A 
 
 OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY 
 
 L.E.ABRAHAMS., B.A. 
 
 LONDON:: 
 TRUBNER & COLUDGATE HILL.
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE 
 
 HOLY LAND 
 
 as allotted. Try
 
 A 
 
 A MANUAL OF 
 
 SCRIPTURE HISTORY 
 
 FOR USE IN 
 
 JEWISH SCHOOLS AM) FAMILIES 
 
 LOUIS B. ABRAHAMS, B.A. 
 
 SEVENTH EDITION 
 
 LONDON 
 
 TRUBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL 
 1887 
 
 \_All rights reserved}
 
 
 /
 
 PEEFACE. 
 
 THE place which this volume should occupy in the curriculum 
 of study is easily denned. It should serve as an introduction 
 to the Bible. The Sacred Volume itself was never intended 
 to serve as a text-book for Scripture history. It is un- 
 doubtedly the repository of our national history ; but it is 
 very much more than this. It is the treasure-house of our 
 religious beliefs, the digest of our civil and criminal code, 
 the guide to our ceremonial observances. To select its 
 historical passages, to place them together so as to form a 
 connected whole, to reconcile their apparent difficulties, has 
 ever proved to the busy teacher an anxious and wearisome 
 task. The want of such a work as the present has accor- 
 dingly long been felt, and acting upon tbe suggestion of 
 many of my colleagues, I have endeavoured to satisfy it. 
 
 Intended for the use of children in Standards III. to VI. 
 of our schools (ages 9 to 13), the book has been written in 
 simple yet progressive language. Throughout, the very 
 
 2107643
 
 IT PREFACE 
 
 words of the English Version have been frequently intro- 
 duced, so that they may prove a link between this volume 
 and the Bible itself. 
 
 I desire to express my grateful acknowledgments to the 
 Rev. the Chief Rabbi and to the Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, 
 who were good enough to read my manuscript, and to favour 
 roe with many valuable hints. 
 
 L.B. A.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 MM 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION ....! 
 
 PART I. 
 
 FROM THE CREATION TO THE DEATH OF JOSEPH. 
 
 CHAP. I. The Creation . 6 
 
 II. Eden Man's First Sin and Punishment .... 5 
 
 III. From Adam to Ncah G 
 
 IV. Noah The Flood 7 
 
 n V. The Tower of Bahel 8 
 
 VI. The Life of Ahraham 9 
 
 VII. Life of Abraham (continued) The War of the Kings . 11 
 VIII. Life of Abraham (continued) Birth of Ishmael Destruc- 
 tion of Sodom and Gomorrah . . . . .12 
 ,, IX. Life of Abraham (continued) Birth of Isaac The offer- 
 ing on Mount Moriah Death of Abraham . . 14 
 X. Life of Isaac ......... 16 
 
 ,, XI. Life of Jacob 18 
 
 XII. Life of Joseph His Captivity in Egypt .... 21 
 XIII. Life of Joseph (continued) Joseph made Governor of 
 
 Egypt 23 
 
 XIV. Death of Jacob and of Joseph 25 
 
 PART II. 
 
 FliOM THE DEATH OF JOSEPH TO THE DEATH OF MOSES. 
 
 CHAP. I. Oppression of the Israelites in Egypt The Call of Moses . 27 
 
 II. The Ten Plagues The Redemption from Egypt . . 29
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 CHAP. III. Passage of the Bed Sea Battle with the Amalelutes . 31 
 
 IV. The Decalogue 33 
 
 V. The Golden Calf The Tabernacle . . . . . 34 
 
 VI. The Priesthood -Nadab and Abihu 36 
 
 VII. The Spies 3i 
 
 ,, VIII. The Bebellion of Korah 40 
 
 ,, IX. Death of Miriam and of Aaron . . . .42 
 
 X. Balak and Balaam ........ 43- 
 
 XL The People Numbered Punishment of the Midianites . 46- 
 
 XII. The Last Days of Moses 47 
 
 PART III. 
 
 FROM THE DEATH OF MOSES TO THE CHOICE OF SAUL. 
 
 CHAP. I. The Spies sent to Jericho Passage of the Jordan . . 4 
 II. Fall of Jericho Achan's Sin Capture of Ai . . .51 
 ,, III. The Gibeonites The Five Kings of Canaan . . .53 
 IV. Wars with the Canaanites Division of Palestine Death 
 
 of Joshua ........ 54 
 
 V. The Judges Othniel to Deborah .... ,56 
 
 VI. The Judges (continued) Gideon .... ,58- 
 
 VII. The Judges Gideon (continued) Abimelech Tcla 
 
 Jixir 60 
 
 VIII. Jephthah Samson ...... ,62 
 
 ,, IX. Samson (continued) ... 4 .. 65 
 
 X. Micah Destruction of Giboah Ruth . . . .60 
 
 XI. Eli Birth of Samuel His Dedication to God's Service G'J 
 
 ., XII. War with the Philistines Capture of the A rt Death of 
 
 Eli and his Sons ....... 71 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 FROM SAUL'S KINGSHIP TO THE DEATH OF SOLOMON. 
 
 CHAP. I. Saul made King His First Offence . . . .73 
 II. Saul's Wars with the Philistines and Amaleldtes David 
 
 Anointed King ..>., 74
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 vii 
 
 CHAP. III. Saul jealous of David He seeks to kill him The Love of 
 
 David and Jonathan ...... 77 
 
 IV. David an Exile -His Wanderings Death of Samuel . . 79 
 
 V. Saul and the Witch of Endor Death of Saul ... 81 
 VI. David King over Judah and Ishbosheth over Israel The 
 
 Ark brought to Jerusalem ...... 83 
 
 VII. David's various Wars His Sin with Bathsheba , T . 85 
 VIII. Absalom's Rebellion David's Flight and Return 
 
 Absalom's Death 87 
 
 IX. The Last Days of David The Psalms . . . .89 
 
 X. Solomon ascends the Throne He builds the Temple . . 91 
 
 XI. Solomon's Greatness and Death . . ... 94 
 
 PART V. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL. 
 
 CHAP. T. Jeroboam Nadab ........ 90 
 
 II. Baasha Elah Z'trnri Oinri Ahab Elijah . . . 97 
 
 III. Ahab Elijah and the Priests of Baal . . . .99 
 
 IV. Ahab Elijah Benhadad . . . . . . 101 
 
 V. Naboth's Vineyard Elijah Deatb of Alub Ahaziah . 102 
 
 VI. Elijah Elisha Jehoram ...... 104 
 
 VII. Elisha's Miracles .,.... 106 
 
 VIII. Jehorara War with the Syrians Death of Benhadad .108 
 
 IX. Jehu Death of Jezebel Jehoahaz Death of Elisha .110 
 
 M X. Jeroboam II. to the End of the Kingdom . . . .112 
 
 PART VI. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF JUDAJI. 
 
 CHAP. I. Rehoboam Asa Jehoshaphat . . . 
 
 II. Joram Ahaziah Interregnum Joash Amazuh 
 
 III. Uzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah , 
 
 IV. Hezekiah (continued) llanasseh Amon . . 
 
 V. Josiah Jehoahaz ...... 
 
 VI. Jehoiakin- Jehoiachin Zcdekiah . . a 
 
 . 115 
 . 117 
 . 119 
 . 121 
 . 123 
 . 125
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 PART VIL 
 
 THE CAPTIVITY. THE RESTORATION. 
 
 C0AP. I. Gedaliah Ishmael ....... 128 
 
 II. The Captivity Daniel 129 
 
 ,, III. Daniel Belshazzar 130 
 
 IV. End of the Captivity The Temple Rebuilt . . .132 
 
 V. History of Esther 133 
 
 ,, VI. History of Esther (continued) . . . . . .135 
 
 ,, VIL Ezra Nehemiah .... 136 
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 Chronological Tables ....* 139 
 
 APPENDIX IT. 
 The Jewish Year Its Festivals and fast* ...... 144
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE country which was the scene of the chief events related 
 in the Bible, is situated in the south-west portion of Asiatic 
 Turkey. It forms a part of the province of Syria, and is under 
 the rule of the Sultan. It is now inhabited mostly by Turks, 
 but there are large Jewish communities at Jerusalem, Tiberias, 
 Hebron, Safed and Joppa. A considerable number of Christians 
 dwell in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Acre, &c. 
 
 Names. This country is known by many different names, 
 the principal of which are : 
 
 1. Canaan, after the youngest son of Ham, whose offspring 
 dwelt in the parts between the Jordan and the Medi- 
 terranean. 
 2. Palestine. This name was derived from the Philistines 
 
 who dwelt along; the western coast. 
 8. The Land of Israel, from the name bestowed upon Jacob, 
 
 and afterwards adopted by his seed. 
 
 4. The Land of Judah. This name was first applied to the 
 kingdom of Judah, but was in later times extended to 
 the whole country. 
 5. The Land of Promise, from the promise made to Abraham 
 
 that his offspring should possess it. 
 
 6. The Holy Land, because it was the seat of the worship of 
 the true God, and because the Lord revealed himself there 
 to his prophets. 
 
 Boundaries. North by the Mountains of Lebanon; west 
 by the Mediterranean Sea ; south by Arabia ; and east by the 
 ranges of Hermon and Bashan, and the Syrian Desert. 
 
 Extent. Length from N. to S. 185 miles, breadth from W. to 
 E. about 70 miles. Area u ; ooo square miles. It is about the 
 size of Switzerland. 
 
 Population. In the time of David the population was pro- 
 bably about 5,000,000. 
 
 B
 
 2 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Divisions. 
 
 On the N. Asher. Cliief towns: Accho, Achzib. 
 Naphtali Kadesh, Hazor, Hamatli. 
 
 Zebulun Tiberias. 
 
 Tn the Middle. Manasseli Megiddo, Oprah, Dothan, Betlislmn. 
 Issachar Endor, Shunem, Jezreel, Gilboa. 
 
 Ephraim Samaria, Tirzah, Gilgal, Shechem, 
 
 Shiloh, Timnatb Serab. 
 In tbe South Dan Modin, Ekron, Ajalon, Tiinnah, 
 
 Esbtaol, Joppa. 
 
 n Benjamin Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethel,Ai,Gibeon, 
 Ramah, Michmash, Kirjath-Jearim. 
 
 Judah Bethlehem, Makkedah, Libnah, He- 
 bron, Adullam, Engedi Tekoah, 
 Lachish. 
 
 Simeon Beer-sheba, Askelon, Gaza. 
 On the East of Jordan : 
 
 Manasseh Ashtaroth-Karnaim, Golan, Edrei. 
 Gad Succoth, Matanaim, Peniel, Ramoth- 
 
 Gilead, Rabbah, Mizpah. 
 
 Reuben Heshbon, Dibon, Medeba. 
 Mountains. Palestine is a very mountainous country, though 
 the peaks are not as a rule high. The principal ranges are : 
 Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon in the north j principal height Mount 
 Hermon, 11,000 feet. Mount Tabor, in Zebulun. Mount Gilboa 
 in Issachar. Mount Carmel in Manasseh. Mountains of Ephraim, 
 principal heights Ebal and Gerizim. Mount of Olives in Benjamin. 
 Mountains of Judab. Mount Gilead in Gad. Mountains of Abarim, 
 with Mount Nebo and Mount Pisgah in Reuben. 
 
 Plains. The Plain of Jezreel in Manasseh and Issachar; 
 Sharon, on the west coast j Esdraelon in Issachar ; Plain of the 
 Jordan on both sides of that river j Hinnom and Jehoshaphat 
 near Jerusalem j Ajalon in Dan. 
 
 Bivers. The .Jordan, forming the eastern boundary, rises 
 in Lebanon and flows into the Dead Sea ; the Kishon through 
 Issachar and Manasseh into the Mediterranean Sea j River Jabok 
 through Dan into the Jordan ; River Kidron through Judah into 
 the Dead Sea. Smaller rivers are Besor in Judah, Cherith in 
 Benjamin, and Arnon in Gad. Besides these there are many 
 mountain streams which are almost dry in summer. 
 
 Lakes. Merom and Chinneroth between Naphtali and Eastern 
 
 Manasseh ; the Dead Sea between Benjamin, Judah, and Reuben. 
 
 Climate. The Holy Land enjoys a variety of climates. The
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 hilly regions are cool and even cold, while the sheltered plains and 
 valleys are as hot as the tropics. It is an easy matter to pass in 
 an hour's journey from spring to summer. There are two rainy 
 seasons. The first rains fall in the month of Chcshvan (November), 
 and the latter rains in Nisan (April). The dews are very heavy, 
 and compensate in great measure for the absence of rain 
 during the droughty summer. 
 
 Soil. In Biblical times Palestine was very fertile, "a land 
 flowing with milk and honey." The land is less productive now, 
 owing especially to the destruction of the forests, and the conse- 
 quent washing away of the soil. Much of its ancient fertility 
 could he restored by replanting trees and covering the hill slopes 
 with earth. 
 
 Minerals. Iron and copper in the Lebanon range " a land 
 whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig 
 copper" salt and bitumen on the borders of the Dead Sea ; sul- 
 phur in the vale of Siddim ; nitre. 
 
 Vegetables. Wheat, barley, rye, cucumber, hyssop, manna, 
 pulse, many spices, flax, melon. 
 
 Trees. Cedar, almond, cypress, palm, oak, olive, poplar, acacia, 
 sycamore, terebinth, vine, willow, myrrh, galbanum. 
 
 Fruits. Apricot, almond, date, fig, grape, olive, pomegranate. 
 
 Flowers. Rose, lily. 
 
 Animals. Wild and tame ass, leopard, ox, sheep, goat, bear, 
 lion, camel, wild bull, deer, wolf, bee, ant, locust, scorpion, dove, 
 owl, quail, stork, raven, ostrich. 
 
 Original Inhabitants. When the children of Israel entered 
 the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua, they found it 
 inhabited by seven tribes ; the Canaanites, Hivites and Perizzites 
 dwelt in the north, the Jebusites in the centre, the Hittites and 
 Amorites on the south and east. The Girgashites occupied the 
 eastern side of the Sea of Chinneroth. 
 
 Neighbouring Nations. The western sea-coast from Raphia 
 to Joppa was occupied by the Philistines. To the north of these 
 dwelt the Phoenicians. To the south-west lay Egypt. On the- 
 east of the Dead Sea stretched the land of Ammon and Moab. 
 Syria (Aram) lay due north, while east of the Syrian Desert 
 were Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Persia and India. 
 
 Commerce. Trade has existed from the period when men 
 first formed themselves into communities. In the history of 
 Abraham we read of money current with the "merchant." In 
 the time of Jacob we hear of well-ordered caravans trading 
 between distant countries. The Jews were chiefly agriculturists. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Although there is no doubt that they bartered and traded with 
 the neighbouring peoples, still they cannot be said to have had 
 a foreign trade till the reign of Solomon. He imported many 
 commodities from Egypt, the most important being horses, 
 chariots and fine linen. To pay for these he obtained gold and 
 precious stones from India and Arabia. He fitted out fleets 
 that traded regularly with foreign countries. Starting from Ezion- 
 gaber and Elath at the head of the Red Sea, they sailed to India, 
 Ceylon and the East Coast of Africa, probably carrying corn and 
 oil ; and returned laden with gold, silver, precious stones, peacocks, 
 apes, various rare woods, and ivory. Palestine from its position 
 was well placed for purposes of trade, being the highway between 
 Egypt and other African countries on the one hand, and Assyria, 
 Persia and India on the other.
 
 PART I. 
 
 FROM THE CREATION TO THE DEATH OP JOSEPH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Creation. 
 
 The World Created. In the beginning God created the 
 heavens and the earth. On the first day He made the light, on the 
 second the heavens, on the third the dry land. On this day He 
 commanded the earth to bring forth herbs, grasses, and trees. On 
 the fourth day He made the sun, moon, and stars : the sun to 
 give light by day, the moon and stars to light up the night. On 
 the fifth day Recreated fish and fowl. On the sixth day He made 
 all cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth. Lastly, all 
 things having been formed ready for his use, God created man in 
 His own image and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life. On 
 the seventh day God rested from all His work. " And God blessed 
 the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested 
 from all His work, which God created and made." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Eden Man's First Sin and Punishment. 
 
 Eden. God planted a garden in Eden in the eastern part of the 
 world, and placed in it the man. Adam, whom He had made. God 
 caused to grow in this garden every tree that was pleasant to the 
 sight and good for food, and in the midst of the garden He placed 
 the tree of life, and also the tree of the knowledge of good and 
 evil. Four rivers went forth from Eden to water the country 
 round about ; they were named Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, and 
 Euphrates. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, He 
 gave him one command. He said to the man, " of every tree in the 
 garden thou mayest eat ; but of the tree of the knowledge oi 
 good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for on the day thou eatest 
 thereof thou shalt surely die." 
 
 Eve. God created the first woman to be a proper help foi 
 the man. And Adam called his wife's name Eve (Chavuh), 
 because she was the mother of all living.
 
 6 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 The First Sin. Now the serpent was more cunning than any 
 beast of the field, and he tempted Eve to break the only command 
 which God had then given. Going- to the woman he persuaded 
 her to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. But Eve answered 
 him that she dared not eat of the fruit for fear of the punishment 
 of death. Then the serpent told her that she would not die ; but 
 that on the day she and Adam eat of it, their eyes should be opened, 
 and they should become as God, knowing good and evil. Eve upon 
 this allowed herself to be persuaded. She ate of the fruit of the 
 forbidden tree, and gave some of the fruit also to Adam, and he 
 did eat. Thus did the first man and the first woman commit the 
 first sin. 
 
 Adam and Eve driven from Eden, Later in the day Adam 
 and Eve heard the voice of God in the garden. Knowing they 
 had done wrong, they tried to hide themselves. But God at once 
 charged them with their guilt. Adam laid the whole blame of the 
 sin upon Eve ; Eve, in her turn, blamed the serpent for tempting 
 her. But God would not allow these excuses. They were all 
 guilty alike ; and punishment quickly followed. The serpent was 
 to become the lowest and most despised of animals. Adam and 
 Eve were to be driven out of the garden of Eden. They were to 
 learn what pain and sorrow and suffering meant. Instead of living 
 in ease upon the fruits of the garden, they were to labour and toil 
 for their daily bread. " In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat 
 bread, till thou returnest unto the ground, for out of it wast thou 
 taken : for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." In 
 these words was their doom spoken. Then, lest they should take 
 of the tree of life, and eat thereof and live for ever, God drove 
 Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, and to prevent their 
 return, He placed at the gate the awful Cherubim, and the flaming 
 sword to guard the way to the tree of life. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 From Adam to Noah. 
 
 Cain and Abel. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. 
 Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of sheep. 
 The two brothers brought offerings unto God Cain of the fruit 
 of the ground ; Abel of the best of his flocks. God was pleased 
 with Abel, and with his offering- ; but to Cain and to his offering 
 He showed no respect. This made Cain very angry, and one 
 day, being with Abel in the fields, he rose up against his brother 
 and slew him. After this the Lord said un to Cain, " Where is
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 7 
 
 thy brother Abel?" and Cain answered, " I know not, am I my 
 brother's keeper ?" But God showed him that He knew of his 
 crime. Cain became a wanderer upon the face of the earth, and 
 afterwards settled in the land of Nod, eastward of Eden. Plere 
 a son was born unto him, whose name was Enoch. The fourth 
 descendant from Enoch was called Lamech. He had two wives, 
 Adah and Zillah. Adah was the mother of Jabal, who was the 
 first to dwell in tents, and to study the art of rearing cattle. She 
 also had a son Jubal, who invented the harp and flute. Zillah 
 too bare a son, whose name was Tubal-cain, who first used 
 instruments made of copper and iron. To Adam and Eve was 
 now born a third son, named Seth. 
 
 There were ten generations from Adam to Noah, viz. : Adam, 
 Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, 
 Lamech, Noah. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Noah The Flood. 
 
 The Flood. During the life of Noah the people on the earth 
 became very wicked. So great was their evil-doing that God 
 repented that He had made man on the earth. And the Lord 
 said He would destroy the whole earth on account of the wicked- 
 ness that existed in it. But Noah did not follow the bad example 
 of those around him, he did what was right in the sight of God, 
 and found grace in His sight. Noah had thi-ee sons, Shem, Ham, 
 and Japheth. And the Lord said to Noah, " The end of all flesh 
 is come. I will destroy the earth with all the men in it." 
 But Noah and his family were to be saved. So God told Noah 
 to make an ark of Gopher wood, 300 cubits long, 50 broad, 
 and 30 high. Into this he and all his family went, taking with 
 them seven pairs of every clean animal and fowl, and two pairs 
 of the unclean, with sufficient food for all. Noah entered the ark 
 when he was six hundred years old. 
 
 Then God caused it to rain upon the earth forty days and 
 forty nights the fountains of the great deep were broken up, 
 and the windows of heaven were opened, the waters kept on 
 increasing upon the earth until they stood fifteen cubits above 
 the highest mountains. And all flesh that were on the dry land 
 died. After the flood had lasted 150 days the water began slowly 
 to decrease. In about six months more, the ark having by this 
 time rested on Mount Ararat, Noah sent forth a raven to see if 
 the lower land were yet dry. But the raven gave him no sure 
 sign. He then sent forth a dove, but she returned because the
 
 8 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 waters had not yet left the surface of the earth. He waited seven 
 days more, and then sent her forth again, and she returned with 
 an olive leaf in her mouth. He waited yet seven days and again 
 sent forth the dove, but she returned to him no more. Then 
 Noah knew that he might safely venture forth. The flood had 
 lasted one year and ten days. . 
 
 On coming from the Ark, Noah and his sons and their wives 
 offered up a sacrifice of thanks unto God. And God said that the 
 earth should no more he destroyed by a flood, and as a sign of 
 this promise He set the rainbow in the clouds. 
 
 Noah's Sons. After this Noah began to cultivate the earth, 
 and he planted a vineyard. God gave to Noah the permission to 
 eat of the flesh of animals. But He strictly charged him not to 
 eat of the flesh that had been cut from the living- animal, for this 
 cruel practice had prevailed before the flood. God also forbade the 
 crime of murder and suicide, and stated the punishment in these 
 words, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be 
 shed ; for in the image of God made He man." 
 
 Ham, one of Noah's sons, behaved so badly that he drew upon 
 himself his father's anger ; " cursed be Canaan (Ham) ; a servant 
 of servants shall he be unto his brethren." But Shem and 
 Japheth did what was right in their father's eyes, and Noah 
 loved and blessed them. Noah lived after the flood three hundred 
 and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred 
 and fifty years j and he died. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Tower of Babel. 
 
 The Oldest Nations. The tenth chapter of Genesis is a very 
 important one, as from the names and places mentioned in 
 it we can trace the origin of most of the nations of ancient 
 and modern times. This is not the place to enter into a long 
 examination of the subject; it will be sufficient to give a few 
 of the facts which have been established by the study and re- 
 search of modern scholars. 
 
 The descendants of Shem occupied the central portions of the 
 great eastern continent of the world. They were divided into 
 the following nationalities : Hebrews, Assyrians, Sabceans, Ly- 
 dians, Aratneans, Mysians, &c. 
 
 The sons of Ham inhabited the southern portions of the conti- 
 nent, and spread themselves freely over Africa. From them sprung 
 the various tribes of Africa ; and also the Arabians, Babylonians, 
 Egyptians, Libyans, Philistines, Phoenicians, and Canaanites.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 9 
 
 The children of Japheth settled in the northern and western 
 portions of the great continent. They gave rise to the Scythians, 
 Medes, Greeks, Cypriots, &c. The larger portion of the nations 
 of Europe are descended from this branch. 
 
 The Tower of Babel. And the people said, " Let us huild 
 us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven ; and 
 let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the 
 face of the whole earth." At this time the whole earth was of 
 one language and used one kind of words. In spite of God's 
 promise, the fear of another deluge was strong in the minds 
 of the people, and they resolved to guard themselves against a 
 second destruction of the human race. In the course of their 
 wanderings they came to the plain of Shinar, between the 
 Euphrates and the Tigris, and here they determined to carry out 
 their plan. They set about building a tower, the top of which 
 was to reach to heaven, and which was to afford them a sure 
 refuge in case of another flood. But God was angry with the 
 people for their pride and want of faith, and hindered the 
 building of the tower. The Lord confounded the language of the 
 people, so that one did not understand the other's speech. And 
 the Lord scattered them over the whole surface of the earth, so 
 they left off building the city, which was called Babel, meaning 
 confusion of tongues. 
 
 As there were ten generations from Adam to Noah, so 
 there were ten generations from Shem to Abraham, viz. : Shem, 
 Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nabor, Terah, 
 Abraham. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Life of Abraham. 
 
 Descent of Abram. Terah had three sons Abram, Nahor, 
 and Haran. Haran, who died in his father's lifetime, had a 
 son, Lot, and two daughters, Milcah and Iscah. Nahor married 
 Milcah, while Abram took to wife his niece Sarai, who was 
 ten years his junior. And Terah took Abram, and Sarai and Lot, 
 and went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the 
 land of Canaan ; and they came to Haran in Mesopotamia, and 
 dwelt there. 
 
 Abram's Wanderings. When Abram was seventy-five years 
 old God said unto him, " Get thee out from thy country, and 
 from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, into a land that I 
 will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I 
 will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a
 
 io MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 blessing." Without a murmur Abram broke up his household, 
 and taking with him his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, passed 
 into the land of Canaan and sojourned there. Again setting 
 out on his travels he arrived at the village of Sichem, where he 
 built an altar and " called upon the name of the Lord." By 
 this is meant that Abram for the first time taught the in- 
 habitants of Canaan the belief in the one true God, the only 
 Creator and the Governor of the world. While at Sichem, God 
 renewed his promise to Abram that his seed should become 
 great and should in later days inherit the land in which he was 
 dwelling. Abram next pitched his tent at Beth-el, where he 
 again "called upon the name of the Lord." After this Abram 
 continued his wanderings, always going in a southerly direction. 
 
 Now a famine came upon the land of Canaan, and Abram went 
 down into Egypt to sojourn there until the famine should cease. 
 While dwelling in Egypt, Abram waxed very rich, and became 
 the owner of many sheep and oxen and asses, menservants, maid- 
 servants, and camels. 
 
 Lot. The famine having abated, Abram returned to the South 
 of Canaan. During the whole of his travels his nephew Lot 
 accompanied him. Lot had also greatly prospered, no doubt 
 through the help and example of Abram. In fact, so large had 
 the flocks and herds of the two camps become, that no sufficient 
 pasture in any one place could be found for them. Owing to this 
 difficulty quarrels were frequent between the herdsmen of Abram 
 and the herdsmen of Lot. This state of things was not pleasing 
 to Abram, who was, above all things, a man of peace. And 
 Abram said to Lot, " Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between 
 me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for 
 we are brethren." He then asked Lot to choose which part of the 
 land he would like to have for himself: "If thou wilt take the left 
 hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right 
 hand, then I will go to the left." 
 
 Lot chose the fertile plain of Jordan, and encamped near the 
 wicked city of Sodom. 
 
 Again did God renew his promise to Abram, " I will make 
 thy seed as the dust of the earth. . . . Arise and walk through 
 the land in the length and in the breadth of it, for I will give it 
 unto thee." Abram now removed his tent to the plain ofMumre, 
 wLich is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 11 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Life of Abraham (continued) The War of the Kings. 
 
 Chedorlaomer. At this time there reigned over Elam (a dis- 
 trict in Persia) a mighty king- named Chedorlaomer. He had 
 conquered many princes, among whom were the rulers of Sodom, 
 Gomorrah, Admah, Zehoiim and Bela, or Zoar, all cities in tho 
 Jordan plain. For twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, but 
 in the thirteenth year they rebelled. The next year Chedor- 
 laomer, having made a league with the kings of Shinar, Ellasar 
 and Goyim, invaded the south and east of Canaan, and after 
 gaining many battles, prepared to reduce the kings who had 
 thrown off his sway. The five kings took up a strong position 
 in the valley of Siddim, which, being full of slime pits, offered 
 great difficulties to the enemy. But the plan failed, for the 
 five kings were beaten in battle ; many of their men fell into 
 the pits, while the rest escaped to the mountains. Chedorlaomer 
 then marched to Sodom and Gomorrah, which he captured and 
 despoiled. He took for a prey all the substance of these cities, 
 and seizing Lot and all his possessions, carried him away with 
 him. 
 
 Abram Bescues Lot. Abram learned from the mouth of a 
 messenger, who had escaped from Sodom, all that hud befallen. 
 Hastily gathering together his servants to the number of three 
 hundred and eighteen, he armed them and set out in pursuit of 
 the victorious kings. Three princes of the land, Mamre, Eshcol 
 and Aner, friends of Abram, assisted him with men. Abram 
 made a rapid inarch of 130 miles to Dan in the extreme north 
 of Canaan, and there came up with the enemy. Abram not only 
 showed bravery in pursuing an army many times larger than his 
 own, but also skill in his plan of attack. The four kings were 
 overthrown, and driven another 50 miles as far as Hobah, to 
 the west of Damascus. Lot and all his belongings were rescued. 
 
 On his return from the campaign, Melchizedek, king of Salem, 
 priest of the most High God, came forth and blessed Abram. 
 
 Although Abram had captured much spoil, he would not keep 
 even a shoe-lace for himself, but restored all of it to the right- 
 ful owners j Eshcol Aner and Mamre taking a share for their 
 assistance. 
 
 Abram's Vision. After these events, the Lord appeared unto 
 Abram in a vision, saying, " Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield 
 and thy exceeding great reward." In spite of these repeated
 
 12 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY 
 
 promises, Abram's spirit was sad, for he had no child, and a ser- 
 vant in his house would inherit all he possessed. God now gave 
 him the hope that he would have a son, and renewed His promise 
 that his seed should be as numerous as the stars of heaven. And 
 God gave unto Abram a sign meant to confirm His pledge. 
 God told Abram to take a heifer, a she-goat, a ram, a turtledove, 
 and a pigeon ; to divide all but the birds, and to lay the pieces 
 opposite each other. Abram faithfully carried out these com- 
 mands. " And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell 
 upon Abram." And God showed unto His servant what would 
 happen to his offspring ; that they should be oppressed by a 
 foreign people for 400 years, that the nation whom they served 
 should be judged, and that in the end they should return to their 
 land with great riches. God further said,to Abram, "Thou shalt 
 g-o to thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buried in a good old 
 age." In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, 
 saying, " Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river oi 
 Egypt (Nile) to the great river, the river Euphrates." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Life of Abraham (continued} Birth of Ishmael 
 Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
 
 Birth of Ishmael. Abram was still childless, though he had 
 reached the age of eighty-six. Now Sarai had an Egyptian maid, 
 whose name was Hagar, and whom she gave to Abrarn for a second 
 wife. This act led to great jealousy between Sarai and Hagar, 
 and at last Hagar fled from the house of Abram. But an angel 
 appeared unto her, and told her to return unto her mistress. He 
 further said unto her that she should bear a son, whose name 
 would be Ishmael, because the Lord had heard her affliction. 
 " And he shall be a wild man, his hand will be against every 
 man, and every man's hand against him." Hagar returned to 
 the tent of Abram, and bare him a son, whose name was Ishmael, 
 as the angel had foretold. 
 
 Abraham. Thirteen years passed away. Abram being now 
 ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared unto him, saying, 
 " I am the Almighty God ; walk before Me. and be thou perfect." 
 Abram fell on his face in reverence. God again renewed His 
 promise to make his offspring numerous. And the Lord gave him 
 a sign. " Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, 
 but thy name shall be ABRAHAM, for a father of many nations 
 have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 13 
 
 and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 
 And I will give unto thee and thy seed the land of Canaan, and I 
 will be their God. And thou shalt keep My covenant, thou and 
 thy seed after thee. This is- My covenant, Every man child 
 among' you shall be circumcised." 
 
 God also changed Sarai's name to Sarah (queen). And the 
 Lord said, '' I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her." But 
 Abraham doubted, as both he and Sarah were now grown very old. 
 God thereupon renewed the promise in these words, " Sarah, thy 
 wife, shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name 
 Isaac. And My covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah 
 shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." Then 
 Abraham circumcised himself, and Ishmael, and all the males of 
 his household. 
 
 The Visit of the Angels. In the heat of a summer's day, 
 Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent, when he saw three 
 men travelling towards him. The patriarch, always ready to 
 show kindness to strangers, invited them to rest and eat in his tent. 
 The men did so. After the meal the travellers, who were angels, 
 asked for Sarah, and being told she was in the tent, repeated 
 God's promise that she should have a son. Sarah, who now 
 heard the news for the first time, laughed within herself. One of 
 the angels blamed her for this, saying, " Is anything too hard for 
 the Lord ?" Then the men rose up and set out towards Sodom, 
 and Abraham went with them a little on the way. 
 
 Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now the Lord was 
 about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because of their great 
 wickedness. On making known His design to Abraham, the 
 patriarch's grief was sore, and he feared, lest the innocent might 
 suffer with the guilty. He therefore begged the Lord to spare the 
 city if fifty good men could be found in it. God mercifully 
 hearkened to the prayer of Abraham, and promised to spare the city 
 if fifty good men could be found in it. But Abraham, fearing that 
 such a number might not exist, asked further that the city might 
 be spared if it contained forty good men. Again the Lord con- 
 sented, and again Abraham sought to reduce the number, till at 
 length God promised to spare the city if only ten good persons 
 could be found in it. But, alas ! among the thousands who dwelt 
 in Sodom, there could not be found ten who deserved the name of 
 righteous. And so the wicked city went to its fate. 
 
 The strangers who had partaken of Abraham's kindness, had a 
 mission to perform. They were sent by the Lord to destroy the 
 wicked cities of the plain. Two of them reached Sodom at even.
 
 14 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Lot, Abraham's nephew, who had learnt the duties towards the 
 stranger from his uncle, pressed them to stay in his house 
 overnight. The travellers accepted his offer. Before they lay 
 down to rest the men of Sodom gathered round the house intent 
 on harming the strangers. It was in vain Lot went out to calm 
 their evil passions. The crowd " pressed sore upon him, and 
 came near to break the door." The angels now pulled Lot within 
 the house, and smote the men outside with blindness, so that 
 they wearied themselves to find the door. 
 
 Then the angels told Lot that they would destroy the city next 
 day. They therefore urged him to leave at once, together with 
 his wife, daughters, and other relatives. As the morning dawned 
 the angels hurried Lot to go at once, lest they should perish with 
 the city, and because he lingered they actually drove him away. 
 As they were going the angels said to him, " Escape for thy life j 
 look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain, escape 
 to the mountains, lest thou be consumed." But Lot pleading 
 that the mountains were too far off, received permission to take 
 refuge in the little town of Zoar. No sooner had Lot departed 
 from the doomed city, than the Lord rained fire and brimstone 
 upon Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroying them. Lot reached 
 Zoar in safety, but his wife, who had disobeyed the command of 
 the angel, and looked back upon the burning cities, was changed 
 into a pillar of salt 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Life of Abraham (continued). Birth of Isaac. The offering 
 on Mount Moriah. Death of Abraham. 
 
 Birth of Isaac. The crowning joy in the life of Abraham was 
 the birth of a son borne to him by his wife Sarah. Abraham 
 called his son Isaac. "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, 
 being eight days old, as God had commanded him." But now 
 a fresh trouble arose in the patriarch's tent. Sarah saw Ishmael, the 
 son of Hagar, mocking. " Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast 
 out this bondwoman and her son j for the son of this bondwoman 
 shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." But Abraham 
 grieved to do anything so evil. Then God appeared unto him, and 
 bade him hearken to the voice of Sarah, foretelling at the same time 
 that Ishmael should give rise to a mighty nation. The next day 
 Abraham gave unto Hagar bread and water, and sent her forth, and 
 she wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And when 
 the water was spent, she cast the child under a bush, and went and
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 15 
 
 fiat down at the distance of a bow-shot, saying " Let me not see the 
 death of the child." And she lifted up her voice and wept. But 
 God in His mercy heard her weeping and showed her a well of 
 water, which was the means of saving her life and that of her son. 
 
 At this period Abraham made a covenant of peace with 
 Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at a place called Beer-sheba. 
 
 Abraham's Trial. Now God desired to prove His servant 
 Abraham, and therefore told him to proceed to the land of Moriah, 
 and there on ahill to offer Isaac as a burnt-offering. Abraham, with- 
 out a moment's hesitation, obeyed the word of God. He rose earty 
 in the morning, and taking his only son Isaac, and a sufficiency of 
 wood, set out for the place appointed. After three days' journey 
 they arrived at the spot, and Abraham, having built an altar and 
 arranged the wood, bound Isaac and laid him on the pile. While 
 his hand, holding the fatal knife, was stretched forth, an angel 
 called to him from heaven, and said to him, " Lay not thine hand 
 upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know 
 tnat thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, 
 thine only son, from Me." Abraham, lifting up his eyes, saw a 
 ram caught in a thicket by his horns, and Abraham offered 
 the ram instead of Isaac. God blessed Abraham, saying-, " In thy 
 seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed j because thou 
 hast obeyed My voice." 
 
 Nahor, the brother of Abraham, had married Milcah. They 
 had several children, one of them being Bethuel. Bethuel also 
 begat Rebekah, she was thus grand-niece to Abraham. 
 
 Sarah died in Kirjath-Arbah, being one hundred and twenty-seven 
 years old. She was buried in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron, 
 which Abraham bought for a burying-place of Ephron the Hittite. 
 
 Abrahapr and Eliezer. Abraham was now old and well 
 stricken in years, and the Lord had blessed him in all things. He 
 had one fear, lest Isaac should marry a daughter of a heathen 
 family. So Abraham called unto him Eliezer, his chief servant, 
 and made him swear that he should not take a wife for Isaac of 
 the " daughters of the Canaanites." " But thou shalt go unto 
 my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son." 
 But Eliezer said, perhaps the woman whom I select will not 
 come hither. Then Abraham bade him trust that God would 
 bring his desire to pass; and so the servant swore to do the 
 command of his master. Eliezer, taking with him a goodly store 
 of camels and presents, set out for the city of Nahor, in Mesopo- 
 tamia. When he reached a well in the outskirts of the city, he 
 prayed to God for direction, saying, that if any damsel came to
 
 16 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the well and offered to draw water for himself and his camels, 
 this should be a sign that the damsel was to be the future wife 
 of Isaac. Scarcely had he finished when Rebekah, the daughter 
 of Bethuel, came to the well, and offered to draw water for Eliezer 
 and his camels. The pious servant offered thanks to God for 
 His help ; and, after laying the nature of his errand before 
 Bethuel the father, and Laban the brother, of Rebekah, they 
 agreed to the proposal of Eliezer that Rebekah should become the 
 wife of Isaac. But the damsel's consent had still to be obtained. 
 They asked her, " Wilt thou go with this man '<"' and she said, 
 " I will go." So the caravan set out on its homeward journey, 
 and Rebekah became the wife of her cousin Isaac. 
 
 Abraham took unto him another wife, and her name was Keturah. 
 Abraham, having given the bulk of his possessions to Isaac, died 
 full of years, being one hundred and seventy-five years old. 
 " And his sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave of 
 Machpelah." Ishmael had a large family of sons, whose names 
 are mentioned in the Bible. Twelve of them were princes. He 
 died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Life of Isaac. 
 
 Esau and Jacob. " And it came to pass after the death of 
 Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac j and Isaac dwelt by 
 the well Lahai-roi." Isaac was forty years old when he married 
 Rebekah. She bare him two sons, Esau and Jacob. " And the 
 boys grew. Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field ; and 
 Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents." Isaac loved his first- 
 born Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. One day, Jacob was 
 cooking some lentils when his brother came home, tired and 
 hungry, from hunting. Esau begged of Jacob a portion of the 
 food. But Jacob would not give him any unless he received Esau's 
 birthright in exchange. Esau agreed to this, and sold his birth- 
 right for a mess of pottage. 
 
 A famine now broke out in the land, and to avoid it Isaac 
 took up his abode in Gerar, in the land of the Philistines. 
 Here the Lord appeared unto him, and blessed him. Isaac 
 tilled the land and became very rich, having many flocks and 
 herds and servants. The Philistines envied nim, and stopped up 
 all the wells of water that his father Abraham had dug. He, 
 therefore, to avoid strife, left Gerar, and dwelt in the open plain. 
 Here he due: fresh wells.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 17 
 
 Esau being now forty years of age, took unto himself two 
 Hittite women for wives. This act caused great grief to Isaac 
 and Rebekah. 
 
 Jacob obtains Isaac's Blessing. When Isaac was old, his 
 eyes grew dim, so that he could not see. He called unto him 
 Esau, his elder son, and asked him to prepare him a meal of veni- 
 son, so that he might bless him before he died. Esau took his 
 bow and arrows into the fields to slay a deer and bring- it to his 
 father. But Rebekah had overheard what passed, and being 
 anxious that Jacob should receive the blessing, she called him 
 and told him how he should act. She bade him go to the flocks 
 and take two kids. These she would cook, and then Jacob was 
 to take them in to his father and thus receive the blessing-. 
 Jacob was willing to obey his mother, but was afraid that his 
 father might find him out if perchauce he felt him, for Esau was 
 a hairy man, but Jacob's skin was smooth. Rebekah thereupon 
 told him to put pieces of the skin of the kids upon his hands and 
 neck, and dressed him in Esau's clothes. Thus prepared, Jacob 
 carried the savoury meats to his father. And he said, " My 
 father j" and he said, "Here am I, who art thou, my son?" And 
 Jacob said unto 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." And Isaac said 
 unto his son, " How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my 
 son ?" And he said, " Because the Lord thy God brought it to 
 me." And Isaac said unto Jacob, " Come near, I pray thee, that 
 I may feel thee, whether thou be my very son Esau, or not." And 
 Jacob went near unto Isaac, his father; and he felt him and said, 
 " The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands arc the hands of 
 Esau." And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, 
 as his brother Esau's hands ; so he blessed him. And he safd, 
 " Art thou my very son Esau," and he said, " I am." Having 
 eaten of the food, Isaac blessed his son Jacob, praying God to 
 give him of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of wine and corn. 
 " Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Cursed 
 be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth 
 thee." 
 
 And it came to pass, when Isaac had made an end of blessing 
 Jacob, and Jacob had left his father's presence, that Esau returned 
 from hunting, not knowing what had taken place durino- his 
 absence. He hastened to prepare savoury meat, and brought it 
 to his father, begging Isaac to give him his blessing. And 
 Isaac, his father, said unto him, "Who art thou?" And he 
 
 c
 
 18 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 said, tl I am thy son, thy first-born, Esau." Isaac hearing these 
 words, trembled very much, and told Esau that his brother had 
 been there before him and had already received the blessing. 
 Then Esau cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said 
 unto his father, " Bless me, even me also, my father." And 
 Isaac said, "Thy brother came with subtility and hath taken away 
 thy blessing." But Esau cried and begged so hard that at 
 length his father blessed him also, telling him that he should 
 live by the sword, but yet he should serve his brother, " and it 
 shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, thou 
 shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." 
 
 Jacob's Flight. Esau hated Jacob for depriving him of the 
 blessing, and resolved to kill him after their father's death. 
 This intention coming to Rebekah's ears, she advised Jacob to 
 flee to the house of Laban, his uncle, in Haran, there to dwell 
 until his brother's anger should have passed away. Before 
 setting out, Jacob received his father's blessing, and the command 
 not to marry a daughter of the Canaanites, but to take a wife of 
 the daughters of Laban. " And Isaac sent away Jacob, and he 
 went unto Padan-Aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, 
 the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother." 
 
 Esau, seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not his 
 father Isaac, took as another wife Mahalath, the daughter of 
 Ishmael, and granddaughter of Abraham. 
 
 CHAPTER XT. 
 Life of Jacob. 
 
 Jacob's Dream. "And Jacob went out from Beersheba, 
 and went towards Haran." At the nd of his first day's 
 journey he lay down to rest in the open plain, using a stone for 
 his pillow. That night he had a dream. He saw a ladder 
 stretching from earth to heaven, and angels of God were ascend- 
 ing and descending on it. And the Lord stood above it and said, 
 " I am the Lord God of Abraham thy Father and the God of 
 Isaac ; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to 
 thy seed." God further promised Jacob to protect him during 
 his travels, and to bring him back to the country he was leaving. 
 When Jacob awoke in the morning he was afraid, saying, ll How 
 dreadful is this place ! this is none other than the house of God, 
 and this is the gate of heaven." He anointed the stone upon 
 which he had slept with oil, and changed the name of the place 
 from Luz to Beth-el (House of God). Jacob made a vow that
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 19 
 
 the Lord should be his God, and that he would give to His 
 service a tenth-part of all his possessions. 
 
 Jacob with Laban. Jacob continued his journey till he 
 reached a well in the land of Haran. While resting there, 
 Rachel, one of the daughters of Laban, led a flock of sheep to 
 the well to water them. Jacob made himself known to Rachel, 
 and returned with her to her father's house. After dwelling 
 there a month, Laban asked Jacob what wages he would desire 
 for serving him. Now Laban had two daughters, Leah and 
 Rachel. Rachel was beautiful, but Leah was not so well-favoured 
 as her sister. Jacob loved Rachel, and told Laban that he 
 would serve him seven years for her. Laban consented. At 
 the end of the seven years he gave him Leah to be his wife in- 
 stead of Rachel. Jacob, finding himself deceived, agreed to serve 
 another seven years for Rachel. Zilpah and Bilhah, the hand- 
 maids of Leah and Rachel, were also given unto Jacob as wives. 
 
 Leah bare unto Jacob six sons : Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judab, 
 Issachar and Zebulun, and one daughter Dinah. Her handmaid 
 Zilpah bare him two sons, Gad and Asher. Rachel was the 
 mother of two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Her maid Bilhah 
 also had two sons, Dan and Naphtali. After the birth of Joseph, 
 Jacob wished to return to his native land. But Laban was not 
 willing to lose the services of so faithful a shepherd, and begged 
 him to remain. Jacob agreed to stay with Laban on the condition 
 that he was to receive as wages all the cattle, sheep, and goats, 
 that were born speckled or spotted. Laban was quite willing that 
 Jacob should stay on these terms, and found that his possessions 
 increased under the watchful care of Jacob, his son-in-law. But 
 Jacob prospered still more, and he " had much cattle and maid- 
 servants, and menservants, and camels and asses. 
 
 Jacob returns Home. The sons of Laban grew jealous of 
 Jacob's well-doing ; they spoke against Jacob, saying that all 
 he was worth rightly belonged to their father. These speeches 
 had effect upon Laban, who began to look upon Jacob with dis- 
 favour. This made Jacob resolve to return at once to Canaan. 
 He spoke to Leah and Rachel, and gaining their ready consent, 
 took the opportunity of Laban's absence to carry out his intention. 
 Placing his wives and children upon camels, and driving his 
 large flocks and herds before him, he set out on his way home- 
 wards. Three days after, Laban heard of Jacob's flight. IP 
 hot haste he gathered his relations, and hurried after the 
 patriarch, and came up with him at Mount Gilead, after seven 
 days' pursuit. Jacob was in danger of the Syrian's anger, but 
 
 c a
 
 20 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the Lord appeared unto Laban, and warned him not to harm 
 Jacob. When the two men met harsh words passed between 
 them, but Jacob showed how for twenty years he had served 
 Laban with faithfulness, although his wages had been changed 
 many times. At length a covenant of peace was agreed upon, 
 and a heap of stones set up as a witness, and called Galeed and 
 Mizpah. Early next mornjng "Laban rose up and kissed his 
 sons and his daughters, and blessed them, and Laban departed 
 and returned to his place." 
 
 Jacob meets Esau. Freed from one peril, Jacob had to face 
 another. He was approaching the dwelling- of his brother Esau, 
 and dreaded the meeting which must take place. To calm his 
 brother, he sent on servants in advance bearing a peaceful 
 message. These returned soon with the dread tidings that Esau 
 was marching towards him with four hundred men. Jacob was 
 sore afraid, yet he set about calmly to make the best preparations 
 he could. He divided his following into two camps, so that if 
 Esau came upon one the other might escape. Then having offered 
 up a fervent prayer to God, he prepared a rich present of sheep, 
 goa f s, camels and kine, and sent them forward to meet his 
 brother. That night after everything had been arranged, a 
 strange event happened to Jacob. lie was alone when a man 
 appeared and wrestled with him till morning. The stranger, 
 finding he could not prevail, struck Jacob in the hollow of his 
 thigh and made him lame. Day breaking, the man wished to 
 depart, but Jacob would not let him go till he had learned the 
 stranger's name. He that wrestled with Jacob was no man, but 
 an angel, and instead of telling his own name, he changed that of 
 Jacob to ISRAEL (Prince of God) u for as a prince hast thou power 
 with God and with men, and hast prevailed." The angel blessed 
 him and departed. In remembrance of this event " the children 
 of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the 
 hollow of the thigh unto this day, because he touched the hollow 
 of Jacob's thigh in the sinew which shrank." 
 
 The meeting between the brothers was now at hand. Jacob 
 beholding Esau's approach went towards him, bowing to the 
 ground seven times. But lo ! instead of hate there was 
 love, for " Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell 
 upon his neck and kissed him ; and they wept." And so the 
 brothers were reconciled after their long separation. Soon after 
 they parted. Esau accepting Jacob's present returned to the 
 land of Seir, while Jacob crossing the Jordan travelled almost 
 due west unto Succoth. He then journeyed to Shechem,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 21 
 
 where, having- bought a piece of land, he pitched his tent, and 
 raised an altar to God. 
 
 Death of Rachel. But Jacob's wandering's were not yet 
 finished. After clearing his camp of the idols his servants 
 had brought with them, he set out and reached Beth-el, where 
 he built an altar. Here the Lord appeared unto Jacob, and con- 
 firmed his change of name. And God said "Be fruitful and 
 multiply} a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, 
 and kings shall come out of thy loins." Jacob, afcer a time, set 
 out again from Beth-el, and when there was but a little way from 
 Ephrath, Rachel his best beloved wife, died in giving birth to 
 Benjamin. Her grave exists to this day. At length Jacob 
 reached Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. He 
 found his father still alive, but Rebekah had gone to her rest. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Life of Joseph. His Captivity in Egypt. 
 
 Joseph's Dreams. Of all Jacob's sons Joseph was the one 
 whom he loved best, and, as a proof of his love, he made him 
 a garment of many colours. But when the brethren saw this 
 they hated Joseph, and could not speak peaceably to him. Joseph 
 dreamt a dream and told it to his brethren. He thought they 
 were all binding sheaves in the field, that his sheaf stood upright, 
 while the sheaves of the brethren bowed down to it. Hearing 
 this the brothers hated him still more. He dreamt again that the 
 sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to him. He 
 told the dream to his father and to his brethren, and his father 
 rebuked him saying, " Shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren 
 bow down to thee ?" And the brethren hated him still more. 
 
 Joseph sold into Egypt. One day the brethren went to 
 pasture their sheep in Sheehem, and Jacob sent Joseph to inquire 
 after their welfare. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, he found 
 his brethren had gone on to Dothan, and he followed them 
 there. Now, when the brethren saw Joseph approaching, they 
 made up their minds to slay him, and cast him into a pit ; and, to 
 hide their sin, they resolved to tell their father that a wild beast 
 had devoured him. But Reuben, more merciful than the others, 
 tried to save him, and he persuaded the brothers not to kill 
 Joseph, but merely to put him into a pit, with the intention of 
 taking him out again when the others had gone away. First 
 stripping Joseph of his coat of many colours, the brethren put him 
 into a pit. Shortly after, a company of merchants passed by, going
 
 22 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 from Gilead to Egypt, and bearing with them balm and myrrh 
 and other spices. Judah saw the means of saving- his brother's life. 
 He advised his brethren to sell Joseph as a slave to the merchants. 
 Joseph was taken out of the pit, sold for twenty pieces of silver, 
 and carried down to Egypt. 
 
 Eeuben, who had been absent for a time, now returned 
 to the pit, and, finding Joseph was not there, he rent his 
 clothes. The brethren then killed a goat, and dipping the coat of 
 many colours into the blood, sent it to Jacob, saying, " this 
 have we found." Jacob at once knew it as Joseph's garment ; 
 and thinking Joseph had been killed by a wild beast he " rent his 
 clothes, and clothed himself in sack-cloth, and mourned for his 
 son many days, and refused to be comforted." 
 
 Joseph in Egypt. On reaching- Egypt, Joseph was sold to 
 Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and captain of 
 his guard. The Jewish slave prospered in the house of his 
 master, who soon made him overseer over his household. Shortly 
 after, Joseph, although he had never done any wrong, fell into 
 disgrace, and was thrown into the prison where the king's prisoners 
 were bound. But even here he found favour, and was put in 
 charge over his fellow captives. 
 
 It came to pass after these things, that the chief butler and 
 the chief baker of the King of Egypt offended their master, and 
 they were placed in the same prison with Joseph. They each 
 dreamt a dream, and begged Joseph to explain them. Joseph 
 replied that the explanation of dreams belonged to God, still he 
 asked them to tell him their dreams. The butler dreamt he 
 saw a vine, and the vine had three branches loaded with ripe 
 grapes, and he pressed the juice into Pharaoh's cup which lie 
 held in his hand. And Joseph explained the dream to mean, 
 that in three days the butler would be restored to his office and 
 to the king's favour. Joseph begged the chief butler to think of him 
 when restored to power, and to show his kindness by getting him 
 released from prison. " 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." The baker then spoke. 
 He dreamt he had three white baskets on his head, and in tha 
 uppermost there were all kinds of bakemeats for Pharaoh, and 
 the birds came down and eat them. Joseph explained the dream 
 to mean that in three days the baker should be hanged, and the 
 birds should eat his flesh. And it fell out as Joseph had foretold : 
 the butler was restored to his office, and the baker was hanged. 
 " Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 23 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Life of Joseph (continued}. Joseph made Governor of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Pharaoh's Dreams. Two years passed. At the end of that 
 time Pharaoh dreamt that he stood by the river. And there came 
 up out of the river seven fat cows, and they fed in a meadow. 
 Then there came up seven lean and ill-favoured cows, who ate 
 up the seven fat cows; and Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamt a 
 second time. This time he saw seven ears of good corn come up 
 on one stalk. Then seven thin ears sprang up, and swallowed 
 the seven good ears ; and Pharaoh awoke. The next morning 
 the king's spirit was troubled to know the meaning of his 
 dreams. He sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt ; 
 but none could explain them. Then the chief butler told Pharaoh 
 that while in prison a Hebrew young man, servant to the captain 
 of the guard, had interpreted his and the baker's dreams in a 
 way that proved true. Pharaoh immediately ordered Joseph to 
 be brought before him. The captive was hurried from prison 
 into the presence of the mighty king, who told Joseph he had 
 heard of his skill, and asked him to explain his dreams. But 
 Joseph, with native modesty, replied, " It is not in me ; God shall 
 give unto Pharaoh an answer of peace." Pharaoh then related 
 his dreams. Joseph told the king that his dreams were one, and that 
 God had repeated them to show Pharaoh what He was shortly 
 about to do. The dreams foretold that there were to be seven 
 years of plenty in Egypt j but that those seven years were to 
 be followed by seven years of famine so severe, that they would 
 cause the seven years of plenty to be forgotten. Joseph then 
 advised the king to make good use of the years of plenty, by 
 storing up an abundance of corn throughout Egypt. Pharaoh, 
 struck with the wise counsel of Joseph, at once appointed him 
 ruler over Egypt, second in power to himself alone. Pharaoh 
 called Joseph by the Egyptian name of Zaphnath-paaneah, and 
 gave unto him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah, 
 priest of On. She bare Joseph two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 
 Joseph was thirty years old when he explained Pharaoh's dreams. 
 
 And now began the seven years of plenty, when the land brought 
 forth by handfuls. Joseph gathered up all the corn of Egypt " as 
 the sand of the sea, and laid it up in storehouses." Then came 
 the seven years of dearth over all the earth ; but while the other 
 nations suffered through the want of food, there was plenty of
 
 24 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 corn in Egypt. And they caime into Egypt to Joseph for to 
 buy corn, " because that the famine was so sore in all lands." 
 
 Joseph's Brethren in Egypt. The famine was sore in Canaan 
 also, and Jacob sent his ten sons to Egypt to buy corn, keeping 
 Benjamin at home with himself. The brothers presented 
 themselves in due course before Joseph, who knew them, but they 
 knew him not. Joseph resolved to try his brothers. He there- 
 fore spoke roughly to them, and called them spies. In vain 
 the brothers told the Egyptian ruler that they were honest men 
 only come to buy corn, and that they had left their youngest 
 brother at home. Joseph pretended not to listen to them j but, at 
 last, to prove them, he told them to send for their brother. After 
 placing them in prison three days, he allowed them to depart, 
 keeping Simeon as a hostage for their return. Joseph always 
 spoke in Egyptian before his brothers, and, as they could not 
 understand that tongue, an interpreter had to be employed. But 
 the brothers spoke to each other in Hebrew ; and when Reuben 
 blamed his brethren, saying that this evil had come upon them 
 through their ill-treatment of Joseph, the latter, who of course 
 understood what they were saying, could scarcely restrain his tears. 
 
 Joseph provided his brothers with a good supply of corn, and 
 placing their purchase money in their sacks, sent them on their way. 
 On their return Jacob was filled with grief. He had lost Joseph 
 and Simeon, too, he feared, but he would not part with Benjamin. 
 
 Benjamin sent to Egypt. The famine, however, grew more 
 severe in Canaan. The corn the brothers had brought back with 
 them was nearly all gone. Jacob again bade them go to Egypt 
 for more. But the brothers hung back. How could the\ r face 
 the lord of Egypt unless Benjamin were with them ? Then 
 Judah, the foremost of the brethren, entreated the aged patriarch 
 to part with Benjamin, saying, " I will be surety for him j if I bring 
 him not unto thee, then let me bear the blame for ever." At 
 length Jacob yielded to the pleadings of Judah. He prepared a 
 
 E resent for the ruler of Egypt, and sent double money to pay for 
 oth supplies of corn. He also gave Benjamin into their charge; 
 and, praying to God to guard them all, sent them on their journey. 
 The brothers again stood before Joseph, who invited them to a 
 feast in his palace. They were troubled in mind, for they did 
 not understand why the ruler of Egypt should appear to take 
 such interest in them. They sought the steward of the Viceroy's 
 house, and explained to him how they had found the purchase- 
 money in their sacks when returning to Canaan. This money 
 they had brought again, besides other money to buy food. The
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. s 5 
 
 steward bade them fear not, and restored Simeon unto them. In 
 the evening Joseph received them at a feast. He anxiously asked 
 of the brothers it their father was alive. Seeing Benjamin, his 
 true brother, his firmness gave way. His heart yearned towards 
 him, and he was obliged to shed in secret the tears that gushed 
 from his eyes. 
 
 Joseph's Cup. The next day Joseph ordered his stewards 
 to supply the brothers with the corn they required, to put each 
 man's money into his sack, and to place his silver cup in the sack of 
 Benjamin. The brothers loaded their asses, and set out on their 
 journey homeward. They had not gone far when the steward 
 overtook them, and accused them of stealing his lord's silver cup. 
 The brothers, knowing nothing of the matter, declared they were 
 innocent of the charge made against them, and even went so far 
 as to say, that if the cup should be found in the possession of any 
 one of them, he should be put to death, while the others should 
 become slaves. But the steward replied that he would be 
 content that the culprit should be made a slave, while the others 
 should be blameless. Then the sacks were opened, and the ciip was 
 found in Benjamin's sack. The brothers rent their garments with 
 grief, and at once returned to Egypt. Joseph blamed them for their 
 ingratitude. The brothers threw themselves upon the earth, and 
 could speak no word. Then Judah, who had made himself answer- 
 able for the safety of Benjamin, exclaimed, " What shall we say 
 unto my lord ? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear our- 
 selves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold 
 we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the 
 cup is found." But Joseph replied that he could not let the 
 innocent suffer for the guilty ; " 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 drew near, and in most pathetic words, begged 
 that Benjamin might be spared. He said that their father was un- 
 willing to let Benjamin go down to Egypt, and that should the 
 brethren return without him, the old man would die of grief. 
 He explained that he himself had become surety for his brother's 
 safe return ; and how, he asked, can I return to my father, " and 
 the lad be not with us, seeing his life is bound up in the lad's life." 
 He offered, therefore, to become the Viceroy's servant, so that 
 Benjamin might return to his aged father. 
 
 Joseph reveals Himself. Joseph, overcome by these moving 
 words, could no longer restrain himself. He ordered all strangers 
 to withdraw j then, bursting into tears, he told the brothers that
 
 26 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 he was Joseph. The brothers drew back in dismay, remembering 
 how cruelly they had treated him. But Joseph lovingly brought 
 them unto him ; spoke words of peace and of comfort to them ; 
 and told them that all they did was for the best. True, they had 
 sold him into Egypt ; but by that very act many thousands of 
 persons had been saved alive. Then he wept over Benjamin, and 
 kissed all his brothers. Loading them with presents, and sending 
 numerous waggons with them, he bade them return to Canaan, 
 and bring his father and their families down to Egypt. A joyous 
 journey was that. They came to their father Jacob, and told him 
 how they had found Joseph ruler over Egypt. " And Israel said, 
 It is enough, Joseph my son is yet alive, I will go and see him 
 
 I ,. T T )> 
 
 before I die. 
 
 Jacob in Egypt. Jacob, his sons, and all their households, 
 set out on their way to Egypt. Arriving at Beersheba, God 
 appeared unto the patriarch and assured him of His protection. 
 At length they reached that part of Egypt called Goshen, which 
 had been set apart for them. Here at length, after twenty-two 
 years' separation, father and son were again united. 
 
 The patriarch and his family numbered in all seventy souls. 
 
 Pharaoh had given a willing consent to all that Joseph had done 
 with regard to his family. Desiring to see the patriarch, Joseph 
 brought his father, then 130 years old ; into the presence of the 
 king, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 
 
 The famine was not yet over : the Egyptians still had to buy 
 corn at Joseph's store-houses. When they had parted with all 
 their money, Joseph gave them corn in exchange for their land. 
 By this means Pharaoh became possessed of the whole of the land. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Death of Jacob and of Joseph. 
 
 . Jacob's Blessings and Death. Jacob's earthly life was now 
 drawing to an end. Joseph, always a good son, visited his father, 
 taking- Manasseh and Ephraim with him. These Jacob blessed, 
 laying his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and his left hand 
 on Manasseh, the elder. He also blessed Joseph. Jacob then 
 called all his sons around him, to tell them what should befall 
 them in the last days. Reuben should not excel because he was 
 " unstable as water." Simeon and Levi should be divided in 
 Jacob and scattered in Israel. From Judah should spting the 
 future kings of the nation, and, greater honour still, the future 
 Messiah should come of his tribe. Issachar should live at peace
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 27 
 
 in a pleasant land. Dan should give birth to one of the greatest 
 of Israel's judges. Gad should be conquered, but should triumph 
 in the end. Asher should enjoy the daintiest things of earth. 
 From Naphtali should come the poet and singer. Joseph should 
 be crowned with many blessings, " blessings of heaven above, 
 blessings of the deep that lieth under." Benjamin should produce 
 the soldier and hero. These words spoken, Jacob commanded 
 his sons to bury him in the cave of Machpelah ; then, yielding 
 up his spirit, he was gathered unto his people. He had lived one 
 hundred and forty-seven years. 
 
 " And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, 
 and kissed him." The body was then embalmed and carried up to 
 Canaan, amidst a great assemblage of mourners, Israelites and 
 Egyptians. They buried the patriarch in the cave of Mach- 
 pelah, having mourned for him seven days. Joseph and his 
 brethren then returned to Egypt, where they lived in perfect 
 peace and love. 
 
 Joseph's Death. Joseph felt life drawing to a close. Calling 
 his brethren around him, he reminded them of God's promise 
 to bring them out of Egypt into the land "which He sware 
 to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob." Joseph then made his 
 brethren swenr that, when their descendants left Egypt, they 
 should carry his bones up with them to Canaan. " So Joseph died, 
 being an hundred and ten years old ; and they embalmed liim ; and 
 he was put in a coffin in Egypt." 
 
 PAET IT. 
 
 FROM THE DEATH OP JOSEPH TO THE DEATH 
 
 OP MOSES. 
 
 CHAPTER. I. 
 
 Oppression of the Israelites in Egypt. The Call of Moses. 
 The Israelites in Bondage. After the death of Joseph, and 
 all his brethren, and all that generation, the children of Israel 
 were very fruitful, and increased so much that the land was tilled 
 with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew 
 not Joseph. Fearing that the Israelites might in time become 
 mightier than the Egyptians, he resolved to deal t( wisely" with 
 them. So he set over them taskmasters to afflict them, and they 
 built treasure cities for Pharaoh viz., Pithom and Raamses. But 
 the more they were afflicted the more they grew j so the Egyptians
 
 28 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 increased their burdens, and made their lives bitter with hard 
 bondage. To stop the increase in their numbers, Pharaoh ordered 
 all the new-born male children among- the Israelites to be put to 
 death, while the daughters might be saved alive. 
 
 Moses. Now Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, had 
 taken to wife Jochebed, also of the tribe of Levi. Two children, 
 Miriam and Aaron, had been born unto them. Shortly after 
 Pharaoh's cruel edict, Jochebed gave birth to another son; 
 and seeing- he was a goodly child, she hid him for three 
 months. When she could no longer hide him, she made a little 
 ark of bulrushes, and smearing it with pitch, placed the 
 infant in it, and laid it among the reeds of the Nile. Miriam 
 placed herself a little way off to see what would happen. 
 Presently, the daughter of the King of Egypt came down 
 to bathe. Seeing the little ark, she had it brought to her. 
 " When she had opened it, she saw the child : and behold the babe 
 wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, " This is one of 
 the Hebrew's children." At this moment, Miriam came forward 
 and offered to find a nurse for the infant. Pharaoh's daughter 
 consented, and the child was placed in the care of its own mother. 
 The child grew, and he became unto Pharaoh's daughter as her 
 son, and she called his name Moses, because " She drew him out 
 of the water." Moses, thus reared in the king's palace, reached 
 manhood ; but, though he was trained at the royal court, he kept 
 up a close intimacy with his oppressed brethren. One day he saw 
 an Egyptian smiting an Israelite. In righteous anger he slew the 
 tyrant, and hid the body in the sand. Shortly after he saw two 
 Israelites striving. He wished to make peace between them ; but 
 the wrongdoer cried out, " Who made thee a prince and a judge 
 over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian f ' 
 Moses, finding that the thing was known, and also that the king- 
 was seeking his life, fled eastward round the head of the Gulf of 
 Suez to the land of Midian, in Arabia. Resting by a well, he helped 
 some shepherdesses to water their flocks. They proved to be the 
 daughters of Jethro (also called Reuel and Hobab), priest of 
 Midian. Moses dwelled with Jethro, and took his daughter Zip- 
 porah to wife. And she bare him two sons, Gershon and Eliezer. 
 Moses was forty years old when he fled to Midian. 
 
 In process of time, the King of Egypt died. This event brought 
 no relief to the oppressed children of Israel. Their burdens grew 
 heavier, and they cried to God " by reason of their bondage. And 
 God heard their groaning; and God remembered his covenant 
 with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 29 
 
 Call of Moses. Moses kept the flock of Jethro, and one day 
 he led them to the mountain of God. even Horeb. And an angel 
 of God appeared unto him in a burning- bush, and he looked and 
 behold the bush burned with fire and yet was not consumed. The 
 Lord spake unto Moses from the bush, saying that He had seen the 
 affliction of the children of Israel in Egypt, and had come down to 
 deliver them and to bring them to the promised land of Canaan. 
 Furthermore God announced to Moses that He had chosen him to 
 lead his brethren out of Egypt. But Moses, who was the meekest 
 of men, did not wish to undertake this great work, and tried to 
 make excuses. But God commanded him to obey, telling him 
 that Pharaoh would not at first let the children of Israel go, but 
 that in the end they should depart from Egypt with great riches. 
 Moses still held back, but God gave him two signs to show unto the 
 Israelites, should they doubt the divine mission of Moses : first, 
 the rod that was in Moses' hand was changed into a serpent ; and 
 secondly, the hand of Moses became leprous and immediately after- 
 wards healed again by merely thrusting it into his bosom. Moses 
 made one more appeal : he complained that he was not fit to plead 
 with Pharaoh because he was not eloquent The Lord replied 
 that Aaron, who could speak well, should go with him and should 
 be his spokesman. Moses then yielded. He and his household 
 at once returned to Egypt. Moses and Aaron gathered their 
 brethren together, and told them that the hour of deliverance 
 was at hand. And the people believed, and they bowed their Leads 
 and worshipped the Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Tea Plagues. The Redemption from Egypt. 
 The Plagues. Moses and Aaron at length stood before 
 Pharaoh, and gave him God's message. But the proud-hearted 
 king scoffed at them, saying, " Who is the Lord, that I should 
 obey his voice to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, neither will 
 I let Israel go." The only result that followed was that the lot of 
 the Israelites grew worse, for now they were not given straw 
 to mix with the clay of their bricks. So they were compelled to seek 
 for straw and yet to make the same number of bricks as before. 
 The Egyptian taskmasters also reviled Moses and Aaron, saying- 
 that they hindered their brethren from working. Moses com- 
 plained to the Lord that since he had spoken to Pharaoh the burden 
 of His people had been increased. God re-assured him and bade him 
 
 fo again to Pharaoh and show him a sign that God had sent him. 
 Loses was now eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three.
 
 3 o MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 The brothers once more stood before Pharaoh and demanded 
 the release of their brethren. Aaron, to show that God had sent 
 them, threw down his rod, which was instantly changed into a 
 serpent. Pharaoh's magicians, upon this, threw down their rods, 
 and they were also changed into serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed 
 their rods. Pharaoh still would not hearken, and God sent ten 
 plagues upon the Egyptians. They were : i, The water of the 
 rivers and ponds turned into blood ; 2, Frogs ; 3, Lice ; 4, Flies ; 
 5, Murrain ; 6, Boils; 7, Hailj 8, Locusts; 9, Darkness; 10, 
 Slaughter of the first-born. 
 
 The Passover. Before the last plague was brought upon 
 the Egyptians, God instituted the Passover. The month of 
 Nisan, or Oviv (green ears), was made the first month of the 
 year. On the tenth day of that month the head of every Jewish 
 family was to select a lamb of the first year without blemish. 
 This was to be kept till the evening of the fourteenth day and 
 then killed. The blood was to be taken and sprinkled on 
 the door-posts of the houses ; while the body of the lamb was to 
 be roasted and eaten. The blood upon the houses was to be for a 
 sign, so that the destroying- angel should pass over those houses 
 when he smote the first-born of Egypt. The anniversary of that 
 event was to be observed through all time by the eating of 
 unleavened bread. 
 
 The Exodus. The children of Israel were ordered to prepare 
 to leave Egypt at a moment's notice. The night arrived when 
 God's final judgment was to take effect upon the stubborn king and 
 his people. At midnight a cry arose throughout all Egypt, for God 
 had smitten all the first-born, "from the first-born of Pharaoh 
 that sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was 
 in the dungeon." Pharaoh, calling hastily for Moses and Aaron, 
 begged them to depart at once with the children of Israel. The 
 Egyptians also pressed them to go. The Israelites at once set 
 out on their journey, taking with them the dough they were 
 preparing for bread before it was leavened "their kneading 
 troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders." The 
 Egyptians loaded their former slaves with many presents, 
 "jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment." 
 
 Thus came to an end the four hundred and thirty years fore- 
 told to Abraham as the period during which his descendants 
 should dwell in a strange land, and thus was the nation whom the 
 Israelites had served "judged" by the Lord. 
 
 The Israelites, to the number of six hundred thousand men, 
 and probably three times as many more women and children,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 31 
 
 setting out from Raamses, marched in an easterly direction to 
 Succoth. The nearest way to Canaan would have been along the 
 shores of the Mediterranean Sea and through Philistia. But 
 God would not let His people take that route, as they, from their 
 long- servitude, were not fit to cope with the warlike Philistines. 
 Moses, not unmindful of the oath exacted by Joseph, carried the 
 patriarch's bones up with him. For forty years they were borne 
 by the Israelites through all their wanderings, until they found 
 a final resting-place in the Holy Land. 
 
 From Succoth they journeyed still eastward to Ethan in the 
 wilderness. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar 
 of a cloud, to lead them the way ; and by night in a pillar of fire, 
 to give them light; to go by day and night." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Passage of the Red Sea. Battle with the Amalekites. 
 
 The Red Sea. The children of Israel now resumed their march 
 in a south- easterly direction, and reaching the head of the Gulf of 
 Suez, an arm of the Red Sea, encamped near Migdal. It had 
 taken them three days to reach the sea. Pharaoh, already re- 
 Denting that he had let the Israelites go, collected his army, and, 
 with all the chariots of Egypt, set out in hot pursuit The 
 Israelites, finding themselves between the Egyptians and the im- 
 passable sea, were sore afraid and cried out unto God. But the 
 Lord bade them be of good cheer. " The Lord shall fight for you, 
 and ye shall hold your peace." Then, causing a strong east wind to 
 blow, God divided the waters of the Red Sea. u And the children 
 of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground : 
 and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on 
 their left." The Egyptians pursued the Israelites ; but, while they 
 were in the midst, God caused the waters to return to their place ; 
 so the whole host of Egypt was drowned. " There remained not 
 so much as one of them." Then Moses and the children of Israel 
 sang a song of thanks to God, "saying, I will sing unto the Lord, 
 for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he 
 thrown into the sea." Miriam and the women, taking timbrels, 
 answered the joyous song. 
 
 The Israelites enter the Desert. Journeying south, down the 
 eastern side of the Gulf of Suez, the Israelites entered the wilder- 
 ness of Shur, and they marched three days without finding water. 
 Reaching- Marah they found water, but it was too bitter to drink; 
 but Moses pointed out a tree to them, which, being cast into the
 
 32 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 water, made it fit for use. Going- still southward they reached 
 Elim, which abounded in wells and palm-trees, and encamped 
 there. On leaving- Elim they entered the wilderness of Sin 
 t>n the fifteenth day of the second month after they left Egypt. 
 Here the children of Israel murmured against Moses and 
 Aaron, saying, " Would to God we had died by the hand 
 of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh- 
 pots, and when we did eat bread to the full ; for ye 
 have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole 
 assembly with hunger." In answer to this cry, God caused 
 large numbers of quails to come up round the camp every evening*. 
 He also rained down manna from heaven for forty years until 
 the people entered the land of Canaan. Each man was told to 
 gather every morning as much manna as he required for his family. 
 None of it was to be left for the next day. There were those, 
 however, who saved some from one day to the next, and they 
 found that it turned bad and bred worms. On the sixth day, how- 
 ever, a double portion was to be gathered, to serve for that day 
 and the Sabbath, for none was to be found on the seventh day. 
 At the same time the children of Israel were commanded to bake 
 and seethe on the sixth day the food intended to be eaten on 
 the Sabbath. The manna which was thus saved always kept 
 sweet, and was fit for food. Those who went to look for it on 
 the Sabbath never found any. God commanded Moses to fill an 
 omer measure with manna, and to save it as a memorial of the way 
 in which He fed his people in the desert. 
 
 Journeying still south and east, the children of Israel reached 
 Rephidim, and encamped there. Finding no water to drink the 
 people quarrelled with Moses, saying ll Wherefore is this that 
 thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children 
 and our cattle with thirst." The Lord hereupon told Moses to 
 take his rod and to smite a rock out of which water should How. 
 Moses did so, and called the place Massah and Meribah, meaning 
 " temptation and strife." 
 
 Battle with tlie Amalekites. While still at Rephidim the 
 Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites, who were descended 
 from Esau, and who dwelt in the south of Canaan, and in 
 Arabia Petraea. Moses ordered Joshua to choose out men to fight 
 with Amalek, whilst he himself would stand on the top of a hill 
 with the rod of God in his hand. Joshua led the fighting men 
 of Israel against the enemy, whilst Moses, Aaron, and Hur went 
 to the top of the hill. " And it came to pass, when Moses held 
 up his hand, that Israel prevailed : and when he let down his
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 33 
 
 hand Amalek prevailed." The hands of Moses growing weary, 
 Aaron and Hur held them up until the going down of the sun. 
 Joshua defeated the Amalekites with great slaughter. God told 
 Moses to write an account of these events in a book, and to 
 rehearse it to Joshua, <l for I will utterly put out the remem- 
 brance of Amalek from under Heaven." Moses built an altar and 
 called it " Adonai-nissi," meaning '' God is my banner." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Decalogue. 
 
 The Israelites at Sinai While Moses was pleading the cause 
 of God's people before Pharaoh, he had sent back Zipporah, his 
 wife, and his two sous, Gershom and Eliezer, to their native land. 
 But when Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, heard of all that 
 the Lord had done for Israel, and how the Lord had brought 
 His people out of Egypt, he took his daughter and her children 
 and travelled to where the Israelites were encamped. Jethro, 
 although he was the priest of a strange religion, " rejoiced for all 
 the goodness which the Lord had done for Israel;" and he 
 praised the God of Israel, saying, " Now I know that the Lord is 
 greater than all gods; for in the thing wherein they dealt 
 proudly He was above them." Seeing how difficult was Moses' 
 task in ruling and judging the whole people, Jethro advised him 
 to choose out of the tribes able and righteous men to share the 
 work. Moses took the wise advice of Jethro, and chose able 
 men, who judged the people, " the hard causes they brought to 
 Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And 
 Moses let his father-in-law depart ; and he went his way into 
 his own land." 
 
 Breaking up their camp, the Israelites again travelled in a south- 
 eastern direction, till they reached the foot of Mount Sinai. 
 This was in the third month of their going forth from the land 
 of Egypt. And now the Lord commanded Moses to prepare the 
 people for the greatest event in their history the giving of the 
 Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Three days were allowed 
 to the people to get themselves ready for the dread event. The 
 Israelites were told to sanctify themselves and to forbear going 
 up the Mount, or even drawing near to it. " And it came to pass 
 on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and 
 lightnings, and a thick cloud on the Mount, and the voice of the 
 trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was in the 
 camp trembled." The Lord coming down in His glory on the top 
 of the Mount, spoke those words which form the basis not only of 
 Judaism, but or every civilized form of religion.
 
 34 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Moses on the Mount. When the people saw the thunderings 
 and the lightnings they were afraid, and stood afar off; but 
 Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. He 
 remained on the top of the mountain without food for forty days 
 and forty nights, while God shewed him all the laws he should 
 teach the children of Israel. God also gave Moses full directions 
 as to the building and erection of the tabernacle, the form and 
 material of the holy vessels, and of the priestly robes, &c. The 
 three important festivals of the year viz., Pesach, the feast 
 of unleavened bread ; Shovuos, the feast of the harvest ; and 
 Succous, the feast of the ingathering at the end of the year were 
 also appointed. At the end of the forty days, God gave unto 
 Moses u two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with 
 the finger of God." 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Golden Calf The Tabernacle. 
 
 The Golden Calf. When the people found that Moses 
 delayed coming down from the Mount, they grew uneasy ; and 
 going in a body to Aaron, they said, " Up, make us gods which 
 shall go before us ; for as for this Moses, the man that brought 
 us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of 
 him." Aaron commanded them to bring him the golden orna- 
 ments of their wives and daughters. With these he made a 
 molten calf, probably like those he had seen worshipped in Egypt. 
 When the people saw it they cried out, " These be thy gods, 
 Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Aaron 
 built an altar before it and proclaimed a feast. And the people 
 rose up early in the morning and offered burnt-offerings, and 
 eat and drank, and rose up to play. 
 
 And the Lord commanded Moses to go down at once to the people 
 who had so quickly turned aside from the right path, and had 
 already begun to worship idols. " And the Lord said unto 
 Moses, I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked 
 people. Now, therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may wax 
 not against them, and that I may consume them; and I will 
 make of thee a great nation." But Moses begged and entreated 
 the Lord to spare the people whom He had brought out of 
 Egypt with such mighty wonders. He prayed the Lord to 
 remember His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that 
 their seed should inherit the promised land for ever. The 
 
 Erayers of Moses prevailed, and the Lord spared the people who 
 ad ginned so grievously.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 35 
 
 The People Punished. Then Moses turned and went down 
 the Mount, and the two tables of stone were in his hands. But 
 when he came nigh unto the camp and saw the calf and the 
 dancing', his wrath waxed hot, and he threw the two tables 
 down and broke them beneath the Mount. Moses severely 
 blamed Aaron for his share in the people's sin. Taking- the calf, 
 he burnt it in the fire and ground it to powder, and strewing 
 the dust upon the water, made the children of Israel drink of it. 
 Then he issued a command that all who were on the Lord's side 
 should come to him. The sons of Levi at once gathered them- 
 selves to him. And now a terrible punishment was to befall the 
 wrongdoers. Moses, in the name of God, ordered the Levites to 
 take their swords and to pass through the camp, slaying the 
 sinners, and not sparing brother or friend. The children of Levi 
 obeyed Moses, and slew of their brethren about three thousand 
 men. 
 
 The following day Moses again besought the Lord to forgive 
 the sin of His people, desiring that his own name might be 
 blotted out of the book of life if the people were not pardoned. 
 But God said, " Whoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot 
 out of My book." 
 
 God's Attributes. The Lord then commanded Moses to lead 
 the people towards the promised land, a land flowing with milk 
 and honey. God further said that He would not be with the 
 children of Israel in their journeyings, for they were a stiff-necked 
 people. On hearing these evil tidings, the Israelites mourned ; 
 and to show their grief and submission, they stripped themselves 
 of their ornaments. Moses prayed of the Lord not to withdraw 
 His countenance from them " for wherein shall it be known here 
 that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight ? is it not in 
 that Thou goest with us ? so shall we be separated, I and Thy 
 people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." 
 God listened to the words of Moses, and promised to shew unto 
 him His glory. 
 
 The Lord commanded Moses to hew two tables of stone like 
 the first, upon which God would write the Ten Commandments. 
 Moses prepared the tables, and the following day he went up 
 with them to the top of Sinai. i( And the Lord descended in the 
 cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the 
 Lord." " The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long- 
 suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for 
 thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that 
 will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the 
 fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto 
 
 D 2
 
 36 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the third and to the fourth generation." Moses hearing God thus 
 speak, bowed down and worshipped. God at that time made a 
 covenant to do marvels for Israel, to drive out the inhabitants of 
 Canaan, the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and 
 the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. He cautioned 
 Moses and the people not to make a covenant with those wicked 
 nations, and not to be led away by their worship of idols. 
 
 After another sojourn of forty days, Moses came down a second 
 time from the Mount bearing: the tables with him, when his face 
 shone with the glory of God. Moses ever after wore a veil over 
 his face, save when he was speaking- to the people. 
 
 Building of the Tabernacle. Moses told the people to bring; 
 free-will offerings for the construction of the Tabernacle. The 
 children of Israel willingly brought offerings of gold and silver, 
 and brass, and precious stones ; fabrics of blue and purple and 
 scarlet, and dyed skins of the goat, the ram, and the badger ; 
 oil for the light, and spices for the incense. All the skilled men 
 gave their services to make the various parts of the Tabernacle. 
 " And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their 
 hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and 
 of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen." The chief direction 
 of the work was given to Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, and 
 Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan. 
 
 When all things were prepared, Moses set up the Tabernacle 
 on the first day of the first month of the second year from the 
 going out from Egypt. Having erected the walls and arranged 
 the coverings and the hangings, he set the altars, the laver, 
 the candlestick, the ark, and the mercy-seat in their appointed 
 places. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, " and 
 the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Priesthood Nadab and Abihu. 
 
 Aaron the High Priest.- The work of setting up the Taber- 
 nacle having been finished, the Lord appointed Aaron and his sons 
 to be priests, to minister in the service of the Most High. Aaron 
 was ordained " High Priest," and very important duties with 
 regard to sacrifices and public worship were allotted to him. On 
 ihe day of his consecration a dreadful misfortune overtook him. 
 Two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, took their censers and offered 
 incense before the Lord, " which He had commanded them not. 
 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and 
 they died before the Lord." Aaron mourned the death of his sons.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIP TURE HIS TOR Y. 3 7 
 
 "Then Moses said unto Aaron, this is it that the Lord spake, 
 saying 1 , I will he sanctified in them that come nigh unto Me, and 
 before all the people I will he glorified. And Aaron held his peace." 
 
 The son of an Israelitish woman and of an Egyptian father 
 blasphemed the name of the Lord. Such an offence had not been 
 committed before, so there was a doubt what his punishment 
 should be. Therefore, " They put him in ward, that the mind of 
 the Lord might he shewed them." The Lord commanded that 
 the blasphemer should he stoned in the sight of the whole congre- 
 gation ; and this was accordingly done. 
 
 The People Numbered. On the first day of the second month 
 of the second year of the coming- out from Egypt, God commanded 
 Moses to number the men of Israel, " after their families, by the 
 house of their fathers." Those only were to be numbered who 
 Averc twenty years old, and able to bear arms. The number proved 
 to be 603,550. The tribe of Levi was not included in this census, 
 but was counted separately. It contained 22,000 males of the age 
 of a month and upwards. To make up the number of the 
 twelve tribes, the tribe of Joseph was divided into the children 
 of Ephraim and the children of Manasseh. The tribes varied 
 greatly; the largest, Judah, containing 74,600 men fit for war; 
 the smallest, Manasseh, 32,200. The order in which the Israelites 
 were to march in the desert was also settled by Divine command. 
 The division led by Judah, and which included Issachar and 
 Zebulun, was to march first. It numbered 186,400 men. Their 
 place in camp was towards the east. Next came the division of 
 Reuben, with whom were joined Simeon and Gad. It numbered 
 151,450. Their place in camp was on the south. Then came 
 the Levites, bearing the Tabernacle, and all its sacred vessels. 
 Next followed the division of Ephraim, which included Ma- 
 nasseh and Benjamin, and consisted of 108,100 men. These 
 camped on the west. Lastly marched the division of Dan, 
 together with Asher and Naphtali, to the number of 157,600. 
 They pitched their camp on the north. So guarded, the Taber- 
 nacle was carried through the wilderness. 
 
 The Camp Broken up. Moses had now prepared the people 
 in every way for their long and toilsome journey through the 
 desert, and had tried to persuade his father-in-law Jethro, who 
 had returned to him, to accompany them and act as guide. At 
 length, on the twentieth day of the second month, the cloud floated 
 from off the Tabernacle, as a sign that they were to depart. So they 
 broke up their camp, and travelled for three days in the wilderness 
 of Parau. "And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that 
 Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered ;
 
 38 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, 
 he said, Return, Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel." 
 
 The People Murmur. Again the people complained. To 
 punish them the Lord sent a fire which burnt among- them. The 
 people now cried out unto Moses. Moses prayed unto the 
 Lord, and the fire was quenched. The place was called Taberah, 
 which means burning-. 
 
 The mixed multitude who travelled with the children of Israel 
 longed for meat to eat, and the Israelites also wept, saying, 
 " Who shall give us flesh to eat ?" They called to mind all the 
 pleasant things they had enjoyed in Egypt, and complained 
 that they had nothing to eat but manna. And the anger 
 of the Lord was kindled against the people; Moses also was 
 displeased. The divinely appointed leader broke down under 
 this fresh proof of his people's wickedness. In touching 
 words he craved permission to lay down the burden which 
 he could no longer carry. " I am not able to bear all this 
 people alone, because it is too heavy for me." The Lord 
 hearkened to the cry of his faithful servant, and told him to 
 choose "seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest 
 to be the elders of the people and officers over them ; and bring 
 them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may 
 stand there with thee ; and I will come down and talk with thee 
 there ; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will 
 put it upon them ; and they shall bear the burden of the people 
 with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone." God further said 
 that He would give the people flesh to eat, not for one day, nor 
 two, nor five, nor ten, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, 
 until they should sicken at it. Even Moses expresses doubt that 
 the Lord could feed such a host with flesh in the desert. "And 
 the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short ? Thou 
 shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not." 
 
 Seventy Elders chosen. Moses went out and told all these 
 things to the Israelites. He gathered seventy of the elders and 
 placed them round the tabernacle. The Lord caused His spirit to 
 descend upon the elders so that they prophesied. But two of the 
 elders, Eldad and Medad, who had remained in the camp, also 
 prophesied. This was told to Moses, upon which Joshua, his 
 servant, jealous of the honour of his master, exclaimed, " My lord 
 Moses forbid them." But Moses showed his true greatness in his 
 reply, " Enviest thou for my sake ; would God that all the Lord's 
 people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit 
 upon them !" 
 
 Quails in the Camp. The next day God caused a strong wind
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 39 
 
 to blow, which brought up such a multitude of quails that they 
 lay round the camp to the distance of a day's journey on each side. 
 The people hastened to gather them, so that they might satisfy 
 their lusting 1 . But while the flesh was yet between their teeth, 
 the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and the Lord 
 smote them with a great plague. And the place was called 
 Kibroth-hattaavah, " because there they buried the people that 
 lusted." The people then journeyed to Hazeroth arid dwelt there. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Spies. 
 
 Miriam's Sin. Miriam and Aaron spoke against their brother 
 Moses, because he had married an Ethiopian woman, and they said, 
 " Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses ? Hath He not 
 spoken also by us ?" Now the man Moses was very meek, above 
 all the men which were upon the face of the earth. The Lord 
 heard these words, and speaking suddenly unto Moses, Aaron, and 
 Miriam, bade them go to the tabernacle. God then rebuked Aaron 
 and Miriam, but praised Moses, whom He called His " faithful" 
 one. When the Lord had finished speaking with them, behold 
 Miriam was covered with leprosy. Aaron besought Moses that 
 Miriam might be cured. Moses prayed to the Lord, and the leprosy 
 was after seven days removed. The people then removed from 
 Hazeroth, and pitched their camp in the wilderness of Paran. 
 
 The Twelve Spies. At God's command Moses sent twelve 
 men to spy out the land of Canaan, taking one man from each 
 tribe. The men went up and searched the land from Zin unto 
 liehob, and pushed on as far north as Hebron. And when they 
 reached the brook of Eshcol they cut down a vine branch and 
 one cluster of grapes of such a size that two men had to carry it 
 between them, slung on a pole ; they also gathered of the pome- 
 granates and the figs. After searching the land for forty days 
 they returned. They showed the assembled congregation the 
 fruit they had culled, and praised the richness and fertility of the 
 land which, they said, flowed with milk and honey. They, 
 however, reported that the indwellers were strong, the cities 
 walled round, and very great, and that the giants, children of 
 Anak, dwelt there. This evil report frightened the Israelites; 
 but Caleb, one of the spies, encouraged them, saying, " Let us go- 
 up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." The 
 people, however, would not be comforted, but they lifted up their 
 voice and wept all night. They murmured against Moses and Aaron, 
 u Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would God
 
 40 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 we had died in the wilderness." It was in vain that Moses and 
 Aaron, Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun, tried 
 to calm the rebellious people. They were almost stoned for their 
 pains. Again the Lord was about to destroy the whole people for 
 their wickedness, and again Moses interceded for and saved them. 
 But the Almighty decreed that none of them save only Joshua and 
 Caleb should enter the promised land. The rest should die in 
 the wilderness during the thirty-eight years' wandering, but their 
 children should inherit Canaan. 
 
 The next day the people, having repented, were eager to set out 
 towards Canaan. Moses warned them to desist, as the Lord was 
 not with them. They disobeyed their leader's command, and 
 departed out of the camp. And the Amalekites and Canaanites 
 smote them and discomforted them to Hormah. 
 
 The Sabbath-breaker. While the children of Israel were in 
 the wilderness they found a man gathering sticks upon the 
 Sabbath-day. The man was brought before Moses and Aaron, who 
 ordered him to be put in ward, " because it was not declared what 
 should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The 
 man shall be surely put to death : all the congregation shall 
 stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congrega- 
 tion brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, 
 and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Rebellion of Korah. 
 
 Koran's Revolt. Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of 
 Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of 
 Reuben, raised a rebellion against Moses. With Korah were 
 joined two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, "famous 
 in the congregation, men of renown." They complained that 
 Moses and Aaron took too much upon themselves ; that all the 
 congregation were holy, and that therefore it was wrong for any 
 man to lift himself up above his fellows. Moses was filled with 
 grief at hearing these words, but he proposed a simple test, by 
 which it might be shown whom the Lord had chosen u to come 
 near unto Him." He bade Korah and all his company take their 
 censers on the morrow, to put fire in them, and to stand before the 
 Lord. Hoping still to move the hearts of the rebels, he reminded 
 them how God had bestowed special favours upon the tribe of 
 Levi. He blamed their desire to obtain more power than properly 
 belonged to them. Moses then sent for Dathan and Abiram, but
 
 MANUAL OF SCKIPTUKE HISTORY. 4! 
 
 they refused to go to him. The next day the whole congregation 
 were assembled before the door of the tabernacle. Korah and his 
 followers were there, each man with his censer in his hand. The 
 spirit of mutiny among the Israelites grew so strong that the 
 Lord waxed wroth and would have destroyed them all ; but 
 Moses and Aaron prayed on their behalf. Moses now bade all the 
 people separate themselves from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, 
 and Abiram, who in defiance were standing at the entrance of their 
 tents. Then spake Moses : " Hereby ye shall know that the Lord 
 hath sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of 
 mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all 
 men .... then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord 
 make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow 
 them up with all that appertain unto them, and they go down, 
 quick, into the pit ; then ye shall understand that these men have 
 provoked the Lord. And it came to pass as he had made an end 
 of speaking all these words that the ground clave asunder that 
 was under them. And the earth opened her mouth and swal- 
 lowed them up and their houses, and all the men that appertained 
 unto Korah and all their goods .... and they perished from among 
 the congregation." And there came out a fire from the Lord 
 and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. 
 Of the censers themselves broad plates were made as a covering 
 for the altar. 
 
 The People again Murmur. On the morrow, " all the 
 congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses 
 and against Aaron, saying, " Ye have killed the people of the 
 Lord." Instantly a plague broke out among the people, and 
 many were struck down in all parts of the camp. Again the 
 heart of Moses yearned towards his people. He bade Aaron take 
 his censer and hasten to make an atonement for the sinners. 
 Aaron did so, and stood between the living and the dead, so 
 that the plague was stayed. And there died of the plague fourteen 
 thousand and seven hundred. 
 
 Aaron's Rod Blossoms. God wished to give His people a 
 further and lasting proof that He Himself had selected Aaron to 
 minister unto Him. The head of each tribe was commanded to 
 take a rod, upon which the name of his tribe was to be written, 
 and to lay it in the tabernacle of the congregation. The name 
 of Aaron was to be written upon the rod of the tribe of Levi. And 
 it should be that the man whose rod blossomed was the one 
 chosen by God, and so an end would be put to the continual 
 murrnurings of the children of Israel. The rods were accordingly 
 laid in the tabernacle. And it came to pass on the morrow that
 
 42 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the rod of Aaron "was budded, and brought forth buds, and 
 bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." Aaron's rod was kept 
 " before the testimony as a token against the rebels." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Death of Miriam and of Aaron. 
 
 Death of Miriam. The Israelites now entered the wilder- 
 ness of Zin, which they traversed for the next thirty-eight years, 
 until the whole generation coming out of Egypt had perished. 
 These wanderings over, we find the people again encamped at 
 Kadesh, in the first month of the fortieth year from the Exodus. 
 " And Miriam died there, and was buried there." 
 
 Meribah. At Kadesh there was a scarcity of water. The 
 people again murmured against Moses, saying, " Would God we 
 had died when our brethren died before the Lord." The Lord 
 told Moses to take his rod and bid Aaron to assemble the people. 
 They were then to speak to the rock, and it should give forth 
 water. Moses and Aaron gathered the people before the rock, and 
 Moses exclaimed, " Hear now, ye rebels j must we fetch you water 
 out of this rock ? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod 
 he smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly." 
 
 And the Lord rebuked Moses and Aaron, in that they had 
 disobeyed His command in striking the rock instead of speaking 
 to it. This was their punishment, that they should not lead the 
 people into the promised land. 
 
 The waters were called Meribah, because the children of Israel 
 strove with the Lord. 
 
 Messengers sent to Edom. Moses now sent messengers unto 
 the King of Edom, asking permission for the Israelites to pass 
 through his land. Moses promised for the people that they should 
 not pass through the fields nor the vineyards, nor drink the water 
 of the wells, but should keep to the king's highway, turning 
 neither to the right nor to the left. But the King of Edom 
 refused, and even threatened them with war if they tried to force 
 a passage. Again Moses proffered his request, and again he was 
 refused. The Israelites were compelled to choose another way, 
 and travelling to the westward of Edom, reached Mount Hor. 
 
 Death of Aaron. The Lord said unto Moses, " Take Aaron 
 and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor. And 
 strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son j 
 and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. 
 And Moses did as the Lord commanded ; and they went up into 
 Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses 
 stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eleazar his
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 43 
 
 son ; and Aaron died there on the top of the mount ; and Moses 
 and Eleazar came down from the mount. And when all the con- 
 gregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron 
 thirty days, even all the house of Israel." The death of Aaron 
 occurred on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year 
 of the Exodus. He was one hundred and twenty-three years old. 
 
 Ilorm ah. Arad, king* of the Canaanites, having heard of the 
 matter of the spies, fought with Israel, and took some of them 
 prisoners. Subsequently the Canaanites were overthrown at a 
 place called Hormah, and many of their cities destroyed. 
 
 The Brazen Serpent. The Israelites resumed their painful 
 journey from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea. They were thus 
 compelled to retrace their steps, as the way through Edom had 
 been barred to them. " The people spake against God and against 
 Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in 
 the wilderness ?" " And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the 
 people, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel died." 
 This punishment brought the Israelites to their senses. They 
 humbled themselves before Moses, entreating him to pray to the 
 Lord on their behalf j and Moses prayed for the people. God 
 told Moses to make a serpent of brass and to put it upon a pole. 
 " And it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he 
 beheld the serpent of brass he lived." 
 
 Messengers sent to the Amorites. Israel now sent mes- 
 sengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, asking for permission to 
 pass through his land. Again Moses promised that the people 
 should keep to the king's highway. Sihon not only would not 
 grant this request, but gathering an army fought a battle with 
 the Israelites at Jahaz. " And Israel smote him with the edge 
 of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabak." 
 And Israel also captured many of the Amorite cities, such as 
 Heshbon and Jaazer, and dwelt in them. 
 
 War with Bashan. The people now " turned and went up by 
 the way of Bashan ; and Og the king of Bashan went out against 
 them, he and all his people, 1 ' andfought a battle at Edrei. " And 
 Israel smote him and his sons and all his people, until there was 
 none left him alive ; and they possessed his land. 1 ' 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Balak and Balaam. 
 
 Balak and Balaam. The children of Israel continued their 
 journey till they reached the plains of Moab on the eastern side 
 of Jordan near Jericho. Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, had 
 heard of Israel's successful war with the Amorites. Feariny
 
 44 MANUAL OF SCRIP TUfiE HISTORY. 
 
 the fate of Sihon and Og, he spoke to a neighbouring 1 people, the 
 Midianites, complaining- of the strength and numbers of the Israel- 
 ites, and entering- into an alliance with them in case of war. But 
 he called another power to his assistance. He sent messengers to 
 Balaam the son of Beor, who lived at Pethor in Mesopotamia, 
 asking- him to come and curse Israel. The fame of Balaam was 
 very great. Balak seems to have helieved in his power, for he 
 said I know " whom thou hlessest is blessed, and he whom thou 
 cursest is cursed." 
 
 The elders of Moab and of Midian set out therefore on their 
 long- journey to Pethor, carrying- with them larg-e rewards. Having 
 delivered their message, Balaam desired them to remain that night, 
 and in the morning- he would tell them what the Lord had spoken 
 to him. In the night the Lord asked Balaam what the men were 
 who were staying- with him. Balaam replied that they were men 
 whom Balak had sent to fetch him to curse Israel. And God 
 said to Balaam, " Thou shalt not g-o with them ; thou shalt not 
 curse the people; for they are blessed." In the morning- Balaam 
 said unto the princes of Balak, " Get you unto your land ; for 
 the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with 3*011." So the men 
 returned home. 
 
 But Balak would not he denied. Again he sent to Balaam 
 princes more honourable than the first ones, with promise of great 
 reward and promotion. 
 
 Balaam replied to them, that if Balak filled his house with silver 
 and gold he could not go beyond the word of the Lord God, to 
 do less or more. Still he asked the messengers to remain that 
 night, that he might know what the Lord would say to him 
 more. The Lord then appeared nnto Balaam and gave him per- 
 mission to accompany Balak's princes, but he was to say only what 
 the Lord should put into his mouth. 
 
 The next morning-, Balaam saddled his ass and set out for 
 Moab. But God's anger was kindled against him because he 
 went j and the angel of the Lord stood in the way to oppose him. 
 JVow the ass upon which Balaam was riding saw the angel of the 
 Lord standing in the way with a sword in his hand ; so she turned 
 aside and went into the field, and Balaam smote the ass to turn her 
 into the path again. Then the angel placed himself in a path in a 
 vineyard with a wall on each side. When the ass saw the angel she 
 crouched against the wall and bruised Balaam's foot, and he 
 smote her again. The angel now went further off and stood in a 
 narrow place, where there was " no way to turn either to the right 
 hand or to the left." *' And when the ass saw the angel of the 
 Lord, she fell down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 45 
 
 and he smote the ass with a staff." The Lord now opened the 
 mouth of the ass and she said unto Balaam, ''What have I done 
 unto thee that thou hast smitten me these three times '{" The 
 Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel standing- in his 
 way with a drawn sword in his hand. The ang-el hlamed Balaam 
 for desiring- to act contrary to God's will. Balaam acknowledged 
 his sin and desired to turn back. But the angel said, " Go with 
 the men, hut only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that 
 thou shalt speak." So he went on his way. 
 
 Hearing- of Balaam's approach, Balak went forth to meet him, 
 and brought him to Kirjath-huzoth. But at the first moment of 
 meeting-, the prophet told the king- that he could only speak the 
 word the Lord put into his mouth. Nevertheless, Balak did 
 not lose hope ; but on the morrow he took Balaam up into a 
 high place dedicated to the worship of Baal, whence he might 
 obtain a view of the people of Israel. 
 
 At Balaam's request, Balak built on that spot seven altars, 
 and they offered on each a bullock and a ram. The word of 
 the Lord came to Balaam, but instead of cursing Israel he blessed 
 him, saying, " Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the num- 
 ber of the fourth part of Israel ? Let me die the death of the 
 righteous, and let my last end be like his." Balak, in anger, 
 carried Balaam to another place, hoping he might curse Israel 
 there. Again were the altars built, and the victims offered. 
 Again the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and again he 
 uttered blessings. " He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, 
 neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel ; the Lord his God 
 
 is with him, and the shout of a king is among them 
 
 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up him- 
 self as a young lion : he shall not lie down till he eat of the prey, 
 and drink the . blood of the slain." Balak, hearing these words, 
 so different from what he had hoped, cried out, " Neither curse 
 them at all nor bless them at all." Still he thought there might 
 be one chance more. Leading Balaam to the top of Peor, the 
 altars were built again, and the offerings made. Balaam did not 
 wait this time for the divine inspiration; but, lifting up his 
 eyes upon the people encamped below, he exclaimed, " How 
 goodly are thy tents, Jacob ; and thy tabernacles, Israel ! 
 .... Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that 
 curseth thee." And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, 
 and he said, " I called thee to curse mine enemies : and behold, 
 thou hast blessed them these three times." Balaam, however, 
 reminded the king that he had said he could only deliver God's 
 message. Balaam now broke forth into a further strain of pro-
 
 46 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 phecy. He showed, in glowing 1 words, the future greatness of 
 Israel. " There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre 
 shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and 
 destroy all the children of Sheth." Edom, Amalek, the Kenites, 
 all should be subdued by Israel. A time, however, should come 
 when Israel should bow the neck to Assyria ; but, in the end, 
 Assyria herself should be conquered by those coming in ships 
 from the coast of Chittim (Cyprus). Then Balaam rose up and 
 went to his place, and Balak also went his way. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 The People Numbered. Punishment of the Midianites. 
 
 The People Worship Idols. While the Israelites abode in 
 Shittim, they offered sacrifices to strange gods, being tempted to 
 this sin by the women of Moab. At God's command, the ring- 
 leaders were hanged : 24,000 Israelites died of the plague for 
 this transgression. 
 
 One of the children of Israel, in company with a Midianitish 
 woman, openly sinned in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of 
 all the congregation, who stood weeping before the Tabernacle. 
 But Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, filled with 
 righteous anger, took a spear and slew them both. As a reward 
 for this zealous deed, God established the priesthood in the family 
 of Phinehas for ever. 
 
 The People Numbered. Again the sum of the people from 
 twenty years old and upwards was taken. They proved to be six 
 hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty, or 820 
 fewer than at the previous census. Moses and Eleazar completed 
 the numbering in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho. 
 Among them there was not a man of them whom Moses and 
 Aaron had numbered in the wilderness of Sin, except only Caleb 
 the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 
 
 Appointment of Joshua. The Lord bade Moses ascend the 
 mount of Abarim, from whose summit he might view the land 
 promised to the children of Israel. After he had seen it, he was 
 to be gathered to his people as Aaron had been gathered. They 
 were not permitted to enter the promised land, because they had 
 transg'ressed God's command at the waters of Meribah. Moses 
 devoutly submitted to God's command, but prayed that a fitting 
 successor might be appointed. God told Moses to take Joshua the 
 son of Nun, to place him before Eleazar the priest, and to endow 
 him with some of his command, so that the people should obey him. 
 i The Midianites Punished. The evil wrought by the Midian- 
 ites now called down divine punishment. At God's bidding,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 47 
 
 Moses chose a thousand men from each tribe, and sent them 
 together with Phinehas and the sacred vessels against the 
 Midianites. " And they warred against the Midianites as the 
 Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. They 
 also slew the king of Midian, and five tributary kings; Balaam 
 also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword." And they 
 burnt all their cities and took very great spoil, which was divided 
 among those who fought and those who remained in the camp. 
 
 The Two and a Half Tribes. The tribes of Reuben and Gad 
 possessed a great multitude of cattle, and the land in which the 
 Israelites were now dwelling was well fitted for grazing. These 
 two tribes therefore came to Moses, and requested that they 
 might be allowed to remain where they were, and not be re- 
 quired to pass over the Jordan to the promised land. Moses 
 was wroth with the two tribes, and said, "Shall your brethren go 
 to war, and shall ye sit here I" He blamed them for trying to 
 discourage their brethren from undertaking the conquest of 
 Canaan. He reminded them that their fathers had been guilty of 
 similar conduct, when the spies were sent from Kadesh-barnea. 
 The Reubenites and the Gadites at once saw that Moses had not 
 rebuked them unjustly. They therefore offered to build cities for 
 their families and sheepfolds for their sheep in the land they de- 
 sired to occupy, and then to join their brethren in crossing the 
 Jordan and in subduing their enemies, adding, " We will not return 
 unto our houses until the children of Israel have inherited every 
 man his inheritance." To this Moses assented. He gave unto the 
 children of Reuben and the children of Gad and half the tribe of 
 Manasseh the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. From the river Arnon 
 unto Mount Gilead was given to Reuben ; thence northward to the 
 sea of Chinneroth belonged to Gad; whilst a more northward 
 portion leading to Mount Hermon was possessed by the half tribe 
 of Manasseh. The promise given by these tribes to Moses was faith- 
 fully carried out. They fought side by side with their brethren, 
 and did not settle on their lands till the Israelites had taken 
 possession of Canaan. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Last Days of Moses. 
 
 The Journeyings of the Israelites. In the thirty-third 
 chapter of Numbers an account is given of the Journeyings of the 
 children of Israel, from the departure from Egypt to their arrival 
 in the plains of Moab, near Jericho. These Journeyings occupied 
 forty years, and the Israelites pitched their camp forty-two times. 
 
 Settlement of the Promised Land. Mosea now told the
 
 48 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 children of Israel what -were to be the boundaries of the land they 
 were about to possess. He then appointed Eleazar the priest, 
 and Joshua the son of Nun, together with a prince from each 
 tribe, to superintend the division of Canaan, which was to be 
 by lot. The Levites were to have certain cities allotted them 
 for their own use. Six cities of refuge were also to be built, three 
 on the east of the Jordan and three on the west, whither the slaver 
 might flee "which killeth any person unawares." 
 
 The Repetition of the Law. The life of Moses was drawing 
 to a close, yet he charged himself with one great task to read 
 to the assembled people the whole book of the Law. " In the 
 fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, 
 Moses spake unto the children of Israel according unto all that 
 the Lord bad given him in commandment unto them." The place 
 chosen was the eastern side of Jordan, in the land of Moab. Here, . 
 where had occurred many of the most important events in the lives 
 of the patriarchs, Moses recited the past history of the people, and. 
 the code of laws which God had given for their government. This 
 great work being ended, Moses commanded the people that as soon 
 as they had passed the Jordan they were to set up great stones 
 on Mount Ebal, to plaster them over, and to write upon them all 
 the words of the Law. A portion of the people were to stand upon 
 Mount Gerizfm, to bless the people; and another portion were to 
 stand upon Mount Ebal, to curse those who should transgress the 
 Law. 
 
 The Song of Moses. In a beautiful song Moses now exhorted 
 the people to remain steadfast to God's word. He pointed out that 
 He was their Rock and God. He recounted the ingratitude of the 
 people, their frequent offences, and how God had always forgiven 
 their sins. Lastly, he spoke prophetically of the future greatness 
 of Israel. " Rejoice, ye nations with His people, for He will 
 avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His 
 adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land and to His people." 
 
 The Lord now bade Mcses ascend Mount Nebo, in the land of 
 Moab, from whose summit he might view the land of Canaan. 
 God further told him he should die on the mount, even as Aaron 
 had died on Mount Hor. The reason of their exclusion from the 
 Holy Land is again stated, il Because ye trespassed against me 
 among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, 
 in the wilderness of Zin ; because ye sanctified me not in the midst 
 of the children of Israel." 
 
 Moses' Blessings. Moses prepared himself to obey the divine 
 command. But first he gathered the people together, and blessed 
 them according to their tribes. He prayed that Reuben might live
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 49 
 
 nnd not die, and that his men might not be few. For Judah he 
 prayed, " Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his 
 people : let his hands be sufficient for him, and be thou an help to 
 turn from his enemies." Levi should teach the Law for ever, and 
 for ever minister in God's sanctuary; " Bless, Lord, his substance, 
 and accept the work of his hands." He invoked the divine pro- 
 tection on Benjamin, and for Joseph " the precious fruits brought 
 forth by the sun, and the precious things put forth by the moon." 
 Zebulun should rejoice at his going out, and Issachar in his 
 tents ; " They shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of 
 treasures hid in the sand." Of Gad he said, " Blessed be he that 
 enlargeth Gad." Dan was a lion's whelp. Naphtali was to be filled 
 with the blessing of the Lord. He was to possess the west and 
 south. Asberwas to be blessed with children; " Let him be 
 acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil." 
 
 Death of Moses. The work of the great prophet and leader was 
 finished. He went up into the Mountain of Nebo, to the top of 
 Pisgah, and the Lord showed him all the land that the children 
 of Israel were about to inherit. " So Moses, the servant of the Lord 
 died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 
 And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against 
 Beth-Peor, but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 
 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died ; 
 his eyes were not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the 
 children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty 
 days. . . . And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto 
 Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." 
 
 PAET III. 
 
 FROM THE DEATH OF MOSES TO THE CHOICE OF 
 
 SAUL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Spies sent to Jericho Passage of the Jordan, 
 
 Joshua takes commaad. After the death of Moses, the 
 Lord commanded Joshua to prepare the people to pass over the 
 Jordan. At the same time God promised to Joshua to be with him 
 in all his undertakings. He bade him " Be strong, and of a good 
 courage, for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance 
 the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." And 
 again He said, " As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee j I
 
 5 d MANUAL OP SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 not fail thee or forsake thee." Thus divinely encouraged^ 
 Joshua prepared the people to carry out God's wish. He desired 
 them to lay in a stock of provisions for three days. He reminded 
 the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh of their 
 promise to assist their brethren to conquer the promised land. 
 The people promised a ready obedience to Joshua in these words : 
 " Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, 
 and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest 
 him, he shall be put to death." 
 
 The Two Spies. The city of Jericho was situated on the 
 western side of the Jordan, close to where the Israelites were 
 about to cross. Joshua wished to find out its strength. So he sent 
 two men secretly to spy it out. The men entered the city, and 
 lodged with a woman named Rahab. It soon came to the ears of the 
 king that the two Israelites were in Jericho. He sent unto Rahab, 
 bidding her bring forth the men no doubt intending that they 
 should be put to death. But Rahab hid the spies among the 
 flax on the roof of the house, and then told the king that they 
 had left the city. The king's men at once set out in pursuit, 
 and never stopped till they came to the fords of the Jordan. That 
 same night Rahab went up to the men on the roof, and told them 
 she knew that the Lord had given them the land, for their 
 terror had fallen upon all the inhabitants. " For we have heard 
 Low the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you, when 
 ye came out of Egypt j and what ye did unto the two kings of the 
 Amorites that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, 
 whom ye utterly destroyed." She then made them swear that 
 as she had done kindness to them in saving their lives, they 
 should show kindness to her and her family when the city was 
 captured. The men swore unto her that she and her household 
 should be spared, on condition that she kept the whole matter 
 secret, and that she bound a scarlet thread in the window of her 
 house, so that it might be easily known when the Israelites should 
 enter the city in triumph. Rahab's house being built upon the 
 walls of the city, she let them down into the open country by 
 a cord from her window. The men returned to Joshua, and said, 
 K Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land, for 
 even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us." 
 
 Passage of the Jordan. The next morning the people broke 
 up their camp at Shittim and travelled to the eastern bank of the 
 Jordan. At the end of three days the people set out to cross 
 the river. By God's command Joshua arranged the following 
 order of march. First went the priests, bearing the ark of the 
 covenant. At a distance of two thousand cubits the people fol-
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 51 
 
 lowed. This space was left so that by clearly seeing which way 
 the ark was going the people might know their way. The priests 
 then boldly marched into the Jordan. As soon as their feet 
 touched the stream, the upper waters of the river stood up in a 
 heap. The lower waters pursued their course towards the Dead 
 Sea. The bed of the river therefore became dry, and the whole 
 host of Israel passed over on dry foot. While yet the priests 
 were standing in Jordan's bed, Joshua commanded one man from 
 each tribe to take a stone from the very spot where the priests 
 were halting. This was done ; and the men " carried them over 
 with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them 
 down there." Twelve other stones did Joshua set up " in the 
 midst of Jordan," as a memorial for ever of this signal miracle. 
 All being finished, the priests left their station and also passed 
 over. Immediately " the waters of Jordan returned unto their 
 place and flowed over all its banks, as they did before." " On that 
 day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and 
 they feared him as they feared Moses all the days of his life." The 
 passage of the Jordan took place on the tenth day of the first 
 month. The people having encamped in Gilgal, Joshua erected 
 there the twelve stones that had been carried out of Jordan as a 
 memorial that the waters of Jordan had been dried up. The 
 number of the two and a half tribes who passed over to help their 
 brethren was forty thousand armed men. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Fall of Jericho Achan's Sin Capture of Ai. 
 
 Circumcision of the People. The Israelites who were Lorn 
 during the forty years' wandering in the desert not having been 
 circumcised, God now ordered this ceremony to be performed. 
 
 " The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal and kept the pass- 
 over on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the plains of 
 Jericho." The manna which had fed them in the wilderness now 
 ceased to fall. 
 
 A vision now appeared to Joshua. Lifting up his eyes he saw 
 n man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. 
 Joshua went up to him and asked, " Art thou for us or for our 
 adversaries ?" He replied, "Nay; but as captain of the Lord of 
 hosts am I come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and 
 did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his 
 servant, And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, 
 Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou 
 etandest is holy. And Joshua did so." 
 
 Siege and FaJl of Jericho. Jericho was now closely 
 
 2
 
 5 a MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 besieged by the children of Israel. At God's command the 
 Israelites, accompanied by the priests bearing- the ark of the 
 Lord and blowing upon rams' horns, walked round the city once 
 on each of six days. On the seventh day they walked round 
 seven times ; and as the priests blew the horns Joshua said 
 to the people, " Shout, for the Lord hath given you the city." 
 So the people shouted, and at once the walls that defended 
 the city fell flat, and the Israelites entered and captured the 
 place. They killed all the men and women that were in it, and 
 all the cattle, but Rahab and her family they saved alive. They 
 then burnt the city and all that was in it, only the gold and the 
 silver and the vessels of brass and iron they put into the treasury 
 of the house of the Lord, as Joshua had told them to do. And 
 Joshua laid a curse upon any one who should attempt to rebuild 
 the city. 
 
 Achan's Sin. But one of the children of Israel had dis- 
 obeyed the command of God, and had kept for himself a portion 
 of the spoil. The wrongdoer was Achan, the son of Carmi, of 
 the tribe of Judah. The anger of the Lord was kindled against 
 the children of Israel, and misfortune overtook them. Joshua 
 sent an army of three thousand men to capture Ai, a town to 
 the west of Jericho. But the children of Israel, after losing 
 thirty-six of their number, fled before the men of Ai, who pursued 
 them unto the village of Shebarim. This defeat caused the 
 hearts of the Israelites to melt with fear. And Joshua and the 
 elders rent their clothes and put dust upon their heads, and 
 prayed unto God. Then God revealed to Joshua the reason 
 of Israel's defeat, inasmuch as one of the people had secretly 
 taken and kept a portion of the spoils of Jericho. The next day 
 Joshua endeavoured to find the culprit by casting lots. The lot 
 fell upon the tribe of Judah, and finally upon Achan. Joshua 
 begged Achan to confess. And Achan said that he had sinned 
 against God, and had taken of the spoil of Jericho, and hidden 
 it in the earth in his tent. Then all Israel stoned him till he 
 was dead, and then buried his remains. 
 
 Capture of Ai. Israel's sin being thus purged, God com- 
 manded Joshua to attack Ai again, and it should be delivered 
 into his hands. So Joshua led an army against the city, and 
 captured it by a stratagem. Dividing his forces, he made one 
 part lie in ambush behind the city, while the other part attacked 
 it in front. These, pretending to fly, drew the inhabitants of Ai 
 after them in pursuit. The liers in wait instantly rushed into the 
 city, and set it on fire. The Israelites, who were pretending to 
 retreat, now turned upon their pursuers. The men of Ai were
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 53 
 
 thus caught between the two divisions of the Israelites, who slew 
 every one of them. The cattle and the spoils of the city Israel 
 took for a prey. And Joshua burned Ai and hanged its king 
 on a tree. 
 
 Ebal and Gerizim. Joshua built an altar of whole stonea 
 unto the Lord on Mount Ebal. and wrote upon the stones a copy 
 of the Law of Moses. Then, placing half the people on Mount 
 Ebal and half on Mount Gerizim, " he read all the words of the 
 La\v, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written 
 in the book of the Law." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Gibeonites The Five Kings of Canaan. 
 
 Stratagem of the Gibeonites. The remaining kings of the 
 Canaanite cities, having heard of Israel's successes, and fearing 
 lest the doom of Jericho and of Ai should overtake them, formed 
 a league to fight with Joshua and with Israel. But the inhabi- 
 tants of Gibeon sought safety by other means. Dressing them- 
 selves up in old and faded garments, and taking with them 
 mouldy provisions, they presented themselves before Joshua at 
 Gilgal, asking to make a covenant with the children of Israel. 
 The men of Israel said, " Peradventure ye dwell among us, and 
 how shall we make a league with you ? But the Gibeonites 
 replied that they had come from a distant land, and pointed to 
 their worn clothes and stale provisions to bear out their story. 
 " And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with 
 them to let them live. ' Three days after the Israelites found out 
 that they had been deceived, for by that time they had reached 
 the Gibeonite cities, which lay to the south-west of Ai. Yet they 
 respected their oath. The Gibeonites were saved alive, but were 
 made for ever hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house 
 of God. 
 
 The Five Kings of the Amorites. The act of the 
 Gibeonites in securing their own safety brought upon them the 
 wrath of another powerful section of the inhabitants of Canaan 
 the Amorites. One of the most powerful of their princes, Adoni- 
 Zedec, king of Jerusalem, banding himself with the kings of 
 Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, encamped before Gibeon, 
 and made war against it. The Gibeonites sent to Joshua at 
 Gilgal, praying for help. Joshua immediately answered the call, 
 and a great battle ensued. The Amorites were defeated, and 
 fleeing, were pursued by the Israelites. When they reached 
 Azekah, " the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon 
 them .... and they died ; they were more which died with
 
 54 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the 
 sword." " Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the 
 Lord delivered up the Arnorites hefore the children of Israel, and 
 he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; 
 and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still 
 and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves 
 upon their enemies." 
 
 Meanwhile the five kings had fled, and hid themselves in a cave at 
 Makkedah, and Joshua had ordered a stone to be rolled to the 
 mouth of the cave, and a guard set to prevent their escape. 
 When the battle was over, Joshua ordered the five kings to be 
 brought before him, and bade his captains set their feet upon their 
 captives' necks. This was a sign that the power of the Amorites 
 was broken. The kings were then slain, and their bodies hanged 
 upon trees. Joshua pursued his victorious career, capturing 
 many cities and putting their inhabitants to the sword. He smote 
 all the country " from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza," and took 
 all the laud, "for the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Wars with the Canaanites Division of Palestine- 
 Death of Joshua. 
 
 Further Wars. A fresh league was now formed against the 
 Israelites by the kings dwelling in the north of the Holy Land, 
 headed by Jabin, king of Hazor. Among the confederates were 
 Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Hivites. These 
 nations dwelt about the Lake Chinneroth, and round the foot of 
 Mount Hermon. Their hosts were as the sands of the sea-shore, 
 and they had many horses and chariots. Joshua and his people 
 fell upon them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and smote 
 them, and chased them, until they left none remaining. Thus, 
 king after king, and nation after nation, was defeated. Israel 
 took possession of the conquered lands. At this period also 
 Joshua cut off the Anakims, and destroyed all their cities. The 
 total number of kingdoms overthrown by the Israelites was 
 thirty-one. After this, " the land rested from war." 
 
 Division of Canaan. The Lord now commanded Joshua to 
 divide the land among the nine and a half tribes ; the remaining 
 two and a half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh) having 
 chosen their possessions on the east of the Jordan. The tribe of 
 Levi alone received no portion of the land; "the sacrifices of 
 the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as He 
 said unto them." 
 
 To Reuben was given the southernmost portion of the land
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 55 
 
 east of the Jordan. It was bounded by the river Arnon on the 
 south, and on the north reached a little beyond the head of the 
 Dead Sea. It was formerly the kingdom of Sihon. 
 
 Gad lay to the north of Reuben, and included Mount Gilead. 
 
 Manasseh was still further north, and extended to Mount 
 Hermon. This was formerly the country of Og, king of Bashan. 
 
 The river Jordan was the western boundary of these three tribes. 
 On the east they touched the desert. 
 
 The other tribes were thus placed, proceeding from north to 
 south Naphtali, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, Manasseh, Ephraiin, 
 Benjamin, Dan, Judah, Simeon. To Caleb was given the city of 
 Hebron. An end having been made of the division of the land, 
 the children of Israel gave unto Joshua the city of Timnath-serah, 
 in Mount Ephraim, " and he built the city and dwelt therein." 
 
 God commanded the Israelites to appoint cities of refuge, " that 
 the slayer that killeth any person unawares may flee thither ; and 
 they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood." And they 
 appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in Mount Naphtali ; Shechem, in 
 Mount Ephraim j Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain 
 of Judah; Golan, in Bashan ; Bezer, in Reuben; and Ramoth, in 
 Gilead, to be cities of refuge. 
 
 To the Levites also were given forty-eight cities with the 
 suburbs thereof roundabout. 
 
 "Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the 
 half tribe of Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye have kept all 
 that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have 
 obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you." He then gave 
 them permission to return to the east of the Jordan, where they had 
 chosen to dwell. He bade them " take diligent heed to do the 
 commandment of the Law" which Moses had commanded tnem, 
 and to serve God with all their heart and all their soul. " So 
 Joshua blessed them and sent them away." The two and a half 
 tribes set out on their journey eastward, and when they reached 
 the Jordan they built there a great altar. When the children 
 oi' Israel heard of it they gathered together at Shiloh to go to 
 war with their brethren. But first they sent Phinehas with ten 
 chiefs to inquire why the altar had been erected. The High 
 Priest came up with the two and a half tribes in the land of 
 Gilead and rebuked them for building an altar, and rebelling 
 against the Lord. But they answered that they had not built the 
 altar to offer thereon sacrifice, but as a perpetual witness that they 
 and their brethren worshipped the same God, " that your children 
 may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in 
 the Lord." And the children of Israel were satisfied with the
 
 56 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 explanation The altar was called Ed; "for it shall be a witness 
 between us that the Lord is God." 
 
 Death of Joshua. Now the land had rest for a long time. 
 And Joshua waxed old, so he called all the elders of Israel 
 together and exhorted them to keep the way of God. He warned 
 them against serving idols ; they should not swear by them, nor 
 bow down to them, but they should cleave for ever unto the Lord 
 their God. He then recounted the history of the Israelites from 
 the time of Abraham until the day he was speaking to them. All 
 the people promised faithfully to serve God and to obey His 
 voice. " So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, 
 and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem." Joshua 
 wrote these words in a book, and having set up a great stone as 
 a memorial, sent the people to their homes. Then Joshua died, 
 " being an hundred and ten years old." He was buried in 
 Timnath-serah, in Mount Ephraina. 
 
 The bones of Joseph, which had been brought up from Egypt, 
 were buried in Shechem, in the piece of land which Jacob had 
 bought of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred 
 pieces of silver. And Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died and was 
 buried in Mount Ephraim. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Judges Othniel to Deborah. 
 
 Wars with the Canaanites. Although the land of Canaan 
 had been divided among the tribes, its inhabitants had not yet all 
 been conquered. The whole of the Book of Judges is occupied 
 witli the wars between the Israelites and the wicked Canaanites. 
 At first Judah and Simeon agreed to help each other against the 
 common foe. " And the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the 
 Perizzites into their hand, and they slew -.if them in Bezek ten 
 thousand men." They also captured Adoni-Bezek, and they cut 
 off his thumbs and great toes ; for he had thus treated seventy 
 petty kings whom he had kept in captivity. The children of Jndah 
 had already captured the city of Jerusalem, and destroyed its 
 inhabitants. 
 
 It was during these struggles that Caleb promised his daughter 
 Achsah to whoever should capture the town Debir (Kirjath-sephir). 
 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it and 
 obtained the damsel for a wife. The men of Judah next attacked 
 the Philistines, and conquered the districts of Gaza and Askelon 
 and Ekron. The other tribes also waged war with the idolatrous 
 inhabitants, but did not always destroy them. Hence it came to 
 pass that Israelites and heathens dwelt tog-ether in the same
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 57 
 
 town, This brought evil into Israel, for they were led to the 
 worship of idols, and to follow those wicked practices which had 
 brought God's judgment upon the original dwellers in Canaan. 
 
 An angel of the Lord rebuked the Israelites because they had 
 made friendship with the inhabitants of the land, and foretold 
 the troubles that would come upon them through their lapsing 
 into idolatry. 
 
 Idol Worship. This prediction soon proved true. After the 
 death of Joshua and all that generation, the people forsook the 
 Lord God of their fathers, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And 
 the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered 
 them into the hands of their enemies round about. Yet from 
 time to tune God had compassion on His people, and raised 
 up among them Judges, who delivered them out of the hand 
 of those that spoiled them. Then the Israelites would return 
 to the worship of God, and remain steadfast during the life of 
 the Judge, but on his death they would again return to their evil 
 ways. One reason of the continual lapsings of the Israelites was 
 the intermarriages which took place between them and the 
 Canaanites. The Bible pointedly notes that this practice led 
 directly to idolatry, with all its abominations. 
 
 Othniel. The anger of the Lord was now kindled against 
 His people, and He delivered them into the hand of Chushan- 
 rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, who kept them in subjection 
 eight years. Then the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, 
 and He raised them up a deliverer in the person of Othniel, son 
 of Kennz, Caleb's younger brother. " And the spirit of the 
 Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to 
 war." He rescued his people from the oppression of the king 
 of Mesopotamia. Under him the land had rest for forty years. 
 
 Ehud. Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight 
 of God, who brought them under the yoke of Eglon, king 
 of Moab. The Israelites served him for eighteen years, then 
 the cry of their servitude rose to heaven, and the Lord inspired 
 Ehud, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin, to deliver his 
 suffering people. Hiding a dagger among his raiment, and 
 pretending he had a secret message to deliver, EJ'ud stabbed the 
 king of Moab while alone with him in his summer-house. 
 Summoning his people by blast of the trumpet, Ehud led them 
 against the Moabites, defeating them with great slaughter. 
 "And the land had rest fourscore years." 
 
 Deborah. After the death of Ehud the children of Israel 
 again fell into their wicked ways. The Lord sold them into the 
 hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, the captain of whose host was 
 named Sisera.
 
 8 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 At this time Israel was judged by a wise and brave woman, a 
 prophetess, Deborah, the wife ofLapidoth. She sent unto Barak, 
 the son of Abinoam, telling him to march towards Mount Tabor 
 with ten thousand men of the tribes of Naphtali andZebulun, for 
 that Sisera and his army should be delivered into his hands. But 
 Barak refused to go unless Deborah went with him. Deborah con- 
 sented, but told Barak that the journey would not lead to his 
 honour, for Sisera would fall by the hand of a woman. So they 
 journeyed together to Kedesh. Sisera had meanwhile gathered 
 his host ; " even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people 
 that were with him." The two armies joined battle at the brook 
 Kishon, and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword, 
 there was not a man left. Sisera himself took to flight, and drew 
 near the tent of his friend, Heber, the Kenite, a descendant of 
 Jethro. And Jael, the wife of Heber, went out to meet Sisera, and 
 invited him into the tent. When he had turned into the tent, she 
 covered him with a mantle, and gave him inilk to slake his thirst. 
 Telling her to conceal his presence in the tent, the tired captain 
 gave himself up to sleep. Then Jael took a tent nail and a hammer, 
 and softly approaching the sleeping Sisera, drove the nail through 
 his forehead, even into the ground. So he died. Jabin himself 
 was shortly after slain. To commemorate the great victory 
 at Kishon, Deborah and Barak sang a beautiful hymn of praise 
 unto God, " For the avenging of Israel" (Judges ch. v.). The song 
 ends, " So let all thine enemies perish, Lord, but let them that 
 love Him be as the sun, when he goeth forth in his might." 
 Then the land had rest forty years. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Judges (continued) Gideon. 
 
 Gideon. The children of Israel fell again into their evil 
 ways, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Midian- 
 ites and the Amalekites, ' f and Israel was greatly impoverished 
 because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the 
 Lord." God sent a prophet to rebuke them, and to point out the 
 grievous sins they had committed, especially in worshipping idols. 
 
 Gideon's Call. One day Gideon, son of Joash, the Abi-ezrite, 
 was threshing wheat by a wine-press to hide it from the Midian- 
 ites, when an angel of God appeared unto him, saying, " The 
 Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Gideon replied, 
 " If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ?" 
 Then the Lord told him that he'had been chosen to deliver Israel
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 59 
 
 from the yoke of the Midianites. Gideon asked, lt Wherewith 
 shall I save Israel ? Behold my family is poor in Manasseh, and 
 I am the least in my father's house." He further asked for a sign 
 of the truth of the prediction. Then hastening to prepare a meal 
 for the stranger, he brought forth unleavened cake, and flesh, and 
 broth, and placed them under an oak. Then the angel of the Lord 
 touched the food with his staff, and there rose up a great fire and 
 consumed it j and the angel disappeared. Gideon built an altar 
 on the spot, and called it Adonai-shalom, t( the Lord send peace." 
 The same night the Lord told Gideon to throw down the altar of 
 Baal, and cut down its grove, and also to build an altar unto the 
 true God, and to offer a bullock upon it. Gideon, taking with 
 him ten men of his servants, did as the Lord commanded. When 
 the men of the city arose next morning and found that their altar 
 had been destroyed, they called unto Joash to bring forth his son, 
 that he might die. But Joash merely replied, " Why will ye 
 plead for Baal ? . . . If he be a god, let him plead for himselt." 
 And Joash called his son " Jerubbaal," meaning " Let Baal plead 
 against him." 
 
 Gideon's Signs. The Midianites and Amalekites gathered 
 themselves together to contend with Israel in the valley of 
 Jezreel. Gideon sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, 
 Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning them to meet their enemies. 
 They obeyed the call. Now Gideon asked a sign of God that 
 Israel would be saved. He placed a fleece of wool upon the 
 floor, saying, " If the dew be on the fleece only and it be dry 
 upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou will save 
 Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so ; for he 
 rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, 
 and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water." 
 Then Gideon entreated the Lord not to be angry while he begged 
 another sign. Again laying a fleece on the ground, he asked that 
 it might be dry, while upon all the ground there should be dew, 
 and again the prayed-for sign was vouchsafed. 
 
 The Lord said unto Gideon that the people he had gathered 
 were too many to overcome the Midianites, lest they should boast 
 " Mine own hand hath saved me." Gideon sent away all 
 who were afraid of the coming battle to the number of twenty- 
 two thousand, keeping only ten thousand with him. But the 
 Israelites were still too many. God told Gideon to lead the 
 people to a brook, and to reject all those who drank by lapping 
 like dogs, or by going down upon their knees. There then 
 remained but three hundred men, who were to take part in the 
 actual contest.
 
 60 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 That same night the Lord told Gideon to attack the Midian- 
 ites, for they should be delivered into his hand ; but if he 
 were afraid to join battle with them, that he and his servant 
 Phurah should draw near the hostile host and overhear their 
 speech. Gideon and his servant approached the camp of the 
 Midianites, and heard one telling his neighbour he had dreamed 
 that " a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, 
 and came into a tent and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, 
 that the tent lay along." The other answered, " This is nothing 
 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." 
 
 Gideon accepted the omen. He first offered up a prayer to 
 God ; then, returning to his camp, he divided his three hundred 
 men into three companies, and he gave every man a trumpet, and 
 a pitcher with a lighted lamp in it. Then he told them to watch 
 him, and to do whatever they saw him do. He further told 
 them to blow their trumpets when he blew his, and to cry 
 out, " The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." So Gideon and his 
 little army stood round the enemy's camp, and, at the signal, 
 broke the pitchers so that the lights from the lamps flashed out 
 all at once. Thon they blew their trumpets and shouted their 
 battle cry. The Midianites, roused so suddenly from their sleep, 
 were thrown into confusion, and turned their swords against each 
 other. A.nd all fled in the greatest haste. Then Gideon sent 
 to Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh and Ephraim to join in the 
 pursuit, and many of the Midianites were killed. 
 
 The Ephraimites also captured and slew Oreb and Zeeb, two 
 princes of the Midianites. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Judges Gideon (continued] Abimelech Tola Jair. 
 
 The Quarrel with Ephraim. The men of Ephraim quarrelled 
 with Gideon for not calling them to join in his war against the 
 Midianites. But Gideon wisely turned away their anger by 
 saying to them, " What have I done in comparison with you ? 
 Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than 
 the vintage of Abi-ezer ?" By these words he led them to believe 
 that in his opinion the most insignificant of the men of Ephraim 
 were of more esteem than the chief men of Abi-ezer. 
 
 The pursuit of the Midianites by Gideon and his three 
 hundred still continued. Gideon and his men were faint with 
 their toil, and coming to the town of Succoth, asked the inhabi- 
 tants for food. But the men of Succoth refused aid to the
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 61 
 
 Israelites, and mocked them. So also did the inhabitants of 
 Penuel. Gideon threatened them both with punishment, and 
 having at length captured the Midianitish kings he returned, and 
 kept his word. He flogged the elders of Succoth with briers, 
 and threw down the tower of Penuel. 
 
 Gideon Refuses to Rule. "Then the men of Israel said 
 unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and 
 thy son's son also." " And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule 
 over you, neither shall my son rule over you j the Lord shall rule 
 over you." 
 
 Gideon, however, begged that every man should give him the 
 ear-rings captured from their enemies. The people willingly gave 
 them, and they weighed a thousand shekels of gold. With them 
 Gideon made a golden ephod, and placed it in his city, and the 
 people worshipped it, and it became a snare to Gideon and his 
 house, for it led them into the wicked practices of idolatry. 
 
 Death of Gideon. The land now rested forty years. And 
 Gideon died in a good old age, and was buried in Ophrah. Then 
 the people again went astray, and worshipped Baalim, and 
 remembered not the Lord their God, and showed no kindness to 
 the house of Gideon. 
 
 Abimelech, one of the sons of Gideon, was desirous of succeed- 
 ing to his father's position. He joined himself with his maternal 
 relations, and with the inhabitants of Shechcm. Having gathered 
 a following, he proceeded to his father's house and slew his 
 seventy brothers " upon one stone." But Jotham, the youngest 
 son of Gideon, was left alive, for he had hidden himself. Then 
 Abimelech was made king by the plain of the pillar in Shechem. 
 
 Jotham's Parable. When Jotham heard this, he went to the 
 top of Mount Gerizim, and spoke a parable to the Shechemites. 
 He said that the trees wanted a king to rule over them. Thev 
 accordingly asked in turn the olive, the fig, and the vine ; but all 
 these declined the honour. Then they asked the bramble, which 
 replied, " If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and 
 put your trust in my shadow ; and if not, let fire come out of the 
 bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'' He then reminded 
 them of all that his father Gideon had wrought on their behalf: 
 how he had risked his life to save them from their enemies, in 
 return for which they had slain his seventy sons. Lastly, he said, 
 " If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal (Gideon) 
 and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and 
 let him also rejoice in you. But it not, let fire come out from 
 Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem. and the house of 
 Millo ', and let fire coine out from tne men of Shechem and from
 
 62 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the house of Millo, and devour Abimelecli." Then Jotham fled 
 and dwelt in Beer, for fear of Abimelech, his brother. 
 
 War with. Sheciiem. Three years passed, and the warning 1 
 of Jotham came to pass. The friendship, stained with crime, 
 that existed between Abimelech and the Shechemites was 
 broken. The latter chose for their leader Gaal, the son of Ebed, 
 who defied Abimelech and his power. A war ensued, in which 
 the people of Shechem were routed. A thousand of them, men 
 and women, took refuge in the tower of Shechem, and were there 
 burned to death by order of Abimelech. The victor now besieged 
 Thebez ; and while attacking a tower in which the inhabitants had 
 taken refuge, a woman threw a piece of millstone on Abimelech's 
 head, so that he died. 
 
 Tola, the son of Puah, of the tribe of Issachar, judged Israel 
 for twenty and three years. He dwelt in Shamir, in Mount 
 Ephraim. 
 
 Jair, a Gileadite, next judged Israel for twenty years. After 
 his death the children of Israel, having again resorted to the wor- 
 ship of idols, were oppressed by the Ammonites. In their dis- 
 tress they prayed unto God ; but no help came. The Lord 
 rebuked them for their many backslidings, and bade them cry 
 unto the gods they had chosen to deliver them in the time of 
 their tribulation. Then the people repented, and put away the 
 strange gods from their midst, and served the Lord, " and His 
 soul was grieved for the misery of Israel." The children of 
 Ammon gathered an army and encamped in Gilead, and the Israel- 
 ites assembled and encamped in Mizpeh. And the people and 
 princes of Gilead said one to another, " What man is he that 
 will begin to fight against the children of Ammon ? He shaU 
 be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Jephthah Samson. 
 
 Jephthah. Now Jephthah was a mighty man of valour. His 
 father, Gilead, had many sons, and when they were grown up, 
 they thrust Jephthah from his father's house. So he dwelt in the 
 land of Tob, and gathered men round him. When the Ammonites 
 made war against Israel, the men of Gilead begged Jephthah to 
 become their leader. He refused unless they promised to re- 
 cognize him as their chief. This they agreed to do. Then 
 Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon, asking why he 
 had invaded the land. The king replied that the land was his, 
 and that the Israelites had taken it away by force when they
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 63 
 
 had come out of Egypt. But Jephthah answered that God had 
 taken the land from the Ammonites because of their cruelty to the 
 children of Israel during their travels in the wilderness. The 
 messages were of no avail, and Jephthah led his people to do 
 battle with the Ammonites. 
 
 Jephthah' s Vow. And Jephthah vowed a vow, saying that if 
 the Ammonites were defeated, then whatever came forth from 
 his house to meet him on his return should be the Lord's, and 
 should be offered as a burnt-offering; then leading his men to 
 the attack, the Ammonites were overthrown with a very great 
 slaughter. On his victorious return to his house, behold his 
 daughter came forth to meet him " with timbrels and dances j and 
 she was his only child ; beside her he had neither son nor 
 daughter." When Jephthah saw. her, his joy was at once turned 
 to mourning. He rent his clothes and told his child of the vow 
 he had made. But the loving daughter heard the terrible words 
 with pious resignation, saying, " My father, if thou hast opened 
 thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which 
 hath proceeded out of thy mouth." One favour she asked, that 
 she might bewail her fate upon the mountains for two months. At 
 the end of that time her father did with her according to the vow 
 which he had vowed. 
 
 Quarrel with the Ephraimites. The men of Ephraim now 
 quarrelled with Jephthah and the men of Gilead, because they 
 had not been called upon to assist in the war against Ammon. 
 A battle ensued in which the Ephraimites were overthrown. The 
 Gileadites then seized the fords over the Jordan, and slew the 
 Ephraimites as they attempted to pass over. The Ephraimites 
 not being able to pronounce the word " Shibboleth, ' this was 
 given to them as a test. So there fell of the men of Ephraim 
 that day forty and two thousand. After ruling over Israel for 
 six years, Jephthah died and was buried in one of the cities of 
 Gilead. 
 
 Ibzan. Israel was then judged for seven years by Ibzan 
 of Beth-lehem. 
 
 Elon. The next judge was Elon, of the tribe of Zebulun. He 
 ruled for ten years. 
 
 Abdon, the son of Hillel, then judged the land for eight 
 J-ears. Israel now fell under the power of the Philistines, who 
 oppressed them for forty years. 
 
 Samson. Now there was a certain man of the tribe of Dan, 
 named Manoah, whose wife bare him no children. One day an 
 angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and told her she 
 should have a son. He bade her not to drink wine nor strong
 
 64 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY, 
 
 drink, and not to eat any unclean thing. For the child was to 
 be a Nazarite* unto God i'rom his birth, and he was destined to 
 deliver Israel from the Philistines. The woman told her hus- 
 band. Then Manoah entreated the Lord that the angel might come 
 again and teach him how the promised child should be reared. 
 God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel appeared unto 
 the woman and her husband and repeated his commands. Then, 
 when Manoah prepared a burnt sacrifice, the angel disappeared 
 in the flame. In course of time the woman bare a son, and called 
 his name Samson, " and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him." 
 Samson's Riddle. Although he was to prove their greatest 
 enemy, Samson at first was friendly with the Philistines. Going 
 to Timnath he saw there one of their women, and desired to have 
 her to wife. His father and mother were vexed at his choice, 
 wishing that he should marry an Israelitess. But Samson was 
 not to be moved ; so he and his parents went down to Timnath. 
 On the way a young lion came out and roared at Samson. The 
 spirit of the Lord came mightily upon the Nazarite, and he rent 
 the lion as one would rend a kid. Journeying down on a later 
 day to marry the woman of Timnath, he turned aside to view the 
 carcase of the lion and, behold, a swarm of bees had settled in it. 
 So he took of the honey and went on eating. The usual wedding- 
 feast was held. Then Samson asked a riddle of the thirty Philis- 
 tines who had been appointed his companions, the forfeit by the 
 losing side to be thirty cloths, and thirty changes of garment. 
 This was the riddle, " Out of the eater came forth meat, and out 
 of the strong came forth sweetness ;" and seven days were given 
 for solving it. At the end of three days the Philistines went to 
 Samson's wife pressing her to find out and tell them the answer, 
 and threatening her with death by fire if she refused. Samson's 
 wife wept before him, entreating him to tell her the answer. As 
 she wept day by day Samson at last yielded. The woman told 
 the Philistines, and on the seventh day they spake the answer, 
 "What is sAveeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?" 
 Samson replied, " If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye 
 had not found out my riddle." Going to Ashkelon he slew 
 thirty of its men and gave their clothes to the Philistines. Then 
 he returned in anger to his father's house, while his wife was 
 given to another man. 
 
 * A man who had taken upon himself the vow of a Nazarite was not 
 permitted to partake of wine or strong drink, or to eat anything made of 
 the vine tree, " from the kernels even to the husk." He was not allowed 
 to cut the hair of his head, or to defile himself by touching a dead body. 
 See Numbers vi. 1-21.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 65 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Samson (continued). 
 
 Samson's Exploits. Some time after Samson went to Tirnnath 
 to see his wife, and found that she had been married to one 
 of his companions. His anger was kindled against the Philistines. 
 Capturing three hundred foxes, he turned them tail to tail, and 
 placed a firebrand between each pair. Having set the brands 
 on fire he drove the foxes into the cornfields of his enemies, so 
 that they burned up " both the shocks, and also the standing corn, 
 with the vineyards and olives." The Philistines in revenge burnt 
 Samson's wife and her father with fire. This again roused Samson's 
 anger, and, after slaying many of them, he went and dwelt in the 
 top of the rock Etam. 
 
 The Philistines came up to fight with the men of Judah, and 
 demanded that they should deliver Samson into their hands. 
 Three thousand of the men of Judah scaled the rock of Etam, 
 and having bound Samson with new ropes they brought him down. 
 When the Philistines saw him captive they set up a great shout. 
 But the spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, and he broke his 
 cords, as if they were " flax that was burnt with fire." Then find- 
 ing a jaw-bone of an ass he slew with it a thousand men. Sore 
 athirst after his great work, he cried to God and the Lord clave a 
 hollow place that was in the jaw, and water came out. 
 
 Samson's Pall. Samson, being in Gaza, the inhabitants lay 
 in wait for him all night round about the city, saying, " In the 
 morning, when it is day, we shall kill him." But he arose at 
 midnight, and taking the doors of the gates of the city, with the 
 posts and bar, carried them up to the top of a hill near Hebron. 
 
 After a time, Samson loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, 
 whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines offered 
 her a very large bribe if she would find out the secret of Samson's 
 strength, and how he might be overcome. Delilah, yielding to 
 the desire of the Philistines, begged Samson again and again to 
 tell her wherein lay his strength. Samson at first mocked her 
 by telling her that if he were bound with " seven green withs," he 
 would become weak and as another man. When tied with them, 
 he broke them as if they were tow touched by the fire. Another 
 time he said that if he were bound with ropes that had never 
 been used, he would become weak. When, however, he was so 
 fastened, he broke them as thread. Again he told Delilah that 
 if she wove the seven locks of his hair with the web, all his 
 strength would depart. She did so, but he walked away with 
 
 F
 
 66 MANUAL OF SCK1PTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the pin of the beam and with the web. But as she pressed him 
 daily with her words, he, in an unlucky moment, " told her his 
 whole heart," and said that he owed his strength to his being a 
 Nazarite; and that if his hair were cut off he would become 
 utterly weak. Delilah watched till Samson was soundly asleep : 
 then, calling for a man, bade him shave off the seven locks of his 
 head. Instantly his strength went from him ; and the Philistines, 
 who were waiting the event, seized him, put out his eyes, and 
 bound him with fetters of brass. They placed him in a prison- 
 house, and made him grind their corn, 
 
 To commemorate their victory, the Philistines prepared a 
 great feast and sacrifice unto Dagon, their god. When their 
 hearts were merry, they sent for Samson to make sport before 
 them. The temple was crowded with men and women, the lords 
 and ladies of the Philistines, to the number of three thousand. 
 Samson asked the lad who led him to allow him to feel the 
 pillars that supported the roof, that he might lean upon them. 
 Then, uttering a prayer to God for help and strength, and that 
 he might be avenged for the loss of his two eyes, he seized the 
 pillars of the temple, and, bowing himself with all his might, 
 brought the whole structure to the ground. Thousands were 
 killed, Samson himself being among the number. He had judged 
 Israel twenty years. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Micah Destruction of Gibeah Ruth. 
 
 Micah. There was a man of Mount Ephraim named Micah. 
 He stole eleven hundred shekels of silver from his mother, but 
 afterwards restored them unto her. She took two hundred of 
 the shekels and had them formed into a graven image and a 
 molten image, and they were placed in the house of Micah. 
 Shortly after, a Levite on his travels came to the house of Micah, 
 and was by him persuaded to remain there and act as Levite 
 to his gods. " In those days there was no king in Israel, but 
 every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 
 
 Capture of Laish by the Danites. The tribe of Dan, wish- 
 ing to enlarge their possessions, sent five of their men to search 
 the land. They journeyed to Mount Ephraim, a district almost 
 in the centre of Palestine, and came to the house of Micah. 
 Resting there, they inquired of the Levite how he came thither j 
 and the Levite told them that Micah had hired him to minister to 
 his idols. Then the men begged him to inquire of God if their 
 expedition would be prosperous. The Levite replied, " Go in 
 peace - } before the Lord is your way in which you go."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 67 
 
 The men departed, and travelling to the extreme north of 
 Palestine, notea the town of Laish as being 1 easy of capture, since 
 it was far from Zidon, the only town likely to give it help. 
 The spies returned to their own country, and having reported all 
 they had seen, six hundred Danites set out to capture Laish. 
 Their way took them to the dwelling of Micah, and learning 
 that there were in the house an ephod and teraphim, resolved to 
 carry them away. So they entered the house and brought out 
 the idols, and also persuaded the priest to accompany them. 
 They had scarcely proceeded on their journey when Micah and 
 his neighbours followed after them, demanding that the idols 
 should be restored. The Danites refused to give them back, and 
 even threatened to kill Micah if he molested them. Micah, 
 seeing that they were more numerous than his followers, turned 
 back home. The Danites, having reached Laish, captured the 
 city, burned it, and put the inhabitants to the sword. They then 
 built a city on the site and called it Dan, and dwelt there until tho 
 day of the captivity of the land. 
 
 The Wickedness of Gibeah. A certain Levite, who dwelt 
 on the side of Mount Ephraim, had a wife. After living with 
 him some time she returned to her father's house in Beth- 
 lehem-Judah. The Levite went to fetch her home. Darkness 
 overtaking them on the way, they turned for shelter into Gibeah, 
 in Benjamin, and took up their lodging in the house of an old 
 man. In the night the men of Gibeah ill-treated the Levite's 
 wife so cruelly that in the morning she died. The Levite laid 
 the woman upon his ass, and journeyed on to his home. He 
 then cut the body into twelve pieces, and sent one to each of 
 the twelve tribes of Israel. 
 
 The Tribes Assemble. The dreadful act sent a thrill of 
 horror through the land. At once the tribes assembled at Mizpeh, 
 even "four hundred thousand foot-men that drew the sword." 
 Then the Levite addressed them, and told them how sinfully 
 the men of Gibeah had acted. Burning with anger, the tribes 
 resolved to attack Gibeah. A tenth part of the men were chosen 
 by lot to carry out the punishment against the wicked city. But 
 the tribe of Benjamin took up the cause of Gibeah, and mustered 
 an^army of twenty-six thousand men to oppose Israel. Gibeah 
 also furnished seven hundred chosen men. 
 
 Benjamin Defeated. The children of Israel inquired of the 
 Lord who should lead them to battle ; and the Lord said, 
 " Judah shall go up first." When the battle was joined, Israel 
 were defeated, and lost that day twenty- two thousand men. The 
 next day Israel again inquired of the Lord and having received 
 
 * a
 
 63 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HIS TOR Y> 
 
 an encouraging reply, once more attacked the Benjamites. They 
 were again worsted, and lost on the second day eighteen thousand 
 men. Then all the children of Israel wept before the Lord, and 
 " fasted that day until even, and offered burnt-offerings and 
 peace-offerings." Then they inquired of the Lord, and Phinehas, 
 the son of Eleazer, the son of Aaron, replied to them in God's 
 name, " Go up : for to-morrow I will deliver them into thine 
 hand." On the third day they captured Gibeah by stratagem, anjd 
 slew twenty-five thousand of the Benjamites. 
 
 But six hundred of them escaped and took refuge in the rock 
 Rimmon, and abode there four months. The children of Israel 
 turned again upon the Benjamites, and smote every one of them, 
 and destroyed all their cities. They then took an oath, " There 
 shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife " 
 
 On the morrow the Israelites "repented them for Benjamin, their 
 brother," and said, " There is one tribe cut off from Israel this 
 day. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing 
 that we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of 
 our daughters for wives." But they found a way out of the diffi- 
 culty. On numbering the army they discovered that the town of 
 Jabesh-Gilead had not sent a contingent. So they captured the 
 city and slew all its inhabitants, except four hundred virgins 
 whom they gave to the Benjamites for wives. The remaining 
 two hundred carried away some of the women of Shiloh and 
 married them. They then "returned unto their inheritance, 
 and repaired the cities and dwelt in them." 
 
 Ruth. Connected with the period of the later judges is the 
 story of Ruth. In the days of Ibzan there was a famine in the 
 land, and a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah named Elimelech, 
 together with his wife Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and 
 Chilion, went to dwell in the land of Moab. In process of time 
 Elimelech died and his two sons married Moabitish women, the 
 name of the one being Orpah, and of the other Ruth. The sons 
 dying also, their mother, Naomi, resolved to return to her native 
 land. Naomi advised her daughters-in-law to remain in their own 
 country. At first they refused, but after some persuasion Orpah 
 made up her mind to stay in Moab. Ruth, however, was steadfast. 
 She would not leave Naomi, saying, " Whither thou goest, I 
 will go ; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall 
 be my people ; and thy God my God." 
 
 So they journeyed to Bethlehem, and when the people saw the 
 woman widowed and childless, they exclaimed, "Is this Naomi ?" 
 And she said unto them, " Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for 
 the Almignty has dealt very bitterly with me."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 69 
 
 Boaz. Naomi had a rich kinsman, whose name was Boaz. 
 While the corn harvest was going on, Boaz showed great kindness 
 to Ruth, allowing her to glean after his reapers, and even bidding 
 his men to " let fall some handfuls of purpose for her." He hade 
 her also partake of the fare provided for his labourers, and not to 
 leave his fields all the harvest. Ruth, by her faithfulness and 
 modesty, so won the heart of Boaz, that he desired to take her 
 unto him for wife. But by the law a nearer kinsman had a 
 prior right to marry the damsel The kinsman, however, in the 
 presence of the elders of the town, waived his claim, so that Boaz 
 was wedded to Ruth. She bore him a son named Obed j Obed 
 begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Eli Birth of Samuel His Dedication to God's Service. 
 
 Hannah. Now there was a certain man named Elkanah, who 
 dwelt in Mount Ephraim. He had two wives, Hannah and 
 Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had not, and 
 this was a cause of great grief to ker. It was Elkanah's yearly 
 custom to go up with his household to Shiloh, there to sacrifice 
 before the Lord. At this time Eli was priest and judge, and he 
 and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, ministered before the Ark 
 of God. As the years went by, Hannah's grief became greater, 
 and she was less able to bear the tauntings of her rival Peninnah. 
 Then Elkanah said to her, " Why weepest thou ? .... am I not 
 better to thee than ten sons ?" But Hannah went up to the 
 tabernacle of the Lord, and prayed and wept. And she made a 
 vow that if God gave her a son she would dedicate him to His 
 service, and he should be a Nazarite. As she continued praying, 
 Eli noticed her mouth ; for Hannah prayed in her heart, and 
 though her lips moved her voice was not heard. Then Eli said 
 unto her, " How long wilt thou be drunken ? Put away thy 
 wine from thee." But Hannah answered, " No, my lord, 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." Then 
 Eli answered, " Go in peace ; and the God of Israel grant thee 
 thy petition that thou hast asked of Him." Hannah rose up with 
 a joyful countenance. In course of time a son was born to her. 
 When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, 
 together with a freewill offering of meat and flour and wine. She 
 brought the child to Eli, and reminded him that she was the 
 woman who had prayed for a son. Then she left him in the 
 priest's charge, saying, " I have lent him to the Lord j as long as
 
 70 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 he liveth he shall he lent to the Lord." Hannah having- poured 
 out her gratitude to God in a beautiful prayer, returned with 
 Elkanah to their home. " And the child did minister unto the 
 Lord before Eli the priest." 
 
 Eli's Sons. " Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial ; they 
 knew not the Lord." Among- other offences was this, that they 
 took of the flesh of the offerings more than was their share, and 
 often took it by force. " Wherefore the sin of the young* men 
 was very great before the Lord : for men abhorred the offering of 
 the Lord." All this time Samuel took part in the service of the 
 tabernacle, being clad in a little linen ephod. And Hannah at 
 her yearly visits to Shiloh, brought him changes of garment. 
 She bare unto Elkanah three sons and two daughters. 
 
 A Prophet Reproves Eli. Eli was now very old, and full of 
 sorrow for the evil-doing of his sons, which had become a scandal 
 through all Israel. He rebuked them for their sins, but they 
 hearkened not to the voice of their father. And a man of God 
 came unto Eli, and warned him that destruction would come 
 upon his house because of their iniquity. He gave Eli a sign of 
 the truth of his prediction that his two sons should be slain on 
 one day. He also foretold the greatness of Zadok, saying, " I 
 will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that 
 which is in mine heart and in my mind : and I will build him a 
 sure house ; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever." 
 
 The Call of Samuel. In those days the word of the Lord 
 was precious, there was no open vision. And it came to pass one 
 night "when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began 
 to wax dim, that he could not see." "And ere the lamp of God 
 went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, 
 and Samuel was laid down to sleep, that the Lord called Samuel, 
 and he answered, Here am I." The child ran to Eli, and asked 
 if he had called him, but Eli bade him lie down again. Again the 
 voice called him, and again he went to inquire of Eli. And the 
 Lord called Samuel a third time, and again he went to Eli. Then 
 " Eli perceived tht,t the Lord had called the child." Therefore 
 Eli advised Samuel to lie down again, and if he heard the voice 
 calling him, to answer, " Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." 
 
 Again the Lord stood by Samuel and called him, and the lad 
 answered as Eli had taught him. Then the Lord told Samuel 
 of the sins of. Eli's sons, and how punishment would come upon 
 the house of Eli ; for that its iniquity should not be purged for 
 ever. In the morning Samuel opened the doors of the house of 
 the Lord as was his wont, but was afraid to tell Eli the vision 
 that he had seen. But when Eli pressed him to tell, then he
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. >ji 
 
 narrated all lie Lad heard. Then Eli answered, " It is the Lord 
 let Him do what seemeth Him good." After this the fame of 
 Samuel became very great, and he was known from Dan to 
 Beersheba as a prophet of God. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 War with the Philistines Capture of the Ark Death of 
 Eli and his Sons. 
 
 War with the Philistines. A war now broke out between 
 the Israelites and the Philistines, and a pitched battle was fought, 
 in which the Israelites were defeated. In sore dismay they 
 resolved to send for the Ark of the Covenant, hoping that its 
 presence would help to turn the fortune of war. Hophni and 
 Phinehas brought the Ark unto the camp, and when the Israelites 
 saw it, they set up a great shout. The Philistines soon learned 
 that the Ark of God was in the Israelites' camp, and the know- 
 ledge filled them with dread. Still they nerved themselves for 
 their task, and in a second battle overthrew the Israelites with 
 great slaughter. Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and worst 
 of all the Ark of God was captured by the heathens. And a man 
 of Benjamin ran from the battle field to Shiloh, and told all the 
 misfortunes that had befallen them. Now when Eli heard that 
 the Ark was taken he bowed his head and died. He was ninety 
 and eight years old, and had ruled Israel forty years. The wife 
 of Phinehas, hearing the news, was taken in travail and bare 
 a son. With her last breath she named him Ichabod ; saying-, 
 "The glory is departed from Israel, for the Ark of God is taken." 
 
 The Ark among the Philistines. The Philistines took the 
 Ark of God and carried it in triumph to Ashdod, and placed it in 
 the temple of Dagon, their fish-god. In the morning, " Behold 
 Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the Ark of the 
 Lord ; and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands 
 were cut off upon the threshold ; only the stump of Dagon was 
 left to him.'' In sore affright the Ashdodites sent the Ark away 
 from their town unto Gath. No sooner did it arrive there, than a 
 great destruction fell upon the men of the city, and they hurried 
 the Ark to Ekron. But the Ekronites would not suffer the Ark 
 to remain with them, and it was carried about the land of the 
 Philistines for seven months. 
 
 The Ark sent back. Acting upon the advice of their priests 
 and diviners, the Philistines resolved to restore the Ark to the 
 Israelites. To give glory to the God of Israel they sent jewels 
 of gold, as an offering with it. Then, placing the ark with the 
 jewels on an ox-cart, they let it go its way. The oxen took the
 
 72 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 straight road to Beth-shemesh, and came to a stand-still in the 
 field of one Joshua. The men of Beth-shemesh were rejoiced 
 to recover the ark ; " they clave the wood of the cart, and offered 
 the kine a burnt-offering unto the Lord." Yet the men of 
 Beth-shemesh committed a sin, because they looked into the ark 
 of the Lord, and the Lord smote of the people fifty thousand and 
 threescore and ten. Messengers were then sent to the inhabitants 
 of Kirjath-jearim asking them to take charge of the ark. This 
 they gladly consented to do, and they brought the Ark unto the 
 house of Abinadab, and they sanctified Eleazer to keep the Ark 
 of the Lord. The Ark remained in Kirjath-jearim twenty years. 
 
 Samuel prays for the People. Then Samuel gathered all 
 the people unto Mizpeh and prayed for them, and the people 
 repented them of their evil ways. The Philistines, hearing that 
 Israel were assembled at Mizpeh, raised an army and pitched 
 against them. The Israelites were afraid, and begged Samuel to 
 cry unto the Lord for them. Samuel offered a sacrifice and prayed 
 for his people, And the Lord sent a thunderstorm upon the 
 Philistines, and they were discomforted, and smitten before 
 Israel. All the cities which they had taken from the Israelites 
 were restored from Ekron even unto Gath. 
 
 Samuel judges Israel. Samuel judged Israel henceforth 
 all the days of his life. He made it a practice every year to 
 travel to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, there to judge the people ; 
 but he made his home in Eamah, where he built an altar unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 The People desire a King. When Samuel was old, he made 
 his two sons, Joel and Abiah, judges over Israel. But his sons 
 did evil, taking bribes and preventing judgment. Then the elders 
 of Israel came to Samuel and asked him to appoint a king over 
 them, who should judge them, as was the custom among all other 
 nations. Samuel enquired of the Lord. And the Lord said, 
 " Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto 
 thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me 
 that I should not reign over them." Then Samuel pointed out to 
 the people the dangers they would run if they chose a king, how 
 he would make their sons his servants ; how he would raise an 
 army; how he would seize upon their lands and their crops and 
 their cattle. Nevertheless the people answered that they would 
 have a king who should judge them and lead them forth to battle. 
 Samuel, having received God's command to appoint them a king 1 , 
 dismissed them to their homes.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 73 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 PROM SAUL'S KINGSHIP TO THE DEATH OF 
 SOLOMON. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Saul made King His first Offence. 
 
 Saul chosen King. Now there was a man of the tribe of 
 Benjamin, whose name was Kish. He had a son, Saul j " a choice 
 young- man and a goodly," " from his shoulders and upwards he 
 was higher than any of his people." One day the asses of Kish 
 were lost, and he sent his son Saul and a servant to look for them. 
 The quest was vain ; and, after passing- through many lands, the 
 men came to a city where a prophet of God was staying, of whom 
 they determined to ask advice. This prophet was none other than 
 Samuel. He was awaiting Saul's approach, for the Lord had pre- 
 viously informed him of it. Saul drew near to Samuel and asked 
 him where the seer's house was. Samuel answered, " I am the 
 seer," and then he bade Saul tarry with him, and he would show 
 him what was in his heart. He told him also not to be concerned 
 about the asses, as they were found. Samuel continued, " And 
 on whom is all the desire of Israel ? Is it not on thee and 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 families of the tribe of Benjamin?" 
 There happened to be a sacrifice and a feast in the city that day, 
 and Samuel placed Saul in the chief place, and showed him 
 great distinction. Next day Saul and his servant set out on 
 their way home, and Samuel accompanied them. Then Samuel, 
 having sent the servant forward, took a vial of oil and anointed 
 Saul, and told him that the Lord had chosen him captain over His 
 inheritance. Then he spoke to him of certain signs which should 
 prove the truth of his announcement. Lastly Samuel told Saul 
 to meet him at Gilgal, and so departed. And God gave Saul a 
 new heart, and all the signs promised by Samuel came true. One 
 was that he was met by a company of prophets, and the spirit of 
 God came upon him, and he began to prophesy. From this circum- 
 stance arose the proverb, "Is Saul also amongst the prophets?" 
 
 Saul's Election confirmed. After this Samuel assembled 
 the people at Mizpeh and told them to proceed to the choice of a 
 king by lot; and the lot fell upon Saul. Then Samuel said : "See 
 ye nim whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him 
 among all the people ? And all the people shouted and said, 
 God save the King." Samuel instructed the people as to the
 
 74 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book. Then all Israel 
 went to their homes, and Saul returned to Gibeah. 
 
 Wax with the Ammonites. The qualities of Saul were soon 
 put to the test. Nahash, the Ammonite, besieged the town of 
 Jabesh-Gilead. No sooner did Saul bear of this, than he as- 
 sembled all Israel and Judah in Bezek to the number of three 
 hundred and thirty thousand men. On the morrow he overthrew 
 the Ammonites in a decisive battle. Then said Samuel to the people, 
 " Come, and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." 
 And the people went to Gilgal, and oifered sacrifices and rejoiced 
 greatly. 
 
 Samuel reproves the People Samuel then addressed all 
 Israel. First, he bade them bear witness to his own integrity 
 while he ruled Israel. Then he told the assembly that they had 
 acted wickedly in demanding a king. To show them that his 
 words were true he gave them a sign. Although it was wheat 
 harvest, the Lord, at the entreaty of Samuel, sent a thunderstorm 
 and rain. The people were greatly afraid, and begged Samuel 
 to pray for them. Samuel reassured the people and exhorted them 
 to walk in God's way and to serve Him in truth and all would yet 
 be well with them. 
 
 Saul's first Offence. There was now continual warfare be- 
 tween the Israelites and the Philistines. Saul, in the second year 
 of his reign, had raised an army of three thousand men. The 
 Philistines, however, came up in such multitudes that the Israelites 
 were dismayed and hid themselves in pits and caves. Saul was 
 now at Gilgal, and was waiting for Samuel who had appointed to 
 meet him there on a certain day. Samuel did not appear at 
 the time appointed, and Saul presumptuously took it upon him- 
 self to offer a burnt offering unto God. Immediately after Samuel 
 arrived, and was wroth with Saul for what he had done. He told 
 Saul that bis kingdom should not continue, and that the Lord 
 had chosen another to be captain over His people ; and so he 
 departed. The vast host of the Philistines remained encamped 
 in Michmash, and Saul and his son Jonathan together with only 
 six hundred men abode in Gibeah. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Saul's Wars with the Philistines and Amalekites David 
 
 anointed King. 
 
 Overthrow of the Philistines. It came to pass one day that 
 Jonathan and his armour-bearer went out secretly to spy out the 
 Philistines. And Jonathan said "If the Philistines see us and 
 Bay, Tarry where you are, then we will stand still; but if they say
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 75 
 
 Come up unto us, then we will go up, for that will be a sign that 
 the Lord has delivered them into our hand." Directly the 
 Philistines beheld the two Israelites they exclaimed, " Come up to 
 us." Then Jonathan and his armour-bearer fell upon the enemy 
 and killed about twenty of them. A panic now spread among 
 the Philistines, increased by an earthquake, and they began to 
 disperse, beating each other down as they ran. Then the Israel- 
 ites fell upon the retreating host and discomforted them with great 
 slaughter. Before entering the fight Saul had made the people 
 swear that they would taste no food till nightfall. Jonathan, not 
 knowing of the oath and being very faint, partook of some wild 
 honey. When this was discovered Saul exclaimed " God do so 
 and more also j for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan." But the 
 people rescued Jonathan that he died not. 
 
 Saul's second Offence. Saul was now commanded to take 
 vengeance upon the Amalekites, because they had lain in wait 
 for the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. He was to 
 destroy them entirely and everything they had. Saul smote the 
 Amalekites, but spared Agag their king-, together with the best 
 of the sheep and the oxen and ajl that was good. Then God was 
 angry with Saul for saving alive anything of the Amalekites. 
 Samuel, at God's command, rebuked Saul for his transgression, 
 and turned away from him in wrath. But Saul put forth his 
 hand and seized Samuel's mantle and it was torn. And Samuel 
 said "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee, and 
 hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou." 
 Then Samuel slew Agag with his own hand, and departed to 
 Ramah. He never saw Saul again, nevertheless he mourned for 
 his backslidings. 
 
 David chosen King. The Lord commanded Samuel to take 
 a horn of oil and to go to Bethlehem unto the house of Jesse, and 
 anoint one of his sons as king. To prevent Saul suspecting the 
 true cause of the journe} r , Samuel was to pretend that he was 
 going to offer a sacrifice. Arrived at his destination, Jesse caused 
 seven of his sons to pass before the Seer, but the Lord gave no 
 sign to Samuel that either of these had been selected for the kingly 
 office. Then Samuel asked Jesse if these were all his children, and 
 Jesse replied, " There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold 
 he keepeth the sheep." Samuel ordered him to be fetched, and 
 directly he appeared Samuel knew that this was the chosen of 
 the Lord. So he anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and 
 then departed to Ramah. " And the spirit of the Lord came 
 upon David from that day forward." 
 
 Saul meanwhile grew more and more despondent in his mind,
 
 76 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 and his servants counselled him to find a harper to play before 
 him and soothe his troubled spirit. Now David was famed for hig 
 skill upon the harp, so Saul sent to Jesse, asking him to let his son 
 minister unto him. Jesse consented, and sent his son to the royal 
 camp, bearing- a present with him. When Saul saw David he 
 loved him greatly, and made him his armour-bearer. And when- 
 ever Saul grew moody, David played before him and restored him 
 
 U C I 
 
 to cheerfulness. 
 
 David and Goliath. Again the Philistines gathered together 
 their armies and encamped opposite the host of the Israelite?, 
 and there was a valley between them. Among the Philistines 
 there was a mighty giant named Goliath, of Gath, whose height 
 was six cubits and a span. He was clothed in ponderous armour- 
 coat and greaves, helmet and target of brass, and his spear was 
 like a weaver's beam. Day by day for forty days this warrior 
 came before the Israelites and defied anyone of them to do battle 
 with him, and not one of them dared accept the challenge. It 
 chanced one day that David arrived at the camp carrying pro- 
 visions to his three eldest brothers, who were serving with Saul. 
 As he was talking with them, behold the champion of the Philis- 
 tines came forth, hurling his challenge at affrighted Israel. Then 
 David asked what reward should that man have who fought with 
 Goliath. The people answered that the king would bestow 
 great riches upon him, and give him his daughter in marriage, 
 and make his father's house free from taxation for ever. But his 
 eldest brother rebuked David for remaining in the camp, and 
 bade him go home and tend his sheep. David, however, remained, 
 and his presence in the camp was reported to Saul, who sent for 
 him. Entering the king's presence, David at once offered to go 
 and battle with Goliath, But Saul answered, a Thou art not able 
 to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art but a 
 youth, and he a man of war from his youth." Then David told 
 Saul how, while he was tending his father's flocks he had fought 
 with a lion and a bear, and had slain them. He felt sure that 
 the Lord who had delivered him from those animals, would deliver 
 him from the Philistine. And Saul said to David, " Go, and 
 the Lord, be with thee." Saul then placed his own armour upon 
 David, and girt him with his sword, but the shepherd youth 
 could not move under the weight, so he put them off. He 
 took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from 
 the brook, which he placed in his scrip, and armed with 
 these only and his sling he went out to face the giant. When 
 the terrible Philistine beheld David he disdained him and cried, 
 *Am I a dog that thou eomest to me with stones?" David
 
 MANUAL Of SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 77 
 
 replied, " 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 armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." 
 Then slinging; a stone, David smote the Philistine in the forehead 
 and brought him to the earth. Running 1 up to the prostrate form 
 he cut off the head of Goliath with his own sword. Seeing their 
 hero slain the army of the Philistines fled, and were pursued by 
 the Israelites with great slaughter. David brought the head of 
 Goliath to Jerusalem, but kept his armour as a trophy. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Saul jealous of David. He seeks to kill him. The 
 love of David and Jonathan- 
 
 Saul and David. A great friendship sprang up between 
 Jonathan, the son of Saul, and David. The character of Jona- 
 than is a very beautiful one, for though he saw David becoming 
 the idol of the people, still his soul " was knit with the soul of 
 David." This friendship was never broken. 
 
 Saul and David now returned in triumph from the war. The 
 women of Israel came out to meet them, singing and dancing. 
 As they played, the women answered each other and said, " Saul 
 hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Hearing 
 these words Saul grew angry, and looked upon David with great 
 displeasure. One day while David was striking the harp in the 
 royal tent, Saul cast a javelin at him twice to kill him. He also 
 removed the young hero from his immediate person, and made 
 him a captain over a thousand men. 
 
 Michal. The king, mindful of his former promise, now 
 offered his daughter Merab in marriage to David. But David 
 had no desire for the union, and therefore expressed himself as 
 unworthy to become the king's son-in-law. So Merab was given 
 to another. But Michal, the king's younger daughter, loved 
 David. Hearing of it Saul was pleased, for he hoped to ensnare 
 the young man to his death. He promised his consent to the 
 marriage if David would undertake to slay one hundred of the 
 Philistines. Saul hoped that David might be killed in the fray, 
 but David and his men slew two hundred of the enemy. " And 
 Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife." 
 
 Jonathan intercedes for David. Saul was still determined 
 to take the life of David, and asked his son and his servants to 
 aid him. But Jonathan earnestly begged his father to spare 
 David, who had ventured his life to hght the king's enemies. 
 Saul hearkened to his son, and swore by the Lord that David 
 should not be slain, and even received him back into his presence.
 
 78 MANUAL OP SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Saul again seeks David's Life. The evil spirit of the Lord 
 was again upon Saul, and again he attempted to slay David. 
 David escaped to his own home. The messengers of Saul sur- 
 rounded the house, and Michal let him down from a window at 
 night. He fled to Samuel at Ramah. When Saul heard of it 
 he sent his servants to capture him, but when they approached 
 the place where Samuel was instructing the school of the 
 prophets, they also began to prophesy. A second attempt to 
 seize David led to a similar result. Then Saul himself went to 
 Ramah, and the spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied 
 also. From this circumstance also arose the saying, " Is Saul 
 also among the prophets ?" 
 
 David and Jonathan. Returning from Ramah, David poured 
 out his soul to Jonathan and said, " What have I done ? what is 
 mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh 
 my life ?" Jonathan tried to re-assure David, saying that as he was 
 in his father's confidence, he knew the king intended no harm. 
 But David was not convinced, so they devised a plan by which 
 they might discover Saul's real intent. The next day being' the 
 New Moon, and therefore a holiday, David absented himself 
 from the king's table. The king noticed that his place was empty, 
 but said nothing. The next day David was again away. Then 
 Saul inquired of Jonathan, " Wherefore cometh not the son of 
 Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor to-day." Jonathan had 
 prepared an answer, and at once replied that he had given David 
 permission to be present at a family sacrifice at his own city. 
 Saul could no longer restrain his anger. He loaded his son with 
 abuse, and ordered him to send for David immediately, for he 
 should surely be put to death. Jonathan exclaimed, u Where- 
 fore shall he be slain ? What hath he done ?" Saul in un- 
 controlable rage hurled his javelin at Jonathan to smite him. 
 Jonathan rose from the table in fierce rage, and ate no food that 
 day. The following day he went out into a field, as he had 
 arranged with David, taking with him his weapons and a little 
 lad. David was hidden not far off. Jonathan shot an arrow 
 from his bow, and when the lad went to recover it he cried out 
 loudly, "Is not the arrow beyond thee. Make speed, haste, 
 stay not." This was the signal arranged between the two mer r 
 in case Jonathan found that the king still sought the life of his 
 friend. The lad, who was not in the secret, having departed, 
 David arose from his hiding-place, " and fell on his face to the 
 ground, and bowed himself three times : and they kissed one 
 another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded." And 
 Jonathan said to David, " Go in peace, for as much as we have
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 79 
 
 Sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be 
 between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. 
 And he arose and departed : and Jonathan went into the city." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 David an Exile His Wanderings Death, of Samuel. 
 
 David and the Shewforead. When David fled from Saul, 
 he took refuge with Ahimelech the priest, in the city of Nob. 
 Famished with his long journey, he begged Ahimelech to 
 give him a store of bread. But there was none at hand save the 
 shewbread ; and, although it was considered sacred, David, in his 
 necessity, did not scruple to partake of it. He then asked the 
 priest for a weapon, and Ahimelech gave him the sword of Goliath, 
 which had been preserved there behind the Ephod. It chanced 
 that one of Saul's servants, Doeg, the Edomite, encountered David 
 in the city of Nob. This chance meeting bore fatal fruit later on. 
 
 David in Philistia. The fear of Sauretill haunted David, and 
 he fled to Achish, king of Gath. Finding that his former hostility 
 to the Philistines was remembered against him, he feigned mad- 
 ness. But he found less favour than before, so he escaped, and 
 abode in the cave of Adullam, where he gathered a following of 
 about 400 men of those who were discontented with Saul's rule. 
 
 David's Wanderings. After a time, David went to Mizpeh 
 in Moab, but was warned by a prophet to return to the land of 
 Judah. Saul, hearing of this, reproached his servants for not 
 ridding him of his enemy. It was on this occasion that Doeg in- 
 formed the king of his meeting with David in Nob. Saul 
 instantly se'nt for Ahimelech, and, after reproaching- him, ordered 
 him to be slain. But none of Saul's followers would raise their 
 hand against the Lord's priest. But Doeg the Edomite had no 
 such scruples. He smote Ahimelech, together with eighty-five 
 priests, with the edge of the sword, and plundered the city 
 of Nob. Abiathar, with one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped, 
 and took refuge with David. 
 
 David's Wars with the Philistines. It was told to David 
 that the Philistines were raiding at Keilah. Encouraged by a 
 message from God, David led his men against his ancient roes 
 and smote them with great slaughter. Saul, hearing of this 
 exploit, made another attempt to capture David. But David and 
 his following fled, and took refuge in the wilderness of Ziph; 
 The Ziphites would have betrayed David into the hand of Saul, 
 so once more he fled, first to the wilderness of Maon, and afterwards 
 to Engedi. At this moment tidings reached Saul that the Philistines 
 had invaded the land, so he turned from his pursuit of David.
 
 8o MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 David and Saul Reconciled. Having routed the Philis* 
 tines Saul again returned to his pursuit of David. On one 
 occasion, Saul rested in the very cave in which David and his men 
 lay hid. David's followers urged him to kill the King. But 
 David would not raise his hand against the Lord's anointed, but 
 he cut off a portion of his robe. When Saul had left the cave 
 and gone on his way, David went after him and called to the 
 King, and bowed himself to the earth. He then showed him the 
 portion of his robe, and told him that he had spared his life. 
 David entreated the King to desist from the pursuit of one who 
 had never wronged him. " The Lord therefore be judge, and 
 judge between me and thee, and see and plead my cause, and 
 deliver me out of thine hand." Hearing these words, the heart 
 of Saul melted. He wept, saying, "Thou art more righteous 
 than I." Telling David that he knew he was destined by God to 
 succeed to the Kingdom, he bade him swear to spare his family, so 
 that his name should not be cut off. David sware unto Saul, and 
 so they parted. 
 
 David and Abigail. "And Samuel died: and all the 
 Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried 
 him in his house at Ramah." 
 
 David now abode in the wilderness of Paran. There was a cer- 
 tain man, dwelling in Carmel, named Nabal,who was exceeding rich 
 in sheep and goats. David and his followers had always protected 
 him ; and, hearing that he was keeping a shearing-feast, he sent 
 some of his young men to crave a present. Nabal churlishly refused 
 to give anything ; and David armed his men, to take by force what 
 he had previously solicited. But Abigail, the wife 6f Nabal, a 
 woman as wise as her husband was foolish, hastened to David 
 with a present of bread and wine, raisins and figs. But she said 
 no word to Nabal of her proceedings. She met David marching 
 with his men to plunder her home, and, throwing herself at his 
 feet, entreated him to forgive the folly of her husband. Moved 
 by her beauty and eloquence, David was appeased, and consented 
 to receive the present she had prepared. Abigail returned home, 
 but told her husband nothing, as he had feasted himself to 
 drunkenness. The next day she recounted to him her meeting 
 with David. The heart of Nabal fainted within him, and in 
 ten days he died. Afterwards David married Abigail. He also 
 took to himself to wife Ahimoam of Jezreel, for Saul had given 
 Michal, David's wife, to Phalti, the son of Laish. 
 
 Saul again in David's power. David having taken refuge 
 in the wilderness of Ziph, Saul went down with three thousand 
 men to capture him. David noticed where the King lay, and
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 81 
 
 taking Abishai, the brother of Joab, with him in the dead of night, 
 he stood by the side of Saul, who " lay sleeping within the trench, 
 and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster." Abishai 
 begged David to let him slay Saul with the spear ; but David 
 shrank in horror from the thought. Taking the king's spear and 
 his cruse of water, he silently left the camp, and climbed to the 
 top of a hill a goodly way off. Then rousing the king's host, 
 he reproached Abner and the other captains for their careless 
 watch round the king's person, showing them at the same time 
 the spear and cruse he had taken from the king's bedside. Then 
 turning to Saul he entreated him to desist from his persecution, 
 which had driven him " from abiding in the inheritance of the 
 Lord," and had forced him into exile from the Holy Land. Saul's 
 heart yearned to David at these words. He confessed that he 
 had acted sinfully, and having blessed David, they went on their 
 several ways. 
 
 To avoid further pursuit, David again took up his abode among 
 the Philistines, Achish, king of Gath, having assigned to him 
 the city of Ziklag. While dwelling here he made some incursions 
 against the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Saul and the Witch of En-dor. Death of Saul. 
 The Witch of En-dor. Another war now broke out between 
 Israel and the Philistines ; and David with his followers felt com- 
 pelled to take the field in the train of Achish. Yet he entertained 
 a secret hope, afterwards justified, that he should be spared the 
 bitterness of fighting against his own people. The Philistine 
 army was encamped in Shunem, while Israel pitched in Gilboa 
 Saul, looking upon the enormous hosts of the enemy, waxed 
 afraid. He inquired of the Lord, but " the Lord answered him 
 not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." Then 
 Saul bade his servants find out a woman with a familiar spirit 
 one who pretended she could communicate with the spirits of the 
 dead that he might inquire of her. And they found him such 
 a one living at En-dor. Saul disguising himself, went to her at 
 night, and asked her to use her art and raise a certain person 
 whom he should name. But the woman answered that she dared 
 not use her powers, as the king punished such an offence with 
 death. Saul swore to her that she should sustain no harm, and 
 commanded her to bring up Samuel. When the woman saw the 
 prophet appear, she cried to the king, " Why hast thou deceived 
 me ? for thou art Saul." Saul asked the witch to describe the 
 form that had risen j and the king, recognizing it to be 
 
 a
 
 82 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Samuel, bowed himself to the earth. Samuel sternly rebuked 
 Saui for disquieting 1 his rest. He further announced to the king 
 that God had departed from him, and had given the kingdom to 
 David j that the Israelites should be conquered by the Philistines, 
 and that Saul and his sons should be with him on the morrow. 
 Hearing these dismal warnings, the king fell his full length on 
 the floor in an agony of fear. After much persuasion he arose, 
 and partook of a little food, and left the place that night. 
 
 David dismissed by the Philistines. The Israelites now 
 moved their camp to Jezreel, while the Philistines gathered at 
 Aphek. A review of the Philistine army was held, and the com- 
 manders were troubled to see David in their midst, fearing 
 treachery. So David and his followers were dismissed, and they 
 returned to Ziklag. 
 
 David encounters the Amalekites. Here David found a 
 new trouble awaiting him. During his absence with the Philis- 
 tines, the Amalekites had made an incursion, had burned Ziklag, 
 and carried away its inhabitants (among whom were the two 
 wives of David) into captivity. David was in perplexity, for, 
 with his small band of six hundred men, he was afraid to pursue 
 after the Amalekites. He inquired of the Lord, through Abiathar 
 the priest, and received a favourable reply. So he turned after 
 the enemy ; but when he reached the brook Besor, two hundred 
 of his men were so exhausted that they could proceed no further. 
 With the remaining four hundred he came up with the hosts of 
 the enemy, who were spread abroad, eating, drinking, &nd dancing. 
 He instantly attacked them, and slew the whole army with the 
 exception of a few hundred men. He recovered all that the 
 Amalekites carried away, both the captives and the spoil, and 
 rescued his own wives. There was also a vast multitude of sheep 
 and cattle, which the Amalekites had brought with them at the 
 invasion, and which fell into David's hands. Retracing their way 
 to Ziklag, the little army came up with the men who had been 
 left at Besor. The more covetous of David's followers wished to 
 deprive these of any portion of the spoil, as they had not been 
 engaged in the actual fighting. But David would not hear of 
 this 5 so all shared alike those who went down into the battle 
 and those who stayed with the baggage. This became a statute 
 and an ordinance in Israel. David very wisely gave away a por- 
 tion of^iis share of the spoil unto the Elders of Judah, and to his 
 friends in the various cities where he had been wont to dwell. 
 
 Death of Saul. The battle so long threatened between 
 Israel and the Philistines was at length fought in Mount Gilboa. 
 The Israelites were defeated with great slaughter, and Saul's
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 83 
 
 three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab and Melchishua, were slain. 
 Saul too was grievously wounded, so he begged his armour- 
 bearer to slay him lest he should fall alive into the hands of the 
 enemy. Butjhis armour-bearer refused, " therefore Saul took a 
 sword and fell upon i*;" and his armour-bearer did the same. 
 And the men of Israel dwelling on the other side of Jordan fled 
 from their cities, and the Philistines took possession. On the 
 morrow of the battle the Philistines found Saul and his sons 
 among the slain. They cut off his head, and stripped off his 
 armour, which they placed in the temple of Ashtaroth. They 
 then nailed his body to the wall of Beth-shan. But some of tha 
 valiant inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead went at night and took the 
 bodies of Saul and his sons from Beth-shan, carried them tc 
 Jabesh and burnt them there. They buried the bones under a 
 tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 David King over Judab, and Ishbosheth over Israel The 
 Ark brought to Jerusalem. 
 
 David's Lament. At the time of Saul's death, David was 
 engaged in punishing the Amalekites. Three days after the 
 battle in Gilboa an Amalekite, who had escaped from the Jewish 
 camp, came to David and told him that the Israelites had been 
 worsted in the fight, and that Saul and Jonathan were dead. 
 David was incredulous, and asked the man for proof of his words. 
 The Amalekite, thinking to gain favour in the sight of David, 
 confessed that he himself had slain Saul at his own request. He 
 also produced the crown and bracelet worn by the king. Then 
 David rent his clothes, and mourned and wept, and fasted unto 
 even. Calling for the Amalekite he bade one of his followers 
 to slay him, for daring to lift his hand against the Lord's 
 anointed. Then he gave vent to his grief in his touching 
 lament for Saul and Jonathan. " The beauty of Israel is slain 
 upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen Ye moun- 
 tains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon 
 you, nor fields of offerings ; for there the shield of the mighty is 
 vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been 
 
 anointed with oil Saul and Jonathan were lovely and 
 
 pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided j 
 
 they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions 
 
 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan ; very pleasant 
 hast thou been unto me : thy love to me was wonderful, passing 
 tho love of women." 
 
 o a
 
 84 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 The Kingdom divided. The tribe of Judali at once re- 
 cognized the sovereignty of David. He took up his abode in 
 Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. While 
 dwelling in Hebron these six sons were born unto him viz., 
 Amnon, Chileab, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatrah and Ithream. 
 But Abner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of 
 Saul, and made him king over Gilead, and the Ashurites, and 
 Jezreel and Ephraim, and over all Israel. Ishbosheth was then 
 forty years old, and he reigned two years. One day the followers 
 of David, led by Joab, and the servants of Ishbosheth under 
 Abner, met by the pool of Gibeon. They soon came to blows, 
 and Abner and his men were routed and driven from the field. 
 
 War between the Houses of Saul and David. There was 
 a long war between the rival kings ; but David grew stronger as 
 his rival waxed weaker and weaker. But the feud was brought 
 to an end through a serious quarrel between Ishbosheth and 
 Abner, his chief supporter. Abner at once sent to David offer- 
 ing to place the kingdom of Israel under his rule, and as an 
 earnest of his intention delivered unto him his wife Michal, 
 Saul's daughter. A meeting soon took place between David and 
 Abner, and they made a league together. Abner departed to 
 carry out his offer. Meanwhile Joab, who had been absent from 
 the camp on a warlike expedition, returned, and learned that 
 Abner had been closeted with the king. Joab hated Abner for 
 slaying his brother Asahel in the fight at Gibeon. At once he 
 went to David and warned him that Abner was not to be trusted, 
 ana that he had only come to spy out the king's strength. It 
 seems that he could not persuade David to his belief, so he 
 secretly sent a messenger after Abner, asking him to return to 
 the camp. When Abner returned Joab went up to him as if to 
 speak quietly with him, and plunged a dagger in his heart. 
 David was shocked at this act of treachery, and proclaimed his 
 own guiltlessness of the deed. He mourned for Abner, calling 
 him a prince and a great man. 
 
 Death of Ishbosheth. The death of Abner ruined the cause 
 of Ishbosheth. Two of his servants conspired against him, and 
 slew him as he lay on his bed. They then hurried to David and 
 told him what they had done. David's wrath was kindled as 
 he heard the recital of this cruel deed, and he ordered the 
 murderers to be hanged. 
 
 David undisputed King. The tribes of Israel readily sub- 
 mitted to David. He was now thirty years old, and he reigned forty 
 jears. David now attacked and captured Jerusalem, a city of the 
 Jebusites. He fortified it and called it the City of David." "And
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 85 
 
 David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of Hosts was 
 with him." His fame reached the distant city of Tyre on the 
 Mediterranean. Hiram its king 1 sent messengers unto David, 
 carding with them cedar trees. He also supplied carpenters and 
 masons, and they built a palace for David. The king- now took 
 concubines in Jerusalem, and they bore him many sons and 
 daughters. Twice the Philistines came up " to seek David," and 
 twice he overthrew them and burned their idols. 
 
 The Ark of God brought to Jerusalem. David mustered 
 thirty thousand chosen men to fetch the ark of God from Baale 
 (Kirjath-Jearim). They placed the ark upon an ox-cart, driven 
 by Uzzah and Ahio. " And David and all the house of Israel 
 played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir- 
 wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on 
 cornets, and on cymbals." In a rough path the oxen stumbled, 
 and Uzzah laid hold of the ark to prevent its falling. For this 
 act he incurred God's anger, and he died there by the ark. 
 " David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall 
 the ark of the Lord come to me ?" So David found a temporary 
 resting-place for the ark in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, 
 where it remained three months, and brought a blessing on the 
 household. David then brought, the ark, with music and dancing 
 and sacrifices, to the city of David. When Michal, Saul's 
 daughter, saw David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she 
 despised him, and jeered at him for his seeming levity. But 
 David sternly rebuked her, and she remained childless unto the 
 day of her death. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 David's various Wars His Sin with Bath-sheba. 
 
 David wishes to Build a Temple. David was now at peace 
 with all the nations round him. Full of gratitude to God he 
 yearned to substitute a temple for the tent, in which abode tho 
 ark. He consulted Nathan the prophet, who encouraged his 
 desire. That night God appeared unto Nathan, and bade him tell 
 David that he should not ouild a house of God, but that his seed 
 after him should build a house for His name. He was also to 
 convey the assurance to David that his throne should be esta- 
 blished through his oifspring for ever. David listened to the 
 words of Nathan, and bowed his heart in submission to God. 
 
 David's Wars. The peace was soon broken, and David found 
 himself at war with various nations. He subdued the Philistines, 
 the Moabites, the Syrians (who had come to assist the king of
 
 86 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Zobah). Returning with a vast booty, lie consecrated to God all 
 the vessels of gold, silver and brass, which he had captured from 
 his enemies. 
 
 Mephibosheth. David never forgot his love for Jonathan. 
 He made inquiries, and found that a lame son of Jonathan, named 
 Mephibosheth, was still living. He sent for him to his palace, 
 spoke kindly to him, and restored to him all the land belonging 
 to his grandfather Saul. He also made him eat at the kind's 
 table all his life. 
 
 Further Wars. The king of Ammon havingdied, David sent 
 a message of comfort to his son and successor, Hanun. But the 
 Ammonites insulted the servants of David. Fearing the king 
 of Israel's anger the men of Ammon made an alliance with the 
 Syrians. David overthrew their combined armies, and later on 
 defeated the Syrians again. 
 
 David and Bath-sheba. The following year David sent 
 an army under Joab to besiege Rabbah, a city of Ammon, while 
 he himself remained in Jerusalem. One evening he beheld a 
 beautiful woman, whom he desired to make his wife, but she was 
 already the wife of Uriah, one of David's captains. In spite of 
 this the king did not turn his eyes away from her. He sent to 
 Joab, bidding him place Uriah where the battle would be hottest, 
 and if they saw him attacked to retire from him so that he might 
 be killed. Joab carried out the king's instructions, and Uriah was 
 slain in the assault on the city. "And when the wife of Uriah heard 
 that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 
 And when the mourning was passed, David sent and fetched her 
 to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But 
 the thing that David had done displeased the Lord." 
 
 The Parable of the Ewe Lamb. The Lord sent Nathan 
 the prophet unto David, and he said unto him : There were 
 two men in one city, one rich, the other poor. The rich man 
 had many flocks and herds, but the poor man had but one little 
 ewe lamb, which he loved and tended and cherished, and which 
 was to him as a daughter. Now there came a traveller to the rich 
 man, and he spared to take of his own flock to feed the stranger, 
 but he took the poor man's lamb to dress for the wayfarer. 
 David's anger was aroused at the recital, and he exclaimed, " As 
 the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall die." 
 And Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man." Then re- 
 calling all the favours that God had heaped upon David, he 
 announced that evil should come upon the king out of his own 
 house. David confessed humbly that he had sinned, and Nathan 
 replied that the Lord would put away his sin, but that the child
 
 MANUAL OP SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 87 
 
 that should be born to him should die. And so it came to pass, 
 for the child sickened unto death. David lay on the ground 
 and fasted, but on the seventh day it died. The servants feared 
 to tell the king, but from their changed demeanour he guessed 
 the truth. He arose from the earth and anointed himself, and 
 went to the house of God and worshipped, and broke his fast. 
 David's attendants wondered at his conduct, but he replied that 
 while the child was alive he fasted and wept, hoping that God 
 would spare it, but now that it was dead fasting was vain. " Can 
 I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not re- 
 turn to me." Bath-sheba bare another son to David, whom he 
 called Solomon. The Lord loved him, and commanded that he 
 be called "Jedidiah." 
 
 The city of Rabbah finally fell into David's hands, and he treated 
 the inhabitants with great severity. 
 
 Amnon and Tamar. Amnon, one of the king's sons, did 
 violence to Tamar, the sister of Absalom, and his own half-sister. 
 Absalom hated Amnon on this account, and having invited him 
 to a sheep-shearing, caused him to be slain. Absalom, fearing 
 his father's anger, fled to Geshur, and dwelt there three years. 
 
 Joab's Stratagem. Joab perceived that the king's heart 
 yearned towards Absalom. He dared not propose to bring the son 
 into the father's presence, so he prompted a wise woman of 
 Tekoah to speak a parable to the king. She said she had two 
 sons, and that one slew the other in a quarrel. As a conse- 
 quence, all the family had risen against the surviving son. But 
 she had no desire that they should slay him, who was the only 
 one left to her. The king at once promised to protect him from 
 the violence of his kinsmen. The woman then carefully turned 
 the parable to meet the king's own case. David divined that 
 Joab's hand was in all this, and the woman confessed as much. 
 He sent for Joab, and bade him bring Absalom to Jerusalem, but 
 he could not yet bring- himself to see him. So Absalom abode 
 in Jerusalem for two years, after which he was fully reconciled 
 to his father. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Absalom's Rebellion. David's Plight and Return. 
 
 Absalom's Death. 
 
 Absalom's Revolt. Absalom soon forgot the mercy shown 
 to him by the king. He obtained chariots and horses, and ap- 
 pointed fifty men to run before him. He also won the favour of 
 the people, by showing marked attention to those who came to 
 Jerusalem to" attend the courts of justice. To rouse the tribes of
 
 83 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Israel he sent spies throughout the land, telling them to await 
 his signal for a general rising. Then, having obtained the king's 
 permission, he set out for Hebron with 200 men, and there pro- 
 claimed himself king. Among those who accompanied Absalom 
 was Ahithophel, who was renowned for his wisdom. The con- 
 spiracy grew stronger, as each day more men joined Absalom's 
 standard. 
 
 David's Flight. When the report of these doings reached 
 David, he at once saw that he could not resist his rebellious son. 
 Collecting his family and dependants, he fled towards the way of 
 the wilderness. Zadok the priest, with the ark of God, and 
 Abiathar accompanied him, but he sent them back to Jerusalem 
 that they might inform him what was doing there. He also com- 
 manded his friend Hushai to remain near Absalom's person and 
 defeat the counsel of Ahithophel; and as David went up the ascent 
 of Mount Olivet, he wept and had his head covered and went bare- 
 foot, and all that were with him went up weeping. When David 
 reached the top of the hill, he was met by Ziba, the servant of 
 Mephibosheth, bearing food and wine. But further on, at Bahurim, 
 Shimei, one of the family of Saul, came forth and cursed David, 
 and flung dust and stones. One of the king's captains craved 
 permission to slay the reviler, but David said, <( Let him alone 
 and let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him." Absalom set 
 up his court in Jerusalem and received Hushai as one of his 
 counsellors. 
 
 Ahithophel's Advice. Ahithophel advised Absalom to pursue 
 David at once with an army of twelve thousand men. But Ab- 
 salom consulted Hushai before taking any steps. Hushai, intent 
 upon serving his friend David, counselled the king to reject 
 Ahithophel's plan, and to gather all Israel from Dan to Beersheba, 
 so that Absalom might place himself at the head of an invincible 
 army. His object, of course, was to allow David plenty of time to 
 escape. Absalom listened to the words of Hushai, and Ahithophel, 
 annoyed that his advice was rejected, hanged himself in his house. 
 Hushai informed David secretly of what was doing in Jerusalem. 
 The king fled across the Jordan to Mahanaim, where he was 
 kindly received. Absalom, relentless in his pursuit, also crossed 
 the Jordan, and encamped his army in the land of Gilead. 
 
 Death of Absalom. David divided his army of twelve 
 thousand men between three trusty captains. As they went 
 forth to join battle with their pursuers, the king entreated them 
 not to deal harshly with Absalom. The battle was long and 
 terrible, and the people of Israel were slain before the servants of 
 David. Absalom, mounted on a mule, fled for his life, but pass-
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 89 
 
 ing under an oak, the boughs caught him up and held him by 
 his beautiful long hair. Unable to extricate himself, he was 
 slain by Joab and his attendants. The news of the victory 
 was carried to David, but any joy he might have felt was 
 marred by the tidings of his son's death. He retired to his 
 chamber weeping, and as he went he cried, "0 my son Absalom, 
 my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O 
 Absalom, my son, my son ! " 
 
 David's Beturn to Jerusalem. The grief of the king 
 cast a gloom upon his followers. Joab remonstrated with David, 
 because he had shamed the faces of the men who had saved 
 his life and the lives of his family. So David hid his grief, 
 and sat at the gate as usual. The people of Israel were now 
 as anxious for David's return as they had hitherto been to join in 
 Absalom's revolt. The king returned in triumph ; his army in- 
 creasing day by day. On his way back he was met by Shimei 
 who fell down before the king and craved his forgiveness. David 
 readily pardoned him . But now another trouble arose. The men ot 
 Judah who had remained faithful to David escorted him in triumph. 
 This roused the jealousy of the men of Israel, who complained 
 that the men of Judah had stolen the king. These latter answered 
 in words " fiercer than the word of the men of Israel." 
 
 Sheba's Revolt. The people were ripe for mischief; so when 
 Sheba, a Benjamite, raised the well-known cry, " Every man to his 
 tent, O Israel !" all the Israelites deserted David and followed 
 Sheba. David lost no time, but sent an army after him, led by 
 Joab. Sheba fled through all Israel, and at last took refuge in the 
 town Abel. Here he was besieged by his pursuers. There was a 
 certain wise woman in the town who parleyed with Joab, and be- 
 sought him not to destroy the town. Joab agreed to do so pro- 
 vided Sheba were given up. The woman persuaded her towns- 
 folk, and they killed Sheba and cast his head over the wall; Joab 
 and the army then returned to Jerusalem. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Last Days of David The Psalms. 
 The Gibeonites Appeased. There was a famine in the land 
 for three successive years. David inquired the cause, and the 
 Lord answered that it was because Saul had slain the Gibeonites. 
 To atone for this crime David, at the request of the Gibeonites, de- 
 livered up to them seven men of the house of Saul, whom they 
 hanged. But Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, one of Saul's wives, 
 watched the dead bodies all through the harvest time, ' 'and suffered 
 neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of
 
 90 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 the field by night." When David heard of this nohle devotion he 
 caused the remains to be buried. At this time, too, David removed 
 the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-Gilead, and buried 
 them in the country of Benjamin. Several battles with the 
 Philistines took place after these events, in one of which David 
 was almost slam, so his captains would not allow him to take part 
 in any further encounters. 
 
 David Numbers the People. " The anger of the Lord was 
 kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, 
 Go, number Israel and Judah." Joab tried to dissuade him from 
 committing this trespass, but the king was obstinate. So the 
 people were counted, " and there were in Israel eight hundred 
 thousand valiant men that drew the sword ; and the men of Judah 
 were five hundred thousand." David almost immediately repented 
 his rash act, and besought the Lord for forgiveness. By the mouth 
 of Gad the seer, the Lord gave David choice of three punishments 
 viz., seven years of famine in the land, or three months of flight 
 from before his enemies, or three days of pestilence. David chose 
 the latter, and seventy thousand of the people perished. The 
 
 S'ague stayed at the threshing-floor of Araunah, near Jerusalem, 
 avid purchased the plot of land, and building an altar thereon, 
 offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offence's. 
 
 David again wishes to Build a Temple. The desire to raiso 
 a temple to God had always been close to the king's heart, but its 
 gratification was denied to him. His hands were too deeply 
 stained with blood to be engaged in so holy a work. He charged 
 his son Solomon to build the house in which God should dwell, 
 and prepared in abundance iron, brass, and cedar wood. He set 
 masons to hew wrought stones. He also commanded the princes 
 of Israel to help Solomon in carrying out his design. David then 
 gathered all the priests and the Levites, and divided the service of 
 the Tabernacle between them in regular courses. 
 
 David makes Solomon his Heir. Adonijah, a brother of Ab- 
 salom, now exalted himself, saying, " I will be king." He prepared 
 for himself chariots and horsemen, and took Joab and Abiathar 
 the priest into his counsels. Nathan, alarmed at this outbreak, 
 induced Bath-sheba to plead the cause of her son Solomon before 
 the king. Bath-sheba accordingly stood before the king, informed 
 him of Adonijah's revolt, and entreated him to declare that 
 Solomon should succeed him on the throne. While she was yet 
 speaking, Nathan, as previously arranged, entered the king's 
 presence, and repeated Bath-sheba' s request. Then David swore 
 by the Lord that Solomon should reign after him and sit upon his 
 throne. Then calling Zadok the priest, and Nathan and Benaiah,
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 91 
 
 he bade them take Solomon and anoint him king at once. 
 " Zadok took an horn of oil out of the tahernacle, and anointed 
 Solomon. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, 
 God save King Solomon." When Adonijah heard that Solomon 
 had been proclaimed king, he feared for his life, and took refuge 
 at the horns of the altar. But Solomon sent for him, and told him 
 to go to his house in peace. 
 
 Death of David. The king's end was drawing near. He sent 
 for his son Solomon, and charged him to keep the way of God, and 
 observe his commandments as written in the Law of Moses. He 
 pointed out to Solomon who had been his friends and his enemies, 
 and while he asked that the former might be rewarded, he insisted 
 that the latter should not go unpunished. " So David slept 
 with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David." He 
 reigned over Israel forty years seven in Hebron, and thirty-three 
 in Jerusalem. 
 
 The Psalms of David. David was not only a brave warrior, 
 an intrepid leader, and a devoted friend, he was also the most 
 inspired of poets. The outpourings of his genius are found in that 
 section of Holy Writ called " The Psalms," consisting of 150 
 poetical compositions of various length. They were not all written 
 by David, some having been composed as late as the Captivity. 
 They are filled with some of the finest imagery that the human 
 mind has ever conceived. They glow with gratitude to God for 
 his abundant favours ; they are instinct with praise and prayer 
 with devotional fervour such as rarely moves the heart of man. 
 Now they rise in exultation at the achievement of victory, 
 spiritual or material ; now they wail of the human soul sunk in 
 misery, bitterness, and gloom. Some were written for special 
 occasions, to mark certain events which touched the history of the 
 nation, or affected the private life of the singer ; others are the 
 outpourings of the soul for God's goodness and favour to all man- 
 kind. The Jews have always hela the Psalms in peculiar venera- 
 tion and love. They are recited on all occasions of rejoicing or 
 sorrow, and form no small part of the synagogal ritual. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Solomon Ascends the Throne. He Builds the Temple. 
 
 Solomon's first Acts. Solomon succeeded his father at the 
 age of eighteen. He was singularly gifted, and the kingdom was 
 at peace. He was soon obliged to show the sterner part of his 
 nature. The restless Adonijah demanded as his wife Abishag 
 the Shunamite, she who had ministered to the king's old age. 
 Solomon, thinking that this was only a first step on the part of
 
 92 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Adonijah to claim the throne, ordered him to instant execution. 
 Following the advice of David his father, he banished Abiathar the 
 priest from Jerusalem, aud caused Joab to be put to death because 
 he had slain Abner and Amasa, captains of the host. He com- 
 manded Shimei to take up his residence in Jerusalem, and never 
 to pass over the Kidron on pain of death. It was not long before 
 Shimei transgressed the king's command and paid the penalty 
 with his life. Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, king 
 of Egypt, and though he loved the Lord and walked in the 
 statutes of David his father, yet he burnt incense in high places. 
 
 Solomon's Vision. The king offered a great sacrifice in 
 Gibeon, where was the tabernacle of God, even a thousand burnt- 
 offerings. That night the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, 
 and said, " Ask what I shall give thee." Solomon expressed his 
 gratitude to God for all his past favours, and begged only for 
 "an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern 
 between good and bad : for who is able to judge this Thy so great 
 a people r" The Lord was pleased with Solomon's request, and 
 promised him not only wisdom, but also riches and honour, and 
 even length of days, if he would but keep His statutes and com- 
 mandments. 
 
 The Judgment of Solomon. Two women came before the king 
 in judgment. The first one said that she and the other woman, 
 living in the same house, had both been delivered of a child 
 within three days. The babe of the other woman having died, 
 its mother changed the children at night, taking the living one 
 and giving her the dead one. In the morning light she dis- 
 covered the deception, and now came before the king for justice. 
 The other woman, however, contradicted her, saying the living 
 child was hers, whilst the dead one belonged to her who had first 
 spoken. The king was sorely puzzled ; then he ordered a sword 
 to be fetched and the living child to be cut in two, so that a half 
 might be given to either woman. But the real mother of the 
 child was horrified at the idea of its slaughter, and preferred that 
 the infant should be given up to her rival ; but the latter 
 exclaimed, " Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it." The 
 king's test had discovered the true mother, to whom the king 
 ordered the child to be delivered. All Israel heard of the judg- 
 ment and they feared the king, for they saw the wisdom of God 
 was in him. His fame was spread abroad through all nations as 
 the wisest of men. He composed three thousand proverbs (the 
 Book of Proverbs being a portion of them), and a thousand and 
 five songs. These treated of many subjects, of all trees, and 
 beasts, and fowl, of creeping things and fishes.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 93 
 
 Hiram's Friendship. Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, 
 asking him to carry out the promise he had made to David, to supply 
 materials for building the Temple. Hiram rejoiced that Solo- 
 mon's heart was set upon this project, and undertook to furnish 
 him with cedars and firs from Lebanon. So Solomon sent 
 thousands of labourers to cut down trees, and to quarry and 
 dress stones, both plain and costly. Hiram also lent men to 
 assist in the work. The two kings made a league, and the peace 
 between them was never broken. 
 
 The Building of the Temple. " And it came to pass in the 
 four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were 
 come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's 
 reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, 
 that he began to build the house of the Lord." Its length was 
 sixty cubits, its breadth twenty cubits, and its height thirty 
 cubits. The stones whereof it was constructed and the beams 
 had been previously hewn and cut and trimmed, so that in rearing 
 the edifice neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard. 
 Stone, cedar and brass were the materials employed, and he over- 
 laid the whole house with pure gold, even to the floor of it. Some 
 of its most beautiful accessories were the Cherubim, ten cubits high, 
 of olive wood, covered with gold, the beautiful pillars which stood 
 at the entrance, and the molten sea of brass standing upon twelve 
 brazen oxen. It took seven years building, and was finished in 
 the month Bui, which is the eighth month, in the eleventh 
 year of the king's reign. Solomon also built himself a magni- 
 ficent palace, which occupied him for thirteen years. 
 
 Dedication of the Temple. The house of God having been 
 finished, and all the vessels required in the service having been 
 arranged in their appropriate places, Solomon assembled in Jeru- 
 salem all the elders of Israel, and the leaders of the tribes, at the 
 feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. A 
 grand procession was formed, and the priests bore the ark into the 
 sanctuary, while the king and the people offered innumerable 
 sacrifices. God signified His approval 01 all that had been done 
 by filling the Temple with His glory. Then Solomon, in the 
 hearing of all the people, offered up a noble prayer to God. 
 He openly testified to the unity and greatness of God. He 
 entreated that the fane he had built might be a true house of 
 prayer to all Israel. He exhorted the people to make their 
 hearts perfect with God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His 
 commandments. These ceremonies being concluded, the king 
 feasted the whole people for fourteen days, and then dismissed 
 them to their homes, joyful and glad of heart.
 
 94 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Solomon's Greatness and Death. 
 
 Solomon's Second Vision. Again the Lord appeared unto 
 Solomon as He had done at Gibeon, and told him that his prayer 
 had been heard, and that the Lord would dwell perpetually in the 
 house he had built. He further exhorted him to obey the Lord's 
 commands, for then his kingdom should be established in Israel 
 for ever; but if he and the people should turn away from following 
 the Lord, then Israel should be cut off from the land, and should 
 become a by-word among- all people. 
 
 Hiram's Howard. When Solomon had finished the Temple 
 and his own house, he desired to recompense Hiram for his 
 splendid gifts. So he gave him twenty cities in the land of 
 Galilee. When Hiram inspected them he did not like them at 
 all, and called them " Cabul."* 
 
 The King's Navy. Solomon also built a navy of ships at 
 Ezion-geber, which is beside Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, 
 in the land of Edom. Hiram sent " shipmen that had knowledge 
 of the sea" to man the vessels, together with men of Solomon's 
 choosing. The ships traded as far as Ophir, probably in Arabia, 
 and brought thence large quantities of gold, sandal wood, and 
 precious stones. 
 
 Queen of Sheba. The fame of Solomon was not confined to 
 the Holy Land, but travelled to distant Arabia, whence the Queen 
 of Sheba set out with a great train to visit the wise king. Her 
 camels bore costly presents of spices, and gold and gems. When 
 she saw the state of the King she was overwhelmed with its 
 magnificence, and she blessed the God of Israel for the love He 
 had for His people, and because He had made Solomon their king. 
 
 Israel's Greatness. The kingdom of Israel was now at the 
 very pinnacle of its power and splendour. The county over which 
 Solomon held sway extended from the 2pth to the 36th parallel 
 of North latitude, and from the 34th to the 3pth degree of East 
 longitude. Its length was about 600 miles, and its extreme 
 breadth about 180 miles. Gezer of the Canaanites was a tributary 
 city, and Tadmor in the far-off desert was built by Solomon. His 
 wealth was unbounded. He had one navy trading to Ophir, 
 another to Tarshish (Spain?) "He exceeded all the kings of 
 the earth for riches and for wisdom." His people shared in 
 his prosperity. "The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as 
 
 * JoaejphuB explaiaa this word aa signifying " not pleasing."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 1,5 
 
 stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that 
 are in the vale for abundance." 
 
 Solomon's Backslidings. But the wise king fell into folly 
 and sin. He loved and took to wife many strange women, 
 Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites ; women 
 with whom the children of Israel had been forbidden to hold inter- 
 course. They induced the king 1 to worship strange deities, so 
 that " his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as was the 
 heart of David his father." He built high places to Chemosh and 
 to Molech, and offered burnt incense and sacrifices unto them. 
 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because he had transgressed 
 the command not to go after other gods. Nor should his sin go un- 
 punished 5 for the kingdom should be rent from him and given to 
 his servant. Yet for the sake of his father David this calamity was 
 not to happen in his own days, but in those of his son. That son, 
 instead of inheriting the whole realm, should rule over two tribes 
 only, while the rest of kingdom should obey another sovereign. 
 
 His Troubles and Death. God stirred up two adversaries 
 against Solomon, namely, Hadad the Edomite, and Rezon, who 
 reigned in Damascus. They troubled Israel all the days of 
 Solomon. There was one of the king's officers, named Jeroboam 
 the son of Nebat, who by his talents had been raised to an 
 important post. One day when Jeroboam was going out of 
 Jerusalem, clad in a new garment, it happened that the prophet 
 Ahijah met him by the way. Seizing Jeroboam's garment he 
 rent it in twelve pieces, and he said to him, "Take thee ten 
 pieces : for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, Behold, I will 
 rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten 
 tribes to thee." He further admonished Jeroboam to keep the 
 way of God, for then the kingdom should be established in his 
 family. Solomon no doubt got to hear of this interview, for he 
 sought to kill Jeroboam. So Jeroboam fled to Shishak, king of 
 Egypt, and remained there till Solomon's death. " And the time 
 that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 
 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city 
 of David his father ; and Rehoboain his son reigned in his stead.
 
 j)6 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 PART V. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OP ISRAEL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Jeroboam. Nadab. 
 
 The Kingdom Divided. Soon after the death of Solomon 
 the nation was divided into two kingdoms, the kingdom of 
 Israel and the kingdom of Judah. The former comprised the 
 ten tribes located in the more northern part of the Holy Land. 
 Its capital was Samaria. The kingdom of Judah consisted of 
 the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and occupied the southern 
 portion of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. 
 
 Jeroboam. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon went to Shechem 
 on the death of his father for the purpose of being crowned. 
 Jeroboam, however, hastened up from Egypt, and was soon 
 joined by a large following of the people. They demanded of 
 Rehoboam whether he would make lighter the yoke his father 
 had placed upon the people. Rehoboam consulted the aged and 
 wise counsellors of the late king, and they advised him to yield 
 to the just demands of the nation. But his young and headstrong 
 companions gave him very different advice. When he met the 
 people again after an interval of three days, he said to them, " My 
 father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke. My 
 father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 
 scorpions." The standard of revolt was instantly raised. Reho- 
 boam fled to Jerusalem, where the men of Judah and Benjamin 
 rallied to him, while Jeroboam was acclaimed king of Israel. 
 Rehoboam at once gathered an army to put down the revolt, but 
 the word of God came to him through Shemaiah forbidding him 
 to fight against the men of Israel. 
 
 Idolatry Introduced. Jeroboam was now firmly established 
 in his kingdom. Desirous of preventing his subjects going to Jeru- 
 salem to sacrifice, he made two golden calves and bade the people 
 worship them. The one he placed in Bethel and the other in Dan. 
 
 Jeroboam Punished. While Jeroboam was offering incense at 
 one of his idolatrous altars, there came a man of God who re- 
 buked him for his sin. The king, moved to anger, put forth bis 
 hand to seize the prophet, but his hand withered so tbac he could 
 not draw it in again. Then Jeroboam asked the prophet to en- 
 treat the Lord for him, and his hand was healed again. The man 
 of God, having fulfilled his mission, declined the proffered hos- 
 pitality of the king 1 , and went his way. An old prophet who
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 97 
 
 dwelt in Bethel set out after him, and induced him to return and 
 partake of food, although the Lord had strictly charged him not 
 to eat or drink in that place. A terrible punishment awaited the 
 disobedient servant of God, for he was torn in pieces by a lion. 
 
 Death of Abijah and Jeroboam. The king departed not 
 from his evil courses. At that time his son Abijah fell sick, and 
 Jeroboam commanded his wife to disguise herself and go to the 
 prophet Ahijah, in Shiloh, and to inquire whatshould become ofthe 
 child. Jeroboam's wife did so, and taking with her a present, came 
 to the house of Ahijah, who was now blind from old age. But the 
 prophet had been forewarned of the visit by God, so he cried out 
 at once : '' Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam, why feignest thou 
 thyself to be another ? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings." 
 Then recounting all that the Lord had done for Jeroboam, he 
 broke out in righteous indignation against his idolatry and apos- 
 tasy, and pronounced a heavy doom against him and against 
 Israel. The Lord u shall give up Israel because of the sins of 
 Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin." Moreover, 
 he told her the child should die. The wife of Jeroboam departed 
 and returned to her house, and when she came to the threshold of 
 the door the child died. Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years, and 
 he slept with his fathers, and was succeeded hy his son Nadab. 
 
 Nadab reigned but two years, and was as wicked as his father. 
 Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired 
 against him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Baasha- ElahZimriOmriAhab Elijah. 
 
 Baasha. The first act ofthe new king was to destroy every 
 member of Jeroboam's family. He did evil also in the sight of 
 the Lord. Like his predecessors, he dwelt in Tirzah, but pro- 
 ceeded to build the city of Ramah, on the borders of Judah. Asa, 
 King of Judah, regarded this act as a menace, and made a league 
 with Benhadad, King of Syria, against the king of Israel. A 
 combined army was led against Ramah, which being abandoned 
 by Baasha, was utterly destroyed. After this there was continued 
 warfare between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah all the days 
 of Baasha, The word of the Lord came to Baasha, through Jehu, 
 reproving him for his abominations, and threatening him with the 
 fate of Jeroboam. He reigned twenty-four years. 
 
 Elah, his son, succeeded him. He reigned but two years, at 
 the end of which time he was slain by one of his officers, Zimri, 
 while" drinking himself drunk" in Tirzah. 
 
 H
 
 98 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Zimri reigned only seven days. When he seized the throne, 
 the king's army was besieging Gibbethon, a city of the Philis- 
 tines. The news of Elah's murder reaching the camp, the soldiers 
 at once proclaimed Omri, the commander-in-chief, king. Omri 
 forthwith led his army against Zimri in Tirzah. He captured the 
 city, and, to avoid falling into the hands of Omri, Zimri retired to 
 the palace, set fire to it, and perished in the flames. 
 
 Omri. The whole of the people did not follow Omri. A 
 portion set up a rival in the person of Tibni, the son of Ginath. 
 Omri, however, soon subdued his competitor, and reigned un- 
 disputed. He transferred the capital of his kingdom to Samaria, 
 which he had bought of Shemer for two talents of silver. " But 
 Omri wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, and did worse than 
 all who were before him." He died after a reign of twelve years, 
 and was buried in Samaria. 
 
 Ahab, the son of Omri, succeeded, and reigned for twenty- two 
 years. He " did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were 
 before him." Not satisfied with his own iniquitous promptings, 
 he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the 
 Zidonians, whose wickedness has become a proverb. Ahab intro- 
 duced the worship of Baal, and built him an altar and a temple. 
 About this time Jericho was rebuilt by Hiel, the Beth-elite, who 
 laid the foundation in his first-born, and set up the gates thereof 
 in his youngest son, according to the word of the Lord which he 
 spake by Joshua. 
 
 Elijah. One of the most remarkable men in Israel's history 
 now appeared upon the scene. This was Elijah the Tishbite, an 
 inhabitant of Gilead. Nothing is related of his early life or train- 
 ing, but at the command of God he suddenly appeared before Ahab, 
 and announced that there should be neither rain nor dew in the 
 land for years, but according to the word of the -Lord. Still 
 obeying the divine behest, Elijah turned eastward, and hid him- 
 self by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. Here " the 
 ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread 
 and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook." When the 
 stream failed owing to the drought, he arose and went to Zarephath, 
 which belonged to Zidon. As he entered the town, he beheld a 
 widow woman gathering a few sticks. The prophet begged of her 
 a little water and a morsel of bread. But the woman replied that 
 she had nothing left but a handful of meal and a little oil, of which 
 she and her son were about to partake before they died. But 
 Elijah bade her bake him a little cake, and, in God's name, fore- 
 told that the meal and the oil should not fail until the rain came 
 upon the iand. And it was so.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 99 
 
 Elijah and the "Widow's Son. After these events, the 
 widow's son fell sick, and there was no breath left in him. The 
 woman cried out unto Elijah, who carried the boy up into his 
 own room, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed to God that 
 the lad might be restored to life, and stretched himself upon 
 the child three times. The child revived, and Elijah delivered 
 him to his mother. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Ahab Elijah and the Priests of Baal. 
 
 Elijah returns to Ahab. Three years elapsed; then the 
 word of God came to Elijah, saying 1 , " Go show thyself unto Ahab, 
 and I will send rain upon the earth." Elijah accordingly went 
 up to Samaria, where the famine was sore. The governor of the 
 king's palace was Obadiah, a man TV^O feared the Lord greatly, 
 and who had sheltered and fed a hundred prophets, when the 
 wicked Jezebel had slain the prophets of the Lord. Ahab had 
 commanded Obadiah to travel through the land to see if any 
 pasture could be found for the. king's horses ; and while Obadiah 
 went in one direction, the king set out on a similar quest another 
 way. Suddenly Obadiah met Elijah journeying to Samaria, and 
 fell upon his face in reverence of him. The prophet bade Obadiah 
 return to his lord and say, " Behold Elijah is here." But Obadiah, 
 knowing how prone Elijah was to disappear without warning, 
 objected to carry a message which endangered his life. He told 
 Elijah that Ahab had sought him in vain throughout every nation 
 and kingdom, and that if perchance, while conveying his message, 
 the spirit of God should call him away, his life would be forfeit. 
 But Elijah swore by the Lord of Hosts that he would shew him- 
 self to Ahab that day. The meeting took place. Ahab no sooner 
 saw Elijah than he exclaimed, " Art thou he that troubleth Israel ?'' 
 But Elijah replied, " I have not troubled Israel ; but thou and 
 thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of 
 the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim." 
 
 Elijah and the Priests of Baal. Elijah now proposed to 
 the king a test which should prove who was the true God. He 
 bade the king assemble at Carmel all the people of Israel, together 
 with the prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty in number, and 
 the four hundred prophets of the Groves, " which eat at Jezebel's 
 table." These being gathered together, Elijah exclaimed, " How 
 long halt ye between two opinions ? if the Lord be God follow 
 Him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people, conscious of 
 their sins, answered him not a word. Elijah then told them to 
 bring two bullocks. The prophets of Baal were to choose one, to 
 
 n 2
 
 I0 o MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 cut it in pieces, lay it on wood, and put no fire under it ; he him- 
 self was to do the same to the other. Then each was to call on 
 his God, and the one that answered by fire was to he acknowledged 
 as the true God. The people assented to the proposal, and the 
 false prophets prepared their hullock, They called unto Baal from 
 morning till evening ; but there was no voice and no answer, and 
 in their agony they leaped upon the altar. At noontide Elijah 
 mocked them, bidding them cry aloud, for surely Baal was a god 
 perhaps he was talking, or hunting, or sleeping, and required 
 to be waked. Thus incited, the priests of Baal redoubled their 
 cries, and gashed themselves with knives and lancets according to 
 their wont. Their efforts were useless. As the day declined, 
 Elijah called all the people near to him. Taking twelve stones, 
 according to the number of the tribes of Israel, he built therewith 
 an altar, and placed on it the wood and the bullock. He next cut a 
 trench round the altar, and told the people to fill four barrels with 
 water, and pour it over the altar. This they did three times, till the 
 altar and the sacrifice were drenched, and the trench filled. And at 
 the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed to God : " Hear me, 
 Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the 
 Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their hearts back again." 
 The words were scarcely uttered, when the fire of the Lord fell 
 from heaven and consumed the altar and the sacrifice, and licked 
 up all the water. When the people saw it, they fell on their 
 faces, exclaiming, "The Lord, He is the God, the Lord He is the 
 God." Elijah thought the moment favourable for striking another 
 blow at Baal worship. He commanded the people to seize the false 
 prophets ; " and they took them, and Elijah brought them down 
 to the brook Kishon, and slew them there." Eeturning to the 
 king, Elijah told him that rain was at hand. Ahab prepared to 
 return to his palace; but Elijah ascended Mount C arm el, and 
 bowed his head between his knees. He bade his servant look 
 towards the sea. The servant went and looked, and said, " There 
 is nothing." Elijah bade him go again even seven times. At 
 last the servant exclaimed, " Behold there ariseth a little cloud 
 out of the sea, like a man's hand." This was the rain-sign for 
 which Elijah waited. Presently the heavens grew black with 
 cloud, and the rain descended in torrents. Ahab mounted his 
 chariot and set out for Jezreel, and Elijah, out of respect for the. 
 king, ran before the royal chariot to the entrance of the city.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 101 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Ahab Elij ah Benhadad. 
 
 Elijah's Wanderings. When Jezebel heard of these events, 
 she sent a messenger to Elijah threatening- his life. The prophet 
 fled to Beersheba, and passed from thence into the wilderness. 
 Overcome with weariness, he sat down under a juniper tree and 
 prayed : " Lord take away my life, for I am not better than 
 my fathers." In his sleep an angel appeared to him, saying 
 " Arise and eat." Waking, he beheld a loaf of bread and a cruse 
 of water. Partaking of these he went without further food for 
 forty days, journeying to Mount Horeb. Here again he com- 
 plained to the Lord, inasmuch as the people of Israel had forsaken 
 God's covenant, and slain His prophets, and that even his life was 
 in danger. Then God told Elijah to stand upon the Mount, and 
 as the seer stood, a great and strong wind rushed by him, rending 
 the mountains and breaking the rocks ; but the Lord was not in 
 the wind. After the wind there came an earthquake ; but God was 
 not in the earthquake. Then came a fire ; but the Lord was not 
 in the fire. After the fire there was a still small voice which said, 
 " What dost thou here, Elijah ?" Again the prophet uttered his 
 complaint. Then the Lord told him to perform three missions to 
 go to Damascus, and anoint Hazael king over Syria, to anoint Jehu, 
 grandson of Nimshi, king over Israel, and to anoint Elisha, son 
 of Shaphat, as his own successor. The Lord also comforted him 
 with the knowledge that there were still seven thousand in 
 Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and whose mouths 
 had not kissed him. 
 
 Elijah meets Elisha. Elijah departed, and found Elisha 
 ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen ; and as he passed Elijah threw 
 his mantle upon him. Elisha at once responded to the call, and 
 begged permission to kiss his father and his mother before fol- 
 lowing his master. Elisha made a hurried feast for his people ; 
 "then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." 
 
 Benhadad, King of Syria, gathered an immense army, and 
 summoning his thirty-two tributary kings, with horses and chariots 
 went up and besieged Samaria. He sent messengers to Abab 
 claiming his treasures, his wives and his children. Ahab replied 
 that all he had belonged to his lord the king of Syria. Upon 
 this Benhadad sent further messengers, stating that his servants 
 should next day ransack the king's palace, taking away the 
 things they most desired. Ahab would not consent to this 
 humiliation, and sent back a defiant reply. Then Benhadad vowed 
 the destruction of Samaria. But Ahab answered him : " Let
 
 102 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that 
 putteth it off." Fired by this taunt, Benhadad at once set his 
 host in battle array against the city. Then came there a prophet 
 unto Ahab, telling him that the Lord would destroy the Syrian 
 army by the hands of the lt young- men of the princes of the 
 provinces," who numbered two hundred and thirty-two! This 
 devoted band set out towards the Syrian camp at noon. Benhadad, 
 \vho was conversing- in his tent, being- told of their approach, 
 ordered them to be seized alive. But the young- men slew their 
 would-be captors, and a panic fell upon the Syrian host. They 
 fled in terror, and Israel pursued them, and Benhadad escaped 
 on horseback. The same prophet warned Ahab to strengthen 
 himself, as the Syrians would surely return the following 
 year. This prediction was verified. The Syrians attributed their 
 defeat to the belief that the God of Israel was all powerful on the 
 hills, and resolved to fig-ht in future in the plains. Benhadad, 
 gathering- a yet mightier force, went up to Aphek to encounter 
 the Israelites. A decisive battle was fought, in which the Syrians 
 were defeated with terrible loss. Benhadad fled to Aphek, and 
 hid himself in an inner room of a house. His servants, clothing 
 themselves in sackcloth, appeared before Ahab, and entreated 
 him to spare the life of their master. Ahab at once sent for the 
 fallen king and showed him great kindness and honour. Ben- 
 hadad promised to restore the cities captured previously from the 
 Israelites. The two monarchs made a covenant to this effect and 
 parted. Ahab set out on his way to Samaria. On the road he 
 was met by a prophet, who denounced his mistaken leniency : 
 " Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand 
 a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy 
 life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people." Ahab 
 returned to his palace heavy and displeased. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Naboth's Vineyard Elijah Death of Ahab Ahaziah. 
 
 Naboth's Vineyard. There was a certain man named Naboth, 
 who owned a vineyard close to the palace of the king in Samaria. 
 Ahab greatly coveted the vineyard, and offered Naboth a better 
 vineyard for it, or its value in money. Naboth however refused 
 these offers, saying : " The Lord forbid it me, that I should givG 
 the inheritance of my fathers unto thee." Ahab took the refusal 
 to heart, and lay down on his bed, and would eat no bread. 
 Jezebel, learning the cause of his grief, bade him be merry, 
 for she would obtain him his desire. She sent letters in the 
 king's name unto the elders, and the nobles of the city, bidding
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 103 
 
 them suborn false witnesses who should accuse Naboth of blas- 
 phemy against God and the king. The elders and princes proved 
 the willing tools of Jezebel ; Naboth was duly accused and stoned 
 to death. Then Ahab set out to take possession of the vineyard. 
 But Elijah, who had received a message from God, met him by 
 the way. When Ahab beheld the prophet, he exclaimed. " Hast 
 thou found me, mine enemy ?" And he answered : " I have 
 found thee j because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the 
 sight of the Lord." Elijah then foretold him the terrible punish- 
 ment of his sin ; evil should come upon him, and upon his whole 
 house ; the dogs should lick his blood where they had licked the 
 blood of Naboth j the dogs should devour Jezebel by the wall of 
 Jezreel. When Ahab heard these words he rent his clothes, and 
 put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted. Because he thus humbled 
 himself, the Lord did not bring* the threatened evil in his days, 
 but in his son's days. 
 
 Death of Ahab. The King of Syria had not restored to 
 Israel the city of Ramoth in Gilead. Ahab resolved to recapture 
 it, and on his invitation, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, joined 
 in the expedition. Before the combined armies set out, Jeho- 
 shaphat desired Ahab to inquire of the Lord whether success 
 would attend them. Ahab gathered his four hundred prophets 
 and asked them whether he should go up against Ramoth ; and 
 they told him to go up, for the Lord would deliver it into his 
 hand. But Jehoshaphat was not satisfied with the assurances of 
 these men, and asked if there were not to be found a prophet of the 
 Lord. Ahab replied that there was such a man, Micaiah, the son 
 of Imlah, but he hated him, for the prophet always spoke evil 
 of him. But the king- of Judah insisted that he should be sent 
 for. The two kings mounted their thrones, and all the false 
 prophets prophesied before them. One of them, by name Zede- 
 kiah, had made himself horns of iron, telling Ahab that with 
 them he should push the Syrians till he had consumed them. The 
 servant, who went for Micaiah, begged him to speak to the king 
 in the same strain as the false prophets had spoken. But Micaiah 
 replied that he could speak only the word of God. When 
 Micaiah entered the presence, Ahab asked him whether he should 
 g-o up against Ramoth. Micaiah mockingly replied that the 
 Lord would deliver the city into the hand of the king. Ahab 
 however pressed him to say nothing but what was true. Then 
 Micaiah prophesied that evil would overtake the king, and that 
 God had put a lying spirit into the mouths of the false prophets 
 to tempt Ahab to destruction. Overcome with anger, the king 
 ordered Micaiah to be at once taken to prison, and to be kept there
 
 io 4 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HIST OR Y. 
 
 till he should return in peace. Micaiah answered : "If thou return 
 at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me." 
 
 The kings then led their forces to Ramoth, and they arranged 
 that Jehochaphat should fight in his royal robes, but that Ahab 
 should disguise himself. The king of Syria had commanded his 
 captains to fight with neither great nor small, save only with the 
 king of Israel. While the battle raged some of the Syrian 
 captains fiercely engaged Jehoshaphat, whom they thought was 
 the king of Israel ; but he saved himself by calling out his name. 
 However, a Syrian archer shot an arrow at random which smote 
 Ahab through the joints of his armour. The battle was against 
 the allied armies, who fled every man to his city and his own 
 country. Ahab died at even, and was buried in Samaria ; and 
 while his servants washed his chariot and his armour the dogs 
 licked up his blood, as the Lord had spoken. 
 
 Ahaziah, a son of Ahab, succeeded him and reigned two years. 
 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and worshipped Baal as his 
 father had done. In his reign Moab rebelled against Israel. 
 Ahaziah fell out of a window in his palace at Samaria, and lay ill 
 on his bed. He sent to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, 
 whether he should recover. But Elijah met the messengers, and 
 bade them tell the king he should surely die. So the men 
 turned back to the king, and said that a man had told them in 
 the name of the Lord that the king would die. Ahaziah asked 
 what kind of a man it was. They answei'ed : " a hairy man, girt 
 with a girdle of leather round his loins." The king said, " It is 
 Elijah the Tishbite." At once he sent an officer and fifty men to 
 seize him, but fire came down from the Lord and consumed the 
 soldiers. This happened again with another captain and his 
 band. The king sent a third company, and the captain entreated 
 Elijah to have compassion upon them and to come to the king. 
 Elijah, assured by the Lord that no harm should befall him, went 
 to Ahaziah and repeated his prediction. And the king died 
 according- to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Elijah Elisha Jehoram. 
 
 Disappearance of Elijah. When Elijah was warned by the 
 Lord that his earthly mission was drawing- to a close, he journeyed 
 with Elisha from Gilgal. He had begged Elisha to remain at 
 Gilgal while he went on to Bethel ; but Elisha would not leave 
 him, so they went down to Bethel. There was a school of the sons 
 of the prophets at Bethel, and the pupils asked Elisha if he knew 
 that the Lord would take away his master that day, and he replied
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 105 
 
 that he was fully aware of it. Elijah now announced his depar- 
 ture for the Jordan, and entreated Elisha to remain at Bethel ; but 
 he answered : "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not 
 leave thee." The two travelled together to the Jordan, where fifty 
 sons of the prophets stood at a distance to see what would ensue. 
 Elijah, rolling up his mantle, smote the waters of the river, and he 
 and Elisha passed over on dry land. The solemn hour was now at 
 hand. Elijah asked his pupil what he should do for him, and Elisha 
 prayed that a double portion of his spirit might be upon him. Elijah 
 replied : " Thou hast asked a hard thing ; nevertheless, if thou see 
 me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, 
 it shall not be so." And as they were talking, " behold there ap- 
 peared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both 
 asunder ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." When 
 Elisha saw this, he exclaimed, " My father, my father ; " but he 
 saw him no more. He rent his garments as a sign of mourning ; 
 then, taking the mantle of Elijah, which had fallen from him, he 
 parted with it the waters of Jordan, and passed over to the sons 
 of the prophets, who acknowledged him their master. These young 
 men, unable to think that Elijah had finally disappeared, searched 
 for him three days in the wilderness, but found him not. 
 
 Elisha's first Acts. The inhabitants of Jericho complained 
 to Elisha that the water that supplied the city was bad, and 
 the land barren. Elisha cast some salt into the spring and 
 healed the waters. The prophet now set out on his way to 
 Bethel, and as he went along, the little children of the city 
 came out and mocked him, crying out, " Go up, thou bald 
 head." The man of God turned back and cursed them, and 
 there came forth two she-bears out of the wood and killed 
 forty-two of them. Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and re- 
 turned thence to Samaria. 
 
 Jehoram. Jehoram now filled the vacant throne of Israel, and 
 reigned twelve years. He wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, 
 yet he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. 
 Mesha, King of Moab, a tributary of the King of Israel, now re- 
 belled Jehoram made a league with Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, 
 and the two kings led their armies against Moab. On their way 
 through Edom they were joined by the king of that land with his 
 army. They now traversed the desert for seven days, and became 
 greatly distressed through want of water. Then Jehoshaphat asked 
 if there were not a prophet of the Lord to be found, and a servant 
 answered that Elisha was at hand. The three monarchs went to 
 him. But Elisha would have nought to say to the King of Israel, 
 bidding him take counsel of the prophets of his father and of his
 
 io6 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 mother. Yet for the sake of the King- of Judah he would advise 
 them. Then he made a minstrel play before him, and as he 
 listened the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Then he bade the 
 kings dig ditches in the valley, and it should be that without see- 
 ing- wind or rain that they should have abundance of water. The 
 next morning, behold the ditches were full of water. As the rays 
 of the sun fell upon the streams, the Moabites thought they were 
 rivers of blood, and exclaimed : "The kings are surely slain, and 
 they have smitten one another ; now, therefore, Moab to the spoil." 
 But when they reached the camp, the allies fell upon them and 
 smote them with a dreadful slaughter. They passed through the 
 land of Moab, destroying the cities, stopping tip the wells, and 
 felling the trees. When the battle went against him, the king of 
 Moab, with seven hundred picked men, tried to break through to 
 where the King of Edom was stationed, but he could not. Then 
 he took his eldest son and offered him for a burnt offering 
 upon the wall. This act caused great indignation among the 
 Israelites, and they returned to their own land. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Elisha's Miracles. 
 
 Elisha and the Stnmamite. Now a certain woman of the 
 wives of the sons of the prophet complained to Elisha that her 
 husband was dead, and that a creditor had come to take her two 
 sons in payment of her debts. Elisha asked what she had in the 
 house, and she replied nothing but a pot of oil. Then Elisha told 
 her to borrow all the empty vessels sbe could, and, having shut 
 herself in, to fill them from the pot. The widow did so, and, 
 selling the oil thus miraculously increased, freed herself from her 
 creditor. 
 
 In the town of Shunem there dwelt a rich woman, and as often 
 as Elisha visited the place she invited him to her house to eat 
 bread. Taking counsel with her husband, she prepared for the 
 prophet a little chamber, and furnished it with a bed, a table, a 
 stool, and a candlestick. One day, while occupying the room, 
 Elisha bade his servant Gehazi call the Shunamite, and she stood 
 before him. Then Elisha asked what return should he make for 
 all her kindness ; should he speak for her to the king, or to the 
 captain of the host ? But the Shunamite modestly replied, " I 
 dwell among mine own people." Learning-, however, that she 
 had no children, the man of God predicted that she should bave 
 a son. The woman in due time bare a son, and one day, when he 
 was grown up, he went out to his father among the reapers. The 
 lad became ill, and was carried home to his mother, who nursed
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 107 
 
 him on her knees till noon, when he died. The afflicted mother 
 laid the child on the bed of the man of God ; then bidding one of 
 the servants saddle an ass, rode with all speed to Carmel. Elisha 
 chanced to see her at a distance, and told Gehazi to run to her and 
 inquire if all were well with her, her husband, and her child. She 
 answered, " It is well !" Then approaching the man of God, she 
 clung 1 to his feet, exclaiming 1 : " Did I desire a son of my lord ? 
 Did I not say, Do not deceive me ?" Elisha perceived that some- 
 thing- was amiss with the lad, although the Lord had not shown 
 it to him. He ordered Gehazi to haste to Shunem ; not to wait 
 to salute or be saluted on the way ; and to lay the prophet's staff 
 upon the face of the child. But the woman would not leave Elisha ; 
 so he arose and went with her. When they neared the house, 
 Gehazi came out and told Elisha that the child had not waked. 
 The prophet entered the chamber, and there lay the child dead 
 upon the bed. Closing- the door, he prayed to God, and then 
 stretched himself upon the child till its flesh waxed warm and it 
 opened its eyes. Then, sending- for the mother, he said to her, 
 Take thy son. " Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and 
 bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son and went out." 
 
 At another time, the sons of the prophets, while eating a meal, 
 found that a poisonous herb had been cooked with the food. But 
 Elisha mixed a little meal with the food, and it was perfectly 
 harmless. On another occasion, he miraculously fed a hundred 
 men with twenty loaves of barley and some ears o'f corn, and even 
 then a part was left. 
 
 Naaman was captain of the host of the King of Syria. He was 
 a great man and an honourable, but withal a leper. His wife was 
 waited on by a little Jewish maid, a captive ; and she said to her 
 mistress that if her lord would only go to the prophet in Samaria, 
 he would be cured of his leprosy. This speech reaching the 
 king's ears, he sent Naaman to the King of Israel, with a letter 
 bidding Jehoram cure him of his leprosy. As a recompense, 
 Naaman took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand 
 pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. When Jehoram read 
 the letter, he rent his garments with grief, saying that the King 
 of Syria was seeking a quarrel against him, in asking him to cure 
 an incurable disease. But Elisha, hearing of the king's distress, 
 bade him send Naaman to him, so that he might learn that there 
 was yet a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses 
 and with his chariot, and stood at the door of his house. Then 
 Elisha sent out word to him to go and wash in the Jordan seven 
 times, and then his flesh would be clean. But Naaman departed 
 in anger. He thought the prophet would have shown him some
 
 io8 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 visible sign of his power, and would have healed him on the spot. 
 As for washing in Jordan, were not Abana and Pharpar, the 
 rivers of Damascus, better than all the rivers of Israel ? could he 
 not wash in them and be clean ? Yet his servants persuaded him 
 to try the prophet's remedy, as it was so easy to achieve. Then 
 he went and dipped in Jordan seven times, and was healed. Full 
 of gratitude, Naaman hurried back to Elisha, and said : " Behold, 
 now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." 
 He pressed him to receive a present, but Elisha again and 
 again refused. Then Naaman vowed that he would never more 
 oifer burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the 
 Lord. He also asked pardon of God, when, in discharge of the 
 duties of his high office, he entered the temple of Rimmon, the 
 king leaning upon his hand, and bowed himself to Rimmon. 
 Then Elisha bade him go in peace, and he departed. But to 
 Gehazi it seemed ill that Elisha had spared the riches of Naaman. 
 Hurrying after him, he craved a talent of silver and two changes 
 of garment, in Elisha's name. Naaman generously gave him more 
 than he asked, and Gehazi brought the things secretly into the 
 house. Then Elisha asked his servant where he had been, and 
 Gehazi lyingly replied, nowhere. But Elisha told him he knew 
 the crime he had committed, and sternly rebuked him for it 
 "The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and 
 unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a 
 leper as white as snow." 
 
 After this Elisha went with the sons of the prophets to Jordan 
 to cut timber. As one was felling a tree his axe-head fell into 
 the water. The man cried out, for it was borrowed. Elisha cast 
 a stick into the water, and the axe-head swam, so that the man 
 recovered it. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Jehoram Wars with the Syrians. Death of Benhadad. 
 
 War with Syria. The King of Syria again warred against 
 Israel. The prophet Elisha was able to render signal service to 
 his countryman, for he revealed to the King of Israel all the 
 secret counsels of his enemies. The King of Syria at first sus- 
 pected some of his servants of treachery, but at last he was con- 
 vinced that his plans were frustrated through Elisha. Learning 
 that the seer was staying at Dothan, he sent a great host to 
 capture h''m They compassed the city round about at night. 
 The next morning Elisha prayed to the Lord, and He smote the 
 host of the Syrians with blindness. Elisha then led them to 
 Samaria. Then the Lord opened their eyes, and they found
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 109 
 
 themselves in the midst of Samaria. Jehoram would have put 
 them to the sword, hut Elisha had them bountifully fed, and then 
 sent them away to their master. For a time there was peace 
 with the Syrians ; then Benhadad gathered all his armies and 
 laid siege to Samaria. So strict was the siege that there was a 
 great famine in the city, and an ass's head sold for fourscore 
 pieces of silver. One day the King of Israel, passing through 
 the town, heard two women quarrelling. The king inquired the 
 cause of the strife. And one of them answered : " This woman 
 said unto me, Give thy son that we may eat him to-day, and we 
 will eat my son to-morrow. So we boiled my son and did eat 
 him, and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son that we 
 may eat him, and she hath hid her son." When the king heard 
 this he rent his clothes. Then in his anger he vowed the death 
 of Elisha that day. He sent a messenger to seize him. Elisha 
 was forewarned by God of what was happening, and at once 
 announced good tidings to the city. " Thus saith the Lord, To- 
 morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for 
 a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of 
 Samaria." One of the courtiers laughed at the prediction, and 
 Elisha told him that he should see the abundance, out should not 
 eat of it. 
 
 Plight of the Syrians. Now there stood four leprous men out- 
 side the gate of the city, whom the pangs of hunger drove to seek 
 food at the hands of the Syrians. They rose up in the twilight, and 
 went to the Syrian camp, and to their amazement found it deserted. 
 For the Lord had made the Syrians to hear the noise of a mighty 
 army; and they said to one another, Lo, the Israelites and the 
 Hittites, and the Egyptians have leagued themselves together, 
 and are attacking us. So they fled in the twilight, and left oehind 
 them their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even their 
 whole camp. The lepers went from tent to tent, eating and 
 drinking, and carrying away gold and silver and raiment. At 
 last they bethought them of their starving brethren in Samaria, 
 and turned to tell the glad tidings in the town. The Israelites 
 at first feared an ambush ; but after due precaution, they sacked 
 the Syrian camp ; so that flour and barley became as plentiful as 
 the prophet had foretold. But the scoffing courtier partook not 
 of the good things, for he was trampled to death by the people 
 rushing forth through the gate. 
 
 Elisha in Damascus. Elisha now journeyed to Damascus. 
 Benhadad, King of Syria, lay ill, and he heard of the arrival of 
 the man of God. The king sent Hazael with costly presents to 
 EUsha, begging him inquire of the Lord whether ho should
 
 no MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 recover. Hazael went to Elisha, with forty camels laden with the 
 good things of Damascus, and conveyed to him the king's mes- 
 sage. '"' And Elisha said unto him : " Go, say unto him, Thou 
 mayest certainly recover : howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that 
 he shall surely die." Then Elisha wept ; and when Hazael asked 
 the cause of his grief, he replied that he foresaw the evil that 
 Hazael would do the people of Israel ; he would Irarn their strong- 
 holds, slay their young men, and slaughter their women and 
 children. Hazael, greatly moved, exclaimed, " But what, is thy 
 servant a dog, that he should do this great thing ?" And Elisha 
 answered : " The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be king 
 over Syria." Hazael returned to Benhadad, and told him that 
 Elisha had announced his sure recovery. On the morrow Hazael 
 took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and with it smothered 
 the king. Hazael then ascended the Syrian throne. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Jehu Death of Jezebel Jehoahaz Death of Elisha. 
 
 Jehu Anointed. Hazael soon led a Syrian army against the 
 King of Israel. He attempted to recapture Ramoth Gilead, but 
 failed. Jehoram received several wounds in his encounter with 
 the Syrians, and withdrew to Jezreel to be cured; and Ahaziah, 
 King of Judah, his ally, accompanied him. The army of the 
 Israelites remained encamped at Ramoth, and were commanded 
 by Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat. 
 
 Elisha, calling to him one of the sons of the prophets, bade him 
 take a vial of oil and secretly anoint Jehu king over Israel. 
 The young man hastened to Ramoth Gilead, and found Jehu 
 sitting with the officers. He exclaimed : " I have an errand to 
 thee, Captain. And Jehu said: L T nto which of all of us ? 
 And he said : To thee, Captain." Then, taking Jehu into an 
 inner room, he poured the oil on his head, and told him that the 
 Lord God of Israel had anointed him king over His people. He 
 bade him smite the whole house of Ahab, to avenge the blood of 
 the Lord's prophets, and the Lord's servants that had been slain. 
 As for Jezebel, the dogs should eat her body, for there should be 
 none to bury her. Then, opening the door, the prophet fled. 
 Returning to the captains, Jehu announced that he had been 
 anointed king over Israel. The people acclaimed him at once, 
 threw their garments on the ground for him to walk on, blew the 
 trumpets, and shouted, " Jehu is king !" Jehu at once ordered 
 that no one should leave the city or carry the tidings to Jezebel. 
 Mounting his chariot, and gathering a company about him, Jehu 
 drove furiously, as was his wont ; to Jezreel. When he approached
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. in 
 
 the city, a watchman, stationed on a tower, announced to Jehoram 
 that he espied a company of men. The king- sent a messenger to 
 inquire of the strangers if they came in peace, but Jehu bade the man 
 follow after him. A second messenger was served in the same 
 way. By this time Jehu had drawn so near that he was recog- 
 nized. Jehoram and Ahaziah instantly mounted their chariots, 
 and went out to meet him in the field of Naboth. When they met, 
 Jehoram exclaimed, " Is it peace, Jehu ?" But Jehu asked, 
 What peace could there be so long as the wicked Jezebel 
 and her witchcrafts were unpunished? Jehoram cried out, 
 " There is treachery, Ahaziah !" and turned and fled. But 
 Jehu drew a bow with his full strength and smote him through 
 the heart so that he died. Then Jehu ordered his body to be thrown 
 in Naboth's vineyard. Ahaziah, too, fled, but was smitten in his 
 chariot, and died at Megiddo. His body was carried to Jerusalem, 
 and buried there. 
 
 Death of Jezebel. Jehu now entered Jezreel. As he rode 
 through the streets, Jezebel, with her face painted and her head 
 dressed, looked out of a window of the palace, and taunted him 
 with his treachery. But Jehu, calling to some of the eunuchs, 
 bade them throw her down. " So they threw her down, and 
 some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses : 
 and he trod her underfoot." And the dogs devoured her 
 body, according to the word of the Lord by His servant Elijah. 
 Jehu then caused the seventy sons of Ahab to be slain, and 
 utterly exterminated the family and descendants of that wicked 
 king. Proclaiming a solemn feast to Baal, he gathered together 
 all the priests of that idol, and had them put to death. He burnt 
 the images of Baal, and broke down his temples, so that the wor- 
 ship of Baal ceased in Israel. Yet, in spite of this zeal against 
 idolatry, Jehu di^ not walk with the Lord with all his heart, for 
 he worshipped the golden calves in Bethel and in Dan. Still 
 God promised him that his fourth generation should sit on the 
 throne of Israel. 
 
 In the days of Jehu, Hazael, King of Syria, captured many of 
 the outlying parts of Israel, chiefly to the eastward of Jordan. 
 Jehu died, after a reign of twenty-eight years, and was buried in 
 Samaria. 
 
 Jehoahaz. Jehu was succeeded by his son, Jehoahaz, who 
 reigned seventeen years. He, too, was a wicked king, and 
 followed the evil example of Jeroboam, son of Nebat. In 
 this reign the Israelites suffered terribly through the invasions 
 of the Syrians under Hazael and his son Benhadad. At length 
 Israel was delivered from their relentless foes by the hands
 
 112 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 of a warrior whose name is not recorded in Scripture. During 
 these wars the army of the Israelites was reduced to " fifty horse 
 men, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen." 
 
 Jehoash, or Joash, son of Jehoahaz, next mounted the throne, 
 and reigned sixteen years. 
 
 Death of Elisha. When Elisha was sick of the illness 
 whereof he died, Jehoash visited him, and wept before his face. 
 Elisha hade him open a window eastward and take his bow and 
 arrows. Then, laying- his hands on the king's hands, he com- 
 manded him to shoot. The whole proceeding was to indicate 
 that the future victories were to spring, not from human skill, 
 but from the assistance of God. The king discharged three 
 arrows, and then paused. Elisha was wroth, and told the king 
 he should have shot five or six times, for then he would have 
 utterly destroyed Syria. Then Elisha died and was buried. Some 
 time after the corpse of a man was hastily let down into the 
 same sepulchre, and when the man touched the bones of Elisha, 
 he revived and stood upon his feet. 
 
 The prediction of Elisha with regard to the Syrians came true. 
 Three times did Jehoash defeat them, and he recovered the cities 
 of Israel which they had previously captured. 
 
 War with Judah. Amaziah, King of Judah, challenged Israel 
 to a trial of strength. Jehoash answered him by a parable, saying : 
 " The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in 
 Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife ; and 
 there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down 
 the thistle." He further bade Amaziah remain at home, and not 
 allow his heart to be lifted up with pride because he had con- 
 quered the Edomites, and warned him that he might meddle in 
 this matter to his own hurt. Amaziah scorned the advice, and 
 led his army against Israel. But the men of Judah were defeated 
 and dispersed. Jehoash captured Amaziah, and, going to Jeru- 
 salem, broke down a large part of its fortifications, and carried 
 away to Samaria all the gold and silver in the house of the Lord, 
 together with the king's treasure and many hostages. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Jeroboam II. To the End of the Kingdom. 
 Jeroboam II. succeeded his father Jehoash, and reigned forty- 
 one years. He followed in the wicked footsteps of the previous 
 kings. Yet he was a brave leader, for he restored the boundary 
 of Israel from Hamath to the Dead Sea, and carrying the war 
 into Syria, captured Damascus, the capital. 
 
 The prophets Jonah, Amos, and Hosea lived in this reign,
 
 MANUAL Of SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 113 
 
 They continually reproved the people for their backslidings, and 
 foreshadowed the terrible punishments that would befall them.* 
 
 Zaehariah, the son of Jeroboam, at length mounted the throne. 
 He, too, did evil in the sight of the Lord. After a short reign of 
 six months he was slain by Shallum, the son of Jabesh, who 
 reigned in his stead. Zachariah was the last of the dynasty of 
 Jehu, to whom the Lord had promised that his fourth generation 
 should reign over Israel. 
 
 Shallum reigned but one month when Menahem, the son of 
 Gadi, came from Tirzah to Samaria, slew the king, and took 
 possession of the throne. 
 
 Menahem occupied the throne ten years. He was as wicked 
 as the previous kings of Israel. He inaugurated his reign by 
 destroying those cities which did not at once recognize his 
 authority. And now a new danger threatened Israel. Assyria 
 had gradually become a mighty empire, and Pul, its king, in- 
 vaded the land with a great army. Menahem purchased his 
 forbearance with a thousand talents of silver. To raise this sum 
 he levied a tax upon his wealthier subjects, exacting fifty shekels 
 from each. The King of Assyria, satisfied with his bribe, turned 
 back, and stayed not there in the land. 
 
 Pekahiah, son of Menahem, was the next king. His wicked 
 reign had lasted two years when he was conspired against by 
 Pekah, son of Remaliah, one of his captains, who killed him, and 
 reigned in his stead. 
 
 Pekah reigned twenty years, doing evil in the sight of the 
 Lord. He made a league with Rezin, King of Syria, and the 
 confederates made war upon Ahaz, King of Judah. The men of 
 Judah were defeated in an important battle, and large numbers of 
 them were carried captive to Samaria and Damascus. At the 
 earnest entreaty of the prophet Oded, Pekah restored to freedom 
 no less than two hundred thousand of these captives. 
 
 During a second campaign Pekah and Rezin laid siege to 
 Jerusalem. They failed in their attempt on the city, chiefly 
 because Isaiah stirred up its inhabitants to a vigorous resistance. 
 The siege was raised, but the Syrians deprived Judah of the 
 province of Elath. As a last resource Ahaz invited Tiglath- 
 pileser, King of Assyria, to join him against his enemies, at the 
 same time sending to him all the silver and gold that were found 
 in the Lord's house, together with his own private treasure. 
 
 * On the death of Jeroboam the throne remained vacant for ten years. 
 Scripture is silent as to the state of the kingdom during that interval, but 
 most probably it fell a prey to anarchy and confusion. 
 
 1
 
 114 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Tiglath-pileser at once iavaded the land of Israel, devastating 
 Gilead, Galilee, and the land of Naphtali, and carrying the 
 inhabitants captive to Assyria. 
 
 Then Hoshea, son of Elah, conspired against Pekah, slew him, 
 and reigned in his stead. 
 
 Hoshea was the last king of Israel. His reign endured nine 
 years. " And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 
 but not as the kings of Israel that were before him." The cup 
 of Israel's wickedness was now full to overflowing. There was 
 no sin they had not committed, no transgression they had not 
 perpetrated. They had forsaken the Lord, worshipped molten 
 images, and bowed themselves to Baal. " They caused their sons 
 and their daughters to pass through fire, and used divination and 
 enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the 
 Lord, to provoke Him to anger." They did all this in spite of 
 repeated warnings conveyed to them by the mouth of God's 
 inspired messengers. But the Eternal now brought upon them 
 the punishment of their iniquity. Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, 
 invaded the land, and Hoshea submitted to him and agreed to 
 become tributary to him. But Hoshea made an alliance with 
 So,* king of Egypt, and omitted to send his annual tribute 
 to Assyria. So in the sixth year of Hoshea's reign Shalmaneser 
 led an army to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. In the 
 ninth year of Hoshea's reign the city was taken, and Shalmaneser 
 " carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and 
 in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." 
 
 Thus ended the kingdom of Israel. It had lasted two hundred 
 and fifty-three years. 
 
 The Samaritans. The cities of Samaria were afterwards 
 peopled with men from Babylon, Cuthath, Ava, Hamath, and 
 Sepharvaim by the command of Esar-haddon, King of Assyria. 
 These new Samaritans were idolaters, but at their request the 
 king sent them one of the captive Jewish priests to teach them 
 the religion of the true God. Yet they did not give up their 
 worship of graven images. History tells us nothing farther about 
 them till the re-building of the second Temple, when they claimed 
 to share in the work. Being repulsed on account of their heathen 
 origin and idolatrous practices, they became the bitter enemies of 
 the Jews, and tried in every way to hinder and delay the erection 
 of the Temple. Subsequently they built a temple for themselves 
 on Mount Gerizim. Their descendants exist to this day, and 
 possess a recension of the law called the Samaritan Pentateuch, 
 differing in many respects from the Pentateuch in our possession. 
 
 * Probably the Sevectus of Manetho, and the Sabaco of Herodotus.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 115 
 
 PART VI. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OP JUDAH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Rehoboam Asa Jehoshaphat. 
 
 Rehoboam, son of Solomon, was the first king of Judah. After 
 the revolt of Jerohoam and the division of the kingdoms he dwelt 
 in Jerusalem, which remained the capital of his dominions. He 
 was forty-one years old when he ascended the throne, and he 
 reigned seventeen years. 
 
 The people soon lapsed into idolatry ; they provoked the Lord 
 to anger by placing temples, images, and altars on every high 
 hill and under every green tree. In the fifth year of Rehoboam's 
 reign the country was invaded by Shishak, king of Egypt. He 
 carried away all the treasures of the Lord's house and of the king's 
 palace ; the golden shields made by Solomon were also taken away, 
 and were replaced by brazen ones. There was also continual war 
 between Judah and Israel during the whole of Rehoboam's rule. 
 
 Abijam, his son, succeeded, and reigned three years. He 
 walked in all the sinful ways of his father. 
 
 Asa, son of Abijam, next mounted the throne and reigned 
 forty-one years. He did that which was right in the sight of 
 the Lord. He destroyed the idols that his fathers had made, 
 but he did not remove the high places ; nevertheless his heart 
 was perfect with the Lord. He replaced in the Temple many 
 vessels of silver and gold. 
 
 War with the Ethiopians. Zerah the Ethiopian invaded 
 Judah, at the head of an immense army and three hundred chariots. 
 Asa fought a pitched battle with this mighty host at Mareshah in 
 the valley of Zaphethah. The Ethiopians were utterly routed and 
 pursued to Gerar. The victors returned to Jerusalem, bearing 
 with them much spoil, and sheep and camels in abundance. 
 
 War with Israel. There was war between Asa and Baasha, 
 king of Israel, all their days. Baasha prevailed against the people 
 of Judah, and invading their land built the strong place of Ramah 
 to overawe them. Whereupon Asa sent costly presents to Ben- 
 hadad, king of Syria, and invited him to form a league against the 
 Israelites. Benhadad readily consented, and at once invaded the 
 northern portion of Israel. Baasha, in self-defence, was compelled 
 to abandon Ramah, which was razed by order of Asa, and with 
 the stones thereof were built Geba and Mizpah. Asa spent the 
 
 i a
 
 n6 MANUAL OF SCRIP TV RE HISTORV. 
 
 rest of his life in peace, though in his old age he suffered from a 
 disease in the feet. He died and was buried at Jerusalem. 
 
 Jehoshaphat, his son, succeeded him. He was thirty-five years 
 old when he ascended the throne, and reigned twenty-five years. 
 He was a righteous king, and walked in the ways of his father ; 
 nevertheless the high places were not taken away, and the people 
 continued to offer and burn incense upon them. Jehoshaphat was 
 a great and prosperous king. He built throughout his kingdom 
 many fortified castles and cities of stone, and caused so great a 
 feeling of security to prevail, that commerce flourished in all parts 
 of the country. He had a fleet built at Tharshish, which sailed to 
 Ophir to obtain gold ; but the vessels were wrecked at Ezion- 
 geber. In the third year of his reign he sent forth teachers to 
 the various towns in Judah, who instructed the people in the law 
 of God. By these wise and patriotic measures he established his 
 power, so that no foreign nation ventured to molest him, while 
 such inveterate foes as the Philistines and Arabians sent him pre- 
 sents and tribute. 
 
 Jehoshaphat paid a visit to Ahab, king of Israel, at Samaria. 
 A great friendship sprang up between the two kings, which was 
 further increased by the marriage of Joram, eldest son of Jehosha- 
 phat, to Ahab's daughter, Athaliah. It was here that they formed 
 a league against Ben-hadad, king of Syria, which led to the death 
 of Ahab at Ramoth Gilead and the precipitate flight of Jehosha- 
 phat to Jerusalem. When about to enter the royal city the king 
 was rebuked by Jehu the seer, for helping the ungodly and loving 
 them that hated the Lord. As if to atone for this fault, Jehosha- 
 phat grew even more zealous in God's cause. He travelled 
 throughout his realm, exhorting the people to worship the Lord. 
 He placed judges through the land, and strictly commanded them 
 to deal out even-handed justice to all men. He appointed a 
 superior tribunal of priests and Levites, and of the " chiefs of the 
 fathers," to sit in Jerusalem, and there to dispose of the more 
 important lawsuits. 
 
 Bui; now danger threatened from the south. The Moabites, 
 the Ammonites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir came up in 
 vast multitudes to invade the land. Jehoshaphat greatly feared 
 the contest, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. While 
 the people were humbling themselves in the Temple, the Lord, 
 speaking by the mouth ol Jahaziel the Levite, promised them a 
 victory over their enemies. The next day the men of Judah 
 marched out to meet their enemies ; but they had no occasion to 
 fight, for the battle was not theirs but God's. A violent quarrel 
 broke out in the camp of the allies, so that they turned their
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 117 
 
 swords against each other, and "every one helped to destroy 
 another." When the work of mutual destruction was complete, 
 the men of Judah loaded themselves with the richest plunder, and 
 returned, with joy and music, to Jerusalem. The rest of Jehosha- 
 phat's days were peaceful. He died at Jerusalem, and was huried 
 there. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Joram Ahaziah Interregnum Joash Amaziah. 
 
 Joram, or Jehoram, succeeded his father Jehoshaphat. In- 
 fluenced by the example of the idolatrous Athaliah, daughter of 
 the wicked Jezebel, whom he had married, he departed from the 
 way of God and did evil in His sight. His first act was to slay 
 his six brothers whom his father had richly endowed. He was a 
 weak as well as a wicked king-, and the Edomites were not long- 
 in revolting* from under his hand. Joram tried to crush the 
 rebellion but without success. Libnah also regained its indepen- 
 dence. But a greater affliction was in store for him and his 
 people. The Philistines and the Arabians invaded Judah, and 
 capturing- Jerusalem they plundered the king's palace. They 
 carried away the king's treasures, together with his wives and 
 children, leaving only Ahaziah, the youngest. After this the king 
 fell ill of a terrible disease, and died unhonoured and unwept. 
 He had reigned eight years. 
 
 Ahaziah succeeded to the throne and reigned one year. He 
 did evil in the sight of the Lord, and his mother, Athaliah, 
 counselled him in his wickedness. He joined Jehoram in his 
 war against Hazael, king of Syria. Jehoram was wounded and 
 went to be healed to Jezreel. There Ahaziah visited him and 
 witnessed his murder at the hand of Jehu. Ahaziah fled and hid 
 himself in Samaria. He was discovered and put to death at 
 Megiddo by command of Jehu. He was buried at Jerusalem. 
 
 Interregnum. When Athaliah saw that her son was dead 
 she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. 
 But one of the royal princesses saved the infant Joash, and hid 
 him for six years in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned 
 over the land. In the seventh year Jehoiada, the high priest, 
 raised a rebellion against her. Assembling all the Levites in 
 Jerusalem he armed them, together with the captains of the 
 army, and with them filled the Temple. Then he brought forth 
 the youthful Joash and crowned him and made him king. The 
 people received him with acclamation. Athaliah, hearing the 
 joyous shouts, proceeded to the Temple, and when she saw the 
 newly-crowned king standing at the entrance, she exclaimed,
 
 n8 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 " Treason, treason/' Jehoiada commanded his captains, and they 
 carried her away from the Lord's house and slew her. Incited 
 by the zeal of the high priest, the people broke down the house 
 of Baal and destroyed his altars and images. A grand procession 
 was then formed and the king- was conveyed to the royal palace 
 amid every token of rejoicing'. 
 
 Joasli was seven years old when he mounted the throne, and 
 he reigned forty years. He followed the law of God so long as 
 Jehoiada lived to advise and counsel him. Parts of the Temple 
 had fallen into disrepair, and the whole building had been 
 pillaged by the idolatrous sons of Athaliah. The king- determined 
 to repair the " breaches in the Lord's house." He placed a chest 
 in the Temple, to receive the offerings of those who contributed 
 towards the expenses of the restoration. As soon as the chest 
 was filled, its contents were counted, and paid to the workmen, 
 who had been engaged in large numbers. The gold and silver 
 vessels used in the Temple service, were also replaced, and the 
 service itself was conducted with splendour and with the 
 greatest regularity. 
 
 Jehoiada died at the age of one hundred and thirty years. 
 Then the king, listening to the promptings of his young courtiers, 
 fell into evil ways. He forsook the worship of God, and served 
 groves and idols. Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, denounced 
 this apostasy : and the people, at the king's command, stoned 
 him to death in the court of the Temple. Punishment soon 
 followed. In the same year Hazael led a Syrian host to Jeru- 
 salem. He would, doubtless, have captured the city had not 
 Joash bought him off with splendid gifts, taken from the treasures 
 of the Temple and of the king's house. Joash after this fell ill. 
 Two of his servants, taking advantage of his prostrate condition, 
 conspired against him and slew him. He was buried at Jeru- 
 salem, but not in the tombs of the kings. 
 
 Amaziah, his son, was the next king, and his reign lasted 
 twenty-nine years. " He did that which was right in the sight 
 of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart." One of his first acts 
 was to slay the murderers of his father, but their children he 
 slew not, in accordance with the command, " The fathers shall 
 not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the 
 fathers : but every man shall die for his own sin." He hired a 
 hundred thousand soldiers out of Israel for a hundred talents of 
 silver but on the representations of a man of God, he dismissed 
 them again to their own land. Having strengthened his army, 
 he led them against the Edomites, whom he defeated with great 
 slaughter. Elated by this victory, he sent a warlike challenge
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 119 
 
 to Joash, king- of Israel, saying 1 , " Come, let us look one another 
 in the i'ace." Joash advised him to curb his vanity and remain 
 peacefully at home, lest harm should befall him. Amaziah would 
 not listen to reason, and the kings met in battle at Beth-shemesh. 
 Judah sustained a severe defeat, and Amaziah himself was taken 
 prisoner. Then Joash went up to Jerusalem, and broke down 
 the walls from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four 
 hundred cubits. He also plundered the temple and the palace of 
 all the g-old and silver and vessels they contained, and, taking 
 hostages with him, returned to Samaria. Amaziah, in his later 
 days, had lapsed into idolatry. His apostasy raised a faction 
 against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent 
 after him and slew him there. He was buried with his fathers in 
 the city of David. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 TJzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah. 
 
 Uzziah, or Azariah On the death of Amaziah the peopld 
 placed his son, Uzziah, on the throne. He was sixteen years 
 old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years. 
 He walked in the ways of God, and listened to the teach- 
 ings of the prophets, Amos, Zechariah, Joel, and Isaiah. In 
 successive campaigns he conquered the Philistines and the 
 Arabians, while the Ammonites were glad to pay him tribute. 
 He repaired the walls of Jerusalem, and built fresh towers on 
 them. He greatly encouraged husbandry, and dug- many wella 
 " for he had much cattle, both in the low country and in the 
 plains, husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains and 
 in Carmel." Great in the pursuits of war and peace his heart 
 grew proud, and was lifted up to his destruction. Entering the 
 sanctuary, he dared to offer incense before the Lord. At once he 
 was smitten with leprosy, and being thrust out of the Temple, dwelt 
 apart in a separate house till the day of his death. His son Jotham 
 was made regent, and on his father's demise ascended the throne. 
 
 Jotham reigned sixteen years. He did what was right in the 
 sight of the Lord, still the people worshipped idols and were 
 corrupt. Jotham subdued the Ammonites and received from them 
 tribute of silver, wheat, and barley. lie built many cities in the 
 mountains of Judah, and erected the high gate of the house of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Ahaz succeeded his father Jotham, and reigned sixteen years. 
 He was an impious king, worshipping many abominations, and 
 burning his children on the altars of strange gods. His reign was 
 most disastrous. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel.
 
 120 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 joined their forces to besiege Jerusalem. In his distress, Ahaz 
 sent costly gifts to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, begging him 
 to hasten to his assistance. Tiglath-pileser complied with the 
 request. He invaded Syria, captured Damascus, and slew Rezin, 
 who had hurried back to its defence. Pekah, however, prevailed 
 against Judah. He slew in one day one hundred and twenty 
 thousand, all valiant men, and carried away two hundred thou- 
 sand men and women captives to Samaria. These would no 
 doubt have endured the horrors of slavery, had not Oded, a 
 prophet of God, interceded on their behalf so effectually that the 
 captives were sent honourably back to their own land. Abas, 
 journeyed to Damascus to visit Tiglath-pileser, and on his 
 return to Jerusalem introduced the worship of the Syrian gods. 
 In this reign also the Edomites and Philistines gained many 
 successes against Judah. Ahaz was buried in Jerusalem, but 
 not in the city of the kings. 
 
 Hezekiah, his son, succeeded, and reigned for twenty-nine 
 years. He was a most just and pious king, doing that which 
 was right in the sight of God, " according to all that David his 
 father did." He was unwearying in his resolve to uproot idolatry. 
 He destroyed the images, cut down the groves, and even broke in 
 pieces the brazen serpent of Moses, which had become an object 
 of worship. " He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after 
 him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any 
 that were before him." His first act was to cleanse the Temple 
 of its defilements, and restore the service of the Most High. He 
 exhorted the priests to assist him in this holy work, and they 
 willingly seconded his efforts. 
 
 Hezekiah's Passover. When the work of purifying the 
 Temple had been accomplished, Hezekiah resolved upon a national 
 celebration of the Passover. To this end he sent letters to all the 
 tribes of Israel and Judah, inviting them to Jerusalem to solem- 
 nize the festival ; which, after advice, he appointed to be held in 
 the second month (lyar), as there were ceremonial difficulties in 
 the way of keeping it in Nisan. The people of Israel mocked at 
 the messengers of the king, and laughed them to scorn. Never- 
 theless some of the men of Asher, and Manasseh, and Zebulun, 
 filled with a better spirit, went up to Jerusalem at the king's invi- 
 tation. The royal city was thronged with devout worshippers. 
 They carefully removed every relic of idol worship from her midst, 
 and on the fourteenth day of the second month commenced the 
 celebration of the Passover, according to the ceremonials laid 
 down in the Law. The priests killed the Paschal offering, and 
 sprinkled the blood in due course. For seven days was the
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 121 
 
 festival kept with great gladness j the priests and the Levites 
 praising God day by day, " singing with loud instruments unto the 
 Lord." The king joined in the joyous celebration with heart and 
 soul. A second seven days were kept with equal rejoicings, for 
 the sake of those who were religiously disqualified from celebrat- 
 ing the first seven. There had been no such Passover kept since 
 the days of Solomon, king of Israel. It resulted in a great 
 religious revival throughout Judah. 
 
 Overcomes the Philistines. Hezekiah soon found himself at 
 war with the old enemies of the Jewish race. He smote the 
 Philistines unto Gaza, and wasted all their borders. 
 
 In the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign occurred the destruction 
 of the Kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, as 
 narrated on page 114. 
 
 Isaiah the prophet was the constant friend and adviser of 
 Hezekiah. Micah also nourished in this reign. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Hezekiah (coniiwwdj Manasseh Amon. 
 
 War with the Assyrians. Hezekiah now determined to re- 
 lease his kingdom from the yoke of the Assyrians, and, as a first 
 step, he refused to pay them any further tribute. Sennacherib, 
 who was now king of Assyria, gathered a mighty host, invaded 
 Judah, and captured some of the fenced cities. Then Hezekiah's 
 heart failed him, and he sent to Sennacherib, saying, " I have 
 offended : return from me ; that which thou puttest on me I will 
 bear." The king of Assyria agreed to depart upon receiving three 
 hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah, 
 in order to pay this fine, stripped the house of the Lord, and also 
 his own palace, of all the wealth they contained. He also cut the 
 gold from off the doors and pillars of the Temple. 
 
 The danger was averted for a time; but after a few years 
 Sennacherib, moved probably by an alliance between Hezekiah 
 and the king of Egypt, again invaded Judah. He himself laid 
 siege to Lachish, while his three generals, Tartan, Rabsaris, and 
 Rabshakeh, at the head of a powerful army, set out to besiege 
 Jerusalem. Meanwhile Hezekiah was not idle. He strengthened 
 the walls and defences of his capital, cut off the water supply from 
 the outlying districts, and made darts and shields in abundance. 
 He appointed captains over the people, and exhorted them all to 
 be courageous and to trust in the Lord. 
 
 The enemy was now encamped around Jerusalem, and the 
 Assyrian captains delivered a most insulting message from their 
 master, in which they scoffed at the temeritv of Hezekiah, and
 
 122 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 railed at the God of Judah. They also addressed the men cf the 
 city who had crowded to the walls, bidding 1 them not to put their 
 trust in Hezekiah, but to place themselves at the mercy of the 
 king* of Assyria, who would lead them to a land of corn and wine 
 and oil and honey. 
 
 When the message of the Assyrian monarch was conveyed to 
 Hezekiah, he rent his clothes, and sent for counsel to the prophet 
 Isaiah. The God-inspired man bade the king- be of good courage, 
 and not fear the words of Sennacherib, who had blasphemed the 
 Lord, and whose speedy destruction would follow. "And it came 
 to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote 
 in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred four score and five 
 thousand ; and when they arose early in the morning, behold 
 they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, 
 departed, and went and returned and dwelt at Nineveh. And it 
 came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his 
 god, that Adramelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him with the 
 sword ; and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar- 
 haddon, his' son, reigned in his stead." 
 
 Hezekiah's illness. After this Hezekiah became sick imto 
 death, and Isaiah bore to him this message from the Lord, " Set 
 thine house in order ; for thou shalt die and not live." Hezekiah 
 wept sore, and prayed to God, and at once Isaiah brought him 
 the comforting assurance that he should be healed within three 
 days, and thai the Lord would add fifteen years to his life. The 
 prophet then commanded the king's attendants to lay a plaster of 
 figs on the part affected, and thus it was healed. Hezekiah asked 
 for a sign that his life would be prolonged, and God " brought the 
 shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the 
 dial of Ahaz." Merodach-baladon, king of Babylon, moved no 
 doubt by the fame of this miracle, sent ambassadors bearing letters 
 and a present to Hezekiah. The king, in the pride of his heart, 
 showed the Babylonians all his riches, his gold and silver and 
 spices, and all his armour. The anger of the Lord was kindled 
 against Hezekiah. Isaiah stood before him, and foretold that the 
 day would come when all those treasures would be carried down 
 to Babylon, and that his offspring would be slaves in the palace of 
 the Babylonian king. One of the last acts of Hezekiah was to 
 build a new conduit for conveying water to Jerusalem. The king 
 slept with his fathers, and was buried in the chiefest of the 
 sepulchres of the sons of David, 
 
 Manasseh, his son, succeeded him and reigned fifty-five years. 
 He was a gross idolater. He built altars to strange gods in the 
 courts of the Temple, made his son pass through the fire, and con-
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 123 
 
 sorted with familiar spirits and wizards. The Lord warned the 
 people by the mouth of His prophets that terrible evils would 
 overtake them, but king- and people were alike deaf to these ex- 
 hortations. Manasseh shed much innocent blood throughout 
 Jerusalem, and it is traditionally related that he caused Isaiah to 
 be tortured to death. 
 
 Manasseh's Punishment. The Assyrian hosts again invaded 
 Judah, and this time with success. They took Manasseh, bound 
 him with fetters and carried him to Babylon. In his affliction 
 " he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly 
 before the God of his fathers." God listened to his prayers and 
 restored him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. " Then Manasseh 
 knew that the Lord He was God." He purged Jerusalem of its 
 idols, and removed the altars he had erected in the Temple. He 
 also repaired and strengthened the defences of the holy city, and 
 placed captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. His long 
 and inglorious reign ended at last, and he was buried in the garden 
 of his palace. 
 
 Amon, his son, succeeded and reigned only two years. He was 
 an idolater like his father, but unlike his father he did not repent 
 of his wickedness. His servants conspired against him and slew 
 him. But his death was avenged by the people who put his 
 assassins to death. They then placed Josiah, his son, on the 
 throne. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Josiah Jehoahaz. 
 
 Josiah began his reign at the tender age of eight, and his rule 
 lasted thirty-one years. Little is known of the early period of his 
 reign, but when he reached the age of sixteen he began to seek the 
 Lord with all his heart. The wickedness and idolatry that were 
 rife throughout his kingdom became an abomination to him, and 
 he resolved to purge the land of its iniquity. In this determina- 
 tion he was ably assisted by his faithful ministers Hilkiah, the 
 high priest, Shaphan, the scribe, and Shallum, the keeper of the 
 wardrobe. No less zealous to help the king were the prophets 
 Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Nahum, who, by their 
 earnest exhortations, strove to fan the flame of religious ardour 
 among the people. Josiah's first work was to restore the Temple 
 worship. He caused every vestige of idolatry to be removed from 
 the sacred precincts, and repaired those portions of tie House 
 of God that had fallen into ruin. 
 
 The Book of the Law found. While engaged in over- 
 looking the work in the Temple, "Hilkiah the priest found a
 
 124 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 book of the law of the Lord given by Moses." He delivered 
 it to Shaphan, who read it before the king-. Josiah recognized 
 the sacred roll, and, overcome with grief at the neglect which 
 had befallen the written word of God, he rent his clothes. 
 He then bade Hilkiuh repair to Huldah the prophetess, 
 the wife of Shallum, to inquire of the Lord concerning the 
 words of the book that had been found. Huldah replied, that 
 all the punishments foretold in the book as about to befall the 
 people through their apostasy would surely come to pass. But 
 inasmuch as Josiah believed in the Lord and humbled himself 
 before Him, the evil would not happen in his day. 
 
 The repairs of the Temple having been finished, the king sum- 
 moned all the men of Judah to Jerusalem, even to the Temple ; 
 then, standing in his place, " he read in their ears all the words of 
 the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord." 
 Then he bound himself and all present by a solemn compact to 
 keep God's commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes 
 with all their heart and soul. After this he sent his officers 
 throughout the land, who removed all traces of idolatry and 
 exhorted the people to serve the Lord their God. 
 
 Josiah's Passover. Further to increase the people's devotion, 
 Josiah kept a solemn Passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem. All 
 the necessary ceremonies were performed with minute exactness. 
 " There was no Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days 
 of Samuel the prophet ; neither did all the kings of Israel keep 
 such a Passover as Josiah kept."* 
 
 Josiah's Death. The king of Babylonia gradually extended 
 his sway west of the River Euphrates. His successes roused 
 the jealousy of Pharaoh-Necho, ruler of the great Egyptian 
 nation. Raising an immense army, he set out to attack the 
 Babylonian town of Charchemish on the Euphrates. Josiah, 
 espousing the cause of the Babylonian king, raised an army, and 
 attempted to oppose Pharaoh's advance. The Egyptian monarch 
 sent ambassadors to Josiah begging him to desist, since there was 
 no quarrel between Egypt and Judah. Nevertheless, Josiah 
 would not alter his decision, but joined battle with the Egyptians 
 in the valley of Megiddo. Before entering the fray, Josiah had 
 disguised himself as a common soldier. But a stray arrow 
 
 * The mighty kingdom of Assyria was now in its death throes. The 
 Medes and Babylonians joining their forces, besieged its capital, Nineveh, 
 in overwhelming strength. The Assyrian king, Saracus, despairing of success 
 against the combined host, set fire to the palace and perished in the flames. 
 Thus fell Assyria according to the Word of God as foretold by His prophet^. 
 Babylonia and Media were founded on its ruing.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 1*5 
 
 pierced the king's body, and he called to his servants to bear him 
 away from the field. They hastened with him to Jerusalem, where 
 he died and was buried hr one of the sepulchres of his fathers. 
 The mourning for this truly pious king- was general throughout 
 Judah and Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah especially lamenting 
 his death. 
 
 Jehoahaz, or Shallum, one of Josiah's sons, was made king 
 by the people. He reigned only three months. He did that 
 which was evil in the sight of the Lord as most of his ancestors 
 had done. He soon incurred the displeasure of Pharaoh- Necho, 
 who loaded him with fetters and carried him down to Egypt, where 
 he died. The king of Egypt now fixed a yearly tribute on the 
 land, even a hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Jehoiakim Jehoiachin Zedekiah. 
 
 Jehoiakim. Pharaoh-Necho placed Eliakim, one of the sons 
 of Josiah, upon the vacant throne, at the same time changing his 
 name to Jehoiakim. He, too, was a wicked king, doing evil in the 
 sight of the Lord according to all his fathers had done. In 
 order to pay the tribute exacted by the king of Egypt, he taxed 
 the land very heavily ; and although the land was groaning under 
 its many misfortunes he led a life of riot and extravagance. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar. The Egyptians were at first successful 
 in their expedition against the Babylonians. But the aspect of 
 affairs was changed when Nebuchadnezzar, son of the king of 
 Babylon, appeared upon the scene. He was a man of unbounded 
 ambition, a consummate general, and an able administrator. He 
 inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Egyptians at Carchemish and 
 wrested from them all their previous conquests. Pursuing his victo- 
 rious career, he entered Judah and reduced its king to a state 
 of vassalage. For three years Jehoiakim paid him tribute, but in 
 the fourth year he rebelled. Nebuchadnezzar sent his captains, 
 who raised the Syrians, the Moabites, and the Ammonites against 
 him, and besieged Jerusalem. In the midst of these troubles the 
 king died, having 1 reigned eleven years. 
 
 Jeremiah. During the whole of Jehoiakim's reignthe prophet 
 Jeremiah Avas unceasing in his denunciations of the wickedness 
 and folly of the people. Again and again he exhorted them to 
 return to the Lord, lest destruction should overtake them. He 
 prophesied with unmistakable plainness the overthrow of Jerusa- 
 lem and the captivity that would follow. But his words were 
 unheeded, his reproofs scoffed at. His life was often in imminent
 
 126 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 danger. He was cast into prison, and at one period was saved 
 from certain death only at the intercession of one or two of the 
 better disposed among the people. His scribe and disciple Baruch 
 shared with him many of these trials. 
 
 Jehoiachin, son of the last king, succeeded him and reigned 
 three months. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord. Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, who had mounted the Babylonian throne, now marched 
 to Jerusalem to conduct the siege in person. Jehoiachin, finding 
 resistance useless, surrendered the city and himself into the hands 
 of the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar entered the Holy City 
 and despoiled the Temple and the king's palace of all their 
 treasures. He then carried away Jehoiachin and his family, and 
 all the princes and the mighty men of valour to the number of 
 ten thousand captives to Babylon ; leaving only the poorest sort of 
 people to inhabit Jerusalem. Among the captives was Ezekiel, 
 afterwards inspired by God. He then appointed Mattamah, the 
 king's uncle, to reign in his stead, and changed his name to 
 Zedekiah. For many years Jehoiachin was treated with 
 great severity in Babylon, and closely confined to prison. 
 But in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity " Evil Merodach 
 king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign," took the 
 unfortunate king of Judah out of prison, changed his prison gar- 
 ments, and set his throne above the throne of the other captive 
 and tributary kings in Babylon. He treated him with continual 
 kindness and liberality till the day of his death. 
 
 Zedekiah, the nineteenth and last king of Judah, reigned eleven 
 years. He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, nor 
 did he listen to the exhortations of Jeremiah who, throughout the 
 whole of his reign, continued to denounce the impious misdeeds 
 of king and people. 
 
 The People divided. There were at this time two factions 
 among the people : the one, headed by many false prophets, 
 sought alliance with the Egyptians in the hope of freeing them- 
 selves from the Babylonian yoke; the other, led by Jeremiah, 
 were in favour of acknowledging the supremacy of Babylon, and 
 of waiting and labouring for the time when, through a return of 
 God's favour, the people might regain their independence. Un- 
 fortunately the king threw in his lot with the Egyptian party, 
 and he entered into an alliance with Psammetichus II., King of 
 Egypt, although he had sworn fealty to Nebuchadnezzar. In 
 vain Jeremiah warned king and people at Jerusalem that they 
 were rushing to destruction ; while Ezekiel, prophesying in Baby- 
 lonia, denounced in unmeasured tones the perfidy of Judah. The 
 exhortations of the prophets fell upon closed ears, and the end, so 
 long and persistently foretold, rapidly approached.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 127 
 
 Siege of Jerusalem. The forbearance of the Babylonian king 
 was at length exhausted. In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, 
 on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar besieged 
 Jerusalem and built walls and forts round about it. The siege lasted 
 two years until the people were reduced to the last extremity of 
 famine. The alliance with Egypt proved a broken reed. Pharaoh- 
 hophra, who had succeeded Psammetichus, made a feeble attempt 
 to divert the Babylonians from the siege of Jerusalem, but he was 
 defeated by Nebuchadnezzar at Gaza. No further attempt was 
 made to relieve the city, whose doom was hastened by the dis- 
 sensions which raged within its walls. Jeremiah finding his 
 counsels were scorned, attempted to withdraw to his native town 
 in Benjamin, but was thrown into prison on a charge of treason. 
 Meanwhile the Babylonians prosecuted the siege with redoubled 
 vigour. 
 
 Destruction of Jerusalem. The final catastrophe, so long 
 and so plainly predicted, was now at hand. In the eleventh year 
 of Zedekiah's reign, on the ninth day of the fourth month, 
 Jerusalem was carried by assault. The king, hastily collecting a 
 remnant of its defenders, fled by night, but was hotly pursued by 
 the Babylonians, who overtook and captured him in the plains of 
 Jericho. The unfortunate monarch was carried before Nebuchad- 
 nezzar at Riblah where judgment was passed upon him. " And 
 they slew the sons of Zedekiah before nis eyes, and put out the 
 eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried 
 him to Babylon." 
 
 For a month Nebuchadnezzar deliberated as to the ultimate 
 fate of Jerusalem. But on the seventh day of the fifth month 
 Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard to the King of Babylon 
 entered the sacred city. " And he burnt the house of the Lord 
 and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every 
 great man's house burnt he with fire." The walls of Jerusalem 
 were razed to the ground, and the remnant of her inhabitants 
 carried away to Babylon ; save only the poorest of the land, who 
 remained as vine- dressers and husbandmen. There were likewise 
 carried away all the sacred vessels of the Temple which Solomon 
 had made, those of brass and of gold and of silver. Seraiah, the 
 high priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, together with other 
 dignitaries, were taken before Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, by whose 
 order they were slain. But Jeremiah was spared and even treated 
 with honour. Permission was granted him to go down to Babylon 
 or to remain in Judah. He chose the latter alternative and dwelt 
 with his brethren until their subsequent flight into Egypt. 
 Thus fell the kingdom of Judah. It had endured three hundred 
 and eighty-seven years, and been ruled by nineteen kings.
 
 128 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 PART VII. 
 
 THE CAPTIVITY. THE RESTORATION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 G e daliah Ishmael. 
 
 Gredaliali.^*-Befofe returning to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar ap* 
 pointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Sbaphan, ruler 
 over the remnant of the people who had been permitted to remain 
 in the land of Judah. Gedaliah set up his court in Mizpah, and 
 there gathered unto him Jeremiah the prophet, and such of the 
 leading men as had escaped the general destruction. Among 
 them was Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, of the seed royal, a rest- 
 less and ambitious man, who soon formed a plot for the murder of 
 Gedaliah. Johanan, the son of Kareah, revealed the plot to 
 Gedaliah, and even offered to rid him of the conspirator. Ge- 
 daliah, however, turned a deaf ear to the warning. In the 
 seventh month of his rule he was treacherously murdered by 
 Ishmael and his followers, who also put to the sword all the Jews 
 and Chaldeans that were found in Mizpah. 
 
 Islimael. The assassination of Gedaliah was kept a secret. 
 On the second day after the occurrence there reached Mizpah a 
 band of Israelites, eighty in number, from Shechem, Shiloh, 
 and Samaria, to offer up their lamentations at the ruined temple 
 of the Lord. Ishmael, pretending to mourn with them, led them 
 into the midst of the city and then put them to the sword 
 
 But now terror fell upon Ishmael and his supporters. By the 
 murder of Gedaliah and the slaughter of the Chaldeans they had 
 openly rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and they feared the 
 wrath of that invincible monarch. They resolved upon flight, and 
 Ishmael compelled the residue of the people to accompany him to 
 the land of the Ammonites. But Johanan, the determined 
 enemy of Ishmael, pursued him with a band of men, and overtook 
 him at the waters of Gibeon. Ishmael was immediately deserted 
 by the bulk of his followers, and was glad to escape to Ammon 
 with but eight of his men. Johanan, still fearing the wrath of 
 Nebuchadnezzar, led the people towards Egypt. Jeremiah en- 
 treated the people in God's name to return to Judah, and to dwell 
 in peace under the rule of the Babylonian kings, but his words 
 were unheeded. The Jews entered Egypt and dwelt in Tah- 
 panhes. Their disregard of God's command not to go down to 
 Egypt met with its due punishment. In course of time Nebu-
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 129 
 
 chadnezzar victoriously invaded Egypt, and revenge i himself 
 upon the Jews who had taken refuge in that land. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Captivity Daniel. 
 
 Daniel. The great mass of the Jews now dwelt in Babylon 
 Their lot was not an unhappy one, could they only have forgotten 
 their native land, with its glorious associations. They were per- 
 mitted a considerable amount of freedom, and some of their come- 
 liest youths were educated and trained at the king's expense. 
 Among these were Daniel, with his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, 
 and Azarinh, to whom were given the Chaldean names of Belte- 
 shazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They. received "a 
 daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he 
 drank." But Daniel would not defile himself by partaking of the 
 forbidden food. At his earnest request he and his companions 
 were fed upon pulse, and yet they appeared better nourished, 
 and fairer in face than those who ate or the king's meat. At the 
 end of their period of training, the four young Jews were presented 
 to the king, who was so pleased with their attainments that he 
 appointed them to places near his person. 
 
 The King's First Dream. Nebuchadnezzar, in the second 
 year of his reign, dreamed a dream, wherewith his spirit was 
 troubled. He called his astrologers and sorcerers, and bade them 
 tell him the dream and its interpretation; but they were alto- 
 gether unable to satisfy the king, though he had threatened 
 them with death in case of failure ; the secret was, however, re- 
 vealed to Daniel in a night vision, and he expounded the dream 
 to Nebuchadnezzar. The monarch had beheld a mighty image, 
 the head of which was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, 
 the trunk and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, the feet part of 
 iron and part of clay. In the interpretation, mention was made 
 of the successive kingdoms which were to arise on the downfall 
 of Babylon and of each other. So impressed was Nebuchadnezzar 
 with the wisdom and skill of Daniel that he fell upon his face 
 and worshipped him, exclaiming : " Of a truth it is that your God 
 is a God of gods and a Lord ot kings, and a revealer of secrets, 
 seeing thou couldst reveal this secret." Then the king made 
 Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and also asso- 
 ciated his friends with him in the affairs of government. 
 
 The Fiery Furnace. Nebuchadnezar set up an image of gold, 
 and bade all his people bow down and worship it. Some ot the 
 princes of the land, who were jealous of the promotion bestowed 
 upon Daniel and his companions, noticed that they disobeyed the 
 
 K
 
 1 30 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 command, and reported their conduct to the king-. The king- 
 ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to he thrown into 
 a fiery furnace, heated seven times more than it was wont to 
 be heated. But Nebuchadnezzar beheld with amazement that 
 they stood unharmed in the midst of the furnace, and that there 
 was a fourth with them, like unto an angel. Bidding- them come 
 forth, he ordered their accusers to be cast into the flames, and 
 they were instantly consumed. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream. The king- had another 
 dream, and again it was expounded by Daniel. The king saw a 
 great tree, the leaves whereof were fair and the fruit much. And 
 a voice came from heaven, saying: " Hew down the tree and cut 
 off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit." 
 Daniel told the king' that he should be driven from men and 
 dwell with the beasts ; that he should eat grass like an ox ; and 
 that this condition should endure for seven years. All this came 
 to pass, for one day, as he was boasting- of the richness and mag- 
 nitude of Babylon, a sudden madness seized him, he rushed into 
 the forest and lived with the beasts, " till his hairs were grown 
 like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws." At the 
 end of the seven years he was restored to his reason and his 
 throne. Nebuchadnezzar died in the forty- third year of his 
 reign. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Daniel Belshazzar. 
 
 Belshazzar. The Bible does not narrate the events of the 
 following twenty-three years, but resumes the history of Babylon 
 in the second year of the reign of Belshazzar, a descendant of 
 Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Rise of the Persians. A few lines must now be devoted 
 to profane history. A new power was growing- in Asia. 
 Leaving their mountain fastnesses, the Persians, under Cyrus, 
 attacked and subdued the effete kingdom of Media. Media was 
 incorporated with Persia, though Cyrus always treated its last 
 king, Astyages (also called Darius) with conspicuous honour. 
 Flushed with victory, the Persians next turned their conquering- 
 arms against Lydia, which had grown powerful under its last and 
 greatest king, Croesus. The struggle was short ; the Lydians 
 were defeated, Croesus was captured, and his kingdom annexed. 
 Cyrus next besieged Babylon, and despairing of carrying its mighty 
 battlements by assault, he determined to turn aside the waters 
 of the River Euphrates, which ran through the midst of the city, 
 and find an entry along its dry course. His soldiers laboured
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 13 1 
 
 strenuously but secretly at this work, and it was fast approaching 
 completion. 
 
 Belshazzar*s Vision. Belshazzar made a great feast to a 
 thousand of his lords. The king-, his courtiers, wives, and concu- 
 hines, drank wine out of the golden vessels brought from the 
 Temple at Jerusalem, and praised their gods of gold and silver, 
 of brass and iron, of wood and stone. At that moment the fingers 
 of a man's hand were seen writing certain words upon the walls 
 of the banqueting hall. Consternation fell upon the revellers 
 assembled. The King, who shook with fear, so that " his knees 
 smote one against another," summoned bis wise men and astro- 
 logers ; but no one could expound the mystic characters. At 
 length Daniel was fetched from the retirement in which he 
 appears to have lived for many years, and entreated to explain 
 the ominous writing. The prophet first rebuked the king because 
 he had defied the Lord of Heaven, defiled the sacred vessels of 
 His Temple, and praised his graven images, " which see not, nor 
 hear, nor know." Then, turning to the wall, he read to the king 
 the words, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN, and announced 
 their interpretation " God hath numbered thy kingdom and 
 finished it ;" " thou art weighed in the balances and art found 
 wanting ;" " thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and 
 Persians." As a reward for his skill, Daniel was clothed in 
 scarlet, and proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom. 
 
 That very night Cyrus, having turned the waters of the 
 Euphrates, entered through the gap in the battlements, captured 
 the city of Babylon, and slew Belshazzar, together with many of 
 his lords. Thus fell Babylonia beneath the Persian yoke. Cyrus 
 appointed Darius the Mede satrap of the conquered province. 
 
 Daniel in the Lion's Den. Darius appointed one hundred 
 and twenty princes who should be over the whole kingdom, and 
 above them all he placed Daniel. The princes were jealous of 
 his promotion, and persuaded Darius to sign a decree that no one 
 should ask a petition of any God or man for. thirty days, save of 
 the king alone. He who transgressed this command was to be 
 flung into the lion's den. The princes hoped that Daniel wouU 
 disobey the decree, and in this hope they were not disappointed, 
 for Daniel offered up his prayers and supplications to God, as 
 was his daily custom. The princes claimed judgment against 
 Daniel, and Darius very unwillingly consented. Daniel was 
 thrown to the lions, but through the mercy of God they harmed 
 him not. Then Darius commanded that the accusers should be 
 thrust into the den, when they were instantly torn to pieces. 
 Daniel lived, honoured and beloved, at the Persian court tor the 
 rest of his life. K 2
 
 j 3 2 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 End of the Captivity The Temple Rebuilt. 
 
 Cyrus' Proclamation. The long captivity, so patiently borne 
 by the Jews, was now about to terminate. Cyrus, who deserved 
 the proud title of " Servant of God," issued a decree in the first 
 year of his reign, permitting and encouraging his Jewish captives 
 to return to the Holy Land. He further desired his subjects to 
 endow the Jews " with silver and with gold, and with goods and 
 with beasts/' besides giving them free-will offerings for the house 
 to be erected in Jerusalem. Cyrus also brought forth the 
 vessels of the 'house of the Lord that had been carried away by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, to the number of five thousand four hundred, 
 and restored them to the captives. 
 
 Return of the Jews. And so the joyous caravan set out on 
 its long march from Babylon to Jerusalem. It comprised 42,360 
 Jewish souls, besides whom there were 7,367 servants and 8,136 
 beasts of burden. Nevertheless, many of the Jews remained in 
 Babylon, while many more settled in Persia, keeping up communi- 
 cation with their brethren in Jerusalem, and going up there from 
 time to time. Cyrus appointed Zerubbabel as leader, and conferred 
 upon him the title * of " Tirshatha." The Bible states, that 
 among those who went up were " two hundred singing men and 
 singing women ;" and it is most probable that these composed 
 and sang some of the Psalms which refer especially to the return 
 from exile. The Holy Land being reached, the Jews settled 
 down in the cities which they had formerly occupied. In the 
 month of Tishri " the people gathered themselves together as 
 one man to Jerusalem, to celeorate the festivals." Jeshua, the 
 priest, and Zerubbabel the governor, set up an altar to God, and 
 offered thereon the prescribed sacrifices. This was not done 
 without a certain fear of the neighbouring idolatrous people. 
 They also celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, with all its due 
 observances. 
 
 Rebuilding the Temple. The people now contributed 
 largely, from the wealth they had brought with them from 
 Babylon, towards the rebuilding of the Temple. They hired 
 masons and carpenters ; Tyrian and Sidonian wood-cutters hewed 
 down for them the cedars of Lebanon, conveyed them to Joppa 
 and thence to Jerusalem. In the second year of their return 
 they laid the foundations of the House of God, amidst the 
 greatest rejoicing. Yet the old men, who remembered the first 
 temple, wept, for they thought of its glories, which had vanished 
 for ever.
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 133 
 
 The Work Hindered. Troubles were not long 1 in coming. 
 When Shalmaneser carried the men of Israel captive to Assyria, 
 he transferred a considerable number of his own subjects to the 
 depopulated cities. These Assyrians, or Cutheans, as they are 
 sometimes called, now came to Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and 
 claimed to partake in the work in which they were engaged, 
 saying : " For we seek your God as ye do, and we do sacrifice 
 unto Him." But Zerubbabel and Jeshua peremptorily refused to 
 let them have any share in the work. Disappointed in their 
 desire, they troubled the people of Judah, and hindered them in 
 their plans. They also influenced Cyrus, who withdrew his 
 proclamation, and so the work of rebuilding the Temple was 
 suspended till the second year of the reign of Darius, King of 
 Persia, a period of -about fifteen years. The prophets Haggai 
 and Zechariah lived and prophesied unto the Jews that were in 
 Judah and Jerusalem during this time. 
 
 Dedication of the Second Temple. Zerubbabel and Jeshua 
 now ventured to resume the building of the Temple. The Persian 
 satrap of Judea asked by what authority they were proceeding 
 with their enterprise, and was informed that they were acting in 
 accordance with a proclamation issued by Cyrus. The satrap 
 knew of no such document ; but caused search to be made for it 
 in the royal records. It was found, and instantly Darius pro- 
 nounced a decree permitting the Jews to continue their work. 
 The Temple was finished on the third day of the month Adar, in 
 the sixth year of the reign of Darius. Ihe dedication was cele- 
 brated with great joy, numerous sacrifices were offered, and the 
 due services of the House of God were regulated according to the 
 law of Moses. In the following month the people went up to 
 Jerusalem, and kept the festival of Passover, with all its cere- 
 monial observances. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 History of Esther. 
 
 Ahasuerus. On the death of Darius, the throne of Persia was 
 filled by Ahasuerus probably the Xerxes, whose memorable 
 invasion of Greece is well-known to all readers of profane history. 
 His kingdom extended from India to Ethiopia, and embraced one 
 hundred and twenty-seven provinces. In the third year of his 
 reign he gave a grand entertainment to his nobles in Shushan 
 (Susa), his capital. In the height of the revelry, he commanded 
 his queen, Vashti, to appear at the banquet, " to show the people 
 and the princes her beauty." Vashti disobeyed the royal com- 
 mand, and was in consequence divorced by the king.
 
 134 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Esther. After a time Ahasuerus sought another wife. All 
 his kingdom was ransacked to find a maiden fair enough to share 
 his throne. Among the Jews dwelling in Persia was a descendant 
 of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai. He had brought up 
 an orphan cousin, named Hadassah, or Esther, a maiden beautiful 
 to look upon, and good as she was beautiful. She was taken to 
 the palace with the other selected virgins, and so fair did she 
 appear in Ahasuerus' eyes, that he loved her "above all the 
 women ;" " so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and 
 made her queen instead of Vashti." 
 
 Esther told no one that she was of Jewish kindred, for so 
 Mordecai had charged her. Hadassah's elevation brought with 
 it the promotion of Mordecai, who is spoken of as sitting in the 
 " king's gate." Being thus brought in contact with the court 
 officials, he discovered that a plot was being hatched against the 
 king's life by two of his trusted chamberlains. Mordecai informed 
 the King, through Esther, of the conspiracy. Inquisition was made, 
 the chamberlains were found guilty, and hanged, and the circum- 
 stances were written in the Book of the Chronicles before the king. 
 
 Haman. After these events Ahasuerus promoted his favourite 
 to the chief post of honour in his kingdom. All the king's 
 officers bowed down to Haman ; "but Mordecai bowed not, nor 
 did him reverence." Anger and hatred filled Haman's soul, and 
 he resolved on the destruction, not only of Mordecai, but of all the 
 Tews in the Persian dominions. With the superstition of an 
 Oriental he cast lots to find a month unlucky to the Jews, and the 
 lot fell upon the month of Adar. Going to the king, Haman 
 spoke in harsh terms of the Jews, stigmatising them as a lawless 
 and exclusive people. He counselled their destruction, and 
 offered the king ten thousand talents of silver in exchange for 
 their lives. Ahasuerus, a weak and foolish monarch, sealed a 
 decree forthwith for the extermination of the unoffending Jews. 
 Messengers were despatched to all parts of the kingdom with the 
 king's letters commanding that all the Jews men, women, and 
 children should be put to death on the thirteenth of Adar, and 
 that their goods should be taken as a prey. The king and 
 Haman, well pleased with their work, sat down to a feast; " but 
 the city of Shushan was perplexed." 
 
 Esther's Resolution. Mordecai soon heard of the decree. 
 He rent his garments, and put on sackcloth and ashes. He sent a 
 message to Esther, bidding her supplicate the king- to spare her 
 unfortunate people. Esther replied that she dared not enter the 
 king's presence uninvited j for whoever appeared before the king 
 was instantly put to death, unless the king held forth his golden 
 eceptre as a sign of his royal favour. But Mordecai answered
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 135 
 
 that if the Jews were destroyed, Esther would most probably 
 perish with them. He also pointed out to her, that if she refused 
 her aid, help would come from another quarter, and that it looked 
 like the design of Providence that she should be queen at such a 
 time. Moved by these words, Esther commanded that all the 
 Jews in Shushan should fast three days and three nights ; at the 
 end of that time she would go to the king, although against the 
 law, adding : u And if I perish, I perish." 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 History of Esther (continued). 
 
 Esther's Request. The fast was held, and the queen, array- 
 ing herself in her gorgeous robes, stood before the king. Is'o sooner 
 did Ahasuerus look upon her beauteous face than he held out the 
 golden sceptre, and asked what request she had to make, for he 
 would grant it, were it even the half of his kingdom. The queen 
 replied by inviting the king and Haman to a banquet which she 
 liad prepared. The king assented. At the banquet of wine the 
 king again pressed Esther to prefer her request. Esther replied 
 by asking the king and Haman to a feast on the following night, 
 when she would do as the king had said. Haman went forth 
 more than ever elated at the signal honour shown him by the 
 queen ; but when he saw the unbending Mordecai in the king's 
 gate his heart was filled with wrath. Taking council with his 
 wife, Zeresh, she advised him to build a gallows fifty cubits high, 
 and to ask the king's permission to hang Mordecai on it. 
 
 Mordecai's Honours. On that eventful night the king could 
 not sleep, and to while away the time the chronicles of his reign 
 were read before him. When the circumstances of the plot 
 against his life were read, he suddenly inquired what honour and 
 dignity had been done to Mordecai. The king's servants replied 
 that nothing had been done for him. At this moment Haman 
 entered the royal presence to ask permission for Mordecai's exe- 
 cution. The king at once asked Haman what should be done to 
 the man whom the king delighted to honour. Hainan, thinking 
 that the king wished to bestow upon him some new token of his 
 favour, answered that the man should be arrayed in the king's 
 robes, with the king's cro\vn upon his head ; that he should ride 
 through the city upon the king's horse, and that a herald should 
 proclaim before him. " Thus shall it be done to the man whom 
 the king delighteth to honour." Ahasuerus ordered Haman to 
 go at once, and do to Mordecai even as he had said. The procession 
 being over, Haman hasted to his house mourning, and with, his head 
 covered. The day's proceedings seemed ominous of coming dis- 
 -aster. With a heavy heart he went to the queen's second banquet.
 
 i3 6 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 Hainan's Fall. Again, at the second feast, Ahasucrus asketf 
 Esther what was her petition and her request. Then Esther 
 revealed to the king- that she was of the Jewish race, and that she 
 and her people were doomed to destruction. The king 1 , who had 
 prohably forgotten the permission he had given to Haman to 
 massacre the Jews, asked who it was that dared presume in his 
 heart to execute such a purpose. Esther replied : " The adversary 
 and enemy is this wicked Haman." Instantly the king's wrath 
 lighted on his former favourite. Harbonath, one of the cham- 
 berlains opportunely mentioned the gallows that had been 
 erected for Mordecai, and the king commanded that Haman 
 should be hanged on it. 
 
 Mordecai's Advancement. That very day was Mordecai in- 
 stalled in Haman's place. Ahasuerus, yielding to the tearful 
 solicitations of Esther, sent despatches to all parts of his kingdom 
 revoking his former edict, and encouraging the Jews to defend 
 themselves against their enemies. The eventful thirteenth of 
 Adar arrived at length. The Jews, encouraged by the king's 
 decree, bravely withstood the onslaught of their enemies, slaying 
 upwards of seventy -five thousand of their assailants. Amongst 
 them were the ten sons of Haman. In Shushan the attack and 
 resistance were repeated on the fourteenth also. In memory of this 
 miraculous deliverance, the Jews to this day celebrate the feast of 
 Purim* in its due season. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Ezra Nehemiah. 
 
 Ezra the Scribe. On the death of Xerxes, his son Artaxerxes 
 ascended the Persian throne. In the seventh year of his reign, 
 another body of Jews, to the number of over fifteen hundred, set 
 out from Persia to return to the Holy Land. The leadership of 
 this band was conferred upon Ezra, a descendant of Aaron the 
 high priest, a righteous and God-fearing man, "a ready scribe 
 in the law of Moses." Armed with a royal edict, and loaded with 
 gifts of gold and silver, he set out on his journey, in the month 
 of Nisan, and reached Jerusalem in the month of Av. He handed 
 over to the custodians of the Temple the treasures entrusted to his- 
 charge. Ezra was shocked and grieved to find that many of the 
 Jews had married heathen wives. He was determined to check 
 this sin with unsparing hand. He summoned the whole congre- 
 gation before him, and charged them with having transgressed 
 uod's command. He exhorted them to confess their crime before 
 
 * So called from the " lots " cast by Haman to determine in which month, 
 he should carry out his wicked design. Fur means " lot."
 
 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 137 
 
 God, and to put away the strange women from their midst. The 
 people acted according 1 to the advice of Ezra, and purified them- 
 selves from their transgression. It was at this period that Haggai 
 and Zechariah prophesied to the inhahitants ot Jerusalem. The 
 Bihle gives few further details of Ezra's work ; hut, according- to 
 tradition, he (i) founded the "Great Synagogue" ; (2) collected 
 and arranged the books of Scripture as they now exist ; (3) intro- 
 duced the present Hehrew characters ; (4) added the vowel 
 points, which are yet employed j and (5) composed portions of the 
 prayer hook which we still use. 
 
 Nehemiah. The work of restoration at Jerusalem was now 
 taken up by other hands. Nehemiah held the important post of 
 cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes. Learning' from some of his 
 brethren who had lately returned from Jerusalem, that its inhabi- 
 tants were in great affliction, while its walls were still in ruins, 
 Nehemiah determined to proceed to the Holy City, to improve 
 its condition. In the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign he 
 obtained permission to carry out the desire of his heart the 
 rebuilding of Jerusalem but promised to return to Persia in 
 twelve years. Armed with an edict from the king-, he set out on 
 his long journey, and arrived in due course at his destination. 
 Having viewed the city secretly by night, he set about the 
 rebuilding of its walls with the utmost vigour. The inhabitants 
 entered heartily into his views, and set about the work with 
 enthusiasm. The surrounding tribes, who had been hostile to the 
 Jews since their return, and who were led by Sanballat the 
 Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, 
 viewed these proceedings with alarm and envy. They mocked the 
 Jews, taunted them with rebellion against their suzerain, and 
 hindered them in every possible way. So great became the 
 annoyance that Nehemiah had to arm the people ; so that half of 
 them laboured at the walls while the other halt' stood beside them 
 with spear and shield and bow for their protection. So the work 
 went on apace. 
 
 The walls rebuilt. Many of the people complained to Nehe- 
 miah that they had become impoverished through their brethren 
 taking usury of them, and that they had often been compelled 
 to yield up their vineyards, and even their children, to satisfy 
 their creditors. Nehemiah rebuked the usurers, forced them to 
 restore the pledges, and induced them solemnly to renounce such 
 practices for the future. Nehemiah himself set the people a. 
 noble example of disinterestedness and magnanimity. Seeing 
 that his people were in distress, he refrained, all the years he 
 was governor, from exacting the emoluments that were attached 
 to his office. He also fed" one hundred and fifty persons daily
 
 138 MANUAL OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. 
 
 at his table. Still the work of rebuilding the walls went on 
 in spite of unceasing 1 hostility from without. Sanballat and 
 his friends now sought Nehemiah's life. They repeatedly in- 
 vited him to a conference, where they hoped to slay him. 
 When this device failed they hired Shemaiah to persuade 
 Nehemiah that his life was in imminent danger, and that he 
 should shut himself up in the Temple. But Nehemiah resisted 
 this treacherous advice to pollute the Holy of Holies. At length 
 the walls were finished, in the short space of fifty-two days. 
 The doors were then set up, and porters were appointed with 
 strict injunctions to guard against surprise, especially by night. 
 
 The 'Law read. All the people gathered before the water 
 gate and entreated Ezra to read to them the Law of God. So, 
 on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra ascended a wooden 
 pulpit that had been made for the purpose, and began to read 
 aloud the Word of God. Thirteen of the most learned men at 
 the same time explained to the people what was read, probably 
 translating it into the Chaldaic tongue. The reading was con- 
 tinued on the second day, and then the inhabitants prepared to 
 celebrate the festival of Succous. They went forth to the neigh- 
 bouring mountains and fetched palms and myrtles, and erected 
 booths, as is commanded. The festival had not been so religiously 
 kept since the days of Joshua. On the twenty-fourth day of the 
 same month they kept a solemn fast, "and stood and confessed 
 their sins and the iniquities of their fathers." 
 
 Reform of Abuses. As Jerusalem was still under-populated, 
 Nehemiah chose one out of every ten of the people to dwell 
 within its walls, while the rest were allowed to depart to the 
 country. Nehemiah having thus accomplished all that he had 
 desired, returned to Persia. But he was soon recalled to 
 Jerusalem, to reform the abuses that had sprung up in his absence. 
 Eliashib, the high priest, had permitted his son Jorada to marry 
 a daughter of Sanballat, and had even allowed Sanballat to occupy 
 a room in the Temple. Another abuse was that the Levites had 
 been defrauded of the portions due to them. But what grieved 
 Nehemiah most was the open desecration of the Sabbath, which 
 was practised in Jerusalem. The Jews had also relapsed into the 
 sin of mixed marriages, and had allied themselves with the 
 women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 
 
 The prophet Malachi raised his voice again and again to de- 
 nounce these transgressions. 
 
 Witli a sweeping hand Nehemiah reformed all these abuses. 
 He exhorted the people to live by the Law of God, and to make 
 His word their c-uide and support through life.
 
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 142 
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 
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 Kingdom ofj 
 JEHOAHAZ (3 months), I 
 Egypt. 
 JEHOIAKIM(uyears). 
 Nebuchadnezzar invades Ju 
 
 JEHOIACHIX (3 months) : 
 Ezekiel in Babylon. 
 ZEDEKIAH ( 1 1 years). E 
 Siege of Jerusalem by the B 
 Zedekiah allies himself witt 
 Jerusalem taken. Zedekiai 
 
 burns the Temple. Com 
 exile. End of the Kingd< 
 Gredaliah made Governor at 
 by Ishmael. Flight to E; 
 
 Jews ii 
 
 More Jews taken captive to 
 Death of Nebuchadnezzar; h 
 Jehoiachin restored to freed 
 Neriglissar King of Babylon 
 Belshazzar King of Babylon 
 Capture of Babylon by Cyi 
 the Mede. Death of Bels 
 
 .7cws under . 
 
 Cyrus gives the Jews permis 
 The first band of exiles se1 
 babel. They commence t 
 The Samaritans oppose the 
 Obadiali. 
 Death of Cyrus. Camby 
 succeeds. 
 
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 APPENDIX I. M3 
 
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 be building of the Temple st 
 succeeds to the Persian throne 
 the Temple renewed. 
 aygai and Zccltariak. 
 lie Temple finished. 
 
 hasuerus (Xerxes) King of Peri 
 aeen Vashti banished. 
 
 ?ther Queen of Persia, 
 ainan's plot and death. Mord< 
 rtaxerxes Lougimanus King of 
 zra leads a band of exiles to Jeri 
 ehemiah's mission to the Hoi; 
 
 Avails and towers, 
 ebemiah returns to Persia, 
 arius Nothus King of Persia. JL 
 to Palestine, 
 tie Samaritans build a temple o 
 rtaxerxes II. King of Persia, 
 rtaxerxes III. King of Persia, 
 arius Codomaunus last Persian 
 lexander of Maccdon subdues 
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 APPENDIX II. 
 
 THE JEWISH YEAR-ITS FESTIVALS AND FASTS. 
 
 The Year. The Jewish year is of a double nature ; in one respect it is lunar 
 in another it is solar. It is lunar because its months are reckoned by the revo- 
 lutions of the moon ; they therefore consist, sometimes of twenty-nine days, aiid 
 sometimes of thirty days. If the year were always made to consist of twelve such 
 months, neither more or less, it would result that all our festivals and fasts would 
 become movable. Pesach would sometimes occur in spring, sometimes in 
 summer, or autumn, or winter ; and so with the other appointed times. This is 
 what really happens among the Mahometans, whose Kourban liairam, for instance, 
 happens in turn in each of their months. But as the festivals have been 
 appointed by Divine command to occur in certain fixed seasons Pesach, for 
 instance in the spring, and Succoth in the autumn it follows that though the 
 months depend upon the moon's revolutions, the years cannot be determined by 
 the same standard. 
 
 The year is solar, inasmuch as it has been made to agree with the solar cycle of 
 nineteen years ; in other words, every nineteen years the lunar and the solar dates 
 are made to agree. This is effected by adding an additional month to the twelve, 
 sometimes every three years, and more rarely every two years. A year of twelve 
 months is called nt2-1f'3 Dili' (_Shono P'shuto), an ordinary year ; while one 
 containing thirteen months is styled rOS-WO r\j& (Shono Arubaras), an inter- 
 calary or embolismic year. In a cycle of nineteen years, twelve are ordinary and 
 seven are intercalary. In such a period the intercalary year occurs five times 
 every three years and twice every two years. 
 
 Ordinary years are of three kinds : (1) Imperfect, containing 353 days ; (2) 
 Common, containing 354 days ; and (3) Perfect, containing 355 days. An inter- 
 calary year may contain 383, 384, or 385 days. 
 
 The Year .of Release. In Biblical times every seventh year was called 
 niSOCpn rut?, " The Year of Kekase," or " Sabbatical Year". No agricultural 
 work was done, the land was not ploughed, nor were the fruit or olive trees 
 pruned or trimmed. That which grew of itself was left to be gathered by the 
 
 Eoor and the stranger. Servants were to be set free, debtors were to be re- 
 ;ased from their debts, and the law was to be read publicly in the hearing of 
 all the people. It was to be a Sabbath of rest throughout the whole land, so 
 that the soil itself and its cultivators should have surcease from toil. 
 
 The Year of Jubilee. Every fiftieth year that is, the end of every seven 
 periods of seven years was to be celebrated as a Year of Jubilee, 73i*n r\l& 
 It was solemnly announced on the sacred Day of Atonement by the blowing of 
 trumpets. It was to be a year of liberty, when every man was to return unto 
 his possessions. All land and houses, in unwalled cities, that had been sold or 
 otherwise disposed of during the preceding forty-nine years, were to revert to the 
 original owner. Servants and bondmen were to be set free, and even those who 
 were willing to continue in service were to be discharged. 
 Tlie Months. The year consists of twelve months : 
 
 Nisan ...,..., \&} 1. 
 
 lyar TX 2. 
 
 T 
 
 Sh-an jrp 3. 
 
 Tammuz Vin 4.
 
 APPENDIX II. 145 
 
 The MONTHS (continued?). 
 
 Av ......... 3X 6. 
 
 Alul .......... ^X 6. 
 
 Cheshvan, or M.trclwshi-an . . JVJ'QID or Jlw'il 8. 
 Kislive ........ V^D3 9. 
 
 Tivise ......... n3U 10. 
 
 Sh'vat ......... B3fc? 11. 
 
 ......... TJX 12. 
 
 An intercalary, or embolismic year, consists of thirteen months ; and in fluch 
 case a second Adar 11X}, V'adar, or, iy& 11X , Adar Shine is added on. 
 
 The ecclesiastical or religious year begins with Nlsan and then Tishri is con- 
 sidered the seventh month ; but the civil year is reckoned from Tishri, and then 
 A7m is the seventh month. The first day of a Jewish month is called 
 t'ljn K^NT, head of the month, and is observed as a minor festival. The short 
 llallel is recited in the synagogue. The day preceding is kept as a partial fast. 
 It is called jt3p 1133 DVi lesser Day of Atonement, and prayers of supplication 
 nirV^D are offered up in our houses of worship. 
 
 p'3 (Nisari). This month is called 3*3X (Ociv) whenever mentioned in the 
 ruble before the Captivity. It consists of thirty days, partly in March and partly in 
 April. It is the first month of the religious, and the seventh of the civil year. lu 
 the Holy Land the barley now commences to ripen, while the wheat is just 
 coming into ear. 
 
 In this month we celebrate the HD3, Passover, one of the three chief festivals 
 commanded in the Bible. When the Jews dwelt in the Holy Land it was incumbent 
 upon all males to go up to Jerusalem to keep the feast, and to bring their offerings 
 to God. The Paschal Lamb was also slain on the afternoon of the fourteenth of 
 Nlsan, in commemoration of the lamb which our forefathers were commanded to 
 kill iu Egypt, and whose blood was sprinkled on the door-posts of their houses, to 
 ehic'ld them from the destroying angel. , 
 
 The Sabbath before Pesach is called 711311 D3K', the Great Sabbath. When 
 God was about to bring our ancestors out of Egypt, he commanded them to 
 choose a lamb on the tenth day of Nlsan, to keep it till the evening of the four- 
 teenth, and then to kill it. In the year of the Exodus, the tenth of Nisan was on a. 
 Sabbath. This open selection of a lamb, for the purpose of slaughter, was an im- 
 portant event, because to the Egyptians it was a sacred animal, and the act of the 
 Israelites was an unmistakable proof that the deliverance from captivity was at hand. 
 
 The fourteenth day of Nisan is called PID3 31JJ the Eve of the Passover. It 
 is the duty of all first-born male Jews above the age of thirteen to fast on this day, 
 in remembrance of the fact that when God slew all the first-born of Egypt he spared 
 the first-born of the Israelites. It is called D^1133~JV3J?P1 the fast of the 
 First-born. Should it occur on Sabbatli the fast is kept on the previous Thursday 
 
 The important festival of HD3 (Pesach), commences on the evening of the 
 fourteenth day of Nisan, and lasts eight days. It is also called nitfEn jn^ 
 the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It commemorates the miraculous deliverance 
 of the Jews from the cruel bondage they had so long endured in Egypt. For 
 two Lnndred and ten years had they borne their galling servitude, but at length 
 the Lord led them forth from the land of their captivity with a high hand. On the 
 night of their departure, so great was the haste of the Egyptians to send them 
 a way, that they had not time to bake their bread. They were compelled to remove 
 their dough before it was leavened, their kneadiug-troughs being bound up in 
 their clothes upon their shoulders. Of this dough they afterwards baked un- 
 leavened bread, "for it was not leavened." Ou this account we are moat particular 
 
 L
 
 146 APPENDIX II, 
 
 to avoid eating anything leavened during the whole of Pesach, nor do we allovr 
 any leaven to remain in our houses for the eight days of the festival. To carry 
 this into effect we very carefully remove all fermented food, such as bread, beer, 
 &c., from our houses before the festival. On the eve before the fourteenth of 
 Nisan the master of each household is in duty bound to make a most particular 
 search through his house, to see that all leaven has been removed. This is called 
 
 pH3 7 v, the Evening of Searching for Leaven. 
 
 The first two and the last two days of the festival must be kept as strictly as 
 Sabbath, with the sole exception that the preparation and cooking of food may 
 be performed ou those days. On the first day we offer up a special prayer that 
 God may send the dew to refresh our fields during the heats of summer. The 
 
 four middle days are called "IJ/IJSn pin when we may carry on our business and 
 engage in all urgent occupations. 
 
 The first two evenings of Pesach are marked by a most important ceremonial in 
 our houses, called "HD, Order. The table for the evening meal is laid out in 
 this manner. At the head of the table is placed a dish containing three n'WD 
 separated from each other by linen cloths. In another dish are placed (1) A part 
 of the shank bone of a lamb, roasted, which commemorates the npS jiHp 
 the Paschal offering; (2) a roasted egg, a symbol of the n^JH }2"ip 
 the usual festival sacrifice. (3) A Ihird dish contains a mixture of chopped apples, 
 almonds, &c., called ripViri; which is to remind us of the mortar used by our ancestors 
 in Egypt. (4) In a fourth dish is placed a cup of vinegar, or salt water, together 
 with a quantity of bitter herbs, generally the green tops of the horse-radish. 
 This is to call to mind the bitter oppression our forefathers endured in Egypt, 
 when the Egyptians " made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar, and 
 in brick, and in all manner of service in the field." Parsley and horse-radish are 
 also eaten in memory of our former servitude. Decanters of "IK>3 wine, and 
 glasses, are likewise placed upon the table. 
 
 The members of the household having taken their seats, the head of the family 
 commences the service by reciting the t/'-TVp, Sanctification of the Festival. The 
 first part of the iTUI"! (a book which relates the history of the Deliverance from 
 Egypt) is then read, and the ceremonies it enjoins are performed. The evening 
 meal is then partaken of. Lastly, the second part of the '"Or'-l a collection of 
 . hymns praising and glorifying God, is chanted. During the service four cupc of 
 wine are drunk. 
 
 The "Iftiy (Omer). During the existence of the Temple the second day of 
 Passover was marked by the offering of an Omer (probably half-a-gallon) of the 
 newly-reaped barley, as commanded in the Bible. On that day also our ancestors 
 commenced counting forty-nine days^or seyen complete weeks, and on the fiftieth 
 day they celebrated the festival of J"fUM3B> (Shovuos). Since the destruction of 
 the second Temple we have ceased to offer sacrifices, yet we religiously observe 
 the counting of the Omer, from the eve of the second day of Pesach, for forty-nine 
 days. 
 
 The passage of the Eed Sea took place on the seventh day of the Passover. In 
 memory of this miraculous event we read the portion of Scripture (x. xiii. 17 to 
 xv. 2G), which tells how the children of Israel passed over the Eed Sea on diy 
 land, while the Egyptians who pursued them were drowned. It also contains the 
 song chanted by Moses and the children of Israel on the occasion. 
 
 "VK (lyar). The second month is called *V*K ; before the Captivity it was 
 known as IT (Zif). It has always twenty-nine days, and extends over parts of 
 April and May. It is the season of early summer in the Holy Laud the barley 
 harvest is nearly over, and wheat is rapidly coming into ear. 
 
 Three minor fast days are observed in this month, called ^JK'I ^B^OH ^Jt' 
 the second, the fifth, and the following second day of the week that is, Monday, 
 Thursday, and the following Monday. These fast days are kept to atone for any 
 sins we may have unknowingly committed, or any religious duties we may have 
 neglected, during the festivities of Pesach.
 
 APPENDIX II. 147 
 
 In Biblical times the festival of iE> HD3 or the "Second Passover," was held 
 i>n the 14th of lyar. It was observed by those who were unable to keep the 
 Passover in its due season, owing to their being on a journey, or to their having 
 been defiled by contact with a dead body. 
 
 The eighteenth d*y of lyar always corresponds with the thirty-third day of the 
 Omer. It is a minor festival. In the days of N2'ipJJ 'ZH there was a great plague 
 in tho Holy Land, which carried off a great many of its inhabitants. Among thoso 
 who died were some thousands of the Rabbi's pupils. The plague suddenly ceased 
 on the thirty- third day of the Omer. The day is therefore kept as a holiday by 
 school-children, and it is sometimes called the " Scholars' Feast." We name it in 
 
 Hebrew, "Ipiy^-jS, the letters "J"^ representing the number 33. 
 
 l] P (Sivan). This is the third month, and includes parts of May and June. 
 It lias always thirty days. On the sixth and seventh days we celebrate the second 
 of the great religious festivals, which, in Biblical times, had to be kept in Jerusalem. 
 The festival is called niJMO.K' (Shovuos), and is observed for two distinct reasons: 
 firstly, because it marks the completion of the wheat harvest in the Holy Land ; 
 and secondly, because it commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments ou 
 Mount jSinai.^ It is known under four names : 
 ! J"lilM3&'n 3PI, Feast of Weeks, because seven complete weeks have been 
 
 counted from the^second day of Pesach. 
 
 2. D*T133H DV, Day of First Ripe Fruits, because on this day the first ears 
 of tho ripe wheat were offered in the Temple. 
 
 3. TXj9n jn, Harvest Festival, because it was the period of the wheat har- 
 vest. 
 
 4. miFl JFIO JOT The Time of Giving the Law, because on the sixth day 
 of Sican the decalogue was spoken by God from the top of Mount Sinai. 
 
 Shoeuos does not happen in this country at the period of the wheat harvest, but 
 when the flowers, with which God has so abundantly decked the earth, are most 
 abundant. To show our gratitude to the Giver of all good we beautify our syna- 
 gogues during this festival with choice flowers and shrubs, pleasant to the eye, and 
 fragrant with many perfumes. It is also a custom to stay up during the first night 
 of the festival, for the purpose of reading portions of the Law, the Prophets, &c. 
 
 The three days before Shovuos are called n?3JH *O* flK^B', Three Days of 
 Setting Bounds, in memory of the command enjoined upon Moses to set bounds 
 round Mount Sinai, previous to tho giving of tho Ten Commandments. 
 
 TISn (Tammuz). This is the fourth month, and consists always of twenty-nine 
 
 days, during parts of Juno and July. The hot season now commences in the 
 Holy Land. 
 
 The seventeenth day of this month, T-1BFI3 "ib'l? HiDi? is observed as a strict 
 fast from sunrise to nightfall, because of the grievous calamities that befell our 
 nation on this day. It was on the seventeenth of Tammuz that Nebuchadnez/. ir, 
 King of Babylon, broke down tho walls ot Jerusalem, after having besieged it 
 nearly two years. Thousands of our ancestors perished during the siege. King 
 Zedukiah was taken prisoner, his sons were slain in his presence, and then his 
 eyes were put out by order of Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 On the same day of tho month, many years later, another calamity overtook our 
 nation. Titus, at the head of a lloman army, having besieged Jerusalem, captured 
 its walls and laid siege to the Holy Temple. These events were attended with 
 tho slaughter of many thousands of pxir ancestors. 
 
 It has been handed down by tradition that Moses descended from Mount Sinai on 
 the seventeenth of Tammuz, Seeing the people worshipping a golden calf, he threw 
 down the tables ot stone he was bearing in his hands, and broke them at the foe* 
 of the Mount. 
 
 for all these reasons the Fast of Tammuz is a very sad day in our history. Yet 
 God has promised, through his prophet Zechariah, that it shall be turned to a da j 
 of rejoicing : " Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ; tho fast of the fourth month, aut.
 
 148 APPENDIX II. 
 
 the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall b 
 to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts." 
 3K (Av) is the fifth month. It has always thii-ty days, partly in July and 
 
 partly in August. In the Holy Land the hot season continues, and the fruits are 
 fceEnnning to ripen. 
 
 The ninth day of Av 3X3; TW27\ is the most mournful day in our 
 calendar. Both the Temples were destroyed on it the first by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 who, at the same time, carried the Kingdom of Judah into captivity at Babylon ; 
 the other, many years later, by Titus, amidst a dreadful scene of fire and death. 
 With this later event our nationality may be said to have ceased, and from that 
 time forth the Jews have been wanderers in every quarter of the globe. We 
 observe the day with particular sadness and self-affliction. The fast, unlike all 
 others, save tha Day of Atonement, lasts from sunset oa the eighth, till nightfall 
 011 the ninth day. Our synagogues present a desolate appearance. All ornaments 
 are removed, the ark is stripped of its curtain, and instead of the usual flood of 
 light, a dim candle flickers here and there. The congregants are seated on the 
 earth ; the service is chanted in a low and mournful key. The " Book of Lamen- 
 tations," composed by the prophet Jeremiah, is read, together with special 
 dirges called ni3^p all descriptive of the sufferings of our ancestors, and of the 
 utter woe and destruction that overtook Jerusalem. The theme of the day's 
 services is well expressed in the verse from Jeremiah : " How doth the city sit 
 solitary that was full of people ! how is she become as a widow ! she that was 
 great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become 
 tributary !" Yet a ray of comfort pierces the gloom, for this day, too, shall in the 
 future become a time of joy. 
 
 The period from the ninth to the thirtieth of the month is called 3X DH3P- 
 meaning 3K that comforts, or consoles. This expression is always used in 
 dating a Hebrew letter. The Sabbath before the fast of Av is called n3tJ> 
 Vltn because the portion of the prophets read on that day (IsaiahL) begins with 
 *he' words, ^JVJJty* pTH "the vision of Isaiah." 
 The Sabbath after the fast of Av is called 1JDn3 fi2B> oecause the portion of 
 
 the Prophets (Isaiah xl.) read in synagogue on that day, commences with the word 
 ICnj ; " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." 
 
 The fifteenth day of Av 3X3 "ItJ'y HK'pn is kept as a minor festival, in 
 memory of a joyous event that occurred in the early history of our people. In the 
 days of the latter Judges the inhabitants of Gibeah, a town in Benjamin, com- 
 mitted such a fearful sin that all Israel assembled to punish them. The 
 Bcnjamites took the part of their townsmen. Two severe battles were fought 
 between the Israelites and the Benjamites ; in the first the Israelites were defeated 
 but in the second the Benjamites were overthrown and nearly all killed. The 
 Israelites then swore that no daughter of theirs should ever marry a man of 
 Benjamin. After a time they were sorry for their oath, for if they kept to it llw 
 tribe of Benjamin would die out altogether. They became reconciled on the 
 fifteenth of Av, which day has ever since been regarded as a holiday. 
 
 Sl^>X (Alut) is the sixth month of the year. It has always twenty-nine days, 
 extending over parts of August and September. In the Holy Land it is the last 
 of the hot months ; the fruits are fully ripe, and the vintage has commenced. 
 
 This month has neither feast nor fast, yet it has a significance of its own, as it 
 warns us of the approach of the following mouth, containing some of our most 
 sacred and important days. This warning consists in the blowing of the "ISIt^, 
 ram's horn, in our synagogues, commencing on the first day, and extending 
 throughout the month, except on Sabbath. During its fourth week, which is the 
 week "preceding the New Year, special prayers, called JYin^p (propitiatory 
 prayers), ai-e offered up in our places of worship. 
 
 '"lE'Pl (ris/H-t). This is the seventh month of the religious year, but the first of 
 the civil year. It has thirty days, extending over parts of September and October. 
 Before the Captivity it was known by the name D*3JVX i'thaiiim. It is the 
 period of autumn in the Holy Land ; the fruits and vintage have been, gathered 
 iii and the land is being ploughed for the following harvest.
 
 APPENDIX II. 149 
 
 Tishri is the most important of all the months, on account of the number of its 
 sacred days. These comprise the festival of flSt^n SJ'KT, or New Year, the fast 
 T-1E3 DV, Day of Atonement, and the festival of r~llSD, or Tabernacles. 
 
 i"13'n E>fcO. This sacred festival is celebrated on the first and second days of 
 Tishri. It is the festival of the New Year, and, while it is a time of rejoicing, it 
 is also a period of great solemnity. We believe that on these days all our actions 
 of the past year are reviewed by the Great Judge. It behoves us therefore to have 
 a becoming sense of the day's importance, and to " rejoice with trembling.' 1 Th 
 service in our synagogues is very impressive ; the ministers are robed in wh!tn, 
 and a white curtain hangs before the ark. The ram's horn 1DiB> is sounded 
 many times to call our attention to the duties and significance of the day, and to 
 remind us that the great Day of Atonement is drawing iiigh. 
 
 This festival is known by four names : 
 
 1. n3K'n E'NT, New Year, literally, " head of the year." 
 
 2. |^13-fn DV) Day of Memorial, because God calls to memory our faults and 
 sins of the past year. 
 
 3. inn 6V, Day of Judgment, for on these days we are on trial before the 
 Judge of tne wnole earth. 
 
 4. nynn OV, -A- & & y f Sounding the Horn, because we sound the ram's horn 
 several times during the service in our synagogues. Tradition states that on the 
 first day of Tishri the ram was offered instead of Isaac on Mount Moriah. 
 
 The first ten days of Tishri are called nil-U^iri i& ttJtQti Ten Da y s of Peni - 
 tence).- They should be spent in serious reflection over our past life, and in pre- 
 paration for the Day of Atonement. In our synagogues mrivD are recited during 
 the morning service of the week days. 
 
 The day after njtfH K>ST that is, the third day of Tishri la observed as a 
 fast-day. It is called -in^n? DIVi the Fast of Gedaliah. When Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, King of Babylon, captured Jerusalem, he led the larger number of the 
 inhabitants of Judah captives to Babylon. Some of the humbler classes were left 
 in the Holy Laud to cultivate the soil and tend the vineyards. Over these, Geda- 
 liah, son of Ahikam, was appointed governor. His rule lasted only some seven 
 months when he was treacherously slain by IshmaeL, son of Nethauiah, of the 
 seed royal, who aimed at obtaining supreme power in Palestine. In memory of 
 the death of the good Gedaliah we keep the fast which is named after him. The 
 Sabbath between the New Year and the Day of Atonement is called HS-ltJ'ri n2E>, 
 the Sabbath of Repentance. 
 
 "1-133 DV. The tenth day of Tishri is the most solemn and sacred day of the 
 year. It is the dread and impressive Day of Atonement, when we crave atone- 
 ment from God for the transgressions of the past year. It is a Sabbath of Sabbaths, 
 and we scrupulously abstain from any action that may not be performed upon the 
 Sabbath day. We observe a strict fast from sunset on the ninth to nightfall on the 
 tenth day a fast from which nothing can release us save dangerous illness. Tho 
 solemnities of ~\) S3 commence with the service in our synagogues on the eve of 
 
 the tenth day, which is called T)3 73. On "W33 itself we attend the house of 
 worship from sunrise till the conclusion of the fast, confessing our sins, soliciting 
 pardon from God, and praying for a continuance of His mercy and loving- kindness. 
 At nightfall the sound of the Shofur proclaims the termination of the fast, and the 
 conclusion of the day's sacred observances. The ten days from the New Year to 
 and including the Day of Atonement are called Q'tOlJ Q > P' ) Days of Awe. 
 t or Tabernacles, is the third and last of tho important festivals called 
 , the others being Pesach and SJtcvuos. It is also called Cj'pXn jn, the 
 
 Festival of Ingathering the latest products of the orchard and vineyard having 
 now been gathered and stored. It commences on the fifteenth day of Tishri,
 
 150 APPENDIX II. 
 
 and lasts nine days. The first two and the lust two are kept as strictly as Sabbath, 
 with the exception that food may be prepared and cooked 011 them. On inter- 
 mediate days we may follow all necessary oc< upations. 
 
 The Feast of Tabernacles is kept in memory of our ancestors dwelling in booths 
 or tabernacles during their forty years' wandering in the wilderness, after their 
 redemption from Egypt. During the whole of that long period they had no 
 houses properly so called, but inhabited huts probably formed of branches of trees, 
 which could be easily put up, and as easily removed. It is our duty also to erect 
 tabernacles roofed with leaves, and to dwell in them, or at least take our meals in 
 them, during the first eight days of Succoits. . . 
 
 We are likewise commanded in the Bible to take branches of the palm, 3>1 7 ., 
 of the myrtle, D^DTH, of the willow of the brook, J"ll2"iy together "with the- 
 fruit of the citron, j'nriN, and to rejoice with them before the Lord. The 
 various branches are tastefully bound together, and with these, and the citron in 
 our hands, we recite the prayer called 7?n ? hymn of praise, and walk round the- 
 synagogue in procession, chaunting the fcOVt^in, " Hosanna." 
 
 The seventh day of JYI3p is called K3T fcOyp'in " the Great Hosanna," from 
 the prayers recited on the occasion. It is a festival, but of a solemn kind. In 
 the synagogue seven scrolls of the law are taken out, and the palm-bearing wor- 
 shippers walk in procession seven times round the synagogue, while chanting, 
 the Hosannas. Towards the termination -of the service, the leaves are beaten off 
 the willow branches a relic of the beautiful ceremony in the Temple, when the 
 Jews with joyful song strewed the altar with the willow-twigs they had used 
 during the festival. The previous night is spent in reading parts of the Bible. 
 
 The eighth day of the festival is called r.lVJJ > J l| Dt^, the eighth day of solemn 
 assembly. In our synagogues a special prayer is offered to God, entreating Him* 
 to send the wind and the rain in their due season. 
 
 The ninth day of the festival is called TTfifi nnpK>, the rejoicing of the law. 
 On every Sabbath throughout Ihe year a portion of the Law is read in the syna- 
 gogue. On mifl nnp'fc?, the last portion of Deuteronomy, containing the death 
 and burial of Moses, is recited, and immediately we commence the first section of 
 Genesis narrating the Creation. It is a grand fact in our religious history, that this- 
 unceasing recital of the Sacred Book has continued uninterruptedly for so many 
 centuries. The member of the congregation to whom the last section of the Law 
 is read, is called mifl jnn Bridegroom of the Law, and the one to whom the- 
 first section is read is called"" rVt>X}3 JOfl the Bridegroom of the Commence- 
 ment. . 
 
 JlK'CnE, or }5KT! (Cheshvan or Marclieshvan], is the eighth month of the year. 
 
 Before the period of the Captivity it was called 712 Bui. It may contain twcnty- 
 nine or thirty days, and extends over parts of October and November. In the 
 Holy Land Cheshvan is the month of the former rain, which is of a light character, 
 and does not hinder the sowing of wheat and barley. 
 
 During this month we observe a second set of minor fast days, called 
 \j^ ^pn 'pl^ the second day, the fifth day, and the following second day of 
 the' week; in other words, Monday, Thursday, and the following Monday. The 
 fasts are kept to atone for any shortcomings in our religious observances during the 
 preceding festival of Succous. 
 
 V^D3 (Kislice) is the ninth month of the year. It contains sometimes twenty- 
 nine and sometimes thirty days, and lasts over parts of November and December. 
 In the Holy Land Kislice is the first moutli of winter, the mountains are covered 
 with snow, and all the trees are stripped of their leaves. 
 
 The festival of HS-Un, dedication, commences on the twenty-fifth of 
 month and continued eight days. In the time of the Second Temple, about 170 
 K.C E , Antiochus Epjphanes, King of Syria, cruelly oppressed the Jews dwellmgm 
 Palestine. He hated the Jewish religion, and laboured unceasingly to uproot it. 
 He massacred the Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, polluted the Holy Temple bv
 
 APPENDIX II. 151 
 
 offering on its altar the flesh of the swine, and placed within its walls the statues 
 of the Grecian gods. He burnt all the books of the Law his officers could find, 
 prohibited the keeping of the Sabbath, and punished severely those who even 
 attempted to retain the name of Jew. All Palestine lay crushed at the tyrant's 
 feet, and Jewish nationality as well as the Jewish faith seemed about to perish 
 together. 
 
 But deliverance was at Laud. At Modin, a village in Judah, there dwelt an 
 aged man of priestly family, iiarned Mattathias the Asmonean, a man of the 
 greatest piety. With him lived his five sons, whom he had trained in a passionate 
 love of their holy faith. They were all brave men, but the most noteworthy of 
 them was Judas, surnamed Maccabeus. It happened that some Syrian officers 
 visited Modin, and erecting an altar to one of their idole, bade Mattathias to 
 sacrifice to it. The aged patriot, filled with holy anger, slew the king's 
 messenger, and raised the standard of revolt. He soon gathered an army, but 
 died ere a blow could be struck, appointing Judas to succeed him. 
 
 For three years the Jews struggled against the Syrian hosts with varying 
 fortune, but in the end completely routed them in two great battles. Judas, follow- 
 ing his victories, drove his enemies entirely out of Palestine. Entering Jerusalem, 
 he caused the Temple to be purified. On the twenty-fifth of Kislive he consecrated 
 anew the House of God. The perpetual lamp was about to be lit when it was 
 discovered that there remained but one flask of holy oil, sufficient for one day 
 only. By a miracle of God the oil lasted eight days, till a further supply could 
 be prepared. In memory of the dedication of the Temple we keep the festival of 
 n3-13n. On the first night of Chanukah we light up in our synagogues and houses 
 one light ; on the second night two lights, and so on for the whole eight nights. 
 We also chant a special hymn, beginning with the words "VIS TWO. 
 
 n3tp. (77me) is the tenth month of the Jewish year. It has always twenty-nine 
 days, partly in December and partly in January. In the Holy Land it ia mid- 
 winter, and the coldest month of the year. 
 
 On the tenth day of Tivise 713132 JTUJ'Jf a fast is observed in sad memory of 
 the commencement of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. 
 This is.one of the fast days promised by Zeehariah to become a day of joy. 
 
 Dllti' (Sh'vat). This is the eleventh month of the year. It always has thirty 
 days, and extends over parts of January and February. In Palestine the worst 
 part of the winter is over, and the weather begins to get wanner. 
 
 The fifteenth day of this month 1331^3 ~lb>J7 H^pn is kept as a minor 
 festival. It is called n'l3^K^ HJB'n Vth, New Year' for the Trees. It is 
 supposed that about this day the sap begins to rise in the trees. The rigours of 
 winter are past, the spring is at hand, and we are grateful to our Heavenly Father 
 for having kept us alive to enjoy the approaching season of flower and fruit. 
 
 In an ordinary year the last Sabbath in this month is generally known as 
 
 C^ijtJ' nK^Sl, tu e Section of the Shekels. In synagogue is read the portion of 
 the Law (Exodus xxx. 11-16) which commands that the Children of Israel who were 
 to be numbered were to offer each of them a half shekel as " a ransom for his 
 soul." The money thus gathered was used in the service of the Tabernacle. At 
 the present time a collection is made in our places of worship on the first night 
 -of Purim, and the proceeds given to the poor. In an intercalary year this Sabbath 
 occurs in the first Adar. 
 
 T1S! (Adar). This is the twelfth month of the year. It has always twenty- 
 nine days, and extends over parts of February and March. In an intercalary 
 year the second Adar *3J? IIS has also twenty-nine days, and corresponds 
 with our month of March. In the Holy Land the latter rains begin, and the 
 .spring is now well advanced. 
 
 On the thirteenth day of Adar we keep a fast called "IFlpi* JV3J|F1, the Fast 
 of Esther, in memory of the fast observed by the Jews of Bhushau at the com- 
 mand of Queen Esther. This day is closely connected with the Festival of 
 Purim. If it occurs on Sabbath, the fast is kept on the precious Thursday;
 
 152 APPENDIX II. 
 
 whereas if any of the other fast days (except the Day of Atonement) happens on a 
 Sabbath, it is observed on the succeeding Sunday. 
 
 The fourteenth day of Adar is kept as a joyous festival, and is called D*~V13 a 
 The origin of this festival is given at length in the Book of Esther. Ahasuerus 
 King of Persia, put away his wife Vashti, and took in her stead Esther, a Jewish 
 maiden, who had been reared by her cousin Mordeeai. The king's chief minister, 
 Haman, conceived a deadly hatred against the Jews living in Persia, because of 
 the advancement of Mordeeai, and because Mordeeai would not bow down to him. 
 He therefore resolved to obtain the king's permission to slay all the Jews in the 
 kingdom. Ahasuerus was very weak-minded, and granted Haman all he desired. 
 The latter cast lots OH-IS to determine on what month he should carry out his 
 cruel intention. The lot fell upon Adar, and Haman sent messengers to all parts 
 of Persia, bidding the inhabitants to kill all the Jews, '' young and old, little ones 
 and children,'' on the thirteenth day of Adar, and to plunder their property. 
 
 Mordecai, having learned what was intended by the wicked Haman, begged 
 Queen Esther to intercede for her people. It was the custom in Persia that when 
 any one appeared in the presence of the king without being called, he was instantly 
 put to death, unless the king held out to him his golden sceptre. Esther well 
 knew that, in venturing before the king without his command, her life was in 
 danger. Yet she was resolved to undergo the risk. She first asked all the Jews 
 iu Shushan, the capital, to fast three days, and she herself fasted. Then, attired 
 in her royal robes, she stood before the king, who immediately held forth to her 
 the golden sceptre. Esther pleaded so earuestlvfor her people that the wicked 
 Haman and his ten sons were hanged by the king's command, while the Jews 
 throughout Persia received permission to defend themselves against their enemies. 
 The fourteenth day of the month they kept as a day of rejoicing for their miracu- 
 lous deliverance. In Shushan the Jews slew their enemies also on the fourteenth 
 day, and the fifteenth day of the month was kept as a day of joy. This festival is 
 distinguished as a time of feasting and joy, of giving presents one to another, and 
 especially of bestowing gifts upon the poor. On the night and morning of Purim 
 the n?3D or parchment scroll in which the Book of Esther is written, is read 
 
 T : > . . 
 
 in our synagogues. The fifteenth cVvy is called DH'153 |KMB>, the Purim of Shushan. 
 The rejoicings are continued, but the Megillah is not read. 
 
 In an intercalary year the Fast of Esther and Purim are kept on the thirteenth, 
 fourteenth, and fifteenth days of the second Adar. 
 
 The Sabbath before Purim is called 113 T DnS, Sabbath of Remembrance, 
 because we read the section of the Law (Deut. xxv. 17-19) commencing "Ee- 
 tnember what Amalek did unto thee by the way when ye were come forth out of 
 Egypt." Haman was descended from the tribe of Amalek. 
 
 The latter part of Adar has two other special Sabbaths. One is called 
 ma riKHS, because the portion of the Law (Num. xix. 1-22), referring to the 
 observances of the red heifer is read in our synagogues. 
 
 % The other Sabbath, which is immediately before the new moon of Nisan is called 
 Unhn ntinS the Sabbath of the Month that is, of the month Nisan. The portion 
 of the law read in our synagogues (Exodus xii. 1-20) begins, " And the Lord spake- 
 nnto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month (Orlv or Nisan) 
 shall be unto you the beginning ot mouths ; it shall be the first mouth of the year 
 to you." This Sabbath calls our attention to the approach of Pesach. 
 
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