,illustration3 ,,the ,,finding ,,of ,,moses--,the daughter of ,pharaoh comes to the water's edge and finds the child4 ,by chance the child's mother is called as nurse1 and it grew and was brought to ,pharaoh's daughter and became her son--7,exodus #b2 #e-aj47 ,,the ,,wonder ,,book ,,of ,,bible ,,stories ,,edited ,,and ,,arranged ,,by ,,logan ,,marshall ,illustration3 ,the baby in the manger ,,the ,,john ,c4 ,,winston ,,company1 ,,publishers ,,philadelphia ,,chicago ,,toronto--,,the ,,john ,c4 ,,winston ,,company1 ,,limited ,copyright1 #aibe1 by ,,the ,,john ,c4 ,,winston ,,co4 ,copyright1 #aibe1 in the ,philippine ,islands4 ,copyright1 #aijd1 by ,,the ,j4,c4,w4 ,,co4 ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,u4,s4,a4 ,,at ,,the ,,international ,,press ,,the ,,john ,c4 ,,winston ,,company1 ,,proprietors1 ,,philadelphia ,,contents ,,page ,,introduction #a ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,adam ,,and ,,eve #c ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,noah ,,and ,,the ,,ark #g ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,hagar ,,and ,,ishmael #af ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,abraham ,,and ,,isaac #bb ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jacob #bh ,,the ,,sale ,,of ,a ,,birthright #bi ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,ladder ,,that ,,reached ,,to ,,heaven #cg ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,joseph ,,the ,,coat ,,of ,,many ,,colors #db ,,the ,,dreams ,,of ,a ,,king #di ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,money ,,in ,,the ,,sacks #eh ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the ,,lost ,,brother #fe ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,moses1 ,,the ,,child ,,who ,,was ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,river #gc ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,grapes ,,from ,,canaan #hb ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,gideon ,,and ,,his ,,three ,,hundred ,,soldiers #hh ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,samson1 ,,the ,,strong ,,man #ih ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,ruth1 ,,the ,,gleaner #aaa ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,david ,,the ,,shepherd ,,boy #aag ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fight ,,with ,,the ,,giant #abe ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,cave ,,of ,,adullam #aca ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,solomon ,,and ,,his ,,temple #acc ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,elijah1 ,,the ,,prophet #ach ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jonah ,,and ,,the ,,whale #adb ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fiery ,,furnace #adg ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,daniel ,,in ,,the ,,lion',s ,,den #aee ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,angel ,,by ,,the ,,altar #afj ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jesus ,,the ,,babe ,,of ,,bethlehem #afg ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,star ,,and ,,the ,,wise ,,men #agb ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,child ,,in ,,the ,,temple #agi ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,water ,,that ,,was ,,turned ,,into ,,wine #ahd ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,stranger ,,at ,,the ,,well #ahi ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fishermen #aie ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,mount #aii ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,miracle ,,worker #bjf ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd ,,and ,,the ,,good ,,samaritan #bae ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,palm ,,branches #bba ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,betrayal #bbh ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,empty ,,tomb #bce ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,man ,,at ,,the ,,beautiful ,,gate #bdc ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,stephen1 ,,the ,,first ,,martyr #bdi ,,illustrations ,,page ,the ,finding of ,moses i ,title ,plate ii ,they were driven forth by an angel #c ,cain and ,abel #e ,the water rose higher and higher #ab ,so ,noah opened the door of the ark #ad ,in some way she lost the road #ai ,learned to shoot with the bow and arrow #bj ,for two days they walked #bd ,god will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering #be ,sell me your birthright #bi ,now1 my son1 do what ,i tell you #cb ,may nations bow down to you #cd ,angels were upon the stairs #ch ,jacob went onward in his long journey #dj ,back to the ,land of ,canaan #dc ,walking northward over the mountains #de ,for twenty pieces of silver they sold ,joseph #dg ,the two dreams have the same meaning #ef ,what wicked thing is this that you have done8 #gj ,they made the ,israelites work hard #ge ,she placed her baby in the ark #gf ,moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of ,midian #gi ,god fed them day by day with manna #ha ,a cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it #hc ,the angel touched the offering with his staff #hi ,the men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise #ie ,he carried off the gates of the city #aje ,he bowed forward with all his might and pulled the pillars with him #aji ,ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain #aad ,then ,samuel poured oil on ,david's head #abb ,the giant looked down on the youth and despised him #abh ,david drew out the giant's own sword #abi ,solomon on his throne #acf ,supposed form of ,solomon's ,temple #acg ,ship in ,solomon's time #acg ,denounced ,ahab and ,jezebel #aci ,made king when he was only seven years old #adj ,this is the arrow of victory #ada ,to shade ,jonah from the sun #ade ,nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage #aej ,an angel befriended them #aeb ,thrown into the den of lions #aeg ,daniel's ,answer to the ,king #aeh ,do not be afraid1 ,zacharias #afb ,they were filled with fear #afi ,the baby in the manger #agj ,the ,shepherds in the ,field #aga ,the wise men went their way #agc ,he took his wife and baby and went down to ,egypt #agf ,sitting in a company of the doctors of the law #aha ,fill the jars with water #ahe ,take these things away #ahg ,the net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up #aif ,i came not to call those who think themselves to be good #bja ,then1 on the mountain1 he preached #bjc ,speak the word and my servant shall be cured #bjg ,the children loved to gather around him #baj ,then he lifted him up #bai ,came to ,bethany where his friends ,martha and ,mary lived #bba ,she wiped his feet with her hair #bbc ,they threw their garments upon the ground for ,jesus to ride upon #bbe ,the great city was deaf to his pleadings #bbg ,peter ,denies ,christ #bcb ,he heard their complaints #bce ,,introduction ,the ,bible is one of the two or three oldest books in the world1 but unlike most of the ancient books1 it is found not only in great libraries1 but in almost every home of the civilized world2 and it is not only studied by learned scholars1 but read by the common people2 and its many stories grasp and hold the attention of little children4 ,happy is that child who has heard1 over and over again1 the ,bible stories until they have become fixed in his mind and memory1 to become the foundations of a noble life4 ,it is with the desire of aiding parents and teachers in telling these stories1 and aiding children to understand them1 also in the hope that they may be read in many schools1 that a few among the many interesting stories in the ,bible have been chosen1 brought together and as far as necessary simplified to meet the minds of the young4 ,signature3 ,jesse ,lyman ,hurlbut ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,adam ,,and ,,eve ,the first man's name was ,adam and his wife he called ,eve4 ,they lived in a beautiful ,garden away in the ,east ,country which was called ,eden1 filled with beautiful trees and flowers of all kinds4 ,but they did not live in ,eden long for they did not obey ,god's command1 but ate the fruit of a tree which had been forbidden them4 ,they were driven forth by an angel and had to give up their beautiful home4 ,illustration3 ,they were driven forth by an angel ,so ,adam and his wife went out into the world to live and to work4 ,for a time they were all alone1 but after a while ,god gave them a little child of their own1 the first baby that ever came into the world4 ,eve named him ,cain2 and after a time another baby came1 whom she named ,abel4 ,when the two boys grew up1 they worked1 as their father worked before them4 ,cain1 the older brother1 chose to work in the fields1 and to raise grain and fruits4 ,abel1 the younger brother1 had a flock of sheep and became a shepherd4 ,while ,adam and ,eve were living in the ,garden of ,eden1 they could talk with ,god and hear ,god's voice speaking to them4 ,but now that they were out in the world1 they could no longer talk with ,god freely1 as before4 ,so when they came to ,god1 they built an altar of stones heaped up1 and upon it1 they laid something as a gift to ,god1 and burned it1 to show that it was not their own1 but was given to ,god1 whom they could not see4 ,then before the altar they made their prayer to ,god1 and asked ,god to forgive their sins1 all that they had done was wrong2 and prayed ,god to bless them and do good to them4 ,each of these brothers1 ,cain and ,abel1 offered upon the altar to ,god his own gift4 ,cain brought the fruits and the grain which he had grown2 and ,abel brought a sheep from his flock1 and killed it and burned it upon the altar4 ,for some reason ,god was pleased with ,abel and his offering1 but was not pleased with ,cain and his offering4 ,perhaps ,god wished ,cain to offer something that had life1 as ,abel offered2 perhaps ,cain's heart was not right when he came before ,god4 ,and ,god showed that ,he was not pleased with ,cain2 and ,cain1 instead of being sorry for his sin1 and asking ,god to forgive him1 was very angry with ,god1 and angry also toward his brother ,abel4 ,when they were out in the field together ,cain struck his brother ,abel and killed him4 ,so the first baby in the world grew up to be the murderer of his own brother4 ,and the ,lord said to ,cain1 ,where is ,abel1 your brother8 ,illustration3 ,cain and ,abel ,and ,cain answered1 ,i do not know2 why should ,i take care of my brother8 ,then the ,lord said to ,cain1 ,what is this that you have done8 ,your brother's blood is like a voice crying to me from the ground4 ,do you see how the ground has opened1 like a mouth1 to drink your brother's blood8 ,as long as you live1 you shall be under ,god's curse for the murder of your brother4 ,you shall wander over the earth1 and shall never find a home1 because you have done this wicked deed4 ,and ,cain said to the ,lord1 ,my punishment is greater than ,i can bear4 ,thou hast driven me out from among men2 and thou hast hid thy face from me4 ,if any man finds me he will kill me1 because ,i shall be alone1 and no one will be my friend4 ,and ,god said to ,cain1 ,if any one harms ,cain1 he shall be punished for it4 ,and the ,lord ,god placed a mark on ,cain1 so that whoever met him should know him and should know also that ,god had forbidden any man to harm him4 ,then ,cain and his wife went away from ,adam's home to live in a place by themselves1 and there they had children4 ,and ,cain's family built a city in that land2 and ,cain named the city after his first child1 whom he had called ,enoch4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,noah ,,and ,,the ,,ark ,after ,abel was slain1 and his brother ,cain had gone into another land1 again ,god gave a child to ,adam and ,eve4 ,this child they named ,seth2 and other sons and daughters were given to them2 for ,adam and ,eve lived many years4 ,but at last they died1 as ,god had said they must die1 because they had eaten of the tree that ,god had forbidden them to eat4 ,by the time that ,adam died1 there were many people on the earth2 for the children of ,adam and ,eve had many other children2 and when these grew up they had other children2 and these had children also4 ,these men and women and children lived in tents4 ,they owned sheep and cattle1 and they moved about with them1 wherever they could find pasture4 ,the children played around the tent doors1 and sat beside the camp-fires in the evenings1 where they all sang together1 and the older people told them stories4 ,and after a time this land where ,adam's sons lived began to be full of people4 ,it is sad to tell that as time went on more and more of these people became wicked1 and fewer and fewer of them grew up to become good men and women4 ,all the people lived near together1 and few went away to other lands2 so it came to pass that even the children of good men and women learned to be bad1 like the people around them1 and no longer did what was right and good4 ,and as ,god looked down on the world that he had made1 he saw how wicked the men in it had become1 and that every thought and every act of man was evil and only evil continually4 ,but while most of the people in the world were very wicked1 there were some good people also1 though they were very few4 ,the best of all the men who lived at that time was a man whose name was ,enoch4 ,he was not the son of ,cain1 but another ,enoch1 who came from the family of ,seth1 the son of ,adam1 who was born after the death of ,abel4 ,while so many around ,enoch were doing evil1 this man did only what was right4 ,he walked with ,god and ,god walked with him1 and talked with him4 ,and at last1 when ,enoch was a very old man and weary with life1 ,god took him away from earth to heaven4 ,he did not die1 as all the people have since ,adam disobeyed ,god1 but he was not1 for ,god took him4 ,this means that ,enoch was taken up from earth without dying4 ,all the people in the time of ,enoch were not shepherds4 ,some of them had learned how to make rude bows and arrows and axes and plows4 ,and after a long time they melted iron1 and they made knives and swords and dishes to use in their homes4 ,they sowed grain in the fields and reaped harvests1 and they planted vines and fruit trees4 ,but ,god looked down on the earth and said3 ,i will take away all men from the earth that ,i have made2 because the men of the world are evil1 and do evil continually4 ,but even in those bad times ,god saw one good man4 ,his name was ,noah4 ,noah tried to do right in the sight of ,god4 ,as ,enoch had walked with ,god1 so ,noah walked with ,god1 and talked with him4 ,and ,noah had three sons2 their names were ,shem1 and ,ham1 and ,japheth4 ,god said to ,noah1 ,the time has come when all the men and women on the earth are to be destroyed4 ,every one must die1 because they are all wicked4 ,but you and your family shall be saved1 because you alone are trying to do right4 ,then ,god told ,noah how he might save his life and the lives of his sons4 ,he was to build a very large boat1 as large as the largest ships that are made in our time2 very long1 and very wide and very deep2 with a roof over it2 and made like a long1 wide house in three stories2 but so built that it would float on the water4 ,such a ship as this was called an ark4 ,god told ,noah to build this ark1 and to have it ready for the time when he would need it4 ,for1 said ,god to ,noah1 ,i am going to bring a great flood of water on the earth to cover all the land and to drown all the people on the earth4 ,and as the animals on the earth will be drowned with the people1 you must make the ark large enough to hold a pair of each kind of animals and several pairs of some animals that are needed by men1 like sheep and goats and oxen2 so that there will be animals as well as men to live upon the earth after the flood has passed away4 ,and you must take in the ark food for yourself and your family1 and for all the animals with you2 enough food to last for a year1 while the flood shall stay on the earth4 ,and ,noah did what ,god told him to do1 although it must have seemed very strange to all the people around1 to build this great ark where there was no water for it to sail upon4 ,and it was a long time1 because this ship was so big1 that ,noah and his sons were at work building the ark1 which ,god had told them to build1 while the wicked people around wondered1 and no doubt laughed at ,noah for building a great ship where there was no sea4 ,at last the ark was finished1 and stood like a great house on the land4 ,there was a door on one side1 and a window on the roof1 to let in the light4 ,then ,god said to ,noah3 ,come into the ark1 you and your wife1 and your three sons1 and their wives with them2 for the flood of waters will come very soon4 ,and take with you animals of all kinds1 and birds1 and things that creep2 seven pairs of these that will be needed by men1 and one pair of all the rest1 so that all kinds of animals may be kept alive upon the earth4 ,so ,noah and his wife1 and his three sons1 ,shem1 ,ham and ,japheth1 with their wives1 went into the ark4 ,and ,god brought to the door of the ark the animals1 and the birds1 and the creeping things of all kinds2 and they went into the ark4 ,and ,noah and his sons put them in their places1 and brought in food enough to feed them all for many days4 ,and then the door of the ark was shut and no more people and no more animals could come in4 ,in a few days the rain began to fall1 as it had never rained before4 ,it seemed as though the heavens were opened to pour great floods upon the earth4 ,the streams filled1 and the rivers rose higher and higher1 and the ark began to float on the water4 ,the people left their houses and ran up to the hills2 but soon the hills were covered1 and all the people on them were drowned4 ,some had climbed up to the tops of higher mountains1 but the water rose higher and higher1 until even the mountains were covered and all the people1 wicked as they had been1 were drowned in the great sea that now rolled over all the earth where man had lived4 ,and all the animals1 the tame animals1 cattle1 and sheep1 and oxen1 were drowned2 and the wild animals1 lions1 and tigers1 and all the rest were drowned also4 ,even the birds were drowned1 for their nests in the trees were swept away1 and there was no place where they could fly from the terrible storm4 ,for forty days and nights the rain kept on1 until there was no breath of life remaining outside of the ark4 ,illustration3 ,the water rose higher and higher ,after forty days the rain stopped1 but the water stayed upon the earth for more than six months1 and the ark with all that were in it floated over the great sea that covered the land4 ,then ,god sent a wind to blow over the waters1 and to dry them up2 so by degrees the waters grew less and less4 ,first mountains rose above the waters1 then the hills rose up1 and finally the ark ceased to float and lay aground on a mountain which is called ,mount ,ararat4 ,but ,noah could not see what had happened on the earth1 because the door was shut1 and the only window was up in the roof4 ,but he felt that the ark was no longer moving1 and he knew that the water must have gone down4 ,so1 after waiting for a time1 ,noah opened a window1 and let loose a bird called a raven4 ,now the raven has strong wings2 and this raven flew round and round until the waters had gone down1 and it could find a place to rest1 and it did not come back to the ark4 ,after ,noah had waited for it awhile1 he sent out a dove2 but the dove could not find any place to rest1 so it flew back to the ark1 and ,noah took it into the ark again4 ,then ,noah waited a week longer1 and afterward he sent out the dove again4 ,and at the evening1 the dove came back to the ark1 which was its home2 and in its bill was a fresh leaf which it had picked off from an olive tree4 ,so ,noah knew that the water had gone down enough to let the trees grow again4 ,he waited another week1 and sent out the dove again2 but this time the dove flew away and never came back4 ,and ,noah knew that the earth was becoming dry again4 ,so he took off a part of the roof1 and looked out1 and saw that there was dry land all around the ark1 and the waters were no longer everywhere4 ,noah had now lived in the ark a little more than a year1 and he was glad to see the green land and the trees once more4 ,and ,god said to ,noah3 ,come out of the ark1 with your wife1 and your sons1 and their wives1 and all the living things that are with you in the ark4 ,illustration3 ,so ,noah opened the door of the ,ark ,so ,noah opened the door of the ark1 and with his family came out1 and stood once more on the ground4 ,and the animals1 and birds1 and creeping things in the ark1 came out also1 and began again to bring life to the earth4 ,the first thing that ,noah did when he came out of the ark1 was to give thanks to ,god for saving all his family when the rest of the people on the earth were destroyed4 ,he built an altar1 and laid upon it an offering to the ,lord1 and gave himself and his family to ,god and promised to do ,god's will4 ,and ,god was pleased with ,noah's offering1 and ,god said3 ,i will not again destroy the earth on account of men1 no matter how bad they may be4 ,from this time no flood shall again cover the earth2 but the seasons of spring and summer and fall and winter1 shall remain without change4 ,i give to you the earth2 you shall be the rulers of the ground and of every living thing upon it4 ,then ,god caused a rainbow to appear in the sky1 and he told ,noah and his sons that whenever they or the people after them should see the rainbow1 they should remember that ,god had placed it in the sky and over the clouds as a sign of his promise1 that he would always remember the earth1 and the people upon it1 and would never again send a flood to destroy man from the earth4 ,so as often as we see the beautiful rainbow1 we are to remember that it is the sign of ,god's promise to the world4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,hagar ,,and ,,ishmael ,after the great flood the family of ,noah and those who came after him grew in number1 until1 as the years went on1 the earth began to be full of people once more4 ,but there was one great difference between the people who had lived before the flood and those who lived after it4 ,before the flood1 all the people stayed close together1 so that very many lived in one land1 and no one lived in other lands4 ,after the flood families began to move from one place to another1 seeking for themselves new homes4 ,some went one way1 and some another1 so that as the number of people grew1 they covered much more of the earth than those who had lived before the flood4 ,part of the people went up to the north and built a city called ,nineveh1 which became the ruling city of a great land called ,assyria1 whose people were called ,assyrians4 ,another company went away to the west and settled by the great river ,nile1 and founded the land of ,egypt1 with its strange temples and pyramids1 its sphinx and its monuments4 ,another company wandered northwest until they came to the shore of the great sea which they called the ,mediterranean ,sea4 ,there they founded the cities of ,sidon and ,tyre1 where the people were sailors1 sailing to countries far away1 and bringing home many things from other lands to sell to the people of ,babylon1 and ,assyria1 and ,egypt1 and other countries4 ,among the many cities which the people built were two called ,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,the people in these cities were very wicked and were nearly all destroyed4 ,one good man named ,lot and his family escaped4 ,there was another good man named ,abraham who did not live in these cities4 ,he tried to do ,god's will and was promised a son to bring joy into his family4 ,after ,sodom and ,gomorrah were destroyed1 ,abraham moved his tent and his camp away from that part of the land1 and went to live near a place called ,gerar1 in the southwest1 not far from the ,great ,sea4 ,and there at last1 the child whom ,god had promised to ,abraham and ,sarah1 his wife1 was born1 when ,abraham1 his father1 was a very old man4 ,they named this child ,isaac1 as the angel had told them he should be named4 ,and ,abraham and ,sarah were so happy to have a little boy1 that after a time they gave a great feast and invited all the people to come and rejoice with them1 and all in honor of the little ,isaac4 ,now ,sarah had a maid named ,hagar1 an ,egyptian woman1 who ran away from her mistress1 and saw an angel by a well1 and afterward came back to ,sarah4 ,she1 too1 had a child and his name was ,ishmael4 ,so now there were two boys in ,abraham's tent1 the older boy1 ,ishmael1 the son of ,hagar1 and the younger boy1 ,isaac1 the son of ,abraham and ,sarah4 ,ishmael did not like the little ,isaac1 and did not treat him kindly4 ,this made his mother ,sarah very angry1 and she said to her husband3 ,i do not wish to have this boy ,ishmael growing up with my son ,isaac4 ,send away ,hagar and her boy1 for they are a trouble to me4 ,and ,abraham felt very sorry to have trouble come between ,sarah and ,hagar1 and between ,isaac and ,ishmael2 for ,abraham was a kind and good man1 and he was friendly to them all4 ,but the ,lord said to ,abraham1 ,do not be troubled about ,ishmael and his mother4 ,do as ,sarah has asked you to do1 and send them away4 ,it is best that ,isaac should be left alone in your tent1 for he is to receive everything that is yours4 ,i the ,lord will take care of ,ishmael1 and will make a great people of his descendants1 those who shall come from him4 ,so the next morning ,abraham sent ,hagar and her boy away1 expecting them to go back to the land of ,egypt1 from which ,hagar had come4 ,he gave them some food for the journey1 and a bottle of water to drink by the way4 ,the bottles in that country are not like ours1 made of glass4 ,they are made from the skin of a goat4 ,one of these skin-bottles ,abraham filled with water and gave to ,hagar4 ,and ,hagar went away from ,abraham's tent1 leading her little boy4 ,but in some way she lost the road1 and wandered over the desert1 not knowing where she was1 until all the water in the bottle was used up2 and her poor boy in the hot sun and the burning sand had nothing to drink4 ,she thought that he would die of his terrible thirst2 and she laid him down under a little bush2 and then she went away1 for she said to herself3 ,illustration3 ,in some way she lost the road ,i cannot bear to look at my poor boy suffering and dying for want of water4 ,and just at that moment1 while ,hagar was crying1 and her boy was moaning with thirst1 she heard a voice saying to her3 ,hagar1 what is your trouble8 ,do not be afraid4 ,god has heard your cry and the cry of your child4 ,god will take care of you both1 and will make of your boy a great nation of people4 ,it was the voice of an angel from heaven2 and then ,hagar looked1 and there1 close at hand1 was a spring of water in the desert4 ,how glad ,hagar was as she filled the bottle with water and took it to her suffering boy under the bush6 ,illustration3 ,learned to shoot with the bow and arrow ,after this ,hagar did not go down to ,egypt4 ,she found a place where she lived and brought up her son in the wilderness1 far from other people4 ,and ,ishmael grew up in the desert and learned to shoot with the bow and arrow4 ,he became a wild man1 and his children after him grew up to be wild men also4 ,they were the ,arabians of the desert1 who even to this day have never been ruled by any other people1 but wander through the desert1 and live as they please4 ,so ,ishmael came to be the father of many people1 and his descendants1 the wild ,arabians of the desert1 are living unto this day in that land4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,abraham ,,and ,,isaac ,you remember that in those times of which we are telling1 when men worshipped ,god1 they built an altar of earth or of stone1 and laid an offering upon it as a gift to ,god4 ,the offering was generally a sheep1 or a goat1 or a young ox--some animal that was used for food4 ,such an offering was called a sacrifice4 ,but the people who worshipped idols often did what seems to us strange and very terrible4 ,they thought that it would please their gods if they would offer as a sacrifice the most precious living things that were their own2 and they would take their own little children and kill them upon their altars as offerings to the gods of wood and stone1 that were no real gods1 but only images4 ,god wished to show ,abraham and all his descendants1 those who should come after him1 that he was not pleased with such offerings as those of living people1 killed on the altars4 ,and ,god took a way to teach ,abraham1 so that he and his children after him would never forget it4 ,then at the same time he wished to see how faithful and obedient ,abraham would be to his commands2 how fully ,abraham would trust in ,god1 or1 as we would say1 how great was ,abraham's faith in ,god4 ,so ,god gave to ,abraham a command which he did not mean to have obeyed1 though this he did not tell to ,abraham4 ,he said3 ,take now your son1 your only son ,isaac1 whom you love so greatly1 and go to the land of ,moriah1 and there on a mountain that ,i will show you1 offer him for a burnt-offering to me4 ,though this command filled ,abraham's heart with pain1 yet he would not be as surprised to receive it as a father would in our day2 for such offerings were very common among all those people in the land where ,abraham lived4 ,abraham never for one moment doubted or disobeyed ,god's word4 ,he knew that ,isaac was the child whom ,god had promised1 and that ,god had promised1 too1 that ,isaac should have children1 and that those coming from ,isaac should be a great nation4 ,he did not see how ,god could keep his promise with regard to ,isaac1 if ,isaac should be killed as an offering2 unless indeed ,god should raise him up from the dead afterward4 ,but ,abraham undertook at once to obey4 ,god's command4 ,he took two young men with him and an ass laden with wood for the fire2 and he went toward the mountain in the north1 ,isaac1 his son1 walking by his side4 ,for two days they walked1 sleeping under the trees at night in the open country4 ,and on the third day ,abraham saw the mountain far away4 ,and as they drew near to the mountain ,abraham said to the young men3 ,illustration3 ,for two days they walked ,stay here with the ass1 while ,i go up yonder mountain with ,isaac to worship2 and when we have worshipped1 we will come back to you4 ,for ,abraham believed that in some way ,god would bring back ,isaac to life4 ,he took the wood from the ass and placed it on ,isaac1 and they two walked up the mountain together4 ,as they were walking1 ,isaac said3 ,father1 here is the wood1 but where is the lamb for the offering8 ,and ,abraham said1 ,my son1 ,god will provide himself a ,lamb for a burnt offering4 ,and they came to the place on the top of the mountain4 ,there ,abraham built an altar of stones and earth heaped up2 and on it he placed the wood4 ,then he tied the hands and the feet of ,isaac1 and laid him on the altar1 on the wood4 ,and ,abraham lifted up his hand1 holding a knife to kill his son4 ,another moment longer and ,isaac would be slain by his own father's hand4 ,illustration3 ,god will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering ,but just at that moment the angel of the ,lord out of heaven called to ,abraham1 and said3 ,abraham6 ,abraham6 ,and ,abraham answered1 ,here ,i am1 ,lord4 ,then the angel of the ,lord said3 ,do not lay your hand upon your son4 ,do no harm to him4 ,now ,i know that you love ,god more than you love your only son1 and that you are obedient to ,god1 since you are ready to give up your son1 your only son1 to ,god4 ,what a relief and a joy these words from heaven brought to the heart of ,abraham6 ,how glad he was to know that it was not ,god's will for him to kill his son6 ,then ,abraham looked around1 and there in the thicket was a ram caught by his horns4 ,and ,abraham took the ram and offered him up for a burnt-offering in place of his son4 ,so ,abraham's words came true when he said that ,god would provide for himself a lamb4 ,the place where this altar was built ,abraham named ,jehovah-jireh1 words in the language that ,abraham spoke meaning1 ,the ,lord will provide4 ,this offering1 which seems so strange1 did much good4 ,it showed to ,abraham1 and to ,isaac also1 that ,isaac belonged to ,god1 for to ,god he had been offered2 and in ,isaac all those who should come from him1 his descendants1 had been given to ,god4 ,then it showed to ,abraham and to all the people after him1 that ,god did not wish children or men killed as offerings for worship2 and while all the people around offered such sacrifices1 the ,israelites1 who came from ,abraham and from ,isaac1 never offered them1 but offered oxen and sheep and goats instead4 ,these gifts1 which cost so much toil1 they felt must be pleasing to ,god1 because they expressed their thankfulness to him4 ,but they were glad to be taught that ,god does not desire men's lives to be taken1 but loves our living gifts of love and kindness4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jacob ,after ,abraham died1 his son ,isaac lived in the land of ,canaan4 ,like his father1 ,isaac had his home in a tent2 around him were the tents of his people1 and many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle feeding wherever they could find grass to eat and water to drink4 ,isaac and his wife ,rebekah had two children4 ,the older was named ,esau and the younger ,jacob4 ,esau was a man of the woods and very fond of hunting2 and he was rough and covered with hair4 ,jacob was quiet and thoughtful1 staying at home1 dwelling in a tent1 and caring for the flocks of his father4 ,isaac loved ,esau more than ,jacob1 because ,esau brought to his father that which he had killed in his hunting2 but ,rebekah liked ,jacob1 because she saw that he was wise and careful in his work4 ,among the people in those lands1 when a man dies1 his older son receives twice as much as the younger of what the father has owned4 ,this was called his birthright1 for it was his right as the oldest born4 ,so ,esau1 as the older1 had a birthright to more of ,isaac's possessions than ,jacob4 ,and besides this1 there was the privilege of the promise of ,god that the family of ,isaac should receive great blessings4 ,,the ,,sale ,,of ,a ,,birthright ,now ,esau1 when he grew up1 did not care for his birthright or the blessing which ,god had promised4 ,but ,jacob1 who was a wise man1 wished greatly to have the birthright which would come to ,esau when his father died4 ,once1 when ,esau came home1 hungry and tired from hunting in the fields1 he saw that ,jacob had a bowl of something that he had just cooked for dinner4 ,and ,esau said3 ,give me some of that red stuff in the dish4 ,will you not give me some8 ,i am hungry4 ,illustration3 ,sell me your birthright ,and ,jacob answered1 ,i will give it to you1 if you will first of all sell to me your birthright4 ,and ,esau said1 ,what is the use of the birthright to me now1 when ,i am almost starving to death8 ,you can have my birthright if you will give me something to eat4 ,then ,esau made ,jacob a solemn promise to give to ,jacob his birthright1 all for a bowl of food4 ,it was not right for ,jacob to deal so selfishly with his brother2 but it was very wrong in ,esau to care so little for his birthright and ,god's blessing4 ,some time after this1 when ,esau was forty years old1 he married two wives4 ,though this would be very wicked in our times1 it was not supposed to be wrong then2 for even good men then had more than one wife4 ,but ,esau's two wives were women from the people of ,canaan1 who worshipped idols1 and not the true ,god4 ,and they taught their children also to pray to idols2 so that those who came from ,esau1 the people who were his descendants1 lost all knowledge of ,god1 and became very wicked4 ,but this was long after that time4 ,isaac and ,rebekah were very sorry to have their son ,esau marry women who prayed to idols and not to ,god2 but still ,isaac loved his active son ,esau more than his quiet son ,jacob4 ,but ,rebekah loved ,jacob more than ,esau4 ,isaac became at last very old and feeble1 and so blind that he could see scarcely anything4 ,one day he said to ,esau3 ,my son1 ,i am very old1 and do not know how soon ,i must die4 ,but before ,i die1 ,i wish to give to you1 as my older son1 ,god's blessing upon you1 and your children1 and your descendants4 ,go out into the fields1 and with your bow and arrows shoot some animal that is good for food1 and make for me a dish of cooked meat such as you know ,i love2 and after ,i have eaten it ,i will give you the blessing4 ,now ,esau ought to have told his father that the blessing did not belong to him1 for he had sold it to his brother ,jacob4 ,but he did not tell his father4 ,he went out into the fields hunting1 to find the kind of meat which his father liked the most4 ,now ,rebekah was listening1 and heard all that ,isaac had said to ,esau4 ,she knew that it would be better for ,jacob to have the blessing than for ,esau2 and she loved ,jacob more than ,esau4 ,so she called to ,jacob and told him what ,isaac had said to ,esau1 and she said3 ,now1 my son1 do what ,i tell you1 and you will get the blessing instead of your brother4 ,go to the flocks and bring to me two little kids from the goats1 and ,i will cook them just like the meat which ,esau cooks for your father4 ,and you will bring it to your father1 and he will think that you are ,esau1 and will give you the blessing2 and it really belongs to you4 ,illustration3 ,now1 my son1 do what ,i tell you ,but ,jacob said1 ,you know that ,esau and ,i are not alike4 ,his neck and arms are covered with hairs1 while mine are smooth4 ,my father will feel of me1 and he will find that ,i am not ,esau2 and then1 instead of giving me a blessing1 ,i am afraid that he will curse me4 ,but ,rebekah answered her son1 ,never mind2 you do as ,i have told you1 and ,i will take care of you4 ,if any harm comes it will come to me2 so do not be afraid1 but go and bring the meat4 ,then ,jacob went and brought a pair of little kids from the flocks1 and from them his mother made a dish of food1 so that it would be to the taste just as ,isaac liked it4 ,then ,rebekah found some of ,esau's clothes1 and dressed ,jacob in them2 and she placed on his neck and hands some of the skins of the kids1 so that his neck and his hands would feel rough and hairy to the touch4 ,then ,jacob came into his father's tent1 bringing the dinner1 and speaking as much like ,esau as he could1 he said3 ,here ,i am1 my father4 ,and ,isaac said1 ,who are you1 my son8 ,and ,jacob answered1 ,i am ,esau1 your oldest son2 ,i have done as you bade me2 now sit up and eat the dinner that ,i have made1 and then give me your blessing as you promised me4 ,and ,isaac said1 ,how is it that you found it so quickly8 ,jacob answered1 ,because the ,lord your ,god showed me where to go and gave me good success4 ,isaac did not feel certain that it was his son ,esau1 and he said1 ,come near and let me feel you1 so that ,i may know that you are really my son ,esau4 ,and ,jacob went up close to ,isaac's bed1 and ,isaac felt of his face1 and his neck1 and his hands1 and he said3 ,illustration3 ,may nations bow down to you4 ,the voice sounds like ,jacob1 but the hands are the hands of ,esau4 ,are you really my son ,esau8 ,and ,jacob told a lie to his father1 and said1 ,i am4 ,then the old man ate the food that ,jacob had brought to him2 and he kissed ,jacob1 believing him to be ,esau2 and he gave him the blessing1 saying to him3 ,may ,god give you the dew of heaven1 and the richness of the earth1 and plenty of grain and wine4 ,may nations bow down to you and peoples become your servants4 ,may you be the master over your brother1 and may your family and descendants that shall come from you rule over his family and his descendants4 ,blessed be those that bless you1 and cursed be those that curse you4 ,just as soon as ,jacob had received the blessing he rose up and hastened away4 ,he had scarcely gone out1 when ,esau came in from hunting1 with the dish of food that he had cooked4 ,and he said3 ,let my father sit up and eat the food that ,i have brought1 and give me the blessing4 ,and ,isaac said1 ,why1 who are you8 ,esau answered1 ,i am your son2 your oldest son1 ,esau4 ,and ,isaac trembled1 and said1 ,who then is the one that came in and brought to me food8 and ,i have eaten his food and have blessed him2 yes1 and he shall be blessed4 ,when ,esau heard this1 he knew that he had been cheated2 and he cried aloud1 with a bitter cry1 ,o1 my father1 my brother has taken away my blessing1 just as he took away my birthright6 ,but cannot you give me another blessing1 too8 ,have you given everything to my brother8 ,and ,isaac told him all that he had said to ,jacob1 making him the ruler over his brother4 ,but ,esau begged for another blessing2 and ,isaac said3 ,my son1 your dwelling shall be of the riches of the earth and of the dew of heaven4 ,you shall live by your sword and your descendants shall serve his descendants4 ,but in time to come they shall break loose and shall shake off the yoke of your brother's rule and shall be free4 ,all this came to pass many years afterward4 ,the people who came from ,esau lived in a land called ,edom1 on the south of the land of ,israel1 where ,jacob's descendants lived4 ,and after a time the ,israelites became rulers over the ,edomites2 and later still1 the ,edomites made themselves free from the ,israelites4 ,but all this took place hundreds of years afterward4 ,it was better that ,jacob's descendants1 those who came after him1 should have the blessing1 than that ,esau's people should have it2 for ,jacob's people worshipped ,god1 and ,esau's people walked in the way of the idols and became wicked4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,ladder ,,that ,,reached ,,to ,,heaven ,after ,esau found that he had lost his birthright and his blessing1 he was very angry against his brother ,jacob2 and he said to himself1 and told others3 ,my father ,isaac is very old and cannot live long4 ,as soon as he is dead1 then ,i shall kill ,jacob for having robbed me of my right4 ,when ,rebekah heard this1 she said to ,jacob1 ,before it is too late1 do you go away from home and get out of ,esau's sight4 ,perhaps when ,esau sees you no longer1 he will forget his anger1 and then you can come home again4 ,go and visit my brother ,laban1 your uncle1 in ,haran1 and stay with him for a little while4 ,we must remember that ,rebekah came from the family of ,nahor1 ,abraham's younger brother1 who lived in ,haran1 a long distance to the northeast of ,canaan1 and that ,laban was ,rebekah's brother4 ,so ,jacob went out of ,beersheba1 on the border of the desert1 and walked alone1 carrying his staff in his hand4 ,one evening1 just about sunset1 he came to a place among the mountains1 more than sixty miles distant from his home4 ,and as he had no bed to lie down upon1 he took a stone and rested his head upon it for a pillow1 and lay down to sleep4 ,illustration3 ,angels were upon the stairs ,and on that night ,jacob had a wonderful dream4 ,in his dream he saw stairs leading from the earth where he lay up to heaven2 and angels were going up and coming down upon the stairs4 ,and above the stairs1 he saw the ,lord ,god standing4 ,and ,god said to ,jacob3 ,i am the ,lord1 the ,god of ,abraham1 and the ,god of ,isaac your father2 and ,i will be your ,god1 too4 ,the land where you are lying all alone1 shall belong to you and to your children after you2 and your children shall spread abroad over the lands1 east and west1 and north and south1 like the dust of the earth2 and in your family all the world shall receive a blessing4 ,and ,i am with you in your journey1 and ,i will keep you where you are going1 and will bring you back to this land4 ,i will never leave you1 and ,i will surely keep my promise to you4 ,and in the morning ,jacob awakened from his sleep1 and he said3 ,surely1 the ,lord is in this place1 and ,i did not know it6 ,i thought that ,i was all alone1 but ,god has been with me4 ,this place is the house of ,god2 it is the gate of heaven6 ,and ,jacob took the stone on which his head had rested1 and he set it up as a pillar1 and poured oil on it as an offering to ,god4 ,and ,jacob named that place ,bethel1 which in the language that ,jacob spoke means ,the ,house of ,god4 ,and ,jacob made a promise to ,god at that time1 and said3 ,if ,god really will go with me and will keep me in the way that ,i go1 and will give me bread to eat and will bring me to my father's house in peace1 then the ,lord shall be my ,god3 and this stone shall be the house of ,god1 and of all that ,god gives me ,i will give back to ,god one-tenth as an offering4 ,then ,jacob went onward in his long journey4 ,he walked across the river ,jordan in a shallow place1 feeling his way with his staff2 he climbed mountains and journeyed beside the great desert on the east1 and at last came to the city of ,haran4 ,beside the city was the well1 where ,abraham's servant had met ,jacob's mother1 ,rebekah2 and there1 after ,jacob had waited for a time1 he saw a young woman coming with her sheep to give them water4 ,then ,jacob took off the flat stone that was over the mouth of the well1 and drew water and gave it to the sheep4 ,and when he found that this young woman was his own cousin ,rachel1 the daughter of ,laban1 he was so glad that he wept for joy4 ,and at that moment he began to love ,rachel1 and longed to have her for his wife4 ,illustration3 ,jacob went onward in his long journey ,rachel's father1 ,laban1 who was ,jacob's uncle1 gave a welcome to ,jacob1 and took him into his home4 ,and ,jacob asked ,laban if he would give his daughter1 ,rachel1 to him as his wife2 and ,jacob said1 ,if you give me ,rachel1 ,i will work for you seven years4 ,and ,laban said1 ,it is better that you should have her1 than that a stranger should marry her4 ,so ,jacob lived seven years in ,laban's house1 caring for his sheep and oxen and camels2 but his love for ,rachel made the time seem short4 ,at last the day came for the marriage2 and they brought in the bride1 who1 after the manner of that land1 was covered with a thick veil1 so that her face could not be seen4 ,and she was married to ,jacob1 and when ,jacob lifted up her veil he found that he had married1 not ,rachel1 but her older sister1 ,leah1 who was not beautiful1 and whom ,jacob did not love at all4 ,jacob was very angry that he had been deceived1--though that was just the way in which ,jacob himself had deceived his father and cheated his brother ,esau4 ,but his uncle ,laban said3 ,in our land we never allow the younger daughter to be married before the older daughter4 ,keep ,leah for your wife1 and work for me seven years longer1 and you shall have ,rachel also4 ,for in those times1 as we have seen1 men often had two wives1 or even more than two4 ,so ,jacob stayed seven years more1 fourteen years in all1 before he received ,rachel as his wife4 ,while ,jacob was living at ,haran1 eleven sons were born to him4 ,but only one of these was the child of ,rachel1 whom ,jacob loved4 ,this son was ,joseph1 who was dearer to ,jacob than any other of his children1 partly because he was the youngest1 and because he was the child of his beloved ,rachel4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,joseph ,,and ,,his ,,coat ,,of ,,many ,,colors ,after ,jacob came back to the land of ,canaan with his eleven sons1 another son was born to him1 the second child of his wife ,rachel1 whom ,jacob loved so well4 ,but soon after the baby came1 his mother ,rachel died1 and ,jacob was filled with sorrow4 ,even to this day you can see the place where ,rachel was buried1 on the road between ,jerusalem and ,bethlehem4 ,jacob named the child whom ,rachel left1 ,benjamin2 and now ,jacob had twelve sons4 ,most of them were grown-up men2 but ,joseph was a boy seventeen years old1 and his brother ,benjamin was almost a baby4 ,illustration3 ,back to the ,land of ,canaan ,of all his children1 ,jacob loved ,joseph the best1 because he was ,rachel's child2 because he was so much younger than most of his brothers2 and because he was good1 and faithful1 and thoughtful4 ,jacob gave to ,joseph a robe or coat of bright colors1 made somewhat like a long cloak with wide sleeves4 ,this was a special mark of ,jacob's favor to ,joseph1 and it made his older brothers envious of him4 ,then1 too1 ,joseph did what was right1 while his older brothers often did very wrong acts1 of which ,joseph sometimes told their father2 and this made them very angry at ,joseph4 ,but they hated him still more because of two strange dreams he had1 and of which he told them4 ,he said one day3 ,listen to this dream that ,i have dreamed4 ,i dreamed that we were out in the field binding sheaves1 when suddenly my sheaf stood up1 and all your sheaves came around it and bowed down to my sheaf6 ,and they said scornfully1 ,do you suppose that the dream means that you will some time rule over us1 and that we shall bow down to you8 ,then1 a few days after1 ,joseph said1 ,i have dreamed again4 ,this time1 ,i saw in my dream the sun1 and the moon1 and eleven stars1 all come and bow to me6 ,and his father said to him1 ,i do not like you to dream such dreams4 ,shall ,i1 and your mother1 and your brothers1 come and bow down before you as if you were a king8 ,his brothers hated ,joseph1 and would not speak kindly to him2 but his father thought much of what ,joseph had said4 ,at one time1 ,joseph's ten brothers were taking care of the flock in the fields near ,shechem1 which was nearly fifty miles from ,hebron1 where ,jacob's tents were spread4 ,and ,jacob wished to send a message to his sons1 and he called ,joseph1 and said to him3 ,your brothers are near ,shechem with the flock4 ,i wish that you would go to them1 and take a message1 and find if they are well1 and if the flocks are doing well2 and bring me word from them4 ,that was quite an errand1 for a boy to go alone over the country1 and find his way1 for fifty miles1 and then walk home again4 ,but ,joseph was a boy who could take care of himself1 and could be trusted2 so he went forth on his journey1 walking northward over the mountains1 past ,bethlehem1 and ,jerusalem1 and ,bethel--though we are not sure those cities were then built1 except ,jerusalem1 which was already a strong city4 ,when ,joseph reached ,shechem1 he could not find his brothers1 for they had taken their flocks to another place4 ,a man met ,joseph wandering in the field1 and asked him1 ,whom are you seeking8 ,joseph said1 ,i am looking for my brothers2 the sons of ,jacob4 ,can you tell me where ,i will find them8 ,and the man said1 ,they are at ,dothan2 for ,i heard them say that they were going there4 ,then ,joseph walked over the hills to ,dothan1 which was fifteen miles further4 ,and his brothers saw him afar off coming toward them4 ,they knew him by his bright garment2 and one said to another3 ,look1 that dreamer is coming6 ,come1 let us kill him1 and throw his body into a pit1 and tell his father that some wild beast has eaten him2 and then we will see what becomes of his dreams4 ,illustration3 ,walking northward over the mountains ,one of his brothers1 whose name was ,reuben1 felt more kindly toward ,joseph than the others4 ,he said3 ,let us not kill him1 but let us throw him into this pit1 in the wilderness1 and leave him there to die4 ,but ,reuben intended1 after they had gone away1 to lift ,joseph out of the pit1 and take him home to his father4 ,the brothers did as ,reuben told them2 they threw ,joseph into the pit1 which was empty4 ,he cried1 and begged them to save him2 but they would not4 ,they calmly sat down to eat their dinner on the grass1 while their brother was calling to them from the pit4 ,after the dinner1 ,reuben chanced to go to another part of the field2 so that he was not at hand when a company of men passed by with their camels1 going from ,gilead1 on the east of the river ,jordan1 to ,egypt1 to sell spices and fragrant gum from trees to the ,egyptians4 ,then ,judah1 another of ,joseph's brothers1 said1 ,what good will it do us to kill our brother8 ,would it not be better for us to sell him to these men1 and let them carry him away8 ,after all1 he is our brother1 and we would better not kill him4 ,his brothers agreed with him2 so they stopped the men who were passing1 and drew up ,joseph from the pit1 and for twenty pieces of silver they sold ,joseph to these men2 and they took him away with them down to ,egypt4 ,after a while1 ,reuben came to the pit1 where they had left ,joseph1 and looked into it2 but ,joseph was not there4 ,then ,reuben was in great trouble2 and he came back to his brothers1 saying3 ,the boy is not there6 ,what shall ,i do6 ,then his brothers told ,reuben what they had done2 and they all agreed together to deceive their father4 ,they killed one of the goats1 and dipped ,joseph's coat in its blood2 and they brought it to their father1 and they said to him3 ,we found this coat out in the wilderness4 ,look at it1 father1 and tell us if you think it was the coat of your son4 ,illustration3 ,for twenty pieces of silver they sold ,joseph ,and ,jacob knew it at once4 ,he said3 ,it is my son's coat4 ,some wild beast has eaten him4 ,there is no doubt that ,joseph has been torn in pieces6 ,and ,jacob's heart was broken over the loss of ,joseph1 all the more because he had sent ,joseph alone on the journey through the wilderness4 ,they tried to comfort him1 but he would not be comforted4 ,he said3 ,i will go down to the grave mourning for my poor lost son4 ,so the old man sorrowed for his son ,joseph2 and all the time his wicked brothers knew that ,joseph was not dead2 but they would not tell their father the dreadful deed they had done to their brother1 in selling him as a slave4 ,,the ,,dreams ,,of ,a ,,king ,the men who bought ,joseph from his brothers were called ,ishmaelites1 because they belonged to the family of ,ishmael1 who1 you remember1 was the son of ,hagar1 the servant of ,sarah4 ,these men carried ,joseph southward over the plain which lies beside the great sea on the west of ,canaan2 and after many days they brought ,joseph to ,egypt4 ,how strange it must have seemed to the boy who had lived in tents to see the great river ,nile1 and the cities thronged with people1 and the temples1 and the mighty pyramids6 ,the ,ishmaelites sold ,joseph as a slave to a man named ,potiphar1 who was an officer in the army of ,pharaoh1 the king of ,egypt4 ,joseph was a beautiful boy1 and cheerful and willing in his spirit1 and able in all that he undertook2 so that his master ,potiphar became very friendly to him1 and after a time1 he placed ,joseph in charge of his house1 and everything in it4 ,for some years ,joseph continued in the house of ,potiphar1 a slave in name1 but in reality the master of all his affairs1 and ruler over his fellow-servants4 ,but ,potiphar's wife1 who at first was very friendly to ,joseph1 afterward became his enemy1 because ,joseph would not do wrong to please her4 ,she told her husband falsely1 that ,joseph had done a wicked deed4 ,her husband believed her1 and was very angry at ,joseph1 and put him in the prison with those who had been sent to that place for breaking the laws of the land4 ,how hard it was for ,joseph to be charged with a crime1 when he had done no wrong1 and to be thrust into a dark prison among wicked people6 ,but ,joseph had faith in ,god1 that at some time all would come out right2 and in the prison he was cheerful1 and kind1 and helpful1 as he had always been4 ,the keeper of the prison saw that ,joseph was not like the other men around him1 and he was kind to ,joseph4 ,in a very little while1 ,joseph was placed in charge of all his fellow-prisoners1 and took care of them1 just as he had taken care of everything in ,potiphar's house4 ,the keeper of the prison scarcely looked into the prison at all2 for he had confidence in ,joseph1 that he would be faithful and wise in doing the work given to him4 ,joseph did right1 and served ,god1 and ,god blessed ,joseph in everything4 ,while ,joseph was in the prison1 two men were sent there by the king of ,egypt1 because he was displeased with them4 ,one was the king's chief butler1 who served the king with wine2 the other was the chief baker1 who served him with bread4 ,these two men were under ,joseph's care2 and ,joseph waited on them1 for they were men of rank4 ,one morning1 when ,joseph came into the room where the butler and the baker were kept1 he found them looking quite sad4 ,joseph said to them3 ,why do you look so sad today8 ,joseph was cheerful and happy in his spirit2 and he wished others to be happy also1 even in prison4 ,and one of them said1 ,each one of us dreamed last night a very strange dream1 and there is no one to tell us what our dreams mean4 ,for in those times1 before ,god gave the ,bible to men1 he often spoke to men in dreams2 and there were wise men who could sometimes tell what the dreams meant4 ,tell me1 said ,joseph1 what your dreams are4 ,perhaps my ,god will help me to understand them4 ,then the chief butler told his dream4 ,he said1 ,in my dream ,i saw a grape-vine with three branches2 and as ,i looked1 the branches shot out buds2 and the buds became blossoms2 and the blossoms turned into clusters of ripe grapes4 ,and ,i picked the grapes1 and squeezed their juice into king ,pharaoh's cup1 and it became wine2 and ,i gave it to king ,pharaoh to drink1 just as ,i used to do when ,i was beside his table4 ,then ,joseph said1 ,this is what your dream means4 ,the three branches mean three days4 ,in three days1 king ,pharaoh shall call you out of prison and shall put you back in your place2 and you shall stand at his table1 and shall give him his wine1 as you have given it before4 ,but when you go out of prison1 please to remember me1 and try to find some way to get me1 too1 out of this prison4 ,for ,i was stolen out of the land of ,canaan1 and sold as a slave2 and ,i have done nothing wrong to deserve being put in this prison4 ,do speak to the king for me1 that ,i may be set free4 ,of course1 the chief butler felt very happy to hear that his dream had so pleasant a meaning4 ,and the chief baker spoke1 hoping to have an answer as good3 ,in my dream1 said the baker1 there were three baskets of white bread on my head1 one above another1 and on the topmost basket were all kinds of roasted meat and food for ,pharaoh2 and the birds came1 and ate the food from the baskets on my head4 ,and ,joseph said to the baker3 ,this is the meaning of your dream1 and ,i am sorry to tell it to you4 ,the three baskets are three days4 ,in three days1 by order of the king you shall be lifted up1 and hanged upon a tree2 and the birds shall eat your flesh from your bones as you are hanging in the air4 ,and it came to pass just as ,joseph had said4 ,three days after that1 king ,pharaoh sent his officers to the prison4 ,they came and took out both the chief butler and the chief baker4 ,the baker they hung up by his neck to die1 and left his body for the birds to pick in pieces4 ,the chief butler they brought back to his old place1 where he waited at the king's table1 and handed him his wine to drink4 ,you would have supposed that the butler would remember ,joseph1 who had given him the promise of freedom1 and had shown such wisdom4 ,but in his gladness1 he forgot all about ,joseph4 ,and two full years passed by1 while ,joseph was still in prison1 until he was a man thirty years old4 ,but one night1 king ,pharaoh himself dreamed a dream--in fact1 two dreams in one4 ,and in the morning he sent for all the wise men of ,egypt1 and told to them his dreams2 but there was not a man who could give the meaning of them4 ,and the king was troubled1 for he felt that the dreams had some meaning which it was important for him to know4 ,then suddenly the chief butler who was by the king's table remembered his own dream in the prison two years before1 and remembered1 too1 the young man who had told its meaning so exactly4 ,and he said3 ,i do remember my faults this day4 ,two years ago king ,pharaoh was angry with his servants1 with me and the chief baker2 and he sent us to the prison4 ,while we were in the prison1 one night each of us dreamed a dream2 and the next day a young man in the prison1 a ,hebrew from the land of ,canaan1 told us what our dreams meant2 and in three days they came true1 just as the young ,hebrew had said4 ,i think that if this young man is in the prison still1 he could tell the king the meaning of his dreams4 ,you notice that the butler spoke of ,joseph as a ,hebrew4 ,the people of ,israel1 to whom ,joseph belonged1 were called ,hebrews as well as ,israelites4 ,the word ,hebrew means1 ,one who crossed over1 and it was given to the ,israelites because ,abraham1 their father1 had come from a land on the other side of the great river ,euphrates1 and had crossed over the river on his way to ,canaan4 ,then king ,pharaoh sent in haste to the prison for ,joseph2 and ,joseph was taken out1 and he was dressed in new garments1 and was led in to ,pharaoh in the palace4 ,and ,pharaoh said3 ,i have dreamed a dream2 and there is no one who can tell what it means4 ,and ,i have been told that you have power to understand dreams and what they mean4 ,and ,joseph answered ,pharaoh3 ,the power is not in me2 but ,god will give ,pharaoh a good answer4 ,what is the dream that the king has dreamed8 ,in my first dream1 said ,pharaoh1 ,i was standing by the river3 and ,i saw seven fat and handsome cows come up from the river to feed in the grass4 ,and while they were feeding1 seven other cows followed them up from the river1 very thin1 and poor1 and lean--such miserable creatures as ,i had never seen before4 ,and the seven lean cows ate up the seven fat cows2 and after they had eaten them up1 they were as lean and miserable as before4 ,then ,i awoke4 ,and ,i fell asleep again1 and dreamed again4 ,in my second dream1 ,i saw seven heads of grain growing up on one stalk1 large1 and strong1 and good4 ,and then seven heads came up after them1 that were thin1 and poor1 and withered4 ,and the seven thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads2 and afterward were as poor and withered as before4 ,and ,i told these two dreams to all the wise men1 and there is no one who can explain them4 ,can you tell me what these dreams mean8 ,and ,joseph said to the king3 ,the two dreams have the same meaning4 ,god has been showing to king ,pharaoh what he will do in this land4 ,the seven good cows mean seven years1 and the seven good heads of grain mean the same seven years4 ,the seven lean cows and the seven thin heads of grain also mean seven years4 ,the good cows and the good grain mean seven years of plenty1 and the seven thin cows and thin heads of grain mean seven poor years4 ,there are coming upon the land of ,egypt seven years of such plenty as have never been seen2 when the fields shall bring greater crops than ever before2 and after those years shall come seven years when the fields shall bring no crops at all4 ,and then for seven years there shall be such need1 that the years of plenty will be forgotten1 for the people will have nothing to eat4 ,illustration3 ,the two dreams have the same meaning ,now1 let king ,pharaoh find some man who is able and wise1 and let him set this man to rule over the land4 ,and during the seven years of plenty1 let a part of the crops be put away for the years of need4 ,if this shall be done1 then when the years of need come1 there will be plenty of food for all the people1 and no one will suffer1 for all will have enough4 ,and king ,pharaoh said to ,joseph3 ,since ,god has shown you all this1 there is no other man as wise as you4 ,i will appoint you to do this work1 and to rule over the land of ,egypt4 ,all the people shall be under you2 only on the throne of ,egypt ,i will be above you4 ,and ,pharaoh took from his own hand the ring which held his seal1 and put on ,joseph's hand1 so that he could sign for the king1 and seal in the king's place4 ,and he dressed ,joseph in robes of fine linen1 and put around his neck a gold chain4 ,and he made ,joseph ride in a chariot which was next in rank to his own4 ,and they cried out before ,joseph1 ,bow the knee4 ,and thus ,joseph was ruler over all the land of ,egypt4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,money ,,in ,,the ,,sacks ,when ,joseph was made ruler over the land of ,egypt1 he did just as he had always done4 ,it was not ,joseph's way to sit down1 to rest and enjoy himself1 and make others wait on him4 ,he found his work at once1 and began to do it faithfully and thoroughly4 ,he went out over all the land of ,egypt1 and saw how rich and abundant were the fields of grain1 giving much more than the people could use for their own needs4 ,he told the people not to waste it1 but to save it for the coming time of need4 ,and he called upon the people to give him for the king one bushel of grain out of every five1 to be stored up4 ,the people brought their grain1 after taking for themselves as much as they needed1 and ,joseph stored it up in great storehouses in the cities2 so much at last that no one could keep account of it4 ,the king of ,egypt gave a wife to ,joseph from the noble young women of his kingdom4 ,her name was ,asenath2 and to ,joseph and his wife ,god gave two sons4 ,the oldest son he named ,manasseh1 a word which means ,making to ,forget4 ,for1 said ,joseph1 ,god has made me to forget all my troubles and my toil as a slave4 ,the second son he named ,ephraim1 a word that means ,fruitful4 ,because1 said ,joseph1 ,god has not only made the land fruitful2 but he has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles4 ,the seven years of plenty soon passed by1 and then came the years of need4 ,in all the lands around people were hungry1 and there was no food for them to eat2 but in the land of ,egypt everybody had enough4 ,most of the people soon used up the grain that they had saved2 many had saved none at all1 and they all cried to the king to help them4 ,go to ,joseph6 said king ,pharaoh1 and do whatever he tells you to do4 ,then the people came to ,joseph1 and ,joseph opened the storehouses1 and sold to the people all the grain that they wished to buy4 ,and not only the people of ,egypt came to buy grain1 but people of all the lands around as well1 for there was great need and famine everywhere4 ,and the need was as great in the land of ,canaan1 where ,jacob lived1 as in other lands4 ,jacob was rich in flocks and cattle1 and gold and silver1 but his fields gave no grain1 and there was danger that his family and his people would starve4 ,and ,jacob--who was now called ,israel also--heard that there was food in ,egypt and he said to his sons3 ,why do you look at each other1 asking what to do to find food8 ,i have been told that there is grain in ,egypt4 ,go down to that land1 and take money with you1 and bring grain1 so that we may have bread1 and may live4 ,then the ten older brothers of ,joseph went down to the land of ,egypt4 ,they rode upon asses1 for horses were not much used in those times1 and they brought money with them4 ,but ,jacob would not let ,benjamin1 ,joseph's younger brother1 go with them1 for he was all the more dear to his father1 now that ,joseph was no longer with him2 and ,jacob feared that harm might come to him4 ,then ,joseph's brothers came to ,joseph to buy food4 ,they did not know him1 grown up to be a man1 dressed as a prince1 and seated on a throne4 ,joseph was now nearly forty years old1 and it had been almost twenty-three years since they had sold him4 ,but ,joseph knew them all1 as soon as he saw them4 ,he wished to be sharp and stern with them1 not because he hated them2 but because he wished to see what their spirit was1 and whether they were as selfish1 and cruel1 and wicked as they had been in other days4 ,they came before him1 and bowed1 with their faces to the ground4 ,then1 no doubt1 ,joseph thought of the dream that had come to him while he was a boy1 of his brothers' sheaves bending down around his sheaf4 ,he spoke to them as a stranger1 as if he did not understand their language1 and he had their words explained to him in the language of ,egypt4 ,who are you8 ,and from what place do you come8 said ,joseph1 in a harsh1 stern manner4 ,they answered him very meekly3 ,we have come from the land of ,canaan to buy food4 ,no1 said ,joseph1 ,i know what you have come for4 ,you have come as spies1 to see how helpless the land is1 so that you can bring an army against us1 and make war on us4 ,no1 no1 said ,joseph's ten brothers4 ,we are no spies4 ,we are the sons of one man1 who lives in the land of ,canaan2 and we have come for food1 because we have none at home4 ,you say that you are the sons of one man1 who is your father8 ,is he living8 ,have you any more brothers8 ,tell me all about yourselves4 ,and they said3 ,our father is an old man in ,canaan4 ,we did have a younger brother1 but he was lost2 and we have one brother still1 who is the youngest of all1 but his father could not spare him to come with us4 ,no1 said ,joseph4 ,you are not good1 honest men4 ,you are spies4 ,i shall put you all in prison1 except one of you2 and he shall go and bring that youngest brother of yours2 and when ,i see him1 then ,i will believe that you tell the truth4 ,so ,joseph put all the ten men in prison1 and kept them under guard for three days2 then he sent for them again4 ,they did not know that he could understand their language1 and they said to each other1 while ,joseph heard1 but pretended not to hear3 ,this has come upon us because of the wrong that we did to our brother ,joseph1 more than twenty years ago4 ,we heard him cry1 and plead with us1 when we threw him into the pit1 and we would not have mercy on him4 ,god is giving us only what we have deserved4 ,and ,reuben1 who had tried to save ,joseph1 said3 ,did ,i not tell you not to harm the boy8 and you would not listen to me4 ,god is bringing our brother's blood upon us all4 ,when ,joseph heard this1 his heart was touched1 for he saw that his brothers were really sorry for the wrong that they had done to him4 ,he turned away from them1 so that they could not see his face1 and he wept4 ,then he turned again to them and spoke roughly as before1 and said3 ,this ,i will do1 for ,i serve ,god4 ,i will let you all go home1 except one man4 ,one of you ,i will shut up in prison2 but the rest of you can go home and take food for your people4 ,and you must come back and bring your youngest brother with you1 and ,i shall know then that you have spoken the truth4 ,then ,joseph gave orders1 and his servants seized one of his brothers1 whose name was ,simeon1 and bound him in their sight and took him away to prison4 ,and he ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain1 and to put every man's money back into the sack before it was tied up1 so that they would find the money as soon as they opened the sack4 ,then the men loaded their asses with the sacks of grain1 and started to go home1 leaving their brother ,simeon a prisoner4 ,when they stopped on the way to feed their asses1 one of the brothers opened his sack1 and there he found his money lying on the top of the grain4 ,he called out to his brothers3 ,see1 here is my money given again to me6 ,and they were frightened1 but they did not dare to go back to ,egypt and meet the stern ruler of the land4 ,they went home and told their old father all that had happened to them1 and how their brother ,simeon was in prison1 and must stay there until they should return1 bringing ,benjamin with them4 ,when they opened their sacks of grain1 there in the mouth of each sack was the money that they had given2 and they were filled with fear4 ,then they spoke of going again to ,egypt and taking ,benjamin1 but ,jacob said to them3 ,you are taking my sons away from me4 ,joseph is gone1 and ,simeon is gone1 and now you would take ,benjamin away4 ,all these things are against me6 ,reuben said3 ,here are my own two boys4 ,you may kill them1 if you wish1 in case ,i do not bring ,benjamin back to you4 ,but ,jacob said3 ,my youngest son shall not go with you4 ,his brother is dead1 and he alone is left to me4 ,if harm should come to him1 it would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave4 ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,the ,,lost ,,brother ,the food which ,jacob's sons had brought from ,egypt did not last long1 for ,jacob's family was large4 ,most of his sons were married and had children of their own2 so that the children and grandchildren were sixty-six1 besides the servants who waited on them1 and the men who cared for ,jacob's flocks4 ,so around the tent of ,jacob was quite a camp of other tents and an army of people4 ,when the food that had come from ,egypt was nearly eaten up1 ,jacob said to his sons3 ,go down to ,egypt again1 and buy some food for us4 ,and ,judah1 ,jacob's son1 the man who years before had urged his brothers to sell ,joseph to the ,ishmaelites1 said to his father3 ,it is of no use for us to go to ,egypt1 unless we take ,benjamin with us4 ,the man who rules in that land said to us1 ',you shall not see my face1 unless your youngest brother be with you'4 ,and ,israel said1 ,why did you tell the man that you had a brother8 ,you did me great harm when you told him4 ,why1 said ,jacob's sons1 we could not help telling him4 ,the man asked us all about our family1 ',is your father yet living8 ,have you any more brothers8' ,and we had to tell him1 his questions were so close4 ,how should we know that he would say1 ',bring your brother here1 for me to see him'8 ,and ,judah said1 ,send ,benjamin with me1 and ,i will take care of him4 ,i promise you that ,i will bring him safely home4 ,if he does not come back1 let me bear the blame forever4 ,he must go1 or we shall die for want of food2 and we might have gone down to ,egypt and come home again1 if we had not been kept back4 ,and ,jacob said1 ,if he must go1 then he must4 ,but take a present to the man1 some of the choicest fruits of the land1 some spices1 and perfumes1 and nuts1 and almonds4 ,and take twice as much money1 besides the money that was in your sacks4 ,perhaps that was a mistake1 when the money was given back to you4 ,and take your brother ,benjamin1 and may the ,lord ,god make the man kind to you1 so that he will set ,simeon free1 and let you bring ,benjamin back4 ,but if it is ,god's will that ,i lose my children1 ,i cannot help it4 ,so ten brothers of ,joseph went down a second time to ,egypt1 ,benjamin going in place of ,simeon4 ,they came to ,joseph's office1 the place where he sold grain to the people2 and they stood before their brother1 and bowed as before4 ,joseph saw that ,benjamin was with them1 and he said to his steward1 the man who was over his house3 ,make ready a dinner1 for all these men shall dine with me today4 ,when ,joseph's brothers found that they were taken into ,joseph's house1 they were filled with fear4 ,they said to each other3 ,we have been taken here on account of the money in our sacks4 ,they will say that we have stolen it1 and then they will sell us all for slaves4 ,but ,joseph's steward1 the man who was over his house1 treated the men kindly2 and when they spoke of the money in their sacks1 he would not take it again1 saying3 ,never fear2 your ,god must have sent you this as a gift4 ,i had your money4 ,the stewards received the men into ,joseph's house1 and washed their feet1 according to the custom of the land4 ,and at noon1 ,joseph came in to meet them4 ,they brought him the present from their father1 and again they bowed before him1 with their faces on the ground4 ,and ,joseph asked them if they were well1 and said3 ,is your father still living1 the old man of whom you spoke8 ,is he well8 ,and they said1 ,our father is well and he is living4 ,and again they bowed to ,joseph4 ,and ,joseph looked at his younger brother ,benjamin1 the child of his own mother ,rachel1 and said3 ,is this your youngest brother1 of whom you spoke to me8 ,god be gracious unto you1 my son4 ,and ,joseph's heart was so full that he could not keep back the tears4 ,he went in haste to his own room1 and wept there4 ,then he washed his face1 and came out again1 and ordered the table to be set for dinner4 ,they set ,joseph's table for himself1 as the ruler1 and another table for his ,egyptian officers1 and another for the eleven men from ,canaan2 for ,joseph had brought ,simeon out of the prison1 and had given him a place with his brothers4 ,joseph himself arranged the order of the seats for his brothers1 the oldest at the head1 and all in order of age down to the youngest4 ,the men wondered at this1 and could not see how the ruler of ,egypt could know the order of their ages4 ,and ,joseph sent dishes from his table to his brothers1 and he gave to ,benjamin five times as much as to the others4 ,perhaps he wished to see whether they were as jealous of ,benjamin as in other days they had been toward him4 ,after dinner1 ,joseph said to his steward3 ,fill the men's sacks with grain1 as much as they can carry1 and put each man's money in his sack4 ,and put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest1 with his money4 ,the steward did as ,joseph had said2 and early in the morning the brothers started to go home4 ,a little while afterward1 ,joseph said to his steward3 ,hasten1 follow after the men from ,canaan1 and say1 ',why have you wronged me1 after ,i had treated you kindly8 ,you have stolen my master's silver cup1 out of which he drinks'4 ,the steward followed the men1 and overtook them1 and charged them with stealing4 ,and they said to him3 ,why should you talk to us in this manner8 ,we have stolen nothing4 ,why1 we brought back to you the money that we found in our sacks2 and is it likely that we would steal from your lord his silver or gold8 ,you may search us1 and if you find your master's cup on any of us1 let him die1 and the rest of us may be sold as slaves4 ,then they took down the sacks from the asses1 and opened them2 and in each man's sack was his money1 for the second time4 ,and when they came to ,benjamin's sack1 there was the ruler's silver cup6 ,then1 in the greatest sorrow1 they tied up their bags again1 and laid them on the asses1 and came back to ,joseph's palace4 ,and ,joseph said to them3 ,what wicked thing is this that you have done8 ,did you not know that ,i would surely find out your deeds8 ,then ,judah said1 ,o1 my lord1 what can we say8 ,god has punished us for our sins2 and now we must all be slaves1 both we that are older1 and the younger in whose sack the cup was found4 ,illustration3 ,what wicked thing is this that you have done8 ,no1 said ,joseph4 ,only one of you is guilty2 the one who has taken away my cup4 ,i will hold him as a slave1 and the rest of you can go home to your father4 ,joseph wished to see whether his brothers were still selfish1 and were willing to let ,benjamin suffer1 if they could escape4 ,then ,judah1 the very man who had urged his brothers to sell ,joseph as a slave1 came forward1 and fell at ,joseph's feet1 and pleaded with him to let ,benjamin go4 ,he told again the whole story1 how ,benjamin was the one whom his father loved the most of all his children1 now that his brother was lost4 ,he said3 ,i promised to bear the blame1 if this boy was not brought home in safety4 ,if he does not go back it will kill my poor old father1 who has seen much trouble4 ,now let my youngest brother go home to his father1 and ,i will stay here as a slave in his place6 ,joseph knew now1 what he had longed to know1 that his brothers were no longer cruel nor selfish1 but one of them was willing to suffer1 so that his brother might be spared4 ,and ,joseph could not any longer keep his secret1 for his heart longed after his brothers2 and he was ready to weep again1 with tears of love and joy4 ,he sent all of his ,egyptian servants out of the room1 so that he might be alone with his brothers1 and then he said3 ,come near to me2 ,i wish to speak with you4 ,and they came near1 wondering4 ,then ,joseph said3 ,i am ,joseph2 is my father really alive8 ,how frightened his brothers were1 as they heard these words spoken in their own language by the ruler of ,egypt and for the first time knew that this stern man1 who had their lives in his hand1 was their own brother whom they had wronged6 ,then ,joseph said again3 ,i am ,joseph1 your brother1 whom you sold into ,egypt4 ,but do not feel troubled because of what you did4 ,for ,god sent me before you to save your lives4 ,there have been already two years of need and famine1 and there are to be five years more1 when there shall neither be plowing of the fields nor harvest4 ,it was not you who sent me here1 but ,god2 and he sent me to save your lives4 ,god has made me like a father to ,pharaoh and ruler over all the land of ,egypt4 ,now ,i wish you to go home1 and to bring down to me my father and all his family4 ,then ,joseph placed his arms around ,benjamin's neck1 and kissed him1 and wept upon him4 ,and ,benjamin wept on his neck4 ,and ,joseph kissed all his brothers1 to show them that he had fully forgiven them2 and after that his brothers began to lose their fear of ,joseph and talked with him more freely4 ,afterward ,joseph sent his brothers home with good news1 and rich gifts1 and abundant food4 ,he sent also wagons in which ,jacob and his sons' wives and the little ones of their families might ride from ,canaan down to ,egypt4 ,and ,joseph's brothers went home happier than they had been for many years4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,moses1 ,,the ,,child ,,who ,,was ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,river ,the children of ,israel stayed in the land of ,egypt much longer than they had expected to stay4 ,they were in that land about four hundred years4 ,and the going down to ,egypt proved a great blessing to them4 ,it saved their lives during the years of famine and need4 ,after the years of need were over1 they found the soil in the land of ,goshen1 that part of ,egypt where they were living1 very rich1 so that they could gather three or four crops every year4 ,then1 too1 the sons of ,israel1 before they came to ,egypt1 had begun to marry the women in the land of ,canaan who worshipped idols1 and not the ,lord4 ,if they had stayed there1 their children would have grown up like the people around them and soon would have lost all knowledge of ,god4 ,but in ,goshen they lived alone and apart from the people of ,egypt4 ,they worshipped the ,lord ,god1 and were kept away from the idols of ,egypt4 ,and in that land1 as the years went on1 from being seventy people1 they grew in number until they became a great multitude4 ,each of the twelve sons of ,jacob was the father of a tribe1 and ,joseph was the father of two tribes1 named after his two sons1 ,ephraim and ,manasseh4 ,as long as ,joseph lived1 and for some time after1 the people of ,israel were treated kindly by the ,egyptians1 out of their love for ,joseph1 who had saved ,egypt from suffering by famine4 ,but after a long time another king began to rule over ,egypt1 who cared nothing for ,joseph or ,joseph's people4 ,he saw that the ,israelites 7as the children of ,israel were called7 were very many1 and he feared that they would soon become greater in number and in power than the ,egyptians4 ,he said to his people3 ,let us rule these ,israelites more strictly4 ,they are growing too strong4 ,then they set harsh rules over the ,israelites1 and laid heavy burdens on them4 ,they made the ,israelites work hard for the ,egyptians1 and build cities for them1 and give to the ,egyptians a large part of the crops from their fields4 ,they set them at work in making brick and in building storehouses4 ,they were so afraid that the ,israelites would grow in number that they gave orders to kill all the little boys that were born to the ,israelites2 though their little girls might be allowed to live4 ,but in the face of all this hate1 and wrong1 and cruelty1 the people of ,israel were growing in number1 and becoming greater and greater4 ,at this time1 when the wrongs of the ,israelites were the greatest1 and when their little children were being killed1 one little boy was born4 ,illustration3 ,they made the ,israelites work hard ,he was such a lovely child that his mother kept him hid1 so that the enemies did not find him4 ,when she could no longer hide him1 she formed a plan to save his life2 believing that ,god would help her and save her beautiful little boy4 ,she made a little box like a boat and covered it with something that would not let the water into it4 ,such a boat as this covered over was called an ark4 ,she knew that at certain times the daughter of king ,pharaoh--all the kings of ,egypt were called ,pharaoh1 for ,pharaoh means a king--would come down to the river for a bath4 ,she placed her baby boy in the ark1 and let it float down the river where the princess1 ,pharaoh's daughter1 would see it4 ,and she sent her own daughter1 a little girl named ,miriam1 twelve years old1 to watch close at hand4 ,how anxious the mother and the sister were as they saw the little ark floating away from them on the river6 ,illustration3 ,she placed her baby in the ark ,pharaoh's daughter1 with her maids1 came down to the river1 and they saw the ark floating on the water1 among the reeds4 ,she sent one of her maids to bring it to her so that she might see what was in the curious box4 ,they opened it1 and there was a beautiful little baby1 who began to cry to be taken up4 ,the princess felt kind toward the little one1 and loved it at once4 ,she said3 ,this is one of the ,hebrews' children4 ,you have heard how the children of ,israel came to be called ,hebrews4 ,pharaoh's daughter thought that it would be cruel to let such a lovely baby as this die out on the water4 ,and just then a little girl came running up to her1 as if by accident1 and she looked at the baby also1 and she said3 ,shall ,i go and find some woman of the ,hebrews to be a nurse to the child for you and take care of it8 ,yes1 said the princess4 ,go and find a nurse for me4 ,the little girl--who was ,miriam1 the baby's sister--ran as quickly as she could and brought the baby's own mother to the princess4 ,miriam showed in this act that she was a wise and thoughtful little girl4 ,the princess said to the little baby's mother3 ,take this child to your home and nurse it for me1 and ,i will pay you wages for it4 ,how glad the ,hebrew mother was to take her child home6 ,no one could harm her boy now1 for he was protected by the princess of ,egypt1 the daughter of the king4 ,when the child was large enough to leave his mother ,pharaoh's daughter took him into her own house in the palace4 ,she named him ,moses1 a word that means drawn out1 because he was drawn out of the water4 ,so ,moses1 the ,hebrew boy1 lived in the palace among the nobles of the land1 as the son of the princess4 ,there he learned much more than he could have learned among his own people2 for there were very wise teachers4 ,moses gained all the knowledge that the ,egyptians had to give4 ,there in the court of the cruel king who had made slaves of the ,israelites1 ,god's people1 was growing up our ,israelite boy who should at some time set his people free6 ,although ,moses grew up among the ,egyptians1 and gained their learning1 he loved his own people4 ,they were poor and were hated1 and were slaves1 but he loved them1 because they were the people who served the ,lord ,god1 while the ,egyptians worshipped idols and animals4 ,strange it was that so wise a people as these should bow down and pray to an ox1 or to a cat1 or to a snake1 as did the ,egyptians4 ,when ,moses became a man1 he went among his own people1 leaving the riches and ease that he might have enjoyed among the ,egyptians4 ,he felt a call from ,god to lift up the ,israelites and set them free4 ,but at that time he found that he could do nothing to help them4 ,they would not let him lead them1 and as the king of ,egypt had now become his enemy1 ,moses went away from ,egypt into a country in ,arabia1 called ,midian4 ,he was sitting by a well1 in that land1 tired from his long journey1 when he saw some young women come to draw water for their flocks of sheep4 ,but some rough men came1 and drove the women away1 and took the water for their own flocks4 ,moses saw it1 and helped the women and drew the water for them4 ,these young women were sisters1 the daughters of a man named ,jethro1 who was a priest in the land of ,midian4 ,he asked ,moses to live with him1 and to help him in the care of his flocks4 ,moses stayed with ,jethro and married one of his daughters4 ,so from being a prince in the king's palace in ,egypt1 ,moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of ,midian4 ,illustration3 ,moses became a shepherd in the wilderness of ,midian ,but ,moses did not remain a shepherd4 ,while he was tending his sheep ,god appeared to him in a burning bush and told him that he should return to ,egypt and become the leader of his people4 ,the ,lord told him that the wicked ,egyptians would be punished for the ill-treatment they were giving the ,israelites4 ,in your ,bible you will find in the book of ,exodus how ,god wonderfully fulfilled his promise4 ,the ,egyptians were punished by many plagues1 and finally allowed the ,israelites to go4 ,they crossed the ,red ,sea in a wonderful way1 and traveled for a long time through a wilderness1 where ,god fed them day by day with manna from heaven4 ,god also gave them rules as a guide for their daily living2 these rules we call the ,ten ,commandments2 yet they forgot the ,lord so far as to make images and worship them4 ,illustration3 ,god fed them day by day with manna ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,grapes ,,from ,,canaan ,the ,israelites stayed in their camp before ,mount ,sinai almost a year1 while they were building the ,tabernacle and learning ,god's laws given through ,moses4 ,at last the cloud over the ,tabernacle rose up1 and the people knew that this was the sign for them to move4 ,they took down the ,tabernacle and their own tents1 and journeyed toward the land of ,canaan for many days4 ,at last they came to a place just on the border between the desert and ,canaan1 called ,kadesh1 or ,kadesh-barnea4 ,here they stopped to rest1 for there were many springs of water and some grass for their cattle4 ,while they were waiting at ,kadesh-barnea and were expecting soon to march into the land which was to be their home1 ,god told ,moses to send onward some men who should walk through the land and look at it1 and then come back and tell what they had found2 what kind of a land it was1 and what fruits grew in it1 and what people were living in it4 ,the ,israelites could more easily win the land if these men1 after walking through it1 could act as their guides and point out the best places in it and the best plans of making war upon it4 ,illustration3 ,a cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it ,so ,moses chose out some men of high rank among the people1 one ruler from each tribe1 twelve men in all4 ,one of these was ,joshua1 who was the helper of ,moses in caring for the people1 and another was ,caleb1 who belonged to the tribe of ,judah4 ,these twelve men went out and walked over the mountains of ,canaan and looked at the cities and saw the fields4 ,in one place1 just before they came back to the camp1 they cut down a cluster of ripe grapes which was so large that two men carried it between them1 hanging from a staff4 ,they named the place where they found this bunch of grapes ,eshcol1 a word which means a cluster4 ,these twelve men were called spies1 because they went to spy out the land2 and after forty days they came back to the camp1 and this was what they said3 ,we walked all over the land and found it a rich land4 ,there is grass for all our flocks1 and fields where we can raise grain1 and trees bearing fruits1 and streams running down the sides of the hills4 ,but we found that the people who live there are very strong and are men of war4 ,they have cities with walls that reach almost up to the sky2 and some of the men are giants1 so tall that we felt that we were like grasshoppers beside them4 ,one of the spies1 who was ,caleb1 said1 ,all that is true1 yet we need not be afraid to go up and take the land4 ,it is a good land1 well worth fighting for2 ,god is on our side1 and he will help us to overcome those people4 ,but all the other spies1 except ,joshua1 said1 ,no1 there is no use in trying to make war upon such strong people4 ,we can never take those walled cities1 and we dare not fight those tall giants4 ,and the people1 who had journeyed all the way through the wilderness to find this very land1 were so frightened by the words of the ten spies that now1 on the very border of ,canaan1 they dared not enter it4 ,they forgot that ,god had led them out of ,egypt1 that he had kept them in the dangers of the desert1 that he had given them water out of the rock1 and bread from the sky1 and his law from the mountain4 ,all that night1 after the spies had brought back their report1 the people were so frightened that they could not sleep4 ,they cried out against ,moses1 and blamed him for bringing them out of the land of ,egypt4 ,they forgot all their troubles in ,egypt1 their toil and their slavery1 and resolved to go back to that land4 ,they said3 ,let us choose a ruler in place of ,moses1 who has brought us into all these evils1 and let us turn back to the land of ,egypt6 ,but ,caleb and ,joshua1 two of the spies1 said1 ,why should we fear8 ,the land of ,canaan is a good land2 it is rich with milk and honey4 ,if ,god is our friend and is with us1 we can easily conquer the people who live there4 ,above all things1 let us not rebel against the ,lord1 or disobey him1 and make him our enemy4 ,but the people were so angry with ,caleb and ,joshua that they were ready to stone them and kill them4 ,then suddenly the people saw a strange sight4 ,the glory of the ,lord1 which stayed in the ,holy of ,holies1 the inner room of the ,tabernacle1 now flashed out1 and shone from the door of the ,tabernacle4 ,and the ,lord1 out of this glory1 spoke to ,moses1 and said1 ,how long will this people disobey me and despise me8 ,they shall not go into the good land that ,i have promised them4 ,not one of them shall enter in1 except ,caleb and ,joshua1 who have been faithful to me4 ,all the people who are twenty years old and over it shall die in the desert2 but their little children shall grow up in the wilderness1 and when they become men they shall enter in and own the land that ,i promised to their fathers4 ,you people are not worthy of the land that ,i have been keeping for you4 ,now turn back into the desert and stay there until you die4 ,after you are dead1 ,joshua shall lead your children into the land of ,canaan4 ,and because ,caleb showed another spirit and was true to me1 and followed my will fully1 ,caleb shall live to go into the land1 and shall have his choice of a home there4 ,to-morrow1 turn back into the desert by the way of the ,red ,sea4 ,and ,god told ,moses that for every day that the spies had spent in ,canaan1 looking at the land the people should spend a year in the wilderness2 so that they should live in the desert forty years1 instead of going at once into the promised land4 ,when ,moses told all ,god's words to the people they felt worse than before4 ,they changed their minds as suddenly as they had made up their minds4 ,no1 they all said1 we will not go back to the wilderness2 we will go straight into the land1 and see if we are able to take it1 as ,joshua and ,caleb have said4 ,you must not go into the land1 said ,moses4 ,but the people would not obey4 ,they marched up the mountain and tried to march at once into the land4 ,but they were without leaders and without order--a mob of men1 untrained and in confusion4 ,and the people in that part of the land1 the ,canaanites and the ,amorites1 came down upon them and killed many of them and drove them away4 ,then1 discouraged and beaten1 they obeyed the ,lord and ,moses1 and went once more into the desert4 ,and in the desert of ,paran1 on the south of the land of ,canaan1 the children of ,israel stayed nearly forty years2 and all because they would not trust in the ,lord4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,gideon ,,and ,,his ,,three ,,hundred ,,soldiers ,at last the people of ,israel came into the promised land1 but they did evil in the sight of the ,lord in worshipping ,baal2 and the ,lord left them to suffer for their sins4 ,once the ,midianites1 living near the desert on the east of ,israel1 came against the tribes4 ,the two tribes that suffered the hardest fate were ,ephraim1 and the part of ,manasseh on the west of ,jordan4 ,for seven years the ,midianites swept over their land every year1 just at the time of harvest1 and carried away all the crops of grain1 until the ,israelites had no food for themselves1 and none for their sheep and cattle4 ,the ,midianites brought also their own flocks and camels without number1 which ate all the grass of the field4 ,the people of ,israel were driven away from their villages and their farms1 and were compelled to hide in the caves of the mountains4 ,and if any ,israelite could raise any grain1 he buried it in pits covered with earth1 or in empty winepresses1 where the ,midianites could not find it4 ,one day1 a man named ,gideon was threshing out wheat in a hidden place1 when he saw an angel sitting-under an oak-tree4 ,the angel said to him3 ,you are a brave man1 ,gideon1 and the ,lord is with you4 ,go out boldly1 and save your people from the power of the ,midianites4 ,gideon answered the angel3 ,illustration3 ,the angel touched the offering with his staff ,o1 ,lord1 how can ,i save ,israel8 ,mine is a poor family in ,manasseh1 and ,i am the least in my father's house4 ,and the ,lord said to him3 ,surely ,i will be ,with you1 and ,i will help you drive out the ,midianites4 ,gideon felt that it was the ,lord who was talking with him1 in the form of an angel4 ,he brought an offering1 and laid it on a rock before the angel4 ,then the angel touched the offering with his staff4 ,at once1 a fire leaped up and burned the offering2 and then the angel vanished from his sight4 ,gideon was afraid when he saw this2 but the ,lord said to him3 ,peace be unto you1 ,gideon1 do not fear1 for ,i am with you4 ,on the spot where the ,lord appeared to ,gideon1 under an oak tree1 near the village of ,ophrah1 in the tribe-land of ,manasseh1 ,gideon built an altar and called it by a name which means3 ,the ,lord is peace4 ,this altar was standing long afterward in that place4 ,then the ,lord told ,gideon that before setting his people free from the ,midianites1 he must first set them free from the service of ,baal and ,asherah1 the two idols most worshipped among them4 ,near the house of ,gideon's own father stood an altar to ,baal1 and the image of ,asherah4 ,on that night1 ,gideon went out with ten men1 and threw down the image of ,baal1 and cut in pieces the wooden image of ,asherah1 and destroyed the altar before these idols4 ,and in its place he built an altar to the ,god of ,israel2 and on it laid the broken pieces of the idols for wood1 and with them offered a young ox as a burnt-offering4 ,on the next morning1 when the people of the village went out to worship their idols1 they found them cut in pieces1 the altar taken away2 in its place an altar of the ,lord1 and on it the pieces of the ,asherah were burning as wood under a sacrifice to the ,lord4 ,the people looked at the broken and burning idols2 and they said3 ,who has done this8 ,some one said3 ,gideon1 the son of ,joash1 did this last night4 ,then they came to ,joash1 ,gideon's father1 and said3 ,we are going to kill your son because he has destroyed the image of ,baal1 who is our god4 ,and ,joash1 ,gideon's father1 said3 ,if ,baal is a god1 he can take care of himself1 and punish the man who has destroyed his image4 ,why should you help ,baal8 ,let ,baal help himself4 ,and when they saw that ,baal could not harm the man who had broken down his altar and his image1 the people turned from ,baal1 back to their own ,lord ,god4 ,gideon sent messengers through all ,manasseh on the west of ,jordan1 and the tribes near on the north2 and the men of the tribes gathered around him1 with a few swords and spears1 but very few1 for the ,israelites were not ready for war4 ,they met beside a great spring on ,mount ,gilboa1 called the fountain of ,harod4 ,mount ,gilboa is one of the three mountains on the east of the plain of ,esdraelon1 or the plain of ,jezreel1 where once there had been a great battle4 ,on the plain1 stretching up the side of another of these mountains1 called the ,hill of ,moreh1 was the camp of a vast ,midianite army4 ,for as soon as the ,midianites heard that ,gideon had undertaken to set his people free1 they came against him with a mighty host4 ,gideon was a man of faith4 ,he wished to be sure that ,god was leading him1 and he prayed to ,god and said3 ,o ,lord ,god1 give me some sign that thou wilt save ,israel through me4 ,here is a fleece of wool on this threshing floor4 ,if to-morrow morning the fleece is wet with dew1 while the grass around it is dry1 then ,i shall know that thou art with me2 and that thou wilt give me victory over the ,midianites4 ,very early the next morning1 ,gideon came to look at the fleece4 ,he found it wringing wet with dew1 while all around the grass was dry4 ,but ,gideon was not yet satisfied4 ,he said to the ,lord3 ,o ,lord1 be not angry with me2 but give me just one more sign4 ,to-morrow morning let the fleece be dry1 and let the dew fall all around it1 and then ,i will doubt no more4 ,the next morning1 ,gideon found the grass1 and the bushes wet with dew1 while the fleece of wool was dry4 ,and ,gideon was now sure that ,god had called him1 and that ,god would give him victory over the enemies of ,israel4 ,the ,lord said to ,gideon3 ,your army is too large4 ,if ,israel should win the victory1 they would say1 'we won it by our own might4' ,send home all those who are afraid to fight4 ,for many of the people were frightened1 as they looked at the host of their enemies1 and the ,lord knew that these men would only hinder the rest in the battle4 ,so ,gideon sent word through the camp3 ,whoever is afraid of the enemy may go home4 ,and twenty-two thousand people went away1 leaving only ten thousand in ,gideon's army4 ,but the army was stronger though it was smaller1 for the cowards had gone1 and only the brave men were left4 ,but the ,lord said to ,gideon3 ,the people are yet too many4 ,you need only a few of the bravest and best men to fight in this battle4 ,bring the men down the mountain1 past the water1 and ,i will show you there how to find the men whom you need4 ,in the morning ,gideon1 by ,god's command called his ten thousand men out1 and made them march down the hill1 just as though they were going to attack the enemy4 ,and as they were beside the water1 he noticed how they drank1 and set them apart in two companies1 according to their way of drinking4 ,when they came to the water1 most of the men threw aside their shields and spears1 and knelt down and scooped up a draft of the water with both hands together like a cup4 ,these men ,gideon commanded to stand in one company4 ,there were a few men who did not stop to take a large draft of water4 ,holding spear and shield in the right hand1 to be ready for the enemy if one should suddenly appear1 they merely caught up a handful of the water in passing and marched on1 lapping up the water from one hand4 ,god said to ,gideon3 ,set by themselves these men who lapped up each a handful of water4 ,these are the men whom ,i have chosen to set ,israel free4 ,gideon counted these men1 and found that there were only three hundred of them1 while all the rest bowed down on their faces to drink4 ,the difference between them was that the three hundred were earnest men1 of one purpose2 not turning aside from their aim even to drink1 as the others did4 ,then1 too1 they were watchful men1 always ready to meet their enemies4 ,so ,gideon1 at ,god's command1 sent back to the camp on ,mount ,gilboa all the rest of his army1 nearly ten thousand men1 keeping with himself only his little band of three hundred4 ,gideon's plan did not need a large army2 but it needed a few careful1 bold men1 who should do exactly as their leader commanded them4 ,he gave to each man a lamp1 a pitcher1 and a trumpet1 and told the men just what was to be done with them4 ,the lamp was lighted1 but was placed inside the pitcher1 so that it could not be seen4 ,he divided his men into three companies1 and very quietly led them down the mountain in the middle of the night1 and arranged them all in order around the camp of the ,midianites4 ,illustration3 ,the men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise ,then at one moment a great shout rang out in the darkness1 ,the sword of the ,lord and of ,gideon1 and after it came a crash of breaking pitchers1 and then a flash of light in every direction4 ,the three hundred men had given the shout1 and broken their pitchers1 so that on every side lights were shining4 ,the men blew their trumpets with a mighty noise2 and the ,midianites were roused from sleep1 to see enemies all round them1 lights beaming and swords flashing1 while everywhere the sharp sound of the trumpets was heard4 ,they were filled with sudden terror1 and thought only of escape1 not of fighting4 ,but wherever they turned1 their enemies seemed to be standing with swords drawn4 ,they trampled each other down to death1 flying from the ,israelites4 ,their own land was in the east1 across the river ,jordan1 and they fled in that direction1 down one of the valleys between the mountains4 ,gideon had thought that the ,midianites would turn toward their own land1 if they should be beaten in the battle1 and he had already planned to cut off their flight4 ,the ten thousand men in the camp he had placed on the sides of the valley leading to the ,jordan4 ,there they slew very many of the ,midianites as they fled down the steep pass toward the river4 ,and ,gideon had also sent to the men of the tribe of ,ephraim1 who had thus far taken no part in the war1 to hold the only place at the river where men could wade through the water4 ,those of the ,midianites who had escaped from ,gideon's men on either side of the valley were now met by the ,ephraimites at the river1 and many more of them were slain4 ,among the slain were two of the princes of the ,midianites1 named ,oreb and ,zeeb4 ,a part of the ,midianite army was able to get across the river1 and to continue its flight toward the desert2 but ,gideon and his brave three hundred men followed closely after them1 fought another battle with them1 destroyed them utterly1 and took their two kings1 ,zebah and ,zalmunna1 whom he killed4 ,after this great victory the ,israelites were freed forever from the ,midianites4 ,they never again ventured to leave their home in the desert to make war on the tribes of ,israel4 ,after this1 as long as ,gideon lived1 he ruled as ,judge in ,israel4 ,the people wished him to make himself a king4 ,rule over us as king1 they said1 and let your son be king after you1 and his son king after him4 ,but ,gideon said3 ,no1 you have a king already2 for the ,lord ,god is the ,king of ,israel4 ,no one but ,god shall be king over these tribes4 ,of all the fifteen men who ruled as ,judges of ,israel1 ,gideon1 the fifth ,judge1 was the greatest1 in courage1 in wisdom1 and in faith in ,god4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,samson1 ,,the ,,strong ,,man ,now we are to learn of three judges who ruled ,israel in turn4 ,their names were ,ibzan1 ,elon1 and ,abdon4 ,none of these were men of war1 and in their days the land was quiet4 ,but the people of ,israel again began to worship idols2 and as a punishment ,god allowed them once more to pass under the power of their enemies4 ,the seventh oppression1 which now fell upon ,israel1 was by far the hardest1 the longest and the most widely spread of any1 for it was over all the tribes4 ,it came from the ,philistines1 a strong and warlike people who lived on the west of ,israel upon the plain beside the ,great ,sea4 ,they worshipped an idol called ,dagon1 which was made in the form of a fish's head on a man's body4 ,these people1 the ,philistines1 sent their armies up from the plain beside the sea to the mountains of ,israel and overran all the land4 ,they took away from the ,israelites all their swords and spears1 so that they could not fight2 and they robbed their land of all the crops1 so that the people suffered for want of food4 ,and as before1 the ,israelites in their trouble1 cried out to the ,lord1 and the ,lord heard their prayer4 ,in the tribe-land of ,dan1 which was next to the country of the ,philistines1 there was living a man named ,manoah4 ,one day an angel came to his wife and said3 ,you shall have a son1 and when he grows up he will begin to save ,israel from the hand of the ,philistines4 ,but your son must never drink any wine or strong drink as long as he lives4 ,and his hair must be allowed to grow long and must never be cut1 for he shall be a ,nazarite under a vow to the ,lord4 ,when a child was given especially to ,god1 or when a man gave himself to some work for ,god1 he was forbidden to drink wine1 and as a sign1 his hair was left to grow long while the vow or promise to ,god was upon him4 ,such a person as this was called a ,nazarite1 a word which means one who has a vow2 and ,manoah's child was to be a ,nazarite1 and under a vow1 as long as he lived4 ,the child was born and was named ,samson4 ,he grew up to become the strongest man of whom the ,bible tells4 ,samson was no general1 like ,gideon or ,jephthah1 to call out his people and lead them in war4 ,he did much to set his people free2 but all that he did was by his own strength4 ,when ,samson became a young man he went down to ,timnath1 in the land of the ,philistines4 ,there he saw a young ,philistine woman whom he loved1 and wished to have as his wife4 ,his father and mother were not pleased that he should marry among the enemies of his own people4 ,they did not know that ,god would make this marriage the means of bringing harm upon the ,philistines and of helping the ,israelites4 ,as ,samson was going down to ,timnath to see this young woman1 a hungry lion came out of the mountain1 roaring against him4 ,samson seized the lion1 and tore him in pieces as easily as another man would have killed a little kid of the goats1 and then went on his way4 ,he made his visit and came home1 but said nothing to any one about the lion4 ,after a time ,samson went again to ,timnath for his marriage with the ,philistine woman4 ,on his way he stopped to look at the dead lion2 and in its body he found a swarm of bees1 and honey which they had made4 ,he took some of the honey and ate it as he walked1 but told no one of it4 ,at the wedding-feast1 which lasted a whole week1 there were many ,philistine young men1 and they amused each other with questions and riddles4 ,i will give you a riddle1 said ,samson4 ,if you answer it during the feast1 ,i will give you thirty suits of clothing2 and if you cannot answer it then you must give me the thirty suits of clothing4 ,let us hear your riddle1 they said4 ,and this was ,samson's riddle3 ,out of the eater came forth meat1 ,and out of the strong came forth sweetness4 ,they could not find the answer1 though they tried to find it all that day and the two days that followed4 ,and at last they came to ,samson's wife and said to her3 ,coax your husband to tell you the answer4 ,if you do not find it out1 we will set your house on fire1 and burn you and all your people4 ,and ,samson's wife urged him to tell her the answer4 ,she cried and pleaded with him and said3 ,if you really loved me1 you would not keep this a secret from me4 ,at last ,samson yielded1 and told his wife how he had killed the lion and afterward found the honey in its body4 ,she told her people1 and just before the end of the feast they came to ,samson with the answer4 ,they said3 ,what is sweeter than honey8 ,and what is stronger than a lion8 ,and ,samson said to them3 ,if you had not plowed with my heifer1 ,you had not found out my riddle4 ,by his heifer1--which is a young cow1--of course ,samson meant his wife4 ,then ,samson was required to give them thirty suits of clothing4 ,he went out among the ,philistines1 killed the first thirty men whom he found1 took off their clothes1 and gave them to the guests at the feast4 ,but all this made ,samson very angry4 ,he left his wife and went home to his father's house4 ,then the parents of his wife gave her to another man4 ,but after a time ,samson's anger passed away1 and he went again to ,timnath to see his wife4 ,but her father said to him3 ,you went away angry1 and ,i supposed that you cared nothing for her4 ,i gave her to another man1 and now she is his wife4 ,but here is her younger sister2 you can have her for your wife1 instead4 ,but ,samson would not take his wife's sister4 ,he went out very angry2 determined to do harm to the ,philistines1 because they had cheated him4 ,he caught all the wild foxes that he could find1 until he had three hundred of them4 ,then he tied them together in pairs1 by their tails2 and between each pair of foxes he tied to their tails a piece of dry wood which he set on fire4 ,these foxes with firebrands on their tails he turned loose among the fields of the ,philistines when the grain was ripe4 ,they ran wildly over the fields1 set the grain on fire1 and burned it2 and with the grain the olive trees in the fields4 ,when the ,philistines saw their harvests destroyed1 they said1 ,who has done this8 ,and the people said1 ,samson did this1 because his wife was given by her father to another man4 ,the ,philistines looked on ,samson's father-in-law as the cause of their loss2 and they came and set his home on fire1 and burned the man and his daughter whom ,samson had married4 ,then ,samson came down again1 and alone fought a company of ,philistines1 and killed them all1 as a punishment for burning his wife4 ,after this ,samson went to live in a hollow place in a split rock1 called the rock of ,etam4 ,the ,philistines came up in a great army1 and overran the fields in the tribe-land of ,judah4 ,why do you come against us8 asked the men of ,judah1 what do you want from us8 ,we have come1 they said1 to bind ,samson1 and to deal with him as he has dealt with us4 ,the men of ,judah said to ,samson3 ,do you not know that the ,philistines are ruling over us8 ,why do you make them angry by killing their people8 ,you see that we suffer through your pranks4 ,now we must bind you and give you to the ,philistines1 or they will ruin us all4 ,and ,samson said1 ,i will let you bind me1 if you will promise not to kill me yourselves2 but only to give me safely into the hands of the ,philistines4 ,they made the promise2 and ,samson gave himself up to them1 and allowed them to tie him up fast with new ropes4 ,the ,philistines shouted for joy as they saw their enemy brought to them1 led in bonds by his own people4 ,but as soon as ,samson came among them1 he burst the bonds as though they had been light strings2 and picked up from the ground the jawbone of an ass1 and struck right and left with it as with a sword4 ,he killed almost a thousand of the ,philistines with this strange weapon4 ,afterward he sang a song about it1 thus3 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 heaps upon heaps1 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 have ,i slain a thousand men4 ,after this ,samson went down to the chief city of the ,philistines1 which was named ,gaza4 ,it was a large city2 and like all large cities1 was surrounded with a high wall4 ,when the men of ,gaza found ,samson in their city1 they shut the gates1 thinking that they could now hold him as a prisoner4 ,but in the night ,samson rose up1 went to the gates1 pulled their posts out of the ground1 and put the gates with their posts upon his shoulder4 ,he carried off the gates of the city and left them on the top of a hill not far from the city of ,hebron4 ,after this ,samson saw another woman among the ,philistines1 and he loved her4 ,the name of this woman was ,delilah4 ,the rulers of the ,philistines came to ,delilah and said to her3 ,find out1 if you can1 what it is that makes ,samson so strong1 and tell us4 ,if you help us to get control of him1 so that we can have him in our power1 we will give you a great sum of money4 ,illustration3 ,he carried off the gates of the city ,and ,delilah coaxed and pleaded with ,samson to tell her what it was that made him so strong4 ,samson said to her3 ,if they will tie me with seven green twigs from a tree1 then ,i shall not be strong any more4 ,they brought her seven green twigs1 like those of a willow tree2 and she bound ,samson with them while he was asleep4 ,then she called out to him3 ,wake up1 ,samson1 the ,philistines are coming against you6 ,and ,samson rose up and broke the twigs as easily as if they had been charred in the fire1 and went away with ease4 ,and ,delilah tried again to find his secret4 ,she said3 ,you are only making fun of me4 ,now tell me truly how you can be bound4 ,and ,samson said3 ,let them bind me with new ropes that have never been used before2 and then ,i cannot get away4 ,while ,samson was asleep again1 ,delilah bound him with new ropes4 ,then she called out as before3 ,get up1 ,samson1 for the ,philistines are coming6 ,and when ,samson rose up1 the ropes broke as if they were thread4 ,and ,delilah again urged him to tell her2 and he said3 ,you notice that my long hair is in seven locks4 ,weave it together in the loom1 just as if it were the threads in a piece of cloth4 ,then1 while he was asleep1 she wove his hair in the loom1 and fastened it with a large pin to the weaving-frame4 ,but when he awoke1 he rose up1 and carried away the pin and the beam of the weaving-frame2 for he was as strong as before4 ,and ,delilah1 who was anxious to serve her people1 said3 ,why do you tell me that you love me1 as long as you deceive me and keep from me your secret8 ,and she pleaded with him day after day1 until at last he yielded to her and told her the real secret of his strength4 ,he said3 ,i am a ,nazarite1 under a vow to the ,lord1 not to drink wine1 and not to allow my hair to be cut4 ,if ,i should let my hair be cut short1 then the ,lord would forsake me1 and my strength would go from me1 and ,i would be like other men4 ,then ,delilah knew that she had found the truth at last4 ,she sent for the rulers of the ,philistines1 saying3 ,come up this once1 and you shall have your enemy2 for he has told me all that is in his heart4 ,then while the ,philistines were watching outside1 ,delilah let ,samson go to sleep1 with his head upon her knees4 ,while he was sound asleep1 they took a razor and shaved off all his hair4 ,then she called out as at other times4 ,rise up1 ,samson1 the ,philistines are upon you4 ,he awoke1 and rose up1 expecting to find himself strong as before2 for he did not at first know that his long hair had been cut off4 ,but the vow to the ,lord was broken1 and the ,lord had left him4 ,he was now as weak as other men1 and helpless in the hands of his enemies4 ,the ,philistines easily made him their prisoner2 and that he might never do them more harm1 they put out his eyes4 ,then they chained him with fetters1 and sent him to prison at ,gaza4 ,and in the prison they made ,samson turn a heavy millstone to grind grain1 just as though he were a beast of burden4 ,but while ,samson was in prison1 his hair grew long again2 and with his hair his strength came back to him2 for ,samson renewed his vow to the ,lord4 ,one day1 a great feast was held by the ,philistines in the temple of their fish-god1 ,dagon4 ,for they said3 ,our god has given ,samson1 our enemy1 into our hand4 ,let us be glad together and praise ,dagon4 ,and the temple was thronged with people1 and the roof over it was also crowded with more than three thousand men and women4 ,they sent for ,samson1 to rejoice over him2 and ,samson was led into the court of the temple1 before all the people1 to amuse them4 ,after a time1 ,samson said to the boy who was leading him3 ,illustration3 ,he bowed forward with all his might and pulled the pillars with him ,take me up to the front of the temple1 so that ,i may stand by one of the pillars1 and lean against it4 ,and while ,samson stood between the two pillars1 he prayed3 ,o ,lord ,god1 remember me1 ,i pray thee1 and give me strength1 only this once1 ,o ,god3 and help me1 that ,i may obtain vengeance upon the ,philistines for my two eyes6 ,then he placed one arm around the pillar on one side1 and the other arm around the pillar on the other side2 and he said3 ,let me die with the ,philistines4 ,and he bowed forward with all his might1 and pulled the pillars over with him1 bringing down the roof and all upon it upon those that were under it4 ,samson himself was among the dead2 but in his death he killed more of the ,philistines than he had killed during his life4 ,then in the terror which came upon the ,philistines the men of ,samson's tribe came down and found his dead body1 and buried it in their own land4 ,after that it was years before the ,philistines tried again to rule over the ,israelites4 ,samson did much to set his people free2 but he might have done much more1 if he had led his people1 instead of trusting alone to his own strength2 and if he had lived more earnestly1 and not done his deeds as though he was playing pranks4 ,there were deep faults in ,samson1 but at the end he sought ,god's help1 and found it1 and ,god used ,samson to set his people free4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,ruth1 ,,the ,,gleaner ,in the time of the ,judges in ,israel1 a man named ,elimelech was living in the town of ,bethlehem1 in the tribe of ,judah1 about six miles south of ,jerusalem4 ,his wife's name was ,naomi1 and his two sons were ,mahlon and ,chilion4 ,for some years the crops were poor1 and food was scarce in ,judah2 and ,elimelech with his family went to live in the land of ,moab1 which was on the east of the ,dead ,sea1 as ,judah was on the west4 ,there they stayed ten years1 and in that time ,elimelech died4 ,his two sons married women of the country of ,moab1 one named ,orpah1 the other named ,ruth4 ,but the two young men also died in the land of ,moab2 so that ,naomi and her two daughters-in-law were all left widows4 ,naomi heard that ,god had again given good harvests and bread to the land of ,judah1 and she rose up to go from ,moab back to her own land and her own town of ,bethlehem4 ,the two daughters-in-law loved her1 and both would have gone with her1 though the land of ,judah was a strange land to them1 for they were of the ,moabite people4 ,naomi said to them3 ,go back1 my daughters1 to your own mothers' homes4 ,may the ,lord deal kindly with you1 as you have been kind to your husbands and to me4 ,may the ,lord grant that each of you may yet find another husband and a happy home4 ,then ,naomi kissed them in farewell1 and the three women all wept together4 ,the two young widows said to her3 ,you have been a good mother to us1 and we will go with you1 and live among your people4 ,no1 no1 said ,naomi4 ,you are young1 and ,i am old4 ,go back and be happy among your own people4 ,then ,orpah kissed ,naomi1 and went back to her people2 but ,ruth would not leave her4 ,she said3 ,do not ask me to leave you1 for ,i never will4 ,where you go1 ,i will go2 where you live1 ,i will live2 your people shall be my people2 and your ,god shall be my ,god4 ,where you die1 ,i will die1 and be buried4 ,nothing but death itself shall part you and me4 ,when ,naomi saw that ,ruth was firm in her purpose1 she ceased trying to persuade her2 so the two women went on together4 ,they walked around the ,dead ,sea1 and crossed the river ,jordan1 and climbed the mountains of ,judah1 and came to ,bethlehem4 ,naomi had been absent from ,bethlehem for ten years1 but her friends were all glad to see her again4 ,they said3 ,is this ,naomi1 whom we knew years ago8 ,now the name ,naomi means pleasant4 ,and ,naomi said3 ,call me not ,naomi2 call me ,mara1 for the ,lord has made my life bitter4 ,i went out full1 with my husband and two sons2 now ,i come home empty1 without them4 ,do not call me ',pleasant1' call me ',bitter4' ,the name ,mara1 by which ,naomi wished to be called means bitter4 ,but ,naomi learned later that ,pleasant was the right name after all4 ,there was living in ,bethlehem at that time a very rich man named ,boaz4 ,he owned large fields that were abundant in their harvests2 and he was related to the family of ,elimelech1 ,naomi's husband1 who had died4 ,it was the custom in ,israel when they reaped the grain not to gather all the stalks1 but to leave some for the poor people1 who followed after the reapers with their sickles1 and gathered what was left4 ,when ,naomi and ,ruth came to ,bethlehem1 it was the time of the barley harvest2 and ,ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain which the reapers had left4 ,it so happened that she was gleaning in the field that belonged to ,boaz1 this rich man4 ,boaz came out from the town to see his men reaping1 and he said to them1 ,the ,lord be with you2 and they answered him1 ,the ,lord bless you4 ,and ,boaz said to his master of the reapers3 ,who is this young woman that ,i see gleaning in the field8 ,the man answered3 ,it is the young woman from the land of ,moab1 who came with ,naomi4 ,she asked leave to glean after the reapers1 and has been here gathering grain since yesterday4 ,then ,boaz said to ,ruth3 ,listen to me1 my daughter4 ,do not go to any other field1 but stay here with my young women4 ,no one shall harm you2 and when you are thirsty1 go and drink at our vessels of water4 ,illustration3 ,ruth went out into the fields to glean the grain ,then ,ruth bowed to ,boaz1 and thanked him for his kindness1 all the more kind because she was a stranger in ,israel4 ,boaz said3 ,i have heard how true you have been to your mother-in-law ,naomi1 in leaving your own land and coming with her to this land4 ,may the ,lord1 under whose wings you have come1 give you a reward6 ,and at noon1 when they sat down to rest and to eat1 ,boaz gave her some of the food4 ,and he said to the reapers3 ,when you are reaping1 leave some of the sheaves for her2 and drop out some sheaves from the bundles1 where she may gather them4 ,that evening1 ,ruth showed ,naomi how much she had gleaned1 and told her of the rich man ,boaz1 who had been so kind to her4 ,and ,naomi said3 ,this man is a near relation of ours4 ,stay in his fields1 as long as the harvest lasts4 ,and so ,ruth gleaned in the fields of ,boaz until the harvest had been gathered4 ,at the end of the harvest1 ,boaz held a feast on the threshing-floor4 ,and after the feast1 by the advice of ,naomi1 ,ruth went to him1 and said to him3 ,you are a near relation of my husband and of his father1 ,elimelech4 ,now will you not do good to us for his sake8 ,and when ,boaz saw ,ruth1 he loved her2 and soon after this he took her as his wife4 ,and ,naomi and ,ruth went to live in his home2 so that ,naomi's life was no more bitter1 but pleasant4 ,and ,boaz and ,ruth had a son1 whom they named ,obed2 and later ,obed had a son named ,jesse2 and ,jesse was the father of ,david1 the shepherd boy who became king4 ,so ,ruth1 the young woman of ,moab1 who chose the people and the ,god of ,israel1 became the mother of kings4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,david1 ,,the ,,shepherd ,,boy ,living at ,ramah1 in the mountains of ,ephraim1 there was a man whose name was ,elkanah4 ,he had two wives1 as did many men in that time4 ,one of these wives had children1 but the other wife1 whose name was ,hannah1 had no child4 ,every year ,elkanah and his family went up to worship at the house of the ,lord in ,shiloh1 which was about fifteen miles from his home4 ,and at one of these visits ,hannah prayed to the ,lord1 saying3 ,o ,lord1 if thou wilt look upon me1 and give me a son1 he shall be given to the ,lord as long as he lives4 ,the ,lord heard ,hannah's prayer1 and gave her a little boy1 and she called his name ,samuel1 which means ,asked of ,god2 because he had been given in answer to her prayer4 ,samuel grew up to be a good man and a wise ,judge1 and he made his sons ,judges in ,israel1 to help him in the care of the people4 ,but ,samuel's sons did not walk in his ways4 ,they did not try always to do justly4 ,the elders of all the tribes of ,israel came to ,samuel at his home in ,ramah2 and they said to him3 ,you are growing old1 and your sons do not rule as well as you ruled4 ,all the lands around us have kings4 ,let us have a king also2 and do you choose the king for us4 ,this was not pleasing to ,samuel4 ,he tried to make the people change their minds1 and showed them what trouble a king would bring them4 ,but they would not follow his advice4 ,they said3 ,no2 we will have a king to reign over us4 ,so ,samuel chose as their king a tall young man named ,saul1 who was a farmer's son of the tribe of ,benjamin4 ,when ,saul was brought before the people he stood head and shoulders above them all4 ,and ,samuel said3 ,look at the man whom the ,lord has chosen6 ,there is not another like him among all the people6 ,and all the people shouted1 ,god save the king6 ,long live the king6 ,then ,samuel told the people what should be the laws for the king and for the people to obey4 ,he wrote them down in a book1 and placed the book before the ,lord4 ,then ,samuel sent the people home2 and ,saul went back to his own house at a place called ,gibeah2 and with ,saul went a company of men to whose hearts ,god had given a love for the king4 ,so after three hundred years under the fifteen ,judges1 ,israel now had a king4 ,but among the people there were some who were not pleased with the new king1 because he was an unknown man from the farm4 ,they said3 ,can such a man as this save us8 ,they showed no respect to the king1 and in their hearts looked down upon him4 ,but ,saul said nothing1 and showed his wisdom by appearing not to notice them4 ,but in another thing he was not so wise4 ,he forgot to heed the old prophet's advice and instructions about ruling wisely and doing as the ,lord said4 ,it was not long before ,samuel told him that he had disobeyed ,god and would lose his kingdom4 ,when ,samuel told ,saul that the ,lord would take away the kingdom from him1 he did not mean that ,saul should lose the kingdom at once4 ,he was no longer ,god's king2 and as soon as the right man in ,god's sight should be found1 and should be trained for his duty as king1 then ,god would take away ,saul's power1 and would give it to the man whom ,god had chosen4 ,but it was years before this came to pass4 ,the ,lord said to ,samuel3 ,do not weep and mourn any longer over ,saul1 for ,i have refused him as king4 ,fill the horn with oil1 and go to ,bethlehem in ,judah4 ,there find a man named ,jesse1 for ,i have chosen a king among his sons4 ,but ,samuel knew that ,saul would be very angry1 if he should learn that ,samuel had named any other man as king4 ,he said to the ,lord3 ,how can ,i go8 ,if ,saul hears of it1 he will kill me4 ,the ,lord said to ,samuel3 ,take a young cow with you2 and tell the people that you have come to make an offering to the ,lord4 ,and call ,jesse and his sons to the sacrifice4 ,i will tell you what to do1 and you shall anoint the one whom ,i name to you4 ,samuel went over the mountains southward from ,ramah to ,bethlehem1 about ten miles1 leading a cow4 ,the rulers of the town were alarmed at his coming1 for they feared that he had come to judge the people for some evil-doing4 ,but ,samuel said3 ,i have come in peace to make an offering and to hold a feast to the ,lord4 ,prepare yourselves and come to the sacrifice4 ,and he invited ,jesse and his sons to the service4 ,when they came1 he looked at the sons of ,jesse very closely4 ,the oldest was named ,eliab1 and he was so tall and noble-looking that ,samuel thought3 ,surely this young man must be the one whom ,god has chosen4 ,but the ,lord said to ,samuel3 ,do not look on his face1 nor on the height of his body1 for ,i have not chosen him4 ,man judges by the outward looks1 but ,god looks at the heart4 ,then ,jesse's second son1 named ,abinadab1 passed by4 ,and the ,lord said3 ,i have not chosen this one4 ,seven young men came and ,samuel said3 ,none of these is the man whom ,god has chosen4 ,are these all your children8 ,there is one more1 said ,jesse4 ,the youngest of all4 ,he is a boy1 in the field caring for the sheep4 ,and ,samuel said3 ,send for him2 for we will not sit down until he comes4 ,so after a time the youngest son was brought in4 ,his name was ,david1 a word that means darling1 and he was a beautiful boy1 perhaps fifteen years old1 with fresh cheeks and bright eyes4 ,as soon as the young ,david came1 the ,lord said to ,samuel3 ,arise1 anoint him1 for this is the one whom ,i have chosen4 ,then ,samuel poured oil on ,david's head1 in the presence of all his brothers4 ,but no one knew at that time the anointing to mean that ,david was to be the king4 ,perhaps they thought that ,david was chosen to be a prophet like ,samuel4 ,from that time the ,spirit of ,god came upon ,david1 and he began to show signs of coming greatness4 ,he went back to his sheep on the hillsides around ,bethlehem1 but ,god was with him4 ,david grew up strong and brave1 not afraid of the wild beasts which prowled around and tried to carry away his sheep4 ,more than once he fought with lions1 and bears1 and killed them1 when they seized the lambs of his flock4 ,and ,david1 alone all day1 practiced throwing stones in a sling1 until he could strike exactly the place for which he aimed4 ,when he swung his sling1 he knew that the stone would go to the very spot at which he was throwing it4 ,illustration3 ,then ,samuel poured oil on ,david's head ,and young as he was1 ,david thought of ,god1 and talked with ,god1 and ,god talked with ,david1 and showed to ,david ,his will4 ,after ,saul had disobeyed the voice of the ,lord1 the ,spirit of the ,lord left ,saul1 and no longer spoke to him4 ,and ,saul became very sad of heart4 ,at times a madness would come upon him1 and at all times he was very unhappy4 ,the servants of ,saul noticed that when some one played on the harp and sang1 ,saul's spirit was made more cheerful2 and the sadness of soul left him4 ,at one time ,saul said3 ,find some one who can play well1 and bring him to me4 ,let me listen to music2 for it drives away my sadness4 ,one of the young men said3 ,i have seen a young man1 a son of ,jesse in ,bethlehem1 who can play well4 ,he is handsome in his looks1 and agreeable in talking4 ,i have also heard that he is a brave young man1 who can fight as well as he can play1 and the ,lord is with him4 ,then ,saul sent a message to ,jesse1 ,david's father4 ,he said3 ,send me your son ,david1 who is with the sheep4 ,let him come and play before me4 ,then ,david came to ,saul1 bringing with him a present for the king from ,jesse4 ,when ,saul saw him1 he loved him1 as did everybody who saw the young ,david4 ,and ,david played on the harp1 and sang before ,saul4 ,and ,david's music cheered ,saul's heart1 and drove away his sad feelings4 ,saul liked ,david so well that he made him his armorbearer2 and ,david carried the shield and spear1 and sword for ,saul1 when the king was before his army4 ,but ,saul did not know that ,david had been anointed by ,samuel4 ,after a time1 ,saul seemed well2 and ,david returned to ,bethlehem and was once more among his sheep in the field4 ,perhaps it was at this time that ,david sang his shepherd song1 or it may have been long afterward1 when ,david looked back in thought to those days when he was leading his sheep4 ,this is the song1 which you have heard often3 ,the ,lord is my shepherd2 ,i shall not want4 ,he maketh me to lie down in green pastures2 ,he leadeth me beside the still waters1 ,he restoreth my soul2 ,he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake4 ,yea1 though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil2 for thou art with me2 ,thy rod and thy staff1 they comfort me4 ,thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies2 ,thou anointest my head with oil2 my cup runneth over4 ,surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life3 ,and ,i will dwell in the house of the ,lord forever4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fight ,,with ,,the ,,giant ,all through the reign of ,saul1 there was constant war with the ,philistines1 who lived upon the lowlands west of ,israel4 ,at one time1 when ,david was still with his sheep1 a few years after he had been anointed by ,samuel1 the camps of the ,philistines and the ,israelites were set against each other on opposite sides of the valley of ,elah4 ,in the army of ,israel were the three oldest brothers of ,david4 ,every day a giant came out of the camp of the ,philistines1 and dared some one to come from the ,israelites' camp and fight with him4 ,the giant's name was ,goliath4 ,he was nine feet high2 and he wore armor from head to foot1 and carried a spear twice as long and as heavy as any other man could hold2 and his shield bearer walked before him4 ,he came every day and called out across the little valley3 ,i am a ,philistine1 and you are servants of ,saul4 ,now choose one of your men1 and let him come out and fight with me4 ,if ,i kill him2 then you shall submit to us2 and if he kills me1 then we will give up to you4 ,come1 now1 send out your man6 ,but no man in the army1 not even ,king ,saul1 dared to go out and fight with the giant4 ,forty days the camps stood against each other1 and the ,philistine giant continued his call4 ,one day1 old ,jesse1 the father of ,david1 sent ,david from ,bethlehem to visit his three brothers in the army4 ,david came1 and spoke to his brothers2 and while he was talking with them1 ,goliath the giant came out as before in front of the camp calling for some one to fight with him4 ,they said one to another3 ,if any man will go out and kill this ,philistine1 the king will give him a great reward and a high rank2 and the king's daughter shall be his wife4 ,and ,david said3 ,who is this man that speaks in this proud manner against the armies of the living ,god8 ,why does not some one go out and kill him8 ,david's brother ,eliab said to him3 ,what are you doing here1 leaving your sheep in the field8 ,i know that you have come down just to see the battle4 ,but ,david did not care for his brother's words4 ,he thought he saw a way to kill this boasting giant2 and he said3 ,if no one else will go1 ,i will go out and fight with this enemy of the ,lord's people4 ,they brought ,david before ,king ,saul4 ,some years had passed since ,saul had met ,david1 and he had grown from a boy to a man1 so that ,saul did not know him as the shepherd who had played on the harp before him in other days4 ,saul said to ,david3 ,you cannot fight with this great giant4 ,you are very young2 and he is a man of war1 trained from his youth4 ,and ,david answered ,king ,saul3 ,i am only a shepherd1 but ,i have fought with lions and bears1 when they have tried to steal my sheep4 ,and ,i am not afraid to fight with this ,philistine4 ,then ,saul put his own armor on ,david--a helmet on his head1 and a coat of mail on his body1 and a sword at his waist4 ,but ,saul was almost a giant1 and his armor was far too large for ,david4 ,david said3 ,i am not used to fighting with such weapons as these4 ,let me fight in my own way4 ,so ,david took off ,saul's armor4 ,while everybody in the army had been looking on the giant with fear1 ,david had been thinking out the best way for fighting him2 and ,god had given to ,david a plan4 ,it was to throw the giant off his guard1 by appearing weak and helpless2 and while so far away that the giant could not reach him with sword or spear1 to strike him down with a weapon which the giant would not expect and would not be prepared for4 ,david took his shepherd's staff in his hand1 as though that were to be his weapon4 ,but out of sight1 in a bag under his mantle1 he had five smooth stones carefully chosen1 and a sling1--the weapon that he knew how to use4 ,then he came out to meet the ,philistine4 ,the giant looked down on the youth and despised him1 and laughed4 ,illustration3 ,the giant looked down on the youth and despised him ,am ,i a dog8 he said1 that this boy comes to me with a staff8 ,i will give his body to the birds of the air1 and the beasts of the field4 ,and the ,philistine cursed ,david by the gods of his people4 ,and ,david answered him3 ,you come against me with a sword1 and a spear1 and a dart2 but ,i come to you in the name of the ,lord of hosts1 the ,god of the armies of ,israel4 ,this day will the ,lord give you into my hand4 ,i will strike you down1 and take off your head1 and the host of the ,philistines shall be dead bodies1 to be eaten by the birds and the beasts2 so that all may know that there is a ,god in ,israel1 and that ,he can save in other ways besides with sword and spear4 ,illustration3 ,david drew out the giant's own sword ,and ,david ran toward the ,philistine1 as if to fight him with his shepherd's staff4 ,but when he was just near enough for a good aim1 he took out his sling1 and hurled a stone aimed at the giant's forehead4 ,david's aim was good2 the stone struck the ,philistine in his forehead4 ,it stunned him1 and he fell to the ground4 ,while the two armies stood wondering1 and scarcely knowing what had caused the giant to fall so suddenly1 ,david ran forward1 drew out the giant's own sword1 and cut off his head4 ,then the ,philistines knew that their great warrior in whom they trusted was dead4 ,they turned to flee to their own land2 and the ,israelites followed after them1 and killed them by the hundred and the thousand1 even to the gates of their own city of ,gath4 ,so in that day ,david won a great victory and stood before all the land as the one who had saved his people from their enemies4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,cave ,,of ,,adullam ,now ,saul had a son1 ,jonathan1 near ,david's own age4 ,he and ,david became fast friends and loved one another as brothers4 ,saul the king became very jealous of ,david because the people praised him after his fight with ,goliath4 ,he even threatened to take ,david's life4 ,he tried to catch him in his own house1 but ,david's wife let him down from a window by a rope and he escaped4 ,he met his friend ,jonathan1 who told him that he should flee4 ,they renewed their promises of friendship1 which they kept ever afterward4 ,from his meeting with ,jonathan1 ,david went forth to be a wanderer1 having no home as long as ,saul lived4 ,he found a great cave1 called the cave of ,adullam1 and hid in it4 ,soon people heard where he was1 and from all parts of the land1 especially from his own tribe of ,judah1 men who were not satisfied with the rule of ,king ,saul gathered around ,david4 ,saul soon heard that ,david1 with a band of men1 was hiding among the mountains of ,judah1 and that among those who aided him were certain priests4 ,this enraged ,king ,saul1 and he ordered his guards to kill all the priests4 ,the guards would not obey him1 for they felt that it was a wicked thing to lay hands upon the priests of the ,lord4 ,but he found one man whose name was ,doeg1 an ,edomite1 who was willing to obey the king4 ,and ,doeg1 the ,edomite1 killed eighty-five men who wore the priestly garments4 ,all through the land went the news of ,saul's dreadful deed1 and everywhere the people began to turn from ,saul1 and to look toward ,david as the only hope of the nation4 ,when ,saul died he was followed by ,david1 the shepherd boy1 now grown to manhood and greatly loved by the people4 ,he had many battles to fight with the ,philistines and was nearly always victorious4 ,he was a warrior king2 but he was more than a warrior4 ,he played on his harp and composed many beautiful hymns and songs1 which are collected in the book of ,psalms4 ,he was a good king and tried to obey ,god's command4 ,he had a long reign and his people were happy and prosperous4 ,he had many sons and daughters and beautiful palaces for them to live in4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,solomon ,,and ,,his ,,temple ,during the later years of ,david's reign1 he laid up great treasure of gold and silver1 and brass1 and iron1 for the building of a house to the ,lord on ,mount ,moriah4 ,this house was to be called ,the ,temple2 and it was to be made very beautiful1 the most beautiful building1 and the richest in all the land4 ,david had greatly desired to build this house while he was king of ,israel1 but ,god said to him3 ,you have been a man of war1 and have fought many battles1 and shed much blood4 ,my house shall be built by a man of peace4 ,when you die1 your son ,solomon shall reign1 and he shall have peace1 and shall build my house4 ,so ,david made ready great store of precious things for the temple2 also stone and cedar to be used in the building4 ,and ,david said to ,solomon1 his son3 ,god has promised that there shall be rest and peace to the land while you are king2 and the ,lord will be with you1 and you shall build a house1 where ,god shall live among ,his people4 ,but ,david had other sons who were older than ,solomon2 and one of these sons1 whose name was ,adonijah1 formed a plan to make himself king4 ,david was now very old2 and he was no longer able to go out of his palace1 and to be seen among the people4 ,adonijah gathered his friends2 and among them were ,joab1 the general of the army1 and ,abiathar1 one of the two high-priests4 ,they met at a place outside the wall1 and had a great feast1 and were about to crown ,adonijah as king1 when word came to ,david in the palace4 ,david1 though old and feeble1 was still wise4 ,he said3 ,let us make ,solomon king at once1 and thus put an end to the plans of these men4 ,so at ,david's command they brought out the mule on which no one but the king was allowed to ride2 and they placed ,solomon upon it2 and with the king's guards1 and the nobles1 and the great men1 they brought the young ,solomon down to the valley of ,gihon1 south of the city4 ,and ,zadok1 the priest1 took from the ,tabernacle the horn filled with holy oil1 that was used for anointing or pouring oil on the head of the priests when they were set apart for their work4 ,he poured oil from this horn on the head of ,solomon1 and then the priests blew the trumpets1 and all the people cried aloud1 ,god save ,king ,solomon4 ,all this time ,adonijah and ,joab1 and their friends were not far away1 almost in the same valley1 feasting and making merry1 intending to make ,adonijah king4 ,they heard the sound of the trumpets1 and the shouting of the people4 ,joab said3 ,what is the cause of all this noise and uproar8 ,a moment later1 ,jonathan1 the son of ,abiathar1 came running in4 ,jonathan said to the men who were feasting3 ,our lord ,king ,david has made ,solomon king1 and he has just been anointed in ,gihon2 and all the princes1 and the heads of the army1 are with him1 and the people are shouting1 ',god save ,king ,solomon6' ,and ,david has sent from his bed a message to ,solomon1 saying1 ',may the ,lord make your name greater than mine has been6 ,blessed be the ,lord1 who has given me a son to sit this day on my throne6' ,when ,adonijah and his friends heard this they were filled with fear4 ,every man went at once to his house1 except ,adonijah4 ,he hastened to the altar of the ,lord1 and knelt before it1 and took hold of the horns that were on its corners in front4 ,this was a holy place1 and he hoped that there ,solomon might have mercy on him4 ,and ,solomon said3 ,if ,adonijah will do right1 and be faithful to me as the king of ,israel1 no harm shall come to him2 but if he does wrong1 he shall die4 ,then ,adonijah came and bowed down before ,king ,solomon1 and promised to obey him1 and ,solomon said1 ,go to your own house4 ,illustration3 ,solomon on his throne ,not long after this ,david sent for ,solomon1 and from his bed he gave his last advice to ,solomon4 ,and soon after that ,david died1 an old man1 having reigned in all forty years1 seven years over the tribe of ,judah1 at ,hebron1 and thirty-three years over all ,israel1 in ,jerusalem4 ,he was buried in great honor on ,mount ,zion1 and his tomb remained standing for many years4 ,the great work of ,solomon's reign was the building of the ,house of ,god4 ,it was generally called the ,temple4 ,it was built on ,mount ,moriah1 one of the hills of ,jerusalem4 ,king ,david had prepared for it by gathering great stores of silver1 stone and cedar-wood4 ,the walls were made of stone and the roof of cedar4 ,solomon had great ships which visited other lands and brought precious stones and fine woods for the building4 ,seven years were spent in building the ,temple1 and it was set apart to the worship of ,god with beautiful ceremonies in which ,solomon1 in his robes of state1 took part4 ,illustration3 ,supposed form of ,solomon's temple ,solomon was indeed a great king1 and it was said that he was also the wisest man in all the world4 ,he wrote many of the wise sayings in the ,book of ,proverbs1 and many more that have been lost4 ,illustration3 ,ship in ,solomon's time ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,elijah1 ,,the ,,prophet ,one of the greatest of all the kings of the ,ten ,tribes was ,jeroboam the second4 ,under him the kingdom of ,israel grew rich and strong4 ,he conquered nearly all ,syria1 and made ,samaria the greatest city of all those lands4 ,but though ,syria went down1 another nation was now rising to power--,assyria1 on the eastern side of the river ,tigris4 ,its capital was ,nineveh1 a great city1 so vast that it would take three days for a man to walk around its walls4 ,the ,assyrians were beginning to conquer all the lands near them1 and ,israel was in danger of falling under their power4 ,one of the kings who ruled over ,israel was named ,ahab4 ,he provoked the anger of the ,lord4 ,his wife1 ,jezebel1 who was a worshiper of ,baal1 persuaded him to build an altar to the false god4 ,elijah1 a prophet of the ,lord1 was sent to him and proposed a test4 ,two altars were built2 one to ,jehovah and one to ,baal4 ,the priests of ,baal called upon their god to send down fire2 but there was no answer4 ,then ,elijah called upon the ,lord ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,israel1 and fire came down and burnt up the offering4 ,the people turned upon the priests of ,baal and killed them all4 ,later the wicked queen1 ,jezebel1 coveted a vineyard for ,ahab1 and she caused ,naboth1 the owner of the vineyard1 to be placed in front of the battle4 ,when he was slain ,ahab took the vineyard4 ,illustration3 ,denounced ,ahab and ,jezebel ,once more ,elijah came and denounced ,ahab and ,jezebel1 telling them that they had done wickedly1 and that the ,lord would punish them4 ,illustration3 ,made king when he was only seven years old ,in a little while the prophet's words came true1 for ,ahab was slain in battle and ,jezebel was put to death by order of ,king ,jehu4 ,elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire4 ,there was another prophet1 a companion of ,elijah1 whose name was ,elisha1 a brave and courageous man who did not fail to deliver ,god's message4 ,it happened that when ,elisha was an old man there can to him ,king ,joash1 who had been made king when he was only seven years old4 ,joash was now a young man and was trying to do right in the sight of the ,lord4 ,but he felt the need of the prophet's aid1 and he came to ,elisha and said3 ,my father1 my father1 you are more to ,israel than its chariots and horsemen4 ,illustration3 ,this is the arrow of victory ,elisha1 though weak in body1 was yet strong in soul4 ,he told ,joash to bring him a bow and arrows1 and to open the window to the east1 looking toward the land of ,syria4 ,then ,elisha caused the king to draw the bow2 and he placed his hands on the king's hands4 ,and as the king shot an arrow1 ,elisha said3 ,this is the arrow of victory2 of victory over ,syria2 for you shall smite the ,syrians in ,aphek and shall destroy them4 ,it happened as ,elisha had foretold and the ,syrians were defeated and their cities taken4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jonah ,,and ,,the ,,whale ,at this time another prophet1 named ,jonah1 was giving the word of the ,lord to the ,israelites4 ,to ,jonah the ,lord spoke1 saying3 ,go to ,nineveh1 that great city1 and preach to it2 for its wickedness rises up before me4 ,but ,jonah did not wish to preach to the people of ,nineveh2 for they were the enemies of his land1 the land of ,israel4 ,he wished ,nineveh to die in its sins1 and not to turn to ,god and live4 ,so ,jonah tried to go away from the city where ,god had sent him4 ,he went down to ,joppa and took a ship for ,tarshish4 ,but the ,lord saw ,jonah on the ship2 and the ,lord sent a great storm upon the sea1 so that the ship seemed as though it would go to pieces4 ,the sailors threw overboard everything on the ship2 and when they could do no more1 every man prayed to his god to save the ship and themselves4 ,jonah was now lying fast asleep1 and the ship's captain came to him1 and said3 ,what do you mean by sleeping in such a time as this8 ,awake1 rise up1 and call upon your ,god4 ,perhaps ,he will hear you and save our lives4 ,but the storm continued to rage around the ship2 and they said3 ,there is some man on this ship who has brought upon us this trouble4 ,let us cast lots and find who it is4 ,then they cast lots1 and the lot fell on ,jonah4 ,they said to him1 all at once3 ,tell us1 who are you8 ,from what country do you come8 ,what is your business8 ,to what people do you belong8 ,why have you brought all this trouble upon us8 ,then ,jonah told them the whole story1 how he came from the land of ,israel1 and that he had fled away from the presence of the ,lord4 ,and they said to him3 ,what shall we do to you1 that the storm may cease8 ,then said ,jonah3 ,take me up and throw me into the sea2 then the storm will cease and the waters will be calm2 for ,i know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you4 ,but the men were not willing to throw ,jonah into the sea4 ,they rowed hard to bring the ship to the land1 but they could not4 ,then they cried unto the ,lord1 and said3 ,we pray thee1 ,o ,lord1 we pray thee1 let us not die for this man's life2 for thou1 ,o ,lord1 hast done as it pleased thee4 ,at last1 when they could do nothing else to save themselves1 they threw ,jonah into the sea4 ,at once the storm ceased1 and the waves became still4 ,then the men on the ship feared the ,lord greatly4 ,they offered a sacrifice to the ,lord1 and made promises to serve him4 ,and the ,lord caused a great fish to swallow up ,jonah2 and ,jonah was alive within the fish for three days and three nights4 ,in the fish ,jonah cried to the ,lord2 and the ,lord caused the great fish to throw up ,jonah upon the dry land4 ,notice all through this story that1 although ,jonah was ,god's servant1 he was always thinking about himself4 ,god protected ,jonah and saved him1 not because he was such a good man1 but because he wanted to teach him a great lesson4 ,by this time ,jonah had learned that some men who worshipped idols were kind in their hearts1 and were dear to the ,lord4 ,this was the lesson that ,god meant ,jonah to learn2 and now the call of the ,lord came to ,jonah a second time3 ,arise1 go to ,nineveh1 that great city1 and preach to it what ,i command you4 ,so ,jonah went to the city of ,nineveh2 and as he entered into it1 he called out to the people3 ,within forty days shall ,nineveh be destroyed4 ,and he walked through the city all day crying out only this3 ,within forty days shall ,nineveh be destroyed4 ,and the people of ,nineveh believed the word of the ,lord as spoken by ,jonah4 ,they turned away from their sins and fasted and sought the ,lord1 from the greatest of them even to the least4 ,the king of ,nineveh arose from his throne1 and laid aside his royal robes1 and covered himself with sack-cloth and sat in ashes1 as a sign of his sorrow4 ,and the king sent out a command to his people that they should fast1 and seek the ,lord1 and turn from sin4 ,illustration3 ,to shade ,jonah from the sun ,and ,god saw that the people of ,nineveh were sorry for their wickedness1 and he forgave them1 and did not destroy their city4 ,but this made ,jonah very angry4 ,he did not wish to have ,nineveh spared1 because it was the enemy of his own land2 and also he feared that men would call him a false prophet when his word did not come to pass4 ,and ,jonah said to the ,lord3 ,o ,lord1 ,i was sure that it would be thus1 that thou wouldest spare the city2 and for that reason ,i tried to flee away2 for ,i know that thou wast a gracious ,god1 full of pity1 slow to anger1 and rich in mercy4 ,now1 ,o ,lord1 take away my life1 for it is better for me to die than to live4 ,and ,jonah went out of the city1 and built a little hut on the east side of it1 and sat under its roof1 to see whether ,god would keep the word that he had spoken4 ,then the ,lord caused a plant with thick leaves to grow up1 and to shade ,jonah from the sun2 and ,jonah was glad1 and sat under its shadow4 ,but a worm destroyed the plant2 and the next day a hot wind blew1 and ,jonah suffered from the heat2 and again ,jonah wished that he might die4 ,and the ,lord said to ,jonah3 ,you were sorry to see the plant die1 though you did not make it grow1 and though it came up in a night and died in a night4 ,and should not ,i have pity on ,nineveh1 that great city1 where are more than a hundred thousand little children1 and also many cattle1--all helpless and knowing nothing8 ,and ,jonah learned that men1 and women1 and little children1 are all precious in the sight of the ,lord1 even though they know not ,god4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fiery ,,furnace ,there was in the land of ,judah a wicked king-named ,jehoiakim1 son of the good ,josiah4 ,while ,jehoiakim was ruling over the land of ,judah1 ,nebuchadnezzar1 a great conqueror of the nations1 came from ,babylon with his army of ,chaldean soldiers4 ,he took the city of ,jerusalem1 and made ,jehoiakim promise to submit to him as his master4 ,and when he went back to his own land he took with him all the gold and silver that he could find in the ,temple2 and he carried away as captives very many of the princes and nobles1 the best people in the land of ,judah4 ,when these ,jews were brought to the land of ,chaldea or ,babylon1 ,king ,nebuchadnezzar gave orders to the prince1 who had charge of his palace1 to choose among these ,jewish captives some young men who were of noble rank1 and beautiful in their looks1 and also quick and bright in their minds2 young men who would be able to learn readily4 ,these young men were to be placed under the care of wise men1 who should teach them all that they knew1 and fit them to stand before the king of ,babylon1 so that they might be his helpers to carry out his orders2 and the king wished them to be wise1 so that they might give him advice in ruling his people4 ,among the young men thus chosen were four ,jews1 men who had been brought from ,judah4 ,by order of the king the names of these men were changed4 ,one of them1 named ,daniel1 was to be called ,belteshazzer2 the other three young men were called ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abed-nego4 ,they were taught in all the knowledge of the ,chaldeans2 and after three years of training they were taken into the king's palace4 ,king ,nebuchadnezzar was pleased with them1 more than with any others who stood before him4 ,he found them wise and faithful in the work given to them1 and able to rule over men under them4 ,and these four men came to the highest places in the kingdom of the ,chaldeans4 ,at one time ,king ,nebuchadnezzar caused a great image to be made1 and to be covered with gold4 ,this image he set up1 as an idol to be worshipped1 on the plain of ,dura1 near the city of ,babylon4 ,when it was finished1 it stood upon its base or foundation almost a hundred feet high2 so that upon the plain it could be seen far away4 ,then the king sent out a command for all the princes1 and rulers1 and nobles in the land1 to come to a great gathering1 when the image was to be set apart for worship4 ,the great men of the kingdom came from far and near and stood around the image4 ,among them1 by command of the king1 were ,daniel's three friends1 the young ,jews1 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego4 ,for some reason1 ,daniel himself was not there4 ,he may have been busy with the work of the kingdom in some other place4 ,at one moment in the service before the image1 all the trumpets sounded1 the drums were beaten1 and music was made upon musical instruments of all kinds1 as a signal for all the people to kneel down and worship the great golden image4 ,but while the people were kneeling1 there were three men who stood up1 and would not bow down4 ,these were the three young ,jews1 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego4 ,they knelt down before the ,lord ,god only4 ,many of the nobles had been jealous of these young men1 because they had been lifted to high places in the rule of the kingdom2 and these men who hated ,daniel and his friends1 were glad to find that these three men had not obeyed the command of ,king ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,the king had said that if any one did not worship the golden image he should be thrown into a furnace of fire4 ,these men who hated the ,jews came to the king and said3 ,o king1 may you live for ever6 ,you gave orders that when the music sounded1 every one should bow down and worship the golden image2 and that if any man did not worship1 he should be thrown into a furnace of fire4 ,there are some ,jews1 whom you have made rulers in the land1 who have not done as you commanded4 ,their names are ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abed-nego4 ,they do not serve your gods1 nor worship the golden image that you have set up4 ,illustration3 ,nebuchadnezzar was fitted with rage ,then ,nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage and fury at knowing that any one should dare to disobey his words4 ,he sent for these three men and said to them3 ,o ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego1 was it by purpose that you did not fall down and worship the image of gold8 ,the music shall sound once more1 and if you then will worship the image1 it will be well4 ,but if you will not1 then you shall be thrown into the furnace of fire1 to die4 ,these three young men were not afraid of the king4 ,they said3 ,o ,king ,nebuchadnezzar1 we are ready to answer you at once4 ,the ,god whom we serve is able to save us from the fiery furnace1 and we know that he will save us4 ,but if it is ,god's will that we should die1 even then you may understand1 ,o king1 that we will not serve your gods1 nor worship the golden image4 ,this answer made the king more furious than before4 ,he said to his servants3 ,make a fire in the furnace hotter than ever it has been before1 as hot as fire can be made2 and throw these three men into it4 ,then the soldiers of the king's army seized the three young ,jews1 as they stood in their loose robes1 with their turbans on their heads4 ,they tied them with ropes1 and dragged them to the mouth of the furnace1 and threw them into the fire4 ,the flames rushed from the opened door with such fury that they burned even to death the soldiers who were holding these men2 and the men themselves fell down bound into the middle of the fiery furnace4 ,but an angel befriended them and they were unhurt4 ,illustration3 ,an angel befriended them ,king ,nebuchadnezzar stood in front of the furnace1 and looked into the open door4 ,as he looked1 he was filled with wonder at what he saw2 and he said to the nobles around him3 ,did we not throw three men bound into the fire8 ,how is it then that ,i see four men loose walking in the furnace2 and the fourth man looks as though he were a son of the gods8 ,and the nobles who stood by could scarcely speak1 so great was their surprise4 ,it is true1 ,o king1 at last they said to ,nebuchadnezzar1 that we cast these men into the flames1 expecting them to be burned up2 and we cannot understand how it happens that they have not been destroyed4 ,the king came near to the door of the furnace1 as the fire became lower2 and he called out to the three men within it3 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego1 ye who serve the ,most ,high ,god1 come out of the fire1 and come to me4 ,they came out and stood before the king1 in the sight of all the princes1 and nobles1 and rulers2 and every one could see that they were alive4 ,their garments had not been scorched1 nor their hair singed1 nor was there even the smell of fire upon them4 ,then ,king ,nebuchadnezzar said before all his rulers3 ,blessed be the ,god of ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego1 who has sent his angel1 and has saved the lives of these men who trusted in him4 ,i make a law that no man in all my kingdoms shall say a word against their ,god1 for there is no other god who can save in this manner those who worship him4 ,and if any man speaks a word against their ,god1 the ,most ,high ,god1 that man shall be cut in pieces1 and his house shall be torn down4 ,after ,king ,nebuchadnezzar died1 his kingdom became weak1 and the city of ,babylon was taken by the ,medes and ,persians1 under ,cyrus1 a great warrior4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,daniel ,,in ,,the ,,lions' ,,den ,the lands which had been the ,babylonian or ,chaldean empire1 now became the empire of ,persia2 and over these ,darius was the king4 ,king ,darius gave to ,daniel1 who was now a very old man1 a high place in honor and in power4 ,among all the rulers over the land1 ,daniel stood first1 for the king saw that he was wise and able to rule4 ,this made the other princes and rulers very jealous1 and they tried to find something evil in ,daniel1 so that they could speak to the king against him4 ,these men saw that three times every day ,daniel went to his room and opened the window that was toward the city of ,jerusalem1 and looking toward ,jerusalem1 made his prayer to ,god4 ,jerusalem was at that time in ruins1 and the ,temple was no longer standing2 but ,daniel prayed three times each day with his face toward the place where the house of ,god had once stood1 although it was many hundreds of miles away4 ,these nobles thought that in ,daniel's prayers they could find a chance to do him harm1 and perhaps cause him to be put to death4 ,they came to ,king ,darius1 and said to him3 ,all the rulers have agreed together to have a law made that for thirty days no one shall ask anything of any god or of any man1 except from you1 ,o king2 and that if any one shall pray to any god1 or shall ask anything from any man during the thirty days1 except from you1 ,o king1 he shall be thrown into the den where the lions are kept4 ,now1 ,o king1 make the law1 and sign the writing1 so that it cannot be changed1 for no law among the ,medes and the ,persians can be altered4 ,the king was not a wise man2 and being foolish and vain1 he was pleased with this law which would set him even above the gods4 ,so without asking ,daniel's advice1 he signed the writing2 and the law was made1 and the word was sent out through the kingdom1 that for thirty days no one should pray to any god4 ,daniel knew that the law had been made1 but every day he went to his room three times1 and opened the window that looked toward ,jerusalem1 and offered his prayers to the ,lord1 just as he had prayed in other times4 ,these rulers were watching near by1 and they saw ,daniel kneeling in prayer to ,god4 ,then they came to the king1 and said3 ,o ,king ,darius1 have you not made a law1 that if any one in thirty days offers a prayer1 he shall be thrown into the den of lions8 ,it is true1 said the king4 ,the law has been made1 and it must stand4 ,they said to the king3 ,there is one man who does not obey the law which you have made4 ,it is that ,daniel1 one of the captive ,jews4 ,every day ,daniel prays to his ,god three times1 just as he did before you signed the writing of the law4 ,illustration3 ,thrown into the den of lions ,then the king was very sorry for what he had done1 for he loved ,daniel1 and knew that no one could take his place in the kingdom4 ,all day1 until the sun went down1 he tried in vain to find some way to save ,daniel's life2 but when evening came1 these men again told him of the law that he had made1 and said to him that it must be kept4 ,very unwillingly the king sent for ,daniel1 and gave an order that he should be thrown into the den of lions4 ,he said to ,daniel3 ,perhaps your ,god1 whom you serve so faithfully1 will save you from the lions4 ,they led ,daniel to the mouth of the pit where the lions were kept1 and they threw him in2 and over the mouth they placed a stone2 and the king sealed it with his own seal1 and with the seals of his nobles2 so that no one might take away the stone and let ,daniel out of the den4 ,then the king went again to his palace2 but that night he was so sad that he could not eat1 nor did he listen to music as he was used to listen4 ,he could not sleep1 for all through the night he was thinking of ,daniel4 ,very early in the morning he rose up from his bed and went in haste to the den of lions4 ,he broke the seal and took away the stone1 and in a voice full of sorrow he called out1 scarcely hoping to have an answer3 ,o ,daniel1 servant of the living ,god1 has your ,god been able to save you from the lions8 ,and out of the darkness in the den came the voice of ,daniel1 saying3 ,o king1 may you live forever6 ,my ,god has sent his angel and has shut the mouths of the lions4 ,they have not hurt me1 because my ,god saw that ,i had done no wrong4 ,and ,i have done no wrong toward you1 ,o king6 ,illustration3 ,,daniel',s ,,answer ,,to ,,the ,,king--,then said ,daniel unto the ,king1 ,o ,king1 live forever4 ,my ,god hath sent his angel1 and hath shut the lions' mouths1 that they have not hurt me4--7,daniel #f3 #ba-bb47 ,then the king was glad4 ,he gave to his servants orders to take ,daniel out of the den4 ,daniel was brought out safe and without harm1 because he had trusted fully in the ,lord ,god4 ,then by the king's command1 they brought those men who had spoken against ,daniel1 and with them their wives and their children1 for the king was exceedingly angry with them4 ,they were all thrown into the den1 and the hungry lions leaped upon them1 and tore them in pieces1 so soon as they fell upon the floor of the den4 ,after this king ,darius wrote to all the lands and the peoples in the many kingdoms under his rule3 ,may peace be given to you all abundantly6 ,i make a law that everywhere among my kingdoms men fear and worship the ,lord ,god of ,daniel2 for he is the living ,god1 above all other gods1 who only can save men4 ,and ,daniel stood beside king ,darius until the end of his reign1 and afterward while ,cyrus the ,persian was king over all the lands4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,angel ,,by ,,the ,,altar ,at the time when the story of the ,new ,testament begins1 the land of ,israel1 called also the land of ,judea1 was ruled by a king named ,herod4 ,he was the first of several ,herods1 who at different times ruled either the whole of the land1 or parts of it4 ,but ,herod was not the highest ruler4 ,many years before this time1 the ,romans1 who came from the city of ,rome in ,italy1 had won all the lands around the ,great ,sea1 the sea which we call the ,mediterranean2 and above king ,herod of ,judea was the great king of ,rome1 ruling over all the lands1 and over the land of ,judea among them4 ,so ,herod1 though king of ,judea1 obeyed his overlord1 the emperor at ,rome4 ,at the time when this story begins1 the emperor at ,rome was named ,augustus ,csar4 ,at this time1 the land where the ,jews lived was full of people4 ,jerusalem was its largest city1 and in ,jerusalem was standing the ,temple of the ,lord1 which king ,herod had lately built anew1 taking the place of the old ,temple built very many years before1 which had long needed repair4 ,there were also many other large cities besides ,jerusalem4 ,in the south was ,hebron among the mountains2 on the shore of the ,great ,sea were ,gaza1 and ,joppa1 and ,csarea2 in the middle of the land were ,shechem and ,samaria2 and in the north were ,nazareth1 and ,cana2 down by the shore of the ,sea of ,galilee were ,tiberias1 and ,capernaum1 and ,bethsaida4 ,far up in the north1 at the foot of snowy ,mount ,hermon1 was another ,csarea2 but so that it might not be confused with ,csarea upon the seacoast this city was called ,csarea-,philippi1 or ,philip's ,csarea1 from the name of one of ,herod's sons4 ,one day1 an old priest named ,zacharias was leading the service of worship in the ,temple4 ,he was standing in front of the golden altar of incense1 in the ,holy ,place1 and was holding in his hand a censer1 or cup1 full of burning coals and incense2 while all the people were worshipping in the court of the ,temple1 outside the court of the ,priests1 where the great altar of burnt-offering stood4 ,suddenly1 ,zacharias saw an angel from the ,lord1 standing on the right side of the altar of incense4 ,he felt a great fear when he saw this strange being with shining face2 but the angel said to him3 ,illustration3 ,do not be afraid1 ,zacharias ,do not be afraid1 ,zacharias2 for ,i have come from the ,lord to bring good news4 ,your wife ,elizabeth shall have a son1 and you shall name him ,john4 ,you shall be made glad1 for your son ,john shall bring joy and gladness to many4 ,he shall be great in the sight of the ,lord2 and he shall never taste wine nor strong drink as long as he lives2 but he shall be filled with ,god's ,holy ,spirit4 ,he shall lead many of the people of ,israel to the ,lord1 for he shall go before the ,lord in the power of ,elijah the prophet1 as was promised by ,malachi1 the last of the old prophets4 ,he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children1 and those who are disobeying the ,lord to do his will4 ,as ,zacharias heard these words1 he was filled with wonder1 and could hardly believe them true4 ,he was now an old man1 and his wife ,elizabeth was also old2 so that they could not expect to have a child4 ,he said to the angel3 ,how shall ,i know that your words are true1 for ,i am an old man1 and my wife is old8 ,i am ,gabriel1 who stands in the presence of ,god1 said the angel4 ,and ,i was sent from the ,lord to speak to you1 and to bring you this good news4 ,but because you did not believe my words1 you shall become dumb1 and shall not be able to speak1 until this which ,i have said comes to pass4 ,all this time the people outside in the court were wondering why the priest stayed so long in the ,temple4 ,when at last he came out1 they found that he could not speak a word2 but he made signs to them1 to tell them that he had seen a vision in the ,temple4 ,after the days of his service were over1 ,zacharias went to his own home1 which was near ,hebron1 a city of the priests1 among the mountains in the south of ,judea4 ,when his wife ,elizabeth found that ,god was soon to give her a child1 she was very happy1 and praised the ,lord4 ,about six months after ,zacharias saw the vision in the ,temple1 the same angel ,gabriel was sent from the ,lord to a city in the part of the land called ,galilee1 which was in the north4 ,the city to which the angel was sent was ,nazareth4 ,there the angel found a young girl named ,mary1 who was a cousin to ,elizabeth4 ,mary was soon to be married to a good man who had sprung from the line of king ,david1 though he was not himself a king1 nor a rich man4 ,he was a carpenter1 living in ,nazareth1 and his name was ,joseph4 ,the angel came into the room where ,mary was1 and said to her3 ,hail1 woman favored by the ,lord2 the ,lord is with you6 ,mary was surprised at the angel's words1 and wondered what they could mean4 ,then the angel spoke again1 and said3 ,do not be afraid1 ,mary4 ,the ,lord has given to you his favor1 and has chosen you to be the mother of a son whose name shall be ,jesus1 which means 'salvation1' because he shall save his people from their sins4 ,he shall be great1 and shall be called the ,son of ,god2 and the ,lord shall give to him the throne of his father ,david4 ,he shall be a king1 and shall reign over the people of ,god forever2 and of his kingdom there shall be no end4 ,but ,mary could not see how all this was to come to pass4 ,and the angel said to her3 ,the ,holy ,spirit shall come upon you1 and the power of the ,most ,high ,god shall be over you2 and the child which you shall have shall be called holy1 the ,son of ,god4 ,then the angel told ,mary that her cousin ,elizabeth was soon to have a child1 through the power of the ,lord4 ,and when ,mary heard all this1 she said3 ,i am the servant of the ,lord1 to do his will4 ,let it be to me as you have said4 ,when the angel had given his message and had gone away1 ,mary rose up in haste and made a journey to the home of ,zacharias and ,elizabeth4 ,when ,elizabeth saw ,mary1 she was filled with the ,spirit of the ,lord1 and said3 ,blessed are you among women1 and blessed among men shall be your son6 ,and why is it that the mother of my ,lord comes to visit me8 ,blessed is the woman who believed that the promise of the ,lord to her shall be made true6 ,then ,mary was filled with the ,spirit of the ,lord1 and broke out into a song of praise4 ,she stayed with ,elizabeth for nearly three months1 and then went again to her own home at ,nazareth4 ,as the angel had said1 to the aged woman ,elizabeth was given a son4 ,they were going to name him ,zacharias1 after his father4 ,but his mother said3 ,no1 his name shall be ,john4 ,why1 they said1 none of your family have ever been named ,john6 ,they asked his father ,zacharias1 by signs1 what name he wished to be given to the child4 ,he asked for something to write upon2 and when they brought it1 he wrote1 ,his name is ,john4 ,then all at once1 the power to hear and to speak came back to ,zacharias4 ,he spoke1 praising and blessing ,god2 and he sang a song of thanks to ,god1 in which he said3 ,you ,o child1 shall be called a prophet of the ,most ,high2 to go before the ,lord1 and to make ready his ways4 ,when ,john was growing up1 they sent him out into the desert on the south of the land1 and there he stayed until the time came for him to preach to the people2 for this child became the great prophet ,john the ,baptist4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,jesus1 ,,the ,,babe ,,of ,,bethlehem ,soon after the time when ,john the ,baptist was born1 ,joseph the carpenter of ,nazareth had a dream4 ,in his dream he saw an angel from the ,lord standing beside him4 ,the angel said to him3 ,joseph1 sprung from the line of king ,david1 ,i have come to tell you1 that ,mary1 the young woman whom you are to marry1 will have a son1 sent by the ,lord ,god4 ,you shall call his name ,jesus1 which means 'salvation1' because he shall save his people from their sins4 ,god's people had had several kings4 ,some of them had been selfish and cruel1 but ,jesus was to be a new kind of king1 one who would save1 not destroy men4 ,soon after ,joseph and ,mary were married in ,nazareth1 a command went forth from the emperor ,augustus ,csar through all the lands of the ,roman empire1 for all the people to go to the cities and towns from which their families had come1 and there to have their names written down upon a list1 for the emperor wished a list to be made of all the people under his rule4 ,as both ,joseph and ,mary had come from the family of ,david the king1 they went together from ,nazareth to ,bethlehem1 there to have their names written upon the list4 ,for you remember that ,bethlehem in ,judea1 six miles south of ,jerusalem1 was the place where ,david was born1 and where his father's family had lived for many years4 ,it was a long journey from ,nazareth to ,bethlehem2 down the mountains to the river ,jordan1 then following the ,jordan almost to its end1 and then climbing the mountains of ,judah to the town of ,bethlehem4 ,when ,joseph and ,mary came to ,bethlehem they found the city full of people who1 like themselves1 had come to have their names enrolled or written upon the list4 ,the inn or hotel was full1 and there was no room for them2 for no one but themselves knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother of the ,lord of all the earth4 ,the best that they could do was to go to a stable where the cattle were kept4 ,there the little baby was born1 and was laid in a manger1 where the cattle were fed4 ,on that night1 some shepherds were tending their sheep in a field near ,bethlehem4 ,suddenly1 a great light shone upon them1 and they saw an angel of the ,lord standing before them4 ,they were filled with fear1 as they saw how glorious the angel was4 ,but the angel said to them3 ,be not afraid2 for behold ,i bring you news of great joy1 which shall be to all the people2 for there is born to you this day in ,bethlehem1 the city of ,david1 a ,saviour who is ,christ the ,lord1 the anointed king4 ,you may see him there2 and you may know him by this sign3 ,he is a new-born baby1 lying in a manger1 at the inn4 ,illustration3 ,they were filled with fear ,and then they saw that the air around and the sky above them were filled with angels1 praising ,god and singing3 ,glory to ,god in the highest4 ,and on earth peace among men in whom ,god is well pleased4 ,while they looked with wonder1 and listened1 the angels went out of sight as suddenly as they had come4 ,then the shepherds said one to another3 ,let us go at once to ,bethlehem1 and see this wonderful thing that has come to pass1 and which the ,lord has made known to us4 ,illustration3 ,the baby in the manger ,then as quickly as they could go to ,bethlehem1 they went1 and found ,joseph1 the carpenter of ,nazareth1 and his young wife ,mary1 and the little baby lying in the manger4 ,they told ,mary and ,joseph1 and others also1 how they had seen the angels1 and what they had heard about this baby4 ,all who heard their story wondered at it2 ,mary1 the mother of the child1 said nothing4 ,she thought over all these things1 and silently kept them in her heart4 ,after their visit1 the shepherds went back to their flocks1 praising ,god for the good news that he had sent to them4 ,when the little one was eight days old1 they gave him a name2 and the name given was ,jesus1 a word which means salvation1 as the angel had told both ,mary and ,joseph that he should be named4 ,so the very name of this child told what he should do for men2 for he was to bring salvation to the world4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,star ,,and ,,the ,,wise ,,men ,for some time after ,jesus was born1 ,joseph and ,mary stayed with him in ,bethlehem4 ,the little baby was not kept long in the stable sleeping in a manger2 for after a few days they found room in a house2 and there another visit was made to ,jesus by strange men from a land far away4 ,in a country east of ,judea1 and many miles distant1 were living some very wise men who studied the stars4 ,one night they saw a strange star shining in the sky1 and in some way they learned that the coming of this star meant that a king was soon to be born in the land of ,judea4 ,these men felt a call of ,god to go to ,judea1 far to the west of their own home1 and there to see this new-born king4 ,they took a long journey1 with camels and horses1 and at last they came to1 the land of ,judea1 just at the time when ,jesus was born at ,bethlehem4 ,as soon as they were in ,judea1 they supposed that every one would know all about the king1 and they said3 ,where is he that is born king of the ,jews8 ,in the east we have seen his star1 and we have come to worship him4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,shepherds ,,in ,,the ,,field--,and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field1 keeping watch over their flock by night4444 ,and the angel said unto them1 ',fear not3 for1 behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people4 ,for unto you is born this day in the city of ,david a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord4'--7,luke #b3 #h-aj-aa47 ,but no one of whom they asked had ever seen this king1 or had heard of him4 ,the news of their coming was sent to ,herod the king1 who was now a very old man4 ,he ruled the land of ,judea1 as you know1 under the emperor at ,rome1 ,augustus ,csar4 ,herod was a very wicked man1 and when he heard of some one born to be a king1 he feared that he might lose his own kingdom4 ,he made up his mind to kill this new king4 ,he sent for the priests and scribes1 the men who studied and taught the books of the ,old ,testament1 and asked them about this ,christ for whom all the people were looking4 ,he said3 ,can you tell me where ,christ1 the king of ,israel1 is to be born8 ,they looked at the books of the prophets1 and then they said3 ,he is to be born in ,bethlehem of ,judea2 for thus it is written by the prophet1 ',and thou ,bethlehem in the land of ,judah are not the least among the princes of ,judah2 for out of thee shall come forth one who shall rule my people ,israel4' ,then ,herod sent for the wise men from the east1 and met them alone1 and found from them at what time the star was first seen4 ,then he said to them3 ,go to ,bethlehem2 and there search carefully for the little child2 and when you have found him1 bring me word again1 so that ,i also may come and worship him4 ,illustration3 ,the wise men went their way ,then the wise men went on their way toward ,bethlehem2 and suddenly they saw the star again shining upon the road before them4 ,at this they were glad1 and followed the star until it led them to the very house where the little child was4 ,they came in1 and there they saw the little one1 with ,mary1 its mother4 ,they knew at once that this was the king2 and they fell down on their faces and worshipped him as the ,lord4 ,then they brought out gifts of gold and precious perfumes1 frankincense and myrrh1 which were used in offering sacrifices2 and they gave them as presents to the royal child4 ,that night ,god sent a dream to the wise men1 telling them not to go back to ,herod1 but to go home at once to their own land by another way4 ,they obeyed the ,lord1 and found another road to their own country without passing through ,jerusalem where ,herod was living4 ,so ,herod could not learn from those men who the child was that was born to be a king4 ,and very soon after these wise men had gone away1 the ,lord sent another dream to ,joseph1 the husband of ,mary4 ,he saw an angel1 who spoke to him1 saying3 ,rise up quickly2 take the little child and his mother1 and go down to the land of ,egypt1 for ,herod will try to find the child to kill him4 ,then at once ,joseph rose up in the night1 without waiting even for the morning4 ,he took his wife and her baby1 and quietly and quickly went with them down to ,egypt1 which was on the southwest of ,judea4 ,there they all stayed in safety1 as long as the wicked king ,herod lived1 which was not many months4 ,king ,herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from their visit to ,bethlehem2 but he soon found that they had gone to their home without bringing to him any word4 ,then ,herod was very angry4 ,he sent out his soldiers to ,bethlehem4 ,they came1 and by the cruel king's command they seized all the little children in ,bethlehem who were three years old1 or younger1 and killed them all4 ,what a cry went up to ,god from the mothers in ,bethlehem1 as their children were torn from their arms and slain6 ,illustration3 ,he took his wife and baby and went down to ,egypt ,but all this time1 the child ,jesus whom they were seeking was safe with his mother in the land of ,egypt4 ,soon after this king ,herod died1 a very old man1 cruel to the last4 ,then the angel of the ,lord came again and spoke to ,joseph in a dream1 saying3 ,you may now take the young child back to his own land1 for the king who sought to kill him is dead4 ,then ,joseph took his wife and the little child ,jesus1 and started to go again to the land of ,judea4 ,perhaps it was his thought to go again to ,bethlehem1 the city of ,david1 and there bring up the child4 ,but he heard that in that part of the land ,archelaus1 a son of ,herod1 was now ruling1 and who was as wicked and cruel as his father4 ,he feared to go under ,archelaus' rule1 and instead took his wife and the child to ,nazareth1 which had been his own home and that of ,mary his wife before the child was born4 ,nazareth was in the part of the land called ,galilee1 which at that time was ruled by another son of king ,herod1 a king named ,herod ,antipas4 ,he was not a good man1 but was not so cruel nor bloody as his wicked father had been4 ,so again ,joseph the carpenter and ,mary his wife were living in ,nazareth4 ,and there they stayed for many years while ,jesus was growing up4 ,jesus was not the only child in their house1 and he had many other playmates among the boys of ,nazareth4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,child ,,in ,,the ,,temple ,jesus was brought to ,nazareth when he was a little child not more than three years old2 there he grew up as a boy and a young man1 and there he lived until he was thirty years of age4 ,we should like to know many things about his boyhood1 but the ,bible tells us very little4 ,as ,joseph was a working man1 it is likely that he lived in a house with only one room1 with no floor except the earth1 no window except a hole in the wall1 no pictures upon the walls1 and neither bedstead1 nor chair1 nor looking-glass4 ,they sat upon the floor or upon cushions2 they slept upon rolls of matting1 and their meals were taken from a low table not much larger than a stool4 ,jesus may have learned to read at the village school1 which was generally held in the house used for worship1 called the synagogue4 ,the lessons were from rolls on which were written parts of the ,old ,testament2 but ,jesus never had a ,bible of his own4 ,from a child he went with ,joseph to the worship in the synagogue twice every week4 ,there they sat on the floor and heard the ,old ,testament read and explained1 while ,mary and the younger sisters of ,jesus listened from a gallery behind a lattice-screen4 ,the ,jewish boys of that time were taught to know almost the whole of the ,old ,testament by heart4 ,it was the custom of the ,jews from all parts of the land to go up to ,jerusalem to worship at least once every year1 at the feast of the ,passover1 which was held in the spring4 ,some families also stayed to the feast of ,pentecost1 which was fifty days after ,passover2 and some went again in the fall to the feast of ,tabernacles1 when for a week all the families slept out of doors1 under roofs made of green twigs and bushes4 ,when ,jesus was a boy twelve years old1 he was taken up to the feast of the ,passover1 and there for the first time he saw the holy city ,jerusalem1 and the ,temple of the ,lord on ,mount ,moriah4 ,young as he was1 his soul was stirred1 as he walked among the courts of the ,temple and saw the altar with its smoking sacrifice1 the priests in their white robes1 and the ,levites with their silver trumpets4 ,though a boy1 ,jesus began to feel that he was the ,son of ,god1 and that this was his ,father's house4 ,illustration3 ,sitting in a company of the doctors of the law ,his heart was so filled with the worship of the ,temple1 with the words of the scribes or teachers whom he heard in the courts1 and with his own thoughts1 that when it was time to go home to ,nazareth1 he stayed behind1 held fast by his love for the house of the ,lord4 ,the company of people who were traveling together was large1 and at first he was not missed4 ,but when night came and the boy ,jesus could not be found1 his mother was alarmed4 ,the next day ,joseph and ,mary left their company and hastened back to ,jerusalem4 ,they did not at first think to go to the ,temple4 ,they sought him among their friends and kindred who were living in the city1 but could not find him4 ,on the third day1 they went up to the ,temple with heavy hearts1 still looking for their boy4 ,and there they found him sitting in a company of the doctors of the law1 listening to their words and asking them questions4 ,everybody who stood near was surprised to find how deep was the knowledge of this boy in the word of the ,lord4 ,his mother spoke to him a little sharply1 for she felt that her son had not been thoughtful of his duty4 ,she said3 ,child1 why have you treated us in this way8 ,do you not know that your father and ,i have been looking for you with troubled hearts8 ,why did you seek for me1 said ,jesus4 ,did you not know that ,i must be in my ,father's house8 ,they did not understand these words2 but ,mary thought often about them afterward2 for she felt her son was no common child1 and that his words had a deep meaning4 ,though ,jesus was wise beyond his years1 he obeyed ,joseph and his mother in all things4 ,he went with them to ,nazareth1 and lived contented with the plain life of their country home4 ,as the years went on1 ,jesus grew from a boy to a young man4 ,he grew1 too1 in knowledge1 and in wisdom1 and in the favor of ,god4 ,he won the love of all who knew him1 for there was something in his nature that drew all hearts1 both young and old4 ,jesus learned the trade of a carpenter with ,joseph2 and when ,joseph died1 while ,jesus was still a young man1 ,jesus worked as a carpenter1 and helped his mother take care of the family4 ,and so in the carpenter shop1 and the quiet life of a country village1 and the worship of the synagogue1 the years passed until ,jesus was thirty years of age4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,water ,,that ,,was ,,turned ,,into ,,wine ,a few days after ,jesus met his followers or disciples at the river ,jordan1 he came with these men to a town in ,galilee called ,cana1 to be present at a wedding4 ,in those lands a feast was always held at a wedding1 and often the friends of those who were married stayed several days1 eating and drinking together4 ,the mother of ,jesus was at this wedding as a friend of the family2 for ,nazareth1 where she lived1 was quite near to ,cana4 ,before the wedding feast was over1 all the wine had been used1 and there was no more for the guests to drink4 ,the mother of ,jesus knew that her son had power to do whatever he chose2 and she said to him2 ,they have no wine4 ,jesus said to her3 ,o woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 ,my hour is not yet come4 ,but his mother knew that ,jesus would in some way help the people in their need1 and she said to the servants who were waiting at the table3 ,whatever he tells you to do1 be sure to do it4 ,in the dining hall were standing six large stone jars1 each about as large as a barrel1 holding twenty-five gallons4 ,these jars held water for washing1 as the ,jews washed their hands before every meal1 and washed their feet as often as they came from walking in the street1 since they wore no shoes1 but only sandals4 ,jesus said to the servants3 ,fill the jars with water4 ,illustration3 ,fill the jars with water ,the servants obeyed ,jesus1 and filled the jars up to the brim4 ,then ,jesus spoke to them again1 and said3 ,now draw out some of the water1 and take it to the ruler of the feast4 ,they drew out water from the jars1 and saw that it had been turned into wine4 ,the ruler did not know from what place the wine had come2 but he said to the young man who had just been married1 the bridegroom3 ,at a feast everybody gives his best wine at the beginning1 and afterward1 when his guests have drunk freely1 he brings on wine that is not so good2 but you have kept the good wine until now4 ,this was the first time that ,jesus used the power that ,god had given him1 to do what no other man could do4 ,such works as these were called miracles2 and ,jesus did them as signs of his power as the ,son of ,god4 ,when the disciples saw this miracle1 they believed in ,jesus more fully than before4 ,after this ,jesus went with his mother and his younger brothers to a place called ,capernaum1 on the shore of the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,but they stayed there only a few days1 for the feast of the ,passover was near1 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem to attend it4 ,you remember that the feast of the ,passover was held every year1 to keep in mind how ,god had led the people of ,israel out of ,egypt long before4 ,when ,jesus came to ,jerusalem1 he found in the courts of the ,temple men who were selling oxen and sheep and doves for the sacrifices1 and other men sitting at tables changing the money of ,jews who came from other lands into the money of ,judea4 ,all this made the courts around the ,temple seem like a market1 and not a place for the worship of ,god4 ,illustration3 ,take these things away ,jesus picked up some cord and made from it a little whip4 ,with it he began to drive out of the ,temple all the buyers and sellers4 ,he was but one1 and they were many2 but such power was in his look1 that they ran before him4 ,he drove the men and the sheep and the oxen2 he overturned the tables and threw on the floor the money1 and to those who were selling the doves he said3 ,take these things away2 make not my ,father's house a house for selling and buying6 ,the acts of ,jesus were not pleasing to the rulers of the ,jews1 for many of them were making money by this selling of sacrifices and changing of money4 ,some of the rulers came to ,jesus and said to him3 ,what right have you to come here and do such things as these8 ,what sign can you show that ,god has given to you power to rule in this place8 ,jesus said to them3 ,i will give you a sign4 ,destroy this house of ,god1 and in three days ,i will raise it up4 ,then said the ,jews1 ,it has taken forty-six years to build this ,temple1 and it is not finished yet4 ,will you raise it up in three days8 ,but ,jesus did not mean that ,temple on ,mount ,moriah4 ,he was speaking of himself1 for in him ,god was dwelling as in a temple1 and he meant that when they should put him to death1 he would rise again in three days4 ,afterward1 when ,jesus had died and risen again1 his followers1 the disciples1 thought of what he had said1 and understood these words4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,stranger ,,at ,,the ,,well ,while ,jesus was teaching in ,jerusalem and in the country places near it1 ,john the ,baptist was still preaching and baptizing4 ,but already the people were leaving ,john and going to hear ,jesus4 ,some of the followers of ,john the ,baptist were not pleased as they saw that fewer people came to their master1 and that the crowds were seeking ,jesus4 ,but ,john said to them3 ,i told you that ,i am not the ,christ1 but that ,i am sent before him4 ,jesus is the ,christ1 the king4 ,he must grow greater1 while ,i must grow less2 and ,i am glad that it is so4 ,soon after this1 ,herod ,antipas1 the king of the province or land of ,galilee1 put ,john in prison4 ,herod had taken for his wife a woman named ,herodias1 who had left her husband to live with ,herod1 which was very wicked4 ,john sent word to ,herod1 that it was not right for him to have this woman as his wife4 ,these words of ,john made ,herodias very angry4 ,she hated ,john1 and tried to kill him4 ,herod himself did not hate ,john so greatly1 for he knew that ,john had spoken the truth4 ,but he was weak1 and yielded to his wife ,herodias4 ,to please her1 he sent ,john the ,baptist to a lonely prison among the mountains east of the ,dead ,sea2 for the land in that region1 as well as ,galilee1 was under ,herod's rule4 ,there in prison ,herod hoped to keep ,john safe from the hate of his wife ,herodias4 ,soon after ,john the ,baptist was thrown into prison1 ,jesus left the country near ,jerusalem with his disciples1 and went toward ,galilee1 the province in the north4 ,between ,judea in the south and ,galilee in the north1 lay the land of ,samaria1 where the ,samaritans lived1 who hated the ,jews4 ,they worshipped the ,lord as the ,jews worshipped him1 but they had their own ,temple and their own priests4 ,and they had their own ,bible1 which was only the five books of ,moses2 for they would not read the other books of the old ,testament4 ,the ,jews and the ,samaritans would scarcely ever speak to each other1 so great was the hate between them4 ,when ,jews went from ,galilee to ,jerusalem1 or from ,jerusalem to ,galilee1 they would not pass through ,samaria1 but went down the mountains to the river ,jordan1 and walked beside the river1 in order to go around ,samaria4 ,but ,jesus1 when he would go from ,jerusalem to ,galilee1 walked over the mountains straight through ,samaria4 ,one morning while he was on his journey1 he stopped to rest beside an old well at the foot of ,mount ,gerizim1 not far from the city of ,shechem1 but nearer to a little village that was called ,sychar4 ,this well had been dug by ,jacob1 the great father or ancestor of the ,israelites1 many hundreds of years before4 ,it was an old well then in the days of ,jesus2 and it is much older now2 for the same well may be seen in that place still4 ,even now travelers may have a drink from ,jacob's well4 ,it was early in the morning1 about sunrise1 when ,jesus was sitting by ,jacob's well4 ,he was very tired1 for he had walked a long journey2 he was hungry1 and his disciples had gone to the village near at hand to buy food4 ,he was thirsty1 too2 and as he looked into the well he could see the water a hundred feet below1 but he had no rope with which to let down a cup or a jar to draw up some water to drink4 ,just at this moment a ,samaritan woman came to the well1 with her water-jar upon her head1 and her rope in her hand4 ,jesus looked at her1 and in one glance read her soul1 and saw all her life4 ,he knew that ,jews did not often speak to ,samaritans1 but he said to her3 ,please to give me a drink8 ,the woman saw from his looks and his dress that he was a ,jew1 and she said to him3 ,how is it that you1 who are a ,jew1 ask drink of me1 a ,samaritan woman8 ,jesus answered her3 ,if you knew what ,god's free gift is1 and if you knew who it is that says to you1 ',give me a drink1' you would ask him to give you living water1 and he would give it to you4 ,there was something in the words and the looks of ,jesus which made the woman feel that he was not a common man4 ,she said to him3 ,sir1 you have nothing to draw water with1 and the well is deep4 ,where can you get that living water8 ,are you greater than our father ,jacob1 who drank from this well1 and who gave it to us8 ,whoever drinks of this water1 said ,jesus1 shall thirst again1 but whoever drinks of the water that ,i shall give him1 shall never thirst2 but the water that ,i shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life4 ,sir1 said the woman1 give me some of this water of yours1 so that ,i will not thirst any more1 nor come all the way to this well4 ,jesus looked at the woman1 and said to her1 ,go home1 and bring your husband1 and come here4 ,i have no husband1 answered the woman4 ,yes1 said ,jesus1 you have spoken the truth4 ,you have no husband4 ,but you have had five husbands1 and the man whom you now have is not your husband4 ,the woman was filled with wonder as she heard this4 ,she saw that here was a man who knew what others could not know4 ,she felt that ,god had spoken to him1 and she said3 ,sir1 ,i see that you are a prophet of ,god4 ,tell me whether our people or the ,jews are right4 ,our fathers have worshipped on this mountain4 ,the ,jews say that ,jerusalem is the place where men should go to worship4 ,now1 which of these is the right place8 ,woman1 believe me1 said ,jesus1 there is coming a time when men shall worship ,god in other places besides on this mountain and in ,jerusalem4 ,the time is near2 it has even now come1 when the true worshippers everywhere shall pray to ,god in spirit and in truth2 for ,god himself is a ,spirit4 ,the woman said3 ,i know that the ,anointed one is coming1 the ,christ4 ,when he comes1 he will teach us all things4 ,jesus said to her3 ,i that speak to you now am he1 the ,christ6 ,just at this time the disciples of ,jesus came back from the village4 ,they wondered to see ,jesus talking with this ,samaritan woman1 but they said nothing4 ,the woman had come to draw water1 but in her interest in this wonderful stranger1 she forgot her errand4 ,leaving her water-jar1 she ran back to her village1 and said to the people3 ,come1 see a man who told me everything that ,i have done in all my life6 ,is not this man the ,christ whom we are looking for8 ,soon the woman came back to the well with many of her people4 ,they asked ,jesus to come to their town1 and to stay there and teach them4 ,he went with them1 and stayed there two days1 teaching the people1 who were ,samaritans4 ,and many of the people in that place believed in ,jesus1 and said3 ,we have heard for ourselves2 now we know that this is indeed the ,saviour of the world4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fishermen ,when ,jesus began to teach the people by the river ,jordan1 a few young men came to him as followers1 or disciples4 ,some of these men were ,andrew and ,john1 ,peter and ,philip and ,nathanael4 ,while ,jesus was teaching near ,jerusalem and in ,samaria1 these men stayed with ,jesus2 but when he came to ,galilee1 they went to their homes and work1 for most of them were fishermen from the ,sea of ,galilee4 ,one morning1 soon after ,jesus came to ,capernaum1 he went out of the city1 by the sea1 followed by a great throng of people1 who had come together to see him and to hear him4 ,on the shore were lying two fishing boats1 one of which belonged to ,simon and ,andrew1 the other to ,james and ,john and their father ,zebedee4 ,the men themselves were not in the boats1 but were washing their nets near by4 ,jesus stepped into the boat that belonged to ,simon ,peter and his brother ,andrew1 and asked them to push it out a little into the lake1 so that he could talk to the people from it without being crowded too closely4 ,they pushed it out1 and then ,jesus sat in the boat1 and spoke to the people1 as they stood upon the beach4 ,after he had finished speaking to the people1 and had sent them away1 he said to ,simon ,peter3 ,put out into the deep water and let down your nets to catch some fish4 ,illustration3 ,the net caught so many fishes they could not pull it up ,master1 said ,simon1 we have been fishing all night1 and have caught nothing2 but if it is your will1 ,i will let down the net again4 ,they did as ,jesus bade them2 and now the net caught so many fishes that ,simon and ,andrew could not pull it up1 and it was in danger of breaking4 ,they made signs to the two brothers1 ,james and ,john1 who were in the other boat1 for them to come and help them4 ,they came1 and lifted the net1 and poured out the fish4 ,there were so many of them that both the boats were filled1 and began to sink4 ,when ,simon ,peter saw this1 he was struck with wonder1 and felt that it was by the power of ,god4 ,he fell down at the feet of ,jesus1 saying3 ,oh ,lord1 ,i am full of sin1 and am not worthy of all this6 ,leave me1 ,o ,lord4 ,but ,jesus said to ,simon1 and to the others1 ,fear not2 but follow me1 and ,i will make you from this time fishers of men4 ,from that time these four men1 ,simon and ,andrew1 ,james and ,john1 gave up their nets and their work1 and became disciples of ,jesus4 ,on the ,sabbath1 after this1 ,jesus and his disciples went together to the synagogue1 and spoke to the people4 ,they listened to him and were surprised at his teaching2 for while the scribes always repeated what other scribes had said before1 ,jesus never spoke of what the men of old time had taught1 but spoke in his own name1 and by his own power1 saying1 ,i say unto you1 as one who had the right to speak4 ,men felt that ,jesus was speaking to them as the voice of ,god4 ,on one ,sabbath1 while ,jesus was preaching1 a man came into the synagogue who had in him an evil spirit2 for sometimes evil spirits came into men1 and lived in them and spoke out from them4 ,the evil spirit in this man cried out1 saying3 ,let us alone1 thou ,jesus of ,nazareth6 ,what have we to do with thee8 ,hast thou come to destroy us8 ,i know thee2 and ,i know who thou art1 the ,holy one of ,god6 ,then ,jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man3 ,be still2 and come out of this man6 ,then the evil spirit threw the man down1 and seemed as if he would tear him apart2 but he left the man lying on the ground1 without harm4 ,then wonder fell upon all the people4 ,they were filled with fear1 and said3 ,what mighty word is this8 ,this man speaks even to the evil spirits1 and they obey him6 ,after the meeting in the synagogue1 ,jesus went into the house where ,simon ,peter lived4 ,there he saw lying upon a bed the mother of ,simon's wife1 who was very ill with a burning fever4 ,he stood over her1 and touched her hand4 ,at once the fever left her2 she rose up from her bed and waited upon them4 ,at sunset1 the ,sabbath day was over2 and then they brought to ,jesus from all parts of the city those that were sick1 and some that had evil spirits in them4 ,jesus laid his hands upon the sick1 and they became well2 he drove out the evil spirits by a word1 and would not allow them to speak4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,mount ,among the ,jews there was one class of men hated and despised by the people more than any other4 ,that was the publicans4 ,these were the men who took from the people the tax which the ,roman rulers had laid upon the land4 ,many of these publicans were selfish1 grasping1 and cruel4 ,they robbed the people1 taking more than was right4 ,some of them were honest men1 dealing fairly1 and taking no more for the tax than was needful2 but because so many were wicked1 all the publicans were hated alike2 and they were called sinners by the people4 ,one day1 when ,jesus was going out of ,capernaum1 to the seaside1 followed by a great crowd of people1 he passed a publican1 or tax-gatherer1 who was seated at his table taking money from the people who came to pay their taxes4 ,this man was named ,matthew1 or ,levi2 for many ,jews had two names4 ,jesus could look into the hearts of men1 and he saw that ,matthew was one who might help him as one of his disciples4 ,he looked upon ,matthew1 and said3 ,follow me6 ,at once1 the publican rose up from his table1 and left it to go with ,jesus4 ,all the people wondered1 as they saw one of the hated publicans among the disciples1 with ,peter1 and ,john1 and the rest4 ,but ,jesus believed that there is good in all kinds of people4 ,most of the men who followed him were poor fishermen4 ,none of them1 so far as we know1 was rich4 ,and when he called ,matthew he saw a man with a true and loving heart1 whose rising up to follow ,jesus just as soon as he was called showed what a brave and faithful friend he would be4 ,the first of the four books about ,jesus bears ,matthew's name4 ,a little while after ,jesus called him1 ,matthew made a great feast for ,jesus at his house2 and to the feast he invited many publicans1 and others whom the ,jews called sinners4 ,the ,pharisees saw ,jesus sitting among these people1 and they said with scorn to his disciples3 ,why does your ,master sit at the table with publicans and sinners8 ,jesus heard of what these men had said1 and he said3 ,those that are well do not need a doctor to cure them1 but those that are sick do need one4 ,i go to these people because they know that they are sinners and need to be saved4 ,i came not to call those who think themselves to be good1 but those who wish to be made better4 ,one evening ,jesus went alone to a mountain not far from ,capernaum4 ,a crowd of people and his disciples followed him2 but ,jesus left them all1 and went up to the top of the mountain1 where he could be alone4 ,there he stayed all night1 praying to ,god1 his ,father and our ,father4 ,in the morning1 out of all his followers1 he chose twelve men who should walk with him and listen to his words1 so that they might be able to teach others in turn4 ,some of these men he had called before2 but now he called them again1 and others with them4 ,they were called ,the ,twelve1 or the disciples2 and after ,jesus went to heaven1 they were called ,the ,apostles1 a word which means those who were sent out1 because ,jesus sent them out to preach the gospel to the world4 ,illustration3 ,i came not to call those who think themselves to be good ,the names of the twelve disciples1 or apostles1 were these3 ,simon ,peter and his brother ,andrew2 ,james and ,john1 the two sons of ,zebedee2 ,philip of ,bethsaida1 and ,nathanael1 who was also called ,bartholomew1 a name which means the son of ,tholmai2 ,thomas1 who was also called ,didymus1 a name which means a twin1 and ,matthew the publican1 or tax-gatherer2 another ,james1 the son of ,alpheus1 who was called ,james the ,less1 to keep his name apart from the first ,james1 the brother of ,john2 and ,lebbeus1 who was also called ,thaddeus4 ,lebbeus was also called ,judas1 but he was a different man from another ,judas1 whose name is always given last4 ,the eleventh name was another ,simon1 who was called the ,cananean or ,simon ,zelotes2 and the last name was ,judas ,iscariot1 who was afterward the traitor4 ,we know very little about most of these men1 but some of them in later days did a great work4 ,simon ,peter was a leader among them1 but most of them were common sort of men of whom the best we know is that they loved ,jesus and followed him to the end4 ,some died for him1 and some served him in distant and dangerous places4 ,illustration3 ,then1 on the mountain1 he preached ,before all the people who had come to hear him1 ,jesus called these twelve men to stand by his side4 ,then1 on the mountain1 he preached to these disciples and to the great company of people4 ,the disciples stood beside him1 and the great crowd of people stood in front1 while ,jesus spoke4 ,what he said on that day is called ,the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,matthew wrote it down1 and you can read it in his gospel1 in the fifth1 sixth1 and seventh chapters4 ,jesus began with these words to his disciples3 ,blessed are the poor in spirit3 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven4 ,blessed are they that mourn3 for they shall be comforted4 ,blessed are the meek3 for they shall inherit the earth4 ,blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness3 for they shall be filled4 ,blessed are the merciful3 for they shall obtain mercy4 ,blessed are the pure in heart3 for they shall see ,god4 ,blessed are the peacemakers3 for they shall be called the children of ,god4 ,blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake3 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven4 ,blessed are ye when men shall revile you1 and persecute you1 and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely1 for my sake4 ,rejoice1 and be exceedingly glad3 for great is your reward in heaven3 for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you4 ,ye are the salt of the earth3 but if the salt have lost his savor1 wherewith shall it be salted8 it is thenceforth good for nothing1 but to be cast out1 and to be trodden under foot of men4 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid4 ,neither do men light a candle1 and put it under a bushel1 but on a candlestick2 and it giveth light unto all that are in the house4 ,let your light so shine before men1 that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father which is in heaven4 ,it was in this ,sermon on the ,mount that ,jesus told the people how they should pray1 and he gave them the prayer which we all know as the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,and this was the end of the ,sermon3 ,therefore1 whosoever heareth these sayings of mine1 and doeth them1 ,i will liken him unto a wise man1 which built his house upon a rock3 ,and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew1 and beat upon that house2 and it fell not2 for it was founded upon a rock4 ,and every one that heareth these sayings of mine1 and doeth them not1 shall be likened unto a foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand3 ,and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew1 and beat upon that house2 and it fell3 and great was the fall of it4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,miracle ,,worker ,there was at ,capernaum an officer of the ,roman army1 a man who had under him a company of a hundred men4 ,they called him a centurion1 a word which means commanding a hundred2 but we should call him a captain4 ,this man was not a ,jew1 but was what the ,jews called a ,gentile1 a foreigner2 a name which the ,jews gave to all people outside their own race4 ,all the world except the ,jews themselves were ,gentiles4 ,this ,roman centurion was a good man1 and he loved the ,jews1 because through them he had heard of ,god1 and had learned how to worship ,god4 ,out of his love for the ,jews1 he had built for them with his own money a synagogue1 which may have been the very synagogue in which ,jesus taught on the ,sabbath days4 ,the centurion had a young servant1 a boy whom he loved greatly2 and this boy was very sick with a palsy1 and near to death4 ,the centurion had heard that ,jesus could cure those who were sick2 and he asked the chief men of the synagogue1 who were called its elders1 to go to ,jesus and ask him to come and cure his young servant4 ,illustration3 ,speak the word and my servant shall be cured ,the elders spoke to ,jesus1 just as he came again to ,capernaum1 after the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,they asked ,jesus to go with them to the centurion's house2 and they said3 ,he is a worthy man1 and it is fitting that you should help him1 for1 though a ,gentile1 he loves our people1 and he has built for us our synagogue4 ,then ,jesus said1 ,i will go and heal him4 ,but while he was on his way--and with him were the elders1 and his disciples1 and a great crowd of people1 who hoped to see the work of healing--the centurion sent some other friends to ,jesus with this message3 ,lord1 do not take the trouble to come to my house2 for ,i am not worthy that one so high as you are should come under my roof2 and ,i did not think that ,i was worthy to go and speak to you4 ,but speak only a word where you are1 and my servant shall be made well4 ,for ,i also am a man under rule1 and ,i have soldiers under me2 and ,i say to one ',go1' and he goes2 and to another1 ',come1' and he comes2 and to my servant1 ',do this1' and he does it4 ,you1 too1 have power to speak and to be obeyed4 ,speak the word1 and my servant shall be cured4 ,when ,jesus heard this1 he wondered at this man's faith4 ,he turned to the people following him1 and said3 ,in truth ,i say to you1 ,i have not found such faith as this in all ,israel6 ,then he spoke to the friends of the centurion who had brought the word from him3 ,go and say to this man1 ',as you have believed in me1 so shall it be done to you4' ,then those who had been sent1 went again to the centurion's house1 and found that in that very hour his servant had been made perfectly well4 ,on the day after this1 ,jesus with his disciples and many people went out from ,capernaum1 and turned southward1 and came to a village called ,nain4 ,just as ,jesus and his disciples came near to the gate of the city1 they were met by a company who were carrying out a dead man to be buried4 ,he was a young man1 and the only son of his mother1 and she was a widow4 ,when the ,lord ,jesus saw the mother in her grief1 he pitied her1 and said1 ,do not weep4 ,he drew near1 and touched the frame on which they were carrying the body1 wrapped round and round with long strips of linen4 ,the bearers looked with wonder on this stranger1 and set down the frame with its body1 and stood still4 ,standing beside the body1 ,jesus said3 ,young man1 ,i say to you1 ,rise up6 ,and in a moment the young man sat up and began to speak4 ,jesus gave him to his mother1 who now saw that her son who had been dead1 was alive again4 ,and ,jesus went through all that part of ,galilee1 working miracles and preaching and teaching in all the villages1 telling the people everywhere the good news of the kingdom of ,god4 ,the children loved to gather around him1 and when his disciples would have driven them away he said1 ,suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not1 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4 ,illustration3 ,the children loved to gather around him ,one ,sabbath day1 as ,jesus and his disciples were walking in ,jerusalem1 they met a blind man begging4 ,this man in all his life had never seen2 for he had been born blind4 ,the disciples said to ,jesus as they were passing him3 ,master1 whose fault was it that this man was born blind8 ,was it because he has sinned1 or did his parents sin8 ,for the ,jews thought that when any evil came1 it was caused by some one's sin4 ,but ,jesus said3 ,this man was born blind1 not because of his parents' sin1 nor because of his own1 but so that ,god might show his power in him4 ,we must do ,god's work while it is day1 for the night is coming when no man can work4 ,as long as ,i am in the world1 ,i am the light of the world4 ,when ,jesus had said this1 he spat on the ground1 and mixed up the spittle with earth1 making a little lump of clay4 ,this clay ,jesus spread on the eyes of the blind man2 and then he said to him3 ,go wash in the pool of ,siloam4 ,the pool of ,siloam was a large cistern1 or1 reservoir1 on the southeast of ,jerusalem1 outside the wall1 where the valley of ,gihon and the valley of ,kedron come together4 ,to go to this pool1 the blind man1 with two great blotches of mud on his face1 must walk through the streets of the city1 out of the gate1 and into the valley4 ,he went1 and felt his way down the steps into the pool of ,siloam4 ,there he washed1 and then at once his life-long blindness passed away1 and he could see4 ,when the man came back to the part of the city where he lived1 his neighbors could scarcely believe that he was the same man4 ,they said3 ,is not this the man who used to sit on the street begging8 ,this must be the same man1 said some2 but others said3 ,no1 it is some one who looks like him4 ,but the man said1 ,i am the very same man who was blind6 ,why1 how did this come to pass8 they asked4 ,how were your eyes opened8 ,the man1 named ,jesus1 he answered1 mixed clay1 and put it on my eyes1 and said to me1 ',go to the pool of ,siloam and wash1' and ,i went and washed1 and then ,i could see4 ,where is this man8 they asked him4 ,i do not know1 said the man4 ,some of the ,pharisees1 the men who made a show of always obeying the law1 asked the man how he had been made to see4 ,he said to them1 as he had said before3 ,a man put clay on my eyes1 and ,i washed1 and my sight came to me4 ,some of the ,pharisees said3 ,the man who did this is not a man of ,god1 because he does not keep the ,sabbath4 ,he makes clay1 and puts it on men's eyes1 working on the ,sabbath day4 ,he is a sinner6 ,others said1 ,how can a man who is a sinner do such wonderful works8 ,and thus the people were divided in what they thought of ,jesus4 ,they asked the man who had been blind3 ,what do you think of this man who has opened your eyes8 ,he is a prophet of ,god1 said the man4 ,but the leading ,jews would not believe that this man had gained his sight1 until they had sent for his father and his mother4 ,the ,jews asked them3 ,is this your son1 who you say was born blind8 ,how is it that he can now see8 ,his parents were afraid to tell all they knew2 for the ,jews had agreed that if any man should say ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,saviour1 he should be turned out of the synagogue1 and not be allowed to worship any more with the people4 ,so his parents said to the ,jews3 ,we know that this is our son1 and we know that he was born blind4 ,but how he was made to see1 we do not know2 or who has opened his eyes1 we do not know4 ,he is of age2 ask him1 and let him speak for himself4 ,then again the rulers of the ,jews called the man who had been blind2 and they said to him3 ,give ,god the praise for your sight4 ,we know that this man who made clay on the ,sabbath day is a sinner4 ,whether that man is a sinner1 or not1 ,i do not know1 answered the man2 but one thing ,i do know1 that once ,i was blind1 and now ,i see4 ,we know that ,god does not hear sinners2 but ,god hears only those who worship him1 and do his will4 ,never before has any one opened the eyes of a man born blind4 ,if this man were not from ,god1 he could not do such works as these6 ,the rulers of the ,jews1 these ,pharisees1 then said to the man3 ,you were born in sin1 and do you try to teach us8 ,and they turned him out of the synagogue1 and would not let any one worship with him4 ,jesus heard of this2 and when ,jesus found him1 he said to him3 ,do you believe on the ,son of ,god8 ,the man said3 ,and who is he1 ,lord1 that ,i may believe on him8 ,you have seen him1 said ,jesus1 and it is he who now talks with you6 ,the man said1 ,lord1 ,i believe4 ,and he fell down before ,jesus1 and worshipped him4 ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd ,,and ,,the ,,good ,,samaritan ,soon afterward ,jesus gave to the people in ,jerusalem the parable or story of ,the ,good ,shepherd4 ,verily1 verily 7that is1 'in truth1 in truth'71 ,i say to you1 if any one does not go into the sheepfold by the door1 but climbs up some other way1 it is a sign that he is a thief and a robber4 ,but the one who comes in by the door is a shepherd of the sheep4 ,the porter opens the door to him1 and the sheep know him1 and listen to his call1 for he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out to the pasture-field4 ,and when he has led out his sheep1 he goes in front of them1 and the sheep follow him1 for they know his voice4 ,the sheep will not follow a stranger1 for they do not know the stranger's voice4 ,the people did not understand what all this meant1 and as ,jesus explained it to them1 he said3 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,i am the door that leads to the sheepfold4 ,if any man comes to the sheep in any other way than through me and in my name1 he is a thief and a robber2 but those who are the true sheep will not hear such4 ,i am the door2 if any man goes into the fold through me1 he shall be saved1 and shall go in and go out1 and shall find pasture4 ,the thief comes to the fold that he may steal and rob the sheep1 and kill them2 but ,i came to the fold that they may have life1 and may have all that they need4 ,i am the good shepherd2 the good shepherd will give up his own life to save his sheep2 and ,i will give up my life that my sheep may be saved4 ,i am the good shepherd2 and just as a true shepherd knows all the sheep in his fold1 so ,i know my own1 and my own know me1 even as ,i know the ,father1 and the ,father knows me2 and ,i lay down my life for the sheep4 ,and other sheep ,i have1 which are not of this fold2 them also ,i must lead2 and they shall hear my voice2 and there shall be one flock and one shepherd4 ,the ,jews could not understand these words of ,jesus2 but they became very angry with him1 because he spoke of ,god as his ,father4 ,they took up stones to throw them at him1 and tried to seize him1 intending to kill him4 ,but ,jesus escaped from their hands1 and went away to the land beyond ,jordan1 at the place called ,bethabara1 or ,bethany beyond ,jordan1 the same place where he had been baptized by ,john the ,baptist more than two years before4 ,from this place ,jesus wished to go out through the land in the east of the ,jordan1 a land which is called ,perea1 a word that means beyond4 ,but before going out through this land1 ,jesus sent out seventy chosen men from among his followers to go to all the villages1 and to make the people ready for his own coming afterward4 ,he gave to these seventy the same commands that he had given to the twelve disciples when he sent them through ,galilee1 and sent them out in pairs1 two men to travel and to preach together4 ,he said3 ,i send you forth as lambs among wolves4 ,carry no purse1 no bag for food1 no shoes except those that you are wearing4 ,do not stop to talk with people by the way2 but go through the towns and villages1 healing the sick1 and preaching to the people1 ',the kingdom of ,god is coming1' ,he that hears you1 hears me2 and he that refuses you1 refuses me2 and he that will not hear me1 will not hear him that sent me4 ,and after a time the seventy men came again to ,jesus1 saying3 ,lord1 even the evil spirits obey our words in thy name6 ,and ,jesus said to them3 ,i saw ,satan1 the king of the evil spirits1 falling down like lightning from heaven4 ,i have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions1 and nothing shall harm you4 ,still1 do not rejoice because the evil spirits obey you2 but rejoice that your names are written in heaven4 ,and at that time1 one of the scribes--men who wrote copies of the books of the ,old ,testament1 and studied them1 and taught them--came to ,jesus and asked him a question1 to see what answer he would give4 ,he said3 ,master1 what shall ,i do to have everlasting life8 ,jesus said to the scribe3 ,what is written in the law8 ,you are a reader of ,god's law2 tell me what it says4 ,then the man gave this answer3 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy strength1 and with all thy mind2 and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself4 ,jesus said to the man3 ,you have answered right2 do this1 and you shall have everlasting life4 ,but the man was not satisfied4 ,he asked another question3 ,and who is my neighbor8 ,to answer this question1 ,jesus gave the parable or story of ,the ,good ,samaritan4 ,he said3 ,a certain man was going down the lonely road from ,jerusalem to ,jericho2 and he fell among robbers1 who stripped him of all that he had and beat him2 and then went away1 leaving him almost dead4 ,it happened that a certain priest was going down that road2 and when he saw the man lying there1 he passed by on the other side4 ,and a ,levite1 also1 when he came to the place1 and saw the man1 he too went by on the other side4 ,but a certain ,samaritan1 as he was going down1 came where this man was2 and as soon as he saw him1 he felt a pity for him4 ,he came to the man1 and dressed his wounds1 pouring oil and wine into them4 ,then he lifted him up1 and set him on his own beast of burden1 and walked beside him to an inn4 ,there he took care of him all night2 and the next morning he took out from his purse two shillings1 and gave them to the keeper of the inn1 and said3 ',take care of him2 and if you need to spend more than this1 do so2 and when ,i come again ,i will pay it to you4' ,illustration3 ,then he lifted him up ,which one of these three1 do you think1 showed himself a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers8 ,the scribe said3 ,the one who showed mercy on him4 ,then ,jesus said to him3 ,go and do thou likewise4 ,by this parable1 ,jesus showed that our neighbor is the one who needs the help that we can give him1 whoever he may be4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,palm ,,branches ,illustration3 ,came to ,bethany where his friends ,martha and ,mary lived ,from ,jericho1 ,jesus and his disciples went up the mountains1 and came to ,bethany1 where his friends ,martha and ,mary lived1 and where he had raised ,lazarus to life4 ,many people in ,jerusalem heard that ,jesus was there1 and they went out of the city to see him1 for ,bethany was only two miles from ,jerusalem4 ,some came also to see ,lazarus1 whom ,jesus had raised from the dead2 but the rulers of the ,jews said to each other3 ,we must not only kill ,jesus1 but ,lazarus1 also2 because on his account so many of the people are going after ,jesus and are believing on him4 ,the friends of ,jesus in ,bethany made a supper for ,jesus1 at the house of a man named ,simon4 ,he was called ,simon the leper2 and perhaps he was one whom ,jesus had cured of leprosy4 ,jesus and his disciples1 with ,lazarus1 leaned upon the couches around the table1 as the guests2 and ,martha was one of those who waited upon them4 ,while they were at the supper1 ,mary1 the sister of ,lazarus1 came into the room1 carrying a sealed jar of very precious perfume4 ,she opened the jar1 and poured some of the perfume upon the head of ,jesus1 and some upon his feet2 and she wiped his feet with her long hair4 ,and the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume4 ,but one of the disciples of ,jesus1 ,judas ,iscariot1 was not pleased at this4 ,he said3 ,why was such a waste of the perfume made8 ,this might have been sold for more than forty-five dollars1 and the money given to the poor6 ,this he said1 but not because he cared for the poor4 ,judas was the one who kept the bag of money for ,jesus and the twelve2 and he was a thief1 and took away for his own use all the money that he could steal4 ,but ,jesus said3 ,let her alone2 why do you find fault with the woman8 ,she has done a good work upon me4 ,you have the poor always with you1 and whenever you wish1 you can give to them4 ,but you will have me with you only a little while4 ,she has done what she could2 for she has come to perfume my body for its burial4 ,and truly ,i say to you1 that wherever the gospel shall be preached throughout all the world1 what this woman has done shall be told in memory of her4 ,illustration3 ,she wiped his feet with her hair ,perhaps ,mary knew what others did not believe1 that ,jesus was soon to die2 and she showed her love for him1 and her sorrow for his coming death1 by this rich gift4 ,but ,judas1 the disciple who carried the bag1 was very angry at ,jesus2 and from that time he was looking for a chance to betray ,jesus1 or to give him up to his enemies4 ,he went to the chief priests1 and said3 ,what will you give me1 if ,i will put ,jesus in your hands8 ,they said1 ,we will give you thirty pieces of silver4 ,and for thirty pieces of silver ,judas promised to help them take ,jesus1 and make him their prisoner4 ,on the morning after the supper at ,bethany1 ,jesus called two of his disciples1 and said to them3 ,go into the next village1 and at a place where two roads cross2 and there you will find an ass tied1 and a colt with it4 ,loose them1 and bring them to me4 ,and if any one says to you1 ',why do you do this8' say1 ',the ,lord has need of them1' and they will let them go4 ,they went to the place and found the ass and the colt1 and were loosing them1 when the owner said3 ,what are you doing1 untying the ass8 ,and they said1 as ,jesus had told them to say3 ,the ,lord has need of it4 ,then the owner gave them the ass and the colt for the use of ,jesus4 ,they brought them to ,jesus on the ,mount of ,olives2 and they laid some of their own clothes on the colt for a cushion1 and set ,jesus upon it4 ,then all the disciples and a very great multitude threw their garments upon the ground for ,jesus to ride upon4 ,others cut down branches from the trees and laid them on the ground4 ,and as ,jesus rode over the mountain toward ,jerusalem1 many walked before him waving branches of palm trees4 ,and they all cried together3 ,illustration3 ,they threw their garments upon the ground for ,jesus to ride upon ,hosanna to the son of ,david6 ,blessed is he that cometh in the name of the ,lord6 ,blessed be the kingdom of our father ,david1 that cometh in the name of the ,lord6 ,hosanna in the highest6 ,these things they said1 because they believed that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,anointed ,king2 and they hoped that he would now set up his throne in ,jerusalem4 ,some of the ,pharisees in the crowd1 who did not believe in ,jesus1 said to him3 ,master1 stop your disciples6 ,but ,jesus said3 ,i tell you1 that if these should be still1 the very stones would cry out6 ,and when he came into ,jerusalem with all this multitude1 all the city was filled with wonder4 ,they said3 ,who is this8 ,and the multitude answered3 ,this is ,jesus1 the prophet of ,nazareth in ,galilee6 ,and ,jesus went into the ,temple1 and looked around it2 but he did not stay1 because the hour was late4 ,he went again to ,bethany1 and there stayed at night with his friends4 ,these things took place on ,sunday1 the first day of the week2 and that ,sunday in the year is called ,palm ,sunday1 because of the palm branches which the people carried before ,jesus4 ,many people heard him gladly1 but the great city was deaf to his pleadings4 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 he cried1 thou that killest the prophets1 how often would ,i have gathered thy children together1 even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 and ye would not6 ,illustration3 ,the great city was deaf to his pleadings ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,betrayal ,at the foot of the ,mount of ,olives1 near the path over the hill toward ,bethany1 there was an orchard of olive trees1 called ,the ,garden of ,gethsemane4 ,the word ,gethsemane means oil press4 ,jesus often went to this place with his disciples1 because of its quiet shade4 ,at this garden he stopped1 and outside he left eight of his disciples1 saying to them1 ,sit here while ,i go inside and pray4 ,he took with him the three chosen ones1 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 and went within the orchard4 ,jesus knew that in a little while ,judas would be there with a band of men to seize him2 that in a few hours he would be beaten1 and stripped1 and led out to die4 ,the thought of what he was to suffer came upon him and filled his soul with grief4 ,he said to ,peter and ,james and ,john3 ,my soul is filled with sorrow1 a sorrow that almost kills me4 ,stay here and watch while ,i am praying4 ,he went a little further among the trees1 and flung himself down upon the ground1 and cried out3 ,o my ,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup pass away from me2 nevertheless1 not as ,i will1 but as thou willest6 ,so earnest was his feeling and so great his suffering that there came out upon his face great drops of sweat like blood1 falling upon the ground4 ,after praying for a time1 he rose up from the earth and went to his three disciples1 and found them all asleep4 ,he awaked them1 and said to ,peter3 ,what1 could you not watch with me one hour8 ,watch and pray that you may not go into temptation4 ,the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,he left them1 and went a second time into the woods1 and fell on his face1 and prayed again1 saying3 ,o my ,father1 if this cup cannot pass away1 and ,i must drink it1 then thy will be done4 ,he came again to the three disciples1 and found them sleeping2 but this time he did not awake them4 ,he went once more into the woods1 and prayed1 using the same words4 ,and an angel from heaven came to him and gave him strength4 ,he was now ready for the fate that was soon to come1 and his heart was strong4 ,once more he went to the three disciples1 and said to them3 ,you may as well sleep on now1 and take your rest1 for the hour is at hand2 and already the ,son of man is given by the traitor into the hands of sinners4 ,but rise up and let us be going4 ,see1 the traitor is here6 ,the disciples awoke2 they heard the noise of a crowd1 and saw the flashing of torches and the gleaming of swords and spears4 ,in the throng they saw ,judas standing1 and they knew now that he was the traitor of whom ,jesus had spoken the night before4 ,judas came rushing forward1 and kissed ,jesus1 as though he were glad to see him4 ,this was a signal that he had given beforehand to the band2 for the men of the guard did not know ,jesus1 and ,judas had said to them3 ,the one that ,i shall kiss is the man that you are to take2 seize him and hold him fast4 ,jesus said to ,judas1 ,judas1 do you betray the ,son of man with a kiss8 ,then he turned to the crowd1 and said1 ,whom do you seek8 ,they answered1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,jesus said1 ,i am he4 ,when ,jesus said this1 a sudden fear came upon his enemies2 they drew back and fell upon the ground4 ,after a moment1 ,jesus said again1 ,whom do you seek8 ,and again they answered1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,and ,jesus said1 pointing to his disciples1 ,i told you that ,i am he4 ,if you are seeking me1 let these disciples go their own way4 ,illustration3 ,,peter ,,denies ,,christ--,and ,peter remembered the word of ,jesus1 which said unto him1 ',before the cock crow1 thou shalt deny me thrice4'--7,matt4 #bf3ge47 ,but as they came forward to seize ,jesus1 ,peter drew his sword1 and struck at one of the men in front1 and cut off his right ear4 ,the man was a servant of the high-priest1 and his name was ,malchus4 ,jesus said to ,peter3 ,put up the sword into its sheath2 the cup which my ,father has given me1 shall ,i not drink it8 ,do you not know that ,i could call upon my ,father1 and he would send to me armies upon armies of angels8 ,then he spoke to the crowd1 ,let me do this4 ,and he touched the place where the ear had been cut off1 and it came on again and was well4 ,jesus said to the rulers and leaders of the armed men3 ,do you come out against me with swords and clubs as though ,i were a robber8 ,i was with you every day in the ,temple1 and you did not lift your hands against me4 ,but the words in the scriptures must come to pass2 and this is your hour4 ,when the disciples of ,jesus saw that he would not allow them to fight for him1 they did not know what to do4 ,in their sudden alarm they all ran away1 and left their ,master alone with his enemies4 ,these men laid their hands on ,jesus1 and bound him1 and led him away to the house of the high-priest4 ,there were at that time two men called high-priests by the ,jews4 ,one was ,annas1 who had been high-priest until his office had been taken from him by the ,romans1 and given to ,caiphas1 his son-in-law4 ,but ,annas still had great power among the people2 and they brought ,jesus1 all bound as he was1 first to ,annas4 ,simon ,peter1 and ,john1 the disciple whom ,jesus loved1 had followed after the crowd of those who carried ,jesus away2 and they came to the door of the high-priest's house4 ,john knew the high-priest and went in2 but ,peter at first stayed outside1 until ,john went out and brought him in4 ,he came in1 but did not dare to go into the room where ,jesus stood before the high-priest ,annas4 ,in the court-yard of the house1 they had made a fire of charcoal1 and ,peter stood among those who were warming themselves at the fire4 ,annas in the inner room asked ,jesus about his disciples and his teaching4 ,jesus answered him3 ,what ,i have taught has been open in the synagogues and in the ,temple4 ,why do you ask me8 ,ask those that heard me2 they know what ,i said4 ,then one of the officers struck ,jesus on the mouth1 saying to him3 ,is this the way that you answer the high-priest8 ,jesus answered the officer calmly and quietly3 ,if ,i have said anything evil1 tell what the evil is2 but if ,i have spoken the truth1 why do you strike me8 ,while ,annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward ,jesus1 who stood bound and alone among his enemies1 ,peter was still in the court-yard warming himself at the fire4 ,a woman1 who was a serving-maid in the house1 looked at ,peter sharply1 and finally said to him3 ,you were one of those men with this ,jesus of ,nazareth6 ,peter was afraid to tell the truth1 and he answered her3 ,woman1 ,i do not know the man2 and ,i do not know what you are talking about4 ,and to get away from her1 he went out into the porch of the house4 ,there another woman-servant saw him and said3 ,this man was one of those with ,jesus6 ,and ,peter swore with an oath that he did not know ,jesus at all4 ,soon a man came by1 who was of kin to ,malchus1 whose ear ,peter had cut off4 ,he looked at ,peter1 and heard him speak1 and said3 ,you are surely one of this man's disciples2 for your speech shows that you came from ,galilee4 ,then ,peter began again to curse and to swear1 declaring that he did not know the man4 ,just at that moment the loud1 shrill crowing of a cock startled ,peter2 and at the same time he saw ,jesus1 who was being dragged through the hall from ,annas to the council-room of ,caiphas1 the other high-priest4 ,and the ,lord turned as he was passing and looked at ,peter4 ,then there flashed into ,peter's mind what ,jesus had said on the evening before6 ,before the cock crows to-morrow morning1 you will three times deny that you have ever known me4 ,then ,peter went out of the high-priest's house into the street2 and he wept bitterly because he had denied his ,lord4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,empty ,,tomb ,after ,jesus was taken before the high-priest where he was ridiculed and the people spat upon him1 he was taken before the ,roman ,governor1 ,pontius ,pilate1 who ruled over ,judea4 ,he heard their complaints1 but did not find any cause for putting him to death4 ,but at last he yielded to their demands1 although he declared ,jesus was innocent of all wrong4 ,illustration3 ,he heard their complaints ,and so ,pontius ,pilate1 the ,roman governor1 gave command that ,jesus should die by the cross4 ,the ,roman soldiers then took ,jesus and beat him most cruelly2 and then led him out of the city to the place of death4 ,this was a place called ,golgotha in the ,jewish language1 ,calvary in that of the ,romans2 both words meaning ,the ,skull ,place4 ,with the soldiers1 went out of the city a great crowd of people2 some of them enemies of ,jesus1 glad to see him suffer2 others of them friends of ,jesus1 and the women who had helped him1 now weeping as they saw him1 all covered with his blood and going out to die4 ,but ,jesus turned to them and said3 ,daughters of ,jerusalem1 do not weep for me1 but weep for yourselves and for your children4 ,for the days are coming when they shall count those happy who have no little ones to be slain2 when they shall wish that the mountain might fall on them1 and the hills might cover them1 and hide them from their enemies6 ,they had tried to make ,jesus bear his own cross1 but soon found that he was too weak from his sufferings1 and could not carry it4 ,they seized on a man who was coming out of the country into the city1 a man named ,simon1 and they made him carry the cross to its place at ,calvary4 ,it was the custom among the ,jews to give to men about to die by the cross some medicine to deaden their feelings1 so that they would not suffer so greatly4 ,they offered this to ,jesus1 but when he had tasted it and found what it was1 he would not take it4 ,he knew that he would die1 but he wished to have his mind clear1 and to understand what was done and what was said1 even though his sufferings might be greater4 ,at the place ,calvary1 they laid the cross down1 and stretched ,jesus upon it1 and drove nails through his hands and feet to fasten him to the cross2 and then they stood it upright with ,jesus upon it4 ,while the soldiers were doing this dreadful work1 ,jesus prayed for them to ,god1 saying3 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they are doing4 ,the soldiers also took the clothes that ,jesus had worn1 giving to each one a garment4 ,but when they came to his undergarment1 they found that it was woven and had no seams2 so they said1 ,let us not tear it1 but cast lots for it1 to see who shall have it4 ,so at the foot of the cross the soldiers threw lots for the garment of ,christ4 ,two men who had been robbers and had been sentenced to die by the cross1 were led out to die at the same time with ,jesus4 ,one was placed on a cross at his right side1 and the other at his left2 and to make ,jesus appear as the worst1 his cross stood in the middle4 ,over the head of ,jesus on his cross1 they placed1 by ,pilate's order1 a sign1 on which was written3 ,this is ,jesus of ,nazareth1 ,the ,king of the ,jews4 ,this was written in three languages2 in ,hebrew1 which was the language of the ,jews2 in ,latin1 the language of the ,romans1 and in ,greek4 ,many of the people read this writing2 but the chief priests were not pleased with it4 ,they urged ,pilate to have it changed from ,the ,king of the ,jews to ,he said1 ,i am ,king of the ,jews4 ,but ,pilate would not change it4 ,he said3 ,what ,i have written1 ,i have written4 ,and the people who passed by on the road1 as they looked at ,jesus on the cross1 mocked at him4 ,some called out to him3 ,you that would destroy the ,temple and build it in three days1 save yourself4 ,if you are the ,son of ,god1 come down from the cross6 ,and the priests and scribes said3 ,he saved others1 but he cannot save himself4 ,come down from the cross1 and we will believe in you6 ,and one of the robbers1 who was on his own cross beside that of ,jesus1 joined in the cry1 and said3 ,if you are the ,christ1 save yourself and save us6 ,but the other robber said to him3 ,have you no fear of ,god1 to speak thus1 while you are suffering the same fate with this man8 ,and we deserve to die1 but this man has done nothing wrong4 ,then this man said to ,jesus3 ,lord1 remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom6 ,and ,jesus answered him1 as they were both hanging on their crosses3 ,to-day you shall be with me in heaven4 ,before the cross of ,jesus his mother was standing1 filled with sorrow for her son1 and beside her was one of his disciples1 ,john1 the disciple whom he loved best4 ,other women besides his mother were there--his mother's sister1 ,mary the wife of ,cleophas1 and a woman named ,mary ,magdalene1 out of whom a year before ,jesus had sent an evil spirit4 ,jesus wished to give his mother1 now that he was leaving her1 into the care of ,john1 and he said to her1 as he looked from her to ,john3 ,woman1 see your son4 ,and then to ,john he said3 ,son1 see your mother4 ,and on that day ,john took the mother of ,jesus home to his own house1 and cared for her as his own mother4 ,at about noon1 a sudden darkness came over the land1 and lasted for three hours4 ,and in the middle of the afternoon1 when ,jesus had been on the cross six hours of terrible pain1 he cried out aloud words which meant3 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me6 words which are the beginning of the twenty-second psalm1 a psalm which long before had spoken of many of ,christ's sufferings4 ,after this he spoke again1 saying1 ,i thirst6 ,and some one dipped a sponge in a cup of vinegar1 and put it upon a reed1 and gave him a drink of it4 ,then ,jesus spoke his last words upon the cross3 ,it is finished6 ,father1 into thy hands ,i give my spirit6 ,and then ,jesus died4 ,and at that moment1 the veil in the ,temple between the ,holy ,place and the ,holy of ,holies1 was torn apart by unseen hands from the top to the bottom4 ,and when the ,roman officer1 who had charge of the soldiers around the cross1 saw what had taken place1 and how ,jesus died1 he said3 ,surely this was a righteous man2 he was the ,son of ,god4 ,after ,jesus was dead1 one of the soldiers1 to be sure that he was no longer living1 ran his spear into the side of his dead body2 and out of the wound came pouring both water and blood4 ,there were even among the rulers of the ,jews a few who were friends of ,jesus1 though they did not dare to follow ,jesus openly4 ,one of these was ,nicodemus1 the ruler who came to see ,jesus at night4 ,another was a rich man who came from the town of ,arimathea1 and was named ,joseph4 ,joseph of ,arimathea went boldly in to ,pilate1 and asked that the body of ,jesus might be given to him4 ,pilate wondered that he had died so soon1 for often men lived on the cross two or three days4 ,but when he found that ,jesus was really dead1 he gave his body to ,joseph4 ,then ,joseph and his friends took down the body of ,jesus from the cross1 and wrapped it in fine linen4 ,and ,nicodemus brought some precious spices1 myrrh and aloes1 which they wrapped up with the body4 ,then they placed the body in ,joseph's own new tomb1 which was a cave dug out of the rock1 in a garden near the place of the cross4 ,and before the opening of the cave they rolled a great stone4 ,and ,mary ,magdalene1 and the other ,mary1 and some other women1 saw the tomb1 and watched while they laid the body of ,jesus in it4 ,on the next morning1 some of the rulers of the ,jews came to ,pilate1 and said3 ,sir1 we remember that that man ,jesus of ,nazareth1 who deceived the people1 said while he was yet alive1 ',after three days ,i will rise again4' ,give orders that the tomb shall be watched and made sure for three days1 or else his disciples may steal his body1 and then say1 ',he is risen from the dead'2 and thus even after his death he may do more harm than he did while he was alive4 ,pilate said to them3 ,set a watch1 and make it as sure as you can4 ,then they placed a seal upon the stone1 so that no one might break it2 and they set a watch of soldiers at the door4 ,and in the tomb the body of ,jesus lay from the evening of ,friday1 the day when he died on the cross1 to the dawn of ,sunday1 the first day of the week1 when he arose from the dead and appeared unto his disciples4 ,but the brightest day in all the world was this ,sunday morning4 ,for on that day the stone was rolled away from the tomb and ,jesus came forth from the dead to gladden his disciples4 ,this he had told them he would do4 ,on this ,sunday morning1 ,mary ,magdalene and another ,mary1 called ,salome1 came to the tomb1 found the stone rolled away and an angel standing by the open tomb4 ,he told them that ,jesus was not there1 but had risen4 ,afterward ,jesus was with his disciples for forty days1 after which he was taken up into heaven4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,man ,,at ,,the ,,beautiful ,,gate ,soon after ,jesus was taken up into heaven1 his disciples began to preach1 as he had told them to do4 ,they stood up in the streets1 and in the ,temple1 and spoke to the people all the words that ,jesus had given to them4 ,and although they could no longer see ,jesus1 he was with them1 and helped them1 and gave them great power4 ,the two apostles1 ,peter and ,john1 were one day going up to the temple at the afternoon hour of prayer1 about three o'clock4 ,they walked across the court of the ,gentiles1 which was a large1 open square paved with marble1 having on its eastern side a double row of pillars with a roof above them1 called ,solomon's ,porch4 ,in front of this porch was the principal entrance to the ,temple1 through a gate which was called ,the ,beautiful ,gate4 ,in front of this gate they saw a lame man sitting4 ,he was one who in all his life had never been able to walk2 and as he was very poor1 his friends carried him every day to this place2 and there he sat1 hoping that some of those who went into the ,temple might take pity on him1 and give him a little money4 ,in front of this man ,peter and ,john stopped2 and ,peter said3 ,look at us6 ,the lame man looked earnestly on the two apostles1 thinking they were about to give him something4 ,but ,peter said3 ,silver and gold have ,i none2 but what ,i have that ,i will give you4 ,in the name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 walk6 ,and ,peter took hold of the lame man's right hand1 and raised him up4 ,at once the lame man felt a new power entering into his feet and ankle-bones4 ,he leaped up1 and stood upon his feet1 and began to walk1 as he had never done before in all his life4 ,he walked up the steps with the two apostles1 and went by their side into the ,temple1 walking1 and leaping1 and praising ,god4 ,the people who now saw him leaping up and running knew him1 for they had seen him every day sitting as a beggar at the ,beautiful ,gate3 and every one was filled with wonder at the change which had come over him4 ,after worshipping and praising ,god in the ,temple1 the man1 still holding fast to ,peter and ,john1 went out with them through the ,beautiful ,gate1 into ,solomon's ,porch4 ,and in a very few minutes a great crowd of people were drawn together to the place to see the man who had been made well1 and to see also the two men who had healed him4 ,then ,peter stood up before the throng of people1 and spoke to them3 ,ye men of ,israel1 he said1 why do you look wondering on this man8 or why do you fix your eyes upon us1 as though by our own power or goodness we had made this man to walk8 ,the ,god of ,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob1 has in this way shown the power and the glory of his ,son ,jesus1 whom you gave up to his enemies1 and whom you refused before ,pontius ,pilate1 when ,pilate was determined to set him free4 ,but you refused the ,holy ,one and the ,righteous ,one1 and chose a murderer1 ,barabbas1 to be set free in his place2 and you killed the ,prince of ,life1 whom ,god raised from the dead4 ,we who have seen him risen1 declare that this is true4 ,and the power of ,jesus1 through faith in his name1 has made this man strong4 ,yes1 it is faith in ,christ that has given him this perfect soundness before you all4 ,now1 my brothers1 ,i am sure that you did not know that it was the ,son of ,god and your own ,saviour whom you sent to the cross4 ,therefore turn to ,god in sorrow for this great sin1 and ,god will forgive you1 and in his own time he will send again ,jesus ,christ4 ,god1 who has raised up his ,son1 is ready to bless you1 and turn away every one of you from his sins4 ,while ,peter was speaking1 the priests1 and the captain of the ,temple1 and the rulers1 came upon them2 for they were angry as they heard ,peter speak these words4 ,they laid hold of ,peter and ,john1 and put them into the guardroom for the night4 ,but many of those who had heard ,peter speaking believed on ,jesus1 and sought the ,lord2 and the number of the followers of ,christ rose from three thousand to five thousand4 ,on the next day the rulers came together2 and ,annas and ,caiphas1 the high priests1 were there1 and with them many of their friends4 ,they brought ,peter and ,john1 and set them before the company4 ,the lame man who had been healed was still by the side of the two apostles4 ,the rulers asked them3 ,by what power1 or through whom have you done this8 ,then ,peter spoke boldly3 ,ye rulers of the people and elders1 if you are asking us about the good deed done to this man who was so helpless1 how it was that he was made well1 ,i will tell you that by the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth whom you put to death on the cross1 whom ,god raised from the dead2 even by him this man stands here before you all strong and well4 ,and there is no salvation except through ,jesus ,christ1 for there is no other name under heaven given among men that can save us from our sins4 ,when these rulers saw how bold and strong were the words of ,peter and ,john1 they wondered1 especially as they knew that they were plain men1 not learned in books1 and not used to speaking4 ,they remembered that they had seen these men among the followers of ,jesus1 and they felt that in some way ,jesus had given them his power4 ,and as the man who had been healed was standing beside them1 they could say nothing to deny that a wonderful work had been done4 ,the rulers sent ,peter and ,john out of the council-room1 while they talked together4 ,they said to each other3 ,what shall we do to these men8 ,we cannot deny that a wonderful work has been done by them1 for every one knows it4 ,but we must stop this from spreading any more among the people4 ,let us command them not to speak to any man about the name of ,jesus2 and let us tell them1 that if they do speak1 we will punish them4 ,so they called the two apostles into the room again1 and said to them3 ,we forbid you to speak about ,jesus1 and the power of his name1 to any man4 ,if you do not stop talking about ,jesus1 we will lay hands on you1 and put you in prison1 and will have you beaten4 ,but ,peter and ,john answered the rulers3 ,whether it is right to obey you or to obey ,god1 you can judge4 ,as for ourselves we cannot keep silent2 we must speak of what we have seen and heard4 ,the rulers were afraid to do any harm to ,peter and ,john1 because they knew that the people praised ,god for the good work that they had done2 and they would be angry to have harm come to them4 ,for fear of the people1 they let them go4 ,and being let go1 they went to their own friends1 the company who met in the upper room1 and there they gave thanks to ,god for helping them to speak his word without fear4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,stephen1 ,,the ,,first ,,martyr ,in the ,new ,testament1 in the book of ,acts1 you will learn how the members of the church in ,jerusalem gave their money freely to help the poor4 ,this free giving led to trouble1 as the church grew so fast2 for some of the widows who were poor were passed by1 and their friends made complaints to the apostles4 ,the twelve apostles called the whole church together1 and said3 ,it is not well that we should turn aside from preaching and teaching the word of ,god to sit at tables and give out money4 ,but1 brethren1 choose from among yourselves seven good men2 men who have the ,spirit of ,god and are wise1 and we will give this work to them2 so that we can spend our time in prayer and in preaching the gospel4 ,this plan was pleasing to all the church1 and they chose seven men to take charge of the gifts of the people1 and to see that they were sent to those who were in need4 ,the first man chosen was ,stephen1 a man full of faith and of the ,spirit of ,god2 and with him was ,philip and five other good men4 ,these seven men they brought before the apostles2 and the apostles laid their hands on their heads1 setting them apart for their work of caring for the poor4 ,but ,stephen did more than to look after the needy ones4 ,he began to preach the gospel of ,christ1 and to preach with such power as made every one who heard him feel the truth4 ,stephen saw before any other man in the church saw1 that the gospel of ,christ was not for ,jews only1 but was for all men2 that all men might be saved if they would believe in ,jesus2 and this great truth ,stephen began to preach with all his power4 ,such preaching as this1 that men who were not ,jews might be saved by believing in ,christ1 made many of the ,jews very angry4 ,they called all the people who were not ,jews ,gentiles1 and they looked upon them with hate and scorn2 but they could not answer the words that ,stephen spoke4 ,they roused up the people and the rulers1 and set them against ,stephen1 and at last they seized ,stephen1 and brought him before the great council of the rulers4 ,they said to the rulers3 ,this man is always speaking evil words against the ,temple and against the law of ,moses4 ,we have heard him say that ,jesus of ,nazareth shall destroy this place1 and shall change the laws that ,moses gave to us6 ,this was partly true and partly false2 but no lie is so harmful as that which has a little truth with it4 ,then the high-priest said to ,stephen3 ,are these things so8 ,and as ,stephen stood up to answer the high-priest1 all fixed their eyes upon him2 and they saw that his face was shining1 as though it was the face of an angel4 ,then ,stephen began to speak of the great things that ,god had done for his people ,israel in the past2 how he had called ,abraham1 their father1 to go forth into a new land2 how he had given them great men1 as ,joseph1 and ,moses1 and the prophets4 ,he showed them how the ,israelites had not been faithful to ,god1 who had given them such wonderful blessings4 ,then ,stephen said3 ,you are a people with hard hearts and stiff necks1 who will not obey the words of ,god and his ,spirit4 ,as your fathers did1 so you do1 also4 ,your fathers killed the prophets whom ,god sent to them2 and you have slain ,jesus1 the ,righteous ,one6 ,as they heard these things1 they became so angry against ,stephen1 that they gnashed on him with their teeth1 like wild beasts4 ,but ,stephen1 full of the ,holy ,spirit1 looked up toward heaven with his shining face2 and he saw the glory of ,god1 and ,jesus standing on ,god's right hand1 and he said3 ,i see the heavens opened1 and the ,son of man standing on the right hand of ,god6 ,but they cried out with angry voices1 and rushed upon him1 and dragged him out of the council-room1 and outside the wall of the city4 ,and there they threw stones upon him to kill him1 while ,stephen was kneeling down among the falling stones1 and praying3 ,lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit6 ,lord1 lay not this sin up against them6 ,and when he had said this1 he fell asleep in death1 the first to be slain for the gospel of ,christ4