The story Bible

STORY
-BIBLE

MARGARET
SANGSTER

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THE STORY BIBLE

BY

MARGARET E. SANGSTER

ILLUSTRATED BY
THE DECORATIVE DESIGNERS

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NEW YORK

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY

1905

3BS5-57

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• 1905

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COPY g.

Copyright, 1905, by

MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY

NEW YORK

Published October, IQOS

i. F. TAPLEY CO.

BOOK MANUFACTURERS

NEW YORK

To one whose unobtrusive goodness

strews flowers on many paths,

HELEN MILLER GOULD,

I dedicate this book with affectionate regard.

FOREWORD

IN writing the Story Bible it has been my
aim so to tell again the tales from Holy
Writ familiar through the centuries, that our
children of to-day may read and love them.
The Bible is a treasury of stories, vivid, dra-
matic and full of charm. Each story has a
hero or a heroine whose name is a household
word, whose feats of valor or sacrifices of love
stimulate us, as they have stimulated those
who have gone before, to live noble lives; to
do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before
God. I have disengaged each story from sur-
rounding passages which treat of other affairs
so that the story itself may stand out alone,
like a gem or a picture. I have arranged the
stories in their accustomed Biblical sequence
so that they follow the order of the books in
the Old and New Testaments and may later
introduce their readers to the Bible in what-
ever version they prefer. These stories have
been written with great simplicity that moth-

ers may read them to little children, and older
children read them, with pleasure, as they
would read a favorite story book.

People who fancy that children do not en-
joy good literature are mistaken. Much de-
pends on the early choice for them of what is
best. Give a child the best and he will not be
contented with the worst. The child delights
in brave deeds, in romance, in chivalry, in
splendid diction and poetic style. Imaginative
literature fascinates children. They cannot
have too much of it, from the fairy and folk
lore of every nation to the beautiful truth lore
scattered for them over the pages of our Eng-
lish Bible. Any group of listening children
will hang eagerly on the story of Noah, of
Abraham, of Joseph, of David, of Daniel and
of the Child who came to earth in the full-
ness of time, when the Star led the way to the
Manger. All these wondrous tales and many
more stories are in this volume. I hope it may
find its way wherever children meet around
the hearth, and that mothers may accept its
help in the training of their little ones.

For Sunday afternoons and daily reading,
and for quiet hours with father and mother,
the Story Bible will ■ prove a standby, the

melody of its pages drawn from the one Book
that never goes out of fashion and never fails
to carry a heavenly message to old and young.

MARGARET E. SANGSTER.

CONTENTS

Page

XXXI. Ruth and Naomi 231

XXXII. The Child Samuel 243

XXXIII. The Return of the Ark 251

XXXIV. The First King 256

XXXV. The Wars of Saul 266

XXXVI. David and Goliath 274

XXXVII. A Forest Chieftain 284

XXXVIII. The Wise Choice 297

XXXIX. The Story of Elijah 304

XL. Elisha the Prophet 315

XLI. The Little Captive Maid 322

XLII. The King's Cup Bearer 330

XLIII. Queen Esther 335

XLIV. The Most Patient of Men 353

XLV. In the Fiery Furnace 357

XLVI. The Writing on the Wall 367

XLVII. Daniel in the Lions' Den 372

XLVIII. The Strange Passenger 381

XLIX. The Coming of the Christ-Child 391

L. Wonderful Deeds of Jesus 406

LI. Other Kind and Loving Acts 416

LII. Hosanna in the Highest 432

LIII. On the Way to the Cross 437

LIV. The Green Hill Far Away 445

LV. The First Easter . 450

LVI. The Beautiful Gate 460

LVII. Ananias and Sapphira 464

LVIII. The First Martyr 468

LXIX. The Road to Damascus 47*

LX. Peter Delivered 476

LXI. A Storm and Wreck 481

LXII. A Vision of Heaven 486

ILLUSTRATIONS

Suffer Little Children Frontispiece

With Olive Leaf 48

The Angel Dream 92 ^

Joseph in Power 144

The Babe Wept 170

Go Forward 190

Ruth the Gleaner 236

David and Goliath 280 /

Fear Not, Esther 346

His Father's Business 398

Rise and Walk 460

Who Art Thou, Lord? 472

THE STORY BIBLE

THE STORY OF CREATION

ALONG, long time ago, so very long ago
that a child cannot count the years and
the oldest man on earth does not know their
number, it came to pass that God made this
world. In the beginning He created the
heavens and the earth. Before this beginning,
whenever it was, there was no blue sky, there
was no deep sea, there was neither sun nor
moon. Where this planet on which now we
live goes around the great sun there was only a
vast, empty space, or perhaps a great lone-
some mist, called chaos, all strange, confused
and dim.

Out of this chaos God created the heavens
and the earth. To create is to make something
and put it where there used to be nothing.

IS

THE STORY BIBLE

Only God can do this. God looked on the
vast, dark, misty space, and His Spirit moved
over it, over the face of the dark waters that
seemed fast asleep, over the face of chaos.

And then He did the most wonderful thing
that even God could do. He spoke one word,
gave one command, and the darkness lifted
like a curtain that is rolled up and disappears.
He said, Let there be light, and there was
light. Not gradually, but suddenly, in a quick
flash, in an instant, the light chased away the
darkness when God called it and bade it come.
Light travels faster than almost anything in
the universe. It travels as fast as thought.
You can think, dear child, as fast as a sun-
beam flies, but nothing outside of you can go
through the air with the speed of the morning
light.

God saw the light, and it was good. So He
divided it and made one part Day, which is the
part in which we play and work, and another
part Night, which is the part in which we
sleep and rest.

Next, God made the firmament. Look up
and you can see it now. Sometimes white

16

THE STORY OF CREATION

clouds sail over it like birds. Sometimes black
clouds hang low beneath it, and down from
them pours the heavy rain or floats the fleecy
snow. Clouds are full of vapor and vapor
makes rain. The firmament is up yonder.
Down below it is the ocean and running into
the ocean are the rivers, little and big, carry-
ing their cups of water. The ocean has tides
that ebb and flow and the sky is always
watching the tides. The ocean sends up mists
and the sky sends down rain, and sky and
ocean love one another to-day just as they
have loved ever since God gave one its work
to do here and the other its work to do there.
God called the firmament Heaven, and when
He had made borders and banks for the sea,
He called the dry land Earth.

Next, He covered the land with green wav-
ing grass and lovely green herbs and beauti-
ful trees, some for shelter and some for fruit.
Every orchard where the blossoms scent the
spring air, every clump of trees that gives a
pleasant shade, carries our thoughts straight
back to the Creation and the goodness of God
Who was the first great Gardener. The trees

17

THE STORY BIBLE

and the grass were made to bear seed so that
they would keep on making the dry land beau-
tiful forever.

Then, dear child, God, being pleased with
the green earth, and the sky and the sea, made
other lovely things. Do you know

"Twinkle, twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky"?

Certainly you do. Every child learns to re-
peat this stanza. Well, God made those
twinkling stars, and put them where they
shine. They are so glad to be there that they
cannot help shining, each in its own place.
They light the sky with their lamps, North,
South, East and West. They keep guard over
your little bed at night. You cannot see them
when the sun rises; but they are there, shin-
ing, just the same; and when night falls out
they come, one by one, till there are millions
of them, looking down with radiant eyes.
God made the sun which is like a great chariot
of fire and He made the silver moon that burns

18

THE STORY OF CREATION

with a softer, tenderer light. The sun by day,
the moon by night. In the long ages since
they were made they have never stopped burn-
ing by day and by night, but they are never
tired, nor dull. They keep on shining as God
told them to shine.

The earth, being now quite ready for in-
habitants, like a house all furnished and wait-
ing for people to move in, God made birds to
fly, and fish to swim, and beasts to walk about,
and tiny, tiny insects and great ones too, so
that the earth was full of glad, living crea-
tures, all happy and fearless; and the waters
were full of fish, great and small; and through
the air went birds, singing and soaring and
hurrying to make nests of their own in the
rocks and the tree tops. God saw all these
and was pleased with them and gave them
His blessing.

But there was yet another thing He needed
to do. In this big House of Life that He had
made there was nobody to rule, nobody to be
overseer for God. The birds and beasts would
soon have felt as children do when they have
nobody to whom they may run home at night

19

THE STORY BIBLE

if God had not created some one better than
they, somebody wiser, who might love them
and give them names and be their friend.

He made the beasts and the birds, the stars
and the sun and the moon, by a word of com-
mand. But Man was to be a son of God, to
have some of God's power in him, to live in the
House of Life with the life of God his Father
in his nature.

So God breathed into man the breath of life,
and made him a living soul; made him in His
own image. He made both man and woman,
to be a king and a queen in the great new
House of Life, to take care of everything, to
enjoy everything, to be perfectly happy all day
long, and never afraid of anything night or
day.

All this work took six days; not six little
days of twenty-four hours each, but six divine
days, each one of which may have been as
long or as short as God chose to have it.

Then, on the seventh day, or period, God
rested. When God rested He gave us then
and there the sweet and gracious thought of
one day in every seven when we too may rest.

20

THE STORY OF CREATION

The Sabbath, which some people call the
Lord's Day and some Sunday, is another beau-
tiful thing, a gift of God that began to be ours
when God made the world.

A very beautiful poem was written by
Joseph Addison in the year 1712. I learned
to repeat it when I was seven years old. You
often hear it sung as an anthem in church. I
should not be surprised if you would like to
learn it, and so I am inserting the poem before
we go to the next chapter:

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty Hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth;

21

THE STORY BIBLE

Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though in solemn silence all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amidst their radiant orbs be found;
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing, as they shine,
"The Hand that made us is divine."

22

II

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

TVyHEN the world was finished and every
VV bit of it in order, God made, in the
very heart of it, a garden just like the gardens
that the angels tend in the great world we
cannot see, the world where God lives beyond
this earth.

This garden was called Eden. It had in it
every sweetest rose that ever bloomed and
every flower that grew in heaven was trans-
planted there. No garden has ever been so
beautiful as the Garden of Eden, though all
our gardens in their summer brightness look
something like it. A June day, when the
daisies laugh in the sun and the rosebuds un-
fold, must be a little bit left us from Eden.
At least it does no harm to fancy so.

You see it was Earth's very first garden,
and JEHOVAH was its Gardener. Four

23

THE STORY BIBLE

rivers were around it, and in the midst of it
grew trees of every sort, and from their
boughs hung most delicious fruit.

You may dream of such a garden some
night when you are asleep, for the angels
bring sweet dreams to happy children. But
none of us, when waking, shall ever see a
garden quite so fair as Eden was.

In this garden God placed the first Man
and the first woman, Adam and Eve. God
told Adam that his part would be to dress and
keep the garden; Eve was to help him, and
both were to do whatever they wished, eat its
fruit, pluck the flowers, go where they chose,
and be without any hard labor, because the
ground did not need digging and there were
no weeds, and the fruit and the flowers were
to mean, not trouble to Adam and Eve, but
just pleasure.

There was one thing they were told not to
do. Only one thing.

In the middle of the garden there was a
beautiful tree that God told them never to
touch. He did not tell them why they must
not touch it. He simply said, Go where you

24

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

like, do what you will, but that Tree is My
tree. Let it alone.

So parents often tell children not to do
something, yet do not tell them why not.

Hundreds of trees were in every direction.
Fruits sweet as honey, nuts, spices and balm,
and oh ! so many vines and flowers ! And just
a single tree that must be left alone.

My child, were you ever put in a room and
told that you might go into every corner but
that one spot in the middle you must not
cross? If you were, you know how Adam felt,
how Eve exclaimed. Eve had more curiosity
than Adam. She began to long that she might
taste the fruit of that forbidden tree. She
longed and longed and looked and looked. As
often as she went to walk, she found her feet
stepping toward the Tree that was called the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Close by this tree was another called the Tree
of Life, but Eve did not think much about this,
and so she did not want to taste its golden
fruit. Nothing had been said to either of them
about the Tree of Life; only the other tree
near it was forbidden them.

25

THE STORY BIBLE

You must know that in those days of the
Garden of Eden the beasts and birds could
speak quite plainly, so that Adam and Eve
knew what they said. After awhile, they lost
this power of speech, but they had it then. It
was later that an enchantment called Sin stole
in and spoiled everything and even laid its
wicked spell on the beasts.

So when a serpent, shining and silvery, one
morning lifted his glittering crested head and
said very softly to Eve, Pray tell me what ails
you, and why are you so sad? she was not
frightened or surprised.

Has not God told you that you may eat
whatever you want in this garden? softly
asked the serpent.

Yes, said Eve, except one tree, and that is
the one I desire more than everything else.
But if we eat of that tree we shall die. I
don't know what that means, to die, but it
must be something terrible. God Himself told
Adam this. God often walks in the Garden
in the cool of the day and talks with Adam
and me.

Eve looked very wistful. Her eyes were

26

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

bright but tears stood in them. Tears, though
she was in Eden's Garden!

Now the serpent was really a wicked angel
who had taken this shape, a bitter enemy of
God, and an enemy of both Eve and her hus-
band Adam. He looked steadily at her, fix-
ing her gaze, and then said:

How can you be so foolish? You did not
understand.

The fiend in the serpent's shape glided close
to Eve and the music of his voice was like a
harp note in the breeze.

Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know
that, in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, know-
ing good and evil.

What a pity Eve listened. But she did. The
Bible says:

And when the woman saw that the tree was
good for food and that it was pleasant to the
eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took the fruit thereof and did eat; and
gave also unto her husband with her and he
did eat.

It was natural that Eve should first taste
27

THE STORY BIBLE

the fruit, find it very nice, and give some to
Adam. He did not object to tasting it, but
afterward, a thing I never liked in Adam, he
tried to excuse himself, when God reproved
him, by saying: The woman Whom Thou
gavest me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat.

This was mean and cowardly in Adam, to
put the blame on poor Eve. I suppose he did
not think how mean this was.

If you have ever done a thing you knew was
wrong, disobeyed your father on purpose,
gone where your mother told you not to, or
in any way have been wilfully naughty, you
have stirred up a sleeping sense inside you, a
sense of right and wrong, that we call Con-
science.

Conscience is a kind of policeman and when
he gets hold of one, there is sure to be trouble.
One feels like a prisoner at the bar. A dread-
ful feeling, a feeling of shame settles down on
one, just like a weight. A little sister or a
little brother, it makes no matter who it is,
who has done what he knew or she knew was
forbidden, is ashamed and wants to hide. No-

28

THE GARDEN OF EDEN

body may suspect that you are the culprit,
but you know it; for you have eaten of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and you
have brought into the garden of your soul a
blight the name of which is Sin.

This is what happened to Adam and Eve.
They hid away from God for they felt naked
and ashamed. Their innocence was gone.
Then Adam meanly blamed poor Eve. Soon
they had to go out of Eden into a different
world. They had to work hard and the beasts
began to be afraid of them. Eden was spoiled
and they could not stay there. Nobody can
stay in a happy place, when Conscience drives
them out, because they have sinned.

As for the serpent, people hate him to this
day.

29

Ill

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

ADAM and Eve were like lost children
when they left Eden. They knew not
where to go. They had to go, and they went
into a strange world. They felt very lonely
and sad when Eden lay behind them. But they
could not go back, for in the gates of Eden
there stood a bright angel with a flaming
sword, an angel sent to keep them from eat-
ing of that other tree, the Tree of Life.

They went out hand in hand, dressed in
coats of skin, into a world where they should
find cold and storm and frost and heat, and
many things they had known nothing of while
they lived in the beautiful garden. But one
happy thing that belonged to Eden they took
with them when they left it, and that thing
was love. People who have true love can
stand a good deal of trouble and worry, and I
have no doubt that Adam and Eve found
plenty to interest and comfort them in their

3°

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

new sphere. God did not mean them to be
miserable all the time.

They were something like Robinson Crusoe
on his desert island, except that they did not
know half so much as he did. God had told
Eve that she would have a great deal of sor-
row and hardship and pain, but He told her
something else that made her strong enough
to bear any pain, just as her daughters have
been ever since. She was to be the mother
of the race, and no mother is ever sad all the
time, because her children make her happy.

Adam knew that he would have to till the
ground and that it would not be easy any more
because the ground would not go on yield-
ing fruit gladly, as it did in Eden's Garden,
but would have to be cultivated by the labor
of man. Adam had to fashion spades and
rakes and hoes, and to gather seeds and plant
them, and to fight a battle with weeds and
pests ; many a time he had anxious nights and
weary days, just as every farmer has. But
when the crops came, and his little gardens
grew bright with flowers, and the young
lambs fed in the green pastures, Adam felt

3i

THE STORY BIBLE

consoled and gave thanks to God. The curse
was like a black cloud that has sunshine break-
ing through it.

God had not made his lot so hard that Adam
could not bear it, although He had driven him
forth from Eden. Sometimes at sunset, and
in the early morning, there came breezes so
fragrant and music so sweet across the fields,
that Adam and Eve clung together and wor-
shipped God and said: Surely, this joy has
come to us from the Eden of which we were
not worthy.

Eve had to learn every sort of womanly art,
to find sharp thorns and fibre from which she
made thread, and leaves and grasses, so that
she could weave and sew.

I knew a little girl who had to work on her
sampler every morning when she wanted to go
out and play, and once she said, "O how I
blame Eve when I have to sew! She was the
one who did it first." Poor Eve, to have to
bear this blame!

I suppose Eve learned how to cook and how
to keep house in the little home she and Adam
had, for, though outside of Eden, they began

32

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

something very sweet that we have had in all
the ages, a home in which live those who love
one another. Their home might be in a cave,
or in a tent, but it was their home.

Over their home and their love, alas, there
always hung a shadow. This shadow slipped
in beside them when they were happiest, and
went with them when they walked the fields,
and tended the young lambs. It was the
Shadow of the Fear of Death. They did not
know what it meant, but they were afraid of
it, and they knew that some day it would come
closer and they would have to meet it. The
truth was that they had begun to die from the
day they had begun to sin, but this is some-
thing far too puzzling for children to under-
stand, and you need not worry your little
heads about it. Worse things than death are
in this world, and when you grow old enough,
you will know that death is not a thing to be
afraid of, because it opens the door to the hap-
piest life of all, the life that never ends.

You see Eve and Adam did not then know
this, nor for a long time after, so they were
often afraid.

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THE STORY BIBLE

One morning there was a little newcomer
in their home, a beautiful rosy babe whom Eve
called Cain. I have gotten a man from the
Lord, she said, a son who was to be her pride
and joy. After awhile God gave her another
son, and she named him Abel. These little
brothers grew up and helped their father.
Abel was a gentle shepherd who loved to be
with the lambs and sheep. Cain preferred to
work in the ground and raise grain and fruit.
Many years passed by. These two sons of
Adam and Eve, who had played together and
worked together, at last had a quarrel.

This is the way we are told about it in the
Book of Genesis:

In process of time, it came to pass that Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering
unto the Lord.

And Abel he also brought of the firstlings
of his flock, and of the fat thereof.

And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to
his offering, but unto Cain and his offering,
he had not respect.

And Cain was very wroth, and his counte-
nance fell.

34

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art thou
wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted?
And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the
door.

That the Lord accepted Abel's offering and
rejected Cain's, I suppose was because of
something He saw in their hearts. It may
have been that Cain was too proud and
haughty, while Abel brought his gifts with a
humble heart. However that may be, Cain
went away very angry, and the more he
thought about it, the more angry he grew, un-
til he fairly hated the innocent Abel. They
had words together, hot and angry words,
and the end of the matter was that Cain rose
up against his brother and slew him. One
fierce blow, and Abel lay on the ground white
and bleeding. Cain, awed and dismayed,
stood surveying what he had done.

Abel, Abel, he called. But Abel did not
answer. He was dead. So death came into
the world, and the first one who died was mur-
dered by a brother's hand. The first death
was not by nature but by envy and malice.

35

THE STORY BIBLE

Adam and Eve now knew what was meant
by death. As for Cain, God spoke to him
by that same voice in the heart which we call
Conscience. He tried to put a bold face on the
matter, and brazen it out, but it was of no use.

Where is Abel thy brother? said the
Lord.

And he said, I know not. Am I my
brother's keeper?

And God said, What hast thou done? The
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me
from the ground.

And now art thou cursed from the earth
which hath opened her mouth to receive thy
brother's blood from thy hand.

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A
fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the
earth.

And Cain said unto the Lord: My punish-
ment is greater than I can bear. Behold thou
hast driven me out this day from the face of
the earth: and from thy face shall I be hid,
and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in
the earth. And it shall come to pass that

36

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

every one that findeth me shall slay me. Cain
was in despair.

I have quoted this just as it is written in the
Book because you can understand it, although
some of the words are rather long.

To a man like Cain, who loved the ground
and cared for the farm, it was a dreadful pun-
ishment to have to wander over the earth, to
become a tramp going from place to place,
afraid that some avenger of blood would kill
him. But the Lord did not let anyone kill
Cain. He put on him a mark, so that those
who saw him went on their way and did not
molest him. But his life was far sadder than
that of Abel, his brother, who simply had to
die in an instant, and with no crime, no dark
remorse, no sorrow for an evil he could not
undo.

All this happened about a hundred and fifty
years after the angel with the flaming sword
came to guard the gates of Eden. These two
brothers were not the only ones upon the
earth. As time passed, the children of Cain
became great and mighty. His son Enoch has
the fame that belongs to the man who first

37

THE STORY BIBLE

built a city, for in the early days people did
not live in cities.

It may easily be that Cain learned to de-
sire in his old age a secure life. He went to
settle at last in the land of Nod, on the east of
Eden. I hope that God forgave him for his
sin, but in every age that sin has been remem-
bered. No wonder he said: My punishment is
greater than I can bear.

One of the grandsons of Cain was a man
named Lamech, and he had two very remark-
able sons. I want you to know their names.
One was Jubal, and the other Tubal-cain; not
names that sound very pleasant to us, yet
names that can never be forgotten, for
Jubal had a soul for music, and heard the mel-
odies that the wind sings in the pine trees, and
the brook sings when it goes foaming over the
stones. He set these tunes to music. He was
the father of all such as handle the harp and
organ, the first inventor of musical instru-
ments. His brother was the first to work in
brass and iron, the first to learn how to
make tools and weapons and to teach others
what can be done with metals. Surely these

38

ABOUT CAIN AND ABEL

were wonderful men, these grandchildren of
Cain.

Tubal-cain and Jubal had a sister and her
name is given. It was Naamah. But what she
did, or why she is mentioned, I do not know.
I fancy, though, that she believed in her broth-
ers and liked to help them when they were
pottering about their inventions, and cheered
them up when other people thought they were
wasting their time and wondered that they
were not chasing beasts in the forests or shoot-
ing birds on the wing. No doubt both Jubal
and Tubal-cain were fond of their sister Naa-
mah. This might be called a second story of
two brothers; these two who lived in such har-
mony that each did something to make the
world better.

Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years.
He had many sons and daughters, but we are
told only the name of one who was born to
Eve after the death of Abel. His name was
Seth, and he seems to have had a sweet and
reverent nature, and in his days and those of
his son men began to call upon the Name of
the Lord.

39

IV
NOAH AND THE ARK

I TOLD you that in the days of Seth men
began to call upon the Name of the Lord.
After the world began to grow large and
populous men forgot God, but Seth and his
family kept to the old ways and worshipped
JEHOVAH.

The children of Cain were valiant and
strong, or clever and pushing, and did many
great deeds, but they wandered away from
God. Out of this wandering of theirs all their
troubles came. They were stubborn and
proud and wanted their own way.

The children of Seth, who called upon God,
were ready to accept God's way. Among
them was a man whose name was Enoch.
Enoch was so good a man and loved God so
truly that he was said to walk with Him. This
is his epitaph: And Enoch walked with God,
and he was not, for God took him. Enoch it
is thought never saw the face of death but

40

NOAH AND THE ARK

was simply caught right up into heaven by
some kind angel. He was here one day; the
next, without pain or suffering, he was at
home with God. He was not here, for God
took him away.

A little girl in England came home one day
from Sunday School, says the Rev. G. Camp-
bell Morgan, and when her mother asked her
what she had learned there replied, "I heard
about a man whose name was Enoch, and he
took long walks with God. One day he
walked so far that he was right by the door
of God's house, and God opened it and said,
Enoch, come in. And he went in and stayed
there all the rest of the time."

Enoch had a son named Methusalah who
lived on the earth almost a thousand years,
nine hundred and sixty-nine, to be accurate.
And after him came Lamech who lived seven
hundred and seventy-seven years. Though
they lived to a great age, these old fathers of
the race had to die at last. No doubt they
were quite ready to say good-night and fall
asleep.

Lamech's son was Noah, a word which
4i

THE STORY BIBLE

means rest or comfort. You see they gave
Noah a name with a beautiful meaning. He
was to have a very eventful life, for Noah was
the man whom I must tell you of, now that
we have reached the story of the Flood.

Noah was about five hundred years old
when God one day told him that he must build
an ark or ship. People had multiplied in the
world, and many of them had grown very
wicked. They had grown so wicked that they
had stopped being ashamed and did not care
what they did, or how they offended God, and
they were all the worse because among them
were giants, strong men and brave, and also
beautiful women, but all just as bad as bad
could be ! Noah was different from these peo-
ple, and he had found favor in the eyes of the
Lord- He had three sons whose names were
Shem, Ham and Japheth. As God looked
down upon the world and saw in it thieves
and robbers and murderers and every kind of
ruffian and villain, spoiling the bright clean
world and marauding everywhere, He deter-
mined to send a great flood and destroy every-
thing in the world. The Bible says: It re-

42

NOAH AND THE ARK

pented the Lord that he had made man on the
earth and it grieved him at his heart; and the
Lord said: I will destroy man, whom I have
created, from the face of the earth, both man
and beast and the creeping thing and the fowls
of the air. For it repenteth me that I have
made them. They must have been fearfully
wicked so to grieve the Lord.

Noah, alone among the children of men,
lived a pure life and held fast to his faith in
God. So to Noah was given the task of pre-
serving alive one family when all else should
be destroyed. And through it to preserve the
human race. He was told to build an ark,
really to build an immense house that would
float. It was made of gopher wood and cov-
ered with pitch, inside and out, so that no
water could come thraugh it. This ark was
to be three hundred cubits high; a very large
floating house indeed, in which were to be
rooms and compartments. It had no less than
three stories, this wonderful ocean vessel in
which the first mariner of the ages was to sail.
It had only one window in it and only one
door. Noah was more than a hundred years

43

THE STORY BIBLE

building this ark, and the people came from
far and near to look at him and laugh and jeer
at his folly while the work went on. He told
them what it was for, I am sure, and begged
them to repent, but the more he preached the
more they laughed. They thought him crazy
but he kept right on hammering, sawing and
building his ark.

At last the work was done. God had said
that the ark was to be built. Noah had be-
lieved God, and so he had worked away at the
great task when the skies were clear and there
was no hint of any coming storm.

The people all about had gone on growing
worse and worse. The whole world was filled
with their iniquity. To Noah God said:

And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of
waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under
heaven.

And everything that is in the earth shall
die. But with thee will I establish my cove-
nant. And thou shalt come into the ark, thou
and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons'
wives with thee.

44

NOAH AND THE ARK

God told Noah also to take an abundance of
food of every kind into the ark, food for ani-
mals as well as for himself. And of every
living thing in the world he was to take two.
So into Noah's ark went two of every kind of
bird and beast, fowl and cattle and insect, and
the great ark was big enough to hold them
all.

There was a word used a few moments ago
that I want you to notice because it is a very
interesting word. God made a covenant with
Noah. Covenant means agreement. If Noah
would do just what God told him to, God on
His part promised to do all that should be
needed for Noah so long as he lived and
obeyed God's commands.

Into the ark they all went, Noah and his
family and the long procession of the animals.
And as soon as they were safe inside and the
door was shut, it began to rain. It may not
have rained very hard at first, but it rained and
rained and rained without stopping, pouring
down a perfect flood, with wild and furious
gales rising ever louder, day after day, day
after day, for forty days and forty nights. It

45

THE STORY BIBLE

rained till the great fountains of the deep were
broken up and all the windows of heaven were
opened.

The waters so increased that the tops of the
highest hills were covered. In the great floods
and freshets, the cities that Cain had built
were all swept away, the great homes of the
giants went down like nine-pins before the
blast, and all the men and women in the world
were drowned, and every beast and bird per-
ished. Only in the ark that rode safely on
the top of the billows was there to be seen a
sign of life. Inside the ark there were warmth
and comfort and safety, for the Lord had shut
Noah and his family within it. No harm could
reach them there.

As the Bible says, Every living substance
was destroyed which was upon the face of the
ground, both man and cattle and creeping
things and the fowl of the heaven; and they
were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only
remained alive, and they that were with him
in the ark.

Five weary months Noah spent in the ark
before the storm lessened. One day God re-

46

NOAH AND THE ARK

membered Noah and sent a wind that passed
over the earth, and the waters began to grow
calm and to decrease. The rain diminished
slowly, little by little the waters abated, but
it took a very long time for them so to leave
the earth that it could again be a habitation
for man. In the seventh month from the time
Noah entered the ark, it rested on dry ground,
on the top of Mount Ararat. In the tenth
month Noah opened the window of the ark
and looked out over the waste of waters. Far
and wide he could still see only the tossing,
tumbling, foaming waves as of a mighty sea.
But the tops of the mountains were now
visible.

So out of the ark's window he sent forth a
raven. The raven never came back. It wan-
dered to and fro until the waves were dried
up from the earth. Being a wild flesh-eating
bird, it could find food for itself on the moun-
tainside, and could perch there at night. The
raven did not come back, as I said. So Noah
sent forth a dove, a timid little bird of peace.
But the dove could find no rest for the sole of
her foot, and she came flying back, beating her

47

THE STORY BIBLE

wings against the window until the good man
put forth his hand and took her, and pulled
her safe in. Seven days later he sent her forth
again early in the morning, and at night she
came back with an olive leaf in her mouth.
This little green leaf told its own sweet story
of cheer, and when Noah saw it, he knew that
the waters were retreating and would soon
be gone. Once more, at the end of seven
days, he sent the dove, but this time she did
not return.

She came back no more to the ark because
everywhere the flowers were springing up and
the grass was growing green. The dove would
soon forget the long time in the ark when
again she had a nest in some green olive tree.

Noah and his family lived in the ark until
one day God said that they might leave it.
They must have felt like storm tossed peo-
ple who get safe to port after a long voyage.
Noah opened the door in the side of the ark,
and out flew all the birds, and out stepped all
the animals, one by one, two by two. If Shem
and Ham and Japheth had any little children,
as no doubt they had, I am sure their faces

48

NOAH AND THE ARK

were at the window watching the procession
when the lions and tigers and wolves, not fero-
cious but gentle, went out into the great
roomy world, while the cattle and the other
beasts followed. The wild beasts were soon
to grow fierce and prowl about for prey, but
they were not fierce while they stayed in the
ark, for they knew something strange was
happening outside and they knew besides that
Noah was their friend. They were glad
enough to make lairs and seek dens, but the
gentle household friends, the sheep and the
goats, would stay near the ark until Noah and
his people came out and showed them what
to do.

Noah was a grand old ship builder and the
ark he made was the forerunner of the fleets
and navies of the world. He was a grand
old sailor-man, not a bit afraid, though he had
no mariner's compass and the stars were all
hidden while the ark rode the waters. He
trusted in God, and God brought him safe to
the end of the voyage.

One day, up in the sky, out shone the sun,
its dancing rays falling on all the rolling rivers

49

THE STORY BIBLE

and singing brooks, and on the trees that once
more lifted up their heads on the mountain-
sides. Then up in the sky, spanning it with
a mighty arch, softly shone the first rainbow.

You may break up the old ark, Noah, when-
ever you like, and take its timbers to build a
house or make a fire. You may soon live again
in a tent. You will not want the ark ever
again. And a tent will seem a dearer home.
For God has given you a promise and a pledge.

The first thing Noah did, when he and his
family stood on the firm ground, was to build
an altar of stones and offer on it a burnt offer-
ing to JEHOVAH. This was the way men
worshipped then. Beside the altar he prayed
and the smoke of his offering went floating
up to the throne of God. And then Noah
heard God say: I will not again curse the
ground for man's sake, neither will I again
smite everything living as I have done. While
the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest,
and cold and heat, and summer and winter,
and day and night, shall not fail.

It must have looked new and very beautiful
to these people when they saw the trees

5o

NOAH AND THE ARK

spreading their leaves like little green um-
brellas and here and there a blossom peeping
out. But they must have been lonely too with
all the houses they used to see swept away,
the neighbors and friends all gone, and the
ark itself on an upland where they had never
been before. They were like pioneers in a new
country with everything to do. They were
glad when they looked at the sky and saw the
lovely rainbow. When you look up and see it,
dear child, you too may remember what God
said, for the rainbow is for you and me as well
as for those who saw it first. Is there one
after a shower? Then listen:

This is the token of the covenant which I
make between me and you, and every living
creature that is with you, for perpetual gener-
ations.

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall
be for a token of a covenant between me and
the earth.

And it shall come to pass when I bring a
cloud over the earth that the bow shall be seen
in the cloud. And I will remember my cove-
nant which is between me and you and every

5i

THE STORY BIBLE

living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall
no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will
look upon it that I may remember the ever-
lasting covenant between God and every liv-
ing creature that is upon the earth.

Not only in the Bible, but in the traditions
of people who have never had a Bible, there
lingers the story of the Flood. Every nation
has heard something of the great deluge that
washed away the wickedness of the old, old
world. But not every nation knows the mean-
ing of the rainbow.

52

WHEN THEY BUILT A TOWER

DOES it ever seem odd to you that there
are so many different languages? You
may know a little of three yourself. Some
children are so fortunate as to learn English
and French and German about the same time,
when they are little and can easily imitate the
sounds they hear. It is very convenient to
know more than one language and to read
books that are written in another language
than one's own. But, once upon a time, all
the people in the world spoke the same tongue
and understood each other without the least
trouble wherever they happened to go. The
whole earth, the Bible says, was once of one
language and one speech.

A great many years had passed since the
Flood, and the children had so multiplied that
they had become great nations. They began
to branch out from the East as they needed

S3

THE STORY BIBLE

more room for their tents and more pastures
for their sheep and cattle, and, finally, some
of them found a fertile plain in a land called
Shinar. This plain pleased them so much that
they determined to stay there and build a city.
They began to make brick and mortar and
they worked with great speed and pride, feel-
ing very grand as they saw their city rising
with its spires and tall chimneys and strong
walls.

Go to, they said, this city is very fine,
but let us build something finer. Let us build
a tower, up, up, up, until its top shall touch
the sky; let us make a tower that every one
can see for miles and miles, so that all the
people scattered abroad upon the face of the
earth shall wonder at us and remember what
we have done.

And the Lord came down to see the city and
the tower which the children of men builded.

And the Lord said, Behold this people is
one and they have all one language. And this
they begin to do, and now nothing will be
restrained from them which they have imag-
ined to do.

54

WHEN THEY BUILT A TOWER

Go to, let us go down and there confound
their language that they may not understand
one another's speech.

So the Lord scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth and they
left off to build the city.

Therefore, is the name of it called Babel,
because the Lord did there confound the lan-
guage of all the earth. And from thence did
the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face
of all the earth.

I do not know whether these people who
went on so famously with their tall tower
meant to climb to its top and peep into the
sky itself and see what was hidden on the
other side of the sky. I have often thought I
would like to see that myself and no doubt you
have felt so too. But there was something in
what they did that displeased God, and in
those days the world's great children do not
seem to have grown up to much wisdom.
They were like little folk who build a great
cathedral with roofs and steeples or a great
tower of blocks that tumbles down at the
touch. Their city and their tower had to stop

55

THE STORY BIBLE

when the mason could not understand the
carpenter and the laborer did not know what
the foreman wanted him to do. They all
seemed to be speaking different languages, so
that they divided into little groups and com-
panies; some went one way, some another, and
only a few stayed beside the tall unfinished
tower.

If it has any lesson for us it is that we must
not be too proud and boastful about any work
we do, but keep a humble spirit.

God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to
the humble.

It was at the Tower of Babel that the differ-
ent languages in the world were born.

56

VI
ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD

IN a country called Chaldea there was a
good old man whose name was Terah.
We are now leaving behind us the simpler
times and coming into the times when gov-
ernment began. The first government was
that of the family and was called patriarchal.
That is a hard name for a little tongue, but,
dear child, I want you to say it over and I
will try to tell you what it means. It means
that a father governs a family and that all
the relations, uncles and cousins and brothers
and sisters and sons and daughters and serv-
ants, have to do whatever the father or pa-
triarch says they must. A patriarch was a
father, a king, and a general all in one.

Life was a little shorter now than in the
early days. Terah in Ur of the Chaldeans was
two hundred and five years old when he died.
He had a son named Abram. Abram was a
thoughtful man who liked to walk out at night

57

THE STORY BIBLE

and look up at the stars and think of God and
of God's Will.

So the Lord often looked at Abram and said
things to him in the silence of the night. Once
He said to him: Get thee out of thy country
and from thy kindred and from thy father's
house, into a land that I will show thee.

Abram heard God saying this in a voice
within his soul.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and
I will bless thee and make thy name great, and
thou shalt be a blessing.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse them that curse thee and in thee shall
all families of the earth be blessed.

The best part of what God said to Abram
was: Thou shalt be a blessing. Abram gath-
ered his family together, his beautiful wife
whose name was Sarai, and Lot his nephew,
and he started to go to a strange country.
Abram was now seventy-five years old but
was not feeble in the least. He was a rich
man and he and Lot had a great deal of sub-
stance, flocks and herds of sheep, oxen, asses
and camels. They had also men servants and

58

ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD

maid servants in great numbers. You may
think of them riding on the camels, the great
caravans moving slowly away from the land
they knew to the land they did not know.
The sacred writer says: They went forth to
go into the land of Canaan, and into the land
of Canaan they came.

It was a lovely land, overrun by warlike
people, but God told Abram that in days to
come it should belong to him. Wherever the
caravan rested and they pitched their tents,
Abram built an altar to the Lord and the Lord
bent down to give him some token of His
presence. Abram was the friend of God. As
they went on they found that there was a
famine in the land of Canaan and little food
to be had there for a stranger with a great
retinue. So Abram went to Egypt where food
was plenty. The King of Egypt was kind and
they tarried in his country awhile.

But Egypt was not his resting place. When
they felt it was safe Abram and Lot gath-
ered their people together and went up out of
Egypt. The women and servants and chil-
dren of the camp went too. Abram's fair wife

59

THE STORY BIBLE

was queen of all. Abram was very rich in
cattle and silver and gold. Lot too had flocks
and herds and tents.

Abram and Lot, being kinsmen, were con-
tented to live in the same place, but there was
strife between their servants. The herdmen
of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's
cattle were often disputing and fighting about
the best pastures and the best streams, and
their masters saw that this state of things
must be stopped very soon or fierce foes, the
Canaanite and the Perrizite, would take ad-
vantage, swoop down and destroy them.
Abram was very noble and generous. He said
to Lot: Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee, and between my herd-
men and thy herdmen. For we are brethren.

Is not the whole land before thee? Sep-
arate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou
wilt take the left hand, I will go to the right.
If thou depart to the right hand, I will go to
the left.

It was settled in this way. Lot chose a
beautiful well watered plain toward the east
and there he pitched his tent.

60

ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD

After Lot had gone away, the Lord said to
Abram:

Lift up now thine eyes and look from the
place where thou art northward and south-
ward and eastward and westward. Arise,
walk through the land, in the length of it and
the breadth of it, for I will give it unto you.

Lot seems to have been a selfish person who
made haste to snatch the best he could find.
He had no sooner left Abram, however, than
he found himself in a good deal of trouble.
A battle began to rage around him, in which
fierce chieftains fought, and those who won
the day carried off Lot and his goods and his
family into captivity. It really served him
right.

One of Lot's people made his escape and
slipped away to Abram, who was then dwell-
ing in the Plain of Mamre. No sooner did
Abram hear the tidings than he armed three
hundred and eighteen trained servants, born
in his own house, and the band came hot foot
after the kings who had taken captive his
nephew Lot.

This desert Sheik was every inch a soldier.

61

THE STORY BIBLE

He came on the hostile camp in the dead of
night, pounced upon it like a whirlwind,
routed and smote it and brought back all the
stolen goods; brought back Lot and his peo-
ple, too, left them safe in their own land, and
with the victorious troop went home again.

As he returned a conqueror, a number of
the captains and kings of the valleys and hills
came out to meet him, offering salutations. A
mysterious personage, one Melchizedek, King
of Salem, brought forth bread and wine. He
was the Priest of the Most High God, pos-
sessor of heaven and earth.

The King of Sodom came bowing out and
said : Give me the captives you have taken but
keep the spoil for yourself.

But Abram said : I have lifted up mine hand
unto the Most High God that I will not take
from a thread even to a shoe latchet anything
that is thine lest thou shouldst say I have
made Abram rich.

After these things the Word of the Lord
came to Abram in a vision saying: Fear not,
I am thy shield and thy exceeding great re-
ward.

62

ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD

Although Abram was so rich and great, up
to this time he had no heir. He thought of
adopting a faithful servant who had been born
in his house and making him his heir. But the
Lord said to him, Thou shalt have a son of
thine own and in the days to come the children
who shall call thee father, through many gen-
erations, shall be more in number than the
stars.

It was hard for Abram to believe this. God
often told people secret things in those early
days, speaking to them in visions and dreams.
Everything He told Abram was fulfilled al-
though he was almost a century old before his
son Isaac was born.

63

VII
THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT

ONE day, as Abram sat at his tent door
in the heat of the day, he looked up
and saw three men crossing the plain and com-
ing toward him. They were strangers, but he
ran to meet them and bowed himself to the
ground. He was very glad that visitors were
coming although he did not know them. In
that land there were no inns, and a patriarch
like Abram kept open house in his great en-
campment of tents. It was polite to treat
strangers well and it showed a kind heart.
Abram was an Eastern prince. He wore flow-
ing robes of many colors, with a girdle around
his waist and sandals on his feet. The robes
had rich embroidery at the hem. Sometimes
they were white. He wore on his head a tur-
ban under which I can see his dark eyes, keen
and piercing, eyes that could see far across the
desert waste, eyes that were used to command.

64

THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT

This desert prince was almost a hundred years
old, yet he was not bent or weak or infirm,
but was a strong man still.

Bowing almost to the ground, as I said,
in a lowly salaam, he begged the men to come
in, addressing the one who seemed to be the
leader. He said, My lord, if I have found
favor in thy sight, pass not away I pray thee,
but come in. Let water be fetched to wash
your feet and rest yourselves under the trees
and I will bring bread that you may comfort
your hearts. So he made them sit down.

Then very quickly, as the way of the time
was, he hastened into the tent and said to his
wife: Make ready as fast as you can some
cakes and bake them on the hearth. We have
guests who must be well entertained.

In a very little while food was set before
these visitors. We must not now call Abram
by this name, as God gave him a better name,
Abraham, the father of many nations. He did
not know that these men were messengers
from God. But they were indeed angels whom
God had sent on an errand of His own.

They told him that Sarah his wife should,

65

THE STORY BIBLE

before long, in her old age, have a son of her
own. She could hardly believe it, but in due
time the little one came and there were feasts
and great rejoicing. Isaac, the long-hoped-
for babe, was most beautiful and was, by and
by, a gentle child who went everywhere with
his father, and in whom Sarah took such pride
as a mother would who had long ago given
up the hope of ever having a little one. Sarah,
my princess, was now the name of her who had
once been Sarai.

Before Isaac came to make Abraham and
Sarah supremely happy, there had been in the
tent another dark eyed and graceful boy, the
son of Hagar, Sarah's maid. This lad, whose
name was Ishmael, had been very much loved
by Abraham and he had at one time thought
that he might bequeath to him all that he had.
He said to the Lord: O that Ishmael might
live before Thee.

But God said: No, not Ishmael.

Hagar was an Egyptian, a daughter of the
desert and a slave in Abraham's house. After
the birth of Isaac very little attention was paid
to Ishmael and Sarah especially treated the

66

THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT

poor boy with the greatest disdain. She felt
as if danger were brewing for her child when-
ever she looked at Hagar or let her eyes
rest on Hagar's boy. Any little thing that
Ishmael did, even in fun, made her angry.
When Isaac was three years old and Ishmael
perhaps thirteen, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking
her boy. This was too much for her patience,
and in great anger she said to Abraham: Cast
out this bondwoman and her son. I will not
have them here in the house with Isaac. I can-
not bear the sight of him or his mother.

Abraham grieved greatly and did not want
to do this. It seemed to him most cruel and
unjust. But God said: In all that Sarah hath
said unto thee, hearken to her voice, for in
Isaac shall thy seed be called.

But God promised, too, to make a great na-
tion of the son of the bondwoman.

Early the next morning Abraham rose with
a very heavy heart. He took bread, and filled
a leather bottle with water, and giving both to
Hagar sent her away. She carried the burden
on her shoulder, and led her child by the hand
and she walked a long way into the wilderness

67 "

THE STORY BIBLE

of Beersheba. The desert was parched and
hot, the sun beat upon their heads, the child
grew faint.

When the water was spent in the bottle
she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
And she went and sat down a good way off,
as it were a bow shot.

For she said: Let me not see the death of
the child. And she sat over against him and
wept.

And God heard the voice of the lad and the
angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven
and said unto her: What aileth thee, Hagar?
Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the
lad where he is.

Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thine
hand, for I will make him a great nation.

And God opened her eyes and she saw a
well of water and she went and filled the bottle
with water and gave the lad a drink.

And God was with the lad and he grew and
dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.

He was a wild man of the desert of whom
it was said, His hand shall be against every
man, and every man's hand against him. A

68

THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT

different nature was his from that of the gen-
tle Isaac.

A very strange incident happened some
years later in the history of Abraham and
Isaac. God said to the father : Take now thy
son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,
and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer
him there for a burnt offering in one of the
mountains of which I will tell thee.

Very early the next morning Abraham rose,
took his son and two of his servants, and car-
rying wood for a burnt offering started on his
journey.

Three days they traveled, resting in the
noontides, before Abraham saw the place afar
off.

And Abraham said to the servants: Abide
here with the ass and I and the lad will go
yonder and worship and come again to you.

He took the wood, gave it to Isaac to carry,
took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they
went on alone together.

And Isaac said unto Abraham, My father,
and he said, Here am I, my son.

And Isaac said: Behold the fire and the

69

THE STORY BIBLE

wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offer-
ing?

And Abraham said: My son, God will pro-
vide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.

So they went on together.

When they came to the place, Abraham
built the altar and laid the wood in order and
then, with a breaking heart, he took Isaac and
bound him and laid him on the altar.

No doubt his tears fell on Isaac's face and
Isaac wept too, but did not resist. He was
gentle as a lamb that was led to the slaughter,
and in a strange way seemed to comprehend
that whatever God commanded was right.
Abraham stretched forth his hand and took
the sharp knife to slay his son. The knife
gleamed in the air. Isaac lay still. I do not
believe he was afraid. He trusted his father.
Suddenly, from heaven, the angel of the Lord
called loudly: Abraham, Abraham, stop. Lay
not thine hand upon the lad. Do nothing to
him. I know that thou fearest God.

Joyfully Abraham dropped the knife, looked
up and saw in a thicket a great ram, held fast
by his horns. He took the ram and offered

70

THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT

him for a burnt offering instead of his son.
And he called the name of the place Jehovah-
jireh, which means, the Lord will provide.

The Lord then blessed Abraham from
heaven a second time and renewed His prom-
ises and the two, with the young men, went
home to Sarah with light hearts.

Not long after this, as years were counted
then, a great trial came to Abraham and Isaac.
Sarah, the dear wife and mother, died. Abra-
ham wanted a place in which to bury his dead.
He went to some of the people who lived near
him and said : I am a stranger and a sojourner
with you. Give me a place here to bury my
dead.

But he did not mean to take the land as a
gift. The old man bowed himself to the
ground before the sons of Heth and said: I
prefer to pay you money for a burying place.
This is a field with a cave that I want. Let
me have it that I may bury my dead. You
must not refuse me this favor, but I must buy
the land.

Ephron, the owner of the land, said: My
lord, the land is worth four hundred shekels

7i

THE STORY BIBLE

of silver. What is that betwixt me and thee?
Bury therefore thy dead.

So Abraham gave Ephron the silver by
weight, measuring it into scales current
money with the merchant. And after this,
when the sale had been ratified in the pres-
ence of many witnesses, he laid to rest Sarah
his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah
before Mamre. \

The first record of selling real estate for
money is given here in Genesis, and the first
land that was bought was bought by one who
mourned, that it might be a grave for one he
loved.

72

VIII
THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH

AFTER the death of Sarah it was very
lonely in the tent. Abraham had
grown old. He was beginning to live in the
past. He missed his wife, and, as to Isaac, life
seemed utterly forlorn without his mother. It
was quite time that Isaac should have a wife,
but among the daughters of the Canaanites
there were none that suited Abraham. He
was more concerned about it than Isaac was;
he wanted his only son to have a wife from
among his own people in the distant land from
which he had come. There were high born
damsels there. He sent a trusted servant on
this important errand. This Eliezar of Da-
mascus was to go and choose a wife whom
Isaac and Abraham would both approve. He
could not bring her against her will, so it was
really a mission that needed a very wise and
delicate management. Eliezar was devoted
to the family and very willing to do his best.
He set out with no less than ten camels, loaded

73

THE STORY BIBLE

with costly gifts for the bride, and across the
land he went day by day until he reached
Mesopotamia. This was the point he sought
and he made his camels kneel down beside a
well, outside the city, just at the twilight hour
when women came to the well to draw water.
In Eastern lands the village women still
come out at sunset with their pitchers and
buckets to draw water for household use, and
they stand around the well and talk and tell
about the little things that have taken place
through the day.

The servant knew this custom and he lifted
up his heart and prayed:

O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray
thee send me goodspeed this day and show
kindness to my master Abraham. Behold I
stand here by the well and the daughters of
the city come out to draw water.

Let it come to pass that the damsel to whom
I shall say: Let down thy pitcher, I pray
thee, that I may drink, and she shall say:
Drink and I will give thy camels drink also,
let the same be she that thou hast appointed
for thy servant Isaac, and therefore shall I

74

THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH

know that thou hast shown kindness unto my
master.

Eliezar knew that a gracious lady would be
polite and kind, she could be nothing else, and
this was his test of her goodness. Almost be-
fore he had ended praying, a lovely girl with
soft dark eyes and raven tresses came walk-
ing to the well with her pitcher on her
shoulder. She was very fair to look upon, a
young slim girl with a light step and a firm
hand and a poise of the head like a royal
maiden. The man did not yet know it but she
was a daughter of Abraham's own house and
a cousin of Isaac. Eliezar ran to meet her and
said, Give me, I pray thee, a drink of cool
water from your well. I am tired and I have
come a long way.

To be sure I will, she said, hastening to let
down her pitcher. Drink, my lord, and I will
draw water for thy camels too.

In a thirsty land, where the deserts are wide
and the sun is hot, nothing is so grateful as
a drink of cool water. Here was a girl who
knew what to do and did it without delay, and
whose sweet courtesy filled with delight the

75

THE STORY BIBLE

man who watched her. It is a pretty story.
When she had finished drawing water for the
camels, which was no light task, the stranger
took from a packet a massive golden earring
and two splendid golden bracelets.

And he said: Whose daughter art thou?
Tell me, I pray thee, is there room in thy
father's house for us to lodge? And she said:
I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son •oi
Milcah. She said: We have both straw and
provender enough and room to lodge in.

And the man bowed down his head and wor-
shipped the Lord. He said: Blessed be the
Lord God of my master Abraham who hath
not left destitute my master of his mercy and
his truth. I, being in the way, the Lord led
me to the house of my master's brethren.

Pleased with the beautiful presents, the
young girl sped swiftly home and told her
mother and her people about the meeting at
the well. Her name was Rebekah. She had
a brother, Laban, and Laban ran out to meet
the strange visitor. He had seen the earring
and the bracelets and he had heard what Re-
bekah had said, so he gave a warm welcome

76

THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH

to Abraham's messenger. With hands out-
spread and bowing low, he said : Come in, thou
blessed of the Lord. Wherefore standest thou
without? For I have prepared the house and
room for thy camels.

The man went into the house and Laban
ungirded his camels and gave them straw and
provender, and servants brought water to
wash the tired feet of the men after the dusty
journey.

Then food was set before them, but the
grave and stately envoy said: I will not eat
until I have told my errand.

And Laban said: Speak on.

This was all according to custom among
well bred people.

He answered : I am Abraham's servant, and
the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and
he hath given him flocks and herds and silver
and gold and men servants and maid servants
and camels and asses. And Sarah, my mas-
ter's wife, bare a son to my master when she
was old and unto him hath he given all that
he hath. And my master made me swear say-
ing: Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of

77

THE STORY BIBLE

the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land
I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my father's
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto
my son.

And I said unto my master: Peradventure
the woman will not follow me? And he said
unto me: The Lord before whom I walk will
send his angel with thee and prosper thy way.
And thou shalt take a wife for my son from
my kindred, and of my father's house.

After this he went on to tell all about the
pretty scene at the well and the test he had
resolved to try; and then he said that he
wished to go back at once to those who had
sent him, and to take Rebekah with him.

In our country this would be very strange,
but it did not seem at all strange to these peo-
ple in that land. It was according to ancient
custom, and marriages were always arranged
in some such way.

Laban and his father Bethuel answered:
The thing proceedeth from the Lord. Behold
Rebekah is before thee. Take her and go, and
let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord
hath spoken.

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THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH

Then the servant brought forth a great
store of glittering jewels, gold and silver and
precious stones and rich garments, and gave
them to Rebekah. They were presents for the
bride. He gave rich presents to all her family
and the family made a great feast. Early the
next morning he said: You must let me go
now. I must hasten back to my master. But
Rebekah's mother could not bear to part with
her daughter so soon, and she said, as Laban
did too: Do not go yet. Stay awhile. Let
Rebekah wait a few days, at least ten, and
after that she shall go.

But no persuasion would avail with the man,
who felt that he must fulfill his mission and
carry home the bride. He said, positively:
Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath pros-
pered my way. Send me away that I may
go unto my master.

They asked Rebekah herself if she were
willing to go and she said: I will go.

So they sent away Rebekah their sister
and her nurse and Abraham's servant and his
men. And they blessed Rebekah and said
unto her, Thou art our sister. Be thou the

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THE STORY BIBLE

mother of thousands of millions and let thy
children possess the gate of those who hate
them.

I think it was very brave in this young girl
to go so willingly into a strange country with
her nurse, and perhaps with a little train of
maids of her own. Something must have told
her that she was going to one who would love
her and that she would have a happy life. The
camels, those great creatures that are like
ships in the desert, carried them along until
they had left their own country behind them
and were in a land strange to them, the land
of Abraham and Isaac. Rebekah never went
home to Laban and her mother again.

Now Isaac went out to meditate in the field
at the eventide. And he looked up and saw
coming nearer and nearer the .long line of the
camels. And, as he looked, Rebekah too
raised her eyes and saw Isaac, and as she did
so she alighted from the camel. She had said:
What man is this that walketh in the field to
meet us? And the answer had been: It is my
master.

Do not think she went to meet him holding

80

THE STORY OF ISAAC AND REBEKAH

her head up, as she had done by the well; not
so. She took a veil white and full that draped
her in a mantle and covered herself from head
to foot. And Isaac stepping onward in the
dusk, met her and took her hand and led her
into his mother's Sarah's tent, and she became
his wife, and he loved her.

And at last he was comforted after his
mother's death.

81

IX
REBEKAH'S CHILDREN

THE beautiful Rebekah had two sons,
Esau and Jacob. When Esau grew up
he was brave and bold and liked to go out and
hunt with his bow and arrows, roving over
the hills. Jacob did not care for rough sport.
He was soft of speech and quiet, a gentle lad
who loved to stay in the tent. Of the two,
Esau was the dearer to Isaac his father while
Rebekah made an idol of Jacob. Isaac's pride
was in Esau, the bold hunter, and he did not
much notice Jacob.

One day Esau came home from the field
very weary and faint with hunger. He had
tramped all day in the wild woods pursuing
his game, with nothing to eat. Jacob had been
making a savory pottage with red lentils or
beans, and as Esau came to the tent the fumes
of the delicious stew tempted his appetite. He
begged Jacob to give him some food for he

82

REBEKAH'S CHILDREN

was very faint. You would think Jacob could
not have hurried fast enough to feed his fam-
ished brother.

Not at all. Esau had something that Jacob
coveted, that he had often dreamed of and
wished for. Esau, as elder brother, was the
heir and held the birthright, and Jacob said
softly: I am sorry you are hungry but I can-
not give you my supper for nothing. If you
will sell me the birthright I will give you all
the red pottage you want.

It was a mean sort of bargain for a brother
to make. But Esau, who was one of the peo-
ple who cannot deny themselves anything
they very much want, said in effect: O take
the old birthright! What do I care for it? I
am nearly dead with hunger, anyway. Make
haste and give me food, and you can have it
for all me.

Jacob said: Will you swear to give it
to me?

And Esau took the oath that Jacob required
and sold the birthright for a mess of pottage,
for bread and lentils; and Esau ate and drank
and went his way.

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THE STORY BIBLE

Thus Esau despised his birthright.

A great deal of trouble followed this trans-
action. Isaac was by this time very old and
almost blind. I have not the least doubt that
Rebekah had been mixed up with the birth-
right business, for a little while afterward she
helped Jacob play a very low trick upon his
poor old father. It was a trick that only a
woman would have thought of and carried
through so cruelly. I will tell you about it.

Isaac was fond of the venison that Esau
brought him and one day he said he could eat
if he only had that. A word to Esau was
enough. Away he went with his quiver and
his bow in search of the meat the old man
liked. But this did not please Rebekah, who
wanted Jacob, for reasons of her own, to be
pleasing to his father, more pleasing than
Esau.

Come my son, she said; you must take the
place of Esau for once. I will help you.

So she deftly covered his neck and hands
with goat skin, so that the rough hair would
deceive his father and make him think it was
Esau who came into his presence. Then she

84

REBEKAH'S CHILDREN

prepared a delicious dish that resembled
venison and sent it to Isaac by the hands of
Jacob.

My father, he called, My father, and Isaac,
sitting alone in the dusk of his blindness,
said:

Here am I. Who art thou, my son?

And Jacob said to his father: I am Esau
thy firstborn. I have done according as thou
badest me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of
my venison that thy soul may bless me.

Isaac suspected something. It did not seem
possible that the hunter could so soon have
brought down the prey and he asked how it
was that it had been found so quickly. And
Jacob dared to answer: Because the Lord thy
God brought it to me.

Still feeling that something was wrong,
Isaac said : Come closer to me and let me feel
whether this is indeed my son Esau.

And Jacob went close to Isaac and the blind
man could not see him, but the old hands
groped until they felt the hair of goats which
Rebekah had put on Jacob's hand and
neck.

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THE STORY BIBLE

He said: The voice is Jacob's voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau.

Once again he said: Tell me the truth. Art
thou Esau? And he said: I am.

Then having eaten the flesh of kids which
Rebekah had dressed so that it tasted like
venison, he spread out his hands, kissed his
son and gave him his blessing. He said
solemnly: God give thee the dew of heaven
and the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn
and wine. Let people serve thee and nations
bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren
and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee.
Cursed be every one that curseth thee and
blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Jacob had no sooner gone away from the
presence of his father and put on his own gar-
ments again, than Esau came home from his
hunting. Esau hurried and made savory meat
and brought it in to Isaac.

And Isaac his father said unto him: Who
art thou? And he said: I am thy son, thy
firstborn, Esau.

Then Isaac trembled exceedingly and said:
What is this, where is he that hath taken ven-

86

REBEKAH'S CHILDREN

ison and brought it me? I have eaten of all
before thou earnest and have blessed him, yea,
and he shall be blessed.

When Esau heard these words he cried out
with a great and very bitter cry, and said
unto his father: Bless me, even me also, O
my father.

And he said: Thy brother came deceitfully
and hath stolen away thy blessing.

Esau was very angry, as he had a right to
be. Jacob's name meant supplanter, and he
had twice supplanted his brother. He had
coaxed away his birthright and now he had
stolen his blessing.

No one can help feeling sorry for this son
of Isaac, who, strong man as he was, lifted up
his voice and wept, and said: Hast thou but
one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me,
O my father.

Isaac was puzzled. He had made Esau, by
means of his words, to be a sort of serf to
Jacob; he had given Jacob rule and authority
and the best of everything. But he said,
moved by Esau's bitter cries: Behold thy
dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and

87

THE STORY BIBLE

of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy
sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy
brother. And it shall come to pass, when
thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt
break his yoke from off thy neck.

Esau went out from his father full of grief
and wrath. He made up his mind to bide his
time. He knew his father could not live very
long. He said: The days of mourning for my
father are at hand. Then will I kill my
brother Jacob.

Rebekah heard this threat and was very
much frightened. She knew that Jacob could
not safely stay at home, so she sent him far
away to her father's house. It was many
years before he came back and he never again
saw his mother.

Rebekah said privately to Isaac: I am weary
of my life because of the daughters of Heth.

Esau had married two wives, both of whom
Isaac and Rebekah disliked. As the custom
was they all lived in one home.

She said: If Jacob take a wife of the
daughters of Heth, what good shall my life
be to me?

88

REBEKAH'S CHILDREN

So Isaac sent Jacob to the home of Bethuel,
his grandfather, and told him to find a wife
there among his mother's people.

Long years of sorrow and suffering were to
be the portion of Jacob. He had the birthright
and the blessing and, after awhile, he had
many joys; but great trials came to him, be-
cause he had acted so meanly to his brother.

89

X

THE LADDER TO THE SKY

JACOB had deserved to have troubles, but,
though he had done very wrong and been
unkind and selfish, he was not wholly bad and
God did not cast him off. We can see that
notwithstanding his faults God loved him and
this is a great comfort to us. Though Jacob
took the wrong means to procure them, the
very fact that he longed for the birthright and
the blessing which Esau cared so little about
showed that he had the right idea of their
value. He was compelled to fly for his life
from the vengeance of his brother and, when
he turned away from his mother and his home,
his heart was very sad.

Though the son of a rich man, he went away
on foot without any attendants. He stole
away lest Esau should pursue him in a fury.
But he went on the road that Isaac his father
told him to take and his face was set toward

90

THE LADDER TO THE SKY

the far off home of his mother's kindred.
Isaac said : We cannot let you marry anybody
here in Canaan and it is time that you should
marry. These daughters of Heth whom Esau
has married are breaking your mother's heart.
Go then to the house of Bethuel, your mother's
father, and seek a wife in the house of her
brother Laban. And may God bless you and
keep you all your days. May you have the
blessing of Abraham and may God make you
the father of a great people.

Thus Isaac bade Jacob farewell. His
mother cried when she kissed him at the last
and, for days after he had gone, there were
tears in her eyes as she stood in the tent door
and looked over the desert.

Jacob went out from Beersheba with his lit-
tle stock of food for the road, dried meat and
bread and fruit, trusting to find water in
springs and wells by the way. He guided his
steps by the sun and stars as he went toward
the distant land of Haran.

Night came on and, worn and weary, the
young wayfarer found a place in a field beside
the highway where he thought he would tarry

9i

THE STORY BIBLE

until the morning. Perhaps he could hear
through the silence the cry of the jackal, or
the padding feet of wild beasts prowling about
in the dark. I am sure that he knelt down on
the green grass and prayed that God would
take care of him and preserve him from harm.
He gathered some loose stones that were lying
about on the edge of the road and took them
for his pillow and lay down and fell asleep.
Hard was the stony pillow, but the tired eyes
soon closed and the traveler forgot his misery
and slept as if he had been at home. In that
sleep, dear children, Jacob had the loveliest
dream ever given to mortal man.

He dreamed that he saw a ladder which
reached from earth to heaven; the ladder's
foot was on the ground, but the top was lost
beyond the sky; and behold! the angels of God
were ascending and descending upon it. At
the very top of it, where it touched heaven,
amid the brightness of the sky stood the Lord
Himself, looking down in pity and love on the
lonely boy below. To the sleeper lying on
the dewy pasture, his head pillowed on the
cold stones, God revealed Himself in this

92

THE LADDER TO THE SKY

dream, saying: I am the Lord God of Abra-
ham thy father and the God of Isaac; the land
whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and
to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust
of the earth and thou shalt spread abroad to
the west and to the east and to the north and
to the south ; and in thee and in thy seed shall
all the families of the earth be blessed.

And behold I am with thee and will keep
thee in all places whither thou goest, and will
bring thee again into this land, for I will not
leave thee until I have done that which I have
spoken to thee of.

When Jacob opened his eyes, morning had
come suddenly as it does in the East, flooding
the world with light. The wild beasts had
hidden away in jungles, thickets and caves, the
birds were singing, the dewdrops shone on the
blades of grass, and the dark night was over.
Morning had come. A beautiful new day was
born.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and
said: Surely the Lord is in this place, and I
knew it not. And he was afraid and said:
How awful is this place. This is none other

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THE STORY BIBLE

than the house of God and this is the gate of
heaven.

The first thing that Jacob did in the early
morning was to choose a stone from those on
which his head had rested, and set it up for
a pillar. He poured some oil on top of this
stone, for it was sacred in his sight.

In those days when God had given anyone
a great deliverance or a great victory he did
what Jacob did here. He set up a monu-
ment of some kind that it might always re-
mind himself of the Lord's goodness ; and that
all who passed by might see it, and think of
God.

Jacob called the name of that place Bethel,
which means God's house.

And Jacob vowed a vow saying: If God will
be with me and will keep me in this way that
I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment
to put on so that I come again to my father's
house in peace, then shall the Lord be my
God. And this stone which I have set for a
pillar shall be God's house. And of all that
thou shalt give me I will surely give a tenth
unto thee.

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THE LADDER TO THE SKY

Dear children who read this old story, I
have this word for you: Often as we go
through life we are surrounded by dangers,
seen and unseen, and many a time, though we
do not know it, God's angels are all about us
keeping watch, both when we wake and when
we sleep. There is always a shadowy ladder,
golden bright, stretching from our earthly
home to heaven, and up and down that ladder
the angels walk.

95

XI
JACOB AND LABAN

A FTER Jacob had built his altar and set
-^*- up his pillar of stone at Bethel, where
he had seen the angels going to and fro be-
tween earth and heaven, he went more cheer-
ily on his way to the strange country. Hope
had been kindled in his heart, and when
one is hopeful one's courage is strong.
At night he slept peacefully. By day he
walked steadily on until one morning, looking
up, he found himself in a green rolling country,
a land of pastures and fleecy flocks. He saw
a great field and in the field a well and beside
the well three flocks of lambs and sheep. The
sheep were lying by the well, huddling to-
gether closely as sheep do, as they waited to
be watered. The well was a deep cool cistern
of clear water and it was the most precious
thing its owner had, for there the thirsty sheep
came every day to drink. If the well had gone
dry the shepherds would have had to drive

96

JACOB AND LABAN

their flocks far away to find some spring or
river or some unfailing well. Here and there
among the sheep stood shepherds, shaggy fig-
ures with long beards and loose flowing gar-
ments fastened with girdles around their
waists. They were dressed just as Jacob was,
and in their hands were shepherds' crooks
with which to guide their flocks. Jacob was
a shepherd too and knew all about flocks. His
heart leaped with joy and he almost forgot his
homesickness at this familiar sight, for he had
been yearning to see once more the flocks he
had left in Gerar.

In the East the shepherd knows each sheep
by name and, though sheep are silly creatures,
they learn to love those who care for them
and, out of flocks of hundreds, the mother
ewes and the young lambs learn to obey the
shepherd's voice and will come to him one by
one.

The well was covered by a great slab of
rock. When this was lifted, the sheep were
watered. Then it was replaced until another
time.

As Jacob came near he greeted the shep-
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herds politely. My brethren, he said, whence
come ye?

From Haran we come, they answered.

From Haran! Jacob was glad indeed, for
it was Haran to which he was going.

Do you happen to know Laban the son of
Nahor? he inquired.

We know Laban, they said, and here behold
Rachel his daughter is coming with her
sheep.

Across the field came Rachel, slender and
straight and very beautiful.

For what are you waiting? asked the
stranger. It is time, is it not, that the sheep
should be watered and the cattle gathered to-
gether and all of them fed? To Jacob the men
seemed to be needlessly loitering.

By this time Rachel had reached the well,
and now Jacob ran and lifted off the heavy
stone and himself drew water for Rachel's
flock.

He may have seen in her sweet face some
look that reminded him of his mother, for he
loved her at first sight. He told her that he
was her near kinsman, Rebekah's son, and

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JACOB AND LABAN

then with a kinsman's privilege he kissed her
and lifted up his voice and wept.

Quickly the good news spread. It ran like
lightning from one to another and even before
Rachel hurried home to tell her father, Laban
had some inkling of what had happened.
Laban welcomed Jacob joyfully, embraced
him, kissed him and brought him into his
home.

Jacob soon took charge of Laban's great
flocks and herds, and when Laban wanted to
pay him he said, Do not offer me money. I
will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy
younger daughter.

It is better, said Laban, that I give her to
thee than to another man. Abide with me.

Seven years passed, Jacob toiled in sun and
drought, in frost and cold, by night and by
day, but he did not mind hard work. The
seven years seemed to him but a few days, so
dearly did he love Rachel.

Do you remember how Jacob deceived and
cheated his old father, Isaac, securing the
birthright and the blessing by a trick? Well,
he was to be cheated and deceived himself

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many a time in the days to come by those of
his own family. I am sure he would remem-
ber his sin and feel that his punishment was
just when again and again he was deceived.

At the end of seven years there was a
wedding feast and Jacob was married as he
thought to the maiden he worshipped. He
had toiled for her seven years and they had
seemed to him but a few days on account of
the love he bore her. According to Eastern
custom, the bride was brought to her husband
completely hidden by a great opaque veil and
he could not so much as have a single peep
at her face till they were married.

Lo and behold, when the ceremony was over
and the feast finished and the guests gone
away, Jacob discovered that his bride was not
Rachel, but her elder sister Leah, at whom he
had never glanced twice in his life. Leah was
as plain as Rachel was fair and her face was
disfigured by weak eyes which grew red with
crying when she now saw Jacob look at her
with anger and disdain.

I may as well tell you that in those old times
a man often had several wives. But Abraham

ioo

JACOB AND LABAN

and Isaac had been contented with one wife,
and Jacob had meant to follow their example.
He wished Rachel for his bride, Rachel and
not Leah.

What is this that you have done? he said
to Laban in great displeasure. This is not
my Rachel. Why have you palmed off Leah
on me and beguiled me in this mean and
treacherous way?

Smoothly Laban answered him, smoothly
and without excitement, as if to say, What a
fuss you are making about nothing!

It is not customary in our country to let a
younger sister marry first. If you still want
Rachel, serve me for her seven years more and
you shall have her too. I have given you the
elder daughter, but you shall have her sister
if you agree to my bargain.

So Jacob served another seven years. Then
he had two wives, Leah and Rachel, but he
loved Rachel with his whole heart and he
never cared very much about Leah.

In due time, when Jacob had children and
had also become a rich man with flocks and
herds of his own, he felt the old home-longing

IOI

THE STORY BIBLE

tugging at his heart and decided to return to
the place from which he had come, to go back
to the land of Canaan.

So he assembled his household and they
started on their way. Knowing that Laban
would try to hinder his going, he stole away,
and his caravan had gone some distance be-
fore Laban found out his departure.

Jacob had three days' start before his father-
in-law found out that he was gone. Instantly
he set forth in pursuit, for he did not wish
Jacob to leave him nor was he willing to lose
the advantage of Jacob's knowledge and his
faithful toil. Besides, both Laban and his
sons were jealous of Jacob's increasing wealth.

They went forth in a mood of fierce anger,
but God warned Laban in a dream to let Jacob
alone. Speak not to him either good or bad,
said the Lord in this dream.

Rachel had stolen from her father some
images that he prized, images that were his
household gods, for he was in part an idolater.
She had secreted them in her clothing but
Jacob did not suspect it.

At Gilead, Laban saw the encampment of
1 02

JACOB AND LABAN

Jacob. So he pitched his tents a little way
off.

And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou
done that thou hast stolen away from me, and
carried away my two daughters, as captives
taken with the sword?

Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly and
steal away from me, and didst not tell me that
I might have sent thee away with mirth and
with songs, with tabret and with harp?

Thou hast not suffered me to kiss my
daughters, nor the little ones. Thou hast be-
haved unkindly and with folly.

It is in the power of my hand to do thee
hurt; but the God of my father spake unto
me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed
that thou speak not to Jacob either good or
bad.

And now, though thou art weary to be
gone, because thou wouldst see again thy
father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen
my gods?

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, I
stole away because I was afraid; for I said,
Peradventure thou wouldst take by force thy

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daughters from me. But he went on to say,
I know nothing about thy gods. If any one
in my company has stolen them, let him be put
to death. Search until the gods are found.
Jacob had no thought that Rachel had them
with her in the tent. She sat comfortably on
her cushions with the idols underneath her
and of course the images were quite safe.
Laban could not find them. He stormed
around and gave everybody trouble, but at
last he gave up the search.

Naturally Jacob resented this behavior of
Laban's and he said, chidingly, What is my
trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so
hotly pursued after me?

Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff,
what hast thou found of all thy household
stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy
brethren that they may judge between us
both.

This twenty years have I been with thee;
the flocks of sheep and goats have been in my
care and nothing has perished.

That which was torn of beasts I brought not
unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand

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JACOB AND LABAN

didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or
stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the
drought consumed me and the frost by night;
and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

I have been twenty full years in thy house;
I served thee fourteen years for thy two
daughters and six years for thy cattle; and
thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Unless the God of my father, the God of
Abraham and the fear of Isaac had been with
me, surely thou hadst now sent me away
empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the
labor of my hands and rebuked thee yester-
night.

Then Laban answered and said to Jacob:
These daughters are my daughters and these
children are my children and these cattle are
my cattle and all that thou hast is mine; and
what can I do this day unto these my
daughters or unto their children?

Now therefore come thou, let us make a
covenant, I and thou ; and let it be for a witness
between me and thee.

And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a
pillar.

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And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather
stones; and they took stones and made a
heap; and they did eat there upon the heap.

Having broken bread together they were
once more friends and Laban turned toward his
home while Jacob proceeded on his journey.

106

XII
JACOB MEETS ESAU

TWENTY years have gone over the heads
of Jacob and Esau since last they met.
The feud that raged between them when they
parted had never been peacefully settled. So
far as Jacob knew, his brother Esau still
nursed his wrath and meant to kill him when
he should appear in Canaan. Knowing and
fearing this, Jacob yet went back, for was
not his birthright in the land of Canaan and
did he not hear the voice of God bidding him
seek the land of Abraham and Isaac?

There were two natures struggling in Jacob.
One was a lofty nature that was looking up to
heaven and out of self. The other was a
craven nature that was cowardly and sordid
and was always trying to grasp whatever it
could for selfish ends. You and I need not
look down on Jacob, for in us there are often
two natures and they struggle for the victory
as they did in Jacob. We sometimes say that

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the good angel is uppermost in a child to-day
or that the bad angel has taken hold of him.
All our lives this fight between good and bad
will be going on. We need forever to ask God
to help us so that the good shall triumph.

Jacob understood this. We find that he
often spent hours in prayer to God for help.
Nightly he prayed under the stars when the
camp was fast asleep and sometimes God's
angels met and comforted him.

Thinking of Esau, Jacob decided to concil-
iate him by sending him a kind message.
Esau was now a desert Sheik living in the
fastnesses of the rocks in Seir, in the country
of Edom. He had an armed host with him
and the mountain passes were his property.
Jacob could not hope to escape Esau's watch.

If you are like me, dear child, you love to
read about the brave and hardy soldiers who
hide in the heather or lie close and still behind
dark rocks that they may defend their hillside
homes. In Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the
Lake, when Fitz- James and Roderick Dhu met
on Clan Alpine's ground one night, Lowland
and Highland pitted against one another,

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JACOB MEETS ESAU

Fitz- James expressed a wish that he might
some time meet Roderick and his band.

"Have thou thy wish!", cried the High-
lander, and gave a shrill whistle which was
quickly answered.

Says Sir Walter Scott:

Instant through copse and heath arose
Bonnets and spears and bended bows,
On right, on left, above, below,
Sprang up at once the lurking foe.
From shingles gray their lances start:
The bracken bush sends forth the dart,
The rushes and the willow wand
Are bristling into axe and brand.
And every tuft of brown gives life
To plaided warrior armed for strife.

And Kipling in his ballad of East and West,
which every boy should know, has a word
picture very much like that of Scott, except
that his is a picture of a border chieftain in
India. Says Kamal to his gallant foe:

There was not a rock for twenty mile, there

was not a clump of tree
But covered a man of my own men with his

rifle cocked on his knee.
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THE STORY BIBLE

Esau was of the same type; a Bedouin of
the wild desert, and Jacob knew that to pass
through Esau's land was to risk all that he
had. Still only by crossing Edom could he
reach Canaan.

So Jacob's messengers went forward.

And he commanded them saying, Thus shall
ye speak unto my lord Esau: Thy servant
Jacob saith thus: I have sojourned with Laban
and stayed there until now;

And I have oxen and asses, flocks and men
servants and women servants; and I have sent
to tell my lord that I may find grace in thy
sight.

And the messengers returned to Jacob, say-
ing, We came to thy brother Esau and also
he cometh to meet thee and four hundred men
with him.

The answer was enough to frighten Jacob;
and frightened he was but he did not run
away. That would have been useless. He di-
vided his company into two bands so that if
Esau pounced on one the other might escape,
and then, having done the best he could, he
prayed earnestly to God.

no

JACOB MEETS ESAU

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abra-
ham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord
who saidst unto me, Return unto thy coun-
try, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well
with thee:

I am not worthy of the least of all the mer-
cies and of all the truth which thou hast
shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I
passed over this Jordan; and now I am be-
come two bands.

Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of
my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear
him, lest he shall come and smite me and the
mother with the children.

And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good,
and make thy seed as the sand of the sea which
cannot be numbered for multitude.

That night Jacob selected a magnificent
present for Esau, a present worthy of a king,
and sent it before him, making a space be-
tween drove and drove, so that Esau would be
pleased and impressed. Two hundred she-
goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and
twenty rams. Then, awhile after, thirty
camels with their colts, forty cows, ten bulls,

in

THE STORY BIBLE

twenty she-asses and ten foals. Drove by
drove they went.

And he commanded the leader of the first
drove, saying, When Esau, my brother,
meeteth thee and asketh thee, Who art thou?
and whither goest thou? and whose are these
before thee?

Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant
Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau;
and, behold, also he is behind us.

And so commanded he the second, and the
third, and all that followed the droves, saying,
On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau,
when ye find him.

And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant
Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease
him with the present that goes before me and
afterward I will see his face; peradventure he
will accept of me.

So went the present over before him; and
himself lodged that night in the company.

In the night Jacob took his wives and his
children and softly and stealthily passed with
them over the brook Jabbok, and there, leav-
ing them, he knelt alone by the brook and

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JACOB MEETS ESAU

prayed until the break of day. He prayed in
great agony of soul, and it seemed to him as
if he fought with God for a blessing. God
heard him and gave him a blessing, changing
his old name of Jacob, a supplanter, to Israel;
for as a prince, said the Lord, thou hast had
power with God and with men and hast pre-
vailed.

No wonder that Jacob called that hallowed
spot by a name that was strangely sacred. He
called it Peni-el, for he had seen God there,
he said, face to face, and his life was preserved.

But after that wrestle Jacob was never alto-
gether the same. So great had been the con-
flict that he was lame to the day of his death.

The morning broke and he met Esau.

And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked,
and behold, Esau came and with him four hun-
dred men. And he divided the children unto
Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two hand-
maids.

And he put the handmaids and their chil-
dren foremost and Leah and her children after
and Rachel and Joseph behind.

And he passed over before them and bowed
ii3

THE STORY BIBLE

himself to the ground seven times, until he
came near to his brother.

And Esau ran to meet him and embraced
him and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and
they wept.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the
women and the children and said, Who are
those with thee? And he said, The children
which God hath graciously given thy servant.

Then the handmaidens came near, they and
their children, and they bowed themselves.

And Leah also with her children came near
and bowed themselves; and after came Joseph
near and Rachel and they bowed themselves.

And he said, What meanest thou by all this
drove which I met? And he said, These are to
find grace in the sight of my lord.

And Esau said, I have enough, my brother;
keep that thou hast unto thyself.

And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I
have found grace in thy sight, then receive my
present at my hand : for therefore I have seen
thy face, as though I had seen the face of God,
and thou wert pleased with me.

Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is
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JACOB MEETS ESAU

brought to thee; because God hath dealt gra-
ciously with thee and because I have enough.
And he urged him and he took it.

And he said, Let us take our journey and let
us go and I will go before thee.

And he said unto him, My lord knoweth
that the children are tender and the flocks and
herds with young are with me; and if men
should overdrive them one day all the flock
will die.

Let my lord, I pray thee, pass before his
servant; and I will lead on softly, according
as the cattle that go before me and the chil-
dren be able to endure, until I come unto my
lord unto Seir.

And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee
some of the folk that are with me. And he
said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the
sight of my lord.

So Esau returned that day on his way to
Seir. He went back with his armed men.

Esau and Jacob were friends from that time,
and when Isaac died, being very old and full
of years, his sons buried him.

But for hundreds of years, long after both

US

THE STORY BIBLE

these brothers were asleep with their fathers,
the children of Esau annoyed the children of
Israel and most of the troubles the latter had
to bear started somewhere in the wilderness
holds of Edom.

116

XIII
JOSEPH THE DREAMER

TWELVE sons called Jacob father and a
goodly number of sturdy men they
were. But only two of them called Rachel
mother. Of these two, Joseph and Benjamin,
the first was his father's great favorite and
Jacob showed the lad so partial a love that it
brought on him the enmity of his older broth-
ers. Joseph was loved because he was
Rachel's boy and because he was very lovable
and charming, a youth of rare qualities. His
father showed his pride in him openly and
gave him a rich and elegant coat woven in
many colors, something finer than he had ever
given Reuben or Judah, Simeon or Naphtali,
Levi or Dan. The others envied Joseph his
fine coat and his place in his father's love and
Joseph was not very prudent in his manner
toward them. They were older than he and

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THE STORY BIBLE

were provoked and vexed at the things he
said. Sometimes, too, he told his father about
things they did and Jacob reproved them; and
the sum of the whole matter was that the more
Jacob loved Joseph the more his ten older
brothers hated him. They could not speak
peaceably to him.

The little brother Benjamin seems not to
have aroused anybody's anger. Rachel, his
mother, died when he was born, and she was
buried in Bethlehem. She said when she was
dying that the baby's name should be Benoni,
son of my sorrow, but his father said, No, I
will give him another name; and he was called
Benjamin, son of my right hand. He was but
an infant when some of his tall brothers were
bearded men.

The ten kept their flocks and were often
away from home for days together. Some-
times Joseph was with them. Oftener he
stayed with his father and his little brother.
He was a thoughtful lad and he had wonder-
ful dreams. He told the dreams to the others
and they hated him more than ever when they
heard them.

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JOSEPH THE DREAMER

And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you,
this dream which I have dreamed:

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the
field and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood
upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood
round about and made obeisance to my sheaf.

And his brethren said unto him, Shalt thou
reign indeed over us? or shalt thou indeed
have dominion over us? And they hated him
yet the more for his dreams and for his words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and
told it to his brethren and said, Behold, I have
dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun
and the moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me.

And he told it to his father and to his
brothers; and his father rebuked him and said
unto him, What is this dream that thou hast
dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy
brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves
to thee to the earth?

And his brothers envied him, but his father
observed the saying.

It was some time after the incident of the
dreams that Joseph, a lad of seventeen, was

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sent by his father to visit his brethren who had
gone a good distance off with their flocks and
told to bring back tidings of them. The boy,
bright, brave and manly, bowed low to his
father and kissed him and the father watched
him proudly until a turn of the road hid him
from view.

Years were to pass, slow and sad and bitter
years, before that father and that son should
meet again.

For this was what happened.

The boy did not immediately find his broth-
ers. They had gone far, their great flocks
needing pasture or the wells being dry, and it
was not till a stranger told him that they had
gone to Dothan, much farther off than She-
chem, that he came up with them.

Far off they saw him and their hearts were
filled with the blackest envy and the most cruel
hate. Long before he came near they put their
heads together, conspiring wickedly to kill the
boy.

Look, they said, look, it is Joseph, his
father's darling. But Israel cannot help him
now. Behold this dreamer of dreams.

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JOSEPH THE DREAMER

Come, they said, let us kill him and throw
his body into a pit, and then we will make
Israel think that a wild beast caught him and
devoured him.

No plot could have been more full of malice.
Hard as stones were the hearts of these wicked
men.

Reuben, the oldest brother, was not so hard
as the rest. He did not want to kill the boy.
He thought he would persuade them merely
to cast him alive into a pit and leave him there.
Then he meant to go back, save him, and take
him home to his father. But Reuben's kind
thought was never carried out.

The brothers fell on Joseph with the fury
of wolves and bears and stripped him of his
beautiful gay coat, taunting and jeering him
with scornful words. Into a deep hole, the
hole where had been a well now dry, they
roughly threw him, a weary, hungry, heart
broken boy and then they sat down to supper,
laughing no doubt over their cruel deed.
Reuben had no hand in what followed next.
He did not sit down to eat bread with the
others, for he felt, as the oldest, a responsibil-

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THE STORY BIBLE

ity for Joseph. Very likely he had sons of
his own as old as this young brother whom
the sons of Jacob were so bent on killing.
They at that time meant to leave him there to
perish. Not one of them shared Reuben's
kinder intention.

Here is the next step in the story.

As they were eating they looked up and saw
a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead
with camels bearing spicery and balm and
myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Egypt at this time was a very rich country
where the people, not being shepherds, bought
and sold goods and where there was a great
deal of trading going on. Slaves too were
bought in the markets of Egypt. Judah
thought why not sell our brother, instead of
leaving him to die? After all, he said, he is our
brother. There is no profit in killing him.
Let us sell him to these merchantmen. We
shall make money by the transaction and there
will be an end forever of Joseph and his
dreams.

The rest, Reuben being absent, easily
agreed to this; the Ishmaelites speedily drew

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JOSEPH THE DREAMER

the lad out of the pit and willingly paid the
brothers twenty pieces of silver for him.
Away they went to Egypt and the wicked
brothers divided the money and were con-
tented. They had not even pity for poor
Joseph, carried off into slavery.

But Reuben came back and was dreadfully
distressed when he heard the tale. He rent
his clothes and lamented with tears. Still he
did not feel enough real sorrow to tell his
father the truth when they all went home
without Joseph. He said, The child is not,
and I, whither shall I go?

Poor Reuben! His fault was that he was
very weak of will though he had a kinder heart
than the rest. This is what they did.

They took Joseph's coat and killed a kid and
dipped the coat in the blood.

And they brought the coat oi many colors
to their father and said, This have we found:
know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

And he knew it and said, It is my son's coat;
an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is
without doubt rent in pieces.

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack-
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THE STORY BIBLE

cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son
many days.

And all his sons and all his daughters rose
up to comfort him; but he refused to be com-
forted; and he said, For I will go down into
the grave unto my son, mourning. Thus his
father wept for him.

But the Midianites sold Joseph into Egypt
to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and Cap-
tain of the Guard.

124

XIV
JOSEPH IN PRISON

YOU would never expect that a poor un-
known lad from a far off country sold
as a slave in the market would fall under the
notice of the greatest king in the world, but
that is the very thing that happened. Had
Joseph been bought by Pharaoh, he might
never have been more than a servant in the
palace kitchen, and Potiphar, a bluff soldier,
Captain of the king's Guard, probably bought
him only because he was pleased with his mod-
est looks and thought he could be of use.

But, my child, though Joseph was sold into
Egypt, he was not sold away from the Lord.
The Lord was with him. The Lord made
everything he did to prosper. The Lord gave
him success. Before very long this Hebrew
boy, who had brains and prudence, in whom
was the brave spirit of Abraham and the gen-
tle heart of Isaac, and the shrewd wit of Jacob,

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THE STORY BIBLE

was at the head of Potiphar's household. He
was a slave, it is true, but he was trusted, and
had charge of the accounts, the buying, the
selling, and the management of all Potiphar's
affairs.

But for the fact that he offended Potiphar's
wife, who told lies about him to her husband,
he might always have remained with the bluff
Captain of the Guard. But Potiphar's wife
with her lying speech so wrought on Poti-
phar that his wrath was kindled and he threw
him bound into the king's prison, a perfectly
dreadful place whence very few prisoners ever
came out alive.

But the Lord went with him to the prison.
The Lord was leading Joseph by a pathway
of his own. He did not mean him to stay in
the prison but he wanted him to be there long
enough to forget any pride he had hitherto
had and to think once more about the God of
his fathers.

The keeper of the prison liked Joseph and
gave him as many privileges as he could. The
other prisoners liked him, for he was ready to
serve them. Among the prisoners were two

126

JOSEPH IN PRISON

from Pharaoh's household, his chief butler and
his chief baker.

Probably both had been suspected and ac-
cused of trying to poison the king, for the
monarchs of the East were always afraid that
there might be death in the wine they drank
and the dishes they ate. The chief baker was
the man who presided over the palace kitchen.
The chief butler took charge of the wines that
Pharaoh drank at feasts and offered him the
cup. Both these men had people around who
spied upon them and were anxious to ruin
them if they could. When Pharaoh was angry
with them neither of them had much reason
to expect that they would see the palace or the
sunlight any more.

Those were the days of dreams, and if any-
one had a remarkable dream he tried very
hard to find out what message it had brought
him. One night a dream visited each of
them.

And Joseph came in to them in the morn-
ing and looked on them and, behold, they were
sad.

And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were
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with him in the ward of his lord's house, say-
ing, Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day?

And they said unto him, We have dreamed
a dream and there is no interpreter of it. And
Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations
belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

And the chief butler told his dream to
Joseph and said to him, In my dream, behold,
a vine was before me.

And in the vine were three branches; and it
was as though it budded and her blossoms shot
forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth
ripe grapes.

And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I
took the grapes and pressed them into
Pharaoh's cup and I gave the cup into Pha-
raoh's hand.

And Joseph said to him, This is the inter-
pretation of it: The three branches are three
days.

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up
thine head and restore thee unto thy place;
and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his
hand after the former manner when thou wast
his butler.

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JOSEPH IN PRISON

But think on me when it shall be well with
thee and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me,
and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and
bring me out of this house;

For indeed I was stolen away out of the land
of the Hebrews; and here also have I done
nothing that they should put me into the
dungeon.

When the chief baker saw that the inter-
pretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also
was in my dream and, behold, I had three
white baskets on my head;

And in the uppermost basket there was all
manner of baked meats for Pharaoh; and the
birds did eat them out of the basket upon my
head.

And Joseph answered and said, This is the
interpretation thereof: The three baskets are
three days. ; *

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up
thy head from off thee and shall hang thee on
a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from
off thee.

And it came to pass the third day, which
was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast

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THE STORY BIBLE

unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head
of the chief butler and of the chief baker
among his servants.

And he restored the chief butler again, and
he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had
interpreted to them.

Think on me, Joseph had said to the chief
butler, think on me when thou art restored to
favor and mention me to Pharaoh. For I was
stolen away from the land of the Hebrews.

It was very ungrateful in the butler, safe out
of the dungeon, to forget Joseph so soon, but
that is too often the way of the world.

130

XV
DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE

PHARAOH was the greatest king on earth,
but he was not so great that dreams
could not trouble him. After the chief butler
went back to his place, and while poor Joseph
still stayed in the dungeon, forgotten, Pharaoh
one night dreamed and the dreams made him
unhappy. He was sure they meant something
very important but he could not decide what
this might be and none of his wise men could
tell him. Shall we wonder that everybody
around was disturbed, when the king went
frowning and muttering about the palace, re-
fusing to eat and scolding about trifles till
nobody knew what would happen? Pharaoh
could do exactly what he pleased, which is a
very bad thing for any one, whether he is a
king or just a simple person like one of us.
You may think, my children, that it is a fine
thing to have your own way but, believe me,
it is not. Often it is the worst thing that can

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occur to poor men and women, as it would be
to boys and girls, to be able to carry out every
caprice and whim. Pharaoh could by a word
take a poor prisoner out of a cell and make him
the first nobleman in the land, or he could,
with a word, without a trial, order a dozen
men's heads cut off.

Shall we read this wonderful story of
dreams that came true, Joseph's old dreams
when a happy boy at home and Pharaoh's
dreams on his soft couch, as they are written
for us in the Bible?

The river spoken of in Pharaoh's dream is
the River Nile.

And it came to pass, at the end of two full
years, that Pharaoh dreamed; and, behold, he
stood by the river.

And, behold, there came up out of the river
seven well favored kine and fatfleshed; and
they fed in a meadow.

And, behold, seven other kine came up after
them out of the river, ill favored and lean-
fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the
brink of the river.

And the ill favored and leanfleshed kine did
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DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE

eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So
Pharaoh awoke.

And he slept and dreamed the second time;
and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon
one stalk, rank and good.

And behold, seven thin ears and blasted with
the east wind sprung up after them.

And the seven thin ears devoured the seven
rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke and,
behold, it was a dream.

And it came to pass in the morning that his
spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for
all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise
men thereof; and Pharaoh told them his
dreams ; but there was none that could interpret
them unto Pharaoh.

Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh,
saying, I do remember my faults this day:

Pharaoh was wroth with his servant and
put me in ward in the house of the captain of
the guard, both me and the chief baker:

And we dreamed a dream in one night, I
and he; we dreamed each man according to
the interpretation of his dream.

And there was there with us a young man,
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THE STORY BIBLE

an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the
guard; and we told him and he interpreted to
us our dreams; to each man according to his
dream did he interpret.

And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us,
so it was; me he restored to mine office and
him he hanged.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and
they brought him hastily out of the dungeon;
and he shaved himself and changed his rai-
ment and came in unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have
dreamed a dream and there is none that can
interpret it; and I have heard of thee that
thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It
is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an
answer of peace.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my
dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the
river:

And, behold, there came up out of the river
seven kine, fatfleshed and well favored; and
they fed in a meadow.

And, behold, seven other kine came up after
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DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE

them, poor and very ill favored and lean-
fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of
Egypt for badness:

And the lean and ill favored kine did eat
up the first seven fat kine.

And when they had eaten them up it could
not be known that they had eaten them; but
they were still ill favored, as at the beginning.
So I awoke.

And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven
ears came up in one stalk, full and good :

And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin and
blasted with the east wind, sprung up after
them.

And the thin ears devoured the seven good
ears; and I told this unto the magicians, but
there was none that could declare it to me.

And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream
of Pharaoh is one : God hath showed Pharaoh
what he is about to do.

The seven good kine are seven years and
the seven good ears are seven years: the dream
is one.

And the seven thin and ill favored kine that
came up after them are seven years and the

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THE STORY BIBLE

seven empty ears blasted with the east wind
shall be seven years of famine.

This is the thing which I have spoken unto
Pharaoh : What God is about to do he showeth
unto Pharaoh.

Behold, there come seven years of great
plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

And there shall arise after them seven years
of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten
in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall con-
sume the land;

And the plenty shall not be known in the
land by reason of that famine following; for
it shall be very grievous.

And for that the dream was repeated unto
Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is estab-
lished by God and God will shortly bring it
to pass.

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man,
discreet and wise, and set him over the land
of Egypt.

Let Pharaoh do this and let him appoint of-
ficers over the land and take up the fifth part
of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous
years.

136

DREAMS THAT CAME TRUE

And let them gather all the food of those
good years that come, and lay up corn under
the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food
in the cities.

And that food shall be for store to the land
against the seven years of famine which shall
be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish
not through the famine.

137

XVI
JOSEPH IN POWER

THE wisdom and modesty of the young
Hebrew pleased Pharaoh very much.
He listened, he approved and he decided with-
out any slow delay or waiting to consult and
consider.

What Joseph recommended was good in the
eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his
servants, courtiers and wise men.

He said to those around him, What better
can we do than to accept what Joseph has
said? Can we find such a one as this, a man
in whom the spirit of God is?

They talked aside for a few minutes, while
Joseph stood apart. What thoughts went
through his mind, who can tell? Was he to
go back to his dungeon? Would Pharaoh re-
lease him and give him some little post of
service? Would Pharaoh perhaps let him go
back again to the old father in the land of
Canaan?

Joseph stood there, wondering, but he did
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JOSEPH IN POWER

not have to wait long. Pharaoh called him
and he knelt at the foot of the throne. But
the monarch lifted him up and Joseph heard
him saying, as if in a dream, yet knowing him-
self wide awake,

Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this
there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

Thou shalt be over my house and according
unto thy word shall all my people be ruled;
only on the throne will I be greater than thou.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have
set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Then with the royal oath, he said, I am
Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift
up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

As Joseph was now prime minister of the
richest country in the world and his power
was next to that of the king it was needful,
the king thought, that he should have a wife.
The king picked out a lovely maiden whose
name was Asenath, not a daughter of the com-
mon people, but a girl whose father was a
priest of Pharaoh's religion. The priests were
scholars and noblemen, so Joseph was married
to a wife who could give him any help he

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THE STORY BIBLE

needed in the knowledge of everyday ways
among the learned people of Egypt.

But the Lord was with him and this was
the best thing of all.

By this time Joseph was thirty years old.
He was a thoughtful man and he went about
his work as a man should, with diligence. He
went all over Egypt and explored the country
thoroughly.

All happened as he had said it would. In
the seven plentiful years the crops were large.
The earth brought forth by handfuls.

Joseph gathered up all the food of the seven
good years which were in the land of Egypt,
and laid up the food in the cities; the harvest
of the field which was around every city he
laid up in the same.

And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the
sea, very much, until he stopped numbering it;
for it was beyond counting.

During these years of joy and wealth two
little sons came into Joseph's home, Manasseh
and Ephraim. As he looked in their little
faces he gave God thanks for the great kind-
ness He had shown him in the strange land.

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JOSEPH IN POWER

But hardly had these children grown old
enough to climb on their father's knee when
the years of plenty ended and the years of
famine came.

Seven years of plenty! Seven years of
famine ! You don't know what famine means,
dear child. But there are children in the world
who do. Blue-eyed children in Finland, dark-
eyed children in India, have known what it
means to be hungry, day after day, so hun-
gry that they grew too weak to cry for food.
In famine children have starved and died. No
food for the mother and the baby! No food
for the workingman! No food for the cattle!

This state of things, a state of want and
misery, followed the years of plenty and ex-
tended over the whole known world. There
was corn in Egypt and the people there had
bread enough for themselves and bread
enough to sell to others. The story of this
went far and wide and presently caravans be-
gan to arrive in Egypt, men bringing gold and
silver and gems to offer in exchange for
Egypt's precious corn. Laid up in Egypt's
granaries and storehouses by Joseph's prudent

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THE STORY BIBLE

care, there it was, plenty of corn to feed the
hungry world.

When first the scarcity was felt in Egypt,
the people there did not realize what had been
done and they went to Pharaoh, as to a father,
begging for help.

Go to Joseph, he said, Do whatever he tells
you to do.

Then Joseph opened the storehouses and
sold the grain and the dread of the famine left
the hearts of the people. The good news was
carried to other lands, not as it would be now,
by printing press and telegraph, but by word
of mouth, by one man telling another, and one
day Jacob heard it in the old home in Canaan.

142

XVII
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN

WHEN you read the rest of Joseph's
story you must not forget that these
brothers who came down to Egypt were the
very ones who had thrown Joseph into the
empty pit and then sold him into slavery.
They came to Egypt to buy corn, bringing
money to pay for it, the famine being sore in
their country. They did not bring Benjamin.
His father did not like to trust his youngest
son in their care. Benjamin was very dear
to him, now that he had lost Joseph.

Joseph was as you know the governor over
the land, and it was he who sold to all the peo-
ple of the land; and Joseph's brethren came,
and bowed down themselves before him with
their faces to the earth.

And Joseph saw his brethren and he knew
them, but made himself strange to them and
spoke roughly to them; and he said coldly,
Whence come ye? And they said, From the

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THE STORY BIBLE

land of Canaan to buy food. The Bible says
that Joseph knew his brethren and they knew
him not. And Joseph remembered the dreams
which he had dreamed and said unto them,
Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land
ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay,
my lord, but to buy food are thy servants
come. We are all one man's sons; we are true
men, thy servants are no spies. And he said
unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of
the land ye are come. And they said, Thy
servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one
man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the
youngest is this day with our father and one is
not.

And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I
spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies.

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of
Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, unless
your youngest brother come hither.

Send one of you and let him fetch your
brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that
your words may be proved, whether there be
any truth in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh
surely ye are spies.

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JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN

And he put them together into prison three
days.

And Joseph said unto them the third day,
This do, and live; for I fear God. If ye be true
men, let one of your brethren be bound in the
house of your prison; go ye, carry corn for the
famine of your houses; but bring your young-
est brother unto me; so shall your words be
verified and ye shall not die. And they
did so.

It seems strange that these brothers sus-
pected nothing when the grave and powerful
personage they bowed down before asked so
many questions, and so insisted on their re-
turn with their brother. But they could not
connect this stately man with the lad they had
abused and sent into slavery. Yet conscience
stirred within them, and they said sorrowfully
to one another,

We are verily guilty concerning our brother,
in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when
he besought us, and we would not hear; there-
fore is this distress come upon us.

Then Reuben answered them, saying, Said
I not unto you, Do not sin against the child;

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THE STORY BIBLE

and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also
his blood is required.

And they knew not that Joseph understood
them; for he talked with them through an in-
terpreter.

And he turned himself about from them, and
wept; and returned to them again and com-
muned with them and took from them Simeon
and bound him before their eyes.

Joseph gave some strange orders about
these men, but they were at once obeyed, for
none of the Egyptians questioned any com-
mand of Joseph's.

Joseph ordered men to fill their sacks with
corn and to restore every man's money to his
sack and to give them provision for the way;
and thus did he do unto them.

So they loaded their beasts with corn and
departed thence.

And as one of them opened his sack to give
his ass provender in the inn, he espied his
money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.
And he said to his brethren, My money is
restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack; and
their heart failed them and they were afraid,

146

JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN

saying one to another, What is this that God
hath done unto us?

When the travelers reached home at last
they had a remarkable story to relate to the
good old man who waited for them there. He
had been very anxious, for they had been long
away. The three days in prison had detained
them, and they came home, drooping and wor-
ried and weary. They told Jacob, The man
who is the lord of the land spoke roughly to us
and took us for spies of the country.

And we said unto him, We are true men;
we are no spies.

We be twelve brethren, sons of one father;
one is not and the youngest is this day with
our father in the land of Canaan.

And the man, the lord of the country, said
to us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true
men; leave one of your brethren here with me,
and take food for the famine of your house-
holds and be gone;

And bring your youngest brother to me;
then shall I know that ye are no spies but
that ye are true men; so will I deliver you
your brother and ye shall traffic in the land.

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THE STORY BIBLE

They opened their sacks of grain, and, lo,
every man's bundle of money was in his sack,
and when they saw it and their father saw it,
they were afraid.

And Joseph their father said unto them, Me
have ye bereaved of my children; Joseph is not
and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin
away; all these things are against me.

But Reuben pleaded with his father, saying,
Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee;
deliver him into my hand and I will bring him
to thee again.

And he said, My son shall not go down with
you; for his brother is dead and he is left
alone; if mischief befall him by the way in
which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave.

148

XVIII
THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN

THE famine was sore in the land of
Canaan. The first supply of corn was
eaten and the little children were again be-
ginning to cry for food.

Jacob said to his sons, Go again to Egypt
and buy us a little food.

But Judah said earnestly, The man did
solemnly protest unto us, saying, You shall
not see my face except your brother be with
you.

If thou wilt send our brother with us we will
go down and buy thee food;

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not
go down; for the man said unto us, You shall
not see my face except your brother be with
you.

And Israel said, Wherefore dealt you so ill
with me as to tell the man that you had yet
a brother?

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THE STORY BIBLE

And they said unto him, The man asked us
straitly of our state and of our kindred, say-
ing, Is your father yet alive? have you another
brother? and we told him according to the
tenor of these words; could we certainly know
that he would say, Bring your brother down?

And Judah said to Israel his father, Send
the lad with me and we will arise and go; that
we may live and not die, both we and thou
and also our little ones.

I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt
thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee
and set him before thee then let me bear the
blame forever.

For except we had lingered, surely now we
had returned this second time.

Then Israel their father answered, If it
must be so now, do this: take the best fruits
in the land in your vessels and carry down the
man a present, a little balm and a little honey,
spices, and myrrh, nuts and almonds :

And take double money in your hand; and
the money that was brought again in the
mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your
hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

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THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN

Take also your brother, and arise, go again
to the man:

And God Almighty give you mercy before
the man that he may send away your other
brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of
my children, I am bereaved.

So they went again carrying the gifif with
them, carrying the double money and taking
Benjamin. They went down to Egypt and
stood before Joseph.

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them
he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these
men home and slay and make ready; for these
men shall dine with me at noon.

And the man did as Joseph bade and
brought the men into Joseph's house.

And the men were afraid because they were
brought into Joseph's house; and they said,
Because of the money that was returned in
our sacks at the first time we are brought in;
that he may seek occasion against us and fall
upon us and take us for bondmen and seize
our asses.

And they came near to the steward of

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THE STORY BIBLE

Joseph's house and they communed with him
at the door of the house,

And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the
first time to buy food:

And it came to pass, when we came to the
inn, that we opened our sacks and, behold,
every man's money was in the mouth of his
sack, our money in full weight; and we have
brought it again in our hand.

And other money have we brought down in
our hands to buy food; we cannot tell who put
our money in our sacks.

The steward said, Peace be to you, fear not;
your God and the God of your father hath
given you treasure in your sacks; I had your
money. He brought Simeon out to them,
Simeon who had been held as a hostage.

Next they were conducted into Joseph's
house and water was given them, and they
washed their feet; and the man gave their
asses provender.

And they made ready the present against
Joseph should come at noon; for they heard
that they should eat bread there.

And when Joseph came home they brought

152

THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN

him the present which was in their hand and
bowed themselves before him to the earth.

And he asked them of their welfare and said,
Is your father well, the old man of whom ye
spoke? Is he yet alive?

And they answered, Thy servant our father
is in good health; he is yet alive. And they
bowed down their heads and made obeisance.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw his
brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said,
God be gracious unto thee, my son.

Seeing Benjamin, his mother's son, the
brother who was his very own and who had
not had any hand in the old wrong and hate,
almost overcame Joseph. He went away
alone and wept. His tears fell fast and they
washed away the anger that had been in his
heart. But Joseph had already forgiven his
brothers. He was too big a man and had too
big a heart to hold a grudge, still, he felt that
he must yet further try them.

They ate by themselves, Joseph sitting at
his own table, and he sent portions to them all,
but to Benjamin he sent five times as much as
to any of the others.

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THE STORY BIBLE

And now it was time for them to go back
to Canaan and take Benjamin home to the old
father. Joseph again ordered his steward to
fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they
could possibly carry, and to return every
man's money.

But, he said, Put my silver cup into the sack
of the youngest.

Very early the next morning, before the sun
was high in the sky, they started.

They had not gone very far before pell-mell
with hurry and haste a company of policemen,
with Joseph's steward at their head, came pelt-
ing after them.

Up, Joseph had said to the steward, follow
those men, overtake them and ask why have
they returned evil for good? Inquire why they
have carried off my silver cup and bring them
back.

The steward did as he was bid. Now indeed
were Joseph's brethren distressed and dis-
mayed. They declared their innocence. They
exclaimed,

God forbid that thy servants should do ac-
cording to this thing;

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THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN

Behold, the money, which we found in our
sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out
of the land of Canaan; how then should we
steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

With whomsoever of thy servants it be
found, let him die, and we also will be thy
lord's bondmen.

The steward agreed, saying, Now also let it
be according unto your words; he with whom
it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be
blameless.

Alas! the cup was found — in Benjamin's
sack.

With hearts almost breaking, they rent their
clothes, laded their beasts and all forlorn, they
returned to the city they had so lately left.

I fancy that Joseph meant to test them and
to see whether they were ready to desert Ben-
jamin and leave him to be a bondman in
Egypt. He knew they had been capable of
that wickedness in the old days. He desired
to try them now.

But God had changed their hearts. When
he sternly taxed them with theft, his brother
Judah stood up valiantly and became the

155

THE STORY BIBLE

champion of them all and made a most elo-
quent plea for Benjamin. Judah had told his
father that he would defend Benjamin with his
life if need be. He now nobly redeemed his
promise.

Boldly Judah said, What shall we say unto
my lord, what shall we speak? or how shall
we clear ourselves? God hath found out the
iniquity of thy servant; behold, we are my
lord's servants, both we and he also with
whom the cup is found.

Joseph replied, God forbid that I should do
so; but the man in whose hand the cup is
found, he shall be my servant; and as for you,
get you up in peace unto your father.

Then Judah came near unto him, and said,
O my lord, let thy servant I pray thee, speak
a word in my lord's ears and let not thine
anger burn against thy servant; for thou art
even as Pharaoh.

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye
a father, or a brother?

And we said unto my lord, We have a
father, an old man, and a child of his old age,
a little one; and his brother is dead, and he

156

THE SILVER CUP, AND BENJAMIN

alone is left of his mother and his father loveth
him.

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring
him down unto me that I may set mine eyes
upon him.

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot
leave his father; for if he should leave his
father, his father would die.

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except
your youngest brother come down with you
ye shall see my face no more.

And it came to pass when we came up unto
thy servant my father we told him the words
of my lord.

And our father said, Go again, and buy us
a little food.

And we said, We cannot go down; if our
youngest brother be with us, then will we go
down; for we may not see the man's face ex-
cept our youngest brother be with us.

And thy servant, my father, said unto us,
Ye know that my wife bare me two sons;

And the one went out from me and I said:
Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not
since;

157

THE STORY BIBLE

And if ye take this son also from me and
mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Now therefore when I go to thy servant,
my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing
that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

It will come to pass, when he seeth that the
lad is not with us, that he shall die; and thy
servants shall bring down the gray hairs of
thy servant our father with sorrow to the
grave.

For thy servant became surety for the lad
unto my father, saying, If I bring him not
unto thee then will I bear the blame to my
father forever.

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant
abide, instead of the lad, a bondman to my
lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

For how shall I go up to my father and the
lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see
the evil that shall come on my father.

158

XIX
I AM JOSEPH

A T this Joseph could no longer feign
-*-*- anger. His heart was melted into
love and forgiveness. He cried out suddenly,
Cause every man to go away from me. And
there was not one Egyptian present when he
made himself known to his brethren. But be-
fore he spoke his feeling of pity so overcame
him that he cried aloud.

In the house of Pharaoh they heard him
and wondered what had so overcome their
master. Probably the older ones guessed for
they knew that, more than twenty years be-
fore this, Joseph had been a slave, sold away
from his people and his father's house.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am
Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his
brethren could not answer him, for they were
troubled in his presence.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come
near to me, I pray you. And they came near.

159

THE STORY BIBLE

And he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom
ye sold into Egypt.

Now therefore, be not grieved, nor angry
with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for
God did send me before you to preserve life.

For these two years hath the famine been
in the land; and yet there are five years in
which there shall neither be seed time nor har-
vest.

And God sent me before you to preserve
your families on the earth and to save your
lives by a great deliverance.

So now it was not you that sent me hither,
but God; and he hath made me a father to
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler
throughout all the land of Egypt.

Haste ye, and go up to my father and say
unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath
made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto
me and tarry not;

And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen,
and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy
children and thy children's children and thy
flocks and thy herds and all that thou hast.

And there will I nourish thee; for yet there
1 60

I AM JOSEPH

are five years of famine; lest thou and thy
household and all that thou hast come to pov-
erty.

And, behold, your eyes see and the eyes of
my brother Benjamin that it is my mouth that
speaketh unto you.

And ye shall tell my father of all my glory
in Egypt and of all that ye have seen; and ye
shall haste and bring down my father hither.

And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's
neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his
neck.

Moreover he kissed all his brethren and
wept upon them; and after that his brethren
talked with him.

The news was brought to Pharaoh's palace
where men said, Joseph's brethren are come;
and Pharaoh was very glad.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto
thy brethren, This do; lade your beasts and
go; get you to the land of Canaan;

And take your father and your households
and come unto me; and I will give you the
good of the land of Egypt; and ye shall eat
the fat of the land.

161

THE STORY BIBLE

Now art thou commanded, this do: take
wagons out of the land of Egypt for your
little ones and for your wives and bring your
father and come.

Also regard not your stuff; for the good of
all the land of Egypt is yours.

And the children of Israel did this; and
Joseph gave them wagons, according to the
commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them
provisions for the way.

Also he gave each man a change of raiment;
but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces
of silver and five changes of raiment.

To his aged father he sent after this manner :
ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt
and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread
and meat for his father by the way.

So he sent his brethren away and they de-
parted; and he said unto them, See that ye fall
not out by the way.

One morning in the old home in Canaan
Jacob looked forth and saw a great train ap-
proaching, and when Benjamin, fleet of foot,
ran ahead and threw his arms about his
father's neck and the amazing word was said,

162

I AM JOSEPH

Joseph is alive and is ruler of the whole land
of Egypt, it seemed to him a fairy tale. He
could not understand it. He grew faint and
ill. Through weary years he had mourned bit-
terly for a Joseph who was dead. And now
they told him Joseph was living. He thought
they were deceived. But he looked out and
there were the wagons standing by the door.
His spirit revived. He believed when he saw
the wagons.

Then Jacob said, It is enough; Joseph my
son is yet alive; I will go and see him before
I die.

163

XX

JACOB IN EGYPT

TO an old patriarch like Jacob it was no
small matter to leave his home and go
away to live in a land he did not know. It
was like transplanting an old oak tree. But
God spoke to him in a vision and told him to
go. God said, I will go down with thee to
Egypt and I will surely bring thee up again,
and Joseph shall surely put his hand on thine
eyes.

So Jacob went with all his children and
grandchildren, a very great company.

Joseph made ready his chariot and went to
the border to meet him. They met in the land
of Goshen. Joseph fell on his father's neck
and kissed him and Jacob's heart was com-
forted at last.

Joseph instructed his family what to say
when they should be presented to Pharaoh.
He brought five of the twelve before the king
and, when the king graciously asked their oc-
cupation, they said, To sojourn in the land we

164

JACOB IN EGYPT

have come, for the famine is sore in Canaan
and thy servants have no pasture for their
flocks.

Pharaoh was very kind. He said to Joseph,
The land of Egypt is before thee. In the best
of it make thy father and thy brethren dwell.
If any of the men are competent make them
rulers over my cattle.

When Joseph brought in his venerable
father and presented him to Pharaoh, the aged
Jacob spread out his hands and gave the great
king his blessing.

Pharaoh said to Jacob, How old art thou?

And Jacob answered Pharaoh, The days of
the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred
and thirty years; few and evil have the days of
my life been, and have not attained unto the
days of the years of the life of my fathers in
the days of their pilgrimage.

Though Joseph had his family near him in
the fruitful land of Goshen, he could not stay
with them, for the famine now began to be
felt keenly everywhere, growing worse as the
years went on. His hands were full, manag-
ing the king's revenues and keeping the peace

165

THE STORY BIBLE

and little by little, in the latter part of the
famine, Joseph bought up the land of the
Egyptians and made them pay more and more
in taxes to the crown. But they had food and
seed for future harvests and they did not much
complain. Joseph was a wise and shrewd man
who knew how to govern others. The dreams
of his youthful days had come true.

His old father lived seventeen years after
he came to Egypt and died when he was one
hundred and forty-seven years old. He had
had a mingled life, a good deal of success and
a good deal of sorrow, but he loved and served
God and, dying, he blessed his sons and fore-
told what should happen to them long years
afterward.

To Joseph, he gave the most beautiful bless-
ing of all. He laid his old wrinkled hand on
the heads of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim, and to Ephraim he gave the better
blessing, though Joseph begged him to re-
member that Manasseh was the first born.

He said, The Angel who redeemed me from
all evil bless the lads; and let my name be
named on them and the name of my fathers,

1 66

JACOB IN EGYPT

Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into
a multitude in the midst of the earth.

He said to Joseph, Behold, I die, but God
shall be with you and bring you again into the
land of your fathers.

To each of his sons the old man spoke a
beautiful last word, but this was what he said
to Joseph:

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful
bough by a well, whose branches run over the
wall:

The archers have sorely grieved him and
shot at him and hated him.

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms
of his hands were made strong by the hands
of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is
the shepherd, the stone of Israel).

Even by the God of thy father, who shall
help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall
bless thee with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lieth under.

The blessings of thy father have prevailed
above the blessings of my progenitors unto
the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they
shall be on the head of Joseph and on the

167

THE STORY BIBLE

crown of the head of him that was separate
from his brethren.

The long life was ended. Jacob was gath-
ered to his fathers. The physicians of Egypt
embalmed his body and Joseph, with a great
train, went up to Canaan to bury his father.
The sons of Jacob left their wives and their
little ones in Goshen and they went to the old
burial place that Abraham had bought from
Ephron the Hittite. Here Jacob had wished
to be laid beside Isaac and Abraham.

The brothers felt a little afraid that Joseph
would not be their friend when his father was
gone, but he told them not to fear. He spoke
to them most lovingly.

Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten
years old. When he died he charged his peo-
ple, at some future day, to carry his bones to
Canaan. His body was embalmed and put in
a coffin in Egypt.

Four hundred years passed by. Then a
child was born who became a great leader of
his people, and he took the bones of Joseph
away from Egypt and bore them to the land of
Canaan.

168

XXI
THE BASKET AMONG THE REEDS

IT was all well with the Hebrews so long
as Joseph lived. But in the years after
Joseph died great changes came to pass. The
Pharaoh of Joseph's time died too and the
kings of his line all died as the centuries went
by. Other kings came, kings who knew noth-
ing about Joseph and cared nothing for the
services he had rendered the ancient Pharaoh.
They saw the increasing host of the Hebrews
with great dislike and jealous fear and op-
pressed them with a heavy hand. They made
them serve with hard and bitter bondage, set
stern taskmasters over them, and compelled
them to build cities and other great works.
It is thought that the great pyramids, that
some of you may one day see, were built by
the toil of the poor Hebrews.

They were made to labor in the field, to
labor with mortar and brick; if they did not
do what their taskmasters appointed they

169

THE STORY BIBLE

were beaten and their lives were terribly hard,
so that they longed to get out of this dread-
ful land and away from this cruel bondage.

Pharaoh finally became more cruel than
ever. He hated to see this race that was toil-
ing for him grow stronger by the births of
children and he made a law that every little
Hebrew baby, if a boy, should be thrown into
the river and drowned. He sent men about to
snatch the babies from their mothers and the
mothers were frantic with grief. A king's
edict though ever so cruel could not be dis-
obeyed.

All over the land of Goshen there were
empty cradles. The little girls were spared
but the boys were slain.

Little did Pharaoh care. His heart was
hard as flint.

One mother there was who hid her babe
away. She watched and, when she saw a spy
coming, she kept her baby out of his clutches.
But she knew that she could not do this very
long. By and bye the baby's cries would
surely be heard.

She hit upon a good plan. She took some
170

THE BASKET AMONG THE REEDS

of the long pliant rushes that grew by the
River Nile and wove of them a basket, a
basket like a little cradle. She made it water-
proof with pitch, and she lined it with a little
soft quilt and in it she laid her rosy baby when
he was fast asleep. She carried basket and
baby and tucked them down in a hiding place
among the reeds by the river's brink. The
baby's sister stood, not close by, but near
enough to see what might befall the little one.
No doubt the mother watched too, coming
and going. They were afraid of the croco-
diles, but not half so afraid of them as of the
cruel soldiers of the wicked king.

After awhile the king's daughter with her
maidens came down to the river to bathe. She
soon noticed the pretty basket among the
reeds.

Go and bring that basket to me, she ordered
a maid, and the basket was brought.

Open it, she commanded.

It was opened, and there lay the most beau-
tiful child the princess had ever seen.

Oh, the sweet babe! she cried, the darling!
Lift him and give him to me.

171

THE STORY BIBLE

The babe had cried, frightened by the
strange faces. The princess knew at once that
he was a child of the Hebrews, a child her
father meant to kill. But she determined to
save this little one. Her heart was full of pity.

Just then a little girl came running up, all
out of breath.

Shall I go, she said, and call a nurse for
thee, from the Hebrew women, to nurse this
baby?

Yes, said the princess, Go. The girl needed
no second bidding. Away she ran and
brought her mother.

Take this child, said Pharaoh's daughter,
and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy
wages.

The beautiful child grew; and when he was
old enough, the mother took him to the king's
daughter and he became her adopted son. And
she called him Moses because, she said, I drew
him out of the water.

172

XXII

MOSES IN THE DESERT

THE little child whom the princess
brought up was taught everything a
child ought to know. There were learned
men in Egypt then, and they became his
teachers. He grew up graceful, polished and
refined, and the learning of the best schools
was his.

Later on, when Moses was older, he was
spoken of as the meekest of men. As a youth
he was not meek but was of a quick and fiery
temper. His own mother, who had been his
nurse, had not let him forget that he was a
Hebrew and, though brought up by an Egyp-
tian lady, he was filled with the love for his
own people that his Jewish mother felt.

When he was a young man he stood one
day looking on where the Hebrews were toil-
ing in the hot sun under their cruel masters.
He saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew. Quick
as a flash his arm shot out and the Egyptian

THE STORY BIBLE

lay dead at his feet. He left him there with
the yellow sands drifting over his body.
Trained in the palace of the king he did not
care very much about having slain a man of
the common people. Such deeds were very
frequent.

But the next day when he saw two Hebrews
fighting he interfered and reproved them,
and one of them said tauntingly, Who made
you a prince and a judge over us? Are you
going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian
yesterday?

Moses knew that, if this report got abroad,
Pharaoh would kill him. He may not have
been a favorite with the king. Pharaoh did
try to kill him and Moses fled from the face of
Pharaoh.

He left the princess and the court and took
his journey into the land of Midian.

Weary and dusty he sat down by a wayside
well.

The priest of Midian had seven daughters
and they came to the well trough to water
their father's flocks.

Rough shepherds drove them away, but a
174

MOSES IN THE DESERT

stranger with gentle manners and a charming
air stood up, waved back the boorish crowd
and watered the sheep.

The young girls went home and told their
father the tale and he went out and invited
him into his house. One of the girls, Zip-
porah, became the wife of Moses.

Many years went silently by. The days
were exactly alike in the desert and Moses
lived the simple life of a humble shepherd and
was contented.

One day he saw something strange, a bush
all on fire. The red flames glowed in it, the
scarlet tongues played around it, but the bush
did not burn up. The fire glorified it. The
bush burned but was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside and
see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside
to see, God called unto him out of the midst of
the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he
said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not hither; put thy shoes
from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground.

i7S

THE STORY BIBLE

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his
face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the
affliction of my people which are in Egypt and
have heard their cry by reason of their task-
masters; for I know their sorrows;

And I am come down to deliver them out of
the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them
up out of that land unto a good land and a
large, unto a land flowing with milk and
honey; unto the land of the Canaanites and
the Hittites and the Amorites and the Periz-
zites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the chil-
dren of Israel is come unto me ; and I have also
seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians
oppress them.

Come now, therefore, and I will send thee
unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth
my people the children of Israel out of
Egypt.

And Moses said unto God, Who am I that
I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should

176

MOSES IN THE DESERT

bring forth the children of Israel out of
Egypt?

And God said, Certainly I will be with thee;
and this shall be a token unto thee that I have
sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the
people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon
this mountain.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, When I
come unto the children of Israel and shall say
unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent
me unto you; and they shall say to me, What
is his name; what shall I say unto them?

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I
AM ; and he said, Thou shalt say unto the chil-
dren of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

177

XXIII
LET MY PEOPLE GO

GOD further told Moses that Pharaoh
would not let the Hebrews go without
a great struggle. But He said they should
go and that they should not go forth empty.
They should carry forth gold and silver and
jewels, the spoil of the Egyptians, for which
they had worked hard and long.

Moses was very much afraid that he could
not plead with Pharaoh or become a real
leader of his people. He said, Lord, I am not
eloquent, I am slow of speech. I have a slow
tongue.

Who maketh the dumb or the deaf or the
seeing or the blind? said the Lord. I will be
with thee and teach thee what to say. And
Aaron, thy brother, will be glad to see thee
and he shall be my spokesman with the people.

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-
in-law, let him go with his wife and his sons
and they went down to Egypt. It was so long

i78

LET MY PEOPLE GO

since he had been there that the men who had
sought Moses' life were all dead.

In his hands he had a slender rod, the rod
of God. With this, Moses went in one day to
Pharaoh's court. He had previously told the
Hebrews that God had remembered them and
that they were to go back to their own land.

To Pharaoh he said boldly, Thus saith the
Lord God of Israel. Let my people go that
they may hold a feast unto me in the wilder-
ness.

Pharaoh utterly refused.

Who is the Lord, he exclaimed, and why
should I obey Him? I know not the Lord,
and I will not let Israel go.

Moses and Aaron tried again to persuade
him. The God of the Hebrews, they said,
hath met with us. He would have His people
go into the desert and offer sacrifices to Him.

The king was in a rage.

What do you mean, O Moses and Aaron,
he cried, by making the people dissatisfied?
Let them work. Get you to your burdens.

Then he sent for his taskmasters and or-
dered them to make the people of Israel work

179

LET MY PEOPLE GO

very much harder than they had ever done.
They were to make more bricks than they had
ever made and, if they did not fulfil their daily
tasks, they were to be beaten; but they were
not to have any straw given them with which
to make the bricks. They were to be scourged
with whips if the work was not done but they
were to find the stubble and straw for them-
selves. Their bondage was to be even worse
than before Moses interfered.

The people of Israel were always very un-
grateful and they had acquired by this time
the temper of slaves. They turned on Moses
and Aaron and angrily found fault with them.

You have made everything harder, they said
bitterly. Why could you not have left well
enough alone?

But Moses did not answer them. He only
went to God and prayed. In the desert he had
learned to pray.

180

XXIV
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT

AGAIN Moses stood before Pharaoh with
the same urgent plea. But he stood
bravely, now, as if he too were a king. For
God had said,

Now shalt thou see what I will do to
Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let
my people go and drive them out of his land. I
AM THE LORD. I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the Name of
God Almighty, but by My Name JEHOVAH
was I not known to them.

I have heard the groaning of the children of
Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage
and I have remembered my covenant.

The people were so crushed that they paid
very little attention to Moses, but he kept right
on preaching to them, praying for them and
speaking right out of his heart to Pharaoh.

One morning Pharaoh stood by the river
and from among the rushes arose Moses.

181

THE STORY BIBLE

He said, O King Pharaoh, the Lord God
says, Let my people go.

And if you still refuse I will smite this river
with the rod in my hand, and all its sweet pure
waters shall be turned into blood. The fish
shall die. Every drop of water in streams and
wells and in Pharaoh's house shall be turned
to blood unless you let the people of God go.
Pharaoh laughed. But for seven days there
was no water in Egypt, only dark thick foul
smelling blood.

After this Moses brought on the land a
dreadful plague of frogs. They swarmed over
everything. They jumped out of the flour and
out of the bread pan, out of the pots in the
closet and the dishes on the table, out of the
couches and the cushions, out of the curtains
and the rugs. They were in everybody's
house alike. They overran the palace and the
hut and drove people fairly wild, from the king
to the poorest laborer.

Now Pharaoh sent for Moses and said, En-
treat the Lord for me to take away this pest
of frogs and I will let the people go.

When shall I entreat the Lord? said Moses.
182

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT

To-morrow, answered Pharaoh.

To-morrow came and the frogs died. They
were swept out in heaps and burned, but, once
they were gone, Pharaoh's heart grew hard
and he again refused to let God's people go.

Other plagues God sent by Moses, plagues
of illness, of painful boils, of dreadful insects,
flies, locusts, hail and thick darkness. At each
plague Pharaoh promised to release the peo-
ple and, as soon as it was over, his heart grew
hard and he broke his word.

He would not let the people go.

At last there was sent a more dreadful visi-
tation than any that had gone before. The
locusts eating every green herb, the flies set-
tling down in a cloud, the darkness in which
people groped about in the daytime as if it
were the middle of the night, were bad
enough; but Pharaoh kept his stubborn reso-
lution through them all, not to let God's peo-
ple go.

But when nothing else would move him,
God sent down the Angel of Death.

183

XXV
THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER

THE Lord told Moses and Aaron to speak
to the children of Israel and bid them
prepare for a new and solemn rite. It was the
beginning of a great national feast, to be kept
in all ages and known as the Passover. The
Jews keep it still, wherever they are; in their
homes it is as sacred now as when first their
fathers observed it in Egypt.

Each family was to take a lamb without
spot or blemish, kill it and, with its blood, put
a sign on the door posts of the house, on the
two side posts and the upper lintel. The flesh
of the lamb was to be roasted and the family
were to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs. Nothing was to be left over. What-
ever was left after the meal was to be burned.
They were to eat it, dressed for a journey and
in haste, their loins girded, their sandals on
their feet, every man with his staff in his hand.

184

THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER

Fathers and mothers and little ones were to
eat this meal together. It was the Lord's
Passover.

They did not yet fully understand what this
feast meant but on the night when they ate
it there came flying down on the wings of the
wind a dark and terrible angel. He did not
stop at or enter any house where the sign of
the blood was on the door. Every such house
the angel passed over. But every other house
in Egypt he entered and every flock and every
stall and every stable. Wherever the angel
entered there was instantly the death of the
first born of man or of beast. The king on
his throne, the beggar at the gate, the peasant
in the hut, the servant, the nobleman, the day
laborer, all alike were in deep and awful grief,
for each had lost at one blow a dear child.

But the angel had passed over the homes
where God's people dwelt. In their homes,
the homes of Pharaoh's slaves, were light and
music and mirth, and they kept a feast.

God commanded them to keep this feast for-
ever through all their generations. Ages later,
when Jesus came to earth, a Jewish Child

185

THE STORY BIBLE

brought up in a Jewish home, He kept the
Passover in His manhood with His disciples.

Still in the devout Hebrew household the
youngest child asks, What mean ye by this
service? and the father answers,

It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover,
who passed over the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians
and delivered our houses.

When the midnight fell, as the Angel of
Death went by there was a great cry in Egypt,
a cry of sorrow and despair. Pharaoh rose in
the night and sent for Moses and Aaron and
said,

Rise up, get you forth from among my peo-
ple, both ye and the children of Israel; and go,
serve the Lord as ye have said. Take your
flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be
gone! Then, he added, as an afterthought,
and bless me also.

For the moment his iron will was broken
and his hard heart was soft.

As for the Egyptians, they could not hurry
the Israelites away fast enough. They fairly
speeded them on their journey. Haste, haste,

1 86

THE STORY OF THE PASSOVER

they cried, get out of our borders or we shall .
all be dead men. They gave them whatever
they asked for.

The Israelites packed their possessions
swiftly; they did not need to be urged. The
women took the dough that was in their
kneading bowls and bound it just as it was in
bundles on their shoulders; they snatched up
their children and ran as if for life.

Jacob and his sons had brought in to Egypt
a little company four hundred and thirty years
earlier. They left Egypt an immense host,
six hundred thousand men, besides women and
children. They had, besides, great droves of
cattle. A mixed multitude of other people fol-
lowed them, some probably of the baser type
of Egyptians, and this rabble caused them
trouble before they reached the land of
Canaan. The hosts of the Lord were none
the better for the worshippers of idols who be-
came their camp followers.

God was now with Moses all the time, giv-
ing him marching orders. He told him not to
lead the Israelites by the shortest route lest
the warlike Philistines should frighten them,

i87

THE STORY BIBLE

but to go by a roundabout pathway through
the wilderness that skirted the Red Sea.

By day the Lord tempered the fierce desert
heat for them by a vast pillar of cloud.

By night He guarded their steps by a great
pillar of fire; and so they journeyed onward
from Egypt to the Promised Land.

188

XXVI
THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA

BEFORE very long Pharaoh began to re-
gret his hasty action in letting go so
great a number of people who were useful
to him in his kingdom. He did not mourn
very long for the child he had lost nor waste
much time before trying to get the Israelites
back.

He made ready his chariots and mustered
his horsemen. Six hundred chariots formed
his body guard. He rallied his troops and
pursued the Hebrews and, as they were on
foot and encumbered with children, cattle and
sheep, he hoped soon to overtake them. He
would easily have routed them and driven
them back if earthly prowess and power
could have availed, but the Angel of the Lord
fought for Israel. By day the pillar of cloud
confused him while it sheltered them. It was
like a blanket of fog to Pharaoh and hindered
him greatly. At night the pillar of fire that

189

THE STORY BIBLE

guided the Israelites was a pillar of smoke
and darkness to the foe.

But the Egyptian army came so near at last
that the Hebrews were in despair. Remem-
ber, children, that they had the hearts of
slaves. They had so long been terrified by
their oppressors that their courage was gone
and they had as yet very little real faith in
JEHOVAH.

When they found themselves with the sea
in front of them and the enemy behind they
stormed at Moses.

Was it because there were no graves in
Egypt that thou hast taken us to die in the
wilderness? We might far better have stayed
in Egypt and served than have been brought
here to perish.

But the undaunted soul of Moses did not
waver. He stood there, splendid and strong.

Fear not, he said: Stand still and see the
salvation of God, which He will show you to-
day. The Egyptians whom ye see this day ye
shall see no more forever.

The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall
hold your peace.

190

THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA

Moses called on God for help. He knew
God would not forsake him now. Ringing
down from heaven into the brave heart came
the answer of JEHOVAH,

Speak unto the children of Israel that they
go forward.

Where and how were they to go? There
was the Red Sea before them, its waves toss-
ing; there was no bridge; there were no boats.

Speak unto the children of Israel that they go
forward.

Moses lifted up that wonderful magical rod
of his over the sea. As he did so, the great
billows rolled back before a mighty east wind
that blew and blew and blew all one night; the
fugitives walked over the dry bed of the sea,
with the billows like a wall of emerald beyond
them. Every man, every woman, every child,
every hoof went safe across the Red Sea. Con-
fused by the strange cloud that was the pro-
tection of the Hebrews, Pharaoh and his host
in the wake of the long column came dashing
furiously on. They rushed headlong after it
into the dry bed of the sea, as the hunter
rushes on the heels of his prey.

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THE STORY BIBLE

The heavy chariots stuck fast in the wet
sand and the wheels came off. The host of
Pharaoh were discouraged. Well they might
be. One to another they said, Let us flee from
the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for
them against the Egyptians.

As they spoke, the rear guard of the He-
brews touched the opposite shore and Moses
lifted up that terrible rod. Back fell the great
green wall of water. The sea returned to its
place and swallowed up the king and his men.
Pharaoh and his chariots were lost in the en-
gulfing waves; Moses and his people sang
praises to JEHOVAH.

192

XXVII
FORTY WEARY YEARS

ALTHOUGH the children of Israel were
safely over the Red Sea, with Pharaoh
and his host drowned in its depths, their trou-
bles were not at an end. They had been in
bondage so long that they had lost their an-
cient spirit; as you have seen by their murmur-
ing against Moses, they had very little cour-
age. Besides this they had lost, among their
heathen neighbors, the old reverence for their
fathers' God, and many of them had taken up
idol worship. The mixed multitude who were
with them, composed of the lowest classes in
Egypt, the idle and the ignorant, helped to
stir up the worst elements in the Hebrews.
Moses had a tremendous task before him in
making laws for such people, people who
thought being free meant to have no laws at
all. He and Aaron had again to teach them
the religion and the rites of Abraham, Isaac

193

THE STORY BIBLE

and Jacob, and, as they set out to the Promised
Land, which was now occupied by wild and
hostile tribes, the two brothers were often dis-
couraged. But God was with Moses and
Aaron.

As the Hebrews were not yet fit for either
freedom or fighting, God kept them for forty
years in the wilderness. This great wilder-
ness was their schoolroom. All the time they
were under God's constant care. He fed them
with manna, for little food could be found in
the desert.

This manna, a little round golden ball, fell
nightly from the sky and in the morning the
people gathered it and took it into their
tents. There was always just enough for
one day, except on the sixth day when enough
manna fell to last the whole camp two days.
God forbade the people to do any work, even
to gather manna, on the day of rest.

When they began, in their ingratitude, to
say that they did not care for manna and
wished they were back in Egypt to have leeks
and onions and flesh pots again, God sent
them quails in great abundance. But they ate

194

FORTY WEARY YEARS

the quails so greedily that they were made ill ;
and many died : they were thankful to have the
sweet healthful manna once more.

God gave them water to quench their thirst,
and spread his sheltering cloud above them to
keep away the fierceness of the desert sun.
Once Moses, angered at their continual com-
plaints, struck the rock at Horeb with his rod
and brought forth a stream of cool water, but
God was displeased with his servant for show-
ing a hot temper and rebuked him. Perhaps
Moses at that moment forgot that he was only
God's instrument; at any rate, it was because
of this sin that Moses never entered the Prom-
ised Land but only saw its beauty from a dis-
tance.

I think I must explain to you, children, what
the real meaning of meekness is, for, as I have
once before told you, Moses was praised for
his meekness. To be meek is not to be weak,
nor to be of a soft yielding nature, that gives
way to everybody without a struggle. To be
meek is to have a temper that is under your
control, as a horse is controlled by bit and
bridle. We are not to be praised if we have

195

THE STORY BIBLE

no temper, but if we have a quick temper and
govern it we are to be commended. To keep
back the hasty word, to be silent when people
make us angry, to think before we act, is to be
meek. There is nothing mean or cowardly in
meekness.

Moses had many seasons of prayer and of
communion with the Lord while the forty
years went by in the wilderness. The older
men were gradually dying and the younger
ones were growing up, under the teaching and
training of Aaron and Moses, during this long
period.

The Ten Commandments were spoken from
heaven and given to Moses at this time. Even
while Moses was communing with God on
the Holy Mount, the people at its foot per-
suaded Aaron to make for them a golden
calf which they might worship. They had
learned idol worship in Egypt. When Moses
came down from the Mount he had in his hand
two tables of stone on which God with His
own finger had written the law. In his in-
dignation at the wickedness of the people
Moses dropped these tables and they were

196

FORTY WEARY YEARS

dashed in pieces. Afterward, God again gave
his laws to Moses and Moses wrote them
down. Some day you will learn these com-
mandments by heart, and lay them up in
memory.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me;
thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
the heaven above, or that is in the earth be-
neath, or that is in the water under the earth;
thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor
serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jeal-
ous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me; and shew-
ing mercy unto thousands of them that love
me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy
work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of
the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any
workj thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,

197

THE STORY BIBLE

thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy
cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy
gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy
days may be long upon the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor
his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neigh-
bor's.

The neighboring peoples were much dis-
turbed when they saw the great hosts of the
Hebrews. They began to tremble and Balak,
King of the Amonites, took what he thought
was a splendid measure to get rid of them. He
sent for a prophet, a man supposed to know

198

FORTY WEARY YEARS

God's mind in what was going on in the earth,
and asked him to curse the intruders for him.

Balaam was not a very good man, though
he was a prophet and could foretell the future.
In his heart he hated the strange newcomers
and he wanted very much to please Balak, who
was ready to reward him if only he would
curse the Hebrews with a loud and deep curse.

Let nothing hinder thee from coming to me,
his message had been to Balaam. Behold,
there is a people come out of Egypt that
covereth the face of the earth.

But God said to Balaam in a voice that he
heard in his heart, and with a look he saw in
a vision.

Thou shalt not curse the people, for they are
blessed.

Balak promised the prophet great honor
and power and riches if only he would oblige
him.

But Balaam declared that if a house full of
silver and gold were given him, and all the
honor in the world, he dared not disobey the
word of the Lord.

Balaam was in an odd predicament. He
199

THE STORY BIBLE

was a prophet who unwillingly spoke what
God told him to speak but who had no love for
God in his heart. He rose early one morning,
saddled his ass, and set out for the mountains
of Moab.

An angel of God came out to bar his way
and stood before him with a drawn sword, but
Balaam rode right on. He did not see the
angel or the sword. Animals can sometimes
perceive sights that men do not see. The
dumb beast saw the angel and swerved out of
the road into the field, and Balaam smote her
for her stupidity.

Then the angel again barred the way. The
ass swerved and the prophet struck her. This
was repeated three times and then the poor
creature opened her mouth and said,

Why do you treat me so? What have I
done?

If I had a sword, cried the angry man, I
would kill you.

Did I ever do anything like this before? said
the ass. Is there not some reason? Why
treat me so cruelly?

At this, Balaam's eyes suddenly grew clear
200

FORTY WEARY YEARS

and he saw the angel standing there v/ith the
sharp and threatening sword. The angel told
him plainly that he owed his life to the ass
and warned him that he was to speak to Balak
nothing but the truth.

In the end, when the prophet stood before
Balak and his train of chiefs, he blessed Israel
again and again, for no curse would God let
him proclaim against them.

Moses kept on, while this by-play was made,
knowing nothing of it all. He had his work
to do. Busy with a thousand things, manag-
ing every little detail and settling every dis-
pute and carrying heavy burdens, when Moses
was an old man, one hundred and twenty
years old, the Lord took him home to heaven.
His eye was not dim. He was not feeble, nor
tottering, but he was tired and ready to go.
He said a great many beautiful farewell words
to the people.

One day the Lord said to his servant Moses,
Go up into the Mountain of Nebo in the land
of Moab and view from there all the posses-
sions in the land of Canaan which I shall yet
give the children of Israel. There shalt thou

20 1

THE STORY BIBLE

die as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor.
Moses heard and obeyed. With steady step
and head erect and -eyes as keen as an eagle's,
he climbed the steep and lonely mountain and
looked across at the hills and valleys that were
widespread before him. Then he saw another
and more beautiful land above him, a land so
lovely that he was glad when the sky opened
and a band of white and shining angels came
flying down to him. Moses closed his eyes
and slept. The angels carried his brave soul
up to God, and they buried his body on the hill
top where it lay. No man ever found that
grave.

202

XXVIII
WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN

JOSHUA had a big enterprise on his hands
when he took command of Israel after
the death of Moses. But he had a trained
army, that by this time had learned to obey a
commander. By this time, too, the people had
learned to follow God's Will, and so they were
better prepared to cope with and conquer the
warlike tribes that had overrun the land of
Canaan. These tribes had to be driven out if
the Israelites were to settle down in peace and
be at rest.

The story in Joshua's career most fascinat-
ing to children is that of the siege and fall of
Jericho. This was a large and rich city sur-
rounded by strong walls. Joshua knew that
it was a great undertaking to attack this forti-
fied city. Before he made the attempt he had
a thrilling adventure. It was the dead of

203

THE STORY BIBLE

night, every one was fast asleep. The people
of Jericho could not get out, but the people of
Israel could not get in. Until Jericho was
theirs they could advance no further in the
capture of Canaan.

Joshua was walking alone on the edge of
his camp, looking at the beleaguered city,
when he suddenly saw a man with a bright
sword drawn in his hand.

Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
asked Joshua fearlessly.

Nay, said the man, As the Captain of the
Lord's host I am come. Then Joshua pros-
trated himself on the ground and worshipped,
for he knew that God was with him. In
Eastern lands it is customary for men to slip
off their shoes in a sacred place. You remem-
ber that Moses did this beside the burning
bush.

Loose thy shoes from off thy feet, said the
Captain of the Lord's host to Joshua. The
place whereon thou standest is holy.

Acting under the orders of this mysterious
personage, whom Joshua knew to be the Lord,
he undertook a curious line of assault on

204

WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN

Jericho. The Lord said, See, I have given into
thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and
the mighty men of valor.

And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of
war, and go around about the city once. Thus
shalt thou do six days.

And seven priests shall bear before the ark
seven trumpets of rams' horns; and the
seventh day ye shall compass the city seven
times and the priests shall blow with the
trumpets.

And it shall come to pass that, when they
make a long blast with the rams' horns and
when ye hear the sound of the trumpets, all the
people shall shout with a great shout; and the
wall of the city shall fall flat and the people
shall ascend every man straight before him.

And Joshua, the son of Nun, called the
priests and said unto them, Take up the ark
of the covenant and let seven priests bear
seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark
of the Lord.

And he said unto the people, Pass on and
compass the city, and let him that is armed
pass on before the ark of the Lord.

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THE STORY BIBLE

And it came to pass, when Joshua had
spoken unto the people, that the seven priests
bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns
passed on before the Lord and blew with the
trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the
Lord followed them.

And the armed men went before the priests
that blew the trumpets, and the rearward
went after the ark, the priests blowing with
the trumpets as they went.

And Joshua had commanded the people,
saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise
with your voice, neither shall any word pro-
ceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you
shout; and then shall ye shout.

So the ark of the Lord compassed the city,
going about it once; and they came into the
camp and lodged in the camp.

And Joshua rose early in the morning and
the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

And seven priests bearing seven trumpets
of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went
on continually and blew with the trumpets:
and the armed men went before them; but the
rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the

206

WHEN JERICHO FELL DOWN

priests going on and blowing with the
trumpets.

And the second day they compassed the city
once and returned into the camp; so they did
six days.

And it came to pass, on the seventh day,
that they rose about the dawning of the day
and compassed the city after the same manner
seven times; on that day only they compassed
the city seven times.

And it came to pass, at the seventh time,
when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua
said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath
given you the city.

Strict commands were given to the He-
brews that there should be no plundering or
pillaging the city after its fall, no carrying
away of loot. A woman named Rahab, who
had shown a great kindness to Joshua's scouts
was to be saved alive, with her household. All
others were to perish with the city and the sil-
ver, gold, brass and iron were to be seized, not
by the soldiers, but by those in command, for
the treasury of the Lord.

In every age, dear children, war has been
207

THE STORY BIBLE

unspeakably cruel. These old Bible wars
were cruel. So have been the wars of all his-
tory, down to the latest war that you have
read about in the newspapers. Horror and
fire and death belong to war. Yet we all
enjoy hearing of battles and sieges and I sup-
pose we always shall. At all events, I hope
when we do fight, we shall always fight on the
right side.

Speaking of loot, a man named Achan dis-
obeyed Joshua and hid a wedge of gold and a
rich garment in his tent; being found out, he
and his whole family were put to death and
everything they had was burned up, by a mil-
itary order.

But to go back a little. After the seven
days' tramp, tramp, tramp, around the
doomed city, with the incessant noise of
trumpets, the people shouted with a great
shout and the strong walls of Jericho fell flat.
No blow had been struck. The walls simply
fell and Jericho was taken.

208

XXIX
THE STORY OF GIDEON

THE Hebrews, after the stormy days of
Joshua, succeeded in driving out their
foes and taking possession of their land. In
a way, the land belonged to them, for it had
belonged to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and
God had told them it should be theirs. And
in this world, whoever fights manfully and
lives according to God's laws gets the upper
hand of his foes in the end. But I am always
a little sorry for the Hivites and the Hittites,
the Amorites and the Perrizites, those chil-
dren of the land of Canaan who faded away
before Israel as our own Red men have faded
away before us on this continent. It was right
they should go, but I am sorry for them.

They had many a tough tussle before they
got through with the Moabites and the
Midianites, who were always making forays

209

THE STORY BIBLE

and dashing out of ambuscades. Whenever,
too, the Israelites forgot God, the battle went
against them.

There came a time when the children of
Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he
delivered them into the hand of the Midianites
for seven years.

The Midianites drove the Israelites before
them and made them hide in dens and caves
and strongholds in the mountains. They
could not plant or sow or reap, for the Midian-
ites pounced upon their fields and the bands of
Midian stole their oxen, their cattle, and their
sheep.

The Midianites were like grasshoppers for
multitude and had camels without number.

At last, when the children of Israel were
disheartened, they did what they ought to
have done at first. They repented of their
sins and cried to the Lord for relief.

Now we come to Gideon. He was a young
man of noble family, a man who loved his
country and mourned over her sad plight. He
was threshing his father's wheat by stealth,
that he might save it from the enemy's hordes,

210

THE STORY OF GIDEON

when he looked up and saw an angel sitting
under the shadow of a great oak.

The angel said, The Lord is with thee, thou
mighty man of valor.

Alas! said Gideon, if the Lord be with us
how is it that we are so crushed? Why have
all these evils befallen us and where are all
the miracles of which our fathers told us?

The answer was, Go, thou, in this thy might,
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of
the Midianites; have not I sent thee?

And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, where-
with shall I save Israel? behold, my family is
poor in Manasseh and I am the least in my
father's house.

And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will
be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midian-
ites as one man.

But Gideon answered, If now I have found
grace in thy sight then show me a sign that
thou talkest with me.

Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come
unto thee, and bring forth my present and set
it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until
thou come again.

211

THE STORY BIBLE

And Gideon went in and made ready a kid
and unleavened cakes of fine flour; the flesh
he put in a basket and the broth in a pot and
brought them out unto him under the oak and
presented them.

And the angel of the Lord said unto him,
Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes and
lay them upon this rock and pour out the
broth. And he did so.

Then the angel of the Lord put forth the
end of the staff that was in his hand and
touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes;
and there rose up fire out of the rock and con-
sumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes.
Then the angel of the Lord departed out of
his sight.

And when Gideon perceived that he was an
angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord
God ! for I have seen an angel of the Lord face
to face.

And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto
thee; fear not; thou shalt not die.

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the
Lord and called it Jehovah-shalom; unto this
day it is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

212

THE STORY OF GIDEON

The first thing Gideon proceeded to do was
to break down an altar the men of Israel had
dared to build in honor of a heathen god,
named Baal, and to cut down the grove that
surrounded the altar. Having thus purged
the city of its wicked idolatry, he was ready
to go en. And the spirit of the Lord came on
Gideon and he blew a trumpet and sent mes-
sengers up and down to bid all true men rally
to his standard.

Then, his faith being not quite firm, he
sought a sign from God.

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save
Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the
floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only and
it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall
I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine
hand, as thou hast said.

And it was so ; for he rose early on the mor-
row and thrust the fleece together and wrung
the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine
anger be hot against me and I will speak but
this once; let me try, I pray thee, but this

213

THE STORY BIBLE

once with the fleece; let it now be dry only
upon the fleece and upon all the ground let
there be dew.

And God did so that night; for it was dry
upon the fleece only and there was dew on all
the ground.

Was not God very kind to convince Gideon
by this sign, just as a father might convince a
trembling child? But Gideon needed great
encouragement.

Next morning he rose very early and looked
around on his army. It was a large army of
earnest men, hurriedly gathered from the
borders of Asher, Zebulon and Naphtali.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people
that are with thee are too many for me to give
the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel
vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine
own hand hath saved me.

Now, therefore, go to, proclaim in the ears
of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful
and afraid, let him return and depart early
from Mount Gilead. And there returned of
the people twenty and two thousand; and
there remained ten thousand.

214

THE STORY OF GIDEON

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people
are yet too many; bring them down unto the
water and I will try them for thee there; and
it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, This
shall go with thee, the same shall go with
thee; this shall not go with thee, the same
shall not go.

Gideon brought down the people unto the
water: and the Lord said, Every one that
lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog
lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; like-
wise every one that boweth down upon his
knees to drink.

And the number of them that lapped, put-
ting their hand to their mouth, were three hun-
dred men : but all the rest of the people bowed
down upon their knees to drink water.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three
hundred men that lapped will I save you and
deliver the Midianites into thine hand; and
let all the other people go every man unto his
place.

So the people took victuals in their hand
and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest
of Israel, every man unto his tent, and re-

215

THE STORY BIBLE

tained those three hundred men; and the host
of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

In the same night the Lord said to Gideon,
Arise and go down to the host, for I have de-
livered it into thine hand.

But if thou fear to go down alone, go thou
with Phurah thy servant to the host.

And thou shalt hear what they say; and
afterward shall thine hands be strengthened.

Then went he down with Phurah his serv-
ant unto the outside of the armed men that
were in the host.

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and
all the children of the East lay along in the
valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and
their camels were without number, as the sand
by the seaside for multitude.

And when Gideon was come, behold, there
was a man that told a dream unto his comrade
and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo,
a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host
of Midian and came unto a tent; and smote
it that it fell and overturned it, that the tent
lay along.

And his comrade answered, This is noth-
216

THE STORY OF GIDEON

ing else save the sword of Gideon the son
of Joash, a man of Israel; for into his hand
hath God delivered Midian and all the host.

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream
and the interpretation thereof, he worshipped,
and returned unto the host of Israel, and said,
Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your
hand the host of Midian.

And he divided the three hundred men into
three companies, and he put a trumpet into
every man's hand, with an empty pitcher, and
a lamp within the pitcher.

And he said unto them, Look on me, and do
as I do. When I come to the outside of the
camp watch me.

When I and my band blow with a trumpet,
then blow ye the trumpets also on every side
of the camp and shout, The sword of the Lord
and of Gideon!

So Gideon and the hundred men that were
with him came unto the outside of the camp in
the beginning of the middle watch; and they
had but newly set the watch; and they blew
the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were
in their hands.

217

THE STORY BIBLE

The clamor of the trumpets, the crashing
of the pitchers, the magnificent war cry, were
too much for the surprised camp. They ran
and cried and fled; and in the dark they fought
each other and Gideon won a great victory.

There are some lessons here for you and me.
With God on our side we need fear no foe.
God does not want feeble, faint hearted people
in his battles. He wants brave people who will
overcome every obstacle by sheer courage.
God wants people who will use the means He
gives them in precisely His way. When we
are right we may go fearlessly on. As Faber
says,

For right is right as God is God,
And right the day must win.

To doubt would be disloyalty,
To falter would be sin.

Nor can any of us have a better war cry than
this of the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
Only in our case it may be the sword of the
Lord and of Julian, the sword of the Lord and
of Frederick, the sword of the Lord and of
John, or whatever else the name.

218

XXX
SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

IF there is anything that boys admire, and
that girls too think very fine, it is
strength. A boy likes to show his muscle. He
is proud if he can lift a great weight, run a
long distance, pitch a good ball, wrestle and
box and do whatever shows skill and courage
and athletic force. A boy's sister likes to be
strong, too, but she does not mind being less
so than her brother.

When you are old enough to study mythol-
ogy you will read the wonder stories of the
Greeks and will see their great hero, Hercules,
performing strange feats of valor. In a very
dark age of the Hebrews, when the battles
they fought with the Philistines were all go-
ing wrong and their hearts were faint with
distress, a Hebrew Hercules arose and Sam-
son was his name.

He belonged to the tribe of Dan, and his
219

THE STORY BIBLE

father's name was Manoah. For a long time
Manoah and his wife had been childless.
Finally an angel of the Lord came and prom-
ised them a son. This son was to be very care-
fully brought up, was never to drink wine or
any fiery spirit, and his hair was never to be
cut.

The good parents obeyed the angel. Sam-
son grew up in their home, strong, clean, and
devoted to his country. As the Lord had been
with Gideon, the Lord was with him.

When he was a young man he one day went
into the country of the Philistines when the
grapes were purple in the vineyards. He was
marching gaily along with great strides when,
out against him in the path, what should come
but a young lion with tawny mane, roaring
and springing upon him. Was Samson
afraid? Not a bit. The spirit of the Lord
came mightily on him and, with his bare
hands, he seized the lion, shook it and tore it
open, throwing it down dead. He had no
weapon, but his hands were enough for this
deed. He thought so little about what he had
done that he did not mention it to his father

220

SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

and mother, but went on into Timnath of the^
Philistines, where lived a girl of their people
who pleased him well. This girl became his
wife. Returning after he had visited her, he
saw that the carcass of the lion had been se-
lected by a swarm of bees for their hive and he
took of the honey and ate and carried a feast
home to his people. At a banquet a little later
Samson propounded a riddle.

Out of the eater came forth meat and out
of the strong came forth sweetness.

Nobody could guess the riddle.

The Philistines asked Samson's wife to coax
him to reveal the answer but he would not tell
her, though she pleaded and wept. Finally he
yielded to her and said, What is sweeter than
honey and what is stronger than a lion? But
coldness had arisen between him and his wife
and she stayed with her own people and Sam-
son went back to his. It was a mistake for
a son of Manoah the Hebrew to marry a
daughter of the Philistines. Out of the quar-
rels with her and her family that followed,
Samson grew to hate the Philistines with
great bitterness. In order to be revenged

221

THE STORY BIBLE

on them he sent three hundred foxes, tied to-
gether with firebrands lighted between their
tails, into the standing corn of the Philistines.
This was very cruel, but the times were cruel
and Samson belonged to his times. The poor
foxes ran madly to and fro and set fire to the
corn, the grapes, the olives, and the fruit of
the Philistines, causing a great destruction.
When they tried to take Samson prisoner he
fought them one by one, or by twos and threes,
and killed so many that the rest ran away from
him in dire dismay. The men went down like
nine-pins before the blows which rained on
their heads like hail.

The Philistines could not take Samson
themselves but they encamped against the
men of Judah, and these men, wearied already
through many a lost battle, had no manhood
left.

Why are you come up against us? they cried
in a panic.

Come, cried the Philistines, Why have we
come? We have reason enough. We have
come to bind Samson, your champion, and we
are going to serve him as he has served us.

222

SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

Samson was dwelling on the top of a moun-
tain named Etam and this mountain was
really a rocky fortress.

He saw the three hundred men of Judah
crawling and creeping and climbing up the
steep sides of the fortress. When they were
near enough they said,

It's all very well for you, but the Philistines
are our rulers and masters and you are doing
us more harm than good. So we have come
to deliver you into their hands.

Very well, said Samson, who must have felt
a good deal of contempt for these cowards;
you may deliver me but swear that you will
not yourselves fall upon me and kill me.

Surely, they said, we will not kill you but
we are going to surrender you to the Philis-
tines so that we may have peace.

They bound him securely with new ropes
and carried their mighty captive down.

But, on the way, the spirit of the Lord pos-
sessed him and he snapped the ropes as if they
had been cobwebs and, picking up the jawbone
of an ass that lay beside the road, he sallied
forth in front of the astonished Hebrews, hud-

223

THE STORY BIBLE

dling in dismay behind him, and, single-
handed, slew a thousand Philistines.

The Philistines had had enough of trying to
seize Samson. They withdrew to their own
fastnesses and Samson became a judge over
his people and ruled them twenty years. At
the end of twenty years, Samson ventured into
a Philistine city called Gaza and the men of
the city, which had thick walls around it and
great gates built to resist attacking foes,
watched for hours that they might capture
him. Midnight came and they fell asleep. In
the morning they rubbed their eyes with as-
tonishment, for the gates of Gaza were miss-
ing. Samson had simply lifted them like feath-
ers, bolts and bars and massive stones, mere
playthings in his grasp, carried them to the
brow of a neighboring hill and left them stand-
ing there in plain sight.

But alas! Some time after this Samson fell
in love with a woman named Delilah. She
did not love him but she made believe that
she did and, through her, Samson's marvelous
strength was overcome.

The lords of the Philistines came to her
224

SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

and said, Entice Samson and see wherein
his great strength lieth and by what means
we may prevail against him, that we may bind
him to afflict him; and every one of us will
give thee eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Then Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I
pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth
and wherewith thou mightest be bound to af-
flict thee.

And Samson replied to her, If they bind me
with seven green twigs that were never dried
then shall I be weak and be as another man.

Then the lords of the Philistines brought
up to her seven green twigs which had not
been dried and she bound him with them.

Now there were men concealed, abiding
with her in the chamber. And she said so
that they could hear, The Philistines be upon
thee, Samson. And he brake the twigs as a
thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the
fire. So his strength was not known.

And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold,
thou hast mocked me, and told me lies; now
tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest
be bound.

' 225

THE STORY BIBLE

And he said unto her, If they bind me fast
with new ropes that never were used, then
shall I be weak and be as another man.

Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound
him with them and said, The Philistines be
upon thee, Samson. And there were spies
concealed in the chamber watching what
should happen. But Samson broke the ropes
that bound him as if they had been mere
threads. Then Delilah was very angry and
said, Hitherto thou hast mocked me and told
me lies. Tell me now truly wherewith thou
mightest be bound. Then Samson said to her,
If thou wilt weave the seven locks of my head
with the web, I will lose my great strength.

So she fastened his hair with the pin and
said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and
went away with the pin of the beam and with
the web.

And she said unto him, How canst thou say,
I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?
thou hast mocked me these three times and
hast not told me wherein thy strength lieth.

And it came to pass, when she pressed him
226

SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

daily with her words, and urged him, so that
his soul was vexed unto death, that he told
her all his heart and said unto her: There hath
not come a razor upon mine head; for I have
been a Nazarene unto God since my birth; if
I be shaven then my strength will go from me
and I shall become weak and be like any other
man.

And when Delilah saw that he had told her
all his heart she sent and called for the lords
of the Philistines, saying, Come up at once,
for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the
lords of the Philistines came up unto her and
brought money in their hand.

And she made him sleep upon her knees;
and she called for a man and she caused him
to shave off the seven locks of his head; and
she began to afflict him and his strength went
from him.

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee,
Samson. And he awoke from his sleep and
said, I will go out as at other times before and
shake myself. And he wist not that the
Lord was departed from him.

Poor Samson! By God's order his hair
227

THE STORY BIBLE

was never to be cut. When he disobeyed God
and allowed his locks to be shorn his strength
went away in a moment.

The Philistines carried him in triumph to
Gaza. Its walls and gates could imprison him
safely now. First they put out his eyes. Then
they bound him with chains of brass. Then
they made him grind corn in their dungeon.

Blind and bound and a slave, behold Sam-
son, weaker than any, who was the other day
so strong ! The Lord had departed from him.
Samson, poor fellow, had found this out too
late. In his gloomy prison he began to think,
perhaps to be sorry for his sins, perhaps to
repent his foolish confidence in himself and to
pray to God. His hair began to grow again
and his strength to return.

One day the lords of the Philistines gath-
ered themselves together to offer a great sacri-
fice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, for,
they said, Our god hath delivered Samson, our
enemy, into our hand.

The Philistines were beyond measure de-
lighted, for now they thought they would see
their god's revenge upon Samson. It came

228

SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN

to pass, when their hearts were merry, that
they said, Call for Samson, that he may make
us sport. So they called Samson out of the
prison house; and he made them sport; and
they set him between the pillars. They
wished him to perform for their amusement.

And Samson said unto the lad that held him
by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the
pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I
may lean upon them.

Now the house was full of men and women;
and all the lords of the Philistines were there;
and there were upon the roof about three
thousand men and women that beheld while
Samson made sport.

And Samson called unto the Lord and said,
O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and
strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O
God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines
for my two eyes.

And Samson took hold of the two middle
pillars upon which the house stood and on
which it was borne up, of the one with his
right hand and of the other with his left,

And Samson said, Let me die with the
229

THE STORY BIBLE

Philistines. And he bowed himself with all
his might; and the house fell upon the lords
and upon all the people that were therein. So
the dead whom he slew at his death were more
than they whom he slew in his life.

Thus Samson died and was buried. Though
the strongest of men, he was in some ways
the weakest, and his story has its moral for us.

We are to obey God in what we fancy little
things. We are to choose good companions,
not bad ones. If sin gets hold of us it will
treat us as the Philistines treated Samson.
First it will blind our eyes and we shall not see
how horrid it is. Then it will bind us in fet-
ters of evil habits and take our strength away.
Then it will make us serve like slaves in its
prison house.

230

XXXI
RUTH AND NAOMI

ONCE, when a famine was sore in the land
of Israel, a certain man of Bethlehem-
judah went to stay awhile in the land of Moab.

He took with him his wife Naomi and his
two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. His name was
Elimelech.

In the land of Moab Elimelech died, and
Naomi, v/idowed and sorrowful, tarried there
with her two sons who had each found a wife
among the daughters of Moab. The name of
one was Orpah, the name of the other was
Ruth.

Ten years passed by and Mahlon and Chil-
ion both died. Naomi, longing for Bethlehem,
decided to go back to her old home. She was
lonely and homesick; her husband and her
sons gone, she hated the land of the stranger.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law
that she might return from the country of

231

THE STORY BIBLE

Moab; for she had heard that in the country
of Moab the Lord had visited his people in
giving them bread.

Wherefore she went forth out of the place
where she was and her two daughters-in-law
with her; and they went on the way to return
unto the land of Judah.

And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-
law, Go, return each to her mother's house;
the Lord deal kindly with you as ye have dealt
with the dead and with me.

The Lord grant that you may find rest, each
of you in the house of her husband. Then she
kissed them; and they lifted up their voices
and wept.

Their home had been in the house with
Naomi. At that time, as in Eastern lands
to-day, when a son married he brought his
wife home to live with his mother. These
daughters of Moab thought it was very hard
to let this old mother go back all alone to her
own land. They could not bear to do it, but
she insisted that they must.

Orpah at last kissed her mother-in-law and
said farewell but Ruth clung to her and re-

232

RUTH AND NAOMI

fused to be separated from Naomi. Ruth
must have loved Naomi very much. All this
shows that Naomi had been kind and loving
to her daughters-in-law.

When Orpah had gone Naomi said, Behold,
thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people
and unto her gods; return thou after thy sis-
ter-in-law.

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee
or to return from following after thee; for
whither thou goest I will go, and where thou
lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my
people and thy God my God.

Where thou diest will I die and there will I
be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more
also, if aught but death part thee and me.

When Naomi saw that Ruth was stead-
fastly minded to go with her, she left off speak-
ing against it to her.

So they two went until they came to Bethle-
hem; and it came to pass, when they were
come to Bethlehem, that all the city was
moved about them and they said, Is this
Naomi?

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi,
233

THE STORY BIBLE

call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt
very bitterly with me.

I went out full and the Lord hath brought
me home again empty; why then call ye me
Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against
me and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

So Naomi returned to her own people and
Ruth, the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law,
came with her from the country of Moab; and
they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of
the barley harvest.

Though Naomi was at home again she was
very, very poor and Ruth said to her, Let me
now go to the field and glean ears of corn
after him in whose sight I shall find favor.

And Naomi said to her, Go, my daughter.

Long years before, when Moses made laws
for the Israelites, he had given this rule, and
all devout land-owners observed it still:

When ye reap the harvest of your land, ye
shall not wholly reap the corners of your field,
neither shall ye gather the gleanings of your
harvest. Thou shalt not glean thy vineyard,
neither shalt thou gather every grape of
thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the

234

RUTH AND NAOMI

poor and the stranger. I am the Lord thy
God.

Ruth, the stranger from Moab, beautiful
and modest, went therefore to the fields of
Boaz and gleaned after the reapers, gathering
into her apron the ears that they left.

Boaz, a man of great wealth, was of the
kindred of Elimelech.

He came from Bethlehem and said to the
reapers, The Lord be with you, and they
answered gravely, The Lord bless thee.

Glancing over the wide field, his eye fell on
Ruth and he said,

Whose damsel is this?

And the servant that was set over the reap-
ers answered and said, It is the Moabitish
damsel that came back with Naomi out of the
country of Moab:

And she said, I pray you, let me glean and
gather after the reapers among the sheaves;
so she came and hath continued even from the
morning until now, that she tarried a little
in the house.

Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou
not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another

235

THE STORY BIBLE

field, neither go from hence, but abide here
fast by my maidens;

Let thine eyes be on the field that they do
reap and go thou after them; have I not
charged the young men that they shall not
molest thee? And when thou art athirst, go
unto the vessels and drink of that which the
young men have drawn.

Then she fell on her face and bowed herself
to the ground and said unto him, Why have I
found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldst
take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

And Boaz answered and said unto her, It
hath fully been showed me all that thou hast
done unto thy mother-in-law since the death
of thine husband; and how thou hast left thy
father and thy mother and the land of thy
nativity and art come unto a people which
thou knewest not heretofore.

The Lord recompense thy work and a full
reward be given thee of the Lord God of
Israel, under whose wings thou art come to
trust.

Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight,
my lord ; for that thou hast comforted me, and

236

RUTH AND NAOMI

for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine
handmaid, though I be not like unto one of
thine handmaidens.

And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come
thou hither and eat of the bread, and dip
thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside
the reapers; and they reached her parched
corn and she did eat and was sufficed and left.

And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz
commanded his young men saying, Let her
glean even among the sheaves and reproach
her not.

So she gleaned in the field until even, and
beat out that she had gleaned; and it was
about an ephah of barley.

And she took it up and went into the city;
and her mother-in-law saw what she had
gleaned; and she brought forth and gave to
her that she had reserved after she was suf-
ficed.

And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where
hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wrought-
est thou? blessed be he that did take knowl-
edge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-
law with whom she had wrought and said,

237

THE STORY BIBLE

The man's name with whom I wrought to-
day is Boaz.

And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law,
Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off
his kindness to the living and to the dead.
And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of
kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto
me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young
men until they have ended all my harvest.

And Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-
in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go
out with his maidens, that they meet thee not
in any other field.

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to
glean unto the end of the barley harvest and
of the wheat harvest; and dwelt with her
mother-in-law.

This is one of the loveliest stories in the
Bible. Ruth comforted her mother Naomi,
and Boaz, who was of Naomi's own kinsfolk,
watched the fair Ruth day by day. He saw
her winsome grace, and her sweetness to
Naomi pleased him and, having no wife, he
decided to marry Ruth. Among the Jews

238

RUTH AND NAOMI

there was a custom when a man died that his
nearest unmarried relative should marry the
widow. This explains the rest of the story.

At the gate of the town of Bethlehem, court
was held daily and, if land was bought or sold,
the deeds were certified there.

Then went Boaz up to the gate and sat him
down there; and, behold, the kinsman of
whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he
said, Ho, such a one ! turn aside, sit down here.
And he turned aside and sat down.

And Boaz took ten men of the elders of the
city and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat
down.

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that
is come again out of the country of Moab,
selleth a parcel of land which was our brother
Elimelech's.

And I thought to advertise thee, saying,
Buy it before the inhabitants and before the
elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it,
redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeem it, then
tell me that I may know; for there is none to
redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee.
And he said, I will redeem it.

239

THE STORY BIBLE

Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the
field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it
also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the
dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon
his inheritance.

And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it
for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance;
redeem thou my right to thyself: for I cannot
redeem it.

Now this was the manner in former times in
Israel concerning redeeming and concerning
changing, for, to confirm all things, a man
plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neigh-
bor; and this was a testimony in Israel.

Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy
it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all
the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I
have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all
that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of
Naomi.

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of
Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to
raise up the name of the dead upon his in-
heritance, that the name of the dead be not cut

240

RUTH AND NAOMI

off from among his brethren and from the gate
of his place; ye are witnesses this day.

And all the people that were in the gate, and
the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord
make the woman that is come into thy house
like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build
the house of Israel; and do thou worthily in
Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem :

And let thy house be like the house of
Pharez, whom Tamar bore unto Judah, of the
offspring which the Lord shall give thee of
this young woman.

So Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife and
she bare a son.

And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed
be the Lord which hath not left thee this day
without a kinsman that his name may be
famous in Israel.

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy
life and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy
daughter-in-law which loveth thee, which is
better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.

And Naomi took the child and laid it in her
bosom and became nurse unto it.

And the women, her neighbors, gave it a
241

THE STORY BIBLE

name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi;
and they called his name Obed: he is the father
of Jesse, the father of David.

So the fair Ruth, with her golden hair and
her soft eyes, a daughter of Moab, became a
mother and, in due time, when she was old, a
grandmother. Her grandson was David, of
whose royal line, in ages yet to be, the little
Child of Heaven should be born in Bethlehem.

242

XXXII
THE CHILD SAMUEL

YEAR by year the people of Israel kept the
great feasts of the Lord, and those who
could do so went away from their own homes
to worship at the temple in Shiloh. In this
temple there was an old priest named Eli. He
had served God many years and was a good
man.

One day, after the morning sacrifice was
over, Eli noticed a woman kneeling before the
altar. She seemed in great trouble and sobbed
and cried bitterly as she called on the Lord in
prayer. Eli thought she had been drinking
wine and he reproved her, saying that she was
behaving foolishly. How long wilt thou be
drunken ? he said ; put away thy wine from thee.

I think there was some excuse for Eli's mis-
take in the fact that he was an old man who
could not see so keenly as when he was young.
It must have hurt the poor woman very much
to be accused of so shameful a sin as intoxica-

243

THE STORY BIBLE

tion, and if she had made him an angry answer
no one could have been surprised. But she
was too anxious to be cross or fretful though
unjustly accused.

No, my lord, she said, patiently. I am a
woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk
neither wine nor strong drink but have poured
out my soul before the Lord.

Count not thine handmaid as a daughter of
Belial, for out of the abundance of my com-
plaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

Then Eli answered, Go in peace, and the
God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou
hast asked of him.

Very much comforted by these kind words
the woman arose and went on her way.

The woman was Hannah, the wife of a man
named Elkanah, a rich farmer and sheep
owner of Mount Ephraim. She had every-
thing on earth she wanted except one thing.
Her husband loved her and did all he could to
make her happy, but she had no child and she
was always wishing for one. Her heart was
like an empty nest. In the night she would
wake up and reach out her hand, trying to

244

THE CHILD SAMUEL

touch the little head she had been dreaming
about. Year after year she went with Elkanah
to the temple and prayed the good God to give
her a little son.

When another year came around Elkanah
went to Shiloh alone, for Hannah's prayer had
been heard and she had to stay at home and
nurse the most beautiful babe that ever mother
had. She named him Samuel, which means
Asked of God.

Before this baby's birth, when Hannah had
knelt in the temple, she had made a vow or
sacred promise to JEHOVAH that, if He an-
swered her request, she would give the child
to the Lord all the days of his life.

So when Elkanah went up by himself she
said, I am sorry, but I must now stay at home
until my little child is weaned; then I will
bring him that he may appear before the Lord
and there abide forever.

The good Elkanah agreed to this, for,
though he, too, loved Samuel dearly, he would
not keep him back when his mother had de-
voted him to God's service. When the little
one was weaned, which was after his third

245

THE STORY BIBLE

birthday, the father and mother went together
to the temple. Little Samuel went with them.
By this time he could walk and talk, of course,
and he knew already that he was a little child
of God and somehow different from all other
children.

The parents brought a present with them,
and in their train were three white bullocks
for a sacrifice.

Hannah went proudly up to Eli, leading her
beautiful boy.

Oh, my lord, she said, I am the woman who
stood by thee here, praying to the Lord. Dost
thou not remember? And she went on to tell
him all about it lest it had slipped from his
mind.

For this child I prayed, she said, and the
Lord heard and gave me my petition, there-
fore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as
he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.

I like the word she used, lent. She felt that
the Lord knew just what it meant for a mother
to part with her only son, and that son a mere
baby. Very likely she stayed at Shiloh for
awhile and cared for the boy, at least until he

246

THE CHILD SAMUEL

was a little older, but Samuel did not return
to Mount Ephraim. Elkanah went back
alone. Hannah, too, left Samuel in due time
and had other children whom she loved. But
every twelvemonth, when she came with her
husband to the temple, she brought Samuel a
little coat that she had made for him with her
own hands.

As for little Samuel, he lived with the good
old priest and wore a priest's white linen robe
and, though a child, did many little services
for the Lord in the temple. Eli had become
very frail and feeble and he was broken
hearted because his own two sons, Hophni and
Phineas, instead of being good, were as bad
as bad could be. They robbed the people who
brought offerings and they even dared to rob
God. They were wicked men though their
father was a saint. Samuel, with his sweet
temper and swift obedience and gentle ways,
was very dear to the old man. Samuel tried to
do whatever Eli told him. He did not say, In
a minute, or, Wait a little please, or, I can't,
it's too hard; but when Eli spoke, Samuel has-
tened to obey.

247

THE STORY BIBLE

And thus it came to pass that for Samuel
the words came true that our blessed Saviour
Jesus Christ spoke, thousands of years after,
in that same land of Judea,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God.

A most wonderful thing happened to
Samuel.

He was only a child, but he was wise beyond
his years, and daily he ministered to the Lord
before Eli. In those days the word of the
Lord was very precious. People had so wan-
dered away from the Lord that they did not
often see His face or hear His voice. Of old
He often talked with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, but now He hid His face and men did
not feel so near Him as their fathers did.

One night all was dark and still in the tem-
ple. The lamp in the little shrine where the ark
stood behind curtains had gone out: a lamp
that should have burned both night and day.

But Eli was old and his eyes were dim.
Hophni and Phineas neglected their duties.
Little Samuel lay down to sleep on his bed be-
fore the lamp went out.

248

THE CHILD SAMUEL

He was falling asleep as a child does,
quickly and soundly, when somebody called
him, not very loudly, but he heard his name.

Samuel !

Here am I, he answered, springing up and
running to Eli, for he thought the old man
had called him.

Lie down again, my son, said Eli. I did not
call thee.

Again came the call, clear, penetrating.
Samuel, Samuel! The boy ran to Eli, ex-
claiming, Here am I. Thou didst call me.
He could not imagine how it was, or why, but
he was sure it was Eli who summoned him.
Not yet did Samuel know that sometimes God
calls people by their names, not yet had God
whispered to him, Samuel I have called thee by
thy name. Thou art mine. But Eli knew.
Old Eli, who would so gladly have heard
God's call to him, whose heart felt a strange
pang, whose dim eyes were wistful, as he said,

I did not call thee, dear child. If the call
come again, say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant
heareth.

So Samuel went and lay down. And the
249

THE STORY BIBLE

third time the voice spoke, this time with an
accent of command, that even the child felt,
Samuel, Samuel!

Speak, for thy servant heareth, said the boy.

Then the Lord spoke to him. Many things
God tells children that He reveals to no one
else. Children are always a little nearer
heaven than older people are. But the things
God told Samuel were so sorrowful, so deep
and mysterious, that the boy was never the
same, never so much a child after that.

For it was revealed to him that the wicked
sons of Eli should soon meet a violent death,
that Eli himself should die suddenly and that,
worst of all, the ark of God would be taken
away by the Philistines. The ark of God was
the most sacred treasure of the Hebrews and,
after it was taken, Eli did not want to live.
In his misery and blindness, he stumbled and
fell, and was killed instantly. A child who
was born on that awful day was named by his
mother, Ichabod, which means, The glory is
departed, for the ark of God is taken.

As for Samuel, he grew more and more in
wisdom, and ruled his people many years.

250

XXXIII
THE RETURN OF THE ARK

THE Philistines were triumphant when
they found that they had captured the
ark of God. They carried it at once to the
temple of their idol god, Dagon, and their
priests set it before Dagon in pride as a
trophy.

Their boastfulness was not to last long.
The first morning after the ark had been left
in the house of Dagon, when the priests en-
tered, bowing low to the earth, there was
Dagon tumbled down from his pedestal and
lying helpless on the floor. Dagon was only
an image carved out of wood. How could he
help himself? The priests lifted him up and
set him back in his place.

Next morning, when they opened the door
of Dagon's house, there lay the poor idol, this
time a perfect wreck. His head was cut off.
He lay in a ruinous heap in his desolate house,
which no man ever entered again.

251

THE STORY BIBLE

But this was not enough. Ashdod, to which
place the ark of God was brought, was laid
waste with a fearful plague and the Philistines,
in the midst of their ravages and their forays,
stopped and began to think.

The ark of the God of Israel, said their wise
men, shall not abide with us. The God of
Israel has stretched cut His hand against us
and against Dagon our god.

They sent therefore and gathered all the
lords of the Philistines unto them and said,
What shall we do with the ark of the God of
Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of
the God of Israel be carried away unto Gath.
And they carried the ark of the God of Israel
thither.

And it was so that, after they had carried it
to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the
city with a very great destruction; and He
smote the men of the city, both small and
great.

Therefore they sent the ark of God to
Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of
God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried
out, saying, They have brought hither the ark

252

THE RETURN OF THE ARK

of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our
people.

So they sent and gathered together all the
lords of the Philistines and said, Send away
the ark of the God of Israel and let it go again
to its own place, that it slay not us and our
people; for there was a deadly destruction
throughout all the city; the hand of God was
heavy there. And the cry of the city went up
to heaven.

For seven long months the ark of God tar-
ried in the land of the Philistines. Then, in
despair, the Philistines sent it home. They
sent it home with gifts of gold and silver, hop-
ing to avert the wrath of the God whom they
did not worship.

They said, We will send the ark home in
a cart drawn by two cows, that have little
calves at home. If these cows go directly to
Beth-shemesh, where the Hebrews are, we
shall then be sure that it is their God who has
smitten us. If the ark wavers and turns aside,
if the two cows turn and go back to their
young, we shall know that the Hebrews' God
had nothing to do with our trouble.

253

THE STORY BIBLE

They watched. The cart went straight on
the high road to Beth-shemesh. It turned
neither to the right nor to the left.

The men of Beth-shemesh were reaping
their wheat in the valley. When they looked
up and saw the ark coming home they rejoiced
with shouting and offered sacrifices. But they
violated the sanctity of the ark by peeping in
it and by touching the gold and silver of the
Philistines. A great many of them died in
consequence and so the Beth-shemesh people
were afraid to be near the ark. They sent to
the men of Kirjath-jearim, begging them to
come and take it away. You see the Hebrews
were not in earnest in their worship of God.
They had become polluted by the heathen and
some of them followed the pagan rites of the
Philistines. It was just that they should be
punished as the Philistines were, for they were
really much more to blame than they. Every
Hebrew knew better than to touch the ark.

It was Samuel who gathered the people
together, and told them to repent of their sins
and return to their old love and reverence. He
prayed with them and for them. They burned

254

THE RETURN OF THE ARK

up their false gods and started anew in the
worship of God.

Then, when again they had a battle with
their enemies the Lord fought on their side
and the Philistines were discomfited.

The people of Israel had, until this point
in their history, been ruled by judges who
were told what to do or to leave undone by
God himself.

But now they wanted to have a king and
they began to ask for one. They were not
satisfied with Samuel, and they were discon-
tented with his sons, who, like Eli's sons in
other days, were corrupt and dishonest. Good
fathers do not always have good sons.

Behold thou art old, said the people. We
do not trust thy sons. Let us have a king as
other nations have.

255

XXXIV
THE FIRST KING

THERE was a good deal of discussion,
and Samuel explained that kings were
not the easiest people to get on with, that
they needed a great many servants and were
apt, in one and another way, to cost a good
deal of money. But the men of Israel were
set on their own way. A king they wanted
and the Lord told Samuel that he must find
them a king.

In the land of the tribe of Benjamin there
was then living a man named Kish, a mighty
man of power, and he had a son named Saul.
This youth was very tall, taller by head and
shoulders than anybody else in Israel, and a
goodly person, handsome and attractive.

It happened that the asses of Kish had
strayed away. They were valuable property
and Kish sent his son Saul to look for them.
Saul, with a servant, tramped up hill and
down dale, and days passed, but they could
not find the lost beasts. They went from

256

THE FIRST KING

place to place, inquiring, and seeking, but no
word did they hear of the asses.

Finally Saul said to the servant, Let us go
back, lest my father be anxious. He will leave
off worrying about the asses and think we are
lost.

The servant said, In this city that is near
us there lives a man of God. Let us go and
ask his advice. He will know what we would
better do.

But, said Saul, How are we to go to a man
of God? We have nothing to give him, no
present; we even have no bread left. What
shall we do?

I have a little money left, the servant said;
we will offer him that.

In those days money was heavy and was
weighed in scales. It was part of a servant's
burden. Not as now was it carried by the
owner of it, if any one else could relieve him.

Well said, replied Saul. We will go to the
seer.

And as they went up the hill to the city
they met young maidens going out to draw
water and said unto them, Is the seer here?

257

THE STORY BIBLE

And they answered him and said, He is;
behold, he is before you; make haste now for
he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacri-
fice of the people to-day in the high place.

As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall
straightway find him, before he go up to the
high place to eat; for the people will not eat
until he come, because he doth bless the sacri-
fice; and afterwards they eat who are bidden.
Now therefore get you up; for about this time
ye shall find him.

And they went up into the city; and when
they were come there, behold, Samuel met
them as he went up to the high place.

Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear
a day before Saul came, saying,

To-morrow about this time I will send thee
a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou
shalt anoint him to be captain over my people
Israel, that he may save my people out of the
hand of the Philistines : for I have looked upon
my people, because their cry is come unto me.

And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said
unto him, Behold the man whom I told thee
of! this man shall reign over my people.

258

THE FIRST KING

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate,
and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's
house is.

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am
the seer: go up before me unto the high place;
for thou shalt eat with me to-day, and to-mor-
row I will let thee go, and will tell thee all
that is in thine heart.

And as for thine asses that were lost three
days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they
are found. And on whom is all the desire of
Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy
father's house?

And Saul answered and said, Am not I a
Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of
Israel? and my family the least of all the fam-
ilies of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then
speakest thou so to me?

And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and
brought them into the guest-room, and made
them sit in the chief place among them that
were bidden, who were about thirty persons.

And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the por-
tion which I gave thee, of which I said, Set it
by thee.

259

THE STORY BIBLE

And the cook took up the shoulder, and that
which was upon it, and set it before Saul.
And Samuel said, Behold that which is left!
set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time
hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have
invited the people. So Saul did eat with
Samuel that day.

And when they were come down from the
high place into the city, Samuel communed
with Saul upon the top of the house.

And they arose early: and it came to pass
about the spring of the day, that Samuel
called Saul to the top of the house, saying,
Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul
arose, and they went out both of them, he and
Samuel, abroad.

And as they were going down to the end of
the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant
pass on before us (and he passed on), but
stand thou still awhile, that I may show thee
the word of God.

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured
it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is
it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to
be captain over his inheritance?

260

THE FIRST KING

When thou art departed from me to-day ?
then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's
sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah;
and they will say unto thee, The asses which
thou wen test to seek are found: and, lo, thy
father hath left the care of the asses, and taken
thought for you, saying, What shall I do for
my son?

Then shalt thou go forward from thence,
and thou shalt come to the oak of Tabor, and
there shall meet thee there three men going
up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids,
and another carrying three loaves of bread,
and another carrying a bottle of wine :

And they will salute thee, and give thee two
loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of
their hands.

After that thou shalt come to the hill of
God, where is the garrison of the Philistines:
and it shall come to pass, when thou art come
thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band
of prophets coming down from the high place
with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and
a harp, before them; and they shall be proph-
esying.

261

THE STORY BIBLE

And the Spirit of the Lord will come might-
ily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy
with them, and shalt be turned into another
man.

And let it be, when these signs are come
unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee;
for God is with thee.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gil-
gal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee,
to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacri-
fices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou
tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee
what thou shalt do.

And it was so, that, when he had turned his
back to go from Samuel, God gave him an-
other heart: and all those signs came to pass
that day.

And when they came thither to the hill, be-
hold, a band of prophets met him; and the
Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he
prophesied among them.

And it came to pass, when all that knew him
beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied
with the prophets, then the people said one
to another, What is this that is come unto

262

THE FIRST KING

the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the
prophets?

And one of the same place answered and
said, And who is their father? Therefore it
became a proverb, Is Saul also among the
prophets?

And when he had made an end of prophe-
sying, he came to the high place.

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his
servant, Whither went ye? And they said, To
seek the asses: and when we saw that they
were not found, we came to Samuel.

And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee,
what Samuel said unto you.

And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us
plainly that the asses were found. But con-
cerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof
Samuel spoke, he told him not.

And Samuel called the people together unto
the Lord to Mizpeh;

And said unto the children of Israel, Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up
Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of
the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the

263

THE STORY BIBLE

hand of all kingdoms, and of them that op-
pressed you:

And ye have this day rejected your God,
who himself saved you out of all your calam-
ities and your distresses, and ye have said
unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now
therefore present yourselves before the Lord
by your tribes, and by your thousands.

So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel
near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near
by their families, and the family of the Ma-
trites was taken: and Saul the son of Kish
was taken; but when they sought him, he
could not be found. Therefore they asked of
the Lord further, is there yet a man to come
hither? And the Lord answered, Behold, he
hath hid himself among the stuff.

And they ran and fetched him thence: and
when he stood among the people, he was
higher than any of the people from his shoul-
ders and upward.

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye
him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is
none like him among all the people? And all

264

THE FIRST KING

the people shouted and said, God save the
king.

Then Samuel told the people the manner of
the kingdom, and wrote it in a book and laid
it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all
the people away, every man to his house.

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and
there went with him a band of men, whose
hearts God had touched.

But the children of Belial said, How shall
this man save us? And they despised him and
brought him no presents. But he held his
peace.

265

XXXV
THE WARS OF SAUL

SAUL had no sooner been anointed king
than he found himself obliged to go into
battle. It was quite wonderful that a young
man who had been living quietly at home with
his father should have known how to lead his
people against the warlike Amalekites, Moab-
ites and Philistines, who were always swarm-
ing against the Hebrews. At this time the
Hebrews were so occupied with the care of
sheep and cattle that they had lost the knowl-
edge of many of the useful arts. For in-
stance, there was no smith in the land of
Israel and, when they wanted to sharpen a
sword or fashion a spear, or even repair an
axe or a plough, they were obliged to go over
and ask favors of their enemies the Philis-
tines. The Philistines took good care that the
Hebrews should be dependent upon them.
They had got into the habit of conquering the
Hebrews and they did not expect any change.

266

THE WARS OF SAUL

But Saul at once blew a trumpet and, with his
brave son Jonathan, took the field. In the
very first battle, with three thousand men,
Saul overcame a host of Philistines arrayed
against him, with thirty thousand chariots,
six thousand horsemen and people as numer-
ous as the sand on the seashore. He suc-
ceeded equally in several battles and Jonathan,
his son, on one occasion, attacked a garrison
in a stronghold with nobody to help him ex-
cept the young man who carried his armor.
Jonathan and the armor-bearer overcame the
garrison, pursued their fleeing foes, and then
mingled in a battle that had begun while they
were absent, and helped to bring salvation to
the people. Saul fought against his enemies
on every side and, wherever he turned, he was
successful until he began to be proud and
haughty and to think that he knew better than
the Lord. When he did this, the Lord de-
parted from him, and Samuel who had been
his friend all along, came and told him that
God had determined to take the kingdom from
him and to put in his place another whom He
had chosen and whom Samuel described as a

267

THE STORY BIBLE

man after God's own heart. This was a great
trouble to Saul. He brooded over it night and
day. Although he had a loving wife and many
children, although Jonathan his son was of
princely character, yet Saul was unhappy, so
unhappy that it seemed as if an evil spirit had
taken possession of him. He sat in his palace
with sadness in his face, and nobody dared ap-
proach him.

Samuel, who loved him dearly, stopped
coming to see him, and this greatly grieved
Saul. He could not forget the last words
Samuel said to him.

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt of-
ferings and sacrifices as in those who obey the
commands of the Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word
of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from
being king.

Samuel was now very old. He sat in his
house in Ramah and mourned for Saul until
one day the Lord said to him, Stop grieving

268

THE WARS OF SAUL

and mourning for Saul. Fill thine horn with
oil and go. I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-
lehemite. For I have provided me a king
among his sons.

You must think of Samuel as an old, old
man, with white hair and snowy beard, a man-
tle wrapped about him and a staff in his hand.
Over the hills and vales he took his journey
until he came to Bethlehem where he entered
the house of Jesse. He said to Jesse that he
had come on purpose to offer a sacrifice with
him. And Jesse called his household together,
seven tall sons, who passed before Samuel, one
by one. The first was Eliab, the eldest, who
was so strong and beautiful that Samuel said
in his heart, Surely this is the one the Lord
means to choose. But the Lord said, No, this
is not the one I have chosen. Do not look on
his countenance nor on his stature. The Lord
seeth not as man seeth. For man looketh on
the outward appearance but the Lord looketh
on the heart.

In those days a father set great store by his
eldest son. It was a great disappointment to
Jesse that the prophet paid so little attention

269

THE STORY BIBLE

to Eliab. But he called Abinadab his second
son and made him pass before Samuel.
Samuel shook his head. Neither hath the
Lord chosen this, he said. Then Jesse made
Shammah to pass by. Samuel said, again
shaking his head, Neither hath the Lord
chosen this.

In turn Jesse made seven of his sons to pass
before Samuel. It was just the same in every
case; not one of them was the choice of the
Lord. Samuel turned to Jesse and said, Are
all thy children here?

No, said Jesse, there is still one, the young-
est, a mere lad. He is out in the field with the
sheep. You surely would not care for him.

But Samuel answered, Send and fetch him.
We will not sit down until he is here.

Somebody went in a great hurry and said
to the boy who was out herding the sheep, the
boy whom nobody had much considered up to
this moment, Make haste and come home.
There is a prophet up at the house and he re-
fuses to sit down at the table until you are
there. We cannot imagine what he wants of
you, but he is not to be moved by persuasion

270

THE WARS OF SAUL

and your father wishes you to lose not a mo-
ment, but come as fast as you can.

So, breathless and eager, the boy came run-
ning in. He was all in a glow, with cheeks
like the rose, a beautiful pure face, brave and
fearless. He looked straight at Samuel as he
stood in the doorway, and Samuel thought
that he had never seen any one who was finer
and nobler. He was good to look at, and the
Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and
anointed David in the midst of his brethren,
and the spirit of the Lord came upon David
from that day. None of them fully under-
stood what this anointing meant, but the
household went on just as usual and David just
as usual took care of the sheep in the fields.

As he herded the sheep, he often played
sweet strains upon his harp. One day mes-
sengers came again to the house in Bethlehem
and said, Our master the king, even Saul, is
melancholy and sore distressed by an evil
spirit that has come upon him. We have
heard that you have a son who can play the
harp, and we want him to go back with us and

271

THE STORY BIBLE

cheer the poor king. So David left the sheep,
took his harp, and went to the court of King
Saul. You must note that David was ready at
a moment's notice.

When he stood before Saul, Saul loved him
greatly and made him his armor-bearer. As
often as the unhappy mood came back to the
king, David played on his harp and drove the
evil spirit away.

He stayed with Saul until Saul grew strong
and well and was ready once more to fight
with his old foes, the Philistines.

Then David returned to Bethlehem and, as
before, took care of the sheep.

I think some of you will like to read in this
place, part of a great poem, written by Robert
Browning, which tells you what sort of tunes
the youthful David played on his harp for
King Saul. The king was sitting moping in
his tent, all in the dark, and the shepherd boy
ran up and saw him looking as black as a
thunder-cloud and paying no attention to any
one. Boldly he tuned his harp, and first he
played with the skillful touch of a true artist,
in long, melting chords,

272

THE WARS OF SAUL

The tune all our sheep know, as one after one,

So docile they come to the pen-door till fold-
ing be done.

They are white and untorn by the bushes, for
lo, they have fed

Where the long grasses stifle the water within
the stream's bed;

And now one after one seeks its lodging, as
star follows star

Into eve and the blue far above us — so blue
and so far!

Then the tune, for which quails on the corn-
land will each leave his mate
To fly after the player; then, what makes the

crickets elate
Till for boldness they fight one another: and

then, what has weight
To set the quick jerboa a-musing outside his

sand house —
There are none such as he for a wonder, half

bird and half mouse!
God made all the creatures and gave them our

love and our fear,
To give sign, we and they are his children, one

family here.

Some day when you are older, you may enjoy
reading this poem as a whole.

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XXXVI
DAVID AND GOLIATH

DAVID returned to Bethlehem to keep his
father's sheep and three of his brothers
went to fight in Saul's army. The Philistines
had set their battle in array on a mountain
side. The Israelites were drawn up in battle
line on the other side, also on a mountain, and
between the two armies there was a valley.
But, though they faced each other in grim
earnest, days passed without the striking of
a blow. Sometimes battles were lost and won
in single combat; a brave champion would
step out from one side, hurl a defiant chal-
lenge to the other, and wait for some one to
come and fight with him. It happened in this
way now. A champion named Goliath of
Gath sallied forth from the camp of the Philis-
tines, a mighty giant who towered above ordi-
nary men and who was clothed in armor from
head to foot. He was great and strong. He
had a helmet of brass upon his head and he

274

DAVID AND GOLIATH

wore a coat of mail. In his hand he waved
a mighty spear, his spear's head weighed six
hundred shekels of iron, but he tossed it about
like a feather. This giant cried with a terrible
voice to the armies of Israel, Why are ye
come out to set your battle in array? Am not
I a Philistine and ye servants of Saul? Choose
you a man for yourselves and let him come
down to me. If he be able to fight with me
and to kill me, then will we be your servants.
But if I prevail against him and kill him, then
shall ye be our servants and serve us.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies
of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may
fight together.

Saul must have lost most of his old courage.
You remember that the Lord had departed
from him. He was very much afraid of the
Philistine and the whole camp shared his fear.
They listened to the arrogant champion with
quaking hearts. The Philistine came out
every morning and every evening for forty
days, saying the same thing, and not a man
so much as dared to answer his challenge.

About this time Jesse, at home in Bethle-
275

THE STORY BIBLE

hem, bethought himself about his sons who
were in the field and concluded to send David
with a present to them.

He said, Take now for thy brethren an
ephah of this parched corn and these ten
loaves and run to the camp to thy brethren,
and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of
their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare
and take their pledge. An ephah was a little
over three pecks, as the Hebrews measured
wheat and corn.

David rose up early in the morning, left the
sheep with the keeper and, as his father had
commanded him, went to the place where the
host was going forth to the fight.

Army against army they stood, angry and
menacing, with their battalions in array; but,
though there was much shouting and now
and then perhaps a foray, there was no real
fight. David left the things he had brought
with the proper person, ran into the army,
found his brothers and saluted them. While
he was talking with them, up came the Philis-
tine, thundering out his defiant challenge. To
David's surprise the men around him huddled

276

DAVID AND GOLIATH

together in fright and some of them ran into
their tents. David could not understand it.
His eyes flashed. He threw back his shoul-
ders, held up his head and his lips were sternly
set.

What is the meaning of this? he said,
Ah, said the men around him, that great
giant is so strong that we have nobody who
dares to tackle him. If anybody could fight
with him and kill him, the king would enrich
him with great riches and make his father's
house free in Israel, and give him one of the
princesses to be his wife.

David did not care much for these bril-
liant promises. His heart was filled with
anger that a reproach had fallen upon Israel
in that an uncircumcised Philistine should
dare defy the armies of the living God. He
went from one to another speaking words of
hot anger. Eliab, his oldest brother, was very
much annoyed. His anger was kindled
against David, and he said, scornfully, Why
did you come here? With whom did you
leave the few sheep in the wilderness? You
have come down to look at the battle. I know

*77

THE STORY BIBLE

your pride and the folly of your heart and you
would better go home again.

David held his head high. He could not
stop to think of Eliab's disdain at this crisis.
He spoke to one and another and finally his
brave words were repeated in the ear of Saul
and Saul sent for him. The king did not know
that this was the youth who had played the
harp for him in the days of his illness. He
thought it was a stranger.

And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart
fail because of him. Thy servant will go and
fight with this Philistine.

And Saul said to David, Thou art not able
to go against this Philistine to fight with him,
for thou art but a youth and he has been a
man of war from his youth.

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept
his father's sheep and there came a lion and
again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock.
And I went after him and smote him and deliv-
ered it out of his mouth. And when he arose
against me I caught him by his beard and
smote him and slew him. Thy servant slew
both the lion and the bear, and this uncircum-

278

DAVID AND GOLIATH

cised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing
he hath defied the armies of the living God.

David said, Moreover, the Lord who deliv-
ered me out of the paw of the lion and out of
the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of
the hand of this Philistine.

And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord
be with thee.

Then Saul armed David with his own ar-
mor, put a helmet of brass on his head, and
clothed him with a coat of mail. And David
girded his sword upon his side and started to
meet the Philistine. But the armor was too
heavy for him and he laid it off.

It is never well to fight a battle in anybody's
armor but your own. David was wise in
finding this out.

He took in his hand his shepherd's staff,
and he chose five smooth stones out of the
brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which
he carried, and his sling was in his hand as he
drew near to the Philistine.

There they stand, the mighty giant in shin-
ing armor and the slender boy with the shep-
herd's staff and the sling.

279

THE STORY BIBLE

The Philistine looking about saw David and
scorned him. He laughed loud and disdain-
fully and the Israelites heard him. Am I a
dog, he said, that thou comest to me with
a staff? And he cursed David by his gods.

Come to me, he shouted, and I will give thy
flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts
of the field.

But David had his answer ready. Boldly
and clearly his words rang out far over the
field till both armies heard them. Thou
comest to me with a sword and with a spear
and with a shield, but I come to thee in the
name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the ar-
mies of Israel whom thou hast defied. This
day shall the Lord deliver thee into mine hand,
and I will smite thee and take thine head from
thee. And I will give the bodies of the host
of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of
the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that
all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel. And all this assembly shall know that
the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for
the battle is the Lord's and he shall give you
into our hands.

280

DAVID AND GOLIATH

The Philistine, hearing this defiance, came
striding forward in fierce anger and the
ground seemed to shake beneath his tread.
David ran fearlessly forward to meet him.
Swiftly David put his hand into his bag, drew
out a stone and cast it from his sling. It struck
the Philistine in his forehead, in the one place
that the helmet did not protect. The stone
sank into his forehead and down he fell head-
long, his mighty bulk prone upon the earth.

So David prevailed over the Philistine and
smote the Philistine and slew him, but there
was no sword in the hands of David. He ran,
stood upon the Philistine and, with the giant's
own sword, he cut off the giant's head.

When Saul saw David go forth against the
Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the
host, Abner, whose son is this youth?

Abner said, O king, I cannot tell.

As David returned from the slaughter of the
Philistine, Abner led him in to the presence of
Saul.

And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou?

David answered, I am the son of thy serv-
ant, Jesse the Bethlehemite.

281

THE STORY BIBLE

From this time David remained with Saul,
and there grew up a strong friendship between
David and Jonathan, Saul's son.

In future days David became one of the
greatest kings, and one of the mightiest cap-
tains who have ever lived upon the earth. But
he had a great deal to go through before he
really sat upon the throne. The Hebrew
women came out from all the cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet King Saul
when the men returned victorious after the
slaughter of the Philistine. They answered
one another as they played on their timbrels,
saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and
David his ten thousands.

This made Saul very angry and he eyed
David with fierce jealousy from that day on-
ward. Several times he tried to kill him, so
that David avoided his presence and, although
he was soon married to Saul's daughter, he
did not go near the palace when he could help
himself.

Saul saw that his daughter loved her hus-
band and he knew that Jonathan was David's
friend. This made him the more angry. On

282

DAVID AND GOLIATH

one occasion he sent messengers to David's
house to entice him away, meaning to assas-
sinate him, but Michal, David's wife, let her
husband down through a window and he es-
caped through the fields and fled. This was not
because David was afraid of Saul, but he did
not wish to lift up his hand against the king.
His wife took an image, laid it in the bed and
covered it with a quilt. When Saul's messen-
gers came, they forced their way into the
house that they might take David away. But
they found only the image. David meanwhile
went away to Samuel, the old prophet who had
poured the anointing oil on his head, and for
awhile he lived at Ramah with Samuel.

283

T

XXXVII

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

HE soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul
J- of David. While David was doing
what he could to keep out of Saul's way,
Jonathan was on the watch against any plots
of Saul. The noble fellow could not believe
that his father's enmity was so great. When
David said to him, What have I done, what is
mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy
father, that he seeks my life? Jonathan said,
I am sure there is some mistake. God forbid.
Thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do
nothing great or small without telling me.
Why should he hide such a thing from me? It
is not so.

But David was keener and had more insight
into character than Jonathan had. He said,
Thy father certainly knoweth that I have
found grace in thine eyes. He says, Let not
Jonathan know this lest he be grieved, but

284

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

truly, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth,
there is but a step between me and death.

When Jonathan heard this he watched more
carefully than ever, and before many days he
was convinced that David must fly for his
life. The two friends met in a lonely place,
kissed and embraced each other, and ex-
changed a solemn vow of lifelong friendship.
Then they separated. David and the young
men who were with him found refuge in the
woods and in caves of the mountains. For
awhile David was sheltered by Achish, a king
of the Philistines. Achish would have been the
last one to give an asylum to the man who had
killed Goliath, but David pretended to be in-
sane, and the Philistines did not dare to inter-
fere with a man whose wits were wandering
as they thought such people were under the
care of their gods.

As soon as David thought it was safe, he
left the Philistines' camp and made his head-
quarters in the cave of Adullam. Here he was
joined by all his brothers and nephews and the
men of his father's house, a strong warlike
band of valiant men. A good many others,

285

THE STORY BIBLE

every one who was in distress, every one who
was in debt, every one who was discontented,
gathered themselves to him; and before long
he was the forest chief and commander of a
company of four hundred desperate and de-
termined men. He was like Robin Hood, an
outlaw in the woods.

You need not suppose that Saul was pleased
when he heard this. It gave him a great deal
of anxiety. He was not even placated when
David and his band made a dash and deliv-
ered a stronghold called Keilah from the Phil-
istines. Saul continued to plot against
David's life. It was borne in on his mind
that David should be his successor on the
throne and the thought of it made him frantic
with rage. Jonathan, who but for David
would have been the heir to the throne, re-
mained loyal to his friend. Again and again
he sought David out in the dens and caves of
the wood and comforted him and brought him
help.

It came to pass at last that Saul took an
army of three thousand picked soldiers and
went in pursuit of David and his men among

286

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

the rocks of the wild goats. It was a sort of
game of hide and seek, for the outlaws knew
all the hiding places of the hills and were at
home there and could secrete themselves be-
hind bushes and trees and in wild ravines and
laugh when Saul and his army came heavily
lumbering by. Weary and worn Saul lay
down to sleep in a cave. He had walked lit-
erally into the open mouth of the lion, for
David and his men were at the very time hid-
den in the sides of the cave. A meaner man
than David would have killed his enemy as he
lay asleep, but he did not allow one of his men
to touch Saul and he himself did nothing ex-
cept cut off the skirt of Saul's robe. When
Saul had gone out of the cave and was at a lit-
tle distance, he heard a cry, My lord the king !
Looking back, he saw David bending with his
face to the earth. David said, How easily
could I have killed thee this day, as some bade
me. The Lord had delivered thee into mine
hand in the cave, but, I said, I will not put
forth mine hand against my lord for he is the
Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see the
skirt of thy robe in mine hand. In that I cut

287

THE STORY BIBLE

this off and killed thee not, know thou that I
have not sinned against thee, yet thou huntest
my soul to take it. The Lord judge between
me and thee.

At this Saul's conscience was moved and he
said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And
Saul lifted up his voice and wept and he said
to David, Thou art more righteous than I, for
thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have
rewarded thee evil.

And now behold I know well that thou shalt
surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel
shall be established in thine hand. Swear now
therefore unto me by the Lord that thou wilt
not destroy my name out of my father's house
nor cut off my children after me. And David
swore. Nevertheless, with his men, he retired
to a stronghold in the rocks.

About this time Samuel, the prophet, died
and there was great lamentation for him in
Israel. Less than ever did David after this
put faith in the promises of Saul.

There happened to be, in the neighborhood
where David and his followers were hiding, a
man of Mount Carmel who was very rich.

288

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

He had three thousand sheep and a thousand
goats. This man's name was Nabal. He was
a churl of morose and sordid disposition, a
man whom it was very hard for any one to live
with. Fortunately for himself he had a good
and beautiful wife whose name was Abigail.
At the time of the sheep shearing, which was
a festival, David sent ten of his young men
saying, Go up to Mount Carmel and greet
Nabal in my name. And thus shall ye say to
him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be to thee
and peace to thine house and peace unto all
thou hast. I have heard that thou hast shear-
ers. Now thy shepherds have been with us,
and we have hurt them not. Not a lamb nor a
sheep has been missing from thy flocks while
thy shepherds were in Carmel. Wherefore,
as we come in a good way, give I pray thee
some present to thy servant and to thy son
David.

Very courteously the young men made this
request, but Nabal answered with rude insults
and a frowning brow. Who is David? And
who is the son of Jesse? There be many serv-
ants nowadays that break away, every man

289

THE STORY BIBLE

from his master. Shall I then take my bread
and my water and my flesh that I have killed
for my shearers and give it to men whom I do
not know and whom I despise?

Furious with anger, David's young men
hurried back to him. They told him Nabal's
words just as he had spoken them. David
said, Gird ye on every man his sword, and im-
mediately four hundred men ready to obey
David's bidding sallied forth. They meant to
exterminate Nabal and his people and take all
the spoil they wanted. But some of Nabal's
servants made haste to Abigail, the lady of
the manor, and told her all about it. They
said, Behold, David sent messengers out of the
wilderness to salute our master. And he
railed on them. But the men were very good
unto us and we were not hurt, neither missed
we anything as long as we were near them in
the fields. They were a wall unto us by night
and day. They protected us from the wild
beasts and the Philistines while we were keep-
ing the sheep. Now, therefore, consider what
thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our
master and against all this household, for he

290

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak
to him.

Storming over the fields and out of the
forests, their swords at their sides and wrath
in their hearts, David and his band of outlaws
came marching on hot foot; but they halted,
for around a corner of a hill came a gracious
lady riding upon an ass and with her a long
train of people carrying provisions. For Abi-
gail made haste without consulting Nabal and
took with her two hundred loaves and two
great leathern bottles of wine, five sheep ready
dressed, five measures of parched corn, a hun-
dred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes
of figs and laid them on asses. Not one word
to Nabal, as I said, for he would have surely
stopped this lavish proffer of goods and food.

As soon as Abigail saw David she alighted
from her ass and bowed herself to the ground
before David. She entreated him with the most
gentle and winning words she could speak.
She said, If only I had seen the young men
who were so rudely treated by Nabal there
would have been no such answer sent. And
now this blessing which thine handmaiden

291

THE STORY BIBLE

hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given
unto the young men that follow my lord. I
pray thee forgive the trespass of thine hand-
maid, for the Lord will certainly make my
lord a sure house, because thou lightest the
battles of the Lord and evil hath not been
found in thee all thy days.

David listened to Abigail and all his anger
melted away. He accepted her presents and
said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who
sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be
thy advice, and blessed be thou who hast
kept me this day from coming to shed blood,
and from avenging myself with mine own
hand.

You may get an idea of the churlishness and
folly of Nabal when I tell you that, as soon as
he heard of this interview with David, his heart
failed within him and he became very ill. In
a short time he died out of pure chagrin. He
could not bear to part with his possessions.

A little while after this, Saul again took the
field against David and again David had a
good opportunity to kill him. Indeed, David's
nephew Abishai urged David to make an end

292

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

of the long warfare when, once more, they
found Saul asleep on the ground with his spear
stuck into the earth at his head, and all his
people sleeping about him. But David re-
fused. Again he said, The Lord forbid that I
should stretch forth mine hand against the
Lord's anointed.

But he took a spear and a jar of water from
beside Saul's pillow, and carried them away,
and no man knew it, for a deep sleep had fallen
on them all.

Then David went over to the other side and
stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great space
being between them.

And David cried to the people and to Abner,
the son of Ner, saying, in effect, Why do you
valiant people take so little care of your mas-
ter? You ought to be put to death yourselves
for your neglect.

I could easily have killed him, but I have
spared his life again.

For a moment Saul was sorry, and owned
that he had played the fool. But he soon for-
got it and hated David as much as ever.

The outlaw life of David did not end until
293

THE STORY BIBLE

after the death of Saul, who fell by his own
hand after a hard fought battle with the Phil-
istines. Three of his sons, one of them the
princely Jonathan, also fell down slain in
Mount Gilboa. When the battle went against
them and Saul was sorely wounded he drew
his sword and fell upon it.

Word was brought to David, and David, so
far from rejoicing when he received the crown
and the bracelets of his enemy, took hold of
his own clothing, rent it, mourned and wept.
He made a beautiful lamentation for Saul and
Jonathan. Not only was David a musician
and a warrior, but he was a great poet, and
wrote many of the Psalms which to this day
we sing in our churches. In his poem about
Saul and Jonathan he said, The beauty of
Israel is slain upon thy high places. How
are the mighty fallen? Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ascalon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines re-
joice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised
triumph.

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant
in their lives and in their death they were not

294

A FOREST CHIEFTAIN

divided. They were swifter than eagles, they
were stronger than lions.

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jona-
than. Very pleasant hast thou been unto me.
Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the
love of women.

With the death of Saul, David's outlaw life
was ended. He became the unquestioned king
of Israel. He was thirty years old when he be-
gan to reign and his reign continued forty
years. Seven years his capital was in Hebron,
thirty-three years Jerusalem was his chief city.
During all his reign, which grew more and
more splendid to the very end, he was always
righting his enemies, and he had some trials in
his own family. His favorite son, Absalom,
led a rebellion against him. This was the
darkest hour of David's life. Absalom was
tall and beautiful and had splendid hair. Rid-
ing through the woods after his defeat in
battle Absalom was caught by his hair in
the thick boughs of an oak and so hung be-
tween heaven and earth. Joab, the captain
of David's hosts, killed him there. Men run-
ning swiftly brought the tidings to the king.

295

THE STORY BIBLE

The king was much moved and went up to the
chamber over the gate weeping bitterly. As
he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son,
my son Absalom. Would God I had died for
thee, O Absalom, my son, my son.

David did not die until he was a very old
man. He saw his kingdom at peace. He had
gathered gold and silver for the temple of God
which his son was to build and, after his long
life, he fell asleep and was buried with his
fathers. Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

296

XXXVIII
THE WISE CHOICE

KING DAVID had many sons. The one
chosen to be his successor was not the
eldest, nor the most ambitious. Solomon was
one of David's younger sons. God made
known to David that He had chosen Solomon
to sit upon the throne and carry on the king-
dom. This was a great responsibility to be
laid on one who was little more than a boy,
and who had up to this time been busy with
his studies and his own amusements. One
night, when Solomon was asleep, he had a
dream in which the Lord appeared to him say-
ing, Ask what I shall give thee.

There were a great many things for which
Solomon might have asked, such as great
riches or fame or the life of his enemies or a
long life for himself, but instead he asked that
God would give him wisdom and knowledge
so that he might be a good king, rule his peo-
ple well and carry out the wishes of David his

297

THE STORY BIBLE

father. God was very much pleased with this
request and He gave Solomon so much of His
own wisdom that no man on the earth could
compare with him. Indeed ever since he has
been called the wisest of men.

In the Book of Proverbs which Solomon
wrote we find a great many wise sayings
which condense in a few words the substance
of whole sermons.

Here are some of them:

Evil communications corrupt good man-
ners.

A soft answer turneth away wrath, but
grievous words stir up anger.

A merry heart maketh a cheerful counte-
nance.

Better is little with the fear of the Lord,
than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Better is he that ruleth his spirit, than he
that taketh a city.

The rich and the poor meet together. The
Lord is the maker of them all.

In the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs
there is a description of a good and loving
woman which is so beautiful that in all ages

298

THE WISE CHOICE

it has suited every true woman, and is a sort
of portrait of the mother wherever she is
found.

Solomon wrote also the Book of Ecclesi-
astes and the Song of Solomon. When he
had been on the throne only a few days, two
women came into his presence each declaring
that the baby that one of them carried was
hers. There was therefore a hard problem for
Solomon to solve. One was a real mother and
the other a false one, and each clamored that
the baby was her own. The child of one had
died in the night. The king ordered a man to
bring a sword and said, Cut this child in two,
give half to one and half to the other woman.
The real mother threw out her hands in pity
and cried: O no! no! no! Do not kill the
baby! Let this woman have him. But the
false mother smiled and said, That will do very
well. Cut the baby in two.

Solomon gave the child unhurt into the arms
of the mother who loved it. It was easy for
him to decide when he saw the love in one face
and the cruelty in the other.

For many years David had longed to build
299

THE STORY BIBLE

a temple to the Most High God. He had
never been able to do it because he had so
many wars to trouble him, and his enemies
were always swarming over the border. Be-
sides, the Lord did not wish David to under-
take this work. It was to be left for Solomon,
whose kingdom was at peace.

Solomon sent to Hiram, King of Tyre, and
made an alliance with him, so that cedar trees
and fir trees were to be hewn on Mount
Lebanon and sent from there on rafts by sea
to the coast of Judea. Thence they were trans-
ported to Jerusalem. Thousands and thou-
sands of men were employed in building the
magnificent temple, which when finished was
one of the wonders of the world. From a dis-
tance as it crowned the mountain top, it glit-
tered as if made of gold and snow. The
treasure that David had saved was lavished
upon it, and it was the fit expression of the
love of God's people for God.

Solomon built splendid palaces for himself.
All this building of the temple and of the pal-
aces occupied many years. In the palace
where Solomon lived there was the utmost

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THE WISE CHOICE

luxury. The king's plates and drinking cups
were of solid gold. In a house built of the
cedars of Lebanon, the king allowed nothing
to be of silver, and indeed silver was not much
thought of in his days. He had a navy at sea
and an army on land.

A great queen came from a long distance to
pay him a visit. In her own land of Sheba she
had heard of the glory of the king who reigned
in Jerusalem, and she thought the reports
could not be true. One day as the king sat by
a palace window, he saw coming up the moun-
tain side a long train of camels, and amid them
one on which was a litter richly curtained. In
this the lady rode, and the other camels bore
beautiful presents which she had brought for
the monarch whom she came to see ; spices and
gold and precious stones. She asked Solomon
a great many questions and found that he
could answer them all. When she saw how
wise he was, how beautiful was his home, and
how great the number of his attendants, and
the ivory stairway by which he went up into
the house of the Lord, she had no words to tell
what she thought. She gave the king the gold

301

THE STORY BIBLE

of Sheba and the fragrant spices and the shin-
ing precious stones, saying, The half of thy
greatness and thy wisdom was not told me.
Happy are thy men and happy are they who
stand continually before thee.

King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba in
return for her gifts all that she desired and
whatever she asked. So she turned and went
away to her own land, she and her servants.

Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem,
sitting on a great throne of ivory covered with
plates of pure gold. There were six steps lead-
ing to the throne and twelve lions made of
gleaming gold stood on guard, six on one side
and six on the other, on these steps. The youth
who chose wisdom had not only received that,
but every other gift that God could give him:
wealth and honor and great renown and long
life. He reigned over Israel as one who was
the representative of JEHOVAH, and all the
kings of the earth sought his presence and
most of them paid him tribute. At last in a
good old age he passed away. The Bible says
that Solomon slept with his fathers and was
buried in the city of David his father.

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THE WISE CHOICE

He was succeeded by Rehoboam, his son,
who was a weak character and only a counter-
feit king. Rehoboam oppressed the people
and departed from the Lord. In his days the
people forgot the pure worship of God and be-
gan to worship idols. The result was that
they had rebellion within the kingdom and
that enemies came against the Israelites from
without. The Egyptians carried off the
golden shields from the temple and robbed the
king's house of its beautiful cups and plates,
and Rehoboam, instead of fighting for them
and getting them back, made shields of brass
and put them in the temple to take the place
of the golden shields. No wonder that in his
day the kingdom was divided. It was rent in
two parts, and from that time peace and pros-
perity were never restored as they had been in
the days of Solomon.

303

XXXIX
THE STORY OF ELIJAH

STRAIGHT into the palace of King Ahab,
over the marble pavements and into
the presence chamber, strode Elijah the Tish-
bite, a man who had dwelt in the desert
and communed with God. He came with a
message. As the Lord God of Israel liveth,
before whom I stand, there shall not be dew
nor rain in three years, but according to my
word. As suddenly as he had come, he disap-
peared, just as if the earth had opened and
swallowed him up. But a great famine fell
upon the land. Not a drop of rain fell for the
space of three years. The grass was all burnt
up, the brooks dried, the beds of the foaming
torrents were parched and dusty and food
failed for both man and beast.

Elijah hid himself for awhile by the brook
Cherith until the last drop of it dried away,
and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in

304

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

the morning and bread and flesh in the even-
ing. After the brook was dry he went to a lit-
tle city called Zarepheth. When he came to
the gate of the city a poor woman was there
gathering sticks. He called to her and said,
Fetch me I pray thee a little water in a vessel
that I may drink. And bring me, too, I pray
thee, a morsel of bread.

The woman, who was a widow, said, As the
Lord thy God liveth, I have not a crumb. I
have only a handful of meal in a barrel and a
little oil in a cruse and I am gathering these
bits of sticks that I may make a little cake for
my son and me ; after that is gone we must die.

The strange man said a very strange thing.
Go and make the little cake, he said, but bring
it first to me. And afterward make something
for thee and thy son. For thus saith the Lord
God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until
the day that the Lord sendeth rain on the
earth.

The woman had great faith. She did as the
prophet said and, all the time the famine
lasted, there was enough meal in the barrel

SOS

THE STORY BIBLE

and enough oil in the cruse to feed her and her
boy.

A still greater reward came to her, for her
child fell sick and died. She was in great dis-
tress as she wept beside her dead boy. But
the prophet said, Give me thy son. He took
the dead child in his arms, carried him up to
a loft where he abode and laid him on his own
bed. Then he prayed very earnestly to God
and stretched himself upon the child, crying,
Oh Lord, my God, I pray Thee let this child's
soul come back into him again. The Lord
heard Elijah's prayer and restored the life of
the child.

There was gladness in the home of the
mother that day.

In the meantime the famine was growing
so great in the land that things were at a
desperate pass. Ahab said to the governor of
his house, Obadiah, a man who feared and
worshipped God although he served an idola-
trous king, We must go through the land and
see if we can find anywhere grass to save the
horses and mules.

Though Jezebel, Ahab's wife, had tried to
306

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

kill all the servants of God she could find,
Obadiah had taken a hundred of the Lord's
prophets, hidden them from her and fed them.
Ahab went in one direction to look for the
oasis he hoped for and Obadiah went in an-
other. As Obadiah was in the way, whom
should he meet but Elijah. He said, Art thou
my lord Elijah?

Yes, he answered, Go tell Ahab, behold,
Elijah is here.

Obadiah was not quite ready to do this.
He said Elijah was the one person Ahab had
sworn to kill on sight and he was afraid that
he would kill him should he so much as carry
a message. However, he was persuaded to do
it. And Ahab went out at once to meet the
prophet. Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
cried the king.

Boldly Elijah answered, for no prophet
feared the face of living man, whether he were
a king or not, I have not troubled Israel but
thou and thy father's house, in that ye have
forsaken the commandments of the Lord and
have followed Baal.

Now therefore send and gather to me all
307

THE STORY BIBLE

Israel unto Mount Carmel. The prophets of
Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets
of the groves, four hundred, which eat bread
at Jezebel's table.

Ahab sent through all the coasts of Israel,
and gathered the prophets together unto
Mount Carmel. There they stood on the gray
mountain side, eight hundred and fifty false
prophets, priests of the idol worship on one
side and Elijah alone on the other.

With a loud voice Elijah cried to the people,
How long halt ye between two opinions? If
the Lord be God follow him; if Baal, then fol-
low him. Elijah took a bullock and the
prophets of Baal took a bullock. Elijah built
an altar and the prophets of Baal built an altar.
Elijah said, We shall put no fire under either
altar. The God who answers by fire, He shall
be our God.

So, hour by hour, the prophets of Baal
prayed and leaped and even cut themselves
with knives, crying, O Baal, hear us. But
there was no voice, nor any that answered.
So they went on through the morning,
through the noon, through the afternoon until

308

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

the time of the evening sacrifice. Elijah said,
Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is talk-
ing, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey
or, peradventure, he is asleep. But Baal did
not hear.

At last Elijah called upon JEHOVAH, but
first he drenched with all the water he could
find the bullock that lay there dressed for the
burnt sacrifice, the altar and the wood. Then
he called upon the Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. Swiftly from the sky came
the lightning and consumed the sacrifice and
the wood and even the water that was in the
trench about it. The people fell on their faces
and worshipped God; and then they turned
upon the prophets of Baal and put every one
of them to death.

And Elijah said to Ahab, Get thee up, eat
and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of
rain. So Ahab went up to eat and drink, and
Elijah went to the top of Carmel and there he
cast himself down upon the earth and put his
face between his knees. And he said to his
servant, Go up now, look toward the sea; and
he went up and looked and said, I see nothing.

309

THE STORY BIBLE

And he said, Go again seven times. And
it came to pass at the seventh time that he said,
Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the
sea like a man's hand. And Elijah said, Go
up and say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot
and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.

And it came to pass, in the meanwhile, that
the heaven was black with clouds and wind
and there was a great rain.

And Ahab arose and went to Jezreel. Elijah
girded his loins and ran before the king and
reached the entrance of Jezreel first.

Jezebel was wild with rage when she heard
what had happened to the prophets of Baal.
She at once sent messengers to Elijah. They
brought a warning that Elijah heeded, for he
knew the temper and the will of the wicked
queen. She was in fact a much more wicked
character than her weak husband, and I have
always thought that Ahab would have been
much more decent had he not been married to
so bad a wife as this princess of Tyre. Jezebel
in the Bible is like Lady Macbeth in Shake-
speare, a very beautiful, very cruel and very
terrible woman.

310

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

Well, this was what her messengers told
Elijah. The queen bids us say, So let the gods
do to me and more, also, if I make not thy
life as the life of one of the dead priests of Baal
by this time to-morrow.

Elijah waited for no further word. He
arose and went for his life to Beersheba, a long
way off from Jezebel's palace. There he left
his servant and proceeded by himself a day's
journey into a dark, lonesome wilderness
of tangled thickets and labyrinthine paths.
Here he sat down exhausted under a juniper
tree and prayed that he might die.

You see he was tired out. When a strong
man is tired out to the last drop of his blood
and the last thought of his heart, he is apt to
be discouraged.

Just see how kind our God can be! Dear
children, God is just as kind to you and me,
many a time and oft, as he then was to poor,
wearied Elijah.

Falling asleep under the juniper tree after
a time Elijah wakened, for he felt a touch on
his shoulder.

He stirred and looked up. There stood an
3ii

THE STORY BIBLE

angel with a friendly face; and close by was a
fire of coals and on the fire a cake, baked nice
and brown. The very smell of it refreshed
Elijah. A cruse of pure water was there, too,
and the angel said, Arise and eat because the
journey is too great for thee.

He ate and was refreshed, and then he took
up his journey in that new strength and
traveled forty days and nights till he reached
Horeb, the mount of God. There he found a
cave and in it, in a little dark rocky room, he
hid himself away. Hid himself till a voice of
the Lord came to him,

What doest thou here, Elijah?

And he said, I have been very jealous for the
Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel
have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down
thine altars and slain thy prophets with the
sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they
seek my life, to take it away.

And he said, Go forth and stand upon the
mount before the Lord. And, behold, the
Lord passed by; and a great and strong wind
rent the mountains and brake in pieces the
rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not

312

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

in the wind; and after the wind came an earth-
quake :

After the earthquake came a fire, but the
Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a
still small voice.

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, he
wrapped his face in his mantle and went out
and stood in the entrance of the cave. And
behold, there came a voice unto him and said,
What doest thou here, Elijah?

And he said, I have been very jealous for the
Lord God of hosts because the children of
Israel have forsaken thy covenants, thrown
down thine altars and slain thy prophets with
the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they
seek my life, to take it away. The Lord con-
vinced Elijah that he was quite mistaken and
told him to go and find Elisha, a young man
who was to become his successor. When all
Elijah's work was done the Lord took him up
to heaven in a chariot of fire. He stood with
Elisha on the bank of the River Jordan. One
minute they were talking together, the next
there was a mighty whirlwind and, riding on
the whirlwind, came the angels driving a

3*3

THE STORY BIBLE

chariot bright as the sun; they caught Elijah
up and he was seen no more on earth for
thousands of years. Once again men saw him
on a mountain top in Judea. You will hear of
that by and by. As he went into heaven his
mantle fell upon Elisha. Not merely his cloak
that had been worn in the desert, but his great-
ness fell upon Elisha, too.

3*4

XL
ELISHA THE PROPHET

AFTER Elijah had been taken to heaven
in a chariot of fire Elisha stood gaz-
ing into the sky for a long time. At last as
he stood by the waters of the River Jordan
he smote them with Elijah's mantle. They
parted on either side and Elisha went over
the river bed on dry ground. The spirit of Eli-
jah had come upon the new prophet. He met
kings just as fearlessly as Elijah had; and he
told them the truth when they came to enquire
of him. It happened that he often passed
through the province of Samaria. Here there
lived a family who were very kind and hos-
pitable. As often as he passed their house they
asked him to come in and have something to
eat. One day the wife said to her husband,
This man who comes so often is a holy man
of God, and he always brings us a blessing.
Let us try to make it so comfortable for him
that when he comes to our country he will feel

315

THE STORY BIBLE

that this is his home. Let us make a little
chamber, I pray thee, and let us set for him
there a bed and a table and a stool and a can-
dlestick; and it shall be whenever he comes
that he shall rest there. The furniture of this
prophet's chamber, you notice, comprehended
everything that one really needs in a guest
room. Elisha often used this room and he felt
very grateful to his hostess. She was a
woman of Shunem, a part of Samaria. One
day Elisha said to his servant, Gehazi, Ask this
kind woman if I may see her.

When she came he said, Behold, thou hast
been careful for us with all this care. What is
to be done for thee? Is there any favor I can
get thee from the king, or shall I speak for thee
to the captain of the host?

She answered, I dwell among mine own
people. This was a very beautiful answer. It
was as if she had said, There is nothing I want.
I am safe at home among the people who love
me and whom I have loved all my life.

But, though this woman was at home and
had a beautiful house and broad lands and all
the money and rich clothing that a great lady

316

ELISHA THE PROPHET

needed, there was one thing lacking in her
life; she had no child. When she saw other
women with their children she felt sorrowful
that she was not a mother. She often thought
how sweet it would be to have a little child
running about the house and calling her in his
broken baby talk.

Elisha divined her unspoken wish and
prayed to God that she might have a child;
and one happy day the child came to her.
After that, the home of the great lady was per-
fect. Nothing was wanting in it or to her.
But after awhile when the child was old
enough to go to the fields with his father, one
day, under the hot sun, there came on him a
terrible sickness. He said to his father, My
head, my head ! and, I suppose, then fell down
and knew no more. The father said to a lad
standing by, Carry him to his mother. All day
the mother held him till he died. Then she
went up to the prophet's chamber, laid her boy
on the bed of the man of God, shut the door
and went out. She did not tell her husband
that the child was dead but instead told him
that she was going to ride as fast as she could

317

THE STORY BIBLE

to find the prophet and see him and talk to
him.

I must run to the man of God, she said, and
I will soon come back again. Her husband
thought this very strange, as it was neither a
feast day nor the Sabbath, but he helped her
to go; and, riding on as fast as she could, she
came to Mount Carmel.

Gehazi, the servant, ran before Elisha to
meet her when he saw her coming and he said,
Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy hus-
band? Is it well with the child?

And she answered, It is well.

Then she threw herself down at the feet of
Elisha and told him with bitter weeping that
the child was dead.

Elisha said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and
take my staff in thy hand and go thy way.
If thou meet any man salute him not, and if
any salute thee answer him not again; and lay
my staff upon the face of the child.

And the mother of the child said, As the
Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth I will not
leave thee. So Elisha arose and followed her.

Gehazi, swiftly running, passed on before

3i8

ELISHA THE PROPHET

them and laid the staff upon the face of the
child. But there was neither voice nor motion,
so he went back to his master, Elisha, say-
ing, The child is not awakened.

And when Elisha was come into the house,
behold, the child was dead and laid upon the
bed. He went in, shut the door and prayed to
the Lord. Then he stretched himself upon the
child, touching his mouth and eyes and hands,
and the child presently opened his eyes and
was alive again. The prophet said, Call this
child's mother. When she came in he said,
Take up thy son. God has given him back.

There is another beautiful story about
Elisha that I must tell you. The King of
Syria was at war with the King of Israel.
Everything the King of Syria did, or planned
to do, the King of Israel found out, and he be-
came so vexed that he accused some of his
people of being false. He said, I am sure there
is a spy in my court. No, said one of his serv-
ants. We are all true men. But Elisha the
prophet who is in Israel, tells the king the
words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
Instantly the King of Syria sent a great host

319

THE STORY BIBLE

of people to Dothan where Elisha was and
they came at night and surrounded the city
with horses and chariots and a great host.
Very early in the morning the servant of the
man of God went out and looked; and every-
where around them were armed men with
horses and chariots. He was frightened and
rushed back to Elisha saying, Alas, my master.
What shall we do?

But the prophet was not dismayed. Fear
not, he said, for they that be with us are more
than they that be with them. And Elisha
prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his
eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man and he saw. And,
behold, the mountain was full of horses and
chariots of fire about Elisha. God had sent a
host of shining angels straight from the sky
to protect his servant.

The angel of the Lord encampeth around
those that trust him and delivereth them in
trouble.

Almost immediately the Syrians began to be
blind, under the great light of that angel host.
They did not see the angels but they felt the

320

ELISHA THE PROPHET

brightness and groped as if in the dark. In
their blindness, they walked directly into the
city of Samaria, right into the power of the
King of Israel. The king wanted to put them
to death, but Elisha said, No, do not hurt
them. Give them bread and water and send
them back to their master. After that there
was peace for awhile between Syria and Israel.
And now I must tell you the beautiful story
of a little Hebrew maid.

321

XLI
THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

IN the army of the Syrians there was a great
general who was a favorite with the king.
He was called Naaman and was captain of the
host or, as we would say, commander-in-chief.
He was great and rich and was held in much
honor, but he was a leper. No disease was so
dreaded as leprosy because it was very pain-
ful and disfiguring and there was no cure for
it. It was more dreaded by people in the old
days than the smallpox is by us to-day. A
leper might have everything earth could give,
but his lot was very sad and he was shut out
from nearly all the pleasures of life. In one
of their forays the Syrians had brought away
from her native land a little Hebrew girl. She
was given as a prize to Naaman and she
waited on Naaman's wife. The little maid no
doubt was often homesick and wished herself
back in her own land with her mother and

322

THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

father, her brothers and sisters and her little
playmates. It was hard to be a slave among
strangers and to feel that she might never
again see her own home. But her mistress who
was a great lady was kind to her and, as the lit-
tle maid very often saw the tears in the lady's
eyes and knew that she was grieving, she be-
gan to wish that her master might be healed.
One day she said to her mistress, Would to
God my lord were with the prophet that is in
Samaria, for he would recover him of his lep-
rosy.

Somebody went and told Naaman what the
little maid from the land of Israel had said. It
was repeated in the ears of the king of Syria,
who said, Go to, I will send a letter to the king
of Israel.

With the letter in his hand Naaman de-
parted, taking with him ten talents of silver,
six thousand pieces of gold and ten changes of
raiment. He presented himself at the palace
gate of the king of Israel and sent the let-
ter in.

Now, said the king of Syria, when this let-
ter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent with

323

THE STORY BIBLE

it Naaman, my servant, that thou mayest re-
cover him of his leprosy.

The king of Israel was very much disturbed.
He thought this was a pretext to bring on an-
other war. He knew that, though he was a
king, he could not cure anybody on earth of
leprosy. He exclaimed, Am I God to kill and
to make alive?

He walked to and fro in rage and sorrow
and he rent his clothes. When a man did this,
tearing his loose outside mantle in two from
top to bottom, he meant to show in the sight
of men that the case was perfectly hopeless.

One person telling another, the story came
to the ears of Elisha, the man of God. He at
once sent word to the king, Wherefore hast
thou rent thy clothes? Send the man to me
and he shall know that there is a prophet in
Israel.

So Naaman came with his horses and his
chariot and all his servants and stood at the
door of the house of Elisha. Elisha never
came out, nor seemed to see the horses and
the chariot and the outriders and the great
retinue. He sent a messenger out bidding him

324

THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

say to Naaman, Go and wash in Jordan seven
times and thy flesh shall come again to thee
and thou shalt be clean.

If there was anything that was mortifying
to the pride of a Syrian it was to be told to go
and bathe in the waters of Jordan. The
Syrians thought their own country and their
own rivers and everything they had incom-
parably finer than anything the Israelites
had. Besides, Naaman felt that he had not
been treated with proper respect. He turned
away fuming with anger. He said, Behold, I
thought this prophet will come out to me and
stand and call on the name of the Lord, and
strike his hand over the place and take away
my trouble. He felt very much as you or I
might if we had taken a journey, gone a long
distance, and stopped at the door of a great
doctor who refused so much as to look at us.
Naaman went raging on. Are not Pharpar
and Abana, rivers of Damascus, better than
all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in
them and be clean? He bade his charioteer
turn and drive homeward. But his servants
had more sense than Naaman. They talked

325

THE STORY BIBLE

together, and then one of them ventured to say
very respectfully, My father, if the prophet
had bidden thee do some great and hard thing,
wouldst thou not have done it? How much
rather then do this little thing that he hath
said to thee, Wash and be clean. Naaman was
persuaded after a little, at least to try the
prophet's remedy. His chariot carried him
along the roads and over the mountain passes
and through the fields till he reached the bank
of Jordan. He stepped into the river and
dipped himself in it seven times, as the man of
God had told him to, and all the dead flesh
dropped away and his flesh became firm and
soft and rosy like the flesh of a little child.
He went into the Jordan a man slowly dying
of a dreadful disease, and he stepped out
of it strong and well, without a vestige of the
trouble left. God had wrought a miracle in
him.

Hurriedly he returned to the house of the
man of God, he and all his company. This
time he boldly knocked at the door and refused
to go away until the prophet came out. Bow-
ing low before the prophet he said, Behold, I

326

THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

know now that the God of Israel is the only
God on earth. Now, therefore, I pray thee,
take a blessing and a gift from me thy servant.
Naaman urged this plea.

But Elisha said, As the Lord liveth before
whom I stand, I will take nothing from thee.
God's prophet did not wish to be paid for what
he had done. Although Naaman urged him,
Elisha stood firm. Then Naaman said,
Though thou wilt take nothing from me, I
pray thee give me as much earth of the land of
Israel as two mules can carry, for from this
time I will offer neither burnt offering nor
sacrifice to any other god than the Lord
Jehovah. There is only one thing that I hope
the Lord will pardon me for, that, when my
master the king goes to the temple of Rimmon
to worship and there leans on my hand, and
I have to bow myself in the house of Rimmon,
when I bow down myself there I hope the
Lord will pardon me. Naaman meant to say
that he would not himself worship an idol any
more, and yet he feared that, as captain of the
host, he might sometimes have to go into the
house of the idol the Syrians worshipped.

V7

THE STORY BIBLE

Elisha understood his difficulty and said to
him, Go in peace.

Before he had gone very far the servant of
Elisha, Gehazi, did a very mean and low thing.
He had seen with covetous eyes the gold and
the silver and the changes of raiment and,
though Elisha would have none of them, the
heart of the servant was moved with longing.
He wanted the silver and the rich clothing.
So he ran after Naaman, and the noble general,
seeing him, stopped his chariot, stepped to the
ground and said, Is all well?

Yes, said Gehazi, all is well, but my master
has changed his mind. He has had guests
come suddenly and he would be glad to have
a talent of silver and two changes of raiment
for them. They have come from Mount
Ephraim and are young men of the sons of
the prophets. The whole of this was a lie and
it was an outrage upon Elisha.

Naaman gladly gave the changes of raiment
and bound two talents of silver in two bags
and sent two of his own servants to carry them
to Elisha's house.

Gehazi took good care that Elisha should
328

THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

know nothing of this. He hid the spoil in his
own house and, at the proper time, went in and
stood meekly before his master.

From whence do you come? said Elisha.
One lie always needs another and Gehazi
boldly answered, I have been nowhere.

Elisha looked at him with piercing eyes.
Went not my heart with thee, he said, when
the man turned again from his chariot to meet
thee? Is this a time to receive money and
garments and olive yards and vineyards and
sheep and oxen and men servants and maid
servants?

He meant by this that Gehazi, who had been
poor, might now, through his double dealing,
possess himself of things which belonged to
wealth. But with the wealth there was to
come a curse to the faithless Gehazi.

The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to thee,
and to thy house forever, said Elisha sternly,
and Gehazi went out from the prophet's pres-
ence a leper as white as snow.

329

XLII
THE KING'S CUP BEARER

HUNDREDS of years passed by and the
children of Israel, who had sinned and
forgotten God, were carried away prisoners
into a strange land. By the rivers of Babylon
they sat and wept. In Shushan, the palace of
Persia, their hearts were sore. In this palace,
as cup bearer to the king, there was a man
of noble aspect, one of the grandest men who
ever lived. His name was Nehemiah. He
heard from some Jews who had escaped and
knew what was going on in Jerusalem that the
wall of the old city was broken down, that its
gates had been burned and that the worship
of God was no longer practiced there. Nehe-
miah prayed earnestly to God. Then, when
the time came for him to present the chalice
of wine to the king at his table, he appeared
before the monarch trying to look as usual.
But he could not conceal his grief. It was
considered an insult for one to enter the king's
presence with a sad and gloomy brow and

330

THE KING'S CUP BEARER

Nehemiah was dismayed when the king said,
Why is thy countenance sad? This is noth-
ing else but sorrow of heart.

There was only one answer to make. Nehe-
miah said, Let the king live forever. Why
should not my countenance be sad when the
city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth
waste and the gates thereof are burned with
fire?

The king listened with great patience and
said, For what dost thou make request?
Then, indeed, Nehemiah lifted up his heart in
prayer to the God of heaven. You know one
may send a prayer to God, wherever one is,
without leaving the room or going away by
one's self. A prayer may be made in thought
and will flash to God more swiftly than the
lightning from the sky; and God will hear it.

The prayer Nehemiah made was heard. He
said to the king, If it please thee, and if thy
servant hath found favor in thy sight, I re-
quest that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to
the city of my fathers' sepulchres that I may
build it again.

The queen was sitting by the king and I feel
33i

THE STORY BIBLE

sure that she put in a soft womanly word for
Nehemiah. The king said benignantly, How
long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou
return?

You see that Nehemiah's good character
had made the king trust him. Very soon, with
letters to the keeper of the king's forest in
Judea, giving him orders to help Nehemiah all
he could, to give him timber for the gates and
whatever he needed for his enterprise, Nehe-
miah started on his long journey. He had cap-
tains and soldiers with him, both horse and
foot. One would have thought that the people
in Jerusalem would have been very glad to
have Nehemiah come on this good errand.
Some of them were glad but, on the other
hand, some were very angry. Two persons of
low degree, Sanballat and Tobiah, both of
them aliens, were very angry indeed. They
did everything they could to trouble Nehe-
miah and interfere with his work. After he
had organized his men, and set companies of
them repairing at different places, these two
men, with some Arabians and Ammonites, did
their best to break down the walls as fast as

33?

THE KING'S CUP BEARER

they were built and, which was worse, they
stood there mocking and making fun. They
said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they
fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will
they make an end in a day? Will they restore
the stones out of the heaps of rubbish which
are burned? Tobiah said jeeringly, Even that
which they build, if a fox go up he shall break
down their stone wall.

But Nehemiah did not mind these people.
He kept on praying to God and building the
wall and, as the people had a mind to work,
the wall went steadily up. The builders had
to work every one with a sword by his side be-
cause they did not know at what moment they
would be attacked. Nehemiah gave orders
that, whenever they heard the sound of a
trumpet anywhere, as the work was great and
the companies were widely separated, they
should rally at the sound of the trumpet. Our
God will fight for us, he said. So they
labored, and half of them held the spears from
the rising of the morning until the stars ap-
peared. They worked night and day and Ne-
hemiah hardly stopped for sleep. Sanballat

333

THE STORY BIBLE

and Tobiah tried their best to entice him away
but, when they sent messengers to him asking
for a conference, he sent back a noble answer.
It is an answer which we may give if people
ever try to persuade us to neglect the Lord's
work: I am doing a great work so that I can-
not come down. Why should the work cease
while I leave it and come down to you? Four
times Sanballat and Tobiah sent messages to
Nehemiah and four times also he answered
them thus. Then they sent letters to put him
in fear, and did their best to make him think
that assassins were lurking near to kill him.
They tried to get him to go into the temple
where they said he would be safe. But the
noble Nehemiah was not daunted. He said,
Should such a man as I flee? and who is there
that, being as I am, would go into the temple
to save his life? I will not go in.

In the end the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt,
the ancient gates were restored, the old wor-
ship of JEHOVAH was established once more
and Nehemiah went back to the king of Baby-
lon. No wonder he said, Remember me, O my
God, for good.

334

XLIII
QUEEN ESTHER

IN the days of King Ahasuerus, a monarch
who reigned over a hundred and twenty-
seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, some
strange things came to pass. Ahasuerus was
a Persian monarch. The kings of Persia were
very strong but there was one particular in
which they were very weak. By a law of their
kingdom they could never change a word they
had once said or a law they had once made.
If they made a mistake it had to stand, and
this often gave them great trouble because
they were as liable to make mistakes as any
other people.

Ahasuerus was a very mighty king. In the
third year of his reign he made a great feast
and invited to it the noblemen and princes of
the hundred and twenty-seven provinces and
all the great courtiers and fine people of Persia
and Media. He kept this feast up day after

335

THE STORY BIBLE

day for many days, finally ending it with a
great banquet to crown the whole, the tables
being spread in the garden and in the
court of the palace at Shushan. Everything
here was very beautiful. There were rich
hangings of white, green and blue, fastened
by cords of fine linen and purple to sil-
ver rings and pillars of marble. The divans
and couches on which the guests reclined were
of gold and silver, standing on a pavement of
mosaic composed of red, blue, white and black
marble. Everything was beautiful and sump-
tuous. The guests drank the royal wine from
goblets of pure gold, no two alike. While this
feast was going on, Vashti, the queen, made a
feast in the house of the women for her friends.
It was not customary in that land for men and
women to sit at dinner together. In Oriental
lands now, in Persia or India or China, the
women of a household stay by themselves and
never see any man unless he is closely related
to them. I explain this so that you will un-
derstand something that happened at the end
of this feast.

The king, with all his men at arms, his
336

QUEEN ESTHER

princes, his courtiers and his nobles, was feast-
ing in the splendid palace garden. The feast
had lasted a long time and the men had been
drinking the royal wine out of the golden cups
for many, many days. Not a woman was pres-
ent. In her royal house, into which no man
except the king ever entered, Queen Vashti
was feasting with the women of the court.
Presently the king, being confused with the
wine he had been drinking, sent to the house
of the women seven men from those who were
serving in his presence. He commanded them
to bring before him and the crowd who were
feasting with him the beautiful queen Vashti.
She was to come in her royal robes, with
all her jewels blazing upon her, her golden
girdle, her bracelets, her rings and the golden
crown upon her head. The king wished to
show her beauty to the men who were with
him, for she was fair to look upon. A greater
insult could not have been offered by man to
woman, or by king to queen. The lowest slave
in the wide land of Persia would have scorned
thus to insult his wife. Ahasuerus would not
have dared so to insult Vashti if he had been

337

THE STORY BIBLE

himself but, in every age when a man allows
drink to take possession of his reason, he does
foolish and brutal things. Vashti very prop-
erly refused to come and sent word to the king
that she would not obey him. An Eastern
king had absolute power, the power of life and
death over every one of his people, from his
wife downward. No doubt the king felt angry
enough to kill the queen at once but, instead,
his anger burning hotly in him, he called to-
gether his wise men and the princes of his
realm. They must all have been beside them-
selves with wine, or they never would have
advised the king as they did. The question
was: What should be done to the queen be-
cause she had disobeyed her husband?

The oldest of the princes solemnly said,
Vashti, the queen, hath not done wrong to the
king only but also to all the princes and to all
the people that are in all the provinces of
King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen
shall come abroad unto all women so that
their husbands shall be despised in their eyes,
when it shall be reported, King Ahasuerus
commanded Vashti, the queen, to be brought

338

QUEEN ESTHER

in before him but she came not. So shall the
ladies of Persia and Media say and do this day
unto all the kings and princes who have heard
of the deed of the queen. Thus there shall
arise too much contempt and wrath. He went
on to add,

If it please the king, let there go a royal
commandment from him and let it be written
among the laws of the Persians and the Medes,
that it be not altered, that Vashti come no
more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king
give her royal estate unto another who is bet-
ter than she.

And when the king's decree which he shall
make shall be published throughout all his em-
pire, for it is great, all the wives shall give
their husbands honor, both to great and small.

The king and the princes were delighted with
this counsel of the owl-like courtier, and at
once letters were sent into every corner of the
wide dominion, and into every province: let-
ters written in every language that was spoken
in the great kingdom, to the effect that every
man should bear rule in his own house and
every woman obey him, no matter how little

339

THE STORY BIBLE

sense there might be in what the man com-
manded.

The curtain falls upon poor Vashti. She
was probably shut up in some corner of the
palace and she saw the king no more till the
day of her death. I have always felt very sorry
for Vashti and have had much respect for her.
She was a great lady who had courage beyond
that of most women in her time.

After awhile the king's wrath was appeased.
He remembered Vashti and the decree that
had been made against her, and perhaps he
regretted it, but the decree had been made
and could not be altered. Ahasuerus could
no more step over that edict and par-
don Vashti or beg her pardon than Vashti
could emerge from her prison and once
more sit by his side. Vashti was to the
king exactly as if she were dead. He moped
and sulked and was very disagreeable, and all
the court people talked about it in corners and
put their heads together to see what could be
done. The only thing they could think of was
to find another wife for Ahasuerus. It hap-
pened that there was employed in the palace of

340

QUEEN ESTHER

Shushan a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a man
who had been carried away captive by Nebu-
chadnezzar, the king of Babylon, during some
war of the Jews and the Babylonians. In his
household there was a beautiful orphan girl,
his niece. Her name was Esther. When the
king's friends began looking about for some
lovely maiden who might please the king and
become his wife, it happened that Esther was
chosen as the most beautiful of all. It was not
generally known that she was a Jewess and her
Uncle Mordecai cautioned her to say nothing
whatever about her people or her race. The
king loved her and set the royal crown upon
her head and made her queen instead of
Vashti. Thus it happened that a simple
maiden of the Hebrews became the queen of
Persia and arrived at great dignity and honor.
She arrived at trouble, too.

About this time there arose a fierce persecu-
tion against the Hebrews who were scattered
throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus. Just
such persecutions have arisen against these
poor people in Spain, in Italy, in Russia and
elsewhere, in modern days.

341

THE STORY BIBLE

A wicked man named Haman hissed scorn-
ful words of hate against the Jews in the ear
of the king. He was very angry because Mor-
decai, the uncle of Esther, never bowed low
before him, or gave him reverence, when he
passed by. He did not know that Mordecai
was of the kindred of Esther or that the
queen was a Hebrew. If he had he would
have been more careful. He said to Ahasue-
rus, There are people scattered all about your
kingdom whose laws are different from yours.
It is not to the king's profit to let these people
live. If you will give me the authority in
writing to destroy them, I will soon make an
end of every one of them. And I will gather
their gold and silver and pay a great sum into
the king's treasuries.

The king told Haman that he should have
all the money he wanted and all the soldiers
he needed to carry out his wicked plan. Let-
ters were written and sealed with the king's
ring. These letters were sent by horsemen
into all the king's provinces. They carried
orders to destroy and kill, by a general mas-
sacre, all Jews, both young and old, little chil-

342

QUEEN ESTHER

dren and women, and to loot their houses and
seize their possessions. When this dreadful
thing had been planned, the king and Haman
sat down to a feast, but a great pall of misery
fell over the city of Shushan and over the pal-
ace. In both were many Jews who had been
born there, whose fathers and mothers had
been there since the captivity and who were
good subjects of the king. Mordecai himself
rent his clothes, put on sackcloth, went out
into the city and cried with a loud and bitter
cry. He even stood before the king's gate
clothed in sackcloth, but he did not enter, for
no one thus clothed might come within the
court of the palace.

Riding furiously, the king's messengers
carried these letters of fate to the farthest
corner of the empire. Letters like these took
the place of the newspapers of our day. The
men who carried them would ride until their
horses were tired; at some point fresh horses
would be ready for them, and away they would
dash carrying decrees from the king.

Mordecai did not enter the king's gate but
he stood just outside of it, covered with sack-

343

THE STORY BIBLE

cloth, moaning and groaning and weeping and
wailing. As for the Jews, everywhere in the
kingdom they mourned and fasted. There
was no joy in the house of any Jew. It was
not long before some of the maidens around
Esther told her that Mordecai was standing
weeping at the palace gate. At this the queen
was exceedingly grieved, and she sent fresh
raiment to clothe Mordecai and to take away
his sackcloth, but he would not receive it. She
then sent a chamberlain who waited upon her
to find out what had happened. Mordecai sent
word to Esther, telling her that her people
were in the utmost danger and charging her
to go at once to the king and intercede for
them. Esther sent back word to her kinsman,
All the king's servants and the people of
the king's provinces know that whosoever,
whether man or woman, shall come unto the
king into the inner court without being called,
there is one law which is to put him to death,
unless the king shall hold out the golden
sceptre that he may live. And I have not been
called into the king's presence in thirty days.
All this was repeated to Mordecai.

344

QUEEN ESTHER

Then Mordecai commanded the messenger
to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that
thou shalt escape in the king's house, more
than all the Jews. For, if thou altogether
holdest thy peace at this time, there shall come
enlargement and deliverance to the Jews from
another place; but thou and thy father's house
shall be destroyed, and who knoweth whether
thou art come to the kingdom for such a time
as this?

Then Esther sent word to Mordecai, Go,
gather together all the Jews that are in Shu-
shan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor
drink three days, night or day. I also, and
my maidens, will fast likewise, and so will I
go in unto the king which is not according to
the law. And if I perish, I perish.

You see that Queen Esther knew herself to
be in great danger. If she offended the king,
he might not treat her with as much clemency
as he had shown to Vashti. She felt quite sure
that in a moment of caprice he might order her
to be slain on the spot. Nevertheless she
prayed and all her people prayed with her. On
the third day, Esther put on her royal apparel

345

THE STORY BIBLE

and went all by herself and stood in the inner
court of the king's house. The king was sit-
ting there upon his throne and, looking up, he
saw the beautiful woman waiting just on the
threshold, not daring to advance another step.
He smiled and held out to her the golden scep-
tre. She drew near and touched the top of
the sceptre.

Then said the king unto her, What wilt
thou, Queen Esther? And what is thy re-
quest? It shall be given thee to the half of the
kingdom.

Esther replied, saying that she would like to
have the king and Haman, his prime minister,
come to a banquet which she had prepared.
Being a Jewish woman, Esther had never been
secluded as the Persian women were, and it did
not seem to her a remarkable thing to ask that
the king should bring his prime minister with
him to a feast. They came together and were
daintily served, and the king said to Esther
again, What is thy petition and it shall be
granted thee, and what is thy request? Even
to the half of the kingdom it shall be per-
formed.

346

QUEEN ESTHER

But the only request she now made was that
they should come again to-morrow and feast
at the banquet she should prepare. To-mor-
row, she said, I will make my request to the
king.

Haman went home that day joyful and with
a glad heart, but when he saw Mordecai in the
king's gate, and Mordecai neither stood up
nor bowed nor moved an inch out of the way,
he was full of wrath and resentment. He told
his wife and his friends that day of all the
glory he had won, of his great riches and how
he had become the favorite of the king. Even
Esther, the queen, he said, invited me to-day
to come to a feast with the king and herself,
and to-morrow I am invited by her, for the
second time. Surely no honor is so great as
mine. I am proud and glad.

Yet all this avails me nothing and is of no
account in my sight so long as I see Mordecai
the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

I wouldn't bother any more about Mordecai,
said Haman's wife. It will be the easiest
thing in the world to get rid of him. Let a
gallows be made fifty cubits high, and speak

347

THE STORY BIBLE

a word to the king to-morrow morning and
get an order that Mordecai shall be hanged,
and then go in merrily with the king unto the
banquet.

The thing pleased Haman and he caused the
gallows to be made.

But that night the king could not sleep and
he ordered some of the men around him to
bring a book of records and read him bits of
court history so that he might be entertained.
It was presently found that Mordecai had
discovered a plot against the king's life and
had apprehended the men who were concerned
in it. The king also discovered to his annoy-
ance that nothing had ever been given in the
way of a reward to Mordecai, notwithstand-
ing this great service. The king said, Who
is in the court outside? Who should be there,
if you please, but Haman waiting a good
chance to speak to the king and to hang Mor-
decai on the gallows that he had prepared for
him.

Haman was naturally at once brought in.
The king turned to him and said, as he
salaamed before him, What shall be done unto

348

QUEEN ESTHER

the man whom the king delighteth to honor?
Now Haman thought in his heart, whom
would the king delight to honor more than
myself? So Haman answered the king, For
the man whom the king delighteth to honor,
let the royal apparel be brought which the king
useth to wear, and the horse that the king
rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set
upon his head, and let this apparel and horse
be delivered to the hand of one of the king's
most noble princes, that he may array the
man whom the king delighteth to honor and
bring him on horseback through the street of
the city and proclaim before him: Thus shall
it be done to the man whom the king de-
lighteth to honor.

Then the king said to Haman, Make haste,
and take the apparel and the horse, as thou
hast said, and do even so to Mordecai, the Jew,
that sitteth at the king's gate. Let nothing
fail of all that thou hast spoken.

Then took Haman the apparel and the horse
and arrayed Mordecai and brought him on
horseback through the street of the city and
proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done

349

THE STORY BIBLE

unto the man whom the king delighteth to
honor.

I do not suppose that there ever was in all
the world so great a surprise and so terrible a
disappointment as this that came to Haman.
Mordecai in his rich robes sat again in the
king's gate, but Haman went to his own house
mourning. When he told his wife and his
friends what had befallen him, they said, If
Mordecai belongeth to the Jews, before whom
thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt surely not
prevail against him.

Even as they spoke, the king sent to Haman,
bidding him haste and go with him to Esther's
banquet. Seated at the banquet on the second
day, the king again said, What is thy petition,
Queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee.
And what is thy request? and it shall be per-
formed even to the half of my kingdom.

Then answered Esther and said, If I have
found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it
please the king, let my life be given me at my
petition, and my people at my request, for we
are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to
be slain and to perish. If we had been sold

350

QUEEN ESTHER

for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my
tongue, although the enemy could not com-
pensate the king's damage.

Then the king answered and said unto
Esther, the queen, Who is he and where is he
that durst presume in his heart to do this?

And Esther said, The adversary and the
enemy is this wicked Haman.

The doom of Haman was very quickly
spoken. He was hanged on the gallows he had
prepared for Mordecai.

As for the king, he could not repeal the edict
that had gone forth against the Jews, but very
swiftly he sent out another, hurrying it by men
on horseback and riders on mules and camels,
into every portion of the kingdom. In the
second edict, the Jews were commanded to
gather themselves in every city and fight for
their homes and their little ones, and were told
to strike down without mercy any one who at-
tacked them. This decree was given at Shu-
shan, the palace. It put an end to that perse-
cution. The Jews had light and gladness and
joy and honor in their dwellings, and many of
the people of the land adopted their religion

35i

THE STORY BIBLE

and became Jews. Mordecai came into the
presence of the king in royal apparel of blue
and white, with garments of fine linen and pur-
ple and a crown of gold upon his head. Queen
Esther was honored and loved throughout all
the realm of Persia.

It has been said that the name of God is not
mentioned in the Book of Esther. Neverthe-
less, the thought of God is in it and we are
shown that those who pray to Jehovah in
times of trouble, and who trust Him, will
never be forsaken. It was He who protected
His people and gave Queen Esther the glory
of saving them.

352

XLIV
THE MOST PATIENT OF MEN

AWAY back in the early days of the world
there was a man in the land of Uz
whose name was Job. He was perfect and up-
right, a man who feared God and hated evil.
He had seven sons and three daughters. Job
had seven thousand sheep, three thousand
camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hun-
dred she-asses and a very great household.
And he was the greatest and richest of all the
men of the East. His sons and daughters
lived together in great love and often visited
at one another's homes. In all the earth there
was no man so happy, so contented and so
blessed as Job. It was just on this man that a
great calamity fell, and then another and an-
other. It came about in this way:

There was a day when all the sons and all
the daughters were feasting together in their
eldest brother's house. Very likely they were
keeping a birthday. A messenger came run-
ning in to Job, saying, The oxen were plough-

353

THE STORY BIBLE

ing and the asses feeding beside them,
when the Sabeans fell upon them and took
them away. They have slain the servants
with the edge of the sword and I only am
escaped alone to tell thee. Before this man
had finished speaking another came rushing
in, saying, The fire of God is fallen from
heaven and hath burned up the sheep and the
servants and consumed them, and I only am
escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet
speaking, another came hurrying in, crying
out, The Chaldeans made three bands and
fell upon the camels and have taken them
away. They have slain the servants with the
edge of the sword and I only am escaped alone
to tell thee. As if all this were not enough,
another messenger came running up and said,
Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and
drinking in their eldest brother's house and,
behold, there came a great wind from the
wilderness and smote the four corners of the
house, and it fell upon the young men and they
are dead, and I only am escaped alone to tell
thee.

So, in one hour, the robbers of the desert,
354

THE MOST PATIENT OF MEN

the lightning from heaven and the cyclone had
done their dreaded work. The father of many
children was childless, the richest man on the
earth was the poorest of all. Then Job arose
and rent his mantle and shaved his head and
fell down upon the ground and worshipped
and said, Naked came I into this world and
naked shall I leave it. The Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name
of the Lord. In all this Job committed no sin
nor expressed anger against God.

Yet the measure of his misery was not full.
As he lay there on the ground there came on
him a painful disease, and he was covered with
boils from head to foot. At last his wife said
to him, How canst thou bear this any longer?
Curse God and die.

But the man who was of all men most
patient, exclaimed, What! Shall we receive
good at the hand of God and shall we not re-
ceive evil? So he remained quiet and submis-
sive in all his sorrow and poverty.

After awhile three friends came to see him.
Their names were Eliphas, Bildad and Zophar.
Each of them talked a long time and com-

355

THE STORY BIBLE

merited on what Job was suffering. Job him-
self talked about the past and declared that he
had lived honestly and spotlessly before God.
He said, O that my adversary had written a
book! He felt that he would not fear to take
that book and appear with it in the presence
of God. The Lord Himself spoke in Job's
justification out of the whirlwind. The whole
book of Job is full of the most beautiful poetry,
but it is too deep for children to understand.
One thing you can understand and be glad of,
and that is that after a time the Lord sent back
to Job more prosperity than he had at first. In
his last days he had far more sheep and camels,
far more oxen and a greater estate than he had
had in his youth. He had also seven sons and
three daughters, who took the places of those
who had perished in the cyclone. In all the
land, there were no women so fair as the
daughters of Job and their father gave them
an inheritance among their brethren. Job
lived a hundred and forty years to enjoy the
good things that came to him after the evil
things had passed away and he died at last, old
and full of days.

356

XLV
IN THE FIERY FURNACE

YOU have noticed that a great many
things happened in the old Bible days
to God's people in punishment for wrongdo-
ing. If they had done as the Lord told them
and had obeyed His command, they would not
have been carried away captive by their ene-
mies. They forgot God, disobeyed Him
and, in consequence, they were often in great
trouble. The story of the three children in the
fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar is a story of
the captivity. The king of Babylon had be-
sieged Jerusalem, and taken captive many of
the people, some of them of noble birth. He
had carried away the golden vessels from the
temple and had profaned them by using them
in the house of his god. Among the children
whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away from
their native land were four young princes
whose names were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael

357

THE STORY BIBLE

and Azariah. He changed their names to
names he liked better, calling Daniel, Belte-
shazzar and the others respectively, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. Whatever their
names were these boys remained princely and
found favor in the eyes of all who met them.
They went to school in Babylon and, as there
were a great many learned men there, they
soon had a chance to know the wisdom of the
Chaldeans who were the greatest scholars in
the world. One thing they refused to do, and
that was to change their religion. They con-
tinued to worship the true God and they would
not eat the flesh offered to idols which others
in the palace ate. Instead, they lived on sim-
ple food and God gave them knowledge and
skill in all learning and wisdom; to Daniel He
gave wonderful understanding of visions and
dreams.

King Nebuchadnezzar one night dreamed a
dream. In the morning he tried to remember
it but it had gone from him. We often have
dreams that we cannot recall after we have
wakened. But most of us are not so stupid and
unreasonable as Nebuchadnezzar was about

358

IN THE FIERY FURNACE

his dream. He raged up and down the pal-
ace, saying to everybody, I have dreamed a
dream which I have forgotten, and my spirit
is troubled to know the dream. He sent and
grouped around him the magicians, the astrol-
ogers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans, all of
whom were supposed to be enchanters and to
know all mysteries, and told them about his
trouble. Very naturally they said, O King,
live forever. Tell thy servants the dream and
we will explain the meaning.

The king said, I tell you the thing is gone
from me. If ye will not tell me the dream and
the interpretation thereof ye shall be cut in
pieces and your houses shall be laid in ruins.
But, if ye tell me the dream and the interpre-
tation, ye shall receive from me gifts and re-
wards and great honor.

The poor wise men were in a very unhappy
predicament. What could they do with this
unreasonable king who kept insisting, grow-
ing more and more angry every moment, that
they should perform the impossible.

They said at last, There is not a man upon
the earth that can show the king this matter.

359

THE STORY BIBLE

Never before was it heard of that any king,
lord or ruler demanded such a thing of any
magician, astrologer or Chaldean. No human
being lives who can do this rare thing that the
king requires. Nobody could show it to the
king except the gods whose dwelling is not
with flesh.

By this time the king had wrought himself
into a condition of wild fury and he sent out
a command to destroy all the wise men of
Babylon. Not one was to be left. In this
sweeping destruction Daniel and his three
friends would have been included as they were
pupils in the school of the Chaldeans. But
when Arioch, the captain of the king's guard,
told Daniel about this decree, the young man
answered, What has happened? Why is the
decree so hasty from the king? Arioch ac-
cordingly told Daniel all about it. Fearlessly,
as became a prince, Daniel went straight to
the king, begging for a little time and saying
that he would find out the dream and tell the
interpretation. Having done this, he went
home and with his three friends knelt down
and prayed to the God of Heaven. The God

360

IN THE FIERY FURNACE

Who knows all secrets and to Whom all hearts
are open listened to their prayer; Daniel knew
the dream, related it to the king, and told the
king its meaning. After this the king made
him a great man, gave him many gifts and
made him ruler over the whole province of
Babylon, and chief of the governors over all
the wise men. The three companions now
called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were
made assistants to Daniel and Daniel sat in
the king's gate and received honor from all
who passed by.

About this time Nebuchadnezzar made a
gigantic image of gold and set it up in dazzling
beauty in a plaza where all men could see it.
It was an image of himself, and a herald pro-
claimed in loud tones, To you it is commanded,
O people, nations and languages,

That at what time ye shall hear the sound
of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer and all kinds of music, ye shall fall
down and worship the golden image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.

And whosoever falleth not down and wor-
shippeth shall the same hour be cast into the

361

THE STORY BIBLE

midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore
at that time, when all the peoples heard the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psal-
tery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples,
the nations, and the languages, fell down and
worshipped the golden image that Nebuchad-
nezzar the king had set up.

Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans
came near, and brought accusation against the
Jews. They answered and said to Nebuchad-
nezzar the king : O king, live forever. Thou, O
king, hast made a decree, that every man that
shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds
of music, shall fall down and worship the
golden image : and whoso f alleth not down and
worshippeth, shall be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace.

There are certain Jews whom thou hast set
over the affairs of the province of Babylon,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these
men, O king, have not regarded thee; they
serve not thy gods nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up.

Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury
362

IN THE FIERY FURNACE

commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. Then they brought these men be-
fore the king.

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said unto
them, Is it of purpose, O Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, that ye do not serve my gods,
nor worship the golden image which I have
set up?

Now if ye be ready at whatever time ye hear
the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music,
to fall down and worship the image which I
have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that god
that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, an-
swered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnez-
zar, we are not careful to answer thee in this
matter.

If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king,
363

THE STORY BIBLE

that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship
the golden image which thou hast set up.

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and
the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore
he spoke, and commanded that they should
heat the furnace seven times more than it was
wont to be heated.

And he commanded the most mighty men
that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Me-
shach, and Abednego, and to cast them into
the burning fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their coats,
their hose, and their hats, and their other gar-
ments, and were cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace.

Therefore because the king's commandment
was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot,
the flame of the fire slew those men that took
up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst
of the burning fiery furnace.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was as-
tonished, and arose in haste, and said unto his

364

IN THE FIERY FURNACE

counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They answered and
said unto the king, True, O king.

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they
have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is
like a son of the gods.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the
mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake,
and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
ye servants of the most high God, come forth,
and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego came forth from the midst of
the fire.

And the princes, governors, and captains,
and the king's counsellors, being gathered to-
gether, saw these men, upon whose bodies the
fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head
singed, neither were their coats changed, nor
had the smell of fire passed on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar answered, and said,
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and de-
livered his servants that trusted in Him and
have changed the king's word, and yielded

365

THE STORY BIBLE

their bodies, that they might not serve nor
worship any god, except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree, That every peo-
ple, nation, and language, which speak any
thing amiss against the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces,
and their houses shall be made a dunghill; be-
cause there is no other God that can deliver
after this sort.

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Me-
shach, and Abednego, in the province of Baby-
lon.

366

XLVI
THE WRITING ON THE WALL

AFTER Nebuchadnezzar's death his son
Belshazzar succeeded him and sat on
the throne. Daniel still continued to dwell in
Babylon, but he lived by himself in his own
house and did not now take any part in the
government. If he had done so, when Bel-
shazzar the king made a great feast to a thou-
sand of his lords and invited them to drink
wine with him out of the golden vessels that
had once been used in the temple of God in
Jerusalem, Daniel would have uttered a pro-
test. But the king had not Daniel by his side to
warn him and so he and his people went on in
their foolish orgy, drank wine and praised the
gods of gold and silver, of brass, of iron, of
wood and of stone. The merriment was at its
height; the dancing girls had performed be-
fore the king and his nobles. There was
shouting, there was singing, the lights shone
and the hour was full of revelry. But hush!
What is this?

367

THE STORY BIBLE

Suddenly, on the wall, are seen the
shadowy fingers of a man's hand. Nothing
else can be seen except the fingers of the hand
writing and the king looks up and trembles
with fear. Hurriedly he calls for his wise
men, begs some one to read the writing and
tell what it means. Whoever can tell the
meaning of the mystic words written by the
shadowy hand on the palace wall shall be
clothed in scarlet, have a chain of gold about
his neck, and be made third ruler of the king-
dom. But no one understood the writing.
Not a man could help at this moment and the
king in despair sat staring at the mystic lines
until the queen mother came to him and re-
minded him of a person whom he had forgotten.

There is a man, she said, in thy kingdom in
whom is the spirit of the holy gods;

And in the days of thy father, light and un-
derstanding and wisdom like the wisdom of
the gods was found in him.

Belshazzar listened and at once sent mes-
sengers in all haste to find Daniel. It was not
now a youth who came and stood before the
king but a stately man of middle age, with

368

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

keen and piercing eyes, a man who was him-
self a prince in dignity.

Belshazzar begged him to interpret the
strange writing that the shadowy hand had
left on the palace wall and he promised him
all the great gifts, the gold chain, the royal
robe and the position of third ruler in the
kingdom. But Daniel answered, Let thy gifts
be to thyself and give thy rewards to another;
yet I will read the writing for the king and
make known to him the interpretation.

O thou king, the most high God gave
Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and
majesty and glory and honor.

And for the majesty that He gave him, all
people, all nations and languages, trembled
and feared before him; whom he would he
slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and
whom he would he set up ; and whom he would
he put down.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his
mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from
his kingly throne, and they took his glory
from him. And he was driven from the sons
of men; and his heart was made like the

369

THE STORY BIBLE

beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild
asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till
he knew that the most high God ruled in the
kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over
it whomsoever he will.

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not
humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all
this;

But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord
of heaven; and they have brought the vessels
of his house before thee and thou and thy
lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have
drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the
gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood,
and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know:
and the God in Whose hand thy breath is, and
Whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glori-
fied:

Then was the part of the hand sent from
him; and this writing was written.

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

This is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom
and finished it.

37o

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances,
and art found wanting.

PERES ; Thy kingdom is divided, and given
to the Medes and Persians.

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they
clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain
of gold about his neck and made a proclama-
tion concerning him that he should be the
third ruler in the kingdom.

Darius and his army crept in by the water-
gate while the city was madly rioting and the
king feasting. The River Euphrates ran
through Babylon. The Medes could not break
down the city's walls, but they dug a canal and
drew away the water of the Euphrates, and
bribing some one to open the gate, they
marched in on the bed of the stream. So the
mystic writing was fulfilled.

In that night was Belshazzar the king of
the Chaldeans slain.

And Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom.

371

XLVII
DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

THE words written on the wall, Thy king-
dom is divided and given to the Medes
and Persians, came true on the very night of
Belshazzar's feast. While he and his nobles
were still feasting, the army of Darius was in
the city, and the soldiers appeared between
midnight and morning at the palace gates.

So soon as Darius, the Mede, had taken pos-
session of the kingdom it pleased him to make
Daniel his prime minister. In the government
of the new king, Daniel took the same high
place that he had formerly held when Nebu-
chadnezzar ruled the realm. Darius often
asked Daniel to talk with him and took his
good advice. But the other presidents and
princes, rulers and governors, the people about
the court who had come in with Darius and
the other people who had been spared when
Belshazzar was slain, were very jealous of

372

DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

Daniel. They watched him hoping to find
something to say against him, to spy some
fault, some mistake or some crime. But
Daniel was so honorable and faithful that not
a single flaw could they find. At last they
agreed together that unless they could some-
how bring an occasion against Daniel on ac-
count of the way in which he served his God,
they might as well drop the attempt. They
went about the matter with a great deal of
cunning and craft. It was the custom among
the Persians and Medes to consider the king
a fit object of worship. It was the custom,
too, just as in the days of Ahasuerus, to re-
gard a law once made by the king as forever
fixed and not to be changed. If only these
bad people could persuade the king to make
a law which Daniel would be certain to break
on account of his conscience, they felt sure
that his ruin would be accomplished.

You may imagine how cunningly they hid
their design from the king, who was Daniel's
friend. Entering the royal presence they said,
as they made their low salaams, King Darius
live forever. They then went on to tell the king

373

THE STORY BIBLE

that all the presidents of the kingdom, the gov-
ernors, the princes, the counsellors and the
captains, had consulted together to make a
royal statute and a decree that any one, who-
ever it might be, who should pray to any
god or man during the next thirty days, ex-
cept to the king, should be cast into a den of
lions. Now, O king, they said, Establish the
decree and sign the writing, that it cannot be
changed, according to the law of the Medes
and Persians which changes not.

I suppose the king was flattered by this
homage and did not stop to think what a great
wrong he was committing. He signed the
writing and the decree. Do you fancy for a
moment that it would be possible to carry out
such a foolish decree as this in any country, at
any time? Prayer is asking for what one wants
and every little child who is hungry and goes
to her mother and asks for bread, in that very
asking, utters a prayer. Every day in the year
all of us have to ask for many things we need
both from men and from God. Daniel soon
heard that this writing was signed but he did
not alter his manner of life. On the contrary,

374

DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

he went into his house and, his windows being
open in the chamber that looked toward Jeru-
salem, he knelt down three times a day and
prayed and gave thanks before God, as he had
always done.

Darius had not been very long in Babylon.
Daniel had been there for many years. All the
people in Babylon knew that Daniel never for-
got to pray in the Jerusalem chamber. It was
not that he did it to make a show. It was
simply that from childhood onward he had al-
ways, in that place, at certain times, knelt
down and prayed. He would not change his
habit because of the command of any earthly
king.

Under Daniel's window and on the terrace
outside his house, assembled little crowds of
men, smiling with malicious triumph as they
heard him praying and giving thanks to his
God. It was the same God who had saved the
three young men in the fiery furnace and you
remember, do you not, that, walking in the fire
with them, those who looked on saw another
whose form was like the Son of God? Daniel,
equally with the three friends who had been

375

THE STORY BIBLE

saved from the furnace, trusted Jehovah and
felt no fear.

The wicked men came to the king, bowing
and smirking and trying to conceal their
triumph. Hast thou not signed a decree, they
said, that every man who shall ask a petition
of any god or man within thirty days, except
of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of
lions?

Yes, said the king, the thing is true, accord-
ing to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which changeth not.

Well, they answered, Daniel, who is of the
captivity of Judah, obeyeth not thee, O king,
nor regardeth the decree that thou hast signed,
but maketh his petition three times a day.

When Darius heard this his heart was
heavy. He was displeased with himself, and
nothing is harder than to feel in one's own
heart that one has made a great and terrible
mistake. He set his heart to deliver Daniel
from the lions, and he labored to this end till
the going down of the sun, but to no purpose.
For whatever he said was met by Daniel's
enemies with one word. The law of the Medes

376

DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

and Persians, once made, cannot be changed.
There stood the law like a wall of rock. Even
the king could not batter it down or find a way
around it. So a guard was sent to Daniel's
house and Daniel was brought and cast into
the den of lions. The lions were fierce and
famished. Nothing could be expected but that
they would devour Daniel in the twinkling of
an eye. Yet the king said : O Daniel, thy God,
Whom thou servest continually, He will de-
liver thee.

The man who that day was thrown to the
lions was much more a king than the trem-
bling man who wore the crown of Persia.
They were probably about the same age; both
had passed their youth, had lived long and
seen many strange things. One to-day was
flung into a den of ravenous beasts and the
mouth of the den was closed with a stone
which the other sealed with his own royal seal.

Long and bitter and cold was that night.
The king in the palace spent it fasting and
mourning, and he never closed his eyes. Very
early in the morning, he could bear the sus-
pense and agony no longer and he ran in haste

377

THE STORY BIBLE

to the den and, standing by it, cried with a
sorrowful voice unto Daniel, saying : O Daniel,
servant of the living God, is thy God Whom
thou servest continually able to deliver thee
from the lions?

Then said Daniel to the king, not in a sor-
rowful voice, but in the voice of one who has
slept peacefully and been refreshed: O king,
live forever. My God hath sent His angel and
hath shut the lions' mouths that they have not
hurt me; since before Him innocence was
found in me, and also before thee, O king,
have I done no hurt,

At this the king was exceedingly glad and
commanded that Daniel should be taken up
out of the den. No manner of bruise or wound
was found upon him because he had believed
in His God.

As for the men who had plotted against
Daniel, they were thrown to the lions them-
selves and the fierce lions had the mastery of
them and quickly ate them up. Their bones
were broken before they so much as touched
the bottom of the den. Poor men! They lit-
tle thought, when they conspired against

378

DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN

God's servant, that they should so soon meet
the dreadful death they meant for him.

As for Darius, he made a decree and sent
it out to the farthest bounds of his empire, to
the effect that everywhere men should wor-
ship the God of Daniel. For, said Darius, He
is the living God, and steadfast forever, and
His kingdom shall not be destroyed; and His
dominion shall be without end.

Daniel lived long after this and had many
visions of heaven. As he knelt in his room,
praying with his face to Jerusalem, heaven
often opened before him. He saw JEHOVAH
sitting on a sapphire throne, he heard the
songs of saints and angels and, once, a voice
which seemed to come from the sky said to
him: O Daniel, man greatly beloved, under-
stand the words that I speak unto thee and
stand upright, for unto thee am I sent.

So had God spoken to Moses, to Samuel, to
David, to Elijah and, in earlier days, to Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob. So, dear children, if
we do His will and listen to His voice, He may
sometimes, in the hush of our hearts, speak to
us. We never need fear any trouble or trial if

379

THE STORY BIBLE

we are serving God and not thinking about
ourselves. No lions shall hurt us, for God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help
in time of trouble.

380

XLVIII
THE STRANGE PASSENGER

I AM now about to tell you the story of a
good man who was very, very foolish.
He thought he could run away from God.
The worst of it was, he was God's prophet and
should have known better. One day the word
of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,
saying, Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city,
and cry against it, for its wickedness is come
up before me.

Ninevah was a thronged city, full of people,
full of great houses, with horses and chariots,
a mighty army, and every sort of traffic going
on. It was surrounded by a great wall. The wall
was so broad that eight chariots with their
horses easily rode around it side by side, their
drivers urging on the steeds as if on a race
course. There was a promenade on the top
of the wall for the people of Ninevah, and
down below there were streets and avenues,
and people were forging ahead on their er-

381

THE STORY BIBLE

rands all day long. How should Jonah, a man
brought up in the country, a man who had
lived much alone, go to this great city and give
God's warning?

He was very much frightened and thought
that, instead of going, he would flee from the
presence of the Lord and go unto a place called
Tarshish, a good way off from Ninevah. He
girded up his loins and took his staff, went to
the nearest seaport, which was Joppa, and
there he found a ship outward bound. He paid
his fare and stepped on board, this man who
was running away from the Lord.

But the Lord sent a great wind upon the sea,
and after the wind came a mighty tempest, and
the ship tossed about on the waves and seemed
in danger of wreck. The sailors were afraid,
and they began to throw out the freight to
lighten the ship. They called upon their gods,
but the tempest kept on raging and the wild
gale blew harder than ever. In all this tur-
moil Jonah lay fast asleep in his berth until
the captain came and shook him, saying,
What dost thou mean by sleeping here?
Arise, call upon thy God. Our gods have not

382

THE STRANGE PASSENGER

helped us, but maybe thine will. Call upon
Him before we perish.

In the meantime the mariners, who were
Tery superstitious and who felt certain that the
storm had come on account of some one on
board their ship who had done wrong, drew
lots to find out who was the culprit. The lot
fell upon Jonah, the strange passenger.

Tell us, we pray thee, they said, for what
cause this evil is upon us? What is thine occu-
pation? Whence comest thou? What is thy
country? And of what people art thou?

He said to them, I am a Hebrew and I fear
the Lord, the God of Heaven, Who hath
made the sea and the dry land. Then he con-
fessed to them that he was disobeying his God
and running away from His Presence. The
men looked at him in affright. They said,
What shall we do to this man that the sea
may be calmed and our lives saved? For the
sea was still tempest tossed. Jonah said,
There is only one thing to be done. Take me
up and cast me into the sea. As soon as you
do this the sea will be calm. It is for my sake
this great tempest is upon you.

383

THE STORY BIBLE

The men hated to do this, and tried hard to
bring their vessel to land, but all in vain. At
last, praying to God to forgive them and ask-
ing Him not to lay upon them the stain of in-
nocent blood, they took Jonah and threw him
into the midst of the angry sea.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to
swallow Jonah. The fish opened its mouth
and Jonah was presently safe within it, as in
a prison. He stayed in the fish three days and
three nights, and there in the darkness of this
strange prison cell, such a floating prison as
no man ever had before or since, he prayed to
God. In the highest heaven God heard him;
and God made the fish again open its mouth
and it cast out Jonah safe upon the dry land.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah
the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nine-
vah, that great city, and preach unto it,
preaching what I bid thee. You see it had been
of no use for Jonah, like a coward, to run away
from God. This time he set out at once and
for three days he traveled toward Ninevah.
So soon as he entered its outskirts he began
crying, to every one he met, Yet forty days and

384

THE STRANGE PASSENGER

Ninevah shall be overthrown. Day after day,
day after day, up and down the streets he
walked calling out the same message: Yet
forty days and Ninevah shall be overthrown.

The people of Ninevah were very much
startled at this cry of the prophet. From the
king on his throne to the lowest beggar, they
humbled themselves before God and repented
and asked pardon for their sins; and God for-
gave them and spared their city.

One would suppose this would have pleased
Jonah. On the contrary it made him very
angry. He thought that his message had
been proved untrue and, instead of being
thankful that Ninevah was spared, he asked
God to take away his own life. He com-
plained against the very God who had been so
patient with him and, like a fretful child, ex-
claimed, It is better for me to die than to live.

Still the Lord had great forbearance and
said, Doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah left Ninevah, went outside of it and
made him a little booth of branches of trees;
and there he sat and wept because his prophecy
had not come true.

385

THE STORY BIBLE

The Lord prepared a gourd, a plant that
grows very rapidly, and it swiftly grew and
grew until it made a screen for Jonah, to keep
off the sun. Jonah sat there very happy under
the shade of the gourd. But the swift growing
plant lived only a day and withered in a night.
And after it had faded the sun came out with
great strength and the east wind blew, and
Jonah fainted in the heat and again said, O
that I might die. It is better for me to die than
to live.

And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to
be angry, for the gourd?

Yes, said Jonah, I do well to be angry, even
unto death.

But the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the
gourd, for which thou hast not labored, which
came up in a night and perished in a night.
And should I not spare Ninevah, that great
city, wherein are more than six score thousand
little children, and also much cattle?

This story of Jonah teaches us that God is
more merciful than man. The whole Bible is
full of the loving kindness of our God. It has
been shown, filling with light these stories of

386

THE STRANGE PASSENGER

the Old Testament. We shall find it again in
the other stories that are to come, and that tell
us still further of God's great love.

387

STORIES FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT.

XLIX

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

"VVTE have reached the most beautiful story
Vv of all. The world had been dark and
sad. There had been little light to cheer
it and little gladness anywhere for a long time
when our Lord was born in Bethlehem. Baby-
lon and Ninevah had passed away, Greece had
conquered the world, and Alexander the Great
had wept that there were no more worlds to
conquer. In turn, the power of Greece had
waned and Rome became triumphant over
land and sea. When Jesus Christ was born
Judea was a province of Rome. The priests
still ministered in the Temple, but there was
no sovereign in Judea except Herod who was
a prince paying tribute to the Roman Em-
peror. Herod was a cruel and wicked man,
and the men and women of his house were all,
without one exception, as bad as bad could be.
Jerusalem was full of people. Romans were
there serving under the conquering eagle.
Greeks, who were the scholars of the time,

39i

THE STORY BIBLE

were there; traders, tourists and adventurers
from every part of the globe that was then
known found Jerusalem a place to which they
loved to resort.

It occurred to Augustus Caesar, the Roman
Emperor, that this was the time of times when
he ought to tax all the inhabitants of his
realm; so he sent word to Judea that the dif-
ferent families must return to their native
villages so that they might there have their
names registered and from those places pay
taxes. Obeying this order, a man named
Joseph set out with his young wife, Mary, to
go to the little town of Bethlehem in Judea
that there they might live for awhile in the old
home of their tribe.

Both Joseph and Mary belonged to the tribe
of Judah and were directly descended from
David the king. Soon after they arrived in
Bethlehem the little Child of Mary was born.
Though prophets, many centuries before He
came, had foretold His birth, He was not born
in a palace. Never on earth was a little child
born in a lowlier home. Indeed, Jesus was
not born in a home at all, for there was no

392

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

room in the inn at Bethlehem for Mary his
mother to lay her head, and she brought forth
her first born son and wrapped Him in swad-
dling clothes, and laid Him in a manger.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in a
stable and laid in a manger. No little child of
earth was ever poorer than this. But wonder-
ful things happened on the night when Jesus
was born. There were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flocks. The night was very still.
Suddenly the shepherds saw a great light
above them as if the heavens were opened and,
looking up, there were crowds of bright angels
leaning down from the sky. One mighty angel
said to the shepherds, Fear not, for behold I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour which
is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign
unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Sud-
denly, the multitude of the heavenly host be-
hind this herald angel began to sing in tones
sweeter than earth had ever heard: Glory to

393

THE STORY BIBLE

God in the Highest and on earth Peace, Good-
will toward men.

After the angels had gone away and the doors
of heaven had closed, the shepherds said to
one another, Let us now go even unto Bethle-
hem and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us.
They went with haste, running as fast as they
could across the dewy fields in the early
morning, and they found Mary and Joseph
and the Babe lying in a manger. No wonder
they told every one they met about the song
they had heard and the glory of the angels
in the sky.

A little time before this, we are told, three
wise men, kings in their own country, which
was very far away, had seen a strange star in
the eastern sky. They had watched the Star
and had determined to go wherever it led
them. So, with a train of their people, they
had mounted their camels and had fared many
miles across the desert, saying, Where is He
that is born King of the Jews? For we have
seen His Star in the east and are come to wor-
ship Him.

394

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

Throughout the long journey the Star led
them till it stood in the sky over the place
where the young Child was. When they saw
the Star standing there they knew they had
found the right spot and, soon after the
shepherds, they came into the stable where
Mary held her little Child. They bowed low,
with their faces to the earth, and worshipped
Him and, from the treasures they had brought,
they presented to Him precious gifts of gold
and frankincense and myrrh.

The coming of these wise men was so re-
markable that tidings of it were soon carried
to Herod, the wicked king. He was very much
troubled and annoyed because of that saying:
Where is He that is born King of the Jews?
He pretended to the wise men that he wanted
to know all about the king, when they found
him, so that he, too, might go and worship
him, but God warned them in a dream, and
they went back to their own country by an-
other way. Then Herod, in order that he
might kill this little Child, whoever He might
be, did the most infamous thing his cruel heart
could think of. He sent forth soldiers and

395

THE STORY BIBLE

slew all the little children in Bethlehem from
two years old and under, thinking that, in mur-
dering these innocent infants, he would surely
kill the little Child the wise men had come so
far to seek.

Many dear little children were slain and
many mothers mourned and wept. But Mary
and her Child had been taken safe to Egypt.
An angel had appeared to Joseph in a dream
saying, Arise, take the young Child and his
mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there
until I bring thee word, for Herod will seek the
young Child to destroy Him.

He was there until the death of Herod. Be-
fore this flight into Egypt, Jesus had been
taken to the Temple, as was the custom of
all devout Hebrew parents, and there He had
been circumcised and a sacrifice offered ac-
cording to the law. Rich people sacrificed a
lamb. Poor people offered a pair of turtle
doves. For Jesus, the doves were the offering.

Two old people, Simeon an aged prophet
and Anna a prophetess of a great age, gave
thanks to God when they looked on this little
Child.

396

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

In due time Joseph and Mary returned to
their own city Nazareth, where the childhood
of Jesus was spent. There He grew strong
and beautiful, and the grace of God was with
Him. Every year at the feast of the Passover
His parents went to Jerusalem. When Jesus
was twelve years old, they took Him with
them. Jewish boys were supposed to be old
enough at twelve to worship with the men who
fulfilled the rites of religion. They stayed in
Jerusalem till the feast was over and, when
they left to go home again as there was a large
company of kindred and friends, they did not
at first notice that Jesus was not with them.
He had stayed behind in Jerusalem. They
went a whole day's journey before they missed
Him, then they turned back to see what had
become of their Boy. It was after three days
when they came upon this Child of twelve in
the Temple, sitting in the midst of the learned
doctors, listening to them and asking them
questions. These grave rabbis were aston-
ished at His understanding and answers.

His mother said to Jesus, tenderly, Son,
Why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold,

397

THE STORY BIBLE

we have sought thee, sorrowing. And He said
unto her, How is it that you sought Me? Did
you not know that I must be about My
Father's business?

Mary did not understand what He meant. I
think He did not wholly understand it Him-
self; but He went down with His mother and
Joseph to Nazareth and was subject to them,
a sweet, loving, obedient son.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature
and in favor with God and man.

He lived in Nazareth through the years be-
tween twelve and thirty, working with Joseph
in the carpenter's shop, going to the syna-
gogue on the seventh day of the week, and
learning by heart much that was written in
the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the
Psalms. We can see what great honor Jesus
put upon work, the hard work of men's hands,
when He Who was the Child of God handled
the tools of the carpenter, made yokes for the
oxen and chairs and tables and everything
that a carpenter made. We may be sure that
He never did poor work, that everything Jesus
touched was finished all through just in the

398

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

best way He could do it. During those quiet
years He was getting ready, little by little,
for a life more full of toil in other ways than
ever man lived on this earth.

When Jesus was thirty years old He came
away from Nazareth where he had been so
long hidden. At this time John the Baptist
had appeared, preaching in the wilderness of
Judea; John was the son of Zachariah and
Elizabeth who were cousins of Mary the
mother of Jesus. John had lived much alone
and had thought a great deal about duty to
God and man. His office was to be a fore-
runner of Christ. When a great king goes any-
where on a visit, somebody sets out a few
days in advance to make all things ready for
him. A man who does this is called a herald
or an ambassador. John the Baptist in the
New Testament is a good deal like Elijah in
the Old. He was dressed in a rough cloak of
camel's hair fastened with a leathern girdle,
and he did not care very much about luxuries
and dainties. His food was what the desert
gave him, locusts and wild honey. He came
out of the wilderness crying with a mighty

399

THE STORY BIBLE

voice, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand.

You remember, when Jonah went to Nine-
vah so much against his will, he cried out, Yet
forty days and Ninevah shall be destroyed.

John had a different message. He cried,
Leave your sins, be sorry for them, and begin
a new life, because the kingdom of heaven is
coming here to you. I, indeed, baptize you
with water unto repentance, but He that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose
shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall bap-
tize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Crowds of people out of the cities, out of
Jerusalem, out of the villages and from the
fishing banks, came to John, heard him preach,
confessed their sins and were baptized. He
was not afraid of anybody. He looked the
proudest people in the face and told them that
they were sinners and must flee from the
wrath to come.

One day when John was baptizing there
came to him a man with a face of heavenly
majesty and strange sweetness. He stepped
forth from the crowd to the water's edge and

400

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

asked John to baptize Him. But John forbade
Him saying, I have need to be baptized of
Thee; and comest Thou to me?

John knew as he looked at Him that He was
the Holy One of God. Jesus answered and
said to him, Let it be so. It becometh us to
fulfill all righteousness. And so Jesus was
baptized in the Jordan. As He came up out
of the water, the heavens were opened, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending upon Him,
softly, like a dove. And, lo, a voice from
heaven came, saying, This is my beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased.

A very little while after this baptism Jesus
went alone into the wilderness, fasted there
forty days and forty nights, praying to God.
At the end of the forty days He began to feel
faint and hungry. Then came the tempter to
Him saying, If thou be the Son of God com-
mand that these stones be made bread.

But He answered and said, It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The tempter next took Him into the Holy
City and set Him on a pinnacle of the Temple,

401

THE STORY BIBLE

saying to Him, If Thou be the Son of God
cast thyself down. For it is written, He shall
give his angels charge concerning thee and in
their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any
time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again the devil took Him up into an ex-
ceeding high mountain and showed Him all
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of
them and said, All these things will I give thee
if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

But Jesus answered, Get thee hence Satan.
For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.

After this, the tempter left Him, and angels
from heaven came and ministered to Him.

Children cannot understand much about
this trying hour of Jesus. As people grow
older they know better what it means, but
there is one thing the youngest child can
understand. If evil thoughts come into your
heart and you are tempted to do wrong, to be
selfish, to be proud, to trample upon other
people or to do anything mean, answer the evil

402

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

thought with some word from God's book.
Jesus every time answered the tempter with a
word that was in the Scriptures, some word
that he had learned by heart when He was a
little child or a youth working at the carpen-
ter's bench in Nazareth.

From this time Jesus began to teach and to
preach. Walking by the Sea of Galilee He
saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and An-
drew his brother, fishing in the sea; their little
boat and their nets were there, for they were
fishermen, and He stopped and spoke to them.
Follow Me, He said, and I will make you fish-
ers of men.

At once they left their nets and followed
Him. He went a little farther on and He saw
two other men, brothers, James and John, the
sons of Zebidee ; they too were in a little boat
with their father mending their nets. And
they left the boat and their father and followed
Jesus.

The next day He found Philip of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter, and said to him,
Follow thou me. Philip found Nathaniel and
said to him, Come and see one of Whom Moses

403

THE STORY BIBLE

in the Law and Prophets did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Nathaniel said, doubtingly, Can any good
thing come out of Nazareth?

Philip said to him, Come and see.

When Jesus saw him coming, He said, Be-
hold an Israelite, indeed, in whom is no guile.

Nathaniel said to Him, Whence knowest
thou me?

Jesus said, Before Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Instantly Nathaniel answered, Master, thou
art the Son of God. Thou art the King of
Israel. And Jesus said, Because I said unto
thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, dost thou
believe? Thou shalt see greater things than
these.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye
shall see heaven open and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man.

So the kingdom began. Jesus went about
all Galilee, sometimes teaching in the syna-
gogues which were the churches of those days,
sometimes preaching in the fields or from a lit-

404

THE COMING OF THE CHRIST-CHILD

tie boat, often making sick people well and
bad people good, everywhere doing kind
things and making the world happy. In His
first sermon He said:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall
be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob-
tain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called the children of God.

If you will read the fifth, sixth and seventh
chapters of Matthew you will see what a won-
derful sermon Jesus preached as He sat on the
mountain top which was His pulpit.

405

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

THE Christ Child's coming to earth when
the angels sang in the midnight and
the Star in the East guided the pilgrims to
the manger was wonderful beyond words.
But yet more wonderful were the deeds of love
and kindness that kept springing up like flow-
ers in His earthly path, after He began to
preach and teach among the people of the
Holy Land. To this day we call Palestine the
Holy Land because Jesus the Christ once lived
there and trod its hills and vales, sailed upon
its little lake and often stood beside its foam-
ing river.

After Jesus had called to Him Andrew and
Peter, John and James, Philip and Nathaniel,
He went home for awhile to stay with His
mother in Galilee. These were the last days
when Jesus had a home. From the time He left
the carpenter's shop and the humble house of

406

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

Joseph and Mary, He never had a roof that He
could call His own. He said, The foxes have
holes and the birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man hath not where to lay His
head.

While He was tarrying with His mother,
a wedding took place in the neighborhood.
Weddings are joyful occasions. Our Lord
never stayed away from a house of joy or cast
any shadow upon a feast. He and His disci-
ples were invited to the marriage and they
went. By some mistake the giver of the feast
had not provided enough of the wine of the
country which was the common drink of old
and young. It troubled the mother of Jesus
to see her host and hostess disturbed and she
already had made up her mind that her son
could do almost anything He chose. She said
to Him softly, in an undertone, These good
friends of ours are much distressed for they
have no more wine and it is not time for the
company to break up yet.

He looked at her half reprovingly and said,
Why ask me? What have I to do with thee?
Mine hour is not yet come. I think He meant

407

THE STORY BIBLE

that He was not yet ready to do any of the
wonderful things that later He did.

His mother read in His loving eyes some-
thing that made her say to the servants stand-
ing about, Do whatever my Son shall bid you,
no matter what it is. Whatsoever He saith
unto you, do it.

There were arranged near by six large
jars of stone used for various things in the
house, each holding some gallons of water.
Jesus said to the servants, Fill those jars with
water. They poured in water until it reached
the brim of the jars. Then Jesus said, Draw
out, now, and carry the vessels to the ruler of
the feast.

It was crystal water that was poured into
the stone jars but what they drew out was
ruby wine. The ruler of the feast tasted it
and could not imagine where it had come from,
but he knew it was better by far than any wine
he had tasted before. He said in surprise to
the bridegroom, The best wine has been kept
until now. This was the first wonder work of
Jesus in Galilee.

He turned common water into the sweetest,
408

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

most fragrant wine; so, for you and me, dear
children, He can ever make common joys
precious and beautiful.

Not very long after this Jesus went into the
house of Peter, His disciple, and there He
found the mother of Peter's wife, tossing on
her bed and burning up with fever. He went
to her bedside, laid His cool hand on her hot
one and in a moment the fever left her and she
was well, so well that she went about the house
and waited on the others.

In the eventide many poor people who were
possessed by evil spirits were brought to Him
and He restored them to their right mind. In
ancient days Isaiah the prophet had said, that
when the Son of God should come, He would
take away our sicknesses and heal our diseases.
Jesus fulfilled this promise made of old.

The great crowds so closed in about Christ
and His disciples that they had no time to eat
or sleep. So they took a little boat and went
out upon the sea and Jesus, with His head on
a pillow, lay down and fell asleep. The Sea of
Galilee may be calm one hour and tossed with
tempests the next. A great storm arose. The

409

THE STORY BIBLE

ship rocked about and seemed as if it would
sink beneath the waves, but Jesus still slept.
Then the disciples came and awoke Him, say-
ing, Lord, save us. We perish. He said, Why
are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

Then He spoke to the winds and the sea and
said, Peace, be still. And the waves ceased
their turmoil and the winds their clamor.

I cannot tell you about all the people that
Jesus restored to health when they were ill.
A man would be brought to Him shaking with
the palsy, and Jesus would say to Him, Arise,
take up thy bed and walk. The man would
get up and, rolling together the mat which was
his bed, would carry it away, though he had
not walked a step in many years.

Once some people who wanted a friend to
be healed of his disease carried him up the lit-
tle outside stairway to the roof of a house
within which Jesus was teaching. They let
down the man through the roof, which they
took apart for the purpose, and he was laid at
the feet of Jesus. Not only did Jesus restore
him to health but He also forgave his sins.

One of the sweetest stories of what Jesus
410

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

did is that sweet story of a little girl whose
father was a ruler. The ruler's name was
Jairus. Jesus came down the road followed
as usual by great throngs of people. The
father, anxious that his little ailing daughter
might be saved, pushed the people aside and,
falling down before Jesus, clasped His feet.
Over and over again he said, My dear little
daughter is at the point of death. I pray Thee
come and lay Thy hands on her that she may
be healed, and she shall live.

Jesus went with him. He never refused to
go to a house of sorrow any more than to a
house of joy. While He was going a woman
who had been ill for twelve years and whom
no doctors had been able to cure, came behind
Jesus, put out her hand and timidly touched
the edge of the hem of His garment. She said,
If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be well.
You see she had great faith. Although the
crowd was pressing Him on every side, Jesus
felt this timid touch. He turned and said,
Who touched me? The disciples answered,
Why, Master, everybody has touched Thee.
The crowd is great, the people are pushed

411

THE STORY BIBLE

against Thee. Why dost Thou say, Who
touched Me?

Somebody touched Me, said Jesus, for vir-
tue has gone out of Me. He looked about to
see who it was that had been healed, and the
woman, fearing and trembling, knelt down
and told Him the truth.

Daughter, He said to her, Thy faith hath
made thee whole. Go in peace. Her twelve
years of pain and suffering were over. Just
then a man came running from the ruler's
house exclaiming, Thy daughter is dead. Do
not trouble the Master any more.

Ah, said Jesus to the ruler, Be not afraid;
only believe.

He left the crowd and went to the ruler's
house, letting no one go in with Him except
Peter, James and John. All around there were
women weeping and wailing. But Jesus said
to them, Why make ye this ado and weep?
The damsel is not dead, but asleep. They did
not believe this and they laughed Him to
scorn. But He put them all out and, with the
father and mother of the child and His three
favorite disciples, entered the room where she

412

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

was lying. She lay there on her little bed,
white and still like a broken lily. Jesus took
her by the hand and said, Daughter, I say unto
thee, arise. She opened her eyes, sat up and
walked, for she was twelve years old.

Twice again did Jesus raise the dead to life.
He met a funeral train coming out of a city
called Nain. On a bier was the body of a
young man who was the only son of his
mother, and she was a widow. He pitied the
poor mourning mother, spoke to her son, and
his soul came back to him; he went home liv-
ing and strong and well.

Some time after, Jesus raised from the dead
His friend Lazarus, the brother of Martha and
Mary. I will tell you about these sisters in
another chapter.

Lazarus lay in a rocky tomb and all his
friends were mourning and weeping. His
grave was a cave and a stone lay upon it.
Jesus said, Take away the stone. It was taken
away. Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven and
prayed to His Father and then cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth; and he that
was dead came forth and lived after that for

4i3

THE STORY BIBLE

years among His friends. It was then that
Jesus said, before He had raised Lazarus, I am
the resurrection and the life. He that be-
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. It was before He raised
Lazarus that we are told that Jesus wept.

There were a great many blind people in
the Holy Land. It was a very hot country
and the sun beat down with a fierce glare.
People did not know much about taking
care of their eyes and their health, and many
of them were very poor. A blind beggar
named Bartimeus one day pressed through the
crowd to Jesus and said, Lord give me back
my sight. And Jesus gave it him. More won-
derful still, He gave sight to a man who had
been born blind, and continually He gave
hearing to the deaf. No one ever came to
Jesus in great need who was refused.

An evil disease called leprosy was very
prevalent then. A man who had the leprosy
was not allowed to live with other people, nor
could he stay in his own home with his broth-
ers and sisters, his father and mother. He

414

WONDERFUL DEEDS OF JESUS

had to live in the desert and sometimes, as peo-
ple walked the highway, they would hear a
leper at the side of the road crying out, I am
unclean ! I am unclean ! Do not come near me.
The lepers held out boxes on the end of long
sticks, and kind people dropped coins into
them. Many a time Jesus gave the lepers
healing. With a single word He made them
well. I am sorry to tell you that often they
forgot to thank Him. Once, when He healed
ten lepers, only one came back to offer Him
praise. No wonder Jesus said sorrowfully,
Where are the nine?

415

LI
OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

AS often as the sunset returned, crowds
of people came bringing their friends
who were ill, the old grandmother and
grandfather, the cripples, the children who
were afflicted with any disease, that Jesus
might heal them. Our dear Lord had very
little time to be alone. Sometimes He went
away to a desert place and stayed there.
Sometimes He went into the mountains and re-
mained by Himself all night in prayer. There
were a great many evil spirits in the world
during the time of Christ's ministry, and often
they would contrive to steal into people and
possess them and make them do wicked deeds.
Jesus could cast these evil spirits out with a
word. Sometimes they would cry out, saying,
Thou art Christ, the Son of God.

All through the week Jesus was busy every
minute and, when the Sabbath came, He

416

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

would go into the synagogues or churches and
teach the people. One day He was standing
beside the Sea of Galilee, and saw two boats
near the shore. The fishermen had gone out
in them and were washing their nets. One of
these little boats belonged to Peter, and Jesus
stepped into it and asked him to go out a lit-
tle way from the land. He sat down on the
deck and spoke to the people on the shore.
After awhile He said to Peter, Launch out
into the deep and let down your nets for a
draught. But Peter said, Master, we have
toiled all the night and have taken nothing.
Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the
net.

No sooner had they done this than the net
enclosed a great multitude of fishes, so many
that their net broke. They beckoned to their
partners to come with the other boat and help
them bring their catch to land. There were
so many fish that both boats were heavily
loaded with all they could carry. Peter and
those who were with him were astonished at
the draught of fishes which they had taken.
Once more they realized that they were in the

4i7

THE STORY BIBLE

presence of One Who could do anything He
wished and Who was not a mere man like
themselves. Simon Peter fell down at Jesus'
feet saying, Depart from me for I am a sinful
man, O Lord. By this he meant that he felt
himself not worthy to be close to One so great
and so good as Jesus. Jesus answered, Fear
not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

In some great gallery of paintings you may
see a picture by Raphael which shows you the
Sea of Galilee, with a strip of beach in front,
the crowds on the farther shore and, in the
foreground, two boats; in one are Peter and
Andrew with our Lord, while in the other are
James and John. The fishermen are tugging
at the laden nets. Jesus, with a look on His
face that has the brightness of heaven, surveys
the scene. We must never forget in our
lives that nothing is impossible with God;
though we may toil a long time without Him
to help us, and gain nothing, the moment we
have His help we may expect to gain every-
thing.

Soon after this, as Jesus was walking in a
crowded street one day, He saw a publican

418

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

named Matthew sitting at the receipt of cus-
toms. Publicans were appointed by the
Roman Empire to collect the taxes which were
levied on the Jews. The taxes were very bur-
densome. The people had to work hard to
pay them. Publicans were not liked by their
fellow townsmen, nor by the farmers and
shepherds, for it was thought that they often
grew rich by oppressing the poor and charg-
ing more than they had a right to do. Jesus
saw this publican, looked at him and said, Fol-
low Me. The man, whose name was Mat-
thew, at once arose and followed Jesus. Then
he made a great feast in his own house and to
this he invited a great company of publicans
and of other men to sit down with Jesus.

The scribes and Pharisees found fault with
this and said to Christ's disciples, Why does
your Master eat and drink with publicans and
sinners? Jesus answering said, They that are
whole need not a physician, but they that are
sick.

I must tell you who the scribes and Phar-
isees were. The scribes were learned men
who spent their time in studying and copying

419

THE STORY BIBLE

the Law of Moses. The Pharisees were very
strict in observing all the rites and customs
of the Jewish law. They were not very sin-
cere as a body, though some among them were
deeply religious men. Too many of the Phar-
isees were hypocrites who pretended to a piety
which they did not have. Jesus could see into
the hearts of men, and He knew whether or not
a man was sincere the moment He looked
at him. I think when He passed by Matthew
He knew, by Matthew's longing gaze, that he
would gladly leave the work he was doing and
take up a nobler work. Jesus added one by
one to the group of friends who went every-
where with Him, until He had twelve who
were called apostles. A still larger number
were His disciples or scholars who called Him
Master, and went with Him wherever He
went. But, in the three years of His public
ministry, He never gathered a large number
of followers, although He healed a great mul-
titude who were ill.

One Sabbath morning Jesus was walking
through the corn fields when His disciples,
who were hungry, plucked the ears of corn

420

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

and ate them. This made the Pharisees
angry, for they thought it very wrong to do
the slightest work on the Sabbath. Jesus told
them, when they complained that His disci-
ples had broken the law, that the Son of Man
was Lord also of the Sabbath.

Again, on a Sabbath Day in the synagogue,
there was a man whose right hand hung help-
less and withered by his side. Jesus said to
the man, Rise up and stand where every one
can see you. The Pharisees were watching
with their jealous eyes to see what Jesus
would do. He turned to them and said, I will
ask you one thing. Is it lawful on the Sab-
bath Day to do good or to do evil, to save life
or to destroy it?

Then to the man He said, Stretch forth
thine hand. The moment the man did so, his
hand was restored and was no longer with-
ered, but just as if it had always been well.

Perhaps you would like to know the names
of the twelve apostles whom Jesus gathered
from among those who followed Him and who
were his dearest friends. Simon Peter and
Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip

421

THE STORY BIBLE

and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas,
James the son of Alpheus, Simon called
Zelotes, Judas the brother of James, and Judas
Iscariot. You notice that there were three
pairs of brothers in this little company of
friends and that some of the men had the same
names; that is, there were two named James,
two named Judas and two named Simon. You
will have to read for yourselves the four
stories of the life of Christ that are given in
the New Testament, by Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, if you wish to know everything that
Jesus did and said. I am only culling for you
a few stories here and there.

Jesus was at a feast one day, in the house of
a Pharisee, when a woman came softly in
bringing with her an alabaster box of very
precious ointment. She stood at His feet be-
hind Him weeping. You know people did not
sit on chairs at the table, but reclined on
couches or divans, so that she could easily come
to the other side of the couch and stoop down
to anoint the Master's feet. She knelt at His
feet and her tears fell on them and washed
away the dust of the road. She had no towel

422

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

but she wiped His feet with her thick tresses of
dark hair, falling low to the hem of her gown.
She kissed His feet, and then she anointed
them with the precious ointment, so that its
perfume filled the house.

The Pharisees began to grumble and com-
plain, and the one who was the host frowned
and muttered and said to himself, If this man
were a prophet He would have known that
this woman who touched Him is not fit to
come here, for she is a sinner.

Jesus did not need that people should talk
to Him. He could read their thoughts. He
said to the Pharisee, I have somewhat to say
unto thee.

Master, say on, was the answer.

Tenderly Jesus spoke: There was a certain
creditor who had two debtors; one owed him
five hundred pence and the other fifty. When
they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them
will love him most?

Simon answered and said, I suppose that
he to whom he forgave most. Simon was a
common name among the Jews, as John and

423

THE STORY BIBLE

Henry and James are with us. This Simon
was not one of Christ's apostles.

Jesus said to Simon, Thou hast rightly
judged.

Turning to the woman He said, Seest thou
this woman? I entered into thine house, thou
gavest me no water for my feet, but she hath
washed my feet with tears and wiped them
with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me
no kiss but this woman, since the time I came
in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head
with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman
hath anointed my feet with ointment. Where-
fore I say unto thee, Her sins which are many
are forgiven, for she loved much. But to
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

And He said unto her, Thy sins are for-
given.

Those who were sitting at the table with
Him began to wonder, Who is this that for-
giveth sins also? But He said to the woman,
Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace.

Weary with toil and teaching, Jesus with-
drew across the sea that He might be for a
little while alone with His disciples. But the

424

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

multitude followed Him around the lake and,
when He reached the place where He had ex-
pected to rest, there were men, women and
children, all waiting to hear the words that
He had to say. The disciples were much
troubled when they saw the waiting crowds.
They said, This is a desert place and the day
is far spent. Lord, send these people away
that they may go into the villages and the
country round about and buy themselves
bread, for they have nothing to eat.

Jesus said, Give ye them to eat.

They looked at each other, and at Him, in
the greatest astonishment. Shall we go, they
said, and buy bread enough to feed all these
people?

Jesus said, How many loaves have ye? go
and see. It happened there was a lad there
who had five little barley loaves and two small
fishes. Jesus commanded the people to sit
down. You may try to think how they looked
sitting down in good order on the green grass,
whole families side by side, little children by
their mothers, husbands and wives sitting to-
gether, friends in little groups. They sat

425

THE STORY BIBLE

down by hundreds and by fifties, with little
lanes between them through which the disci-
ples could pass. Jesus took the five loaves and
the two fishes, looked up to heaven and blessed
the bread. Then He began to break the
loaves and divide the fishes, and as He broke
He gave to the disciples, and the little loaves
grew to more and more and more in His hands
until five thousand men, and women and chil-
dren to the number of many more, had been
fed and were satisfied. Twelve baskets full
of fragments remained after they had been
fed. This was not the only time when Jesus
fed a famished crowd. Another day He re-
fused to send home a fasting multitude, who
had been with Him three days without re-
freshment. The disciples, forgetful of what
He had done before, said, How can we feed
these men here in the wilderness? This time
they had seven loaves. Jesus gave thanks and
blessed and brake, and the loaves were suf-
ficient to feed four thousand men.

The lesson for you and me is that Jesus can
always make our little provision enough for
our greatest need, if we trust in Him. If you

426

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

know any one who is so deaf that the world
all about him is silent, so that he cannot hear
the voice of his friends, nor the sound of a
drum or a bugle, nor the singing of birds, so
that he lives without the pleasure you have
because you can hear, you can fancy how glad
must have been a deaf and dumb man who was
brought to Jesus. Jesus said to him, first look-
ing up to heaven and then touching the poor
deaf ears and the poor dumb tongue: Be
opened. And at once the man could hear and
speak. Jesus charged the people not to tell
this, but the more he charged them the more
they published it.

A poor mother who belonged not among the
Jews, but among the Greeks, and lived on the
borders of Tyre and Sidon, entreated Jesus to
make her young daughter well. An evil spirit
had made the poor daughter insane. At first
to try her faith, it seemed as if Jesus did not
want to do this, but in a little while, when He
found that she would not be discouraged, He
said, Go thy way; the evil spirit is gone from
thy daughter.

A man who had been blind from his birth
427

THE STORY BIBLE

had his sight given to him. The Pharisees
were very angry at this. They had begun to
hate Jesus because every one else loved Him,
and He was always doing good. They tried
to entrap the man who had been blind. This
man had been so poor that he had to sit be-
side the road and beg. When the neighbors
saw him walking around just like other peo-
ple, they said, Why this is the man who used
to sit all day beside the road begging for bread.
Some said, He looks like him, but it may be
some one else. The man said, I am he. A
man who is called Jesus made clay and
anointed my eyes and told me to go to the
Pool of Siloam and wash. I went and washed,
and I received my sight. It was on the Sab-
bath Day that Jesus gave this man his sight.
The Pharisees were angry about this. They
cared more for keeping the Sabbath law, by
which they thought that they must sit still
and do nothing all day, than they did about
helping people who were in trouble. To the
man they said, Give God the praise. We know
that this Jesus is a sinner. The man said in
reply, Whether He be a sinner or not I do not

428

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

know. One thing I know, that I have always
been blind, and now I see. They could not
make this man, who had been healed and
to whom sight had been given, declare that
Jesus Christ was a sinful man. In his heart he
felt that the One who had done so much for
him was from God. So the Pharisees violently
threw the poor fellow out of their company.
It did not matter to him, for as he was walking
along he met Jesus in the way. Jesus said to
him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God?

Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in
Him?

And Jesus said to this man, Thou hast seen
Him and it is He that talketh with thee.

Quickly came the answer, Lord, I believe.

One night when the winds were contrary
the disciples were out in a little boat tossing
up and down upon the stormy Sea of Galilee.
Jesus was not with them. It was between
midnight and dawn when they looked across
the boiling waves and saw One walking upon
them as if the waves had been a floor of glass.
They were afraid, but a voice they knew called
over the waters: It is I. Be not afraid. And,

429

THE STORY BIBLE

as He drew nearer, they saw that the One
coming to them was indeed their Master.
Peter cried out, Lord, if it be Thou, let me
come to Thee on the water. Jesus bade him
come. At first Peter stepped on the waves
with confidence, but presently he lost his faith
and began to sink. Jesus put out a hand and
caught him, saying, O thou of little faith.
Wherefore didst thou doubt? For Peter had
cried, Lord, save me or I perish.

Jesus stepped into the boat with them, tak-
ing Peter with Him by the hand, and the winds
and waves grew calm.

One little word is repeated over and over, in
all these stories of Jesus. It is the word faith.
Those who had faith received blessings from
our Lord. Do you know what it is to have
faith? Perhaps I can tell you. It is the feel-
ing you have when your father calls you, and
you run to him, or when your mother promises
you something you want very much. You
know that father and mother can do what they
say they will. You do not think for a moment
that they will ever disappoint you. If you are
ill and the doctor comes, when you see his kind

430

OTHER KIND AND LOVING ACTS

face beside your bed you feel sure that he will
soon make you well. This is faith. This same
faith we must have in Jesus Christ, who came
to save His people from their sins and to save
the whole wide world. Whatever He has said
He will do.

43i

LII
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST

AS Jesus was going on His way to Jeru-
salem He passed along the Jericho
road. There was a man living near Jericho
named Zaccheus. He was a publican and
very rich. He wanted very much to see Jesus
but could not get at Him through the crowd.
So he ran before and climbed up into a syca-
more tree and hid himself there among the
branches. Zaccheus was a little man who
could easily hide himself among the green
leaves. But Jesus saw him and, looking up,
said: Zaccheus, make haste and come down,
for to-day I must abide at thy house. Zac-
cheus was very happy to receive Jesus and,
although the Pharisees murmured, Jesus did
not care. Zaccheus said, Lord, the half of my
goods I give to the poor and, if I have taken
anything from any man by false accusation,
I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said to him, This day is salvation
432

HOSANNAH IN THE HIGHEST

come to this house, because he also is a son
of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost.

Passing on from Jericho, Jesus ascended to
Jerusalem. When He was near the little vil-
lage of Bethany, where lived his friends
Martha and Mary and Lazarus, and when He
had reached the Mount of Olives, He sent two
of His disciples saying, Go into the village
over against you, in the which, at your enter-
ing, ye shall find a colt tied whereon yet never
man sat. Loose him and bring him hither.
If any man ask you, Why do ye loose him, say
unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
The two disciples went their way and found
the colt and the owners said, Why loose ye the
colt, and they made that reply. The owners
were very glad to let the colt go that Jesus
might ride him into Jerusalem. Jesus was go-
ing to Jerusalem to meet insult and sorrow
and death, but this time He did not enter the
city on foot. He entered riding as a prince
might ride. This was done that an old saying
of the prophet might be fulfilled,

Tell ye the daughter of Zion, behold, thy
433

THE STORY BIBLE

king cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon
an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

Jesus rode upon the colt, and a great mul-
titude followed and surrounded Him. They
took off their loose outer garments and spread
them in the way so that the steep and stony
hillside was covered royally. Branches of
palm trees were cut down and strewn in the
way before Him, and the multitude that went
before and the multitude that followed
shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

So, riding in triumph amid palm branches
waving and people shouting, Jesus entered
Jerusalem; and the whole city was moved and
one to another said, Who is this? And the
multitude answered, This is Jesus, the prophet
of Nazareth of Galilee.

The King had entered Jerusalem. He went
into the Temple of God. In the outer court of
the Temple He found merchants buying and
selling and money changers busy with their
money and overcharging the poor who came
to buy doves for the sacrifice. He overthrew

434

HOSANNAH IN THE HIGHEST

their tables and drove them out, saying: It is
written, My house shall be called the house
of prayer but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Here in the Temple, even at this moment when
He overthrew the tables of those who pro-
faned it, the blind and the lame came crowd-
ing to Him and He healed them. Well was it
for them that they came to Jesus that day.
Only a few days later and there was no one
in all Judea who could give sight to the blind
and restore health to the lame. Into the Tem-
ple courts came the children, crying out with
their sweet voices, Hosanna to the Son of
David. The chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful things that Jesus did and heard the
children crying Hosanna, and they were moved
to scorn and anger. They met together and
closed around Jesus with their angry faces,
saying, Hearest thou what these children say?

Yes, said Jesus, Have ye never read, Out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast
perfected praise?

Jesus walked away from them, leaving them
muttering and complaining; their voices were
not sweet like those of the children; they were

435

THE STORY BIBLE

more like the growl of fierce lions seeking their
prey. That night Jesus left Jerusalem and
went to Bethany and lodged there. No doubt
He spent the last peaceful night of His life in
the home of Mary and her sister Martha. It
was Martha, the good housekeeper, who
would bustle about and do everything for His
comfort. It was Mary who would sit at His
feet and listen while He talked of the things
of the kingdom. It was under a friend's roof,
with friendly care about Him, that Jesus slept
before the darkest days came on.

436

LIII
ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS

SIX days before the Passover Jesus was a
guest in the little home in Bethany of
Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They made
Him a supper and Martha served. Mary had
among her treasures a pound of ointment of
spikenard that was very costly. She brought
this to Jesus and anointed His feet as another
Mary had done before. One of the disciples,
Judas Iscariot, who loved money very much
and Christ very little, exclaimed at what he
thought was waste, Why was not this oint-
ment sold, and the price given to the poor?

Judas did not care about the poor, for he
was at heart a thief. He was the treasurer
of the little band and carried the purse. He
scowled darkly at Mary.

Let her alone, said Jesus. Against the day
of my burying hath she kept this. The poor
always ye have with you, but Me ye have not
always. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever
My gospel shall be preached in the whole

437

THE STORY BIBLE

world, there shall this that this woman hath
done be told for a memorial of her.

Judas crept out under cover of night and
made a wicked bargain with the chief priests
who hated Christ, to betray his Master into
their hands. He promised to do it for thirty
pieces of silver. This was the price for which
a slave was in those days sold in the market.
Judas knew that before long he would find
some way or chance to earn this wretched
money. In this very bargain there was an in-
sult to the Christ, and the priests and Judas
knew it well.

On the first day of the Passover Jesus sent
word to a friend in Jerusalem, My time is at
hand. I will keep the Passover in thy house
with My disciples.

At evening the twelve sat around the Master
in an upper room. They were at supper. As
they were eating He said, One of you shall
betray Me. They were very sorrowful when
they heard this, exceedingly sorrowful, and
one after another said, Lord, is it I? Even
Judas dared to say, Lord, is it I? It was at
this Passover that Jesus took bread, blessed it,

438

ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS

and breaking, gave it to His disciples and said,
Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for
you. This do in remembrance of Me. And
He took the cup after supper, saying, This cup
is the New Testament in My blood which is
shed for you.

This was the first time that the Church of
Jesus Christ on earth celebrated the Holy
Communion. As often as Christian people
anywhere on the globe observe the rite of the
Lord's Supper, they are keeping in memory
the Lord Who gave Himself, for them, when
He died on the cross.

Long before this time John had said, Be-
hold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the
sin of the world.

John the Baptist had been killed in prison
by Herod. He had borne witness to Jesus as
the Son of God beside the bank of the River
Jordan. Now there were to be many wit-
nesses who should see our Lord arrive at the
end of His work upon earth. When the Sup-
per was over they all went out and walked to
a garden where Jesus had often loved to rest
beneath the shade of the olive trees. Peter

439

THE STORY BIBLE

said, Though all men forsake thee, yet will not
I, and Jesus replied, Before the cock crow twice
thou shalt deny me thrice.

As they walked along through the darkness,
Jesus said many comforting words which you
may find written in the Gospel of John.
When He reached the Mount of Olives He
went a little way into the shadowy garden,
taking with Him Peter, James, and John. He
left them about a stone's cast, knelt down and
prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, re-
move this cup from me. Nevertheless, not My
will but Thine be done.

An angel came from heaven to strengthen
Him, as He prayed in Gethsemane, for His
agony was so great that His sweat was as it
were great drops of blood falling to the
ground. The three disciples, worn out with
sorrow, were soon fast asleep. Jesus wakened
them, saying, Rise and pray lest ye enter into
temptation. At this moment there was a
great clamor, and a great throng of people
came hurrying into the garden. They were
led by Judas Iscariot, who went before them
and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. This was

440

ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS

the sign Judas had given the chief priests.
Jesus said, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of
Man with a kiss?

One of the disciples stretched out his hand
with a sword, struck a servant of the high
priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus touched
the ear and restored it. Then He said to His
disciple, Put up thy sword. Thinkest thou
that I cannot now pray to My Father and He
shall presently give Me more than twelve
legions of angels?

Turning to the multitude He said, Are you
come out as against a thief, with swords and
staves to take Me? I sat daily with you in
the Temple and ye laid no hold on Me.

I am ashamed to tell you that all the dis-
ciples now forsook Jesus and fled. His enemies
hurried Him away to the hall of the high
priest. Two disciples, ashamed of their
cowardice, followed Him there, John at a little
distance and Peter afar off. There were no
witnesses to say a single word against Jesus
but there were found two who were willing
to swear falsely against him. To all that they
said, He answered nothing. But the high

441

THE STORY BIBLE

priest at last turned to Him, saying, I adjure
thee, by the living God, that thou tell us
whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God?

Jesus answered, Thou hast said. Hereafter
shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right
hand of power and coming in the clouds of
heaven.

The high priest rent his clothes, saying, He
hath spoken blasphemy. The crowd shouted,
He is guilty of death. Then they spit in His
face and buffeted Him and jeered at Him and
struck Him with the palms of their hands.

While this was going on, Peter, who had
always before been brave, sat cowering in the
court of the palace. A maid said to him, Thou
wast with Jesus of Galilee. Peter denied this
before them all. He said, I know not what
thou sayest. He left this group and went into
the porch, where another maid said, This fel-
low was with Jesus of Nazareth. Again he
denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
Fright had made Peter very base.

A little later somebody else accused him,
saying, Surely, thou art one of them. We can
tell it by thy speech. Then Peter began to

442

ON THE WAY TO THE CROSS

curse and swear, declaring, I know not the
man. Immediately the cock crew. The Lord
turned and looked at Peter, a sad reproachful
look. Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Judas, who had betrayed his Lord, tried to
undo what he had done. He brought back the
thirty pieces of silver, threw them down be-
fore the chief priests and said, I have sinned.
I have betrayed innocent blood.

Little did they care. They spurned Judas,
and he went away and hanged himself.

Jesus was taken by the chief priests, who
had no authority to put any one to death be-
cause the real ruler of Judea was the Roman
Emperor, into the presence of Pontius Pilate
the Roman Governor. Pilate did not wish to
sentence Jesus to death. He had heard noth-
ing but good of Him. As he sat on the judg-
ment seat Pilate's wife sent him a message
begging him to release Jesus. I am always
glad when I remember this, because no
woman's heart or hand had anything to do
with crucifying our Lord. The Roman matron
was an idolater but, with the daughters of
Jerusalem, she wept when the shadows gath-

443

THE STORY BIBLE

ered around the Saviour's head. Pilate of-
fered to release Jesus.

It was customary at the feast of the Passover
to set a prisoner free. Pilate said, Shall I re-
lease to you Barabbas who is in prison or Jesus
who is called Christ? The crowd with one ac-
cord begged that Barabbas, a robber, should be
released, and they shouted, Let Jesus be cruci-
fied. Pilate took water and washed his hands
before them, saying, I am innocent of the
blood of this just person. See ye to it. They
all answered, His blood be on us and on our
children.

444

LIV
THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY

THERE was nothing they could do to hurt
or wound Jesus that they omitted.
First He was scourged; then the Roman
soldiers took Him into the common hall,
stripped Him of His own clothing and put on
Him, in mockery, a scarlet robe. Kings wore
scarlet. They plaited a crown of thorns,
sharp, cruel thorns, and put it on His head.
They thrust a reed in his right hand and they
bowed the knee before Him, saying, Hail,
King of the Jews. They spit upon Him as
the Jews had done before. They took the reed
and struck Him with it. At last they took off
the scarlet robe, put His own raiment on Him
and led Him away to a hill called Calvary,
where they nailed Him to the Cross. They
parted His garments among themselves, cast-
ing lots. While Jesus hung on the Cross, over
His head, in three languages, Hebrew, Greek

445

THE STORY BIBLE

and Latin, these words were written: This is
Jesus, the King of the Jews.

On either side of Jesus were crucified two
thieves. Only the lowest and meanest of man-
kind might be put to death on the cross. Jesus
was crucified between two thieves that He
might be the more deeply shamed. One of the
thieves reviled Him, the other repented of his
sin and said, Lord, remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom. Even on the Cross,
Jesus had a tender thought for this repentant
man. He said, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day
thou shalt be with me in Paradise.

The Jews reviled Him, saying, If thou be
the Son of God come down from the Cross.
Others said, He saved others; himself he can-
not save. Jesus heard their cruel words and
He made no reply to them, but He prayed to
God, Father forgive them, for they know not
what they do.

Near the foot of the Cross, weeping, was
Mary the mother of Jesus, and beside her was
John, the disciple Jesus most tenderly loved.
Jesus thought of her amid all His pain and
grief and said to her, Woman, behold thy son;

446

THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY

and to John, Son, behold thy mother. From
that time John took care of the mother of
Jesus as if she had really been his own.

Over all the world, while this scene was go-
ing on, there brooded a thick darkness, a dark-
ness deeper than midnight, lasting from noon
until three o'clock. All was black on Calvary.
Out of this darkness, Jesus cried with a loud
voice, My God, My God, Why hast thou for-
saken me? Some pitying person took a sponge
wet with vinegar and held it up to the suf-
ferer's lips to soothe Him. Others stood by
without any pity. But again out of the dark-
ness came a loud cry, It is finished. Father,
into Thy hands I commend My spirit.

The sacrifice was accomplished; wicked
men had crucified Jesus and put Him to death.

The Roman centurion commanding the
soldiers about the Cross exclaimed, Truly, this
was the Son of God.

Just as He passed away there was a mighty
earthquake. The veil of the Temple, that had
always divided the most holy place from the
outer courts, was torn in two from the top
to the bottom. Graves were opened and

447

THE STORY BIBLE

many of the people who had been sleeping in
them arose and came forth.

There is a green hill far away,

Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,

Who died to save us all.

O dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him too,

And trust in His redeeming love,
And strive His work to do.

When the evening was come a rich man
named Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus,
went to Pilate and begged for the body.
When he had received it he wrapped it in a
linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb
which he had hewn out of a rock. He rolled
a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and
departed. The only ones who stayed beside
the sepulchre that night were women who had
loved the Lord. But they left when Pilate
sent a guard of Roman soldiers to watch about
the tomb. Jesus had said that after three days
He would rise again. The wicked chief priests
urged Pilate to give them a guard of soldiers

448

THE GREEN HILL FAR AWAY

until after the third day, lest, they said, His
disciples come by night and steal His body
and say, He is risen from the dead.

Pilate gave them the guard, the great stone
was sealed, and the sentinels paced up and
down before the chamber in the rock where
the crucified body of the Master was lying.

449

LV
THE FIRST EASTER

■WRICKED men had done all they could
Wr to show their hate and scorn and the
hardness of their hearts. They had turned
away from the most loving, the most gentle,
the most patient friend who ever came to this
world, the friend of every man from the high-
est to the lowest. Jesus had gone about doing
good. He had fed the hungry and healed the
sick and taught men to love one another. He
had said, Come unto Me, all ye that are weary
and heavy laden and I will give you rest. The
kinder Jesus was the more He was hated by
the bad men around Him. He came unto His
own, and His own received Him not. He was
despised and rejected of men, and was led as
a lamb to the slaughter; and, as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His
mouth.

At last they had done their worst. Jesus
450

THE FIRST EASTER

of Nazareth was crucified and was laid in
Joseph's tomb.

He had said, After three days I will rise
again.

Nobody understood this. Nobody believed
or expected it. The disciples went home from
Calvary with breaking hearts. The Master
was with them no more.

But very early in the morning of the first
day of the week, when the Sabbath was over>
the women who loved Him went to the Garden
with spices that they might embalm the dear
body. The first to reach the place was that
Mary who had broken her alabaster box of
precious ointment on His feet and wiped them
with her hair. She reached the Garden tomb
before the sun was up, while it was yet dark,
and to her surprise the great stone was rolled
away from its door. She ran back hurriedly
over the path she had trodden, and met Peter,
and John the disciple whom Jesus had best
loved, and said to them,

They have take£f away my Lord out of the
sepulchre, and I know not where they have
laid Him. **/ <'

45i

THE STORY BIBLE

Peter and John both ran swiftly at this
strange news but John ran more swiftly than
Peter. They stooped down and peered into
the rocky chamber. It was empty. The linen
clothes that Jesus had worn were folded up on
the couch where He had lain.

When John saw the empty tomb he believed
that Christ had risen. But he did not under-
stand it.

He and Peter went home. Not so Mary.
She lingered in the Garden, weeping. And
again she turned to the tomb and looked into
its darkness.

It was not empty. A wonderful bright light
filled it. Two glorious angels, all in shining
white, were sitting, one at the head, the other
at the foot, of the rocky shelf that had been the
bed of Him Who died upon the Cross.

Woman, why weepest thou? The angel's
voice was like a flute, so clear, so sweet.

She answered, I weep because they have
taken away my Lord; and I know not where
they have laid Him.

She turned away and, through her tears,
saw some one standing among the white lilies.

452

THE FIRST EASTER

She thought it was the gardener, when He
said:

Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seek-
est thou?

She made the same reply with a little dif-
ference.

Sir, if thou hast borne Him hence, tell me
where thou hast laid Him and I will take Him
away.

Jesus said to her, Mary !

She knew THAT voice ! She thrilled at the
sound of her own name. She threw herself
at His feet and would have worshipped Him.
She cried, Master, in accents of joyful love.

But Jesus said, Touch me not, for I am not
yet ascended to my Father, but go to my
brethren and tell them I ascend unto my
Father and your Father, to my God and your
God.

So, dear children, the first Easter Day came
into the world.

She walked amid the lilies

Upstanding straight and tall,
Their silver tapers bright against

The dusky mountain wall.

453

THE STORY BIBLE

Gray olives dropped upon her

Their globes of crystal dew,
The while the doors of heaven swung wide

To let the Easter through.

Mary was not the only one to whom the
angels spoke in the dawn of Easter. To a lit-
tle company who quickly followed her and,
like her, found the stone rolled away, they
said: Be not afraid. Ye seek Jesus of Naza-
reth Who was crucified. He is risen. He is
not here. Go tell His disciples and Peter that
He is going before you to Galilee.

There is something very sweet in the phrase
"and Peter." Don't you think so, children?
For Peter could not forget that, in the hour of
the Master's peril, he had denied Him. It was
as if a message of forgiveness were sent by the
angels to Peter.

Jesus appeared a number of times to His
disciples during the forty days before He
finally ascended to heaven.

Sometimes He came into the upper room
where they met to pray. He entered without
opening the locked and bolted door. They
would glance up and there He would be stand-

454

THE FIRST EASTER

ing, His hands outstretched, His familiar voice
saying, Peace be unto you!

One disciple, Thomas, did not believe that
it could be Jesus Himself. He was not present
when first the Master appeared. But the next
time Jesus saw Thomas there and, knowing
that Thomas had said, though nobody had
told Him, that, unless he could see the print
of the nails and the wounded side, he would
not believe it was the Master, Jesus said:

Reach hither thy finger and behold My
hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it
into My side; and be not faithless, but believ-
ing.

Thomas did not doubt after that. My Lord,
he cried, and My God!

Jesus joined two disciples who were taking
a walk to a village called Emmaus, about
seven miles from Jerusalem. He walked and
talked with them a long time and, as night
drew near, they invited Him to go into their
home and take supper with them. As He
broke the bread and blessed it, their eyes were
opened and they knew him.

Some of the disciples, being fishermen, went
455

THE STORY BIBLE

out on the Sea of Galilee with their boats. In
the early morning the boats drew to the shore.
They had caught no fish.

Children, have ye any meat? asked a
stranger.

No, they said.

Cast the net on the right side of the ship
and you shall find. They did so, and the net
was crowded with the struggling fish.

Said John, the one best beloved, to Peter,

Peter, this is the Master!

Peter threw his coat around him and dashed
into the sea to get soonest to the beach. This
was always Peter's way.

Wet and weary, the other disciples dragged
in their little boat piled high with the fishes
they had caught.

On the shore there was a fire and breakfast,
cooked and ready, on the bed of coals; fish
were all prepared and bread for every one. As
of old, Jesus came to them, broke the bread
and fed His tired disciples.

It was now that He turned to Peter and
said tenderly, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
Me more than these? He saith unto Him,

456

THE FIRST EASTER

Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee.
Jesus saith unto him, Feed My lambs.

He saith to him again the second time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that
I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My
sheep.

He saith unto him the third time, Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third
time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto
Him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou
knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto
him, Feed my sheep.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou
wast young, thou girdest thyself and walked
whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt
be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and
another shall gird thee and carry thee whither
thou wouldst not.

Many years afterward Peter died a mar-
tyr's death.

Each of the eleven disciples (Judas you re-
member had hanged himself through remorse
and shame) died, in due time, as a martyr for

457

THE STORY BIBLE

the truth of Christ except John, who lived to
be a very old, old man and fell asleep at last.
When John was so old that he could not
preach or teach he used to stand in the church
on the Lord's Day and say, Little children
love one another. He was the best beloved
and the most loving of the Master's earthly
friends.

Jesus was seen many times by many people
during the forty days after the resurrection.

By His command, the eleven went to Galilee
where He had been a Child and met together
on a mountain top.

Jesus came to them like a king. His last
words were a king's:

All power is given unto Me in heaven and
on earth.

Go ye therefore and teach all nations, bap-
tizing them in the Name of the Father, the
Son and the Holy Ghost; teaching them to
observe all things I have commanded you.
And lo ! I am with you alway, even to the end
of the world. Amen.

As he ended these words, while they looked
into His face, a chariot of golden cloud came

458

THE FIRST EASTER

down and hid Him from their sight. He had
gone back to heaven to sit at the right hand
of God.

The eleven gazed and gazed into the daz-
zling sky. Presently at their side appeared
two angels. They had a word of their own.

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here, look-
ing up into heaven? Jesus has gone away as
He told you He would. But one day He will
come again.

As often as we carry our Easter flowers to
church and sing our Easter hymns, we pro-
claim to all mankind that ours is the Lord who
both died and rose agajri and returned to His
glory.

459

LVI
THE BEAUTIFUL GATE

ALL the disciples who could possibly do
so spent most of their time in prayer
when Jesus had left them and gone away to
heaven. After a time they received from Him
Who had gone the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus had told them that the Comforter, the
Spirit from above, would come to them and
stay with them when they could see Himself
no longer. For awhile they were so glad of
this that they shared their money and their
homes and spent the whole time in prayer and
praise. Nobody wanted to own anything.
Everybody wanted to divide what he had with
his friends. They were so happy they could
not think much about common life and daily
toil.

Peter and John seldom left each other at
that time. Whenever you saw one, you were
apt to see the other. About three o'clock one
afternoon they went into the Temple to pray.

460

THE BEAUTIFUL GATE

At the Gate called Beautiful there lay a poor
crippled beggar. He had been lame and mis-
shapen from his birth, and every day his peo-
ple carried him and laid him down where those
who went into the Temple could not help see-
ing him. He would thrust out his thin hands
and ask for alms.

Peter and John came by. They were tall
strong men, brown with the wind and sun.
The poor lame beggar held out his twisted
hand.

Look on us, said Peter. Look and listen.

So many people never stopped to speak to
him! So many never gave the smallest coin!
The poor beggar's eyes were bright with hope.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I
none. But such as I have, give I thee. In the
Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and
walk.

Peter clasped his hand and lifted him up.
Instantly the cripple was a cripple no longer.
He sprang to his feet, he walked, he who had
never taken a step before; he jumped and
leaped and praised God.

Every one saw this miracle. Crowds saw it.
461

THE STORY BIBLE

The Gate called Beautiful was thronged that
day. The man who had been lame hugged
Peter and John for joy. He held them fast.
He would not let them go.

Then Peter preached a sermon to the crowd
and told them how Jesus Whom they had
crucified, the Prince of life Whom they had
killed, was alive and had done this thing.
Peter was as bold as a lion. He preached the
risen Christ, and no fear was in his heart.

The priests tried to put a stop to the preach-
ing of Peter and John. They were as full of
malice as ever, and hated Christ's apostles as
they had hated Christ.

They shook their fists at Peter and John
and drew their robes away and haughtily
commanded them to be silent about Jesus of
Nazareth.

But the apostles were not a bit afraid. They
said, Whether it be right in the sight of God to
hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge
ye. For we cannot but speak the things we
have seen and heard.

The priests let them go. They did not dare
imprison them then or further interfere, for

462

THE BEAUTIFUL GATE

the miracle had been published abroad and the
man on whom it was wrought, a man forty
years old, could be seen any day walking about
and perfectly well.

463

LVII
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

I TOLD you about the disciples, in their
new love for one another, sharing every-
thing in common. Those who had lands or
houses sold them and brought the money to
the apostles, and they distributed it to those
who had need. Among others, a man named
Barnabas, who was very much interested in
helping the poor, sold all his land and gave
the money to the apostles. Unlike Barnabas,
a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira
sold a possession and laid part of the price at
the apostles' feet; part of it they kept for them-
selves. They pretended they had given it all
into the common fund of the Lord's people but
really, in their hearts, they were deceivers and
were acting a lie. It is just as bad to act a lie
as to tell a lie.

Peter, looking sternly at Ananias, said, Why
hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the
land?

464

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

While it remained was it not thine own, and
after it was sold, was it not in thine own
power? Thou hast not lied unto men but unto
God.

When Ananias heard these words, he was
pierced to the heart and fell down dead at the
feet of Peter. Great fear came on all who saw
and heard it. The young men arose, carried
him out and buried him. About three hours
after this, his wife Sapphira, not knowing what
had happened to Ananias, came in, and Peter
said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land
for so much? Without an instant's hesitation,
she said, Yes for so much, repeating the same
lie.

Then Peter said to her, How is it that ye
have agreed together against the Spirit of the
Lord? Behold the feet of them which have
buried thy husband art at the door and shall
carry thee out. Then she fell down straight-
way at his feet and gave up the ghost. And
the young men came in and found her dead
and, carrying her forth, buried her by her hus-
band.

In every age since then the names of Ana-
465

THE STORY BIBLE

nias and Sapphira have stood as a warning
against lying and deceit. It is little wonder
that everybody who heard and saw this dread-
ful fate of the two deceivers were greatly ter-
rified. Meanwhile, many signs and wonders
were wrought by the apostles and people
brought the sick into the streets and laid them
on beds and couches that the shadow of Peter
passing by might fall on them. The high
priest and the chief priests became filled with
indignation. They seized Peter and John and
put them in the common prison. They
thought they had them safe enough, but the
angel of the Lord by night opened the prison
doors and brought them forth and said, Go
stand and speak in the Temple to the people
all the words of this life. What Christ
brought into the world was life.

Peter and John went to the Temple early in
the morning and taught just as usual. The
high priest took his seat upon the chair of
judgment and called his council together. Of-
ficers were sent to the prison to bring Peter
and John to the bar. But directly the officers
came rushing back in great excitement, say-

466

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

ing, The prison truly found we shut with all
safety and the keepers standing outside the
doors but, when we had opened, we found no
man within. The high priest and the captain
of the Temple turned pale with rage and fright
and they were the more astonished when some
one said, Behold the men whom ye put in
prison are standing in the Temple and teaching
the people. The captain and the officers
brought Peter and John from the Temple with-
out violence, fearing a riot if they treated them
roughly. The high priest upbraided them, but
Peter said, We ought to obey God rather than
men. With the utmost courage Peter told
them again the story of the resurrection.
They heard it with fury and at first deter-
mined to put the apostles to death if they
could; but a wise man named Gamaliel, a
doctor of the law, advised them to let the apos-
tles alone as it was not worth while for men
to try to fight against God. So they con-
tented themselves with beating Peter and
John, who bore the stripes without a murmur,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
suffer shame for the dear name of Christ.

467

LVIII
THE FIRST MARTYR

ALREADY the people who loved Jesus
were beginning to suffer for His sake.
Such suffering for Christ's sake is called per-
secution. The apostles, continuing in prayer
and in teaching, needed other men to help
them in the care of the poor, the widows
and the orphans. Among the good men who
were chosen for this work was one named
Stephen, a man full of faith and power, who
did great wonders and miracles among the
people. Stephen was so good and so true that
there were wicked men who hated him. They
dragged him up to the council of the priests
and set up false witnesses who said many
things about Stephen which were entirely
made up by themselves. They declared that
he had spoken blasphemy of the Temple and
the law and that he had declared that Jesus
of Nazareth would destroy Jerusalem and
change the sacred customs of Moses. All
who sat in the council looking steadfastly on
Stephen saw his face shine like the face of an

468

THE FIRST MARTYR

angel. The high priest gave him a little while
to answer for himself. You may read what he
said in the seventh chapter of the Book of the
Acts of the Apostles. Never were braver
words spoken by any man on earth, but they
did not help him with his wicked judges. He
was to be the first of the noble army of mar-
tyrs, the first to bear witness to his faith unto
the death.

When they heard what he said they were
cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with
their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked
up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory
of God and Jesus standing on the right hand
of God,

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing on the right
hand of God.

Then they cried out with a loud voice and
stopped their ears and ran upon him with one
accord,

And cast him out of the city and stoned
him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes
at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

469

THE STORY BIBLE

And they stoned Stephen. As the stones
struck him, he called upon God, saying, Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he knelt down, and cried with a loud
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when he had said this he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to the death of
Stephen. About this time there was a great
persecution against the church which was at
Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered
abroad throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria. Only the apostles remained there to
preach the word. Others fled everywhere for
safety from their enemies.

Devout men carried Stephen to his burial
and made great lamentation over him.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church,
entering into every house, arresting men and
women and committing them to prison.

470

LIX
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.

THIS Saul who was so furious against
Christ's disciples did not know it, but
he was destined to be wholly changed and to
become the greatest of all the apostles, not
second even to Peter or John. Thus far, there
had been no one especially sent to preach the
gospel of life to the Gentiles. The eleven
apostles were Jews, and the first converts were
Hebrews who had early been taught the law
of God and who accepted Jesus Christ as the
real Messiah. All the other people in the
world were called Gentiles, and most of them
were idolaters. Saul was a young man of
noble family and fine education, a Hebrew by
birth who had been taught in the school of the
Pharisees and was a Pharisee himself. He
was a native of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia
and was, although a Hebrew, entitled to all
the privileges of a Roman, his father having
had those privileges before him. Saul thought

47i

THE STORY BIBLE

he was doing right when he persecuted the
church. Not satisfied with doing this in Jeru-
salem, he went to the high priest and asked
to be sent with letters to Damascus so that, if
he found any Christians there, he might bring
them bound to Jerusalem. As yet the disciples
had not received the name Christian. That
name was given to them a little later at a place
called Antioch. As Saul journeyed along the
Damascus road, toward the oldest city in the
world, a city of white roofs and silver shining
towers with roses running over its walls, he
suddenly saw around him a light from heaven.
It was a blazing, burning light, more dazzling
than the midday sun and, as it wrapped him
round, he fell to the earth. Lying there he
heard a voice calling to him from the sky, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And he said,
Who art thou, Lord?

And the Lord said, I am Jesus, Whom thou
persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks.

Then Saul, trembling and astonished, said,
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

The Lord said to him, Arise, and go into
472

THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.

the city, and it shall be told thee what thou
must do.

The men who journeyed with Saul stood
around him speechless. They heard the voice,
but they saw no man.

Saul arose from the earth, but his eyes had
been blinded by the flaming light and his com-
panions led him helpless by the hand into
Damascus, where for three days and nights
he fasted.

Of all the stories in the Bible, not one is
more remarkable than this. Here was a man
on his way to kill Christ's people with fury in
his heart. He was stopped by a vision of
Christ looking down on him out of the radiant
sky; by the voice of Christ calling him by
name. Jesus had said that, whatever was done
against one of his little ones was done against
him, so He said not, Why dost thou persecute
My people? but, Why dost thou persecute Me?

As Saul sat in the darkness in Damascus,
the Lord sent to him one of His disciples to
whom, in a vision, this was said : Arise, and go
into the street which is called Strait, and in-
quire in the house of Judas for one called Saul

473

THE STORY BIBLE

of Tarsus; for, behold, he prayeth and hath
seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming
in and putting his hand on him that he may
receive his sight. Ananias did not want to go
on this errand. He said, Why, Lord, this man
is a great enemy of Thine and has done much
evil to Thy saints at Jerusalem. He has come
to Damascus with authority from the chief
priests to ill-treat all Thy friends. But the
Lord said, Nevertheless, go thy way. For he
is a chosen vessel unto Me to bear My name
before Gentiles and kings and the children of
Israel, for I will show him what great things
he must suffer for My name's sake.

So Ananias went his way and found the
house and, putting his hands on Saul, said,
Brother, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared
unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent
me that thou mightest receive thy sight and
be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Immediately the blind eyes received sight.
Saul arose and was baptized.

Soon after this Saul's name was changed to
Paul. You may read all his story in the Book
of Acts of the Apostles. He was the first great

474

THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.

foreign missionary who ever went from the
home land to preach the gospel to the heathen.
He was often very badly treated, beaten and
put in prison, but he never ceased to tell the
story of Jesus Whom he had seen looking down
at him out of the sky. At last, when in great
danger of his life, he appealed to Caesar. He
had a right to do this because, although of a
Jewish family, his father was a Roman cit-
izen and Paul was free born. Sometimes men
who had been born in slavery were set free
and made citizens of Rome, and sometimes
strangers were given citizenship as a reward
for doing services to the Empire. But Paul
was born a subject of Rome. Having appealed
to the Emperor, when he was tried on false
charges before Festus and King Agrippa, they
sent him to Rome. Festus was the Roman
Governor at Caesarea.

475

LX
PETER DELIVERED.

IN the days when Peter had gone up and
down the Holy Land with the Master and
had seen Him healing the sick, he had not
dreamed that he would one day do the same
thing. But the ministry of Peter was one of
great kindness to the sick, and it even hap-
pened that Jesus allowed him to bring to life
one who was dead. At a place called Lydda
Peter found a man named Eneas who had
been eight years prostrate on his bed, shaking
with the palsy. Peter said to him, Eneas,
Jesus Christ hath made thee whole. Arise, and
make thy bed. Eneas was well from that in-
stant.

There dwelt at Joppa a certain disciple
named Dorcas; this woman was full of good
works and almsdeeds which she did.

It came to pass in those days Dorcas was
very ill and died; her body was laid on a bed
in an upper room. Then they sent for Peter.
Knowing that they were grieving for Dorcas
Peter came at once. They brought him into
the upper chamber; and many poor widows

476

PETER DELIVERED.

stood by him weeping and showing the coats
and garments that Dorcas had made while she
was with them.

But Peter put them all forth and kneeling
down prayed; and, turning him to the body,
said, Sister, arise. And she opened her eyes;
and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Peter gave her his hand and lifted her up
and, when he had called the saints and widows,
presented her alive.

And it was known throughout all Joppa;
and many believed in the Lord.

After this he tarried many days in Joppa
with one Simon a tanner. Up to this time Peter
had been rather narrow and exclusive, and had
looked down from a lofty height on all who
were not Jews. But God spoke to him in a
vision and showed him that he must call no
one common or unclean. From that time, he
began working with greater earnestness than
ever for all mankind. And when Herod the
King, wicked as all the Herods were, deter-
mined to vex the church, he fixed his eyes on
Peter. He had already killed James, the
brother of John, with the sword. As Peter

477

THE STORY BIBLE

was very unpopular with the Jews, on account
of his new attitude to the Gentiles, Herod
thought it would please them if he could also
kill him. Now came one of those wonderful
ways in which the Lord sometimes delivers his
people. Dear children, he can deliver us as
easily now, if we are in trouble or danger, as
he did Peter. This is the story. When Herod
had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison
and delivered him to four bands of soldiers who
were to guard him in turn. Herod planned
after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in prison; but
prayer was made without ceasing by the
church to God for him.

And when Herod would have brought him
forth for execution, the same night Peter was
sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two
chains; and the keepers before the door kept
the prison.

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came
upon him, and a light shone in the prison; and
he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up,
saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off
his hands.

478

PETER DELIVERED.

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself,
and bind on thy sandals; and so he did. And
he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about
thee, and follow me.

And Peter went out, and followed him; and
knew not that it was true and real, but thought
he was in a dream.

When they were past the first and the sec-
ond ward, they came unto the iron gate that
led unto the city; which opened to them of its
own accord; and they went out, and passed
on through one street; and forthwith the angel
departed from him.

And when Peter was come to himself, he
said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord
hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out
of the hand of Herod and from all the expecta-
tion of the people of the Jews.

And when he had considered the thing, he
went to the house of Mary the mother of John,
whose surname was Mark; where many were
gathered together praying. And as Peter
knocked at the door of the house, a young girl
came to listen, named Rhoda. And when she
knew Peter's voice, she was too glad to open

479

THE STORY BIBLE

the gate, and ran in and told that Peter stood
before it.

Thou art mad, declared those in the house.
But she constantly insisted that Peter was
there. Then they said, It is his spirit. But
Peter continued knocking ; and when they had
opened the door, and saw him, they were as-
tonished.

But he, beckoning unto them with the hand
to hold their peace, declared unto them how
the Lord had brought him out of the prison.
And he said, Go tell these things unto James,
and to the brethren. And he departed, and
went to another place.

Just as soon as it was day, there was no
small stir among the soldiers, to discover what
had become of Peter. It was no small matter
to them.

When Herod had sought for him, and found
him not, he examined the keepers, and com-
manded that they should be put to death.
Then Herod went down from Judea to Cesarea,
and there abode.

Notice that there were two apostles named
James; one was still living at this time.

480

LXI

A STORM AND WRECK.

ON the way to Rome in a little ship, Paul
was in great danger. He was one of a
number of prisoners. They were all guarded
by a band of Roman soldiers, commanded by
a centurion whose name was Julius. Before
long Julius found out that Paul could be
trusted and, when the ship touched at Sidon,
he allowed him to go ashore and visit his
friends.

The sea was smooth when they started but
in a few hours the wind rose and the waves
ran mountains high. When they came near a
place called Fair Haven, Paul, who had more
knowledge of what was best to do than any-
body else on board, went to the centurion and
told him that he felt sure there was going to
be a good deal of wild weather and great dam-
age to the ship, as well as peril to the lives
of all on board. The owner of the ship and
the sailing master laughed at this as the advice

481

THE STORY BIBLE

of a landsman and kept right on with the voy-
age. In the end it resulted, after a very long
time of distress and hunger and the loss of all
the freight, in their being cast on the little
island of Malta. You may find this island
on the map of Europe. The people on it we're
barbarians, but they came running down to
the shore and were as kind as kind could be
to the poor shipwrecked throng. All told, that
ship had carried two hundred and seventy-six
men, so that it was a great crowd of cold and
hungry people who stood shivering on the
beach. The island people made haste and kin-
dled a fire, bringing out food and showing the
greatest pity for the worn out mariners. Paul
was helping to make the fire when a viper that
had been asleep in the cold, crawled out,
warmed to life by the heat, and fastened itself
on his hand. The island people stood still, ex-
pecting him to fall down dead. They sup-
posed that he had committed some crime, had
been a robber or a murderer and that, though
he had escaped the sea, the gods had sent this
viper to kill him. When he shook off the
poisonous snake into the fire and went about

482

A STORM AND WRECK.

as usual and nothing happened, they changed
their minds and were ready to worship him as
a god.

After some delay, Paul reached the great
city of Rome. Here he was a prisoner more
than two years in his own hired house. A
sentry paced up and down before it, and he
could not go out unless a soldier went with
him; but his friends came to see him and he
could write letters to the men he loved in other
places. Paul wrote wonderful letters, full of
love and sweetness. You may read in the New
Testament his letters to the different churches.
When you are older you will understand them
and, even now, there are a great many verses
in them which children should learn and lay
up in their memories.

Paul had many friends; some of them were
poor and ignorant, some were scholars, some
noble men and women who were in the palace
of Caesar. Though Rome was a heathen city,
there were in it many Christians, and thou-
sands of them during the first three hundred
years after Christ, laid down their lives. Some
were thrown to the lions, others perished in

483

THE STORY BIBLE

dungeons, others were burned and some were
beheaded. This last fate befell the greatest of
all the apostles; Paul ended his life as a mar-
tyr for Christ. He did it with joy. He said, a
little while before his death : I am now ready to
be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have fin-
ished my course, I have kept the faith. Hence-
forth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day. And not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing.

Paul was brought during his imprisonment
into the presence of the Emperor Nero, of all
the wicked Roman Emperors the most re-
nowned for wickedness and cruelty.

When he said, The Lord, the righteous
judge, he was comparing Nero who was so
unjust and unrighteous with the Lord who
was to judge him at last. He was twice
brought before Nero. Of the first trial he
said, No man stood with me, but all forsook
me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their
charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with

484

A STORM AND WRECK.

me and strengthened me and I was delivered
out of the mouth of the lion.

Many a noble head has fallen under the
sharp axe of the executioner. As you study
history you will find that many good men and
true have perished through the injustice of
tyrants. Never fell a nobler or a greater man
than Paul, the apostle. Though his body
perished, his life to this day is a force in the
life of the world. It will continue to be so until
the end of time.

485

LXII

A VISION OF HEAVEN

"VVTHEN John, the disciple whose head had
W been pillowed on Jesus' breast, was an
old, old man, he was made a prisoner for
Christ's sake and shut up on the lonely island
of Patmos. On this island, one Lord's Day,
he had a vision of heaven. More than that, he
had a vision of Jesus. The One Who had been
crucified stood in glory, clothed with a white
garment down to the feet and girt with a
golden girdle. Around him were seven golden
candlesticks, His eyes were as a flame of fire,
His radiant feet were like fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace; His voice was as the
sound of many waters; in His right hand were
seven stars; and His countenance was as the
sun shining in his strength. When John saw
Him, he fell at His feet as dead. But the
glorious One laid his right hand upon His
servant, saying, Fear not. I am the first and
the last, I am He that liveth and was dead and,

486

A VISION OF HEAVEN

behold, I am alive forevermore and have the
keys of Hell and of Death.

Through John, the Lord Who spoke from
heaven sent messages to the churches then
in the world; messages meant just as much for
you and me as for them. He said, Behold I
stand at the door and knock. If any man hear
my voice and open the door, I will come in unto
him and will sup with him and he with me.

He said, He that overcometh and keepeth
My works until the end, to him will I give
power over the nations. To him that over-
cometh I will give to eat of the hidden manna,
and will give him a white stone, and in the
stone a new name written which no man
knoweth except him that receiveth it. He gave
many other promises through John to those
who are faithful and overcome temptation.

From that lonely island John saw wonder-
ful things in heaven. He heard the angels
singing, Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honor and power.

He heard one saying, Who are these that
are arrayed in white robes? and whence come
they?

487

THE STORY BIBLE

The answer was, These are they which came
out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne
of God and serve Him day and night in His
Temple, and He that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among them. They shall hunger no
more, neither thirst any more, neither shall
the sun fall on them, nor any heat. For the
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes.

The most beautiful thing that John saw was
the Holy City, with its great gates of gleam-
ing pearls; the wall of the city of jasper and
the city all of pure gold like transparent glass,
He saw no Temple there, for the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither
of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God
did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof.

On those golden streets and in those
heavenly gardens, walk those who have gone
beyond death and live forevermore in great

488

A VISION OF HEAVEN

happiness and perfect purity in the presence
of God. In those heavenly gardens no flowers
wither. There stands the Tree of Life and
there flows the River of Life clear as crystal.
They need no candle there, neither light of the
sun, for the Lord God giveth them light.

Best of all we are told that there God's serv-
ants shall serve Him. In the heavenly land
there shall be love and joy and work and rest
and no parting, nor pain, nor sin, nor death.

The Book began in the Garden of Eden. It
ends in the Garden of Heaven, where forever-
more all shall dwell who love the Lord and
keep His words.

Bernard of Clugny has sung for us a song
of the celestial country:

Arise, arise, good Christian,

Let right to wrong succeed;
Let penitential sorrow

To heavenly gladness lead,
To the light that hath no evening,

That knows no moon nor sun,
The light so new and golden,

The light that is but one.
489

THE STORY BIBLE

And now we fight the battle,

But then shall wear the crown
Of full and everlasting

And passionless renown.
But He Whom now we trust in

Shall then be seen and known,
And they that know and see Him

Shall have Him for their own.

THE END.

490

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