  ,one of the first acts by which ,he   
manifested ,his power to the men who    
afterwards became ,his disciples1 was an
 act of helpfulness4  ,he saw two ships 
by the ,lake of ,gennesaret with the    
fishermen near by washing their nets1   
and going aboard one of the ships1 which
 belonged to ,simon ,peter1 ,he asked   
him to put out a little way from land2  
then1 when ,his request had been        
complied with1 ,he taught the people    
from the ship4  ,after ,he had finished 
,his teaching1 ,he said to ,simon1      
,launch out into the deep and let down  
your nets for a draught4 ,simon told    
,him that they had worked all night and 
had caught no fish1 but that they would 
do as ,he bade them4  ,and when they had
 done so1 the net was filled so that it 

broke1 and they had to call to their    
partners in the other ship to come and  
help them2 and both ships were filled4  
,then ,peter and ,james and ,john left  
all to follow ,jesus4     ,,jesus       
,,calms ,,the ,,tempest4   ,at one time 
when ,jesus had entered a ship to cross 
the ,sea of ,galilee with ,his          
disciples1 a great storm arose and the  
waves nearly covered the little vessel1 
so that they were apparently in great   
danger4  ,the disciples were frightened1
 but ,jesus was asleep and the storm did
 not disturb ,him4 ,as it grew worse and
 worse and the disciples became more    
than ever afraid1 they went back to     
where ,jesus lay and wakened ,him1      
crying out1 ,master1 dost ,thou not care
 that we perish8  ,when they said this1 
,jesus arose and spoke to the winds and 
the sea1 saying1 ,peace1 be still6 ,then
 at once the wind went down and the sea 
became calm1 and the hearts of the men  
were filled with wonder and still       
greater faith and awe1 while they said  

to one another1 ,what manner of man is  
this1 that even the wind and the sea    
obey ,him8 ,they had not yet learned    
that ,jesus had power over all things   
whenever ,he chose to exercise it4  ,at 
another time when the disciples had     
crossed the ,sea of ,galilee1 expecting 
that ,jesus would join them upon the    
other side1 a storm came up1 suddenly as
 before1 and the waters were quickly    
piled up in great waves2 for the lake   
was narrow and deep1 and the storms     
usually burst in full fury with little  
warning1 doing much harm before there   
was a chance to escape4 ,at this time   
the disciples had hard work to row the  
boat against the wind1 and it was tossed
 about here and there by the waves in   
the middle of the sea until1 toward     
morning1 ,jesus went out toward it1     
walking upon the water4  ,when the      
disciples saw ,him coming they thought  
it was a spirit and were frightened3 but
 ,he spoke to them1 saying1 ,be of good 
cheer2 it is ,i1 be not afraid4         

,illustration3 ,,jesus ,,walking ,,upon 
,,the ,,waters4  ,then ,peter said3     
,lord1 if it be ,thou1 bid me come unto 
,thee on the water4  ,jesus said1 ,come1
 and ,peter stepped out upon the water  
and started toward the ,master2 but his 
faith was not strong enough1 and as he  
began to sink he cried1 ,lord1 save me6 
,jesus stretched out ,his hand and held 
him up4 ,o thou of little faith1 ,he    
said1 wherefore didst thou doubt8  ,when
 ,jesus came into the boat the storm    
ceased1 and soon they reached the shore4
 ,then the disciples worshiped ,him and 
said1 ,of a truth ,thou art the ,son of 
,god4     ,,ruth ,,and ,,naomi4   ,the  
story of ,ruth and ,naomi is one of the 
sweetest and most touching of all the   
,bible stories4 ,it shows the beauty of 
unselfish devotion and constant love1   
and the happiness which they brought1   
and teaches a lesson which is very      
helpful to us all4  ,a long time ago1 in
 the days of the judges of ,israel1     
there was a famine in the land of       

,canaan1 and a man named ,elimelech1    
whose home was in ,bethlehem1 went with 
his wife ,naomi and his two sons to live
 in ,moab4  ,after they had been there a
 while ,naomi's husband died1 leaving   
her with the two sons4 ,then1 by and by1
 the sons married1 and their wives were 
very good to ,naomi1 and loved her4 ,but
 it was only ten years before both of   
the sons died1 and ,naomi thought it was
 best for her to go back to her old home
 in ,canaan2 for she had been told that 
there was plenty in the land once more1 
and she wanted to see her own people and
 the relatives of her husband who was   
dead4 ,so ,naomi told her               
daughters-in-law to return to their own 
homes1 because she could not expect them
 to be willing to leave everything for  
her sake4  ,go1 each of you1 to your    
mother's house1 she said2 the ,lord deal
 kindly with you as ye have dealt with  
the dead and with me4 ,but they both    
wept and clung to her1 saying1 ,surely  
we will return with thee into thy land4 

,naomi1 however1 thought they would be  
unhappy if they left their own country1 
and she urged them to stay there and let
 her go alone2 so one of them kissed her
 over and over again and promised to do 
as she bade2 but the other1 who was     
named ,ruth1 would not leave her4       
,entreat me not to leave thee1 she      
pleaded1 or to return from following    
after thee2 for whither thou goest ,i   
will go1 and where thou lodgest ,i will 
lodge2 thy people shall be my people1   
and thy ,god my ,god2 where thou diest  
,i will die1 and there will ,i be       
buried2 the ,lord do so to me and more1 
also1 if aught but death part thee and  
me4  ,then ,naomi stopped urging her to 
return1 and they went together to       
,bethlehem1 where the friends of ,naomi 
were very glad to welcome her and       
greeted her in a very friendly manner1  
saying again and again1 ,is this ,naomi8
  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ascension      
,,into ,,heaven4  ,but she answered3    
,call me not ,naomi1 but call me ,mara1 

for the ,almighty hath dealt very       
bitterly with me4 ,she said this because
 ,naomi means pleasant and ,mara means  
bitter1 and the sorrowing widow felt    
that her life was a bitter rather than a
 pleasant one1 since she had been       
bereaved of her husband and sons4       
,there lived in ,bethlehem a man named  
,boaz1 who was a relative of ,naomi's   
husband1 and who was also very wealthy4 
,he had a large farm and many people1   
both men and women1 worked in his       
fields1 and as it was about the         
beginning of the barley harvest when the
 two women came to ,bethlehem1 these    
fields presented a busy appearance4     
,ruth wished to do something to help    
support herself and her mother-in-law1  
so she begged ,naomi to let her go into 
the fields and glean after the          
reapers--that is1 to gather up the      
barley that was left after they had made
 up the sheaves--and ,naomi told her    
that she might go4  ,illustration3 ,,the
 ,,prodigal ,,son4  ,ruth happened to   

choose the field of ,boaz to work in1   
and when the wealthy man came into the  
field and saw her1 he said1 ,the ,lord  
bless thee6 but he did not know who she 
was4  ,as he went away he inquired of   
the head reaper about the young woman1  
and afterward he said to ,ruth3 ,go not 
to glean in another field1 but keep here
 close to my maidens4 ,he also spoke to 
his young men about her1 telling them to
 be kind and courteous to her1 and he   
bade her go and drink of the water which
 they drew whenever she was thirsty4    
,when ,ruth wondered at his kindness and
 asked him why he was so good to a      
stranger1 he told her that he had heard 
of her love for ,naomi and her unselfish
 devotion1 and he said3 ,the ,lord      
reward thee1 and a full recompense be   
given thee of the ,lord ,god of ,israel1
 under whose wings thou art come to     
trust4 ,he invited her also to sit with 
his reapers at meal-time1 and he waited 
upon her that she might have enough to  
eat and drink4  ,when she had gone he   

commanded his young men to let her glean
 among the sheaves and to drop some     
handfuls purposely for her1 and not to  
find fault with her or reprove her4  ,so
 ,ruth worked in the field all day1 and 
then beat out the barley which she had  
gleaned and took it to the city to show 
,naomi1 who was very glad1 indeed1 and  
very thankful4  ,naomi asked ,ruth where
 she had gleaned1 and when she had heard
 the whole story1 she told her that     
,boaz was a near relative and that it   
was well for her to stay in his fields1 
as he had given her permission to do1   
until the end of the harvest4 ,so ,ruth 
kept close to the maidens who gleaned in
 the fields of ,boaz until the end of   
both the barley and the wheat harvests4 
,then one night when ,boaz was to have a
 winnowing of barley1 ,naomi told ,ruth 
to make herself ready1 putting on her   
best clothing1 and to go to the         
winnowing and the feast and to ask ,boaz
 what she should do4  ,the winnowing is 
the fanning out of the straws from the  

kernels after the husks have been beaten
 off4 ,a great many people helped about 
the work1 and a feast was prepared for  
them4  ,ruth did as ,naomi had told her 
to do4 ,when she had informed ,boaz that
 she was a near relative he said1       
,blessed be thou of the ,lord1 my       
daughter4 ,then he told her not to be   
afraid1 but to bring the long veil which
 she wore1 and when she had brought it  
he poured a large quantity of barley    
into it4 ,she carried this to the city  
and gave it to her mother-in-law1       
telling her what ,boaz had said1 and    
,naomi was comforted2 for she knew that 
,boaz would advise them wisely4  ,after 
this ,boaz went to the city and         
consulted with the chief men and those  
that were interested in the welfare of  
,naomi and ,ruth1 and when he found that
 it would be wronging no one1 he told   
the people that he was going to take    
,ruth for his wife1 and the people said1
 ,we are witnesses4 ,so ,boaz married   
,ruth2 but in her new position as the   

wife of a very wealthy and influential  
man1 this noble woman did not forget her
 love for ,naomi1 whom she still        
tenderly cared for4 ,when a little son  
came to bless the union1 ,naomi         
rejoiced1 for she felt almost as though 
it was her own little son1 and she named
 him ,obed and delighted in taking care 
of him4  ,when ,obed became a man he    
married and had a son named ,jesse1 who 
in turn became the father of ,david1 the
 great king of ,israel4 ,jesus ,himself 
was of the ,house of ,david1 and so     
,god's promise to ,his chosen people was
 fulfilled4     ,,moses4   ,pharaoh1 the
 ,king of ,egypt1 had made a law that   
every boy baby of the ,hebrew race      
should be killed1 and there was great   
sorrow because of it4 ,but when ,moses  
was born1 his mother managed to hide him
 for three months2 then she made a      
cradle1 or little ark1 and putting him  
into it1 carried him down to a river and
 hid the cradle among the reeds there4  
,soon after this1 ,pharaoh's daughter   

came with her maidens to the river-side1
 and when she saw the beautiful child1  
she sent one of her maidens to bring it 
to her4  ,she took the little boy to the
 palace and named him ,moses1 and he    
became a great man among the ,egyptians2
 he knew1 however1 that he belonged to  
the ,hebrew race1 and when he saw how   
badly his own people were treated1 he   
tried to help them2 but at last he was  
obliged to leave ,egypt1 and became a   
shepherd1 taking care of the flocks of a
 priest called ,jethro4 ,he also married
 ,jethro's daughter4  ,illustration3    
,,the ,,good ,,samaritan4  ,after a     
time1 ,god spoke to ,moses out of a     
burning bush1 and told him that he must 
go and rescue his people from the cruel 
,egyptians4 ,moses thought he could not 
do this2 but ,god promised to help him1 
and to show him what he would be able to
 do with that help1 ,god turned the rod 
which ,moses carried into a serpent4    
,then ,god told ,moses to pick the      
serpent up by the tail1 and as he did   

so1 it became a rod again4 ,he showed   
him another sign1 also2 but ,moses was  
still afraid1 because he could not talk 
well and thought that ,pharaoh would not
 listen to him4 ,so ,god told him to    
take his brother ,aaron for a spokesman4
  ,moses and ,aaron1 therefore1 went    
into ,egypt1 where they called together 
the chief men among their own people1   
the ,hebrews1 or ,israelites1 and told  
them what ,god had commanded4 ,moses    
also did the miracles which ,god had    
given him power to do1 and the people   
believed that ,god had sent him4  ,after
 this ,moses and ,aaron went to         
,pharaoh1 and told him that it was the  
,lord's command that he should let the  
,israelites go4 ,pharaoh knew nothing   
about ,god1 and became very angry1      
saying that ,moses and ,aaron kept the  
people from their work by telling them  
such things2 and he treated the poor    
,israelites worse than before4  ,but    
,moses had faith in ,god2 so he was able
 to perform before the king the         

wonderful things that he had done before
 his own people2 still1 ,pharaoh would  
not let the children of ,israel go4     
,then ,moses turned the waters of the   
rivers into blood2 and after that he    
caused large numbers of frogs to run    
over the land and through the houses1   
doing great harm4 ,he also brought      
locusts and other insects to be a pest  
to the people1 and caused many of the   
useful animals which belonged to the    
,egyptians to grow sick and die1 doing  
all these wonders with the rod which    
,god had given him4 ,but ,pharaoh would 
not listen to him4  ,then ,god commanded
 ,moses again1 and he brought other     
plagues upon the ,egyptians2 but        
,pharaoh would not give up4  ,at last1  
however1 ,god sent a still more terrible
 trouble2 for the first-born of every   
,egyptian family1 and even the          
first-born among their flocks1 died2    
although the ,israelites1 who were      
constantly praying to the ,lord and     
making sacrifices1 were spared1 as they 

had been all the time4  ,then ,pharaoh  
was frightened into obeying ,god1 and he
 let the ,israelites go2 so they started
 at once for the land of ,canaan1 and   
the ,lord guided them by a cloud1 which 
at night looked like a pillar of fire4  
,when the ,israelites had reached the   
,red ,sea1 they found that ,pharaoh was 
pursuing them with a large army4 ,but   
,god commanded ,moses to stretch forth  
his rod over the sea2 he did so1 and the
 waters parted1 making a high wall upon 
either side1 so that the children of    
,israel passed through and reached the  
other side in safety4 ,pharaoh and his  
hosts followed and were all drowned4    
,when the children of ,israel saw that  
they were safe1 they sang a beautiful   
song of praise to ,god1 and then they   
went on their way again4  ,after they   
had traveled for some time1 they were in
 need of bread and meat1 and they       
complained about ,moses because he had  
brought them to a land where they had   
not enough to eat4 ,but ,god sent them  

plenty of quails and also a substance   
which they could use for bread4 ,later1 
when they wanted water1 the ,lord       
commanded ,moses1 and he struck a rock  
with his rod1 and pure water poured out 
of it1 so that the thirsty people and   
their animals had all that they wanted4 
,in this way ,god took care of them as  
they journeyed through the new and      
strange country toward the promised     
land1 and ,moses became the law-giver of
 the ,israelites1 receiving his         
commandments from ,god4     ,,jacob     
,,and ,,esau4   ,jacob and ,esau were   
twin brothers1 sons of ,isaac and       
,rebekah4 ,esau was the dearer to his   
father2 but ,rebekah loved ,jacob more1 
and she wished her favorite son to have 
the birthright1 or larger portion of the
 property1 which really belonged to     
,esau because he was a little the older4
  ,one day ,esau came in from hunting1  
very tired and hungry1 and sold his     
birthright to ,jacob for a kind of stew 
called pottage4  ,afterward1 when ,isaac

 had grown very old1 he sent ,esau one  
day to get some of his favorite meat1   
saying that when he returned he should  
have his father's blessing4  ,but       
,rebekah heard this and determined that 
,jacob should have the blessing instead4
 ,so she prepared meat1 then dressed    
,jacob in some of his brother's         
clothing1 covering his hands and neck   
with the skin of the kids1 and sent him 
to his father2 and ,isaac blessed him1  
for his sight was dim1 and he thought it
 was ,esau4  ,when the elder brother    
returned1 he was very angry with ,jacob1
 and ,isaac was deeply grieved to think 
he had been deceived2 but he blessed    
,esau as well1 who became prosperous and
 had large possessions and great power4 
,after this ,jacob went to his mother's 
people1 where he met ,rachel1 whom he   
loved very dearly4 ,he told ,laban1 her 
father1 that he would serve him         
faithfully seven years if ,rachel might 
be his wife1 and ,laban consented to    
this2 at the end of the seven years1    

however1 he told ,jacob that he must    
first marry ,leah1 as she was the older1
 but if he would serve another seven    
years he might have ,rachel also4 ,so   
,jacob served another seven years for   
,rachel1 and then they were married4    
,later ,esau and ,jacob met and were    
very glad to see each other1 for ,jacob 
had repented of his sin1 and ,god had   
forgiven him2 while ,esau forgave him   
also4  ,illustration3 ,,isaac ,,blessing
 ,,jacob4     ,,the ,,apostle ,,paul4   
,before his conversion to the faith of  
,christ1 ,paul was called ,saul1 and he 
persecuted the ,christians1 believing   
that they were doing wickedly and that  
he ought to punish them for it4  ,but   
while he was in the midst of these      
persecutions1 and as he was journeying  
toward ,damascus one day1 he saw        
suddenly at noon-time1 a light shining  
in the heavens which was greater than   
the light of the sun1 and he and all    
that were with him fell to the earth in 
wonder and awe4 ,then ,saul heard a     

voice speaking to him and saying1 ,saul1
 ,saul1 why persecutest thou ,me8 ,and  
,saul said1 ,who art ,thou1 ,lord8 ,and 
the voice answered1 ,i am ,jesus1 whom  
thou persecutest4  ,then ,saul was      
instructed as to what he was to do1 and 
was told that he would become a minister
 of ,christ4 ,from that time ,paul      
preached and taught the ,christian      
religion1 and converted many people to  
it4  ,but he was persecuted in his new  
work as he had persecuted others1 being 
finally taken prisoner and threatened   
with scourging2 he declared himself a   
,roman citizen1 however1 and therefore  
safe from such treatment1 and went on   
openly confessing his faith and telling 
of his conversion1 and he appealed for  
protection to the ,roman emperor4  ,he  
was then put on board a ship as a       
prisoner to be taken to ,rome4 ,while   
they were at sea a violent storm came   
up1 and ,paul warned the sailors that   
they were in great danger2 but they     
would not listen to him4 ,at last the   

ship was wrecked1 all on board being    
cast ashore upon an island1 whither they
 had been carried1 clinging to boards   
and broken pieces of the ship4  ,the    
barbarous people of the island treated  
them kindly1 building a fire that they  
might dry their clothing and get warm2  
for it was cold and they were1 of       
course1 drenched4  ,the men were very   
glad to be safe once more2 but a strange
 thing happened after a little3 ,paul   
gathered up an armful of sticks to put  
upon the fire1 and as he placed them    
upon the flames1 a viper1 which is a    
kind of poisonous snake1 came out of the
 bundle and clung to his hand2 he shook 
it off into the fire1 however1 without  
the slightest sign of fear4  ,those who 
were about him thought that the hand    
would swell and that ,paul would die    
from the effects of the bite1 and they  
watched him closely1 believing that this
 trouble was sent to him as a punishment
 for his sins4 ,but no evil results came
 from the wound1 and then the barbarians

 thought he was a god and looked upon   
him with great respect4  ,paul and the  
men who were with him remained upon the 
island for three months4 ,at the end of 
that time they went away in a ship1     
finally reaching ,rome1 where the       
prisoners were given up to the          
authorities2 but ,paul was allowed to   
live by himself1 with only a soldier to 
guard him1 and after a while he called  
the chief men of the ,jews together and 
told them why he was there and preached 
to them the ,word of ,god4 ,his         
preaching was received by some with     
faith1 but others did not believe4      
,illustration3 ,,the ,,crucifixion4     
,illustration3 ,,he ,,is ,,risen6  ,paul
 went on preaching and teaching in ,rome
 for two years1 living in a house which 
he hired1 and he brought many to ,jesus4
 ,he was a man of excellent education   
and a powerful preacher4 ,his ,epistles1
 given in the ,bible1 are full of power 
and the fire of conviction1 and he did a
 wonderful work for the great cause in  

which he believed with all his heart4   
,paul was physically small and deformed2
 but mentally he was a giant4 ,he had   
been taught the knowledge of the        
,romans1 and was therefore well fitted  
to take up this new cause in a manner   
which would appeal to educated people as
 well as to those who had no learning4  
,illustration3 ,,the ,,last ,,supper4   
,illustration3 ,,the ,,descent ,,of     
,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4  ,from the time of
 his conversion until his death he      
labored faithfully in the ministry of   
,christ1 fearing no persecution or      
hardship when he could do the ,master's 
bidding and teach ,his holy will4 ,the  
work which he did was a wonderful work1 
and his influence in the ,christian     
world has been a very remarkable one4   
,brave1 untiring1 devoted to the cause  
of ,christ1 he at last lost his life in 
that cause1 adding another to the list  
of martyrs whose memory the world loves 
and reveres4  ,the story of ,paul's     
experiences reads like those tales of   

adventure which are so full of absorbing
 interest that when once they have been 
taken up1 we do not feel like laying    
them down again until they are finished4
  ,this is true also of many others of  
the ,bible stories1 and great authors   
have taken their themes from them for   
the writing of books which have become  
famous4  ,the more we study the ,bible1 
the more wonderful it becomes1 and the  
more we learn that in that marvelous    
book are set forth nearly all the       
experiences of which human life is      
capable1 with the teaching which each of
 these experiences should bring and the 
lesson to be learned by the reading of  
them4 ,in all the world there is not    
another collection so wonderful as this4
     ,,david4   ,david1 the son of      
,jesse1 was a beautiful boy1 who could  
charm by his wonderful music4 ,but he   
was to be more than a sweet singer1 for 
,samuel1 the prophet of the ,lord1      
declared that he should be ,king of     
,israel1 and poured the sacred oil upon 

his head4  ,saul1 who was then the ,king
 of ,israel1 had spells of insanity1 and
 ,david was sent for to try and calm him
 by his music4 ,in this he was so       
successful that after a time the king   
seemed to be entirely cured2 so ,david  
returned to his home1 and staid there   
quietly until his father sent him to the
 camp of the ,israelites1 with food for 
his brothers4  ,he found ,saul's army in
 great commotion1 because ,goliath1 a   
mighty warrior of the ,philistines1 had 
come out before both armies and had     
offered to fight any man who should be  
sent against him4  ,goliath had a cap of
 brass on his head1 and his body was    
well protected with a covering of iron  
and brass1 while he carried a monstrous 
spear and sword1 and a heavy shield4 ,as
 he came before the two camps1 he cried 
out3 ,i defy the armies of ,israel this 
day2 give me a man1 that we may fight   
together6  ,when ,david came up and     
heard the story1 he said3 ,who is this  
,philistine1 that he should defy the    

armies of the living ,god8 ,and ,david  
offered to go forth against ,goliath4   
,so he went out in his shepherd's dress1
 with only his staff and sling2 and     
,goliath1 who was very angry at this1   
cried out3 ,am ,i a dog1 that thou      
comest against me with a staff8 ,then he
 began to make fun of ,david4 ,but      
,david answered3 ,thou comest against me
 with a sword and a shield2 but ,i come 
against thee trusting in the ,lord of   
,hosts1 the ,god of ,israel1 whom thou  
hast defied4  ,illustration3 ,,saul     
,,angry ,,with ,,david4  ,then1 as      
,goliath came nearer1 ,david took a     
stone from the bag at his side1 and     
putting it into his sling1 he took good 
aim1 and it struck ,goliath in the      
middle of the forehead and stunned him4 
,as the giant fell1 ,david ran up to    
him1 and taking the mighty sword1 cut   
off his head with it4  ,this act of     
,david's brought a great victory to     
,saul's army1 and the king was delighted
 with his courage2 while ,jonathan1     

,saul's eldest son1 loved the boy from  
that time1 and they became like         
brothers4 ,david also married the       
daughter of ,saul1 and was placed over  
his men of war4  ,illustration3 ,,the   
,,death ,,of ,,saul4  ,illustration3    
,,the ,,death ,,of ,,ahab4  ,but when   
all the people praised ,david1 and ,saul
 knew how much they loved him1 he grew  
jealous1 and ,david was obliged to fly  
for his life and hide himself from the  
king4 ,during these wanderings1 he wrote
 some of his most beautiful psalms4     
,saul1 however1 was finally killed1 and 
at last ,david became king4 ,he ruled   
,israel for nearly forty years1 making  
it a great and powerful nation2 and when
 he died he was buried at ,jerusalem1   
which was called ,the ,city of ,david1  
because he had caused it to be taken    
from the enemy4     ,,the ,,tower ,,of  
,,babel4   ,the sons of ,noah were named
 ,shem1 ,ham and ,japheth4 ,these sons  
in turn became the fathers of children  
so that the descendants of ,noah were   

very numerous4  ,one of these           
descendants1 named ,nimrod1 was a mighty
 hunter and a man of power and authority
 in the land1 and it has even been said 
that the people worshiped him as a god4 
,in those days men liked to build high  
towers reaching away up toward the      
heavens4 ,perhaps they were afraid of   
another flood1 and perhaps they simply  
wished to show what they could do2 but  
however that may be1 ruins of towers can
 still be seen in various parts of the  
world1 one of the most noted of which is
 that of the ,tower of ,nimrod4 ,it is  
forty feet high and stands on the top of
 a hill near the ,river ,euphrates in   
,asia4  ,in the time of ,nimrod1 the    
people said1 ,let us build us a city and
 a tower1 whose top may reach unto      
,heaven2 and let us make us a name1 lest
 we be scattered abroad upon the face of
 the whole earth4 ,so they began to     
build the tower1 and they made it very  
strong indeed1 and kept raising it      
higher and higher toward the heavens1   

thinking1 ,jewish tradition1 or story1  
tells us1 that they would have a shelter
 in which they would be perfectly safe  
from any flood which might come1 or any 
fire4 ,there were some of the people    
also who wished to use the tower as a   
temple for the idols which they         
worshiped4 ,six hundred thousand men    
worked upon this wonderful tower1 so the
 story goes on to say1 and they kept up 
the work until the tower rose to a      
height of seventy miles1 so that1 toward
 the last1 it took a year to get        
materials for the work up to the top    
where the laborers were employed4 ,of   
course this story is exaggerated1 but   
without doubt the tower rose to a great 
height and was a wonderful piece of     
work4  ,god was not pleased with what   
the people were doing1 however1 because 
they thought themselves so great and    
powerful that they had no need of ,him1 
and so ,he put an end to their bold     
plans4  ,up to this time all the people 
of the world had spoken the same        

language2 but now1 when they were       
working upon this wonderful tower1 they 
commenced to talk in different tongues  
so that they could not understand each  
other1 and there was great confusion4   
,owing to this1 they were obliged to    
give up the building of the tower1 and  
they separated themselves into groups1  
or divisions1 each division speaking the
 same language1 and then they spread out
 over the world1 forming the various    
nations4  ,the tower was called the     
,tower of ,babel because of the babel1  
or confusion1 of tongues which had taken
 place there1 and it was left unfinished
 to be a monument of ,god's power and   
man's weakness without ,him4            
,illustration3 ,,the ,,tower ,,of       
,,babel4  ,these men were skillful in   
building1 else they never could have    
gone as far as they did in their        
stupendous work1 and ,god was willing   
that they should exercise their skill1  
as ,he is willing that people shall do  
now2 but when they thought themselves   

equal to ,him1 they learned how weak    
they really were in comparison4 ,the    
story teaches the great lesson of       
dependence upon ,god and submission to  
,his will and ,his laws4     ,,the      
,,boyhood ,,of ,,jesus4   ,there are    
many beautiful stories of child-life1   
but the story of the ,boyhood of ,jesus 
is the most beautiful of all4 ,it       
teaches a wonderful lesson of obedience 
to parents and love and respect for     
them1 as well as of the charm of a pure 
and consecrated childhood1 and the      
lesson is all the more helpful because  
it is full of the human interest of     
everyday life4  ,although the boy ,jesus
 was gifted with a wisdom far beyond    
,his years--a wisdom which was ,his     
because ,he was the ,son of ,god1 yet   
,he lived much as other boys lived1     
doing the tasks that were given ,him by 
,his parents and being subject to them  
in all things4  ,probably the people    
around ,him did not think very much     
about what ,he said or did during those 

years4 ,when they saw ,him helping      
,joseph1 the carpenter1 or doing the    
little things which ,mary1 ,his mother1 
bade ,him do1 ,he seemed much like other
 little boys to them2 they thought ,him 
bright and pleasing1 and it may be that 
there was something in ,his looks and in
 ,his manner which puzzled them1 which  
set them to thinking of holy things in a
 wondering way2 but ,mary was the only  
one who dwelt upon the mystery of ,his  
life with a constant prayerful          
questioning as to just what the meaning 
of it was4  ,mary treasured all ,his    
sayings in her heart and believed that  
the time would come when everyone would 
know that ,he was not simply an ordinary
 child like those around ,him4  ,after  
,joseph had brought his family back from
 ,egypt because1 now that ,herod was    
dead1 it was safe for them to come into 
their own country again1 they lived in  
the city of ,nazareth1 and so the words 
of the old prophets were true1 that     
,jesus1 the ,savior of the ,world1      

should be a ,nazarene1 or dweller in    
,nazareth4  ,every year the ,jews held a
 feast at ,jerusalem called the ,feast  
of the ,passover1 in memory of the time 
when ,god passed over1 or spared1 ,his  
chosen people in ,egypt1 although ,he   
destroyed the first-born of the         
,egyptians4 ,when ,jesus was twelve     
years old ,he went to ,jerusalem with   
,joseph and ,mary to attend this feast4 
,there were many of the relatives and   
friends of the family there1 and when   
they started home after the feast1 there
 was probably some confusion about      
getting the company under way1 for they 
traveled in a train consisting of people
 on foot and mounted upon donkeys1 and  
they had1 of course1 some needful       
provisions to take with them1 together  
with the things which they had brought  
for their comfort upon the journey and  
during their stay in ,jerusalem2 and as 
the parents of ,jesus did not think of  
,his remaining behind1 they neglected to
 look for ,him1 supposing ,he was       

somewhere in the train2 so1 when they   
had traveled for a day on the return    
trip1 they were greatly surprised and   
troubled to find that ,he was missing4  
,they immediately started back for      
,jerusalem1 wondering as they went what 
could have happened to their boy and    
fearful about it2 but after three       
anxious days they found ,him in the     
temple talking with the learned men     
there1 listening to their wise words1   
and asking questions which astonished   
everybody who heard them1 because they  
were full of an understanding of holy   
things that was not to be expected of a 
boy4 ,when ,his parents had found ,him1 
,mary said to ,him1 sorrowfully1 ,son1  
why hast ,thou dealt thus with us8 ,thy 
father and ,i have sought ,thee         
sorrowing4  ,then ,jesus turned to her  
with sad and gentle respect1 and asked1 
,how is it that ye sought ,me8 ,wist ye 
not--that is1 ,do you not know--that ,i 
must be about ,my ,father's business8   
,perhaps in these words ,he tried to    

give them an insight into the great     
meaning of ,his life2 but they were     
puzzled1 although ,mary dimly felt all  
that ,he would have her understand4 ,he 
did not at this time1 however1 explain  
to them further regarding what was in   
,his own heart4 ,it may be that ,he did 
not yet fully comprehend just what ,he  
was to do4 ,he had taken upon ,himself  
the human nature which ,he was to raise 
to something grander and nobler than    
human nature had ever been before1 and  
in becoming a little child like other   
little children1 perhaps it was ,god's  
plan that ,he should not yet have the   
judgment of a man in all things4        
,however that may have been1 ,he went   
back with ,his parents and obeyed them  
as before1 for the time had not come for
 ,him to leave them and begin ,his      
teaching1 except as ,he taught by the   
force of a beautiful example4 ,but that 
example formed a great part of the      
purpose for which ,he was sent into the 
world1 because one of the noblest truths

 that ,he impressed upon humanity was   
the duty of children to parents4 ,his   
own life taught this better than any    
sermon could have done1 for in all the  
history of the world we have no better  
example of what a child's conduct should
 be toward his parents4 ,it is the more 
beautiful because ,jesus was not like   
other children1 but1 having the wisdom  
of ,god in ,his heart1 was far better   
able to judge for ,himself between right
 and wrong4  ,during all these years    
,jesus grew in stature as well as in    
wisdom1 and those around ,him felt1     
without understanding it1 that in some  
way ,he was different from the rest4    
,the divinity of ,his nature could not  
be hidden1 even in those early years1   
but it shone through all the small acts 
of everyday life1 making them beautiful2
 while every one who knew ,him was      
better and happier for coming near such 
a noble nature4  ,illustration3 ,,the   
,,quest4  ,illustration3 ,the ,angels'  
,song      ,praise thou the ,lord6 the  

angels cry        ,the song of peace and
 love1      ,comes floating downward    
thro' the sky1        ,from unseen      
courts above4