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BIBLICAL HISTOEY 
 
 70B 
 
 ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS, 
 
 WITH A BBIEF OUTLINE OF THB 
 
 Geography of Palestine. 
 
 BY 
 
 EMANUEL HECHT. 
 
 BEVISED AND COEREOTED BY 
 DE. S. ADLER, 
 
 BiBBZ AND PBEAOHEB OF THE CONaBEGAIION EMANU-EL. NEW YOBK. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY 
 
 DE. M. MAYEE. 
 XL EDITION. 
 
 NEW TOKK: 
 Published and for Sale by M. Thalmessingeb, 
 
 PRINTER AND STATIONER, 387 & 389 BROADWAY. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congresg, in the year 1874, by 
 
 M. THALMESSINGER, New Yobk, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 ^^%^ 
 
I. 
 
 PRIMEVAL HISTORY OP THE HUMAN RACE 
 
 1. The Creation of the Woeld. [Genesis i.] 
 
 There was a time when nothing existed except God 
 Himself, the Everlasting and Uncreated Being. He 
 created everything — whatever is above and around us — 
 all that is in heaven and upon earth, /rom nothing, merely 
 through His will. God proclaimed: "Let there be I'' 
 and upon this command the whole universe sprang into 
 existence. On the first day, God said : " Let there be 
 light!" and there was light. On the second day, God 
 created the heaven, the blue expanse above us. On the 
 third day, God caused the dry land to appear, and made 
 the ocean, the fountains, the brooks and rivers, and the 
 flowers, grasses, and herbs. On the fourth day God cre- 
 ated the sun, the moon, and \iihe stars. On the fifth day, 
 His creative power produced the fishes in the water, and 
 the birds in the air. On the sixth day, God created the 
 creeping animals, cattle, and the beasts of the field; and at 
 last, when the universe had been finished in its beauty 
 and wise order, He created man, after His own image, 
 and thus made him the master-piece among all created 
 beings on earth.* 
 
 ♦The following verses may assist the memory of the pupils in 
 studying the history of the Creation : 
 
 The first creation-day God said : "Let there be light! " 
 
 The second did behold the vault of heaven bright ; 
 
 The third, He made the brooks, trees, ocean, flowers fair. 
 
 ^573180 
 
4 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELTTISn SCUOOIJS. 
 
 God made man in the following manner. He formed a 
 beautiful human body of dust from the ground. But this 
 body was yet without motion and life. He, therefore, 
 breathed the breath of life, a spirit from His own spirit 
 into it. And thus the first man, who received the name 
 of Adam, meaning: Man of Earth, sprang into existence. 
 And God said: "It is not good that the man should be 
 alone : I will make him a help suitable for him." A deep 
 sleep fell upon Adam, and God took one of his ribs, while 
 he was asleep, and formed it into a woman, and Adam 
 called her JEve, (nnnO ^^^^ is, Mother of all Living. These 
 first human beings are our progenitors, and the progenitors 
 of all men. On the seventh day, God rested from all His 
 works, that is to say, He ceased from creating — and com- 
 manded that we also should rest from all our laboi*s, on 
 the Sabbath, remember God and His creation, and offer 
 ap to him our thanksgivings, for His love and goodness. 
 
 § 2. The First Sin. [Genesis ii. Ill] 
 
 God planted a pleasant garden, called Gan Eden, or 
 Paradise, and appointed it to be the dwelling place of 
 Adam and Eve. In this garden there stood all kinds of 
 fruit-trees, pleasant to the sight and good for food. And 
 God commanded the man, saying : '* Of every tree of the 
 garden thou mayest eat ; but of the tree of the knowledge 
 of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it ; for as soon as 
 thou eatest thereof thou shalt die." God did not intend, 
 by this prohibition, to mar the joys of our first parents, 
 but willed only that they should always be obedient to 
 Him, believe in His word, follow His commands, and love 
 Him above all things. But they soon transgressed the 
 command of God, and sinned. This happened in the 
 
 The fourth He bade the sun, and moon, and stars appear ; 
 
 The fishes on the fijlhy and birds began to be, 
 
 And on the tiath, the world the beasts and man did sea 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 6 
 
 following manner. Once Eve approached the tree of the 
 forbidden fruit. On the tree there was a serpent, that 
 addressed her tlms : '' Do not believe that you must die as 
 soon as you have eaten of the fruit. of this tree; do but 
 eat, and you will then become wise, and be able to know 
 good from evil, and be like unto God Himself" Eve 
 believed more in the tempting words of the serpent than 
 the command of God. She now contemplated the fruit of 
 the tree still more attentively, and observed that it was 
 good for food and pleasant to the eyes. Her desire to 
 taste of it grew stronger within her heart. She took of 
 it, did eat, and gave also to her husband, and he also did 
 eat. And thus the first sin was committed. But their sin 
 of disobedience was soon followed by punishment. Their 
 eyes were opened, they now knew that they had done 
 wrong, and were able to discern the evil from the good 
 which they could have fulfilled. They felt profound grief 
 in their hearts, on account of their sin ; they were ashamed, 
 became afraid, and hid themselves from the face of God. 
 But God, who sees, hears, and knows everything, per- 
 ceived also their sin, and said: *' Adam, where art thonf 
 And Adam ansv/cred : ''I heard Thy voice, and I was 
 afraid because I was naked, and therefore I hid myself.'' 
 And God said: "Who told thee that thou art naked? 
 Hast thou eaten of the fruit whereof I commanded thee 
 that thou shouldest not eat?" Whereupon Adam said: 
 *'The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, gave me 
 of the fruit, and I did eat." And God said: ''Eve, why 
 hast thou done thisf' And she answered: *'The serpent 
 beguiled me, and I did eat." Then God said unto the 
 serpent: *' Because thou hast beguiled the weak woman 
 by sneaJcing hypocrisy, thou shalt be cursed above all 
 cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly 
 shalt thou creep, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of 
 thy life." Unto Eve He said: '* Because thou hast obeyed 
 the serpent rather than the word of God, obedience shall 
 henceforth be thy lot. Thy husband shall rule over thee, 
 and in sorrow shalt thou train children." And unto Adam 
 he said : '' Since thou hast suffered pleasures of the senses 
 to mislead thee, thy earthly enjoyments shall henceforth 
 cause thee trouble. With great labor shalt thou till the 
 
6 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR IbKAELlTISH SCHOuLb. 
 
 gi'Oiind, and in tlie sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy 
 bread, until thou slialt return unto the ground whence 
 thou wast tiiken ; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt 
 thou return." 
 
 God then drove them from Paradise, and placed the 
 cherubim with the flaming sword at the east of the gai'dea 
 to keep the way of the tree of life. 
 
 § 3. Cain and Abel. [Genesis iv.] 
 
 {Kayin and Hahel.) 
 
 Adam and Eve had two sons ; the elder was named 
 Cain, (Kayin,) the younger Ahel, (Habel). Cain was a 
 tiller of the ground, and Abel a keeper of sheep ; the 
 former was of a haughty disposition, while the latter was 
 meek and pious. Now, both oflered sacrifices before 
 God; Cain oflered of the fruit of the ground, and Abel 
 the best of his flock. When Cain saw that God's blessing 
 rested upon his brother, and that his oflering was favorably 
 accepted, he became exceedingly wroth, so that his inward 
 anger was very manifest And God said to Cain : "Why 
 is thy countenance fallen t Behold if thou art pious, thou 
 also shalt be accepted; and if thou art not pious, sin 
 lurketh before thy door, and unto thee is its desire, but 
 thou canst conquer it." But Cain paid no attention to 
 God's patenial admonition ; his heart hardened more and 
 more, and he said once to his brother: "Come, let us go 
 into the field.'* When they were far away from their 
 home and parents, the revengeful Cain rose up against 
 his brother, and slew him. But severe were the pangs of 
 conscience within Cain's bosom after he liad perpetrated 
 the atrocious fratricide ; he enjoyed neither rest nor ease. 
 And God said unto him: "Where is Abel, thy brother*?" 
 Cain answered: "I know not! Am I my brother's 
 keeper?" But God said: "What hast thou done? The 
 voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the 
 ground. Ciu'sed be for thee, therefore, the ground which 
 bath opeued its mouth to receive thy brother'^ blood \ as 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 7 
 
 a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou wander about upon 
 earth, and nowhere find rest and repose." Then said 
 Cain unto the Eternal: "My guilt is too heavy for me to 
 bear. Behold, Thou hast driven me away this day from 
 this ground, and from Thy face must I hide myself; a 
 fugitive I must be upon the earth, and every one that 
 finds me shall slay me." But God said: "Whosoever 
 slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." 
 The conscience-stricken Cain then removed from the land 
 which he had defiled with his brother's blood, and fled to 
 the country of Nod, on the east of Eden. Such was tho 
 realization of the joy and comfort which the poor parents 
 of Cain and Abel had hoped to receive at the hands of 
 their children. But God had compassion upon Adam and 
 Eve, and gave them another son, who was named Sheth, 
 At the time of JEnosh^ the son of Sheth, men began to call 
 upon God, and Enochs a later descendant of Sheth's led a 
 pious, godly life, and God took him soon to Himself. All 
 men reached, at those early times, a very old age; 
 Methushelah, the length of whose life exceeded that of all 
 other men, lived 969 years. His son was LemecK and 
 the son of the latter, Noah. 
 
 % 4. Noah. [Genesis vl] 1656 A.M. 
 
 Men gradually multiplied upon the face of the earth ; 
 but they grew more and more corrupt, and committed 
 many godless deeds. Even the descendants of the pious 
 were led away from the path of virtue by the examples of 
 the wicked. They married the daughters of the latter, 
 and soon became, like these, corrupt and godless. But 
 few believed that there was a God in heaven who saw and 
 knew every thing. Noah and his wife alone remained 
 pious, and would not suffer themselves to be led astray 
 by their wicked fellow-men. They guarded their children 
 also — as is the duty of good parents — against the evil 
 influence and corruption of their age, as much as it lay in 
 their power. 
 
8 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 And God said to Noah : "The end of all flesh is corae 
 before me, for the earth is full of violence But thou, go 
 and make thee an ark, 300 cubits long, 50 broad, and 30 
 high. For behold, I shall bring a flood of waters upon 
 the eaith, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of 
 life. Every thing that is on earth shall die. But with 
 thee I will establish my covenant ; and thou shalt come 
 into the ark, thou and thy sons, Sem^ Ilam.^ and Japhety 
 and thy wife, and thy sons* wives w^ith thee. Take with 
 thee also provisions of food, and of all sorts of animals that 
 can not exist in water ; of every clean beast thou shalt 
 take with thee seven pair, and of beasts that are not clean 
 take one pair, to keep seed alive upon the earth after the 
 flood." And Noah did as God had commanded him. 
 Hereupon all the fountains of the earth opened, and rain 
 poured down from heaven forty days and foity nights. 
 The waters increased more and more, and became at last 
 BO high, that even the tops of the highest mountains were 
 covered. All living creatures were destroyed, man, cattle, 
 birds, and creeping animals; only Noah and they that 
 were with him in tlie aik, were saved alive. 
 
 S 5. Noah's Departure from the Ark. 
 
 One hundred and fifty days the waters prevailed upon 
 the earth. And God remembered Noah, and every living 
 being, and the cattle that dwelt with him in the ark, and 
 caused a wind to pass over the earth, that the waters of 
 the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped ; the 
 rain ceased, the waters subsided, and the ark rested upon 
 the mountain Ararat^ and the tops of the mountains 
 gradually rose again above the waters. 
 
 Noah, after some time, opened a window of the ark and 
 sent forth a raven, to see whether the water had sufficiently 
 fallen or not. But the raven, having no doubt found food 
 upon the mountain, flew to and fro, and then never 
 returned. After some time, Noah sent forth a dove, which 
 returned to the ark, because it could find no place to rest 
 upon ou account of the waters that were still on the ejuib. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 9 
 
 After waiting seven days, he sent forth the dove a second 
 time. Toward evening she returned again, but this time 
 with an olive leaf in her mouth, by which joyful token Noah 
 perceived that the waters had abated, But he waited 
 seven more days, after the lapse of which he sent forth the 
 dove for the third time. But she returned no more, so that 
 Noah knew that the waters were dried from the earth. 
 
 Now God said unto Noah : " Go forth from the ark, 
 thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and the wives of thy 
 sons, with thee, and all living creatures." And Noah 
 went forth from the ark, together with all living beings. 
 The first thing which he then did, was to thank God for 
 his deliverance. He built an altar, and, according to the 
 custom of his time, oifered a sacrifice upon it. This act 
 of gratitude pleased God so much, that He said : " I will 
 not again curse the earth any more for man's sake, although 
 the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; 
 neither will I smite any more every thing living as I have 
 now done." And He blessed Noah and his sons, and said 
 unto them : " Behold, I establish my covenant with you, 
 and with your descendants ; I shall not again send a flood 
 upon the earth, nor shall the order of the universe be 
 disturbed any more. While the earth remains, seed-time 
 and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, 
 and day and night shall not cease." At this moment, 
 when Noah raised his eyes towards the sky, he beheld a 
 rainbow with its soft brightness and majesty in the clouds. 
 And God said : '' This rainbow shall be for a token and 
 pledge of my covenant, and of my mercy wherewith I look 
 down upon the earth. But follow ye also my command- 
 ments ; ye may rule over all the beasts of the earth, and 
 every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you ; but 
 ye shall not eat the flesh thereof as long as there is life in 
 it. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood 
 be shed ; for in the image of God made He man. But ye, 
 be ye fruitful and multiply." 
 
 Noah again tilled the ground, and discovered the vine, 
 and improved and cultivated it. But not knowing the 
 great power of wine, he drank too much of it, became 
 intoxicated, and lay uncovered in his tent. How heinous a 
 
10 BIBLTOAX HISTOBT FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 vice IS dirimkenness ! His son Ham saw him, and laughed 
 at him scornfully. But his other two sons, Sem and 
 Japhet, who were more respectful children, covered him 
 in a most delicate manner. When Noah awoke and heard 
 of the rude conduct of Ham, he punished him, but blessed 
 and praised Sem and Japhet, and appointed them to rule 
 over their unfeeling brother. God also punished Ham 
 and blessed his brothers. 
 
 S 6. The Descendants op Noah. [Genesis x. xi.] 
 
 The sons of Noah now became the progenitors of the 
 human race. The number of their descendants gradually 
 increased ; but the more they multiplied, tlie more extensive 
 pastures they required for their flocks, and the more room 
 for themselves; so that they were compelled to separate 
 from each other. Now, as this was not agreeable to them, 
 they resolved to build a tower that should reach to heaven, 
 in order that it might be visii>le to all, and serve them for 
 a place from which they could be speedily called together, 
 whenever it was necessary. They immediately set to 
 work, burned bricks and prepared mortar, and began the 
 building ; but forgot God, without whose blessing nothing 
 can be accomplished. On this account, God scattered and 
 dispersed them, that in consequence at last, they could 
 not understand each other's speech. The place where they 
 intended to erect the tower, received in memory of this 
 event, the name of Babel {confusion.) They were com- 
 pelled to desist from their work, and spread over the 
 earth. There are every where good and beautiful things 
 ordained by Divine Providence to be enjoyed by man. 
 For this reason the human race was scattered, that they 
 should behold every wiiere the glorious works of God, 
 and employ them for their own purposea. But whatever 
 He wills, man can not change. 
 
BIBUOAL HISTOBT FOB ISBA.ELITISU SCHOOLS. 11 
 
 IL 
 THE PATRIAECHS. 
 
 J 7 Abraham, The Pkogenitor oir thtc Israelitish 
 Nation [Genesis xii ] 2000 A.M 
 
 Terah^ one of Shem\s descendants, lived in Ur of the 
 Chcddees, and had three sons, Abram, JVahor, and liar an. 
 After the death of Haran, Terah took his sons, JVahor and 
 Abram, Sarai, the wife of the latter, and J^ot, the son of 
 Haran, and moved to the city of Haran, in the land of 
 Mesopotamia, and made it his dwelling-place. Terah and 
 his family, like all their countrymen, did not know the 
 true God; instead of worshipping Him, they worshipped 
 the sun, moon and stars, images and animals. Vt\\% Abram 
 knew how foolish and wrong it was to pay that adoration 
 to created beings, which we owe to God alone. He there- 
 fore placed his entire confidence in God alone, and mani- 
 fested true piety, while all his fellow-men, in his time, 
 were more or less wicked. On this account, God looked 
 with special favor upon him, and cared for him with true 
 paternal kindness ; nay. He even conversed with him very 
 often to make known His holy will to him. Once God 
 Baid to Abram: "Get thee out of thy country, and from 
 tLy father's house, and from thy kindred, unto a land 
 which I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great 
 and distinguished nation, and through thee shall all the 
 generations of the earth be blessed.'' At first, this promise 
 did not appear to be followed by its fulfilment ; for Abram 
 had no children. Yet Abram knew that whatever God 
 promised would be fulfilled. Therefore, he firmly believed 
 in the word of God, left all those that were dear and near 
 to him, and went with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot 
 to the land of Canaan. When he reached the city of 
 
li BIBLICAL BISTORT FOB ISBAEIJTISH SCHOOUS. 
 
 JSichem, the Lord appeared to him and promised that his 
 descendants should possess this land, Abrara continued 
 his pastoral life, moved about in the countiy, built altars 
 unto the Lord in various places, and proclaimed, wherever 
 he sojourned, the name of the Almighty. 
 
 S 8. AsBAJf SHOWING HIS PeACEFUT. DISPOSITION AND HIB 
 
 Generosity. [Genesis xiii. xiv.] 
 
 Abram grew very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 
 And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and 
 herds, and tents. They themselves lived in peace, as it 
 becomes relatives, but their herdmen began to quarrel. 
 Abram therefore said to Lot : '* Let there be no strife, I 
 pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen 
 and thy herdmen, for we are brethren! Let us rather 
 separate ; choOse thou whither thou wishest to move, and 
 I will be satisfied. 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 region of Sodom, 
 and removed there : but Abram remained in the land of 
 Canaan. It is true, the country which Lot chose for him- 
 self was beautiful and fertile, but its inhabitants were very 
 wicked ; therefore, his selection was not a good one. Be- 
 sides, a war soon broke out in that country. Ghador- 
 laomer^ king of Elam, together with some other kings, 
 with whom he had concluded an alliance, defeated the 
 king of Sodom, plundered the city and the country around, 
 and took men, and beasts, and all their substance with 
 them, as booty. They took also Lot, and his goods, and 
 departed. When Abram heard this, he armed his servants, 
 three hundred and eighteen in number, pursued the con- 
 querors, took them by sui-prise by night, defeated them, 
 delivered Lot, the women, and the people from the hands 
 of the enemy, and brought back all the goods. On his 
 return, Melchizedek ^who was a priest of the Mo^t High), 
 went forth to meet him, and brought bread and wine, and 
 said : " Blessed be thou, Abram, of the most high God, 
 X)ossessor of heaven and earth ; and blessed be the most 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 13 
 
 'high God, who has delivered thy enemies into thy hands.'* 
 Abram gave him tithes of all. Also the king of Sodom 
 came, and said to Abram : " Give me only the persons, 
 and the goods take to thyself* Then answered Abram: 
 ^' I have lifted up my hand (for an oath) unto the Eternal, 
 the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 
 that I will not take even a thread or a shoe-latchet, of all 
 that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram 
 rich. Only that which the servants have eaten, and the 
 portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol and 
 Mamre, let them take their portion." 
 Thus acts a generous man. 
 
 § 9 Abraham, the Man of Patth. [Genesis xv. xvi.J 
 
 Abram was still without children, when God appeared 
 to him and said : " Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and 
 exceedingly great shall be thy reward." And Abram 
 answered: ''Lord! for what purpose wilt thou give me^ 
 seeing that I have no children, and that strangers shall be 
 my hell's f Hereupon God brought him forth abroad, 
 and said : " Look toward heaven ; numberless as the stars 
 shall be thy posterity." And Abram believed God, and 
 He counted it to him for righteousness. 
 
 On the same day, God made a covenant with Abram, 
 that his posterity should inherit the land of Canaan. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Hager bore a child unto Abram, 
 when he was eighty-six years of age ; and Abram called 
 his son Ishmael. 
 
 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared 
 again unto him, and said : " I am God, the Almighty ; 
 walk before me, and be thou pious." When Abram heard 
 these words he fell on his face, and God continued, saying : 
 " Behold ! thou shalt be the father of many nations, and 
 kings shall be among thy descendants. Therefore, thy 
 name shall no longer be called Abram, but it shall hence- 
 forth be Abraham, (that is, father of a great multitude,) 
 
14 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR I3RAKLITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 Sarai shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt no longer call 
 her Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. Then Abraham 
 fell upon his face, and laughed for joy, and said within his 
 heart : " Shall a child be born unto him thai is a hundred 
 years old? and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, heart 
 Oh I that Ishmael might live before Thee!" And God 
 said : ** Surely thy wile Sarah shall bear thee a son indeed ; 
 and thou shalt call his name Isaac, (son of jot/,) and with 
 him and his posterity I shall establish my covenant. And 
 concerning Ishmael also, I have heard thee ; I shall bless 
 him and make him a great nation." 
 
 § 10. Abraham, the Hospftable and Compassionatb 
 Patrurch. [Genesis xviiL] 
 
 One day, Abraham sat in the tent-door, in the heat of 
 the day, and saw three strangers in the street. As soon 
 as he observed them, he ran to meet them, bowed before 
 them to the ground, and addressed one of them, saying: 
 '* My Lord, if I have found favor in thy sight, pass noi 
 away, I pray thee, from thy servant Let a little water, 
 I jiray you, be brought, and wash your feet. Then ye 
 may rest under yonder tree, until I shall bring a morsel 
 of bread; and when ye shall have refreshed yourselves, 
 ye may pass on your way." The strangers consented, 
 and Abraham hastened into his tent, and said to Sarah : 
 *' Quickly bake some cakes." Then he ran to the herd, 
 selected the finest calf, gave it to a young man that he 
 might dress it, took butter and milk, set the dishes before 
 his guests, and remained with them under the tree while 
 tliey were eating. One of the strangers asked him: 
 *' Where is Sarah thy wifet Abraham answered: "She 
 is in the tent" And the stranger continued, saying: 
 " One year hence, at this time, I shall return, and Sarah, 
 thy wife, shall then have a son." Saiah, overhearinc: these 
 words, doubted their truth, and smiled secretly. But the 
 stranger said: "Is anything impossible for God*? Thou 
 shalt indeed have a son." When the three men had finished 
 their meal, they rose, and wended their way towai'dfi 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 15 
 
 So(lom ; and Abraham went with them to bring them on 
 the way. 
 
 Then God said in His heart: " How could I hide aught 
 from Abraham that I shall do ? For I know that he will 
 command his children, and his household after him, to do 
 what is right and good." " Know then," said God to Abra- 
 ham, " that I shall destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, on ac- 
 count of their great and manifold sins." This information 
 caused profound grief in the bosom of the kind-hearted 
 and compassionate Abraham. He could not forbear to 
 plead the cause of the condemned cities before God. 
 " Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked V* 
 he asked God. ''Perhaps there are fifty righteous within 
 the city : wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place 
 for the fifty righteous that are therein? Oh! be it far 
 from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous 
 with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the 
 wicked in Thine eyes. Thou canst not judge thus, who art 
 the Judge of all the earth." God answered: "If I find 
 in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare 
 the place for their sakes." Abraham continued to plead 
 for the doomed cities, and said : "Behold now, I have taken 
 upon me to speak unto my Lord, although I am but dust 
 and ashes. Perhaps there shall lack five of the fifty 
 righteous." And God said : " If I find there forty and 
 jfive, the place shall not be destroyed." Abraham con- 
 tinued, saying: "Perhaps there are but forty righteous 
 in the city." Whereupon God answered: "I will not 
 destroy it for the forty's sake." Abraham then said : 
 ''Oh! be not angry my Lord, that I still continue to 
 epeak : perad venture there shall thirty be found there." 
 And God answered: " I will spare the city, if I find thirty 
 there." Abraham continued: '• Perad venture there shall 
 be twenty found there." And God said: "I will not 
 destroy it for twenty's sake." Abraham answered once 
 more; "O Lord! be not angry, and I will speak yet but 
 this once. Perad venture ten shall be found there." And 
 God said: "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake." Now 
 Abraham continued no longer, but returned to his dwell- 
 ing-place. 
 
ic biblical history for israelitis7t schools. 
 
 § 11. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
 [Genesis xix.] 
 
 Lot sat in the gate of the city, when, towards evening, 
 the strangers arrived at Sodom. As soon as he saw them, 
 ho went to meet them, greeted them, and addressed them 
 with the following words: ** Behold now, my lords, turn 
 in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all 
 night." After many urgent requests on his part, they 
 yielded and went into his house, where he made them a 
 feast. No sooner had the inhabitants of the city heard 
 that strangers had arrived, than they gathered together to 
 insult them. Lot remonstrated with them, but in vain. 
 Already they were about to break the door, when they 
 were struck with blindness, so that they could not even 
 find the door. Hereupon the strangerg said to Lot: 
 " Hasten to save thyself with all thy kindred, for we have 
 been sent by God to destroy this wicked city.'' When 
 tho morning arose, and Lot still lingered, the strangers 
 laid hold upon his hand, upon the hand of his wife, and 
 upon the hand of his two daughters, and carried them out 
 of the city. Here they loft them, addressing Lot in these 
 words: "Escape for thy life; do not stay to look behind 
 thee, but llee into the mountain, lest thou perish. '' Now, 
 an awful storm rose above the cities of Sodom and Go- 
 morrah; they were destroyed and all their inhabitants 
 perished. Lot's wife, who, led by curiosity, had looked 
 behind her, against the orders of the strangcre, was 
 changed into a pillar of salt On the following day, 
 Abraham got up early in the morning to learn what had 
 become of the doomed cities, when the rising clouds of 
 smoke showed him only tho place where they had stood. 
 The Dead Sea now occupies the site which the destroyed 
 cities once occupied. 
 
 § 12. Abraham's Obedience. [Genesis ixii.] 
 
 God fulfilled his promise, and gave Abraham a son. 
 And Abraham named him Isaac When Isaac had growa 
 older, he was often mocked by his brother IshmaeL Fof 
 
BliiLICAL HISTOBr FOK 1SKAEU.T1SU SCHOOLS. 17 
 
 this reason, Sarah could not tolerate the latter, and re- 
 quested Abraham to send him away with his mother. 
 Abraham was unwilling to comply, but God commanded 
 him to hearken unto Sarah ; whereupon he provided Ish- 
 mael and Hager with bread and water, and sent them 
 away. Hager wandered into the wilderness, and went 
 astray. The water in the bottle was exhausted before she 
 could find another supply. Ishmael was seized by the 
 most burning thirst, and yet she could find no fountain 
 whence to satisfy and thus to save her son. She then 
 placed him under one of the shrubs, and said : "I can not 
 see the child die." She wept and prayed to God, and 
 God heard her. An angel appeared, and showed her a 
 well of water, from which she filled her bottle, and gave 
 her child to drink. God was also in future with Ishmael, 
 and made him the progenitor of a great nation, which 
 numbers twelve tribes, called the Ishmaelites. 
 
 After some time, God tried Abraham, and said to him : 
 "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou 
 lovest, go with him into the land of Moriah, and offer him 
 there for a sacrifice upon one of the mountains which I 
 will tell thee of." Abraham obeyed. He rose up early 
 in the morning, took two of his servants and his son Isaac 
 with him, went unto the mountain of which God had told 
 him, built an altar, laid the wood on it, and then his son, 
 and took the knife to slay him. But an angel of the Lord 
 called from heaven : '' Abraham ! lay not thy hand upon 
 the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I 
 know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld 
 thy son, thine only son, from me. By myself have I sworn, 
 saith the Eternal, for because thou hast done this thing: 
 that in blessing I will bless thee, and thy posterity shall 
 be multiplied as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand 
 upon the sea-shore ; and thy posterity shall possess the 
 gate of their enemies: and through thy posterity shall all 
 the nations of the earthhe blessed, because thou hast obeyed 
 my voice." Full of joy, Abraham returned with Isaac to 
 Beersheba^ and dwelt there. Afterwards he moved to 
 Hebron, where Sarah died in her one hundred and twenty- 
 seventh year. He wopt and mourned for her, and then 
 buried her near the city of Hebron, in the cave of Mack- 
 
18 BIBLICAL HISTOKIT FOR LSRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 pelah, which he had bought from the Hethites for four 
 hundred pieces (Shekel) of silver, to make it the burying- 
 place for his family. This cave can be seen even to this daj. 
 
 § IS. Abraham's Paternal Solicttude for his Son 
 Isaac. [Genesis xxiv.-icxvi.] 
 
 When Abraham had grown old and well stricken in 
 age, he sent his faithful servant Eliezer to Uaran^ to 
 choose from his relatives who lived there, a wife for his 
 son Isaac. Eliezer took ten camels, loaded them with 
 various goods, started upon his journey, and arrived at 
 Haran towards evening. It was just the time when the 
 women came out to draw water from the well where he 
 stopped. Eliezer, who knew that no undertaking could 
 succeed withoiit the help of God, offered up his prayer, 
 saying : " Lord, God of Abraham ! I pray Thee, let me 
 find favor before Thee this day. Behold! I stand here by 
 the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the 
 city come out to draw water. And let it come to pass, 
 that the damsel to whom I shall say. Let down thy pitcher, 
 I pray thee, that I may drink; and shall say. Drink, and 
 I will give thy camels drink also, let it be a token unto 
 me that thou, O God ! hast appointed her for Thy servant 
 Isaac, and thereby showest mercy unto my master." No 
 sooner had Eliezer ended his prayer, than Rkbkkah, the 
 daughter of Bethuel, and granddaughUn- of Nahor^ 
 Abraham's brother, came with her pitcher upon her 
 shoulder to draw water. Eliezer ran to meet her, and 
 said: "Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy 
 pitcher." And she answered: "Drink, ray lord, and I 
 will give thy camels drink also." Eliezer wondered at the 
 generosity and obliging manners of the maiden, gave her 
 l^recious rings, and asked her whose daughter she was, 
 and whether there was no room in her father's house for 
 him to lodge in that night. Kobekah said: "I am the 
 daughter of Bethuel and granddaughter of Nalior; we 
 have both straw and provender enough for thy camels, and 
 room for thee to lodge iu for the uight" Eiiezei* thanked 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 19 
 
 God that He had shown him the right way to the house 
 of his master. In the meanwhile, Rebekah ran home, and 
 there related all that had happened. When Lahan, the 
 brother of Rebekah, saw the beautiful gifts which his sister 
 had received, he hastened to meet Eliezer, and said to him : 
 *'Come in, thou blessed of the Lord." Eliezer went with 
 him to his home, where viands were placed before him. 
 But he would not sit down to eat, until he had ascertained 
 that Rebekah could go with him. She, as well as her 
 parents and brother, consented to the proposal of mar- 
 riage ; and on the following morning, Rebekah and her 
 maidens mounted the camels to follow Eliezer to Canaan, 
 where she became the wife of Isaac. 
 
 At that time, Abraham was 140 years old. He lived 
 to a quiet old age of 175 years, when he died, and was 
 buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael, in the cave of Mach- 
 pelah, by the side of his wife Sarah, 
 
 § 14. IsAAa 
 
 Isaac was, like his father Abraham, a God-fearing, kind- 
 hearted, just, and peaceful man. He lived in Canaan, but 
 afterwards, a famine visiting the land, he removed to 
 Gerar^ a city belonging to the land of the Philistines. 
 Here God repeated to him the promise given to Abraham, 
 that 'Hn his posterity all the nations of the earth should 
 he hlessed^^'' and crowned all his undertakings with success; 
 his herds multiplied greatlv, and he had many man-serv- 
 ants and maid-servants. He learned also agriculture, with 
 which his father had not been acquainted, sowed all kinds 
 of grain, and made an exceedingly rich harvest. But his 
 wealth roused the envy of his neighbors, who caused him 
 many and bitter annoyances. They stopped all the wells 
 which Abraham had digged, and Abimelech, the king of 
 the Philistines, at last said to him: "Go from us; for 
 thou art much mightier than we." Isaac departed thence, 
 and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt 
 there. But as soon as he had there also opened the wells 
 
20 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOK ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 of water which his father had digj^ed, the herdsmen of 
 Gerar began to strive with his herdsmen, saying: '*The 
 water is ours." Isaac yielded, and digged another well: 
 but they forced him again to give it up. He then digged 
 a third well, for which they would no longer contend. 
 
 When Isaac, some time after, moved to Beersheba, 
 Abimelech, with several of his high officers, went to see 
 him. And Isaac said to them: " Wherefore come ye to 
 me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?" 
 Hereupon they answered : " We saw certainly that the 
 Eternal was with thee ; therefore, we desire to make a 
 covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have 
 not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing 
 but good, and have sent thee away in peace." Tlien Isaac 
 made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. And they 
 rose up betimes in the morning, and swore one another 
 concerning their covenant, and Isaac accompanied them 
 upon their depaiture, and they depaited ^om him in 
 peace. 
 
 / 
 
 § 15. Jacob and Esau. [Genesis zxy. xzvL] 
 
 Isaac and Rebekah had been married twenty years, 
 when God gave them twin sons, whom they called Esau and 
 Jacob. Esau, the elder-born, was of a wild and rough 
 disposition, but Jacob was of a quiet and mild temper. 
 Esau who delighted in hunting, was the favorite of Isaac, 
 while liebekah loved Jacob more than her elder son, be- 
 cause the former preferred the quiet seclusion of home to 
 the wild sports of the field. These brothers did not con- 
 tinue for a long time to live in peace with each other. 
 One day when Esau returned home from hunting, very 
 much fatigued, he found Jacob with a mess of pottage just 
 prepared by him, and, longing for it, he requested his 
 brother to give it to him. But Jacob said: ** First sell 
 me thy birthright" Esau answered: "Behold I I am at 
 the point to die, and what profit can this birthright do to 
 meV Hereupon he sold it to Jacob, did eat and drink, 
 and went away. And thus he despised the privileges of 
 his birthright. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOK ISRAKLITISH SCHOOLS. 21 
 
 Isaac, who did not know any thing of this transaction, 
 
 ttt another time said to Esau: "Behold I am old, and the 
 
 day of my death cannot be far distant. Now, therefore, 
 
 take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, 
 
 and go out to the field and get me some venison. And 
 
 prepare it well for me, in a manner as I love it, and bring 
 
 it to me, that I may eat, and then I will bless thee before 
 
 I die," Rebekah, who heard this, and wished that JTacoh 
 
 should receive the last and very important blessing of his 
 
 father, prepared a kid of the goat's, and persuaded Jacob 
 
 to carry it in to his father, and present himself as his 
 
 brother Esau. After some hesitation, Jacob yielded. 
 
 Isaac, who did not recognize him, as he was almost blind, 
 
 pronounced his blessing over him. But no sooner had 
 
 Jacob left his father, than Esau entered with the venison 
 
 and asked for his fathers's benediction. Now the deception 
 
 was discovered. Esau wept for anger, and exclaimed : 
 
 " The supplanter hath deceived me these two times ; he 
 
 took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my 
 
 father's blessing!" From that time Esau entertained 
 
 deep hatred against his brother, and even resolved to kill 
 
 him after the death of their father, Rebekah heard of 
 
 Esau's intention, and said therefore to Jacob : " Flee to 
 
 Laban, my brother, to Haran^ and stay with him until 
 
 thy brother's anger turn away. Why should I be deprived 
 
 of you both in one day f She prevailed also upon Isaao 
 
 to let him go, who sent him away with his blessing and with 
 
 the admonition not to take a wife from the Canaanites 
 
 around them, but go to the birth-place and family of his 
 
 mother Rebekah. Thus Jacob fled from his home and 
 
 started upon his journey to his uncle Lahan^ who lived in 
 
 Jffaran. 
 
 § 16. Jacob's Journey to Haran. [Gen. xxviii. xxix.] 
 
 Jacob left Beer-shoba and went toward Haran. On his 
 way he was overtaken by the night, before he had reached 
 an inhabited place. He took a stone for a pillow under 
 his head, and fell asleep. While he was asleep, he had a 
 
t2 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 bea'itifiil dream. He beheld a ladder set up on the earth, 
 and the top of it reached to heaven, and the angels of God 
 ascending and descending on it. And God stood above it^ 
 and said : " I am the Eternal, the God of Abraham and the 
 God of Isaac ; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I 
 give it, and to thy posterity. I will multiply thee to be 
 as numerous as the dust of the earth, and thou shall spread 
 abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and 
 to the soHth, and through thee and through thy ^wsterity 
 shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold l I 
 am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou 
 goest, and will bring thee again into this land ; and I 
 will not leave thee until I have done that of which I hare 
 spoken to thee." When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he 
 said : " Surely the Eternal is in this place ; and I knew it 
 not. How awful is this place ; it is nothing but the house 
 of God, and this is the gate of heaven." He rose early 
 in the morning, took the stone which had served him 
 for a pillow, set it up for a pillar of memorial, poured oil 
 upon it, and called the name of the place Bethel^ which 
 signifies the House of God. He made, at the same time, 
 a vow, saying: **If God will be with me, and will keep 
 me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat 
 and raiment to put on, and I come again to my father's 
 house in peace, then this pillar of memorial shall become 
 a house of God, and of all that Thou shalt give me I will 
 surely give the tenth unto Thee." Hereupon Jacob con- 
 tinue i his way towards the east, and came to a well ia 
 the field, by which he found three flocks of sheep lying. 
 He asked the herdsmen: "My brethren, whence are ye?" 
 And they answered: '*of Haran are we." And he con- 
 tinued, asking: "Do you know Laban, the grandson of 
 Nahort" To whioh they answered: "We know him 
 well ; and behold , Rachel his daughter, cometh with the 
 sheep." When Jacob saw Rachel, he rolled the stone 
 from the well's mouth, and watered her flock, and wept 
 aloud for joy. He told her, at the same time, that he 
 was the son of Rebekah, the sister of her father. Rachel 
 ran home and told her father. Laban immediately came 
 to the well, embraced and kissed Jacob, brought him to 
 his house, and made him overseer of Ms flocks. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 23 
 
 § 17. Jacob's Sojourn with Laban. [Genesis xxix. xxx.] 
 
 After the expiration of a month, Laban said to Jacob ; 
 "Wilt thou serve me for nothing; tell me, what shall 
 thy wages bef Jacob answered: *'I will serve thee 
 seven years if thou wilt give me thy younger daughter 
 Rachel for my wife." Laban consented; and Jacob 
 sei'ved seven years for Rachel ; but they seemed to him 
 only a few days for the ardent love which he entertained 
 for her. But Laban deceived him, and gave him his elder 
 daughter Leah, instead of Rachel to be his wife. Jacob 
 called him to account for his deception, and said: "Why 
 hast thou done this unto me % Did I not serve thee for , 
 Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me. giving 
 me Leah instead of Rachel?" Laban answered : " It is not 
 the custom in our country to give the younger before 
 the first-born. Serve me seven more years and then I will 
 give thee also Rachel for thy wife." Jacob did so, and 
 Laban gave him Rachel his daughter to his wife. Jacob 
 had the following twelve sons with Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, 
 and Bill ah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, tTudah, Dan, N'aphtali, 
 Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin, 
 He had but one daughter, called Dinah, 
 
 After the birth of his eleventh son, Joseph, Jacob de- 
 sired to return to his own country, but was induced by 
 Laban to stay longer. Thus he served Laban most faith- 
 fully, fourteen years for his wives and six more years for 
 wages, working hard, both by day and by night, for his 
 avaricious father-in-law, who often attempted to defraud 
 him of his wages. But God blessed him the more abund- 
 antly, so that he had a multitude of servants, cattle, 
 camels and asses. 
 
 When Laban saw that Jacob's wealth increased, he 
 showed him no longer the same friendly countenance as 
 before, while his sons, on their part, would use slanderous 
 language against him. It was then that God said to 
 Jacob : " Return unto the land of thy fathers, and I will 
 be with thee." Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to 
 him into the field, and said to them: I see that your 
 father's countenance is no more towards me as before. 
 
24 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISBAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 But you know that with all my power I have served your 
 fatlier. And he has deceived me, and changed my wai^^es 
 ten times ; but God suffered him not to hurt me. Aiid 
 now the Eternal has said to me : ' Arise, get thee out from 
 this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.' Are 
 ye also willing to follow God's admonition ?" And Leah 
 and Rachel answered: "Whatever God has said unto thee 
 do." One day, when Laban had gone to shear his sheep 
 Jacob secretly departed with his wives, children, and 
 goods, to return to his father Isaac, to Canaan. 
 
 § 18. Jacob's Return to his Native Countrt. 
 
 [Genesis xxxi.] 
 
 Three days had already elapsed since the departure of 
 Jacob from the house of Laban, when the latter heard of 
 it, hastened to pursue him, and overtook him in the mount 
 of Glle(Ml. But God said to Laban in a dream by night : 
 " Take heed that thou speak unto Jacob nothing but 
 fi'iendly words." Laban proposed a reconciliation with 
 Jacob; they ate and drank together, made a covenant, 
 and then separated. Jacob then continued his journey ia 
 peace. But the nearer he approached his native country, 
 the stronger grew his fears of Esau, his brother. He 
 therefore sent messengers to him, saying: I have so- 
 journed with Laban, and stayed there until now ; and I 
 have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men-servants, and women- 
 servants, and I have sent to tell thee, that I may find grace 
 in thy sight." The messengers returned to Jacob, say- 
 ing : " We came to thy brother Esau, and also hn cometh 
 to meet thee, and four hundred men with him." When 
 Jacob heard this, he became greatly alarmed; but his 
 alarm did not check his activity and carefulness. With 
 great precaution he arranged the people that were with 
 him, and his flocks, in a manner that would at least secure 
 the safety of a part of them, in case of an attack by his 
 brother. He then sent presents to his brother to appease 
 his anger, and prayed to God for help, saying : " O God 
 of my fathers, the Lord who said unto me, ' Return mito 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOHi: FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 25 
 
 thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with 
 thee:' I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and 
 of all the truth which thou hast showed unto Thy servant ; 
 for I had nothing but this my staff when I passed over 
 this Jordan, and now I return with two camps. Deliver 
 nie, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the 
 hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite 
 me, and the mother with the children.'' He then sent the 
 presents, and remained that night near the brook Jabhok, 
 Early in the morning, when the sun arose, he saw Esau 
 with his four hundred men approach. But Esau, who had 
 perceived and appreciated the exertions of Jacob for re- 
 conciliation, no sooner beheld his brother and his numer- 
 ous company, than he was suddenly changed, banished all 
 anger from his heart, ran to meet him, and embraced him, 
 and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept for 
 joy. Esau would not accept the proffered gifts, and 
 yielded only to the urgent entreaties of Jacob. The latter 
 then proceeded to Succoth, where he remained for a time, 
 and then removed to Shalem in the land of Canaan, Here 
 he said to his household, and to all who were with him: 
 " Purify yourselves, and change your garments ; and let U8 
 arise and go up to Beth-el, and I will build there an altar 
 unto God, who answered me on the day of my distress, and 
 was with me in the way which I went." And they went 
 to Beth-el, were Jacob fulfilled his vow which he had 
 made there on his flight from his brother Esau. During 
 their stay in this place, Deborah^ Rebekah's nurse, died, 
 and her loss was greatly bewailed. 
 
 In Beth-el, God appeared to Jacob and gave him the 
 name of Israel, which signifies Champion of God, and 
 promised him also that his posterity should inherit the 
 land of Canaan. From this name Israel, we derive that 
 of Israelites. From Beth-el Jacob moved to Bethlehem. 
 On the way, when already near the city, his beloved Rachel 
 died, and Jacob buried her by the roadside, and set up a 
 monument upon her grave, which is shown even to this 
 day. From Bethlehem Jacob went to Hebron to his father, 
 who died at the age of one hundred and eighty years, 
 after having experienced the joy of seeing once more his 
 
86 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELHITIS SCHOOLS. 
 
 yonnger son. Esau and Jacob buried bim in the family 
 sepulchre of Abr.ihara. 
 
 The two brolheis did not dwell together for a long 
 time. Their riches were too large to allow them to stay 
 in the same place together. Esau went with his family 
 to mount JSeir, and became the progenitor of the £domites. 
 
 § 19. The Brothers or Joseph Selling him through Envy. 
 
 [Genesis xxxviii,] 
 
 Of all his sons, Jacob loved Joseph, the elder-born son 
 of his beloved Rachel, the most: for he was an affection- 
 ate, handsome, and intelligent lad. But his brothers en- 
 vied and hated him on account of the partial fondness 
 with which their father clung to him. And their hatred 
 grew still stronger, when he once related to them, with 
 innocent joy, two of his dreams, which seemed to intimate 
 that he should at some future time rule over them. "I 
 have dreamed," he said to them, "that we were binding 
 sheaves in the field, and lo! my sheaf arose, and also 
 stood upright ; but your sheaves stood round about, and 
 made obeisance to my sheaf." At another time he told 
 them the following dream, saying, *'The sun and the 
 moon and eleven stars made obeisance tome;" meaning 
 thereby that his father, his mother, and his eleven brothers 
 bowed down to him. Besides, he proved to be a tale- 
 bearer, telling his father whatever evil his brothers did. 
 All these things together roused their hatred so greatly 
 that they could not even bear his sight. 
 
 One day, the brothers of Joseph having gone to a dis- 
 tant pasture-ground with their flocks, Jacob said to him: 
 " Go, I pray thee, and see whether it be well with thy 
 brethren, and well with the flocks ; and bring me word 
 again." Joseph at once obeyed the bidding of his father 
 and departed. But he returned no more. When his 
 brothers saw him afar off, they said to each other : " Be- 
 hold, the dreamer cometh ; come now, and let us slay him, 
 and cast him into some pit, and we will say, some evil 
 beast has devoured him : and we shall see what will be- 
 com« of Lis dieams." But Reuben said : " Why will you 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORT FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 27 
 
 Blay him? Shed no blood, but cast him rather into one 
 of the pits, and lay no hand upon him." It was the in- 
 tention ot Reuben secretly to take him again out of the 
 pit and to deliver him to his father. When Joseph was 
 come unto his brothers, they stript him of his coat of 
 many colors, and cast him into one of the empty pits. 
 Now it happened that, while Reuben was absent, Ishmael- 
 itish merchants passed by, being on their way to Egypt 
 (called Mizraim) with spicery, balm, and myrrh. And 
 Judah said to his brothers: "What profit is it if we slay 
 our brother, and conceal his blood % Come, and let us 
 sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon 
 him ; for he is our brother and our flesh.' This pro- 
 position was adopted ; and Joseph was sold for twenty 
 pieces of silver, and carried away by the Ishmaelites with- 
 out mercy. When Reuben returned to the pit and found 
 Joseph no more, he rent his clothes, and exclaimed : "The 
 child is no more ; and I, whither shall I go ?" But the 
 brother's took Joseph's coat, killed a kid of the goats, dip- 
 ped the coat in the blood, sent it in this state to their 
 father, and said: This coat we have found; know now 
 whether it be thy son's coat or not? To his great terror, 
 Jacob recognized the coat of his favorite child. Full of 
 agony he rent his clothes, and filled his tent with the heart- 
 rending cry: ^'Alas! alas! it is my son's coat; an evil 
 beast has devoured him ; Joseph is rent in pieces." 
 
 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him; but he 
 refused to be comforted, saying : " No, I will go down into 
 the dark grave unto my son mourning." Thus did his 
 father weep for, and mourn over Joseph. 
 
 § 20. Joseph a Slave. [Genesis xxxix.] 
 
 God turned the evil designs ot Jacob's sons unto good. 
 The Ishmaelites sold Joseph to Potiphar^ the captain of the 
 body-guard of the king of Egypt. Joseph, however, was not 
 disheartened, but piously bore his unfortunate condition. 
 He served his master faithfully and honestly, and God 
 made all that he did prosper in his hand. For this reason 
 his master loved him greatly, and confided his whole 
 
28 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOIA 
 
 househoH to his care. But he can not yet be called 
 altogetlier strong, who knows only how to bear outioard 
 adversity. Joseph was destined to attain greatness ; there- 
 fore, he had to undergo trials, whether he could withstand 
 also iincard temptations and strifes. Soon an opportunity 
 presented itself for sucli trials. Potiphar had a very 
 wicked and corrupt wife, who made every exertion to mis- 
 lend Joseph to faithlessness. But he remained faithful to his 
 God and to piety, exclaiming: *'How can I do this great 
 evil and sin against my God?" As often as she urged 
 upon him to do evil, he fled from her. She became angry 
 and resolved to take revenge. She accused him, before 
 Potiphar, of the yi^ry evil deed to which she had made 
 frequent attempts to mislead him. Potiphar believed his 
 treaclierous wife, and ordered tliat he should be thrown 
 into the prison wliere the kings' prisoners were confined, 
 iiitt order was immediately carried into execution. 
 
 21. Joseph in Prison. [Genesis xl.] 
 
 Joseph was now in prison. But here also he did not 
 lose his fortitude and courage, and God was with him. 
 By his good behaviour he won the favor of the keeper of 
 the prison, who allowed him many privileges, and made 
 liim overseer over all his fellow-prisoners. Among these 
 there were also two officers of the king, the chief butler and 
 the chief baker of the royal court lioth had, in one night, 
 very remarkable dreams which alarmed them greatly. 
 When Joseph obseiTed their sadness, he asked them. 
 Baying: " Wiierefore look ye so sadly to-day?" They 
 answered: "We have dreamed a dream, and can find no 
 one to intei*pret it" And Joseph said unto them : '-^ Inter- 
 pretatio7i8 helo7ig imto God alone; yet tell me your dreams, 
 I pray you." And the chief butler told his dream, saying: 
 " In my dream, behold, a vine was before me ; and in the 
 vine were three branches ; and it was as though it budded, 
 and the blossoms shot forth ; and the clusters thereoi 
 brought forth ripe grapes. And I took the grapes and 
 pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into 
 Pharaoh's hand." Joseph said to him: "The three branches 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS. 29 
 
 wcrnify three days. Within three days shall Pharaoh re- 
 store thee unto thy place. And then think also on me, 
 when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray 
 thee, unto me, and pray nnto the king, that he may deliver 
 me from this prison. For, indeed, I have done nothing 
 that I should have deserved to be put into the dungeon." 
 This interpretation pleased the chief baker, and he then 
 told his dream to Joseph, saying : " I had three baskets on 
 my head, and in the uppermost basket there was all man- 
 ner of" bake-meats for Pharaoh ; and the birds did eat them 
 out of the basket upon my head." And Joseph answered 
 and said: "The three baskets signify three days. Within 
 three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, 
 and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy 
 flesh from off thee." These interpretations were fulfilled ; 
 but the chief butler forgot Joseph, and reniembeied him 
 no more in his prosperity. 
 
 § 22. The Release op Joseph. [Genesis xli.] 
 
 Two years afterwards, the king himself dreamed that 
 he stood by the river, and he saw seven fat-fleshed kine, 
 and after them seven lean-fleshed ones come up out of the 
 river. And the latter ate up the former, and yet it could 
 not be known that they had eaten them. After this dream 
 Pharaoh awoke, but fell again asleep and had another 
 dream. He saw seven rank and good ears of corn grow 
 up from the earth, and after them seven others that were 
 thin and parched ; and the latter devoured the former. 
 Of all the wise men of Egypt, whom the king consulted in 
 the morning, not one could interpret these strange dreams. 
 And now the chief butler remembered Joseph, and spoke 
 to Pharaoh of his skill in the interpretation of dreams. 
 Joseph was immediately taken from the prison, and hand- 
 somely dressed, brought before Pharaoh, who said to him : 
 "I have heard that thou understandest well to interpret 
 dreams." To which Joseph modestly answered : " Not 1 
 but God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. But re- 
 late, I pray thee, thy dreams unto me." The king then 
 told him his dreams 5 and God gave Joseph the wisdom to 
 
30 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS. 
 
 intei-pret them. He, consequently, addressed the kin^, 
 saying: "What God is about to do, He showeth unto 
 Pharaoh. Behold, tliere will come seven years of great 
 plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. And there shall 
 arise after them seven years of famine. Now, therefore, 
 let Pharaoh erect storehouses, and gather, during the seven 
 plenteous years, the fifth part of all the corn of Egypt, and 
 lay it up for store to the land against the seven years ol 
 famine ; that the land perish not through the famine." 
 Pharaoh, greatly pleased with his speech, said to Joseph : 
 *' Forasmuch as God has granted thee so much wit^dom 
 and understanding, thou shalt be over my house, and I 
 shall set thee over all the land of Egypt." Thereupon he 
 took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's 
 hand, (as a token that the latter could henceforth decree 
 laws in the name of the king,) and arrayed him in gar- 
 ments of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck, 
 and caused the following proclamation to be made : " Bow 
 the knee: this is your ruler I" Pharaoh gave him also 
 the daughter of an Egyptian high-priest to wife. 
 
 The poor prisoner slave thus all at once became chief 
 minister of a king of Egypt. Joseph then travelled all 
 over the land of Egypt, gathered corn during the years of 
 plenty, and laid it up in storehouses with the most prudent 
 care for the years of famine. And as he had predicted, 
 the years of dearth came, and famine, distress, and misery 
 reigned in all neighboring countries, while the Egyptians 
 were still provided with bread. But when their provisions 
 were exhausted, they cried to Pliaraoh for bread. And 
 Pharaoh said to them: *'Go unto Joseph; what he saith 
 to you, do." Joseph then opened the storehouses and 
 provided the Egyptians with corn. And the people of 
 other countiies also came to Joseph to buy coin fiom him. 
 
 S 23. The First Journky of Joseph's Brothers to 
 Egypt. [Genesis xliL] 
 
 The land of Canaan suffered likewise by this famine. 
 And Jacob said to his sons : " I have heard that there is 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORT FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 31 
 
 corn in Egypt : get you down thither and buy for us from 
 thence, that we may live and not die." The sons of Jacob 
 departed upon their journey; but Benjamin, Joseph's 
 brother, Jacob did not send with them, fearing lest some 
 evil accident might befall him. They arrived safely in 
 Egypt, appeared before Joseph, bowed down themselves 
 before him with their faces to the earth, but did not rocogh 
 nize him, both on account of the brilliant attire of his 
 royal grandeur, and because the lad whom they had sold, 
 when seventeen years old, was then a man of thirty-eight 
 years. Joseph, on the other hand, at once recognized them, 
 and remembered the dreams he had had in the days of his 
 youth. Although it was now in his power to punish them 
 for their cruel conduct towards him, he banished every 
 thought of revenge from his bosom; he still loved his 
 brothers, and had long forgiven them. Intending, however, 
 to try them, and see whether they had become better men, 
 he made them believe that he did not know them, and 
 asked them with feigned harshness: "Whence do you 
 come?" They answered with trembling voices : ''We are 
 come from Canaan, to buy food." " No," replied Joseph, 
 " I know ye better ; ye are spies ; to see the nakedness of 
 the land ye are come." Submissively they answered: 
 ^' Pardon Lord I we are come to buy food. We are honest 
 men ; thy servants are no spies. We are twelve brethren, 
 the sons of one man, the youngest alone is with our father, 
 and the other — is no more." Joseph would no longer 
 listen to them, but said : "It is so, as I have said to you, 
 ye are spies." He then sent them into prison, but already 
 on the third day he had them again brought before him, 
 and said to them : *' I fear God, and would do injustice to 
 no man. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be 
 bound in the house of your prison ; go ye, carry corn for 
 the famine of your houses. But bring your youngest 
 brother unto me, so shall your words be verified, and ye 
 shall not die." Now their grief increased. Conscience- 
 stricken they spoke to each other, in Hebrew : " We are 
 indeed guilty concerning our brethren, in that we saw the 
 anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would 
 not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us." And 
 Reuben answered them, saying: "Spake I not unto you, 
 
82 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUnSH SCHOOLa 
 
 paying, Do not sin airainst the child, and ye wonlc! not 
 hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required." They 
 did not know that Joseph understood their language. 
 When he heard their words, he could not suppress his 
 tears; he turned away and wept. He now perceived that 
 they had become better. However, as he desired to in- 
 crease their feelings of repentance, he ordered that Simeon, 
 who had no doubt shown himself to be the most unfeeling 
 of them, should be bound before them, and sent him into 
 prison. He then commanded to fill the sacks of his other 
 brothers with corn, to restore, unknown to them, every 
 roan's money into his sack, and dismissed them. They 
 laded their asses with the corn and departed. On their 
 way one of them opened his sack to give his a.ss provender, 
 and found to his great astonishment, his money therein. 
 All were filled with dread, saying one to another: **\Vhy 
 hath God done tliis unto us?" Arrived at home they 
 emptied their sacks, and, behold! every one found his 
 bundle of money in his sack. They then told their father 
 all that had happened during their journey and their stay 
 in Egypt. When Jacob had heard their narrative, he 
 cried, and said : ** Ye will yet bereave me of all my child- 
 ren : Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and now ye 
 will take also Benjamin away. All these things are against 
 me!** And Reuben answered his father, saying: ** Deliver 
 him into my hand ; I will bring him to thee again. I will 
 leave my two sons as hostages, that I shall fulfill my pro- 
 mise." But Jacob replied : " My son shall not go down 
 with you ; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone of 
 the sons of his mother. If mischief befall him by the way 
 in which ye go, then shall ye biing down my gray hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave." 
 
 § 24. The Second Journey op Joseph's Brothers to 
 Egypt. [Genesis xliii.] 
 
 When the com brought fi*om Egypt was eaten up, Jacob 
 said to his sons: "Go again, buy a little food." And 
 Judah replied, saying: "If thou wilt send our brother 
 
BTBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 83 
 
 Benjamin with us, we will go to buy corn ; but without 
 Benjamin we cannot appear before the man. Send the 
 lad with me. I will be surety for him ; of my hand shalt 
 thou require him : if I bring him not unto thee again, and 
 set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever." 
 Jacob persisted for a long time in his refusal to send 
 Benjamin with them. But the famine becoming greater 
 every day, he at last consented, saying: "If it must be so 
 now, do this : take ofi the best frait of the land in your 
 vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little bahii 
 and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds. 
 And take double money in your hand, and the money that 
 was brought again in your sacks, carry it again with you ; 
 peradventure it was an oversight Take also your brother, 
 and arise, go again unto the man. And God Almighty 
 may give you mercy before the man, that he may send 
 away your other brother and Benjamin. But if I be be- 
 reaved of my children, be it so!" The sons of Jacob then 
 departed to Egypt with Benjamin. When Joseph saw 
 them, he said to the ruler of his house : " Bring these men 
 home, and prepare a repast for them ; for they shall dine 
 with me to-day." But his brothers were afraid, when they 
 were brought into Joseph's house, and they said: ''Because 
 of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first 
 time are we brought in ; that he may seek occasion against 
 us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen." They 
 therefore addressed the steward of Joseph's house, and 
 told him that they had found the money in their sacks and 
 brought it back again. The steward answered them, say- 
 ing : " Peace be with you ! Fear not ! Your God and 
 the God of your father hath given you treasure in your 
 sacks; I had your money." He then released Simeon 
 from the prison, and brought him to them, and gave them 
 water to wash their feet, and provender for their asses. 
 When Joseph came home, they offered him the present 
 which they held in their hands, and bowed themselves to 
 him to the earth. But he greeted them very kindly and 
 eaid at once to them : " Is your father well, the old man, 
 of whom you spake ? Is he yet alive ?" Hereupon he 
 looked for Benjamin, and, recognizing him, said : " Is this 
 your younger brother of whom you spoke to me ? God 
 
84 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 be gracious unto thee, my son !" While he spoke these 
 words, his feelings overpowered him, he hastened away 
 into his chamber and wept ; for his heart was filled with 
 love and tender affection. Most willingly would he have 
 now made himself known, for he saw that they had im- 
 proved. They had returned to Egypt to release their 
 brother Simeon; they had brought back the money found 
 in their sacks ; their speeches proved that they feared. 
 God : but one thing more was wanted : Joseph not doubt- 
 ing that his brother Benjamin was now, as heliimselfin 
 former days, tlie favorite of his father, was desirous to 
 learn, whether Benjamin was in the same manner hated 
 by them, as he himself had once been the subject of their 
 hatred. He, therefore, commanded the steward of liis house 
 afler dinner, saying: "Fill the men's sacks with food, as 
 much as they can carry, and put every man's money in 
 his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the 
 sack of til e youngest" The steward did as Joseph had 
 commanded. But no sooner were they gone out of ihi 
 city, than the steward followed after them, at the command 
 of Josc])h, overtook them, and said to them: *' Wherefore 
 have ye rewarded evil for good? Why have ye stolen the 
 cup of my lord V They answered : " Wherefore saith my 
 lord these words? God forbi<i that thy servants should do 
 acconling to this thing. Behold, the money which we 
 found in our sacks we brought again unto thee out of the 
 land of Canaan : liow then should we steal out of thy 
 lord's house silver or gold? Search our sacks, and with 
 whomsoever of thy servants the cup be found, both let 
 him die, and we also be my lord's bondtnen." Then they 
 speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, 
 and opened every man his sack, but, to their great liorror, 
 the cup was found in the sack of Benjamin. Horror- 
 stricken, they rent their clothes, re-laded their asses, and 
 returned into the city. Oh I what deep feelings of grief 
 and alarm nnist have filled theii* heaits on their retain to 
 ilie house of Joseph I 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOSY FOB ISSAELITLSH SCHOOLS. 85 
 
 25. The Recognition. [Genesis xliv. xlv.] 
 
 Tht sons of Jacob were brought before Joseph, who 
 addressed them saying: ''What shameful deed have ye 
 committed?" And Judah said: ''What shall we say 
 unto my lord ? how can we clear ourselves 1 God hath 
 found out the iniquity of thy servants, therefore this has 
 happened unto us. Behold ! we will all now be thy bond- 
 men." But Joseph said: "God forbid that I should do 
 bo; but the man in whose hand the cup was found, he 
 shall be my servant ; as for you, get you up in peace unto 
 your father." 
 
 Judah, remembering the promise which he had made 
 to his father concerning Benjamin, then drew near, and 
 spoke to Joseph with a touching voice, saying: "O my 
 lord ! let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my 
 lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy ser- 
 vant. I have become surety for this lad, who is alone left 
 of the sons of his mother, and our father's heart clings 
 most lovingly to him. Thy servant our father said to us, 
 You know that my wife bare me two sons. And the one 
 went out from me, and I saw him not since. And if ye 
 take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall 
 bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave Now 
 therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the 
 lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the 
 lad's life : it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the 
 lad is not with us, that he will die, and thy servants shall 
 bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with 
 sorrow to the grave. Now, therefore, I pray thee, let me 
 abide instead of the lad as bondman to my lord ; and let 
 the lad go home with his brothers. For how shall I go 
 home to my father without the lad ? How could I see the 
 grief that shall come upon my father?" Joseph could no 
 longer restrain himself— he could no longer master his 
 feelings, and exclaimed: *'Let every Egyptian go out!" 
 When he was alone with his brothers, he wept aloud, so 
 that he could be heard even outside of the house, and said 
 to his brothers: "I am Joseph, doth my father yet live?'* 
 His brothers were unable to reply ; for terror, shame, and 
 joy perplexed their hearts and minds. Joseph kindly 
 
86 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 anticipated them, and said : " Come near to me, I pray 
 you. I am yom* brother Joseph, whom you sold into 
 E<2:ypt. But think not that I am angry on this account. 
 Not you, but God did send me hither, and hath made me 
 a father unto Egypt, to preserve your Hves in these years 
 of famine. Hasten to my father, and tell him of all my 
 glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hasten 
 now, and bring down my father hither." After these 
 words, he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept. 
 And Benjamin wept upon his neck. He then kissed all 
 his brothers and wept in their arms ; and after that only, 
 his brothers talked with him. 
 
 When Pharaoh heard that Joseph's brothers had come, 
 he was exceedingly pleased, and commanded Joseph to 
 give his brothers wagons and food for their journey, and 
 besides, a festival garment to each of them: but Ben- 
 jamin received five garments and three hundred pieces of 
 silver. And to his father he sent ten asses laden with 
 good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn, 
 bread and meat for his journey. 
 
 Then Joseph took leave of his brothers, and said to 
 them on their departure: *'Be not agitated by the way! 
 All be forgotten!" 
 
 S 26. The Family of Jacob Removtno to Eqtpt. 
 [Genesis xlvi.]. 
 
 Jacob passed the days dunng which all his sons were 
 away from him, in great sadness. But liis sadness was 
 soon changed into joy. They all returned and brought 
 him, as the best token of their welcome gi*eeting, the in- 
 telligence that Joseph was still alive, and ruler over all 
 the land of Egypt. The intense joy of Jacob at this in- 
 telligence may be felt, but cannot be described in words. 
 His heart fainted, for he could hardly believe them. But 
 when they told him all the words of Joseph, and he beheld 
 the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him and his 
 family to Egypt, his spirit revived in joy, and he ex- 
 claimed: "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive. I 
 will go and see him before I die. Although he was old 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 87 
 
 and infirm, he nevertheless hastened to leave Canaan, and 
 departed with his own family, consisting of seventy per- 
 sons, for the land of Egypt. At the boundary of Canaan 
 be offered sacrifices to his God. 
 
 Joseph could not wait for the arrival of his father in 
 Egypt, he w^as too anxious to see him again ; he mounted 
 bis chariot to meet him on the way. As soon as he saw 
 bim, he left his chariot, fell on his neck, and wept for some 
 time in his arms. And Jacob also wept, and said ; " Now 
 let me die, because I have seen thy face, that thou art yet 
 alive." When the family of Jacob had entered the city, 
 Joseph presented his father and some of his brothers be- 
 fore Pharaoh, who asked the venerable Patriarch: "How 
 old art thouf* Jacob replied: ''The days of the years 
 of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years ; few 
 and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and 
 have not attained unto the days of the years of the life 
 of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." He then 
 blessed Pharaoh and withdrew. 
 
 Joseph did all that lay in his power to render the re- 
 mainder of Jacob's life happy and joyful, tje gave him 
 the best part of the land, the region of Goshen, for his 
 dwelling place. Seventeen years afterwards, Jacob be- 
 came sick. When Joseph heard it, he went with his sons 
 Manasseh and JEphraim to see his father. Jacob said to 
 him: "Do not bury me in the land of Egypt, but with 
 my fathers in the cave of Machpelah, which is before 
 Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in our family sepulchre." 
 He then blessed the sons of Joseph, and adopted them as 
 his own children. He then also blessed his own sons and, 
 when finished, "he gathered up his feet into his bed, and 
 expired." Joseph fell upon his face, and wept upon him, 
 and kissed him. The Egyptians mourned for Jacob 
 seventy days, after which Joseph, accompanied by his 
 brethren and a large number of Egyptians, went to 
 Canaan to fulfil the last wish of his father, and buried him 
 in the cave of Machpelah. 
 
 After their return to Egypt, the brothers of Joseph 
 feared that he, as their father was dead, might now take 
 revenge upon them for all the evil which they had done 
 to him, sent a messenger to him, and went afterwards 
 
 4 
 
88 BIBLICAL HlfiTOBY FOB ISRAELrnSH SCHOOIA 
 
 tliemselves, to implore his forgiveness for their great 
 wrong doing. But Joseph said to them: *' Fear not; I 
 also stand under God. Though ye thought evil against 
 me, God meant it unto good. Fear not, I will nourish 
 yon, and your little ones.** And he faithfully performed 
 all he had promised. 
 
 Joseph lived to such a happy old age, as to see the 
 children and children's children of his sons Manasseh and 
 Ephraim, and died in the one hundred and tenth year of 
 his life, after having requested his brothers to carry his 
 bones with them to the land of Canaan, whenever they 
 should return thither His body was embalmed and kept 
 in a oo^in in Egypt. 
 
BIBUCAL HISTOAX JTOB IgBAELITISH SOHOOLS. 39 
 
 HI. 
 THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT. 
 
 § 27. Birth op Moses. [Exodus i. ii.J 
 
 After the death of Jacob and Joseph, the Israelites had 
 no longer a common chieftain, but every tribe had a dis- 
 tinct name, taken from that of their several chieftains, that 
 is to say, from the names of the sons of Jacob. Yet all 
 the tribes lived in entire seclusion Irom the E_,'yptians, so 
 that their pure knowledge of God could not be disturbed 
 by Eii^yptian idolatry. 
 
 In the course of time, a new kmg arose, who knew not 
 Joseph, nor the meritorious services which he had ren- 
 dered Egypt, and regarded with indignation and animosity 
 the flourishing condition and mighty increase of the Israel- 
 ites. He feared their vast multitude, and apprehended that 
 they, looked upon as they were as foreigners, might rebel, 
 or leave the land against his will, and join his enemies. 
 He, therefore, afflicted them with intolerable burthens, 
 forced them to perform the most rigorous services, and 
 treated them m the most cruel manner. And when he 
 saw that he did not succeed in accomplishing his object by 
 all these means, he issued the inhuman decree, that all new- 
 born male children should be cast into the river : hoping 
 that thus the Israelites would gradually die out. But God 
 had so ordained it that the descendants of Jacob should 
 be preserved, in order that He might accomplish, through 
 them, great and miraculous deeds. The more the Israel- 
 ites were afflicted, the more they multiplied and increased. 
 
 In the year 2413, after the Creation of the World, a 
 handsome boy was born also to Amrmn and Jbchebed, of 
 the tribe of LevL They hid him in their house tliiee 
 
40 BIBTJCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 months. But they could no longer conceal him ; for the 
 eye of envy is watcliful, and treachery never sleeps. 
 Jochebed, therefore, wove a little ark of bulrushes, put 
 the child into it, placed it amidst the flags by the river's 
 brink, and bade her daughter Miriam stand afar off to 
 watch the child. It happened then that the daughter of 
 the king came down to the river to bathe. She saw the 
 ark, and ordered one of her maids that were witli her, to 
 take it out of the water and bring it to her. When she 
 opened it, and saw a weeping child in it, she exclaimed 
 with emotion : '* Oh ! this is one of the Hebrews' children." 
 When Miriam observed the emotion of the king's daughter, 
 she ran to her and said : " Shall I go and call to thee a 
 nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child 
 for thee ?" And Pharaoh's daughter replied to her : " Yes, 
 go." And the maid hastened and called the child's mother, 
 who thus had her own child returned to her from the hand 
 of the princess. 
 
 When the child had grown np, the daughter of Pharaoh 
 took him as her own son, and called him Moses, that is, 
 **the Child rescued from tho Waters." 
 
 § 28. Moses MAVTFEsrma hts Attachment to his 
 People. [Exodus ii.] 
 
 Mosea, being educated at the palace of the king, had 
 ample opportunity to develop his talents, and learn all the 
 wisdom of the Egyptians, which afterwards was of great 
 advantage to him. The Pnncess herself regarded him as 
 her son. No doubt, if he had desired it, he could have 
 attained to the highest offices and dignities of Egypt, and 
 he could have enjoyed, at the royal couit, all the pleasures 
 that the world could afford. But the sight of his suffering 
 brethren filled him with profound grief; he disdained the 
 glory that the Egyptians could bestow upon him, while 
 the sad condition of his brethren engaged all his thoughts 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 41 
 
 aTT^ feelings. Once, seeing an Egyptian cruelly beat an 
 Israelite, he was so deeply moved by the sight that, in 
 taking the part of his brother, he allowed his zeal to carry 
 him so f'lr, that he slew the Egyptian — no doubt inad* 
 vertently, in the zeal of his interference — and then hid 
 him in the sand. On the following day he found two 
 Plebrews striving together, and said to him who was in 
 the wrong: "Why smitest thou thy fellow?" Upon 
 which the man replied: "Who made thee a ruler and 
 judge over usi iiitendest thou to kill me, as thou didst 
 kill the Egyptian ?" Then Moses became afraid, and said 
 to himself: ''Surely the thing is already become known." 
 Now, when Pharaoh heard of the event, Moses was no 
 longer secure in Egypt. He, therefore, fled to Midian, 
 and sat down fatigued by his journey, near a well. 
 
 There lived a priest in Midian, named Jethro, who had 
 seven daughters. These just came out with their flocks 
 to draw water ; but other shepherds came and drove them 
 away. Moses could not endure to see this injustice, he 
 helped the maids, and thus enabled them to water their 
 flocks. When they had returned to their father's house, 
 they related all that had happened. Then said Jethro: 
 "Where is the man? why have ye not invited him here 
 to eat?" Moses was at once sent for, and consented to 
 dwell with Jethro, who gave him his daughter ZijJiJorah 
 for his wife, and kept henceforth the flock of his father-in- 
 law. He had two sons, whom he called Gershom and 
 JEliezer, 
 
 In the meanwhile, the king of Egypt died ; but the con- 
 dition of the Israelities grew still more miserable. " And 
 they sighed by reason of their bondage," and they cried 
 for help to their Father in heaven, and He barkened unto 
 their lamentations. 
 
 § 29. The Appointment op Moses. (Exodus iii) 
 
 Moses, as we have just heard, kept the flock of Jethro. 
 For many years he had led the life of a simple and modest 
 shepherd, and reflected, in the solitude of the desert, upon 
 the misery of his fellow-Israelites in Egypt. During this 
 
42 BIBLICAL HISTORY FJR ISHAELITISa SCHOOLS. 
 
 time he had acquired, moreover, that calmness and discre- 
 tion which were necessary for him as the deliverer of his 
 people from the hand of tlie tyrant. The heat and rash- 
 ness of his youth had abated, and thus he was well ma- 
 tured for the plans which God had laid out concerning the 
 redemption of Israel. 
 
 One day he tended his flock near the foot of Mount 
 Iloreb. AH at once he beheld a bush in flames, and yet, 
 the bush was not consumed. He drew near more closely 
 to examine the appearance, when the voice of God ad- 
 dressed him, saying: "Moses, draw not nigh hither : put 
 off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
 standest is holy ground." And God said furthermore : 
 ** I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. I 
 have seen the affliction of my people, thy brethren, and 
 have heard their lamentations,, and I am come down to 
 deliver them. Go to Pharaoh in Egypt, and demand of 
 him that he should let my people depart from Egypt. And 
 I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go ; but 
 I wi.l stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my 
 wonders, and after that he will let you go." Moses, be- 
 lieving that he was not equal to such a task, would not 
 accept the appointment, and said: "But the people of 
 Israel will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, and 
 will say: God liath not appeared unto thee." Then said 
 God to him : " Behold ! by my help the Israelites will 
 hearken unto thy voice." Moses still hesitated to under- 
 tike the gi'eat work, and said : " Thou knowest, O ray 
 Lord ! that I am not eloquent, but that I am slow of 
 8])eech, and of a slow tongue." Then God answered him, 
 saying; " Who hath made man's mouth t or who maketh 
 the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind t have not I 
 the Eternal t Now, therefore, go, and I will be with thy 
 mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Moses said : 
 ** O my Lord I send him whom thou wilt send." Then 
 said the Eternal with great force: '* Do I not know that 
 thy brother Aaron is very eloquent? He will come forth 
 to meet thee, and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in 
 his heart. He shall be thy companion and thy spokesman 
 before the king and the people. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 43 
 
 Moses thereupon returned to his father-in-law, took 
 leave fiom him, and then started upon his journey to 
 Kgypt. While journeying through the wilderness, he met 
 his brother Aaron, and conversed with him concerning 
 the great task which God had intrusted to him. They 
 then went together to Egypt, gathered together all the 
 elders of the children of Israel, and communicated to them 
 the will of their God. And the people believed, bowed 
 their heads, and worshipped. 
 
 § 30. The Deliverance of the Israelites prom thh 
 Egyptian Bondage. [Exodus xii.] 
 
 Moses and Aaron stepped before Pharaoh, and demand- 
 ed of him, by virtue of God's command, to let the Israel- 
 ites go on a three day's journey to celebrate a feast in the 
 wilderness. But the heathen king proudly replied upon 
 this demand: "Who is the Eternal, your God, that I 
 should obey his voice, to let Israel go? I know not your 
 God, neither will I let Israel go. There is too great a 
 number of idle people in the land; wherefore will ye keep 
 them from their work ? Get you unto your burdens ! Ye 
 are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say, Let us go and cele- 
 brate a feast in the desert. But now ye shall be forced to 
 do still harder work, in order that ye may forget all desire 
 of celebrating feasts!" And the Israelites were indued 
 still more oppressed, and, full of indignation, they s:iid to 
 Moses and Aaron : " The Lord look upon you and judge, 
 because ye have made our savor to be abhored in the 
 eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a 
 Bword in their hand to slay us." Then Moses prayed, 
 saying: *'Lord, wherefore hast Thou so evil-entreated 
 this people? Why is it that Thou hast sent me? For 
 since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath 
 oppressed this people still more, and Thou hast not yet 
 delivered them." God then renewed his promise of help 
 and protection, and the speedy delivery of the Israelites. 
 Moses conveyed these promises to his brethren ; but they 
 would not listen to him, for anguish of spirit and for cruel 
 bondage. 
 
44 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 Now Moses appeared before Pharaoh, and gave him 
 proofs of his divine mission. But the heart of Plmraoh 
 was hardened, and he refused to let the IsraeUtes go. On 
 account of this obstinacy on the part of the king, God 
 sent ten great plagues upon Egypt. He changed all the 
 waters of the land to blood, and brought frogs, vermin, 
 flies, murrain, small-pox, hail, locusts, and deep darkness 
 all over the country ; but Pharaoh hardened his heart and 
 hearkened not unto Moses. As long as each plague lasted, 
 he promised to obey and permit the Israelites to depart ; 
 but as soon as it was removed, he retracted all his prom- 
 ises. Then said God : *' Yet will I bring one plague more 
 upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let 
 you go. About midnight all the first-born in the land of 
 Egypt shall die, from the first-born of the king, even unto 
 the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill, 
 but not the least evil shall befall the Israelites. This one 
 plague I shall yet bring upon Pharaoh and his land, and 
 then he will let you go. And now prepare the last repast 
 in Egypt! Kill every man a lamb, one lamb for a house, 
 take of the blood and sprinkle it on the two side-posts 
 and on the upper door-post of the houses, and eat the 
 flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; and ye 
 shall eat it with your loins girded, your shoes on your 
 feet, and your staff in your hand, to be perfectly ready 
 for a journey.** 
 
 The plague thus foretold by God was brought upon 
 Egypt. In the night of the fourteenth day of the month 
 of Nisan* all the tii*st-born of Egypt died, from the first- 
 born of the king even to the cattle. And there was a 
 great lamentation throughout the land ; for there was not 
 even one house in which there was not one dead. Only 
 the houses of the Israelites, in which the Passomr-sacrtjice 
 was brought, escaped. Now the proud Pharaoh h isteued 
 himself to Moses and requested him to depart with all the 
 
 ♦ The names of the Jewish months are as follows : Msan, 
 Ii/ar, Sivan, Tamooz, Ah, Elool, Tiskri^ Marheshvan, Kislev, 
 Tebeif Sliebal, Adar and, (in a leap-year, ), Second Adar. 
 
BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 45 
 
 people of Israel from Egypt, and take everything with 
 theia which belonged to them. And the Egyptians were 
 likewise urgent upon the people to hasten their departure, 
 for they said: *' We shall be all dead men I" They would 
 not even leave them sufficient time to leaven the dough 
 prepared for bread, so that the Israelites were compelled 
 to take it with them unleavened and unbaked, lest they 
 were without food at the very beginning of their journey. 
 
 Thus God delivered them from their bondage. About six 
 hundred thousand men, that could bear arms, left Egypt, 
 and with them a great number of mixed people, beside 
 large flocks and herds, after they had suffered under cruel 
 bondage almost two hundred years. Notwithstanding the 
 great haste in which the Israelites departed from Egypt, 
 Moses did not forget to take the bones of Joseph with liim. 
 At the command of God, they journeyed towards the Red 
 Sea. God also commanded the Israelites to commemorate 
 their delivery from Egypt every year, for all times, by the 
 celebration of the Festival of Passover^ and to eat unleav- 
 ened bread {Mazoth) during the seven days of this festival. 
 
 § 31. The Destruction of Pharaoh. [Exodus xiv.] 
 
 The chastisements ot God struck Pharaoh and the 
 Egyptians only with transient dread, but did not effect 
 their complete improvement. The Israelites had not yet 
 made many day's journey from Egypt, when the king re- 
 gretted their departure and started upon their pursuit, to 
 drive them back into bondage. Not far from the Red 
 Sea he overtook them. The Israelites were in great danger; 
 before them was the sea, behind them the pursuing enemy, 
 and to their right and left they saw steep rocks. Moses 
 comforted theinT in their fright, saying : '' Fear not, trust 
 in the help of God, He shall fight for you ; to-day you 
 shall once more see the Egyptians, and ye shall see them 
 no more forever." In the name of God he then stretched 
 forth his staff over the sea, and a strong east wind began 
 to blow, and made the sea dry land, and the waters wei e 
 divided. Now the children of Israel passed through the 
 midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were 
 
4G BIBLICAL HISTOKY FOR ISRAJiUTlbH SCHOOLS. 
 
 a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. 
 They had already reached the opposite shores, when the 
 Egyptians hastened after them in blind pursuit. But Moses 
 ag;iin, at the command of God, stretched forth his staff 
 over tho sea, the waves returned and buried the chariots 
 and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came 
 into the sea after them ; not even one man escaped. 
 
 When the Israehtes saw the Egyptians dead upon the 
 sea-shore, the people feared the Eternal, and believed both 
 Him and his Servant Moses ; then sang Moses and the 
 children of Israel a song of thanks and praise unto the 
 Eternal. And Miriam also, the sister of Aaron, took a 
 timbrel in her hand, and sang with all the women : ''Sing 
 ye unto the Eternal, for He is high and exalted j the horso 
 and his rider hath he thrown into the seal** 
 
 § 32. The Proclamation of the Law on Mount Sinal 
 [Exodus XX.] 
 
 From the Red Sea the Israelites moved towards the 
 desert, a desolate and uninhabited country. They intended 
 thence to go to Canaan, where their forefathers had so- 
 journed, and which God had promised to give them for an 
 inheritance. In the third month after their departure from 
 Egypt, the Israelites came to the wilderness of Mount 
 SiNAi and encamped there. Here God said unto Moses: 
 ♦* Tims shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and proclaim 
 to the children of Israel : * Ye have seen what I did unto 
 the Egyptians, and how I bare you as upon the protecting 
 wings of an eagle, and brought you hither. Now, there- 
 fore, if ye will obey my commandments, ye shall be a pecu- 
 liar possession unto me, though the whole earth is mine. 
 And ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests, and 
 a Holy Nation.' These are the words which thou shalt 
 speak unto the children of Israel." Moses then called the 
 elders of the people together, and communicated these 
 words to them. The whole people answered together, 
 exclaiming : " All that the Eternal hath spoken we will 
 do." Now God spoke to Moses furthermore, saying: 
 *^ Tell the children of Israel that they should sanctify them- 
 
BIBLICAX HISTORT FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 47 
 
 selves, wash their clothes, and be prepared for the third 
 day. And on the third day, they shall appear at the foot 
 of the mountain." And it came to pass on the third day, 
 that there were heavy thunders and lightnings, and a thick 
 cloud upon the mount, and the sound of the cornet was 
 heard, growing more and more powerful. Fear seized 
 upon all the people ; the whole mountain stood in flames, 
 smoked, and quaked. Then all was silent again, and the 
 voice of God spoke distinctly, as follows: 
 
 1. I am the Eternal thy God^ who hath brought thee 
 out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 
 
 2. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shall 
 not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of 
 any thing that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth 
 beneath, or that is in the water under the earth ; thou shalt 
 not bow down before them, nor worship them; for I, the 
 Eternal thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of 
 the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth 
 generation of them that hate me ; but shoioing mercy unto 
 thousands of them that love me and keep my command- 
 ments. 
 
 3. Thou shalt not utter the name of the Eternal thy God 
 unto falsehood; for the Eternal will not let him go unpun- 
 ished who utter eth His name unto falsehood. 
 
 4. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days 
 shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day 
 is a day of rest unto the Eternal thy God. On it thou shalt 
 do no manner of work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, 
 thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor 
 the stranger that sojourneth within thy gates. For in six 
 days the Eternal made heaven and earth, the sea and all 
 that in them, is, and rested on the seventh day ; therefore 
 God blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it. 
 
 5. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may 
 last long in the land which the Eternal thy God giveth 
 thee 
 
 6. Thou shalt not murder. 
 
48 BIBLICAL UISTOKY FOU iSR AKf.rri ^q BCUOULfl. 
 
 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 8. Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 9. Thou shalt not testify against thy neighbor as a 
 false witness. 
 
 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor'' s house^ thou shalt 
 not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his 
 m^aidrservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing thoM 
 is thy neig/ibor's. 
 
 All the people heard these words and said trembling 
 and fearing: ''All that the Lord hath spoken we will do, 
 and we will obey him." {Origin of the Festival of thb 
 Weeks.) 
 
 § 33. The Israelites worshipfinq the Golden Calf. 
 
 [Genesis ixxii.] 
 
 Shortly after the proclamation of the Law, God spoke 
 to Moses, saying : ** Come up to me into the mount, and I 
 will give thee tables of stone, and laws, and command- 
 ments, which I have written." And Moses rose up, and 
 went up into the mount of God, entered the cloud, and 
 tarried there, and remained there forty days and forty 
 nights. Impatient of the long absence of Moses, and be- 
 lieving that Moses must have died, the people said to 
 Aaron : '* Make us gods, for we know not what is become 
 of that man Moses who brought us out of the land of 
 Egypt." Aaron had not sufficient courage to resist the 
 demands of the people, and made for them a golden calf, 
 which they worshipped, exclaiming: " These are thy gods, 
 O Israel I that brought thee up out of the land ot* Egypt!" 
 Wlien Moses came down from the mountain he saw with 
 horror that the people had forsaken their God to worsliip 
 an idol, and was seized with such holy indignation, that 
 he Cixst down the tables of stone which he Imd received 
 from God» and broke them before their feet He then 
 boldly stepped amidst the apostate Israelites, took tlie 
 golden ciilf from before their eyes, destroyed it, and com- 
 manded the tribe of Levi, that had alone remained true lo 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISBAELITISH SCHOOLS. 4:9 
 
 the God of Israel, to punish the Idolaters. They slew 
 about three thousand of the calf -worshippers. On the 
 following morning, howevei', Moses said unto the people : 
 "Ye have committed a great sin ; and now I will go up 
 unto God and invoke his forgiveness upon you." And he 
 prayed to God : " O Lord 1 forgive the people ! If not, blot 
 me, I pray thee, out of Thy book." And the Lord said 
 unto Moses : " Whoever hath sinned against me, him will 
 I blot out of my book. Yet, I have pardoned the people 
 according to thy word." Moses was so full of grateful 
 veneration for the goodness of God, that he felt the ardent 
 desire still more to know Him, and prayed: "O God! If 
 I have found grace in Thy eyes, show me Thy ways, that 
 I may know the." Then said God : " No man can ever 
 have a perfect conception of my being ; but know, God is 
 eternal, unchangeable^ almighty, merciful, gracious, long^ 
 suffering, full of love and truth, preserving his mercy even 
 for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, 
 hut perwjitting no guilt to go unpunished.^'' Hereupon God 
 gave Moses two new tables of stone and dismissed him. 
 When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, 
 his countenance shone with such a brilliant halo, that he' 
 had to put on a veil, because the people were afraid to 
 approach him. 
 
 § 34. RiTUAX Institutions — The Tabernacle of the 
 Covenant — The Priests — The Levites. [Exodus 
 XXV. -xL] 
 
 The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying : " Speak unto the 
 children of Israel, that they bring me an offering : of every 
 man that giveth it willingly with his heart, ye shall take 
 it, gold, silver, brass, purple, fine linen, skins, furs, oil, 
 spices, and jewels, and let them make me a sanctuary after 
 the pattern thai I shall show thee, that I may dwell amongst 
 them." Moses did as God had commanded him, and 
 behold! far more offerings were brought than were 
 required. 
 
 Israelites skillful in all manner of workmanship, imme- 
 diately began to build the Holy Tabernacle. The whoi© 
 
 5 
 
60 BIBLIOAX HISTORY TOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 was thirty cubits long, ten cubits broad, and ten cubits 
 high, constructed of forty -eij^ht boards of shittim wood 
 covered with gold. These boards were held together by 
 five gilded bars, passing through five golden rings fixed on 
 each of the boards. Four coverings were spread over the 
 Tabernacle, one above the other. At the entrance of the 
 Tabernacle was a curtain of blue, and scarlet, and purple, 
 of fine twined linen, wrought with needlework. 
 
 The inside of the Tabernacle consisted of two apartments. 
 The first of these, called the Holy Place^ was much more 
 spacious than the second, called the Holy of Holies, or 
 Most Holy Place. In the Holy Place stood : The Table 
 of Skew-Bread, the Golden Candlestick, and the Altar oj 
 Incense. 
 
 Upon the Table of Shew-bread, called also the Golden 
 Table, because it was overlaid with gold, lay, in two 
 piles, the twelve loaves of unleavened bread, (shew-bread, 
 d^'iSn tpnb) which were changed eveiy Sabbath 
 
 The ir olden Candlestick had seven arras ; upon the top 
 of each was placed a lamp, filled with holy oil, and kept 
 perpetually burning. 
 
 The Altar of Incen%e was made of shittim wood and 
 plated with gold, one cubit in length, the same in breadth, 
 and two cubits in height. Upon this altar sweet incense 
 was burnt every morning and evening. 
 
 In the Holy of Holies, which was completely dark, stood 
 the Ark of tlie Covenant. It was a kind of chest, made of 
 shittim wood, and covered within and without with gold 
 Its lid was of purest gold, and two Cherubim, made of 
 solid gold, was placed on the two ends, their faces turned 
 towards each other. In this ark tho two tables of stone 
 were kept. 
 
 The Holy Tabernacle was surrounded by an outer in- 
 closure, called The Court of the Tabernacle, one hundred 
 cubits long and fifty broad, supported by columns which 
 rested on sockets of brass, and were connected, on theii 
 tops, by means of rods, from which cuitains were sus- 
 pended. Within this enclosure, in the open air stood the 
 Altar of Burnt Offerings, upon which the sacrificial ani- 
 mals were burned and sacred fire was continually kept 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 61 
 
 burning. Besides this altar, the Brazen Laver for the use 
 of the Priests stood in the Court of the Tabernacle. 
 
 God spoke further to Moses, saying ; " Take Aaron and 
 his sons, have holy garments made for them, and conse- 
 crate them for me to be my priests." In obedience to 
 this command, Moses called the whole people together, 
 brought Aaron and his sons before them, and caused 
 Aaron to be washed. Hereupon he had him clothed with 
 the Coat or Tunic, reaching down to his ankles ; the Upper 
 Garment, or the robe of the ephod, which reached down to 
 his knees, and had upon the hem of its lower part little 
 bells of gold and pomegranates in needlework ; above it 
 he placed the Ephod, the Girdle, and the Breastplate with 
 twelve precious stones, with the names of the twelve tribes 
 engraven upon them. He then put the Mitre upon his 
 head, and on the front of it he placed the Golden Plate, 
 with the inscription. Holy unto the Eternal! After hav- 
 ing attired Aaron in these sacred garments, he anointed 
 him to be the High-Priest, and his sons to be the Priests 
 of God. The members of the tribe of Levi — the Lemte^ 
 — were appointed to be ministers in the service of the 
 Sanctuary, and received the Tithes of all fruits for their 
 sustenance ; for they were excluded from the general dis- 
 tribution of the promised land. 
 
 Moses next communicated, according to the command 
 of God, the laws concerning the sacrifices to the people. 
 These could be offered only in the sanctuary, and through 
 the medium of the priests. The sacrifices consisted of 
 wine and oil, of baked meats and such animals which were 
 declared clean and free from all bodily defect and blemish. 
 Every morning and evening a lamb was to be offered 
 upon the altar of the sanctuary. For the Sabbaths and 
 Festivals especial sacrifices were instituted, as also for 
 particular occasions : Sin, Trespass and Peace Ojferings, 
 Besides these, Free- Will Offerings of individuals were 
 admitted. The manner of offering was different for the 
 different sacrifices, and very minutely described in the 
 law. The most solemn sacrifice was that instituted for 
 the Day of Atonement, which was a day of general ex- 
 piation for the whole people. On this day the High-Priest 
 had first to offer a siu-offerinff for himself — for even the 
 
52 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 chief amongst the priests is not free from sin — and then 
 another for the whole people. He then took the blood, 
 entered the Holy of Holies — the only time throughout the 
 year — sprinkled it upon the lid of the Ark, prayed, and 
 blessed the Congregation. 
 
 Besides the laws concerning the sacrifices, a large num- 
 ber of other ritual statutes were proclaimed, and may bo 
 found in the Books of Moses. 
 
 § 35. The Rebellions op the People, causej« bt their 
 Hardships in the Wh.deuness. 
 
 The Israelites did not bear with patience the hardships 
 of their wandering in the desert, but lost, on every occa- 
 sion, all confidence in God, murmured, whenever they 
 suffered from want, and then expressed the wish that they 
 would prefer returning into their former bondage in Egypt. 
 On all these occasions, Moses was subjected to the most 
 harrasing and bitter reproaches. But God regarded with 
 paternal love their want of courage and base inclinations, 
 and provided them in the most miraculous way, with all 
 the necessaries of life. But ignorant men seldom appre- 
 ciate the benefits bestowed upon them by others ; only the 
 educated are obedient and thoughtful. When the children 
 of Israel came to Marah, they could not drink the bitter 
 waters of that place, and began, for this reason, to murmur 
 against Moses. Moses cast a piece of wood into the water 
 and the water was at once made sweet 
 
 Some time aflerwards, when the Israelites were without 
 food, they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and wished 
 themselves back to the flesh-pots and the bread of Egy|)t. 
 Then said Moses unto them : " Why do you miinnur 
 against me and Aaron t Is it not God that brought you 
 out from Egypt? But trust in Him and He will help you!" 
 On the following morning, the dew covered the surface of 
 the desert, and when it was gone, '' there lay a small round 
 thing, as small as the hoar frost upon the ground." When 
 the children of Israel saw it, they asked one another : 
 "What is thati (jj^]n ^f2^ Moses replied to them: ''This 
 is the heavenly bread which God had givea you to eat 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 53 
 
 i3(i*viier it every morning except on Sabbath; let none 
 leave his house on the Sabbath day to gather it, for it will 
 not be found; but on the sixth day, let every man gather 
 twice as much as on any other day." With this bread, 
 which the Israelites called Manna^ they were fed forty 
 years, and Aaron took a pot full of it and kept it in 
 the Sanctuary for a perpetual memorial of the provident 
 goodness of God. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, the Israelites murmured again 
 against Moses, saying: "Who shall give us ^esA to eat ? 
 We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, 
 the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the 
 onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away ; 
 there is nothing at all, besides this Manna, before our 
 «yes." When Moses heard these words he was sorely 
 grieved. But God spoke to him, saying : " Ye shall get 
 flesh to eat, not for one day, not for two days, not for five 
 days, nor for ten day^ nor for twenty days; but even a 
 *vhole month, until it come out of your nostrils, and it be 
 loathsome unto you." Moses could not conceive the possi- 
 bility of such a help, and said: "The people among whom 
 I am, are six hundred thousand footmen ; and Thou hast 
 said : ' I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole 
 mouth.' Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, 
 to suffice them ? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered 
 together for them, to suffice them f And the Eternal said 
 to Moses: "Is the hand of the Eternal waxed too short? 
 Thou shalt see now whether my word shalt come to pass 
 unto thee or not." God then sent a wind which brought 
 quails from the sea in such large numbers that they lay 
 two cubits high upon the ground. And the people gath- 
 ered them all thai day, and all that night, and all the next 
 day, and dried them round about the camp. But many 
 who seized the quails too greedily and ate too great a 
 number of them, died in consequence of their intemper- 
 ance, and were buried in that place, which received the 
 name Kibroth-hattaavaJi^ {the Graves of Lust) 
 
 On another occasion, the Israelites suffered from want 
 of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: "Would 
 God that we had died in Egypt. Why have ye brought 
 us into this wilderness, where neither figs, no vines, nor 
 
54 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOB ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 poniegranates grow, where there is not even water to 
 drink, and we and our cattle must die ?" At the com- 
 mand of God, Moses gathered all the Israelites, brought 
 them before a rock, took his rod, smote the rock twice 
 with it, and the water gushed forth in great abundance, 
 BO that the people could drink to their heart's content. 
 
 At some other time, the Israelites were visited also by 
 serpents. Moses prayed to God in behalf of the peoi)le, 
 and the Eternal informed him how to remove the evil. 
 Moses made a serpent of brass, suspended it upon a pole, 
 and every one who looked upwards towards tluB serpent 
 of brass — looked up to God — was saved. 
 
 § 36. dlfficultnem arisino from rebellions op 
 Individual Isbaeutes 
 
 Not alone the whole people often manifested their dis- 
 content and rebellious spirit during their sojourn in tho 
 desert, but even individual Israelites of high rank grossly 
 sinned against God and Moses. 
 
 Korah^ DaXhan^ Ahiram, with two hundred and fifty 
 other Ifcraelites, dissatisfied with the distribution of the 
 offices, entered into a conspiracy against Moses and Aaron, 
 saying: "Wherefore lift ye up yourselves above the con- 
 gregation of the Eternal ? The whole congregation is holy; 
 why then do you presume to be better than the rest I 
 Moses stepped up to them and endeavored to pacify them 
 by soft words. But in vain. Then a fire came from heaven 
 and consumed these two hundred and fifty men, while the 
 earth opened and swallowed alive Korah and the other 
 ringleaders. When the Israelites saw this, they cried 
 aloud and fled. But the next morning, they again mur- 
 mured against Moses and Aaron, for they thought that 
 these had caused the death of the rebels. This renewed 
 rebellion brought upon them a destructive pestilence, which 
 carried away fourteen thousand seven hundred persons. 
 Aaron went quickly among the congregation, with the 
 censer in his hand, to propitiate God, and thus stay the 
 ravages of the pestilence. Hereupon God confirmed Aaron, 
 by means of the following mii-acle, in his office a^ iiigh» 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 55, 
 
 priest. Moses commanded that thirteen rods, one for 
 each tribe, with the names of the several princes of the 
 tribes inscribed upon them, should be laid up in the taber- 
 nacle, that of the tribe of Levi bearing the name of Aaron. 
 On the following morning it was discovered that Aaron's 
 rod alone budded, bloomed, and yielded almonds. The 
 Israelites perceived from this sign that Aaron was the 
 chosen high-priest of the Eternal. Henceforth, the rod of 
 Aaron was kept near the Ark of the Covenant, as a per- 
 petual warning for the rebels. 
 
 At some other time, even Aaron and Miriam spoke 
 against Moses, because he had married a stranger, saying : 
 " God speaketh also through us, not alone through Moses." 
 This repugnance of the nearest relatives of Moses provoked 
 the wrath of God, who said: '*are ye not afraid to speak 
 against my faithful servant Moses f and Miriam was im- 
 mediately punished with leprosy. When Aaron saw her, 
 he became afraid and implored Moses for forgiveness, both 
 in his own and his sister's behalf Moses prayed to God 
 for her, and God pardoned her ; but she was shut out from 
 the camp seven days, and then only she was received in 
 again. 
 
 The law concerning the Sabbath was deemed too heavy 
 a burden by several Israelites. In spite of God's prohibi- 
 tion, some went out on that day to gather Manna. Mosea 
 reproached them, saying: "How long do you refuse to 
 keep God's commandments? Behold I the Eternal hath 
 given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the 
 sixth day the bread for two days." Another man, how- 
 ever, who was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day, 
 was stoned to death, at the command of God, without the 
 camp, before the whole congregation. 
 
 § 37. Wars with Neighboring Nations. 
 
 Shortly after the Israelites had entered the wilderness, 
 th3y were attacked by the AmaleJcites. Moses intrusted 
 the command in this struggle to his gallant and faithful 
 servant Joshua. He himself went upon a hill and uplifted 
 his hands in fervent prayer to God. The Israehtes having 
 
56 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOL3. 
 
 Moses all the time before their eyes, felt inspired for the 
 contest, and fought bravely and victoriously, as long as 
 they beheld his hands raised towards heaven. When the 
 victory was gained, Moses erected an altar and called it : 
 " God (is) my banner!''' 
 
 Jethro^ Moses' father-in-law, having heard of this victory 
 and all the miracles which God had wrought through 
 Moses, went with Zipporah, the wife of Moses, and their 
 two sons, to the camp of the Israelites. Moses rejoiced 
 at their arrival, brought them into his tent, told Jethro all 
 that God had already done for his people. Jethro deeply 
 moved by the narrative, exclaimed : " Now I know that 
 the Eternal is mightier than all the gods. On the following 
 day, Moses sat to judge the people from morning unto the 
 evening. When Jethro saw this, he said to him ; '' The 
 thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear 
 away, both thou and the people; for this thing is too 
 heavy for thee ; thou art not able to perform it thyself 
 alone. Follow my counsel : teach the people good laws 
 and ordinances, and show them distinctly what they should 
 do. Moreover, provide out of all the people, able and 
 honest men, who fear God, men of truth and hating selfish- 
 ness. Make these rulers over thousands, over hundreds, 
 over fifties, and over tens, and let only the most impartarU 
 matters be brought before thyself" Moses obeyed the 
 advice of his father-in-law, and shortly afterwards dismis- 
 sed him again to his own horaa 
 
 When the Israelites, alter wandering forty years through 
 the desert, approached the land of i]dom^ which was in- 
 habited by the descendants of Esau, Moses sent messengers 
 to their king, with the request to let Israel pass through 
 his country. But this request was rudely and abruptly 
 refused. Now the Israelites showed themselves more 
 generous ; they did not attack them, not willing, as the 
 Edomites were related to them, to shed the blood of their 
 brethren, but moved toward Mount ZTar, where Aaron 
 died, being 123 yeare old, and was bewailed and mourned 
 over by the whole people of Israel. 
 
 But the Amorites and their king, Slhon, were not treated 
 in the same generous manner by the Israelites. When 
 they, too, would not permit them to pass peaceably through 
 
BIBLICAL mSTORY FOR ISBAELITISH SCHOOLS. 57 
 
 their country, they attacked the Israelites, and the latter 
 were compelled, in self-defence, to • make war upon them, 
 defeated them, and took possession of their land. Og^ 
 King of JBashan, who acted in the same manner as the 
 King of the Amorites, brought the same destruction upon 
 his nation. The lands of these kings were afterwards as- 
 signed to the tribes of Reuben and 6-ad and half the tribe 
 of Manassehy under the condition however, that they 
 should go with their brethren over the Jordan and assist 
 them in the conquest of Canaan. Near the boundary of 
 this country, Moses and Eleazar, who had succeeded his 
 father Aaron in the office of high-priest, numbered the 
 people, the men from twenty years old and upward — with 
 the exception of the tribe of Levi, which, comprising the 
 priests and ministers of God, received no portion at the 
 division of the land of Canaan — and found that there were 
 six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty 
 men who could bear arms, none of whom, with the ex- 
 ception of Joshua and Caleb, were amongst those that 
 Moses and Aaron had mustered in the wilderness of Sinai, 
 The fate of the Amorites greatly alarmed BalaJc, King 
 of Moab, when he saw the approach of the numerous host 
 of the Israelites. In this dread, he sent to a distant coun- 
 try for Balaam, 3 renowned sorcerer, and requested him 
 to curse Israel, for he believed that the curse of this man 
 would be fulfilled. The messengers of the king came to 
 Balaam with precious gifts ; but when he refused to com- 
 ply with the request of Balak, other messengers of still 
 higher rank, and bearing still more precious gifts were 
 sent. Balaam again refused ; yet, on the following morn- 
 ing he at last consented and departed with them. When 
 Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went forth to 
 meet him, and then led him to a high eminence, whence 
 he could see the whole camp of the Israelites. Here 
 Balaam caused the king to build altars and offer sacrifices. 
 Instead, however, as it was expected, of pronouncing the 
 curse, Balaam blessed Israel. Balak then led blm upon 
 another eminence ; but he again pronounced a benediction. 
 And when the king led the sorcerer upon a third emi- 
 nence, a third blessing was pronounced. *'For,'^ said 
 Balaam, "the word that God hath put in my mouth, thut 
 
58 BIBIJCAL HISTOBT FOE ISRAEUnSH SCHOOLS. 
 
 I have spoken." Afterwards Israel became involved in a 
 war with the Midionites, and the latter were defeated, and 
 their land taken. Amoagjit the slain was also Balaam the 
 sorcerer. 
 
 § 38. Moses sends Spies into Canaan. The Close ob 
 Israel's Wanderings in tiie Wilderness. 
 
 In the second year after the exodus from Egypt, Moses 
 gent spies to Canaan, that they might explore the land and 
 report to the Israelites both with regard to its inhabitants 
 and its fruitfulness. Twelve men, one ft*om every tribe, 
 departed upon this expedition. After the lapse of forty 
 days, they returned, and reported as follows: "The land 
 which we have explored is good and fruitful ; behold these 
 fruits which we have brought thence " — pointing to a large 
 cluster of grapes and other fruits — *'it is a land that 
 floweth, as it were, with milk and honey. But its inhabi- 
 tants are giants, compared with whom we are like grass- 
 hoppers." Upon liearing these words, the people became 
 greatly alarmed, cried aloud and wept the whole night. 
 Joshua and Caleb, who were among the spies, contradicted 
 the report of their companions, and addressed the people, 
 saying: "Only rebel not ye against the Eternal, neither 
 fear ye the people of the land, for they are like bread for 
 us." But the Israelites would not listen to them, attempted 
 even to stone the speakers to death, and resolved to elect 
 a chief, and to return to Egypt. But the Lord suddenly 
 appeared and said unto Moses: " How long will this peo- 
 ple provoke me ? And how long will it be ere they believe 
 me, notwithstanding all the signs which I have wrought 
 among them 1 I will smite them with the pestilence and 
 utterly destroy them, and will make of thee a greater 
 nation and mightier than Israel is." Now, upon this oc- 
 casion Moses manifested his sublime virtues and his love 
 for his people. Ills happiness was of the least concern to 
 him ; the imminent danger of the destniction of his people 
 filled him with profound grief, and he implored God to 
 pardon their iniquity. Then said the Lord : " I have 
 pardoned according to thy word. But as truly as I live, 
 ail those men who have seen my miracles winch I did in 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 59 
 
 Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now 
 these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice, 
 surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their 
 fathers, the land of Canaan, bui they shall all die in the 
 wilderness ; but unto their children I shall give it for an 
 inheritance. After the number of the days in which the 
 land was searched, ye shall atone for your iniquities forty 
 years, and wander about in the desert. Only J^oshua and 
 Caleb, because they have clung faithfully to me, they shall 
 come into the promised land." Moses conmiunicated these 
 words to the people, and they mourned greatly. 
 
 Shortly before the close of these forty years, the Israel- 
 ites came into the wilderness of Zm, where Miriam died 
 and was buried. 
 
 § 39. Moses' Farewell Address to his People. His 
 Death. [Deuteronomy L-xxxv.j 
 
 When the forty years were drawing to their close, and 
 the time approached that Moses was to die, he assembled 
 the whole people, and publicly and solemnly admonished 
 them never to depart trom the law of God. " Ye shall 
 add nothing to it," he continued, '* nor diminish aught 
 from it, but observe the commandments of the Eternal 
 your God. For this is your wisdom and your understand- 
 ing in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these 
 statutes and say : 'Surely this great nation is a wise 
 AND understanding PEOPLE.' For what nation is there 
 so great, to which God is nigh, as the Lord our God in 
 all things for which we call unto him % And what nation 
 is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so 
 righteous as all these laws, which I set before you this 
 day % Therefore, forget not what ye have heard and seen, 
 but relate it unto your children, and your children's child- 
 ren. Specially remember the day that ye stood before 
 God on Sinai, where the Lord spoke unto you out of the 
 midst of the fire and the clouds. For ask of the days that 
 are past, whether there hath ever been a people that heard 
 the voice of God as ye have heard ; or whether God hath 
 ^yer chosen for himself a nation like youi-selves, by so 
 
60 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISU SCHOOLS. 
 
 many wonders, and by war, and by so mighty a hand? 
 Thou hast seen it, that thou mightest know: the Lord be 
 YOUR God, and there is none besides Him ! Tlie Lord 
 hMh chosen you^ not because ye were more in number than 
 any people, for ye were the fewest of all people: but because 
 the Eternalloved you, and because He would keep the oath 
 which He had sworn unto your fathers. And forget not 
 the way which He led you these forty years, and gave you 
 bread to eat, and water to drink in the wilderness. Be- 
 hold ! the heaven and the heaven of heavens are the Lord's 
 thy God, and the earth also with all that therein is, and 
 yet He hath chosen you to be His peculiar people. There- 
 fore, be no more stiff-necked. The Lord your God is Lord 
 of Lords, a great God, mighty and terrible, who regardeth 
 not persons, nor taketh reward; who doth execute the 
 judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the 
 stranger, I call heaven and earth to witness this day 
 against you, that I have set before you life and death, a 
 blessing, if you obey the commandments of God, and a 
 curse, if you do not obey." And Moses said furthermore 
 to the children of Israel : "I am hundred and twenty years 
 old this day ; I can no more go out and come in. Joshua, 
 he shall henceforth be your leader. Fear not, the Lord 
 will ever watch over you : He will not fail you, nor for- 
 sake you." Moses then called unto Joshua, and said unto 
 him, in the sight of all Israel : "Be strong and of good 
 courage. Thou shalt bring this people into the promised 
 land, and divide it among the tribes. Fear not, nor be 
 dismayed ; the Lord will be with thee, He will not forsake 
 thee." Hereupon Moses delivered the book of the law, 
 which he had written, unto the priests, and said to them : 
 " Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the 
 Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, and at the end 
 of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of re- 
 lease, on the Feast of Tabernacles, ye shall read this law 
 before all Israel in their hearing." Having closed this 
 speech, Moses recited a song which he had written, and 
 left it to the Israelites for a memento, took leave from the 
 tribes of his people, blessed them, and went up from the 
 plains of Moab to the Mountain of Kebo, to the top ol 
 JPisgah, that is over agaiast Jericho. There the Eternal 
 
BIBUCAJL mSTOUt FOB IBHART.ITISH SCHOOLS. CI 
 
 showed him the whole land of Canaan, and said : " Thia 
 is the land which I have sworn unto the descendants oi 
 Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I hare caused thee to see it 
 with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither." The 
 sight of the beautiful land filled the soul of the great 
 prophet with delight ; he thanked God for the love shown 
 unto his people, closed his eyes, and fell asleep to awake 
 in the promised land of eternity. Such is the death of the 
 champion of Virtue ; his last thoughts are engaged with 
 the happiness of his beloved ones — his last wish is the 
 salvation of mankind. 
 
 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he 
 died ; his eye was not dim, nor his natural strength abated. 
 There arose no other prophet like Moses, who knew God 
 so clearly, and to whom God so often and so Dfianifestly 
 revealed Himself He was buried in the valley near the 
 mountain where he died , but no mau kitawa 4bia jd^fia of 
 lus graY% QveiL to i)m dd/^ 
 
62 BiBucAi, msxoitr jfoa iskaixixisu scuooja 
 
 17. 
 
 ISRAEL AS A NATIOIT. 
 
 A. Joshua.—The Judges. 
 
 § 40 Joshua. — The Conquest op Canaan. [Tlie Book 
 of Joshua i.] 2533 A.M. 
 
 God's promise to give the Israelites the land of Canaan, 
 was now brought to its fullillnient. After the death of 
 Moses, God said to J^oshmu the disciple and chosen suc- 
 cessor of the great prophet, and who was a better warrior 
 than his master : " My servant Moses is dead ; now there- 
 fore, arise, go over this Jordan, tliou and all this people, 
 unto the land which I give to you. As I was with Moses, 
 80 I will be with thee. Be strong and of good courage, 
 and let this book of the law not depart from thy mouth ; 
 do not depart from the law of Closes, either to the right 
 hand or to the left; then thou shalt have success in all 
 that thou undertakest." Joshua at once made ready, to- 
 gether with his people to march upon Canaan. Prudent 
 as he was, he sent, before he marched forth, two men as 
 spies into the land, to survey it When they returned 
 with favorable and encouraging reports, he broke up with 
 his people to invade Canaan. On the opposite side of 
 Jordan he erected a monument of twelve stones, in com- 
 memoration of his haj)py passage over the river, and then 
 continued his march towards Jericho. Jericho was so 
 stroii^ly fortified, that no one could go in or come out. 
 But God gave tliis city into the hands of the Israelites 
 without battle ; its inhnbitauts were put to death, and all 
 their silver and gold, and vessels of brass and iron were 
 consecrated unto God. Achan^ who had secretly taken 
 
BIBFJCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 63 
 
 eome of the booty to himself, was stoned to death for this 
 trespass. 
 
 The Israelites then marched upon Ai and captured also 
 this city. After the capture of Ai, Joshua erected an 
 altar on' Mount ^bal, and read the whole law before the 
 people. There was not a word of all that Moses had com- 
 manded which Joshua did not fulfill. The Levites spoke 
 with a loud voice before all the people: "Cursed be the 
 man that maketh any idol and worshipped it !" and all 
 the people said, " Amen !" " Cursed be he that disgraceth 
 his father or mother 1" and all the people said: "Amen!" 
 *' Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's land-mark !" 
 and the whole people said, "Amen !" " Cursed be he that 
 maketh the blind to lose his way!" and all the people s^iid, 
 "Amen!" "Cursed be the man that perverteth the judg- 
 ment of the stranger, the fatherless and the widow!" and 
 fill the people said, " Amen!" 
 
 Hereupon, the war, which the Israelites carried on with 
 great courage and bravery, was continued seven years, 
 during which they conquered thirty small kingdoms. The 
 inhabitants of Canaan, with whom God was greatly dis- 
 pleased on account of their sins and idolatry, resisted in 
 vain with all the strength of despair ; they were defeated, 
 and either fell during the contest, or were compelled to 
 flee and seek another home. The small tribe of the Gibeon- 
 ites escaped by a cimning stratagem. Some men with torn 
 shoes and mouldy bread appeared before Joshua, describ- 
 ing themselves as coming from a far distant country, and 
 imploring him to make a treaty of peace with tiiem. 
 Joshua, regarding their garments and whole conduct as a 
 confirmation of their words, unhesitatingly complied with 
 their request, and concluded with them a treaty of peace. 
 But soon he found that he had been imposed upon, those 
 men proving to have been sent by the Gibeonites. Never- 
 theless, he did not treat them as enemies, but kept his oath 
 sacred. Moreover, when the Gibeonites were attacked 
 by five neighboring princes, the Israelites, faithful to their 
 treaty, came to their aid, and defeated their enemies. 
 
 Joshua made also arrangements with the view of pre- 
 serving the ceremonial observances connected with divine 
 worship, as prescribed by the law of Moses. He intro- 
 
64 BIBLICAL HISTOHr FOB ISBAELmSH SCHOOLS. 
 
 duced the general observance of the Covenant of Abraham, 
 and celebrated the Passover Festivals. After seven years 
 of warfare he divided the land, both the conquered and 
 the unconquered portions thereof, among the nine and a 
 half tribes, leaving to each tribe to conquer the rest be- 
 longing to him. The tribe of Levi had forty-eight cities 
 assigned to them, as they lay scattered over the territories 
 of the other tribes. 
 
 § 41, Joshua's Parting Address — His Death. 
 [Book of Joshua, xxiii. xxiv.] 
 
 After a long time of rest in the land of Israel, when 
 Joshua felt that his end was approaching, he assembled 
 the chiefs of Israel, together with all the people, around 
 him, and said to them : " I am old, and soon shall go the 
 way of all the earth. But be ye courageous, and consider 
 that the Lord left not Ofie word unfultilled of all that He 
 had promised unto us through Moses. But, as all good 
 things are come upon you which the Lord promised you, 
 so shall He bring upon you all the evil things, when ye 
 have transgressed the covenant of God and served other 
 gods. Now, therefore, keep and do all that is written in 
 the Book of the Law, that ye turn not aside therefrom, 
 either to the right hand or to the left;." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Joshua assembled the people once 
 more at Shechem, and said unto them: "God has given 
 you a land which ye have not tilled, and cities which ye 
 built not, and vine-yards and olive-yards which ye planted 
 not. Now, therefore, be thankful to the Lord, fear Him, 
 and serve Him in sincerity and in truth. But if it seem 
 evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom 
 you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve 
 the Lord." And the people answered : " God forbid that 
 we should forsake the Lord ; we also will serve the Lord, 
 for He is our God." Then said Joshua to the people : 
 " You cannot serve the Lord and strange gods, for the 
 Lord is a holy and jealous God : He will not forgive your 
 transgressions, nor your sins." The people answered again, 
 saying : " Nay, but we will serve the Lord." Then said 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS, 65 
 
 Joshua: **You are witness against yourselves that you 
 have chosen the Lord to serve Him." They answered : 
 *' We are witnesses!" Whereupon Joshua said to them : 
 *'Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are 
 among you, and henceforth incline your heart unto the 
 Lord God of Israel alone." The people exclaimed : ' ' The 
 Lord our God will we serve, and his voice we will obey !" 
 And they fulfilled their vow as long as Joshua lived, and 
 also some time afterwards, during the days of the Elders 
 that overlived him. He wrote all these things in a book 
 of law, took a great stone, and set it up there under an 
 oak near the Sanctuary of the Lord for a memorial. He 
 then dismissed them, every man to his inheritance. 
 
 Shortly afterwards he died at the age of a hundred and 
 ten years, and was buried in the mount of Ephraim. But 
 the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up 
 from Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a parcel of ground 
 which Jacob had bought. 
 
 42. Thb Judges. [Book of the Judges.] 
 
 After the aeath of Joshua, the Israelites had no longer 
 a common chief. There was no unity among the several 
 tribes. While each of them attended to its own affairs, 
 they weakened each other by bloody civil wars. They 
 forgot the benefits which God had shown to their fore- 
 fathers, and weary of the strict laws of Moses, intermar- 
 ried with the heathens that had been permitted to remain 
 in the country, and thus were led astray to adopt their 
 manner, vices, and idolatrous practices. On account of 
 these aberrations, God forsook them. Whenever they did 
 evil. He delivered them into the hand of their enemies, 
 by whom they were heavily oppressed. Whenever they 
 returned from their sinful ways, God awakened inspired 
 and enlightened men among them, to lead them to victory 
 over their enemies. These men did not only procure for 
 them peace from external enemies, but also — at least many 
 of them — strove to preserve in their midst the belief in the 
 living God. These men were called Judges, (Shophetim,) 
 because they vindicated the rights of their people against 
 
66 BIBLICAL mSTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 their eueraies; and some of them filled moreover, the 
 highest judicial offices in their domes ic affairs, {Deborah^ 
 fSamuel.) Holy Writ enumerates fifteen of these Judges, 
 who ruled during more than three hundred years over 
 Israel, and mentions their names in the following order : 
 1, Othniel ; 2, Ehud; 3, Shamgar ; 4, Barak and 
 Dehor ah; 5, Gideon; G, Abimelech; 7, Tolah; 8, tTair, 
 9, Jephtah; 10, Ibzan; 11, Elon; 12, Abdon; 13, Sam 
 son; 14, A'li; 15, Samuel. 
 
 The first judge over Israel was Othniel. He delivered 
 the Israelites from the hand of the Mesopotamian king, 
 whereupon the land enjoyed peace for forty years. After 
 the death of Othniel, the Israelites again did evil, and the 
 Lord punished them by giving them up for eighteen years, 
 to the power of the king of the Moabites. They prayed 
 to God for help fi-om their misery, and he inspired Ehud 
 to be their deliverer, who procured them peace and tran- 
 quility for eighty years. lie was succeeded by Shamgar, 
 who defeated the Philistines and thus liberated the Israel- 
 ites from their enemies. But soon the Israelites again 
 forgot their God, in punishment for which they were given 
 up to thti oppression of tTabin, king of Hazor, for twenty 
 years. When the Israelites repented and cried unto the 
 Lord, He inspired Deborah, a pious woman, to become 
 their deliverer. She urged upon Barak, in the name of 
 God to make war upon the enemy, and marched herself 
 at the head of the Israel itish army to the battle-field, 
 assisted in putting the Canaanites to flight, and pei*petuated 
 this glorious victory by a hymn of praise and thanks, 
 which she composed and sang, together with Barak, after 
 tlie battle, in glorification of the Lord. 
 
 § 43. The Judges. (Continued.) 
 
 After the lapse of several years, the Israelites again did 
 evil in the sight of God, wherefore he delivered them over 
 into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. At that 
 time, there lived a man in Israel, Gideon, of the tribe of 
 Manassch, surnamed Jerabhaal, from his struggle against 
 the idolatrous worship of Baal. God appointed him to 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 67 
 
 be the deliverer of the Israelites, when they cried unto 
 Him for help. Gideon was just thrashing wheat in a wine- 
 press, to hide it from the Midianites who swept over the 
 land as grasshoppers and laid it waste, so that the Ij^raeU 
 ites had almost nothing left whereon to live, when lie re- 
 solved to break the heavy yoke which the strangers had 
 laid upon his nation. When the Midianites came again 
 into the land to devastate it, he marched against them with 
 an army of thirty-two thousand men. But God said to 
 him : " The people that are with thee, are too many for 
 me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel 
 vaunt themselves against me, saying. Our own hand have 
 saved us. Now, therefore, proclaim in the ears of the peo- 
 ple, saying. Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return 
 to his home ! And there returned twenty-two thousand 
 men. But God continued, saying: '* The people are yet 
 too many." Hereupon Gideon retained only three hundred 
 men. During the night, God said to him : " Go down 
 into the valley where the enemies have pitched their tents." 
 When Gideon arrived there, he saw men and camels with- 
 out number, and heard a Midianite speak to his fellow, 
 saying: ''Behold, I have just dreamed that a cake of 
 barley bread had come into the tent and overturned it." 
 *'This means nothing else," replied the other, ''than that 
 we shall be defeated by Gideon." When Gideon heard 
 these speeches, he thanked God and returned to his men 
 full of joy. divided them into three companies, and gave 
 every one a trumpet into one hand, and a pitcher with a 
 lamp in it into the other. He then said to them : " Now 
 look on me, and do as I shall do ; when I blow with a 
 trumpet, then blow ye the trumpets also, and cry, The 
 sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" The men did as he 
 had directed them, and the whole army of the enemy 
 became so panic-stricken and confused that they took to 
 flight and did not even venture to turn their heads. Gideon 
 pursued and slew them. After this victory, the Israelites 
 again enjoyed peace for forty years. In gratitude for their 
 delivery by Gideon, the Israelites offered him the heredit- 
 ary rule over them, but he refused to accept it, and pre- 
 ferred a quiet life in his native city. But after his death, 
 his son Abimelech aspired to the rule, which his father 
 
68 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 had rejected, and slew, to accomplish his object, his seventy 
 brothers on one stone. Only the youngeet of Gideon's 
 sons, fTotham^ escaped. He went upon the sunwnit of 
 Mount Gerizim, lifted up his voice and exclaimed: 
 '' Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God maj 
 hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to 
 anoint a king over them ; and they said unto the olive 
 tree. Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto 
 them. Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they 
 honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the 
 trees ? And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and 
 reign over us. But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I 
 forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be 
 promoted over the trees t Then said the trees unto the 
 vine. Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said 
 unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God 
 and man, and go to be promoted over the trees I Then 
 said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou and reign 
 over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, 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. . Now, therefore, if ye 
 have done tndy and sincerely, in that ye have made 
 Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal 
 and his house, and have done unto him according to the 
 deserving of his hands; (for my father fought for you, 
 and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the 
 hand of Midian : And ye are risen up against my fathei^'s 
 house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten 
 persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the 
 son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, 
 because he is your brother ;) if ye then have dealt truly 
 and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, 
 then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in 
 you: but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and 
 devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo ; and 
 let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the 
 house of Millo, and devour Abimelech." After finishing 
 this speech Jotham fled to a distant region of the country. 
 Abimelech had reigned not more than three years, when 
 discord arose between him and the people of Shechem, 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 69 
 
 the same who had raised him to the office of Judge. 
 Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brothers went about in 
 Shechera and conspired against him, saying : " Who are 
 we, and who is Abimelech, that we should serve him"? If 
 I were your ruler, I should remove him." When Abime- 
 lech heard of this, he gathered his people, took Shechem, 
 slew its inhabitants, and destroyed the city. He set also 
 fire to the tower (citadel) of Shechem, and thus caused the 
 death of those that had taken refuge therein. But when 
 he attempted to burn also the tower of Thehez, together 
 with the people that had fled into it, God revealed His 
 unfailing justice : " a woman cast a piece of a mill-stone 
 upon his head, which broke his skull. Then he called 
 hastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said 
 unto him, Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not 
 of me, A woman slew him. And the young man thrust 
 him through, and he died." Now, when his men saw that 
 he was dead, they departed, every man to his home. 
 
 After Abimelech, Tola and J air were successively 
 Judges in Israel. When the Israelites again followed the 
 paths of sin and iniquity, God delivered them over to the 
 power of the Ammonites. Then the elders of Gilead went 
 to JTephtah^ a valiant and mighty fellow-citizen of theirs, 
 whom they had expelled from their city, and entreated 
 him to be their captain in the war with the Ammonites. 
 But he said to them : "Did not ye hate me, and expel me 
 out of my father's house ? And why are ye come unto 
 me now when ye are in distress f The elders replied: 
 " Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest 
 go with us and fight against the children of Ammon, and 
 afterwards be our chief" Then Jephtah went with the 
 elders, and the people made him their captain and leader. 
 Bf^fore, however, he went to war, he sent messengers to 
 the king of the Ammonites, to demand of him to desist 
 from his hostilities. But when the king would not com- 
 ply with the demand, Jephtah prepared for war. Before 
 engaging in battle, he made a vow, saying : " If God will 
 grant me a victory over our enemies, then it shall be, 
 that whatever cometh forth of the doors of my house to 
 meet me first when I return in peace from the children of 
 Ammon, shall surely be consecrated unto the Lord! I 
 
70 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 will offer it up for a br.riit offering." Jephtah gained V e 
 victory, and when he lerurned to his home, behold! his 
 only daughter and child came out to meet him with tim- 
 brels and with dances. When he saw lier, he rent his 
 clothes and exclaimed: "Al;:s! ray daughter! thou hast 
 brought me very low, and causest me deep grief of the 
 heart, for I have made a vow unto the Lord, and I can 
 not recall it." Then she said : "Do as thou hast vowed. 
 But one thing, I pray thee, do for me : Let me alone but 
 two months, that I may go into the mountains and bewail, 
 with my playmates, the sad fate that now awaits me." 
 Her father granted her request, and then performed his 
 vow. Jephtah was six years Judge over Israel. His 
 successors were Jbzan, jElon, Abdon, aud the strong 
 JSamson. 
 
 § 44. The History op Sampson. [Book of tho Judges 
 xiii.-xvi.] 
 
 There lived a man in Zorah, named Manoahy who had 
 no children. At last an angel of God announced to him 
 the biilh of a son, that should become the deliverer of the 
 Israelites from the hands of the Philistines, who, at that 
 time oppressed them most severely. His wife afterwards 
 bare him a son, as the angel had foretold him, and he 
 called him Samson. His parents resolved that he should 
 be consecrated to God, that is, become a Nazarite : no 
 razor should come on his head, he should not be permitted 
 to drink wine or any other strong beverage, or eat any 
 thing unclean, throughout his life. When Samson had 
 reached the age of mijnhood, he went to Timnath, a city 
 of the Philistines. Here he saw a Philistine maiden with 
 whom he was so much pleased, that he requested his 
 parents to get her for him as his wife. But they said to 
 him: *'Is there no woman among the daughters of thy 
 relatives, or among all thy people, that thou shouldest go 
 to take a wife of the heathen Philistines t But Samson 
 insisted upon his request, saying: **Get her for me, for 
 she pleaseth me well " This marriage, he thought, would 
 aHord him opportunity to reward the Philistines for the 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 71 
 
 heavy oppression under which they made the Israelites to 
 suffer. After some time when Samson went down to 
 Timnath with his parents, he met a young lion and rent 
 him, with his bare hands, as he would have rent a kid. 
 A few days after, he found a swarm of bees and honey in 
 the carcass of the lion. He took thereof, ate it, and 
 brought some of it also to his parents. 
 
 When his nuptial feast was celebrated, Samson said to 
 his thirty Philistinian companions: " I will now put forth 
 a riddle to you ; if ye can solve it within the seven days 
 of the feast, then I will give yoa thirty shirts and thirty 
 festival garments ; but if you can not solve it, then you 
 shall give me thirty shirts and thirty festival garments.'* 
 They replied : " Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear 
 it." Then said Samson: "Out of the eater came forth 
 meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness," After 
 having in vain attempted, for three days, to solve the 
 riddle, the young men went to his wife and threatened to 
 set the house of her father on fire, if she did not entice her 
 husband to tell her the solution. Hereupon Samson's wife 
 wept a long time before him, until he told her the solution, 
 which she communicated to his companions. Angry at 
 this, he went out and slew thirty Philistines, took their 
 garments and gave them to the young men. Then he re- 
 turned to his parents, leaving his wife with her father. In 
 the mean while, her parents married her to another man, 
 which afforded Samson a just cause for an attack upon the 
 Philistines. 
 
 Having returned, some time afterward, to Timnath, 
 his father-in-law would not admit him into his house, say- 
 ing : " I thought indeed that thou hadst utterly hated her, 
 therefore I gave her to another man." Burning with 
 anger, on account of this treatment, Samson went and 
 caught three hundred foxes, coupled them together by 
 their tails, took torches and put one of them in the midst 
 between each couple of the foxes, tied to their tails. He 
 then set the torches on fire, and let the foxes loose into 
 the corn-fields of the Philistines, so that their entire crop 
 was burned down. In revenge for this, the Philistines 
 burned his wife and her father to death- This deed Sam- 
 son avenged likewise by a greater slaughter among the 
 
72 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELTTISH SCHOOIA 
 
 Philistines. After this, he went into the desert of Judah, 
 and dwelt in the top of the rock Etara. The Philistines then 
 marched forth and pitched their tents in Judah. To avert 
 all danger, the men of Judah delivered Samson bound 
 into their hands. But as soon as he was in the midst of 
 his enemies, he burst the cords that were upon his arms 
 as flax, took a fresh jaw-bone of an ass and slew one thou- 
 sand men therewith. Soon after this he went to Gaza. 
 The inhabitants of this city laid wait for him all night, to 
 kill him. But about midnight he rose, seized the doors 
 of the gate of the city, raised them fi'om their hinges, put 
 them upon his shoulders, and carried them upon the top 
 of a mountain. 
 
 After that, he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek^ 
 whose name was Delilah. The Philistines went to her 
 with the lequest to find out the secret of his extraordinary 
 strength, and promised her rich rewards if she should 
 succeed. Upon her question to Samson, wherein his 
 strength consisted, he replied: "If they bind me with 
 seven green withs that were never dried, then I shall be 
 weak." When Delilah bound him with such withs, ho 
 burst them as a thread. Then said Delilah : " Behold, 
 thou hast mocked me ; now tell me, I pray thee, where- 
 with thou mightest be bound." He replied : " If they bind 
 me fast with new ropes, then shall I be weak." And 
 Delilah bound him with new ropes, but he tore them from 
 his arm like a thread. When Delilah saw this, she said 
 to him thou hast again mocked me; tell me, I pray 
 thee, wherein thou mightest be bound." And he said : 
 ** If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the 
 web, then I shall be weak." But she found herself again 
 deceived. Now she said to him : " How canst thou say, 
 I love thee, when thou art not sincere toward me ?" Now, 
 when she pressed him daily in this manner, he at last 
 yielded and told her, that he would lose all his strength ii 
 his hair should be cut. When Delilah saw that he had 
 opened his heart to her, she made him sleep upon her 
 knees, called for a man, and caused him to shave off the 
 seven locks of Samson's head. Then she exclaimed : '*The 
 Philistines upon thee, Samson!" He awoke and tried to 
 go out «fl at other times, and shake himself, but soon found 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 73 
 
 that his strength was departed. The Philistines took him, 
 bound him, put out his eyes, and carried him to Gaza^ to 
 grind the mill in the prison house. 
 
 When, some time after, the Philistines celebrated a 
 feast in the temple of their idol Dagon^ they sent for 
 Sampson, that he might afford them sport, and thus heighten 
 their joy. But Sampson, feeling that his hair had grown 
 again, and his strength returned, called unto God, and 
 prayed : " O Lord ! remember me, I pray Thee, and 
 strengthen me, I pray Thee, onl}^ this once!" Then he 
 took hold of the middle pillars upon which the house 
 stood, and bent them with all his strength, exclaiming: 
 "Xe^ Samson die with the Philistines!' and the whole 
 building fell upon the lords and the people gathered 
 therein, so that all were buried under its ruins, together 
 with Samson. His brethren and the whole household of 
 his father came down and took his body, and buried him 
 in the buryiag-place of his father. 
 
 § 45. Eli and Samuel. [1 Samuel i.-iv.] 
 
 Eli was one before the last of the Judges, and at the 
 same time Priest at /Shiloh, where the Ark of the Coven- 
 ant stood. Pious Israelites used to go there to offer sac- 
 rifices to God and to thank Him for His blessings. Amongst 
 these pious worshippers were also a man named JElkanah, 
 and his wife Ilannah, who went to Shiloh every year. 
 Hannah was deeply grieved and wept, because she had no 
 children ; even the friendly words of her husband could 
 not comfort her. Once she entered the House of God 
 weeping, and prayed in the following manner : '' O Lord 
 of hosts ! behold the affliction of Thy handmaid ! Give 
 unto me I pray Thee, a son, and I will give him unto 
 Thee: he shall be consecrated unto Thee all the days of 
 his life." While she thus prayed to God she was observed 
 by Eli, who thought she was drunk, because he saw only 
 her lips move, while her voice was not heard. And he 
 said to her: **How long wilt thou be drunken*?" Han- 
 nah answered, and said : '* No, my lord, I am a woman of 
 a sorrowful spirit ; I have drunk neither wine nor strong 
 
74 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS 
 
 drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord." 
 Then Eli answered, and said: '' Go in peace ; and the God 
 of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of 
 Him." Filled with cheerful courage, she returned home, 
 ate and drank again, and was no longer sad. God had 
 hearkened to her prayer : she had soon a son, whom she 
 called Samuel. 
 
 When she had weaned her son, she took him to Eli, 
 and said : " My lord, I am the woman that stood by thee 
 here, praying unto the Lord. — For this child I prayed, and 
 the Lord hath granted me my petition which I asked of 
 Ilini : therefore also will I perform my vow, and conse- 
 crate this child unto the service of God all the days of liis 
 life." Eli took the boy, and trained him unto God-fearing 
 piety and vii'tue. 
 
 § 46. The Sons op Eix 
 
 Eli had two sons, named Jlop/mi and Phineas, who 
 were very wicked and mischievous lads. They feared 
 neither God nor men, disturbed the Israelites in their 
 pious devotions, stole the flesh of the saciifices from the 
 pots, and committed many other abominable excesses. 
 l^ow it was the duty of Eli to punish his sons as severely 
 as pu .sible, for their great misdeeds, but he did not per- 
 form this duty ; he reproached them, it is true, for their 
 evil conduct, and admonished them to improve; but they 
 did not mind the exhortations of their father, who, more- 
 over, was already too old, too feeble and lenient, to inflict 
 more severe punishment upon them. But young Samuel 
 was obedient to his teacher, grew very pious and good, 
 and was in favor with God, and also with men. 
 
 God having appointed Samuel for His prophet, revealed 
 to him His intention severely to punish Eli and his sons, 
 for the iniquities of his house, the iniquities of his sons. 
 This revelation was soon fulfilled. A war having broken 
 Dut between the Israelites and the Philistines, Eli's sons 
 inarched to the camp with the Ark of the Covenant, that 
 it might be borne before the Israelitish warriors, and thus, 
 as it was the symbol of the presence of God, inspire them 
 with courage. With impatient anxiety did Eli wait 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 75 
 
 for some intelligence concerning the fate of his people. 
 At last a messenger arrived and said to him: ''Israel is 
 fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a 
 great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also 
 are dead, and the Ark of God is in the hands of the en- 
 emy." When the aged Eli, who was ninety-eight years 
 old, heard this sad intelligence, he was struck with such 
 fright that he fell from his chair, broke his neck and died, 
 after having judged over Israel forty years. 
 
 § 17. The Meritorious Acts of Samuel. 
 
 The Philistines placed the Ark of the Lord in the temple 
 of their idol god Dagon, For this profanation Go*' sent 
 a heavy plague upon them, so that their princes deter- 
 mined to return the Ark of the Covenant to the Israelites. 
 Yet, the Israelites still remained in the power of their ene- 
 my, Wherefore Samuel resolved to become their deliverer. 
 He assembled the people at Mizpeh, and told them what 
 they ought to do, and what alone could be of avail to 
 them. ''If you," thus he spoke to them, -'do return unto 
 the Lord with all your hearts, serve Him alone faithfully 
 and sincerely, He will again deliver you out of the hand of 
 your enemy." The people loudly confessed their sins, 
 and fasted the whole day with profound repentance. While 
 their trespass-offerings were yet burning upon the altar, 
 the Philistines appeared to fight against them. Samuel 
 prayed to God for his people, and a terrible thunder-storm 
 broke upon the Philistines, which caused such confusion 
 amongst them, that they took to flight. Thus the sincere 
 repentance of the Israelites had proved a greater help to 
 them than their outward worship of the Ark of the Coven- 
 ant. In memoey of this victory, Samuel took a stone, set 
 it up between Mizpeh and Shen as a grateful memorial, 
 and called it Eben-ezer, saying: "Hitherto hath the Lord 
 helped us." 
 
 Every one now acknowledged that Samuel was a trust- 
 worthy prophet. Under his rule, the affairs of the people 
 improved. He admonished his brethren to remove the 
 strange gods and serve the Lord alone ; he employed, in 
 
76 BIBLICAL niSTOKT FOB ISKAELITISU SCHOUUS. 
 
 all possible manner, the time of peace for the revival of 
 relipci<>iis feelings. He travelled about the country to ad- 
 minister justice, and established Schools of Prophets^ in 
 which pious youths were instructed in Religion. To the 
 very day of his death he li\ed and labored for the welfare 
 of his people. 
 
 § 48. God tbies and guides the Pious. [The Book ol 
 Ruth.] 
 
 In the days of the Judges, there lived a pious woman 
 named Ruth. She was a Moabite, and married to a son 
 of Elimelech^ who had removed, during a famine in Ca- 
 naan, with his wife Naomi and his two sons, into the land 
 of Moab. Soon Elimelech and his two sons died ; where- 
 upon, the poor, afiiicted wife and mother resolved to re- 
 turn to her native country Canaan, where she could still 
 find some relatives and friends, and recover her lands. 
 Iler two daughters-in-law accompanied her a great dis- 
 tance. But the hour of separation at last arrived. The 
 three widows held each other firmly embraced ; the mem- 
 ory of their beloved departed ones filled their hearts with 
 grief and sadness; tears gushed forth from their pious 
 eyes ; the words died upon their lips. At last the kind 
 mother addressed the following words to her daughters : 
 " Return, I pray you, my daughters ; the Lord deal kindly 
 with you as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me." 
 Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voices, 
 and wept, and they said unto her: *'No, no! we will go 
 with thee unto thy people." Now, Naomi entreated them 
 Btill more urgently, saying: *'Nay, ray daughters, for it 
 grieveth me much for your sakes. Return to your homes I" 
 Orpah now kissed her mother-in-law, and returned ; but 
 Ruth clave unto her, and she said: "I cannot leave thee: 
 whithersoever thou goest, I will go ; wherever thou long- 
 est, I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, thy God 
 shall be my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there 
 will I be buried." Naomi embraced once more her faithful 
 daughter-in-law, and took her with her to Bethlehem. 
 
 And when they arrived there, all the city was moved 
 about them, and they said: "Is this Naomi!" And she 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 77 
 
 said unto them : **CaIl me not Naomi, call me Mara, for 
 the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.'' But 
 Ruth, still possessed of youthful strength, willingly work- 
 ed for her mother-in-law; she went out into the fields to 
 glean ears of corn, and thus maintained herself and Naomi. 
 Kind Providence so ordained it that Ruth should glean 
 in the fields of the wealthy Boaz, who was a relative of 
 Naomi. Observing her industry, he asked his reapers, 
 saying: ''Who is yonder damsel that gleans so industri- 
 ously?" They answered: "It is Ruth, the daughter-in- 
 law of Naomi : she has been here ever since early in the 
 morning, gleaning continually^ without even looking 
 around." Then Boaz went to hev^ and said : *' Listen, my 
 daughter. Go not to glean in another field, but abide 
 here fast by my maidens. I have charged the young men 
 that they shall not trouble thee, and when thou art athirst, 
 go unto the vessels and drink from them." Then she fell 
 on her face, and said: "Why have I founa such grace in 
 thine eyes, although I am a stranger ?" Boaz answered, 
 saying : "It hath fully been shown unto me all that thou 
 hast done unto thy mother-in-law. May the Lord reward 
 thee for thy noble deeds 1" Thereupon Boaz commanded 
 his young men purposely to let fall some of the ears for 
 her, that her gleanings might be more abundant. Ruth 
 gleaned until evening, beat the corn out, and brought it home 
 to her mother-in-law, besides some portions of her meals 
 which she had reserved for her. When Naomi heard that 
 it was Boaz that had bestowed so much kindness upon 
 her she told Ruth that he was her relative. And Boaz, 
 who became more and more pleased with the industry and 
 correct deportment of Ruth, married her, and was very 
 happy in his wedlock. They had soon a son, whom they 
 called Ohed. And Naomi enjoyed again a happy life at 
 the house of her daughter-in-law, for which she proved 
 herself grateful. The well-being of Ruth was to her like 
 her own, and she took hei child into her lap and became 
 his nurse. This Obed was the grand-father of David. 
 
78 BIBUCAL IlISTOBY FOB ISUAEUTISU SCHOOLS. 
 
 B. The Kings over the Undivided Empire of 
 Israel. 
 
 § 49. Saul raised to the Royal Throne. [1 Samuel 
 viii.-xiv.] 2916 A.M. 
 
 When Samuel had grown old and felt himself too weak 
 to continue Judge over Israel, he resolved to transfer his 
 office to his sons. But as these were wicked and avari- 
 cious men, open to bribery, the people demanded of 
 Samuel, that lie should appoint a king over them, that ihey 
 might be ruled as the neighboring nations. This demand 
 caused the displeasure of Samuel. But God said to him : 
 " Hearken unto the voice of the people, for they have not 
 rejected thee, but they have rejected me^ that I siiould no 
 longer reign over them. Now, therefore, hearken unto 
 their voice, yet protest solemnly unto them, and show 
 them the great evil which the rule of a wicked king will 
 produce." In accordance with these words, Samuel ad- 
 dressed the people, saying : 
 
 " This will be the manner of the king that shall reign 
 over you : he wall take your sons, and appoint them fbi 
 himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen ; and 
 some shall run before his chariots. 
 
 " And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and 
 captains over fifties ; and will set them to ear his ground* 
 and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of 
 war, and instruments of his chariots. 
 
 " And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, 
 and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 
 
 " And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and 
 yoiu- oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to 
 his servants. 
 
 "And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your 
 vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOEY FOR ISRAEIJTISH SCHOOI^. 79 
 
 *'And he will take your menservants, and your maid- 
 eervants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, 
 and put them to his work. 
 
 *^ He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be 
 his servants. 
 
 ** And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king 
 which ye shall have chosen you ; and the Lord will not 
 hear you in that day." 
 
 But the people did not heed these representations of 
 Samuel ; they insisted upon their demand, saying : " Nay, 
 but we will have a king over us ; that we also may be like 
 all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go 
 out before us, and fight our battles." When Samuel saw 
 that the people would not yield, he said: "Go ye every 
 man to his city." He then anointed, in the name of God, 
 Saul^ the son of an humble family of the tribe of Benja- 
 min, king over Israel, and presented him as such to the 
 people, who were rejoiced and shouted : " God save the 
 king I" But some discontented and envious men exclaim- 
 ed : " How shall this man save us *?" and despised Saul. 
 He, however, pretended not to have heard this remark, 
 and held his peace. 
 
 Soon an opportunity presented itself to him, to show 
 himself as a gallant man and the deliverer of his brethren. 
 Having heard that the Ammonites had laid siege to the 
 Israelitish city Jahesh-gilead^ and demanded that the in- 
 habitants should lose their right eyes for a reproach unto all 
 Israel, his indignation was roused, and he took a yoke of 
 oxen, cut them to pieces, and sent these to all the places 
 of Israel, with these words: " Whoever cometh not forth 
 after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his 
 oxen." All Israel marched out with one consent against 
 the Ammonites, and defeated them completely. Delight- 
 ed with this victory, the people exclaimed, saying: "Who 
 are those that said, *Saul shall not reign over us f bring 
 the men that we may put them to death." But Saul said : 
 " There shall not a man be put to death this day, for to- 
 day the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel." 
 
 But king Saul did not continue pious and modest; his 
 prosperity made him wicked, so that he did not obey the 
 commands of God on all occasions. During a war with 
 
80 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAKLITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 the AmalekiteR, the Lord had commanded him to slay 
 every living being, and not even to spare their cattle ; for 
 the Amalekites had attacked the Israelites without cause 
 or reason, during their sojourn in the wilderness, and in- 
 tended to destroy them. Contrary to the command of 
 God, Saul permitted his people to spare the best of the 
 cattle, and all that was good, and had it offered up for 
 sacrifices. Samuel reproached him for this disobedience, 
 saying : " Behold : to obey is better than sacrifice ; diso- 
 bedience is idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word 
 of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee. The royal dig- 
 nity shall be taken from thee ; and know, the God of 
 Israel will not lie nor repent, for He is no man, that He 
 should repent" Samuel then turned away from Saul, yet 
 mourned for him, because God had rejected him. 
 
 § 50. David anointed King over Israel. [1 Samuel, 
 XV. xvi. and xvii.] 
 
 God said to Samuel : " How long wilt thou mourn for 
 Saul 1 Go to Bethlehem, to Jesse, and anoint for me one 
 of his sons as king over Israel." Samuel went to the 
 house of Jesse and had his sons presented to him, that he 
 might see which of them was the appointed one. But 
 God said to him : " Look not upon their countenances, or 
 on the heighth of their statures; the Lord seeth not as 
 man seeth ; for man looketh upon the outward appear- 
 ance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart." Not one of 
 those presented to him could be anointed. Whereupon 
 Jesse sent for his youngest son David, who was then 
 keeping the sheep in the field. David was of a beautiful 
 countenance, and, what is still more precious, of a noble 
 heai-t. Now God said to Samuel: '* Arise, anoint him, 
 for this is the man I Then Samuel took the horn of oil, 
 and anointed him, in the midst of his brethren, as king 
 over Israel. From that day David was more and more 
 filled with the Spirit of the Lord, while Saul became 
 sadder and sadder and fell into deep melancholy. David, 
 who was very skillful in playing the harp, was brought to 
 the royal court, and cheered Saul, by the tunes of music, 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 81 
 
 in the hours of his sadness. He became so much endeared 
 to the king, that he made him his armor-bearer. 
 
 When the Phihstines again came to fight against Saul, 
 a giant by the name of Goliath stepped forth from the 
 army of the enemy, and exclaimed, full of pride and 
 haughtiness, saying: "Who ventures to fight with me? 
 If one of you defeat me, then we all will be your servants ; 
 but if I defeat him, then shall ye be our servants." When 
 Saul and all Israel heard these words, they became greatly 
 afraid, and no man would venture the contest with the 
 giant. Now it so happened that David was present in 
 the camp, just when Goliath again used that haughty lan- 
 guage. Heat once said: "I will fight with this giant!" 
 And when his brothers and other Israelites, as well as 
 Saul, attempted to dissuade him from his determination, 
 he answered : " I have already smitten a lion and a bear 
 with my hand ; the Lord will deliver me also out of the 
 hand of this Philistine." He then took his shepherd's 
 staff, his sling, and his shepherd's bag filled with smooth 
 stones, and thus went forth to meet the Philistine. When 
 Goliath saw David he disdained him, and said: "Am I a 
 dog that thou comest to me with a staff? Come to me, 
 and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to 
 the beasts of the field." David answered and said: TJioit 
 reliest upon thine own strength, but I come in the name 
 of God, whom thou hast defied. Even this day will the 
 Lord deliver thee into my hand, and all the earth shall 
 know that there is a God in Israel." When, at that mo- 
 ment, the giant arose and drew nigh to meet David, the 
 latter took a stone from his bag, slang it, and smote the 
 PhiUstine in his forehead, so that he fell dead to the 
 ground. David then took the sword of Goliath, and cut 
 off his head therewith. When the Philistines saw that 
 their champion had fallen, they were seized with fear, and 
 driven to flight by the Israelites. 
 
82 BIBLICAL lilSTORr FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS, 
 
 51. Saul Persecuting David. [1 Samuel xviii.-xxiv. 
 xxvi.-xxxL, and 2 Samuel L] 
 
 The victoiy which David had gained over Goliath, 
 brought glory, happiness, but no less also persecution up- 
 on him. Saul took him into his palace, and would no 
 more permit him to return to his native place ; he placed 
 him at the head of the army ; and Jonathan, the son of 
 Saul, loved him as his own soul, and made a covenant of 
 friendship with him, which he kept most faithfully to the 
 day of his death. But Saul began to be jealous of David ; 
 his hatred against him increased every hour, because 
 David was more honored by the people than Saul himself, 
 and he feared that David might become king. One day, 
 while David was playing on tlie harp before Saul, he cast 
 a javelin at him, but missed him ; Saul hereupon removed 
 him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand. 
 But his hatred had not subsided ; he incessantly sought 
 opportunities to take the life of David. On one occasion 
 he promised to give him his daughter Mlchal to wife, if 
 he would slay one hundred Philistines. Saul thought that 
 David could never return alive from such a daring expe- 
 dition ; but he was disap|>ointed. David slew two hun- 
 dred Philistines, and became Saul's son-in-law. The latter, 
 nevertheless, continued to hate him and attempt his life, 
 and would once have indeed succeeded in carrying out his 
 revengeful design, had not Michal saved her husband. 
 But in the same proportion that Saul's hatred against 
 David grew, the love of Jonathan for him grew in strength 
 and fervor. He took care to speak always with the 
 highest praise of David, and endeavored to aj^pease his 
 father. "Let not the king sin against his servant, against 
 David" — thus spoke Jonathan to his father — ''because he 
 hath not done the least evil against thee; nay, he hath 
 even risked his life for thee, and slain the Philistines: 
 wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to 
 slay David without a cause ?" 
 
 13ut these intercessions of Jonathan's produced only a 
 transient effect; Saul's hatred soon awoke again, and Jon- 
 athan himself at last advised David n^ more to r^iuru to 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOET FOB ISBAELITISH SCHOOLS. 83 
 
 the king's palace, because he still sought to kill him, but 
 rather to flee and escape. 
 
 Upon his flight David came to the city of Nob, to 
 Ahimelech the priest, who could not refuse the request of 
 the king's son-in-law, and gave him bread and the sword 
 of Goliath. Doeg^ an Edomite, and one of Saul's servants 
 who happened to be present, told the king what he had 
 seen. The latter, thinking that Ahimelech was David's 
 ally, caused eighty-five priests to be put to death, and de- 
 stroyed the whole city. 
 
 Thereupon Saul pursued David to the most distant parts 
 of the wilderness ; but the latter, conscious of his in- 
 nocence, confided in God, and found consolation in this 
 confidence, saying: "God is my help, the Lord is the 
 staff* of my life ; God is with me, I will not fear ; what 
 can men do unto mef About five to six thousand men 
 joined him in his flight from Saul's persecutions, and 
 although several opportunities presented themselves when 
 he could have taken the life of the king, yet he was too 
 noble hearted to take revenge upon his enemy, and too 
 pious to lift his hand against the anointed head of his 
 kirig. Once Saul pursued him with three thousand men, 
 and having entered a cave near the hiding-place of David, 
 it was an easy matter for the latter to take his life. But 
 the noble fugitive would do him no harm. He secretly 
 cut a piece of the skirt of Saul's robe, and cried unto him; 
 *' Behold, my lord and king ! the skirt of thy robe in my 
 hand. Know and see that there is neither evil nor trans- 
 gression in my hand, and that my heart designeth no sin 
 against thee." When Saul heard these words he wept, 
 and said to David: "Thou art more righteous than I. 
 May the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done 
 unto me this day." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Saul again pursued David in the 
 wilderness of Ziph. One night, David entered with 
 Abishai, the son of Zerujah, the camp of the king, and 
 found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground, and 
 a cruse of water near by. At this sight, Abishai said to 
 David : " God hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand 
 this day : now, therefore, let me smite him, I pray thee, 
 with the spear even to the earth at once^ so that he need 
 
84 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 no second blow.'' But David said: '* God forbid that 1 
 should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed! 
 but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is near his 
 bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go." Abishaj 
 did as David had bidden him ; whereupon the latter went 
 up to the top of a hill, and cried to Abner, the chief cap- 
 tain of Saul, saying: "Abner, art thou not a manlike 
 whom there is no other in Israel 1 Indeed ! thou watches^ 
 carefully over thy lord ! Do but see where the king's 
 spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster!" 
 And to Saul he said : " Wherefore doth my lord thus pur- 
 sue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil 
 is in my hand ? Cursed be he that hath thus stirred thee 
 up against me, that I can not abide in the land of the 
 Lord ?" Saul again confessed his guilt, and said : " Re- 
 turn, ray son David ; for I will no more do thee harm, 
 because my soul was precious in thy eyes this day." 
 David answered, and said : " Behold the king's spear * 
 let one of the king's young men come over and fetch it. 
 The Lord may render to every one his righteousness and 
 faithfulness! And thus they again parted with each 
 other. 
 
 The hostilities of Saul against David were now drawing 
 to a close. Having been defeated in a battle with the 
 Philistines, the king threw himself on his own sword. In 
 this battle his three sons were also slain. The Philistines 
 took the body of Saul and fastened it to the wall of Beth- 
 shan, as a token of their victory. When the inhabitants 
 of Jabesh-gilead heard of this outrage, they travelled 
 through a whole night, took the body of Saul at the risk 
 of their lives, carried it to their city for interment, and 
 fasted seven days on account of the death of their king. 
 
 On the third day after the battle, a man of the tribe of 
 the Amalekites, came to David, with his clothes rent, and 
 earth upon his head, and informed him of the death of 
 Saul and his sons. *' I myself," he added, " have given 
 him the last death-blow in his anguish, and brought thee 
 hither his crown and bracelet" David replied, saying: 
 ** How wast thou not afraid to stetch forth thy hand to 
 destroy the Lord's anointed? His blood be upon thy 
 head!" He then commanded one of his young men to 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY I^OR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 85 
 
 seize and slay him, and wept bitter tears of grief over 
 Saul and his sons, and expressed his feelings in a most 
 beautiful hymn of mourning ; but he was especially ag- 
 grieved on account of the loss of his faithful friend Jona- 
 than. "I am distressed," he exclaimed, ''for thee, my 
 brother Jonathan! Very precious hast thou been unto 
 me : thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of 
 all others I" 
 
 § 52. David, King of Israel. [2 Samuel ii.-xii.] 
 
 After the death of Saul, David and his men went to 
 Hebron^ where he was acknowledged as king by the tribe 
 of Judah, and reigned seven and a half years. But the 
 other tribes elected Ishhosheth, the son of Saul, king over 
 themselves. After two years, Is;bbosheth was assassinated, 
 and some time afterwards David became king over the 
 whole nation. He defeated the neighboring heatlien 
 nations, and extended his empire to the river Euphrates. 
 He made Jerusalem the capital of the country, and had 
 the Ark of the Covenant brought there with great exult- 
 ation, festive processions and solemnities. His piety he 
 manifested above everything by improving Divine Service. 
 The sufferings which he had to endure during the years of 
 his youth, taught him to look up to God and cling to Him. 
 He began also the erection of a magnificent palace, for 
 which king Hiram, of Tyre, with whom he had made a 
 treaty of commerce, furnished him with cedar-trees and 
 carpenters. But being grieved that he should dwell in a 
 magnificent house of cedar, whereas the Ark of God stood 
 in a simple tent, he resolved to build a gorgeous temple to 
 the Lord. But the prophet Nathan said to him, in the 
 name of God: "When thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, 
 God will give thy kingdom unto thy son, and he shall 
 build a Temple unto the name of the Lord." 
 
 When Abner, one of Saul's captains, was treacherously 
 mm-dered, David honored him with a solemn funeral, ac- 
 companied him in person to his last resting-place, and pun- 
 ished his murderers. Nor did he forget the covenant of 
 friendship which he had concluded with Jonathan. As 
 
86 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 soon as he had learned that there existed a son of his, he 
 restored his inheritance to hira, and invited him every day 
 to his table. Both in prosperity and in adversity he looked 
 up to God, and breathed forth the fervor of his soul in 
 sacred songs, which we still possess in the Booh of the 
 Psalms, that bears his name. 
 
 But even once David committed a gi'eat sin, and thus 
 sank deeper as a kinc^ tlian he could ever have sunk as a 
 simple shepherd. He sent a man to the army, and had a 
 post assigned to him during battle, where his death was 
 inevitable, and then took his wife. On account of this 
 great crime, the prophet Nathan addressed a severe speech 
 of reproof to him, and, in the name of God, announced to 
 him lasting misery. The speech of Nathan produced the 
 deepest pain in the heart of David, which was followed by 
 his most sincere and fervent repentance. Throughout the 
 rest of his life he was filled with self-reproach ; the joy of 
 his days and the peace of his soul were gone. Although 
 God had accorded him forgiveness, yet many a lieavy 
 ti'ouble was the reward of his great sin. 
 
 Wealth and honor cause oft pride, 
 
 Bring dangers manifold ; 
 Turn the heart from virtue's side, 
 
 ltd former strongest hold. 
 
 § 53. The Rebellion of Absalom. Death of David, 
 [2 Samuel xiv.-xix. 1 Kings L iL] 
 
 The greatest grief which befell David, was caused by 
 his son Absalom. Absalom was a youth of great beauty, 
 but also of a wicked heart, and continually flattered the 
 people, stirring up, at the same time, their prejudices 
 against the just administration of his father. By his 
 crouching affability, he gained a number of adherents. 
 lie went even so far in his ambition, as to march upon Jeru- 
 salem, with the view of robbing his father, both of his 
 throne and his life. David was compelled to flee, and 
 *' went up by tlie ascent of mount Olivet, and wept, as hi^ 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 87 
 
 went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot : 
 and all the people that were with him covered every man 
 his head, and they went up weeping, as they ascended the 
 mountain." On his flight from Jerusalem, Shimei, of the 
 family of Saul, met him and said to him : " Come out, 
 come out, thou bloody man ! thou wicked man ! The Lord 
 now revengeth upon thee the blood of Saul, whose throne 
 thou hast usurped ; now He has taken the crown from 
 thee, and given it to thy son Absalom ! and behold ! now 
 thou art in trouble, because thou art a bloody man!" 
 Then said Abishai to the king; "Why should this dead 
 dog curse my lord the king'? let me go over, I pray thee, 
 and take off his head." David answered and said: ''Let 
 him curse. Behold I mir.3 own son seeketh my life; how 
 much more now may this Benjamite do it I It may be that 
 the Lord will look upon my affliction and requite me good 
 for his cursing this day." David continued on his way, 
 but " Shimei went along on the hill's side over against 
 him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and 
 cartt dust." Barzillai^ a venerable old man of eighty years, 
 acted differently. He went to meet David, and furnished 
 him and his men with provisions. 
 
 David now gathered his men and intended to march in 
 person against his rebellious son; but his faithful fol- 
 lowers would not consent to this, and requested him to 
 let them go to battle without him. David yielded, but 
 commanded them, when they marched forth, saying: 
 "Only spare my son Absalom!" Tiie battle was fought, 
 and the men of David defeated his enemies, twenty thou- 
 sand of whom were slain, while the rest took to flight. 
 Absalom, who rode on a mule, was caught with his long 
 hair in the branches of an oak, so that his mule ran off 
 from under him. A man who saw him in this situation, 
 ran and told Joah^ who was the chief of David's men, that 
 Absalom was caught in an oak. Joab took three darts in 
 his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 
 Then he commanded the trumpets to be blown to retreat, 
 that the people might be spared. Two messengers went, 
 one after the other, to announce to David that his people 
 had gained the victory. The first of them would not, 
 however, inform him of the death of Absalom. When 
 
88 BIBLICAL niSTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 the second had arrived, David again asked : ** Is Absalom 
 safe?" The messenger replied : May all the enemies of 
 the king fare like Absalom!" When the king heard 
 this reply, " he was much moved, and went up to the 
 chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, thus 
 he said, O my son Absalom, my s-jn, my son Absalom ! 
 would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son ! my 
 son !" " And the victory that day was turned into mourn- 
 ing unto the people, for the people heard that day how 
 the king was grieved for his son." 
 
 David returned as king to Jerusalem, and was greeted 
 by all the people with great rejoicing. Shiraei also came 
 and implored the king's forgiveness, when Abishai said: 
 "Shall now Shimei be put to death for this because he 
 cursed the Lord's anointed!" Rut David said to Shimei: 
 ** Thou shalt not die." Others who had remained faithful 
 to the king during the revolt, and among these the vener- 
 able Barzillai, received the blessing of David, while their 
 children received other substantial rewards. After some 
 other calamities, the life of David drew to its close. 
 When he felt that his end was approaching, he assembled 
 the elders of Israel at Jerusalem and sa'd to them: *'IIear 
 me, my brethren, and my people : As for me, I had in my 
 heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant 
 of the Lord ; but God said unto me. Thou shalt not build 
 a house for my name, because thou hast been a man of 
 war, and hast shed blood. Solomon, thy son, he shall 
 build my house and my courts ; for I have chosen him to 
 be ray son, and I will be his father. Now, therefore, in 
 the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, and 
 in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the com- 
 mandments of the Lord your God : that ye may possess 
 this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your 
 children after you forever. And thou, Solomon, my son, 
 know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a 
 perfect heart and with a willing mind : for the Lord 
 searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imagina- 
 tions of the thoughts : if thou seek Him, He will be found 
 of thee; but if thou forsake him, He will cast thee off 
 forever.'* And the princes of Israel offered for the house 
 of God five thousand talents of gold, ten thousand talents 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 89 
 
 of silver, eighteen thousand talents of brass, and one 
 hundred thousand talents of iron ; and the people rejoiced, 
 for they offered willingly with all their hearts ; and David 
 also greatly rejoiced, and praised God, and spoke before 
 the whole congregation, saying: "Thine, O Lord, is the 
 greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, 
 and the majesty : for all that is in the heaven and in the 
 earth is Thine ! Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou 
 art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor 
 come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all ; and in Thy hand 
 is p( w iv and might ; and in thy hand it is to make great, 
 and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, 
 we thauic Thee, and praise Thy glorious name. Rat who 
 am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to 
 offer so willingly after this sort *? for all things come of 
 Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee. For we are 
 strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as were all our 
 fathers : our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there 
 is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store that we 
 have prepared to build Thee a house for Thy holy name 
 couieth of Thine hand, and is all Thine own. I know also, 
 my God that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in 
 uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I 
 have offered willingly all these things, and I have seen 
 with joy how willingly Thy people have offered unto 
 Tliee. O Lord ! preserve forever such devotion and such 
 thoughts in the heart of Thy people, and incline their 
 hearts forever unto Thee. And unto my son Solomon give 
 an upright heart, to keep Thy commandments, Thy statutes, 
 to love Thee, and serve Thee forever." 
 
 And when the hour had come that he was to die, he 
 caused Solomon to be anointed king over Israel, and all 
 the people exclaimed: "God save King Solomon!" Then 
 David called Solomon to his bedside, and said to him : 
 " I go the way of all the earth ; be thou therefore strong, 
 and show thyself a man ; walk in the ways of the Lord, 
 and keep His commandments, that thou mayest prosper in 
 all that thou doest." Then David fell asleep in the arms 
 of death, and was buiied in the " (7% of DavicV " And 
 
90 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; 
 seven years reigned he in Hebron^ and thirty and thi'ee 
 yeai's reigned he in Jtrusalem. 
 
 § 54. Solomon. [1 Kings ii.-xi.] 
 
 Solomon was the son of David, and disciple of the 
 prophet Nathan — could he be but wise and pious ? When 
 he entered upon the government of Israel, he implored 
 God, not for earthly treasures, but for wisdom and under- 
 standing, and God not only granted his petition, but gave 
 him also power and riches. 
 
 Soon an opportunity presented itself to Solomon to give 
 proof of his wisdom. Two mothers once came to him for 
 his decision in a contest between them. One of them said 2 
 ** I and this woman slept in one chamber. And it came 
 to pass that the child of this woman died, and she arose 
 at midnight, and took my child from beside me, and laid 
 her dead child in my lap." Now the other replied, saying: 
 ** Nay : but the living is my child, and the dead is thy 
 child/* Wlien the king heard these words, he said: 
 ** Bring me a sword; divide the living child in two, and 
 give half to the one and half to the other." The right 
 mother, having sympathy with her child, at once exclaimed: 
 " O my lord I give her the living chiUl, and in no wise 
 slay it." From these words the king perceived that she 
 w:is the real mother of the child, and said : ** Give her the 
 living child, and in no wise slay it; she is the mother 
 thereof" And all Israel heard of this wise decision, and 
 Solomon's fame spread in distant lands. And there came 
 of all people to see him, and to hear his wisdom. His pro- 
 found thoughts he exhibited in short sentences and maxims, 
 a great portion of which are still preserved, and form one 
 of tlie Biblical books. 
 
 So'omon accpiired also immense liches. He had forty 
 thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve 
 thousand horsemen. The country enjoyed, during hid 
 reign, the blessing of peace, of which he availed himself 
 for the benefit of his people. Ho entered into treaties 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS. 91 
 
 With other nations, and these promoted the commerce and 
 prosperity of Israel. Ah-eady in the fourth year of his 
 reign, he began the erection of the magnificent temple on 
 Mount Moriah^ as his father had commanded him. He 
 employed thirty thousand men who cut the timber, seventy 
 thousand porters of burdens, and eighty thousand hewers 
 of stone. All sacred utensils, the altar, the candlesticks, 
 and the door-hinges, were of the purest gold ; even the 
 walls were inlaid with gold. After seven years this mag- 
 nificent edifice was completed. Now Solomon assembled 
 the whole people for the solemn consecration of the tem- 
 ple, and caused the Ark of the Covenant to be carried 
 from Zion into the sanctuary with great pomp and solem- 
 nities. He himself stepped before the altar, spread forth 
 his hands toward heaven, and said : " Lord God of Israel ! 
 behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain 
 Thee, how much less this house that I have builded ? Yet 
 have thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to 
 his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry 
 and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee 
 lo-day : that Thine eyes may be open toward this house 
 night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast 
 tuaid, ' My name shall be there :' that Thou may est hearken 
 unto the prayer which Thy servant shall make toward this 
 j)lace. And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy ser- 
 ">'ant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray to- 
 ward this place : and hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwelling- 
 }4ace: and when Thou hearest, forgive. What prayer 
 and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all Thy 
 j)eople Israel, which shall know every man the plague of 
 ids own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this 
 liouse : then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and 
 ibrgive, and do, and give to every man according to his 
 ways, whose heart Thou knowest; for Thou, even Thou 
 only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men ; that 
 they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the 
 land which Thou gavest unto our fathers. Moreover con- 
 cerning a stranger, that is not of Thy people Israel, but 
 Cometh out of a far country for Thy name's sake : when 
 he shall come and pray toward this house; hear Thou 
 in heaven, Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that 
 
92 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOIA 
 
 the stranger calleth to Thee for; that all people of the 
 earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy peo- 
 ple Israel; and that they may know that this house, wliich 
 I have builded, is called by Thy name." Then Solomon 
 stood up, blessed the whole congregation, and said: 
 ** Praised be the Lord! the Lord our God be with us, as 
 he was with our fathers!" And the king, together with 
 all Israel, offered sacrifices before the Lord. 
 
 Thus the whole house of Israel consecrated the temple 
 of the Lord, **and blessed the king, and went unto their 
 tents, joyful and glad of heart, for all the goodness that 
 the Lord had done for David His servant, and for Israel 
 His people." 
 
 Solomon was the happiest of all kings of Israel; his 
 power and dominion increased more and more. But to- 
 ward the end of his reign, his heart went astray from God, 
 and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. On account of 
 this, God announced to him that his kingdom should not 
 last. This prediction soon began to be fulfilled ; the Ara- 
 maeans of Damascus established their independence, and 
 revolts were attempted even among the Israelites. But 
 he did not live long enough to see tlie result of these re- 
 bellions ; he died after a reign of forty years, and the 
 calamity announced to him broke upon his nation soon 
 aft«r his death. 
 
 § 55. The Separation of tub Kingdom. 3010 A.M. 
 [1 Kings xii.-xiv.] 
 
 Solomon having dmined the people by heavy taxes, 
 and the nation itself, led astray by the evil example of its 
 king, having given itself up to increasing luxuries, became 
 by degrees too poor, henceforth, to pay the usual taxes. 
 When, therefore, Behohoam, the son of Solomon, had 
 been acknowledged king over Israel, the whole congrega- 
 tion of the people came to him, saying: "Thy father made 
 our yoke grievous; now, therefore, make thou the griev- 
 ous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he 
 put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee." Rehoboam, 
 desirous to consider the matter, requested them to return 
 after three days for his answer. In the meanwhile he 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 93 
 
 consulted the aged and experienced counsellors of his 
 father, and these advised him to yield to the requests of 
 the people. But his younger and more violent friends 
 advised him to increase the burthens of the nation, and 
 thus to humiliate their presumptuousness. Now, when the 
 people returned on the third day, the king said to them: 
 *'My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your 
 yoke ; my father chastised you with whips, but I will 
 chastise you with scorpions."* Embittered by this 
 haughty reply, ten tribes revolted, and chose a king for 
 themselves, whose name was tTeroboam. Only the tribes 
 of Judah and Benjamin, and a portion of the Levites, re- 
 mained faithful to Rehoboam. The Kingdom of the ten 
 tribes was called the Kingdom of Israel, and that of the 
 tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the Kingdom of J'udah, 
 The kingdom of Israel was governed, in succession, by 
 nineteen kings, who at first resided in Shechein, then in 
 Tirzah, and at last in Samaria. The kingdom of Judah 
 was ruled over, in succession, by twenty kings, all of 
 whom resided in Jerusalem. 
 
 The dissolution of the kingdom produced the saddest 
 results, and was one of the greatest calamities that ever 
 befell the people of Israel. One ki'ngdom waged war 
 with the other; one king supplanted another; the worship 
 of God was neglected; the kings and the people sank 
 deeper and deeper into idolatry, vice and ignorance ; the 
 prosperity of the country vanished, and foreign princes 
 subjected the people under their rule. God often admon- 
 ished them to mend their ways ; but His admonitions 
 were of little or no avail ; and the nation thus hastened 
 toward its destruction. 
 
 * Scorpions are whips armed with pointed i,homs, or intertwisted 
 with iron wires, to produce severe wounds by their blows. 
 
§4 BIBUCAL mSTOKY FOK ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 C. The Kings of Israel. 
 
 § 56. Jeroboam. 
 
 Jeroboam, as we have just learned, was elected king of 
 Israel, and made Shecheiu the seat of his government. 
 Already, during the reign ot king Solomon, the prophet 
 Ahiah had foretold him that he should become king, and 
 his house continue to reign, if he would walk in the ways 
 of the Lord. But Jeroboam soon went astray. His 
 chief object was to secure his government, to build strong 
 cities, and employ all possible means to maintain himself 
 in opposition to Rehoboam. He introduced idolatry into 
 Israel, erected two golden calves, one at Bethel, ami the 
 other at Dan, and caused divine adoration to be paid to 
 them, fearing the people might return to the rule of Re- 
 hoboam, if it continued to go to the temple of Jerusalem. 
 He either pei-formed hrmself the priestly functions, or se- 
 lected the priests from classes of the people tliat were not 
 of the tribe of Levi, and changed even, in a most high-handed 
 manner, the days of the Festivals. The people, eillier 
 from ififnorance or the desire of comfort and repose, ma<le 
 no objection to these sacrilegious inroads into their inher- 
 ited religion. But God, in His mercy, sent a propliet to 
 admonish the king, and, at the same time, announce to him 
 that a descendant of David should destroy his idjls. But 
 Jeroboam did not repent or mend his ways. All at once 
 his son was taken sick, and, as the king had no confidence 
 in his own idols, he sent his wife in disguise to the J^ewish 
 prophet Ahiah, to learn the final fate of his child. The 
 prophet informed her that, before she should have passed the 
 threshold of her house, her child would be dead ; and that 
 her whole race should be blotted out, because Jeroboam 
 had not listened to God's admonitions. This announce- 
 ment was fulfilled. Jeroboam died after a reign of twenty- 
 two yeuis, and was succeeded by his son Nadab. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 95 
 
 § 57. The Kings of Israel. {Continued.) 
 Nadab — Baasha — ^Elah — i!iiMRi — Omri — Ahab. 
 
 N'adah, the son of Jeroboam, was slain, together with 
 his whole family, after a reign of two years, by JBaasha^ 
 who then ascended the throne of Israel. Baasha continued 
 the hostilities which Jeroboam had commenced against 
 the kingdom of Judah, removed his seat of government to 
 Th'zah, carried on a war against Asa, king of Judah, with 
 ill luck, led a wicked life, and died after a reign of twenty- 
 four years. He was succeeded by his son JElah^ who 
 after reigning only two years, was assassinated by Zwiri, 
 one of his captains, who immediately proclaimed himself 
 king, and slew the whole family of Elah. But Zimri 
 reigned only seven days ; for an army of Israelites, that 
 was engaged in the siege of Gibhethon, a city of the 
 Philistines, having heard of his conspiracy, proclaimed 
 their leader, Omri, king of Israel. When Zimri heard this 
 and found that he was without all hope of escape, he 
 retired to his palace, set it on fire, and perished in the 
 flames. 
 
 The people were now divided into two parties ; but the 
 party of Omri maintained the ascendancy, and he was 
 proclaimed king by the people also. 
 
 He removed the seat of government to Samaria, and 
 " wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, and did worse 
 than all that wpre before him." He reigned twelve years, 
 and was succeeded by his son Ahab, one of the most 
 wicked kin^s that ever ruled over Israel. His reign lasted 
 twenty- r wo years — along period under such an impious 
 feing 1 Sin and destruction, nurtured for such a long time, 
 could take firui root. He was not content with following 
 the example of Jeroboam, to renew the worship of calves 
 and idols, and build altars and temples to false gods, but 
 married also Jezebel, the daughter of the Sidonian prince 
 Ethbaal, and practised, with the view of pleasing and 
 honoring her, the idolatry of her people, the worship of 
 Baal, in the most solemn manner, even at the seat of the 
 government. Idolatry now became the religion of the 
 land, and the difference between Israelites and heathens 
 
96 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 thus vanished from the country. And since that time, 
 false worship never ceased in the kingdom of Israel. The 
 prophets of the Lord were slain, and their place given to 
 four hundred prophets of Baal, and four hundred prophets 
 of the Worship of the Groves. Such wickedness had 
 thitherto not been committed in Israel. 
 
 In the days of Ahab, there lived a prophet in G^lead, 
 named Elijah, with the surname of Tishhi. He suddenly 
 came forth from his solitude, stepped before Ahab, and 
 said to him in the name of God: *' As the Lord God of 
 Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew 
 nor rain during these years, unless I command it." 
 
 This prophecy was soon followed by its fulfillment. A 
 long drought caused a fearful famine, want and miseiy in 
 Israel ; the fields lay parched, and men and animals longed 
 for refreshing waters ; Elijah, however at the command of 
 God, was fed by ravens, in his concealment near the Brook 
 Cherith. But this brook also dried up after some time, 
 and God said to Elijah : ** Arise, get thee to Zarephath ; 
 there a widow shall sustain thee." Elijah obeyed ; and 
 when he came to the jgate of the city, he met the widow 
 just engaged in gathering wood; he said to her: "Fetch 
 me, I pray thee, a little water, that I may drink, and a 
 morsel of bread to eat." The widow replied, saying: *' As 
 the Lord liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of 
 meal and a little oil ; and behold, I am now gathering a 
 little wood, that I may prepare a repast for myself and 
 my son, alas! perhaps the last we shall have on earth!" 
 And Elijah said to her: *'Fear not; the Lord shall not 
 Piifter thee to be in want — do as I have requested thee." 
 The good widow went and gave the prophet the only food 
 left in her house, and God afterwards provided her with 
 all necessary means for her subsistence. Her son, also, 
 who was in a dying state, rose again upon the prayer oi 
 •Elijah, and fully regained his health. 
 
biblical history foii iskaelltish schools. 97 
 
 § 58. Elijah and Ahab. 
 
 The famine and misery increased more and more in the 
 land, so that the king himself was compelled to travel 
 about to seek food and water for his horses. At last, God 
 had again mercy upon His people, and said to Elijah : 
 '* Go and show thyself to Ahab ; for now I will again send 
 rain upon the earth." When Ahab and Elijah met, the 
 latter said to the prophet: ''Art thou he that troubleth 
 Israel.?" Elijah replied, saying: "Not I have troubled 
 Israel ; but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have 
 forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast 
 followed the idols of Baal. Now, therefore, send and 
 gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel^ .and the pro- 
 phets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of 
 the groves four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table." 
 
 When Ahab had complied with this command, Elijah 
 stepped before the assembly of the people, and addressed 
 them thus: ''How long halt ye between two opinions? 
 if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow 
 him." And the people answered him not a word. Then 
 said Elijah unto the people: ''I, even I only, remain a 
 prophet of the Lord ; but Baal's prophets are four hun- 
 dred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bul- 
 locks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, 
 and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire 
 under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on 
 wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the name of 
 your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and 
 the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." And 
 all the people answered and said : " It is well spoken." 
 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal : " Choose you 
 one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first ; for ye are 
 many : and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire 
 under." And they took the bullock which was given them, 
 and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from 
 morning even until noon, saying: '• O Baal, hear us." 
 But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they 
 leaped upon the altar that was made. And it came to pass 
 at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said : "Cry aloud : 
 for he i» a god ; either ho is talking, or he is pursuing, or 
 
98 BIBLICAL UISTOBT FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must 
 be awakened." And they cried aloud, and cut themselves 
 after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood 
 gushed out upon them. 
 
 Elijah then built an altar, made a trench around it, 
 an-anged the wood, cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him 
 upon the wood. When the time of the evening sacrifice 
 had come, the prophet prostrated himself to the earth, and 
 prayed thus: "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of 
 Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, 
 and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these 
 things at Thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that 
 this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and 
 that Thou hast turned their heart.s back again." This was 
 but a short prayer, but it came from the depth of the pro- 
 phet's heart, and God hearkened to it: lightening de- 
 scended from heaven, and consumed the burnt-sacrifice. 
 And the people, seeing all this with their own eyes, fell 
 upon their faces, and exclaimed with one voice : " The 
 Lord alone is God! The Lord alone is GodP' But 
 Elijah said to them: "Take the propliets of Baal !" The 
 people fulfilled this command, and put them to death at 
 the brook Kishon. And the heavens grew black with 
 thick clouds — abundant rain poured down, and refreshed 
 the soil, so that shortly afterwards there was again plenty 
 of food in the land of Israel. 
 
 This event caused the people to improve; but Ahab 
 continued in his wonted wickedness; he still remained 
 the blind tool of his impious wife, as may be seen from the 
 following occurrence : Nahoth^ the Jezreelite, had a vine- 
 yard hard by the king's palace. Ahab desired to possess 
 this vineyard, but Naboth would not part with it, because 
 it was an inheritance of his fathers. This refusal filled the 
 king with displeasure and sorrow, that he could neither 
 eat nor drink. But his wife soon found means to gi'atify 
 the desire of her royal consort. She hired false witnesses 
 who accused Naboth of treason and blasphemy. The 
 poor Naboth was found guilty, and stoned to death ; 
 whereupon Ahab quietly took possession of the vineyard. 
 Now Elijah stepped before him, and said: "Hast thou 
 killed, and also takeo possession t Behold ! in the place 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 99 
 
 where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, there dogs sliall 
 lick thy blood, even thine ; and dogs shall eat Jezebel by 
 the wall of Jezreel." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, Ahab declared war to the Syrians, 
 although a prophet of the Lord had announced to him 
 that he should not return alive. And so it happened. A 
 man drew his bow, as by chance, and his arrow hit the 
 king in the heart ; wherefore he said to the driver of his 
 chariot: ''Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; 
 for I am wounded." The driver of the king's chariot did 
 as his master had commanded. Towards evening Ahab 
 was dead. As the blood from his wounds had soiled hia 
 chariot, it was washed in the pool of Samaria, and dogs 
 licked it up, as the prophet had predicted. Such art3 
 God's judgments ! 
 
 § 59. Ahaziah — Jehoram — Jehu — Jezebel's Death. 
 
 Ahab was succeeded by his son Ahaziah^ who led an 
 impious life, like his parents. He reigned only two years, 
 and died in consequence of a fall through a lattice in his 
 upper chamber. He was succeeded by his brother Jeho- 
 ram^ who did evil in the eyes of God, but carried his 
 wickedness not so far as his father Ahab. One day a 
 disciple of the prophets came to Hamoth and said to tfehic, 
 one of the Israelitish captains: '*I have come to anoint 
 thee king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. And 
 thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may 
 avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the 
 blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of 
 Jezebel." Jehu at once marched toward Jezreel, where 
 Jehoram, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, just then sojourned. 
 When Jehoram learned from the watchman on the tower 
 that an army was approaching, he went with Ahaziah to 
 meet Jehu, with a view of inducing him to peace and 
 friendship. They met in the vineyard of Naboth, and 
 Jehoram asked Jehu: ''Is it peace?" The latter replied: 
 ''What! peace, so long as the outrages of thy mother 
 Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many ?" When Jeho- 
 ram heard these words he attempted to fly: but Jehu 
 
100 BIBLICAL HISTOKY FOll ISRAEIATISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 drew a bow with his full strength, and shot an arrow 
 through his heart Then he said" to his captain Bidkar : 
 *' Take him up, and cast him into the field of Naboth ; for 
 I remember what the Lord hath said, ' I will avenge the 
 blood of Naboth in this field.' '* Thus Ahab's blood flow- 
 ing forth from the veins of his son, was shed, according to 
 the divine announcement, upon the same gi'ound which 
 had drunk the innocent blood of Naboth. When Ahor 
 ziah saw the gloomy death of Jehoram, he attempted to 
 fly, but Jehu pursued him, and caused him also to be 
 slain. 
 
 Jehu then continued his way toward Jezreel. Wlien 
 Jezebel heard of his approach, she painted her face, orna- 
 mented her head, looked out from the window of the 
 palace, and said to Jehu: "Had Zimri peace, who slew 
 his master ?" Jehu lifted up his eyes to the window, and 
 Baid to the chamberlains that stood by her: *' Throw her 
 down !" They immediately obeyed this command, and 
 her blood was spnnkled upon the wall, and her body 
 trampled by the hoofs of the horses in the street. When 
 Jehu, after some hours, ordered her burial, no more of her 
 was found than her skull, her feet, and her hands; for 
 dogs had eaten up the rest. Thus the words of the pro- 
 phet were fulfilled. 
 
 § 60. The Prophet Eijsha. [2 Kings ii.-vl] 
 
 One of the most faithful disciples of Elijah was JEllsha- 
 God himself commanded Elijah to anoint him to be pro- 
 phet in his stead, which he did, when he met him as he 
 was ploughing the field of his father, by throwing his 
 mantle upon him. By this symbolical act he meant to 
 say : " Be what I am, a prophet of God, and follow me!" 
 Elisha, at once understood the symbol, letl his oxen, and 
 said to Elijah : " Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and 
 my mother, and then I will follow thee.'* This request 
 being granted, EUsha did as he had asked, and thence- 
 forth accompanied his master everywhere, and became a 
 most zealous servant of God. When Elijah felt that his 
 end was approaching, he said to Elisha: '* Ask what I 
 shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee." 
 
BIBUCAL HISTORr FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS- 101 
 
 Eiittha answered: "I pray thee, let a double portion of 
 thy spirit be upon me." His later acts proved that God 
 fulfilled this noble wish. How he delighted to do good 
 and help the Buffering, may be seen from the following 
 narrative. 
 
 Naaman^ the general of the Syrian king, was stricken 
 with leprosy. An Israelitish maiden, who waited on Naa- 
 man's w^ife, said to her mistress : " Would God my Lord 
 were with the prophet Elisha ! for he would cure him of 
 his leprosy." Naaman at once acted upon this wish, and 
 went with his horses and his chariot and many presents to 
 the prophet. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying : 
 *'Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thou shalt be 
 clean." But Naaman got angry at this speech, and said : 
 *' Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me, and 
 call on the'name of the Lord his God, and move his hand 
 over the plac§, and thus cure me of my disease." His 
 servants endeavored to pacify him, and said: "If the pro- 
 phet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not 
 have done it I How much rather, then, when he saith to 
 thee, ' Wash and be clean V " These words produced a 
 proper effect. Naaman descended from his chariot, dip- 
 ped himself seven times in Jordan, and behold! he rose 
 from the water entirely clean from leprosy. Full of joy, 
 he at once returned to Elisha, and said : " Behold^ now I 
 know that there is no God in all the earth like the God of 
 Israel /" He then offered him precious gifts as a reward 
 for his cure ; but the prophet refused to accept them, well 
 satisfied with this, that he had made him a worshipper of 
 his God. 
 
 But Gehazi^ the prophet's servant, did not entertain the 
 same noble thoughts. When Naaman had left the house, 
 he ran after him and asked of him, in the name of his mas- 
 ter, one talent, and two changes of garments. Naaman 
 most joyfully gave him even more than he had asked. 
 When Elisha, who had not sent his servant, heard of this 
 fraud, he got very angry, and severely reproved him for 
 his shameful conduct. Nor did God let Gehazi go unpun- 
 ished for his fraud and extortion ; the leprosy of Naaman 
 came over him, so that he was all over his body as white 
 as snow. 
 
102 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCIIOOIA 
 
 One day, when Elisha was going towards the town of 
 Beth-el, some rude boys came from the city and mocked 
 him, saying: "Go up, thou bald head I go up, thou bald 
 head!" The prophet looked at them, and told them that 
 it could not be well with such ill-bred and mischievous 
 children. And his words were soon fullilled. No sooner 
 had he concluded his speech, than two bears came forth 
 from the woods, and tore forty-two of them in pieces. 
 
 Elisha tilled the office of prophet for more than fifty 
 years after the death of Elijah, under the reign of the 
 kings J'ehoram, tTehu, Jehoahaz^ and Jehoash. When the 
 aged proj)het lay upon his death-bed, king Jehoash paid 
 him a visit, wept, and exclaimed: " O my father, my 
 father, the chariot of Israel and the horses thereof I" 
 
 § Gl. The Prophet Jonab# 
 
 At the time of Jeroboam II. ^ king of Israel, who was 
 the son of Johoash, there lived lonah^ whom the Lord 
 liad ap|)ointed not only prophet for Israel, but also for the 
 heathens. He sent him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, 
 wliich WJ18 from fifty to sixty miles long, "to cry against 
 it, because their wickedness had come up before jflim." 
 But Jonah, instead of obeymg the divine command, went 
 on board a ship to go to Tarshish, and thus to flee from 
 God. But God stirred up a fierce tempest, a mighty 
 thunderstorm arose, and the ship was near being foundered. 
 The sailors became greatly alarmed, and every one of 
 them prayed to his God. But Jonah being unable to 
 pray, because his conscience naturally troubled him on ac- 
 count of his evil deed, went down into the hollow of the 
 ship and fell asleep. Then the ship-master went to him, 
 and said : " What meanest thou, O sleeper ? Arise, call 
 upon thy Godt Perhaps thp God will think upon us, that 
 we perish not 
 
 Then the superstitious heathen mariners said to one 
 anotlier: "Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know 
 for whose cause this evil is upon us." The lot fell upon 
 Jonah. Yet the mariners, though they were hut heathens, 
 bad pity upon him, and hesitated to deliver him up to the 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 103 
 
 stoi*my waves. Once more they attempted to bring their 
 ship to the shore : but seeing that all their exertions were 
 in vain, they cast him into the sea ; and behold 1 the sea 
 immediately ceased to rage. But by God's wonderful or- 
 dination, Jonah was delivered from the waves, and he 
 reached the land in safety. And now he hastened to Nine- 
 veh and cried aloud: *' Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall 
 be overthrown!" 
 
 This proclamation of the prophet produced the most 
 salutary effect ; all the inhabitants of the city, from the 
 greatest even to the least of them, repented and turned 
 from their evil ways; the kmg himself arose from his 
 throne, laid off his royal robe, covered himself with sack- 
 cloth, sat in ashes, and caused the following proclamation 
 to me made in Nineveh : " Let neither man nor beast, herd 
 nor flock, taste any thing ; let them not feed, nor drink 
 water : But let men and beast be covered with sackcloth, 
 and cry mightily unto God : yea, let them turn every one 
 from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their 
 hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and 
 turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'* 
 The people obeyed the exhortation of their worthy king, 
 and repented : and the Lord, seeing that they had turned 
 from their evil ways, did not send the threatened calami- 
 ties, but spared the city. Jonah grew indignant at the 
 compassion thus shown to Nineveh, and prayed: *'I pray 
 Tucc, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in 
 my country*? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for 
 I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to 
 anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the 
 evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech Thee, my 
 life from me ; for it is better for me to die than to live." 
 But the Lord reproved him in a most indulgent manner. 
 Jonah having seated himself outside of the city, to see 
 what would become of it, God caused a gourd to grow, 
 which afforded him refreshing shade, and protection from 
 the burning rays of the sun. The prophet exceedingly 
 rejoiced at this gourd. But God sent, on the next morning, 
 a worm, which destroyed the gourd ; and the sun beat so 
 severely on the head of Jonah, that he grew faint, and 
 again wished to die. Then said God to him: "Doest 
 
104 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 thou well to be angry for the gourd I Thou hast had pity 
 on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neithei 
 madest it grow : which came up in a night and perished 
 in a night: And should I not spare Nineveh, that great 
 city, wherein are more than six-score thousand persona 
 that can not discern between their right hand and theii 
 left hand ; and also much cattle 1" 
 
 § 62. Job. 
 
 Other instances also are found in the ancient world, 
 which show that strong virtuous sentiments, and fear of 
 God, sometimes lived in the hearts of non-Israelites. Thus 
 Holy writ relates that there dwelt once in the land of ITz 
 a very rich and pious man, named Job. He had seven 
 sons and three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three 
 thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred 
 she-asses, and a very numerous household. Being a very 
 pious man, with all his wealth, he enjoyed the greatest 
 happiness. But God, wishing to try him, whether he 
 would remain constant in adversity, visited him with 
 heavy afllictions. His children, his cattle, and all else that 
 he possessed, perished. Yet, he did not murmur, but ex- 
 claimed : " l^he Lord gam, the Lord hcUh taken away^ 
 blessed be the name of tfie Lord!*' He himself was tni- n 
 sick, and became so leprous, that he sat upon a dun ,. 
 and took a potsherd to scrape the sores from his body. 
 Still he remained pious and God-fearing. Then said his 
 wife to him : ** Dost thou still retain thine integrity ?" to 
 which Job answered : " Thou speakest as one of the fool- 
 ish women speaketh. What! shall we receive good at 
 the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil also ?" 
 And he still persevered in his trust m God. 
 
 Three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad^ and Zopha, heard 
 of the afiiiction which had befallen him, and agreed to visit 
 and console him in his suflerings. When they raised their 
 eyes afar ofi*, and could hardly recognize their friend, they 
 wept, sat down with him upon the ground seven days and 
 seven nights, and did not speak to him ; for they saw that 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 103 
 
 his grief was very great. After this, Job opened his 
 mouth and complained of his excessive sufferings: yet, 
 the innocence and purity of his own conscience, and his 
 confidence in God's justice, afforded him consolation. But 
 his friends thought that his sufferings had been caused by 
 some guilt of his, since God never inflicted woe upon man, 
 unless he deserved it in consequence of his sin. Such 
 speeches grieved the unhappy Job very much ; his inward 
 pain increased, and he cursed the day on which he was 
 born. But soon the piety of his heart, and his love for 
 God, awoke again, and he consoled himself with the reflec- 
 tion : "I know that my God liveth, who will awaken mo 
 from death unto everlasting life." 
 
 By his patience and constancy, he regained the grace 
 and favor of God. The Lord restored to him all that he 
 had lost, and even redoubled his former wealth. His re- 
 latives and friends visited him again, ate with him, and 
 sympathized with him. 
 
 After this. Job lived yet one hundred and forty years, 
 saw his sons, his sons' sons, even to the fourth generation, 
 and died, very old and full of days. 
 
 § 63. The Destruction op the Kingdom op Israel. — 
 The Prophets. [2 Kings xvii.] 3268 A.M. 
 
 While the only exhortation to repentance addressed by 
 the prophet Jonah to the heathen inhabitants of Nineveh, 
 produced the desired effect, the Israelites remained un- 
 moved by a hundred similar admonitions. They heaped 
 sin upon sin, misdeed upon misdeed I All the successors 
 of Ahab were wicked, and misled the people to idolatry 
 and vice. For this reason God sent several prophets to 
 admonish them to repent, to announce His judgments, 
 and at the same time, proclaim His mercy, if they would 
 return from their evil ways. 
 
 Hosea arose, announced the approaching destruction of 
 the kingdom, and the captivity of its inhabitants, if they 
 
106 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 would not repent. '* Hear the word of the Lord," he ex- 
 claimed, " ye children of Israel ! Ye swear, and steal, and 
 mnrdcr, and commit violence, and heap crime upon crime. 
 But the time of judgment shall come, when the Lord will 
 reject you, and disperse you among the nations," On the 
 other hand, llosea promised them also the loving forgive- 
 ness of the Lord, it they would repent and return to Ilim. 
 
 Amos, who was a shepherd at Tekoa, and afterwards 
 became a prophet, proclaimed his prophecies at Beth-el, 
 where the Israelites worshipped calves. Although he had 
 not been trained in the schools of prophets, yet he under- 
 stood it well, to expose in soul-stirring speeches, even 
 in the face of kings, the atrocious deeds of Israel. " Hear, 
 ye lords of Samaria," he exclaimed, " who oppress the 
 poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, 
 Bring, and let us drink. The Lord hath sworn by His 
 holiness, that, behold ! the days shall come upon you, that 
 He will take you away with hooks, and your posterity 
 with fish-hooks. I will send you into captivity, and I will 
 sifl the house of Israel among all nations, as the corn is 
 sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the 
 earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, 
 who say, ' The evil shall not overtake us.' I have smitten 
 you with blasting and mildew ; I have caused your fig- 
 trees and your olive-trees to be devoured by the palmer- 
 worm : yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 
 I have sent among you the pestilence ; your young men 
 have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your 
 horses ; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 
 I have caused destruction among you, as once in Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of 
 the flames, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the 
 Lord : therefore will I do thus unto thee." 
 
 The prophet Jficah likewise describes with bold open- 
 ness, the vices both of the high and the low of the house 
 of Judah as well as of the house of Israel. "Woe to 
 them," he exclaims, " that devise iniquity, and work evil 
 upon their beds I when the morning is light, they practise 
 it because it is in the power of theii* hand. And they 
 covet fields and take them by violence : and bouses, and 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 107 
 
 talce them away; therefore punishment is not afar off." 
 ^' Hear, this, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes 
 of the house of Israel, who build up Zion with blood, and 
 Jerusalem with iniquity, for your sake shall Zion be 
 ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of 
 ruins, and the mountain of the Temple as the high places 
 of the forest." The prophet then reproved his people for 
 this, that they clung more to outward worship than to the 
 observance of the moral law, and assured them that they 
 could easily regain the mercy of God, if they would but 
 return from their evil ways. '' The Lord," he exclaims, 
 " hath showed thee, O man, what is good : and what else 
 doth the Lord require of thee, but to practise justice, to 
 love charity, and to walk humbly with thy God?" 
 
 The prophet Joel pronounced the following proclama- 
 tion : *' Hear this, Israel ! the day of the Lord is at hand, 
 the day of destruction, whereof ye shall tell your children 
 and your children's children. That which the palmer-worm 
 hath left shall be eaten by the locust — and that which the 
 locusts will leave, shall be eaten by the canker-worm ; 
 and that which the canker-worm will leave, shall be eaten 
 by the eater-pillar. Their teeth shall be as the teeth of a 
 lion. The field shall be wasted, the land shall mourn; 
 the husbandmen shall wail, the winedressers shall howl; 
 the beasts of the field shall groan ; the rivers shall be 
 dried up, and the fire shall devour the pastures of the wild- 
 erness. Therefore, if ye turn to the Lord, with all your 
 heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with mourn- 
 mg, ye shall know that God is in the midst of Israel. 
 
 The prophet Isaiah also exposed their misdeeds, and 
 admonished them to repent, saying: hear, O heavens, 
 and give ear, O earth : for the Lord hath spoken, I have 
 nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled 
 against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his 
 master's crib : bat Israel doth not know, my people doth 
 not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with ini- 
 quity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters : 
 they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the 
 Holy One of Israel unto anger, they ai'e gone away back- 
 
108 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISBAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 ward. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom ; 
 give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 
 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto 
 me ? saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt offerings of 
 rams, and the fat of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the 
 blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye 
 come to appear before me, who hath required this at your 
 hand, to tread my courts 1 luring no more vain oblations ; 
 incense is an abomination unto me : the new moons and 
 sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I can not away with ; 
 it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons 
 and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a 
 trouble unto me ; I am weary to bear them. And when 
 ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from 
 you ; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : 
 your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean ; 
 put away the evil ot your doings from before mine eyes, 
 cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; seek judgment, relieve 
 the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 
 Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord . 
 though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
 snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as 
 wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good 
 of the land ; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured 
 with the sword : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." 
 
 The prophet Nahum said : " God is jealous, and a re- 
 venger, the Lord is slow in anger, and great in power, 
 and will not at all acquit the wicked ; He hath His way 
 in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the 
 dust of His feet He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it 
 dry, and drieth up all the rivers. The mountains quake 
 at Him, and the hills melt, the earth trembleth before His 
 countenance, and its inhabitants. Who can stand before 
 His indignation t" 
 
 The prophet HaJbdkkuk said : " Thus saith the Lord, I 
 will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, 
 though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, 
 that bitter and hasty nation^ and they shall gather captives 
 as the sand." 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAKIJTISH SCHOOLS. 109 
 
 Zephaniah said : *' Woe to the rebellious and oppressing 
 city 1 She obeys not the voice, she trusteth not in the 
 Lord — she draws not nigh to her God. Therefore, I shall 
 gather nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour 
 upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger. 
 But I will also judge all that afilict thee, and I will save 
 the oppressed, and gather them that were driven out, and 
 I will make you a name and a praise among all the nations 
 of the earth." 
 
 Such and many other similar exhortations were ad- 
 dressed by the prophets to the Israelites. But all in vain ; 
 they would not heed the warning voice of those faithful 
 servants of the Lord. At last, God's mercy and long- 
 suffering, so long exercised over them, were exhausted, 
 and His infallible judgment hastened toward its fulfillment. 
 He chose Shalnia7ieser, king of Assyria, to accomplish the 
 work of judgment. Shalmaneser declared war to Iloshea^ 
 king of Israel, because he had entered into an alliance with 
 So, king of Egypt. After a siege of three years, the city 
 of Samaria was taken and burned down, and the king and 
 his people were carried as captives to Assyria and Media, 
 to settle in uncultivated regions of these countries. On 
 the other hand, Shalmaneser sent inhabitants of Babylon 
 and other countries of his empire, to Samaria and the 
 neighboring places, and with them a Jewish priest, that he 
 might instruct these heathens in the worship of God. 
 While they learned to fear and serve God, they, at the 
 same time continued to practice idolatry. This new 
 population of Samaria became known afterwards as the 
 Sect of the Samaritans. 
 
 D. The Kings of Judah. 
 
 § 64. Rehoboam — Abijah — Asa — Jehoshaphat-^ 
 Jehoram. 
 
 [1 Kings xiv.-xv. 2 Kings viii. 2 Chro. xx.-xxi.] 
 
 As the greater number of the kings of Judah were 
 better and more pious than those of Israel, this kingdom 
 lasted one hundred and thirty-four years longer than fcliat 
 
110 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITTSH SCHOOLS. 
 
 of the latter. Many of the kings of Judah also forsook 
 their God, and set their people an evil example. Hehoboani 
 the son of Solomon, under whose reign the empire waa 
 divided, did much evil in the eyes of the Lord. He was 
 already forty-one years old when he ascended the royal 
 throne, so that it was to be expected that the earnestness 
 and discretion of manhood should guard him against many 
 a rash and wicked deed. But this expectation was not ful- 
 filled. He built high places, and erected statues for idols 
 upon all places, and under every green tree ; besides, he 
 Buffered corrupted young men to practise all the abomina- 
 tions of the heathens. In punishment for all these iniqui- 
 ties, God sent misery upon him. The Egyptian King 
 Shishak marched, against Jerusalem, and took away l)oth 
 the treasures of the Temple and the royal house. Now 
 the prophet Shemaiah stepped before King Rehoboam and 
 addressed him, saying; **Thu8 saith the Lord, 'Yeliave 
 forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand 
 otShishak.'" The princes and the king humbled them- 
 selves, and exclaimed: ** The Lord is just!" Whereupon 
 God said : *' Tliey have humbled themselves, therefore I 
 will not destroy them. Nevertheless, they shall remain 
 subject to Shishak, that they may learn the difference be- 
 tween my service and the service of the kings of strange 
 countries.'* However merciful this lesson, taught them by 
 God himself, was, it did not produce the desired effect. 
 Rehoboam continued the war with Jeroboam, king of 
 Israel, and died after a reign of seventeen yeai*8, leaving 
 Lis son Abijam as his successor. 
 
 Ahijam followed the evil example of his father, and 
 made war against the kingdom of Israel, but died after 
 the short reign of but three yeai'S. 
 
 His son and successor Asa was a pious. God-fearing 
 prince ; he destroyed all the temples of the idols, and re- 
 moved their images and statues. His continual wars 
 with Baasha, King of Israel, compelled him to enter into 
 an alliance with the Syrian king, Benhadad, in conse- 
 quence of which the hostilities between the two kings were 
 ended. He died after a reign of forty-one years, and was 
 succeeded bv his son. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. Ill 
 
 Jehoshaphat, a pious man and excellent prince. He 
 provided the strong places of the land with garrisons, ap* 
 pointed able officers, and endeavored to gain the respect 
 of the neighboring nations for his own country. But his 
 special care was devoted to the diffusion of the true know- 
 ledge of God He destroyed the temples and groves of 
 the idols, and appointed Levites and priests to travel 
 throughout the country with copies of the law, that they 
 might teach the people. " Thus shall ye do," he said to 
 them, *'in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a per- 
 fect heart ; what cause soever shall come to you of your 
 brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and 
 blood, in their doubts concerning laws and commandments, 
 statutes and judgments, ye shall warn them that they tres^ 
 pass not against the Lord, and the wrath of the Lord come 
 not upon you and upon your brethren." And to the judges 
 he said: "Take heed what you do; for ye judge not for 
 man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. 
 Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, and 
 reflect well, that there is no iniquity with the Lord our 
 God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribery." 
 
 When shortly afterwards, the Moabites and Ammonites 
 waged war against Judah, Jehoshaphat assembled the peo- 
 ple in the Temple of God, and offered up the following 
 prayer: "O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God 
 in heaven? and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of 
 the heathen ? and in Thine hand is there not power and 
 might,, so that none is able to withstand Thee "? Art not 
 Thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this 
 land before Thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of 
 Abraham Thy friend forever? And now, behold, the 
 children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom 
 Thou would st not let Israel invade, when they came out 
 of the Land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and 
 destroyed them not; behold, I say, how they reward us, 
 to come to cast us out of Thy possession, which Thou hast 
 given us to inherit. O our God, wilt Thou not judge them % 
 for we have no might against this great company that 
 cometh against us ; neither know we what to do: but our 
 eyes are upon Thee." When he had concluded this prayer, 
 
112 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SGHOOLa 
 
 a God-inspired man rose m the assembly and said: 
 " Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem 
 and thou king Jehoshaphat; Thus saith the Lord unto 
 you, * Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great 
 multitude ; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To- 
 mon-ow go ye down against them ; ye shall not need to 
 fight! Be ye firm, stand ye still, and see the salvation of 
 the Lord with you. The Eternal will be \^'ith you!'" 
 And the Lord was indeed with them. The enemies were 
 suddenly seized with fury, fought against, and destroyed 
 each other, so that tlie Israelites made such a vast spoil of 
 precious jewels and vessels, that they were unable to carry 
 them all away, although they gathered them during three 
 days. The people then returned with psalteries and trum- 
 pets to Jerusalem, and offered their thanks to God in the 
 Temple. Alter this delivery, the land enjoyed peace for 
 twenty-five years. Jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years, 
 
 J'eJioram^ who succeeded his father, was unhke him. 
 His wife, Athaliah, a daughter of Ahab, misled him to 
 many evil deeds. He murdered his brothers and many 
 princes of his kingdom. But the punishment of God soon 
 came upon him. The Edomites revolted, and the Philist- 
 ines and Arabians invaded his country, plundered his 
 palace, and carried away liis wives and children. He waa 
 soon visited by a loathsome disease, with which he died. 
 
 § 65. The Kings op Juoau. (Continued.) Ahaztah— 
 Jehoasii — Amaziah — Uzziah---Jotham — Ahaz — Heze- 
 KiAU. [2 Kings, xi.-xii. xviii.-xx.] 
 
 Jehoram was succeeded by Ahaziah^ who reigned only 
 one year, when he was slain, together with Jehoram, king 
 of Israel. After Ahaziah's death, Athaliah, his mother, 
 usurped the royal throne, and slew all the children of the 
 king, with the exception of Jehoash, whom Jehosheba, his 
 father's sister, concealed for six years in the Temple, and 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 113 
 
 thus saved him from the persecutions of Athaliah. When 
 Jehoash was seven years old, JeJioida, the high priest, 
 stirred up a rebellion against Athaliah, which resulted in 
 her death, and brought Jehoash upon the royal throne. 
 As long as Jehoiada lived and assisted the young king 
 with his counsel, both the people and their ruler faied 
 well, and served their God. The temples of Baal and the 
 idolatrous altars were torn down, and the worship of G 3d 
 re-instated according to its prescribed order and arrange- 
 ment. After the death of Jehoiadah, Jehoash forsook God 
 and committed great crimes. But his wickedness was 
 soon punished ; he was defeated in a war with the Syrians, 
 and had to purchase a dishonorable peace at the price of 
 all his treasures. Soon afterwards, he was murdered in 
 his bed by his own servants. 
 
 Jehoash was succeeded by his son Amaziah, who caused 
 the murderers of his father to be punished, and fought 
 victoriously against the Edomites. In his war against 
 Jehoash, king of Israel, he was defeated, whereupon Jeru- 
 salem was taken and plundered, and all the treasures car- 
 ried away to Samaria. After a reign of twenty-nine 
 years, a conspiracy was formed against him, which com- 
 pelled him to flee from Jerusalem. He was overtaken at 
 Lachish^ and murdered. 
 
 His son and successor, JJzziah, was a pious prince. He 
 restored the worship of the true God, and devoted his care 
 and attention to the improvement of the affairs of his 
 country, and succeeded in defeating the Philistines, the 
 Arabians and other neighboring tribes. But his power 
 and prosperity led him astray — he usurped the office of 
 priest, for which impious act he was punished with leprosy, 
 which rendered him unable to attend to the duties of his 
 royal dignity, so that he was compelled to associate his 
 son Jotliam with him in the government. He died after 
 a reign of fifty-two years, and left his son 
 
 Joiham on the royal throne. This king proved a wise, 
 pious. God-fearing, and, therefore, prosperous prince. Ho 
 defeated the Ammonites, and forced them to pay him a 
 
114 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 large tribute. He reigned sixteen years, and was succeeded 
 by bis son. 
 
 Ahaz, who vied with the kings of Israel in atrocities 
 and idolatrous excesses, and went even so far as to erect, 
 in the valley of Illnnonx^ a statue to the Phenician god, 
 Moloch, to which infants were offered as sacrifices. Under 
 his reign, the country was invaded by Rezia, King ot 
 Syria, and Pekah, King of Israel. He called Tlglathjnleser^ 
 King of Assyria, to his aid, and was thus made tributaiy 
 to him. Happily for his country, he died after a reign of 
 but sixteen years. 
 
 Under his son and successor, HezeJciah, Judah again 
 enjoyed better times of peace and tranquillity. Hezekiah 
 was found just in the eyes of God ; no Jewish king, ever 
 since the time of David, was so filled with God-fearing 
 piety as he. ** He removed the high-places, and brake the 
 statues of the idols, and cut down the groves, and brake in 
 pieces the brazen ser|)ent that Moses had made, for unto 
 those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it.*' 
 Immediately after his accession to the royal throne, he 
 re-opened the Temple of the Lord, had it cleansed, and 
 ordered the celebration of the Passover Feast, to which 
 he invited the whole people, and which was solemnized 
 with Solomonian magnificence and splendor. 
 
 In the sixth year of his reign, Shalmaneser, king of 
 Assyria, destroyed the kingdom of Israel, whereupon 
 Sennacherib, his son and successor, conquered all the forti- 
 fied cities of Judah, and then sent his general, Mahshaheh^ 
 to attack also Jerusalem. Hezekiah sent word to Sen- 
 nacherib, saying : ** March away from my land and I will 
 pay all the tribute that thou puttest on me." Sennacherib 
 made great demands, so that Hezekiah was compelled to 
 deliver up to him all the treasure of the Temple and his 
 own house to satisfy him. But notwithstanding all this, 
 Sennacherib soon sent an enormous army against Jerusa- 
 lem, and demanded the complete subjection of Hezekiah. 
 Rabshakeh. Sennacherib's general, sent word to the Jews^ 
 saying, *' "i as saith the king. Let not Hezekiah deceive 
 you : for be shall not be able to deliver you out of his 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS 115 
 
 han^v neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, 
 saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall 
 not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 
 Hearken not to Hezekiah ; for thus saith the king of 
 Assyria, Make an agreement with me, by a present, and 
 come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own 
 vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one 
 his waters of his cistern : until I come and take you away 
 to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a 
 land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil-olive and ot 
 honey, that ye may live and not die." The people made 
 no answer to this speech, but kept silence ; for thus their 
 king had commanded them. Thereupon Hezekiah himself 
 received a letter from Sennacherib, in which the following 
 language was used : " Let not thy God in whom thou 
 trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be de- 
 livered into the hands of the king of Assyria *' Behold, 
 thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to 
 all lands by destroying them utterly : and shalt thou be 
 delivered ? Have the gods of the nations delivered them 
 which my fiithers have destroyed?" Such was the 
 threatening contents of the letter ; the fear and alarm 
 which it caused were great ; no means seemed available 
 to ward off the danger. But what should be done, when- 
 ever human help is no longer strong enough to save us? 
 Hezekiah went into the Temple of his God, clothed in gar^ 
 ments of penance and mourning, and prayed as follows; 
 " O Lord God of Israel, Thou art the God, even Thoa 
 alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made 
 heaven and earth Lord, bow down Thine ear, and hear: 
 open, Lord, Thine eyes, and see : and hear the words of 
 Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living 
 God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed 
 Ithe nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into 
 *the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's 
 hands, wood and stone : therefore they have destroyed 
 them. Now, therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech Thee, 
 save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the 
 earth may know that Thou art the Lor ' God, even Thou 
 only." The king requested also the [,1 ophet Isaiah^ to 
 intercede with his prayer, and received the following 
 
116 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOB ISRAELITISH SCHOOI^. 
 
 consoling reply : " Be not afraid or dismayed ! The king of 
 Assyria shall do no harm unto thee ; by the way that he 
 came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into 
 this city, saith the Eternal." Even during the same night 
 a pestilence broke out in the camp of the Assyrians, so 
 that, in the morning, the earth was covered with multitudes 
 of dead bodies. And Sennacherib, who knelt in prayer 
 before his idol god in the Temple of Nineveh, was slain 
 by his own two sons. Thus God humbles the haughty. 
 
 Soon after the destruction of the Assyrian army, Heze- 
 kiah fell sick, when Isaiah came to him and said : " Set 
 thine house in order; for thou shalt diel" No sooner had 
 the king heard this announcement, than he wept and 
 prayed to God that he might prolong his life. His tears 
 and prayer were accepted by God. Before Isaiah had left; 
 the city, God ordered him to announce to the king, that 
 fifteen years should be added to the days of his life. 
 Isaiah put a lump of figs upon the boil with which Heze- 
 kiah suffered, and thus cured him in the course of three 
 days. 
 
 The victory over the Assyrian army produced this effect, 
 that the small kingdom of Judah gained fame and respect 
 among the neighboring nations. The king of Babylon 
 sent ambassadors to Hezekiah, to congratulate him upon 
 his recovery. On this occasion, the latter forgot himself, 
 and showed, misled by self-pleasing pride, his vast treasures 
 to the ambassadors. This self-exaltation was followed by 
 the announcement of divine punishment : that all tliese 
 treasures, together with the king's children, should be 
 carried to Babylon. Hezekiah bowed with humility to 
 the will of God, and received the consoling assurance, 
 that this calamity should not occur during his lifetime. 
 He died lamented by his people, after a reign of twenty- 
 nine years. 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 117 
 
 66. The Kings of Jtjdaii. (Continued.) Manasseh — 
 Amon — JosiAH — Jehoahaz — Jehoiakim — Jehoiachin 
 — Zedekiah. [2 Kings xxi.-xxv. 2 Cbr. xxxiii.-xxxvi:] 
 3377 A.M. 
 
 The Destruction of the Kingdom of Judah. 
 
 Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Manasseh^ the most 
 w^icked of all the kings of Judah. He built idolatrous 
 ftltars even in the Temple of Jerusalem, kept fortune- 
 tellers and soothsayers, and sacrificed his own son to 
 Moloch. Idolatry having become worse in Judah than 
 among the heathens, God sent prophets to the king, say- 
 ing: ''Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem 
 and Judah that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears 
 shall tingle. I will deliver them into the hand of their 
 enemies, and bring heavy distress upon them." But the 
 people would not heed the words of the prophets, and 
 God caused the Assyrian king, Esarhaddon^ to invade the ^ 
 country, and carry Manasseh in fetters to Babylon. Now 
 the latter repented; wherefore the All- merciful delivered 
 him from his captivity, and permitted him to return to 
 Jerusalem, and resume the royal power. From this time 
 to his death, Manasseh was pious and God-fearing. He 
 removed the idols from the Temple, and cast them out of 
 the city, and urgently admonished his people to worship 
 the living God. He died after a reign of fifty-five years, 
 and was succeeded by his son 
 
 Amon^ who reigned but two years. He led a wicked life, 
 and was assassinated in his own house. The people avenged 
 his murder by slaying the rebels, and proclaimed his son 
 
 tTosiah, a child of only eight years, king of Judah. 
 Obeying the good counsel of his guardian, the priest Ilil' 
 kiah, Josiah reformed the worship of the Temple. On 
 this occasion, the Book of the Law, which had been given 
 by Moses, but was* forgotten during the existence of the 
 idolatrous worship, was found and sent to the king. With 
 astonishment and horror he discovered how often he had 
 violated the will of God, and what a sad future awaited 
 him, if he would not walk in His ways. Filled with fear 
 and grief, he rent his clothes, and consulted the prophetess 
 
118 BIBUCAL HlSTOliY FOK ISUAJiLITliiH BCHOOLS. 
 
 Huldah^ concerning his fate. Huldah sent him word, say- 
 ing: "Thus saith the Lord, * Because thy heart hath been 
 Boftened by the words of the Law, and thou didst humble 
 tliyself before God, thou shalt be gathered to thy fathers 
 in peace, and thine eyes shall not see the evil which I will 
 bring upon this land.' " Josiah now made all possible 
 exertions to restore the worship of the true God. He 
 made the whole people promise, that they would hence- 
 forth follow the law of the Lord, and then celebrated, in 
 Jerusnlem, the feast of Passover, which had not been 
 solemnized with such splendor since the days of the 
 Judges. After a reign of thirty-one years, he died from 
 a wound wliich he had received in a war against the 
 Egyptian king Necho. 
 
 He was successively followed by his sons J'ehoahaz^ 
 tTehoiakiniy and then by tTehoiachui^ the son of the latter, 
 all of whom re-introduced idolatry, in consequence of 
 which, vice rapidly increased in Judah and accelerated the 
 destruction of the nation. God deliv<M-ed the people into 
 the liand of Nebuchadnezzar^ king of Babylon, who carried 
 Jehoiachin, together with ten thousand Jews, the treasures 
 of the Temple, and its golden and silver vessels, to Ba- 
 bylon. In the place of the deposed king, Nebuchadnezzar 
 appointed Zedekiah^ a son of Josiah, to till the royal throne. 
 The latter soon rebelled, whereupon Nebuchadnezzar 
 marched against him, and laid siege to the city* with his 
 whole army. 
 
 This sii'ge lasted two yeai*8. Famine and misery made 
 horrible havoc in the city ; its inhabitants fell in the streets 
 dying with destitution and hunger ; mothers ate their own 
 children. At last, on the ninth day of the fourth month, 
 the enemy made an attack upon the city and took it. Zede- 
 kiah took to flight, but was taken prisoner at Jericho, by 
 the generals of Nebuchadnezzar, who carried him, together 
 with his whole family, before the king. The latter caused 
 his children to be slain before his face, his eyes to be put 
 out, and then sent him in fetters to Babylon, where he 
 died in a prison. The magnificent Temple, the royal palace. 
 
 * This waa done on the tenth day of the month of Td)€t, 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS. 119 
 
 nay, the whole city was burned down, and the walls razed 
 to its very foundation.* 
 
 But a limited number of the country people were per- 
 mitted to remain in Canaan, and had Gedaliah, the son of 
 Ahikan, appointed over them as governor. Gedaliah 
 ruled with great mildness, and said to his people: '*Fear 
 not to be the servants of the Chaldees ; dwell in the land, 
 and faithfully serve the king of Babylon ; and it shall be 
 well with you." Many of those who had fled, began to 
 flock to Jerusalem, when Ishmael, of the royal family, 
 assisted by ten other men, assassinated the governor. 
 Then the remnant of the people, dreading the resentment 
 of the Babylonians, fled to Egypt.f 
 
 § G7. The Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. 
 
 At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, lived the 
 prophets JTeremiah and EzeJdel. 
 
 Jeremiah was the son of a priest who lived at Anathoth. 
 God called him to the prophetic work in the thirteenth 
 year of the reign of Josiah. Like Moses in ancient time, 
 Jeremiah unwillingly followed the divine call, deeming 
 himself too young and incapable to fulfill such an import- 
 ant mission. But God removed his scruples by the assur- 
 ance, that He would be with him, and communicate to 
 him that which he should proclaim. Encouraged by this 
 assurance, he stepped before a most obstinate and corrupt 
 people, with the bold courage, with the greatest intrepid- 
 ity of a glorious hero, to struggle for God and His holy 
 law. He inveighed, without reserve, against the vices of 
 the high and the humble, and admonished them to mend 
 their ways. " Thou shall perish," he said to the apostate 
 king Jehoiakim, *'and none shall lament for thee." He 
 prophesied also the destruction of the people, if they 
 would not return to God. They got angry against him 
 for such speeches, and hated him. Once Jeremiah preached 
 again in the court of the Temple against the general cor- 
 ruption of the city, and prophesied woe and misery, and 
 
 ■ — ■ — ■ — - - I ** 
 
 « On the seventh day of Ab. 
 
 f This event took place in the month of TintifL 
 
120 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOI^. 
 
 the comj)lete destruction of the city and Temple, unless 
 they would speedily repent. Then the whole assembly, 
 the priests and false prophets, exclaimed : *' This man must 
 die I" — seized the prophet of the Lord, and carried him 
 before the court of the princes. Jeremiah addressed them, 
 saying: ** Behold, I am in your hand: do with me as it 
 geemeth good and right in your eyes. Only forget not, 
 that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent 
 blood upon yourselves. The Lord hath sent me unto you 
 to speak all these words in your ears. Tlierefore, now 
 mend your ways and your doings, and God will avert the 
 evil that he hath pronounced against you." Then the princes 
 and many of the people exclaimed: "This man deserveth 
 not that he should die." But Urijah^ another prophet, 
 who prophesied like Jeremiah, was indeed put to death, 
 upon the order of king Jehoiakim, and his body thrown 
 into the graves of the common people. 
 
 JeremLah went to his native place but even there he 
 was persecuted on account of his open speeches. He waa 
 compelled to leave his paternal home and inheritance, and 
 seek his safety in flight When he had again arrived at 
 Jerusalem, he preached in the streets and market-places, 
 and exhorted the people to repentance. Then a priest 
 smote him in the face; the people laughed at him; he 
 was thrown into a dungeon, where he began to reflect 
 whether, the people being so stifl-necked, it were not bet- 
 ter to be silent than to speak. " But," exclaims the in- 
 spired prophet, ** a burning desire was shut up in my bones, 
 and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not keep 
 silent." Thus he continued to fulfill his important mission. 
 
 He wrote also a letter to the Israelites in Babylon, who 
 had been canned tliither after the first capture of Jerusa- 
 lem, containing the following admonition: "Thus saith 
 the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are car- 
 ried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried 
 away from Jerusalem unto Babylon : build ye houses, and 
 dwell in them ; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of 
 them ; and seek the peace of the city whithei I have caused 
 you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord 
 for it : for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For 
 thus saith the Lurd of hosts, the God of Israel ; Let not 
 
121 
 
 your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of 
 
 you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which 
 ye cause to be dreamed. For they proj)hesy falsely unto 
 you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord. 
 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be ac- 
 complished at Babylon, I will visit' you, and perform my 
 good word toward you, in causing you to return to this 
 place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, 
 eaith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give 
 you an expected end : and I will turn away your captivity, 
 and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all 
 the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord ; and 
 I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you 
 to be carried away captive." And when king Zedekiah 
 went to Babylon to» do homage to the Babylonian ruler, 
 Jeremiah handed Seraiah^ one of the princes who accom- 
 panied Zedekiah, a book containing exhortations and pro- 
 phecies for the Babylonian Jews. Seraiah secretly read 
 it to them, then bound it to a stone, and cast it into the 
 river Euphrates ; he did so, no doubt, that it should not 
 excite any suspicion among the Babylonians. 
 
 But Jeremiah himself remained in Caanan, although he 
 knew that the land would soon be visited by heavy calam- 
 ities. He would not desert his people under any circum- 
 stances, but was resolved to stand by them to the last 
 hour, and use all means to induce them to repentance. 
 The less his admonitions w^ere heeded, the more power- 
 fully would he inveigh against the sins of his people. 
 Once he entered the court of the roynl palace with a wooden 
 yoke on his neck, when another prophet ap]n-oached him 
 and broke the yoke. But Jeremiah said: "The yoke of 
 the people shall be turned into an iron yoke." But when 
 ho was about to leave Jei'usalem, through the gate of Ben- 
 jamin, a captain of the guard, supposing that he intended 
 to join the enemy, took him and put him in prison in the 
 castle of Zion. Here he bought from one of his relatives 
 a piece of land situated at Anathoth—just at the time when 
 the Chaldees besieged the city, and tliere was no prospect 
 of their defeat by the Judeans. By this act he meant to 
 indicate to his brethren, that, however great their distress 
 was, and how certain their destruction, they should again 
 
 11 
 
122 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 possess the land of their fathers. King Zedekiah alleviated 
 the burthen of his imprisonment; but when he continued 
 to advise subjection to the Chaldees, the captains of the 
 Israelites grew indignant, and cast him into a pit filled 
 with mire, in which he would certainly have perished, had 
 not the king, upon liearing thereof, ordered his servant to 
 take him up. But he was again put into prison, where he 
 remained until Jerusalem was taken. 
 
 It might be supposed that the final capture of the city 
 filled the prophet with delight, because he was now de- 
 livered from all persecution ; but such a feeling did not 
 enter his bosom. He wept tears of bitter grief over the 
 great calamity of his people, and poured forth the deep 
 anguish of his soul in affecting elegies, which constitute a 
 portion of the Bible, known as the, " Lainentations of 
 J'eremiahJ'^ 
 
 King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to Jeremiah, saying: 
 '* Behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were 
 upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with 
 me into Babylon, come ; and I will look well unto thee; 
 but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, 
 forbear; behold, all the land is before thee; whither it 
 seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go ;** 
 But Jeremiah preferred to remain with his unhai)py breth- 
 ren, to and alleviate their misery. He supp.orted Gedaliah, 
 the governor of Judah, and when, after the murder of the 
 latter, the Israelites went to Egy|)t, they forced him to 
 accompany them. But even here he found no rest ; for 
 the Jews again committed idolatry, and however urgently 
 lie exhorted and rebuked them, he could not succeed. Nay, 
 they distinctly declared to him, that they would not ol i-y 
 the word of God. And thus they hastened toward their 
 perdition. Of Jeremiah's further history nothing is known. 
 Contemporaneously with Jeremiah lived the prophets 
 Zepha7iiah and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was carried to Babylon, 
 by Nebuchadnezzar, with other Jewish captives under 
 king Jehoiachin. While living near the Babylonian river 
 Chebar^ God appointed him a prophet unto his brethren. 
 His mission was, like that of Jeremiah, to admonish the 
 Judeans to repentance, and to proclaim the approaching 
 debtructiou of the kingdom. Buc Le, too, was oppobud by 
 
BiliLiCAL llibiOllY FOR IbKAlCLITlSH SCHOOLS. 123 
 
 false prophets, who induced the people not to give enr to 
 the exhortations of Ezekiol. But the Israelites learned too 
 soon the truth of his predictions. They heard of the de- 
 struction of the empire, began to respect the words of the 
 prophets of God, and to place implicit confidence in their 
 announcements of the speedy return to their native country. 
 
 E. The History of the Israelites during, and 
 after the Babylonian Captivity. 
 
 § 68. Daniel — Hananiah — Mishael — and Azariah.— - 
 
 The Jews whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried to Baby- 
 lon, were not kept like prisoners, but were free, and could 
 even acquire fields ; only their return to their country was 
 interdicted. But what they were mostly grieved at, was 
 this, that they could no longer worship their God as they 
 had done at Jerusalem ; for in Babylon they had no temple, 
 no priests, no teachers. Their calamities, however, con- 
 duced to their improvement : they began to reflect, and 
 now, amid heathen nations, they showed not the least in- 
 clination to idolatry. Many were even ready to suffer 
 fieath rather than violate the holy law of God. Among 
 these were Daniel, Hananiah, Jfishael, and Azariah. 
 The king had ordered that these youths, who were of royal 
 descent, should be instructed in arts and sciences, and re- 
 ceive their provisions from his own table. But they re- 
 fused to partake of the costly viands, (because they deemed 
 it unlawful to eat of the viands of idolaters,) and asked 
 only for pulse and water. Nevertheless, they appeared 
 healthier and more cheerful than others who had partaken 
 of the royal viands ; for their moderation in food and drink, 
 together with the joyful emotions of a good conscience, 
 preserved their health. But also in knowledge and wisdom 
 they surpassed other youths, so that the king soon took 
 them into his own service, and raised them to the highest 
 dignities. 
 
 But the time of trial also came for them. King Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had a large golden image, an idol of Baal 
 erected, and decreed that aU persons should worship it, 
 
124 BIBLICAL UISTOKY FOK ISliAEHTlSU acjllOOLS 
 
 and that every one who would not obey his order, shoild 
 be thrown into a burning fiery furnace. All fell down and 
 adored the idol ; but the three last named youths refused 
 to do so ; wherefore the king commanded that they should 
 Buffer the penalty pronounced for such disobedience. But 
 God delivered them in a wonderful way, and Nebuchad- 
 nezzar exclaimed, saying: "Blessed be the God of Han- 
 aniah, Mishael, and Azariah, who hath delivered His serv- 
 ants that trusted in Him, and yielded their bodies, that 
 they might not serve nor worship any god, except their 
 own God I Therefore, this is my decree : Whoever speaketh 
 any thing amiss against this God, shall be cut in pieces, 
 and his house shall be laid waste, because there is no other 
 God that can deliver like unto this God." 
 
 Daniel also gave proofs of his impregnable attachment 
 to God. He was honored and loved, not only by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, but also by Darius, oue of his successors: a 
 circumstance which caused the envy of many who en- 
 deavored to bring him into disgrace at the royal court. 
 Unable to discover any thing wrong in his conduct — for 
 his loyalty was unexceptionable — they procured from the 
 king an edict, that no one should offer up prayers to God 
 for the space of thirty days ; and that every violater of this 
 decree should be thrown into a den of hungry lions. Daniel 
 did not heed this decree, but continued to pray to his God^ 
 and thus the king was compelled, as he could not evade 
 his own decree, to have his favorite thrown into the lion's 
 den. But All-merciful God so ordained it, that the lions 
 would not do him the least injury. The king, deeply 
 gi'ieved on account of Daniel, could neither eat nor sleep, 
 and hastened very early in the morning to the lion's den, 
 to see what had become of him. When he found him alive, 
 he commanded that he should be taken from the den, and 
 those thrown into it, who had accused his faithful favorite. 
 Before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions 
 devoured them all. The king was greatly astonished, and 
 decreed, that all the inhabitants of his land should adore 
 the God of Daniel, because he was the only true God. 
 Thenceforth Daniel remained the favorite of the king, and 
 lived even to the first year of the reign of Koresh^ (Cyrus.) 
 He gained the favor of several kings of Babylon, especially 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISII SCHOOLS. 125 
 
 by his skillful interpretations of mysterious dreams. He 
 had himself spiritual visions, which are related in that book 
 of Holy Writ, which bears his own name. However, he 
 is not recognized as a prophet. 
 
 § 69. The Return of the Jews from the Babylonian 
 Captivity. [Ezra i-vi.] 3446 A.M. 
 
 Seventy years had the Jews passed in captivity, when 
 the Persian king Cyrus, who had conquered Babylon, 
 granted them permission to return to their own country, 
 and rebuild their national tem[)le. Many of the captives, 
 however, did not avail themselves of this permission, but 
 remained in Babylon, where they had acquired lands, and 
 adopted the customs of the country. About fifty thousand 
 of the people, among them two hundred singers, returned 
 to Jerusalem, led by Ztrabbabel, a descendant of the kings 
 of Judah, and the priest Jeshua, who became afterwards 
 high-priest. Those that remained presented their return- 
 ing brethren with rich gifts, and king Cyruis himself de- 
 livered to them five thousand four hundred sacred vessels 
 which had been taken from the temple. Inspiring them- 
 selves by songs of joy, they accomplished thuir j(.>urney, 
 and, after having taken possession of cities and villages, 
 they assembled again on the first day of the seventh month, 
 at Jerusalem, erected an altar upon the ruins of the Temple 
 and offered up sacrifices. When, the year following, the 
 foundation was laid for the rebuilding of the Temple, tlie 
 priests were present, attired with their ofliicial garments, 
 and with trumpets in their hands, and the Levites with 
 cymbals, to praise God, together with the people: "And 
 they sang together in choirs, praising and giving thanks 
 unto the Lord ; because he is good, for His mercy en- 
 dureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted 
 with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because 
 the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But 
 many of the priests and Lovites, and chief of the fathers, 
 who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when 
 •the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, 
 wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 
 
126 BIBLICAL niSTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 80 that the people could not discern the noise of the shout 
 of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the 
 people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard 
 afar off." 
 
 Now, when the Samaritans, the cnemios of Judah and 
 Benjamin, heard that the Jews builded a temple unto the 
 Eteinal, they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the 
 fathers, and said unto them: ''Let us build with you; 
 for we seek your God, as ye do." But Zerubbabel, and 
 Jeshua, and the chief of the rest of the fathers, replied : 
 " Ye have nothing to^ do with us to build a house unto our 
 God ; we will alone build it, as king Cyrus had commanded 
 us." On account of this refusal, the Samaritans endeavored 
 to prevent and disturb the re-erection of the Temple. They 
 brought calumnies against the Jews before tlie king, and 
 succeeded so far, by bribing the royal officers in Persia, 
 that the work of building wiis interrupted till the death of 
 Cyrus, and distinctly prohibited by his successor Artach- 
 ahashta. 
 
 § 70. Hagoai akd Zechartah. [Book of Haggai i. and 
 ii. Zechariah iv. viii. ir. Ezra v. vi.] 
 
 Thus the holy work remained interrupted for fifteen 
 years. The people had lost the necessary courage and 
 zeal for its continuation; yet they inhabited beautiful 
 houses; their continual attention to worldly affairs grad- 
 ually caused their zeal for the service of God to abate, so 
 that tlie work perhaps would never have been resumed, if 
 God had not admonished them through famine, want of 
 the means of subsistence, and other chastisements, but 
 above all, through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. 
 
 It was in the second year of the reign of king Darius, 
 when the word of the Lord came unto Zerubbabel, governor 
 of Judah, through the medium of Haggai, the prophet, 
 saying: *'This people say, The time is not come, the time 
 that the Lord's house should be built. Is it time for you, 
 O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie 
 waste? Now, therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts : Con- 
 Bider yoiu: ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little ; 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOKY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 127 
 
 ye eat, but ye have not enough ; ye drink, but ye are not 
 filled with drink : ye clothe you, but there is none warm ; 
 and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a 
 bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts : Consider 
 your ways. Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and 
 build the house ; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will 
 be glorified, saith the Lord." 
 
 Now Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, the high priest, and all 
 the people obeyed the voice of the Eternal, their God. 
 All came and laid hand to the work in the house of the 
 Lord of hosts, their God. 
 
 The prophet ZecJiariah also, upon the command of God, 
 encouraged Zerubbabel and the people, to continue the 
 holy work. 
 
 At the same time, Tatnai, the Persian governor, came 
 to Jerusalem with his companions, and asked the Jews, 
 seeing them build their temple: " Who has permitted you 
 to build this house?" They answered- "King Cyrus." 
 Hereupon the governor wrote to king Darius, requesting 
 to inquire into the matter, whether such permission had 
 been given the Jews. Inquiry was made, and a roll, which 
 contained the decree of king Cyrus, concerning the re- 
 building of the Temple, having been found, the governors 
 of the king were instructed not only not to hinder the 
 work of the Jews, but even to assist them, and defray all 
 necessary expenses from the royal treasury ; the sacrifices 
 also should be furnished to them, that they could pray to 
 their God for the life of the king and of his sons. 
 
 Thus the work was finit^hed after four years. The con- 
 secration of the Temple was then celebrated with great 
 joy and exultation ; ''for God had made them joyful, and 
 turned the heart of the king unto them." 
 
 § 71. Esther. 
 
 The history of the Jews who remained in Persia, con- 
 tains an event which teaches us anf'W, how God's provi- 
 dence watches over the destinies of man. 
 
 After the death of king Cyrus, Ahasuerus ascended the 
 royal throne. Under his reign, there lived at Shushan^ the 
 
128 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 capital of the kingdom, a Jew, whose name was Mordecai^ 
 and who had adopted and educated Esther^ the daughtei 
 of his uncle, because she had neither father nor mother. 
 Esther was pious and beautiful, and pleased the king so 
 much, that he chose her for his wife. But she told no one 
 that she was a Jewess ; for thus had Mordecai charged 
 her. Mordecai went every morning to the gate of the 
 royal palace to inquire after her welfare. Once he overheard 
 two chamberlains, as they conspired to slay the kuig. 
 Faithful to his king, he informed him, through Esther, ol 
 the conspiracy. The matter was investigated, and the in- 
 formation being found correct, the two chamberlains were 
 hanged, and the name of Mordecai recorded, together with 
 the narrative of the event, in the chronicles of the empire. 
 
 At that time, a certain Ilaman was the king's favorite. 
 Now, this Haman was greatly displeased with Mordecai, 
 because he would not bend his knee before him. '*This 
 homage," thought Mordecai, " I can pay only to my God." 
 For this reason, Ilaman resolved to take revenge, but not 
 upon Mordecai alone, but upon all his brethren, and to 
 carry out his design, he advised the king to destroy the 
 Jews; "for," said he, " this people is scattered, yet sepa- 
 rated among the nations in all the provinces of thy king- 
 dom ; and their laws are different from those of every 
 people, while they do not execute the laws of the king; 
 and it is no profit for the king to tolerate them. If it be 
 pleasing to the king, let a decree be written to destroy 
 them, and ten thousand talents of silver will I weigh out 
 into the king's treasuries. The king yielded, and a decree 
 was at once sent to all the provinces of the empire, " to 
 destroy, to kill, and to exterminate all the Jews, from 
 young to old, little ones, men and women, on one day, the 
 thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Ad<xr^ and to plunder 
 th«ir property as spoil." 
 
 When Mordecai heard this, he rent his clothes, wept 
 and lamented, and informed Esther of the designs of Ila- 
 man, and admonished her, at the same time, to address 
 the king and implore his grace for her people. But alas! 
 she, like all the king's subjects, could not approach him 
 uncalled, at the penalty of death. Yet, her love for her 
 people was so strong, that she risked her life. For liiree 
 
BIBLICAL HISTOliY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 129 
 
 days she fasted and prayed, and with her all her brethren ; 
 and then she appeared before the king. As soon as he 
 saw her, he rose, extended his hand to her, and asked her 
 what she desired. She answered; '*If it please the king, 
 let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet 
 that I have prepared for him." This request, the only one 
 which Esther uttered, was granted. At the table, the 
 king was in such good humor that he permitted the queen 
 to ask some favor. And she requested the king and Haman 
 "to come to another banquet which she would prepare 
 for to-morrow." Full of joy and pleasure, Haman left 
 the royal palace. But when he again saw Mordecai at the 
 king's gate, " who did not rise up nor move out of his 
 way," he said to his wife, after telling her of the honor 
 and glory lavished upon him by the queen: *'Yet, all this 
 profiteth me nothing, as long as I see that Jew Mordecai 
 sitting in the king's gate. He then resolved to erect 
 a gallows, fifty cubits high, to hang Mordecai thereon in 
 the morning. 
 
 In that same night it so happened, that the king could 
 not sleep, and he ordered, with a view of whiling away 
 the time, that the books of the memorable events of the 
 chronicles should be brought before him, and passages 
 read from them. On this occasion the king heard again 
 of the conspiracy of the two chamberlains, and was greatly 
 astonished also to learn, that Mordecai had never been 
 rewarded for his loyalty. 
 
 In the morning Haman entered the king's palace very 
 early, to crave his permission for hanging Mordecai upon 
 the gallows. When the king heard that Haman was in 
 the court, he called him in, and asked him: " What shall 
 be done unto the man whom the king desireth to honor !" 
 The vain and ambitious Haman, thinking that the king 
 could allude to no man but himself, replied: ** For the 
 man whom the king delighteth to honor, let the royal ap- 
 parel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the 
 horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal 
 which is set upon his head : and let this apparel and horse 
 be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble 
 princes, that they may array the man withal whom the 
 king delighteth to honor, and bring him on horseback 
 
130 BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him. 
 Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delight(^th 
 to honor." *' Well spoken," said the king, " make haste, 
 and do this to Mordecai, the Jew that sitteth at the king's 
 gate; leave out nothing of all that thou hast spoken." 
 Haman was obliged to obey. Having faithfully executed 
 the order of the king, he returned home, in sadness, and 
 with his head covered, and there related what had hap^ 
 pened, No sooner had he concluded his narrative, than 
 the king's servants came to conduct him to the queen's 
 banquet 
 
 At table the king remembered his promise, and asked 
 Esther again: "What wilt thou, and what is thy request! 
 and were it even half of the kingdom, it should still ba 
 given thee!" Then Esther the queen answered and said : 
 '' If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please 
 the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my 
 people at my request ; for we are sold, I and my people, 
 to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish." 
 
 To the question of the king, " Who is it, and where is 
 he, whose heart lias emboldened him to do so?" Esther 
 replied; "An advei-sary — that cruel man — this wicked 
 Haman :" 
 
 Haman became so terrified that he could not endure the 
 looks of the king an<l queen. But the king became enraged 
 against him, and, when one of his servatits told him that 
 Haman had prepared a gallows for Mordecai, who had 
 saved the king's life, he ordered that Haman should be 
 hanged thereon, and Mordecai receive his place. And the 
 decree, to destroy the Jews on one day, was not executed. 
 On that day, there was some fighting between their ene- 
 mies and the Jews, but the latter were victorious, and the 
 following day was a day of joy and festival for them. Even 
 many heathens embraced their religion. In commemoration 
 of this event, the Jews celebrate, even to this day, on the 
 fourteenth of Adar, the annual Feast of Purlm — that is, 
 LotSy so called, because Haman had cast lots for fixing the 
 day of the extermination of the Jews, and God changed it 
 to their advantage. 
 
biblical history for israeliti3h schools* 131 
 72. Ezra and Nehemiah. 
 
 Under the reign of Artaoserxes, the priest and scribe 
 Ezra also left Babylon and went to Jerusalem, accom- 
 panied by many priests, Levites, singers, and other min- 
 isters of the Temple, together with more than one thou- 
 sand seven hundred persons, to promote the affairs of his 
 brethren. The military escort offered to him by his king, 
 he would not accept; ''for," said he, " God is my Shield 
 and Protection." He carried, however, a letter of the 
 king with him, containing the royal order, that the pro- 
 vince of Babylon should, as the king had done, assist Ezra 
 by contributions of money, and that the latter was vested 
 with the power of teaching the law, and appointing 
 magistrates and judges. 
 
 When Ezra arrived at Jerusalem he perceived, to his 
 profound grief, that the Jews did manifest but little zeal 
 in the fulfillment of their religious obligations, and espe- 
 cially that many of them, and among them even priests 
 and Levites, had married heathen women. In his grief he 
 rent his clothes, plucked off the hair of his head and beard, 
 and sat down, solitary, and absorbed in meditations how 
 things could be improved. In the evening he assembled 
 the people, offered up most fervent prayers, and admonished 
 them to mend their ways. The people were moved, and 
 the better ones exclaimed: "Yes, we have trespassed 
 against our God ; yet, let us make a new Covenant with 
 God — we are with thee!" Ezra then admonished them to 
 come again to Jerusalem on the third day, that they might 
 deliberate together upon further measures. Numerous wa3 
 the assembly, notwithstanding the heavy rain which then 
 fell; they resolved and solemnly vowed to send away their 
 heathen wives, and henceforth remain faithful to their God. 
 
 When Ezra thus labored in Jerusalem, another pious 
 Israelite, Nehemiah^ held the office of cup-bearer at the 
 court of king Artaxerxes. When he learned that his 
 brethren, who had returned to Jerusalem, lived in want and 
 misery, that the walls of the city were still in ruins, and 
 its gates not yet rebuilt, he wept, prayed, and fasted, his 
 cheeks grew hollow, and his whole countenance bore the 
 marks of profound woe and grief. The king observed 
 
132 BIBUCAL HISTORY FOB ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 this, and asked him: *'Why is thy countenance sad?'* 
 To which Nehemiah replied : "Why should not my coun- 
 tenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' 
 sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed 
 with iBre." Then said the king : " For what dost thou make 
 request.*" Nehemiah replied: "If it please the king, and 
 if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou 
 wouldest send me unto Judah, to assist my brethren." 
 The king granted Nehemiah's request, and gave him, more- 
 over, letters to the governors, ordering them to provide 
 the Jews with timber for their work, and protect them in 
 its execution. Amved at Jerusalem, Nehemiah admonished 
 all the Jews to be zealous and industrious, and encouraged 
 them by his own example. But Sanhallat, a Samaritan, 
 and other adversaries of the Jews, laughed them to scorn, 
 and said: "What is this thing that ye dot it appears that 
 ye intend to rebel against the king." And Tobiah, another 
 of their enemies, said: "Let them but build: if a fox go 
 up, he shall even break down their stone wall." The Jews 
 did not heed these speeches, but continued their work 
 with increased zeal ; " every one with one of his hands 
 wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a 
 weapon." Thus they completed the walls in Hfty-two days. 
 Soon after, there was great famine in the land, and many 
 Israelites came to Nehemiah and said : " We, our sons, 
 and our daughters, are many ; therefore we take up corn 
 for them, that wo may eat, and live. We have mortgaged 
 our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, 
 because of the dearth. We have borrowed money for the 
 king's tiibute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. 
 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our chil- 
 dren as their children : and lo, we bring into bondage our 
 sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our 
 daughters are brought unto bondage already : neither is 
 it in our power to redeem them ; for other men have our 
 lands and vineyards." When Nehemiah heard these com- 
 plaints, he rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said : 
 " Will ye exact usury of your brethren 1 Should ye not 
 walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach 
 of the heathen, our enemies?" Then they answered: 
 "We will restore them every thing, and will require 
 
BIBLICAL HISTORY FOR ISRAEUTISH SCHOOLS. 133 
 
 nothing of them." Nehemiah himself, although royal 
 governor, took no salary, and led a very frugal life, 
 that the people might not be burthened with taxes : nor 
 would he allow his servants to oppress them. Every day 
 he invited one hundred and fifty men to his own table, and 
 showed himself the best pattern for all. 
 
 When the external security was established, the people 
 assembled at Jerusalem, that they might hear the law, 
 which Ezra read to them from morning until mid -day. 
 He stood upon a kind of pulpit, while the people remained 
 standing until he had concluded. He then thanked and 
 praised God, the Holy Ope of Israel, and all the people 
 answered: "Amen! Amen!" Afterwards, they made a 
 solemn vow to be faithful to the laws of their God, and 
 affirmed it by signing a written covenant. 
 
 Soon after, Nehemiah was compelled to return to his 
 king, but when he came back to Jerusalem, he found, to 
 his deep mortification, that his arrangements had but par- 
 tially been complied with. Even Manasseh, a priest, re- 
 fused to send away his heathen wife, the daughter of San- 
 ballot, the Samaritan, so that Nehemiah was compelled to 
 banish him from the country. 
 
 This religious lukewarm ness on the part of the Jews, 
 called forth the rebukes of Malachi, the last of the pro- 
 phets. He severely reproved his brethren who would 
 marry heathen women, refused to pay the tithes, and 
 neglected the service of God ; and his words seem to have 
 produced the desired effect. 
 
 § 73. Further Events in the History op the Jews. 
 
 The Jews gradually multiplied again, spread over the 
 country, and lived peaceful and contented under the rule 
 of the Persian kings, who placed governors over them, 
 while their priests possessed, as in former times, the highest 
 power in their spiritual affairs, and afterwards obtained 
 even some authority with regard to the management of 
 their civil concern. After the conquest of Persia by 
 Alexander the Greats the Judeans became the subjects of 
 this illustrious prince. Alter his death, and the divisioa 
 
 12 
 
134 BIBUCAL HISTJRY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 
 
 of his empire, they lived, for almost a century, under th^ 
 rule of the kin^s oi Ef/yjyt, the Ptolemies^ and tlien under 
 that of the Syrian kings. Durini; the reign of all these 
 kings, they were entirely free and independent, with regard 
 both to their religious and civil aifairs ; they had only to 
 pay a fixed tribute. But things changed under the Syrian 
 king Antiochits Epijyhanes. He treated the Jews with 
 great cruelty; he captured Jerusalem, took the sacred 
 vessels, slew men, women and children, and made all 
 efforts to make the Jews idolaters. 
 
 As an instance of his atrocious cmelty, let us listen to 
 the following narrative. He oi^ered a mother with her 
 seven sons to be brought before him, and to be tortured, 
 in order thus to force them to forsake their religion. But 
 neither threat nor promise could move them. "'There is 
 another life," said the pious mother, *' lasting longer than 
 the ])resent ; though they take this life, which is but short, 
 the Lord shall give us another — far better one — lasting 
 unto eternity." Joyfully did the sons endure the most 
 horrible tortures, and one after the other met his death 
 with the most astonishing courage; and ailer all of them, 
 their noble-liearted and virtuous mother willingly submit- 
 ted to be made a victim of her faithfulness to her God and 
 religion. 
 
 Antiochufl sent messengers also to the priest 3fattathias, 
 to induce him to apostasy. With contempt he refused 
 their offers, collected a faithful band around him, and suc- 
 ceeded so far witli them and his five sons, of whom Xudah 
 Maccahl was the most gallant, that he could defy the 
 king's haughtiness. Some time afterwards, Antiochus set 
 out to go in person to Jerusalem and subjugate the Jews. 
 But he fell from his chariot, and was taken dangerously 
 ill. Now he promised to improve. But it was of no 
 avail ; his sufferings increased ; while yet alive, his body 
 decayed, worms grew upon him, and the odor near him 
 was intolerable. At last he died under the greatest agonies. 
 
 In the mean while, Judah Maccabi entered Jerusalem, 
 cleansed the temple, re-erected the altar, and celebrated 
 with his brethren, during eight days, the Feast of Dedi- 
 ecUion^ which is still obsei-ved eveiy year in Israel. 
 
BIBUCAL HISTORY FOR ISRAELITISH SCHOOLS. 135 
 
 Thus the Jews were again free, and lived in peace and 
 concord. The descendants of Matthatias became the kings 
 of the new Jewish Commonwealth, which was, in later 
 times, again visited by strifes and contentions. Several 
 religions sects grew into existence; hatred and discord 
 went on increasing, the nation was separated in parties, 
 and the Roman General, Pompey, was requested by one 
 of the Maccabean family to afford him aid. Thus the land 
 of the Jews was made tributary to the Roman empire. 
 By the aid of the Romans, Herod, the Edomite. ascended 
 the throne of Judea, but was so cruel and ambitious, that 
 fie brought great misery .upon his people. Still worse 
 fared the Jews after his death, when Roman governors 
 ruled over them with such intolerable cruelty, as to excite 
 them to rebellion. Now, JSTero^ the emperor of Rome, 
 sent V<es2mslan, and his son Titus to Judea, to quell the 
 rebellion. After the most terrible struggles, Jerusalem 
 and the Temple were at last destroyed, and the Jewish 
 people dispersed over all parts of the earth. From that 
 time, Israel has ceased to be an independent nation, and 
 the Jews are in duty bound to regard and love that land 
 wherein they live, as their home and country, to obey its 
 laws, and to promote the welfare of all their fellow-citizens, 
 without distinction of creed and denomination. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 A Brief Outline of the G-eography of Canaan. 
 
 I. 
 
 Canaan — called also Palestine^ the LandofJudah^ the 
 Land of Israel, the Promised Land, the Iloly Land-^ 
 forms a portion of Asia, and covers an area of about eighteen 
 thousand seven hundred and fifty square miles. It is 
 bounded on the East by the Arabian desert, on the South, 
 by Arabia and Egypt, on the West, by the Mediterranean 
 Sea, and on the North, by Phoenicia and Syria. 
 
 IL 
 
 Canaan is a mountainous country — "a land of hills and 
 valleys." Of its mountains we mention: 1. Lebanon and 
 Anti-Lebanon, the south-eastern continuation of which is 
 called Ilermon. 2. The Mountains of Kaphtali, 3. 
 Mount CarmeL 4. Mount Tabor. 5. Mount Gilboa. 6. 
 The Mountains of Ephraim, or Israel— of which the fol- 
 lowing points are noted, namely: Zaltnon, Gerizim, Ubal, 
 and Gaash. 7. The Mountains of Judea, with Mount 
 Carmel, (not to be mistaken for Mount Carmel mentioned 
 under No. 3,) and the Mount of Olives. 8. The Moun-^ 
 tains of Gilead, 9. The Abarim Mountains, with Mount 
 Peor and Mount Nebo. 
 
 HL 
 
 Although Palestine is very mountainous, it contains 
 nevertheless, some Plains or Level regions. Such are : 
 Tlie Plain of Jezreel; the Plain of Sharon, near Mount 
 Carmel ; the Plain of Jordan/ the Plain of Jericho/ the 
 Plain of Moab, 
 
 IV. 
 
 The most noted Valleys of Palestine are the following: 
 The Valley of Salt ; the Valley of Kidron; the Valley 
 of Gerar; the Valley of Hinnom; the Valley of Re- 
 phaim^ and the Volley of EshcoL 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 137 
 
 The Bible raentions, also, Deserts of Canaan. Those 
 most known are : The Wilderness of Judea^ connected 
 with the wildernesses of Engedi, Ziph, and Maon ; the 
 Wilderness of J^eer-Sheba. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The principal river of Palestine is the tfordan. Rising 
 at the foot of Mount Herinon, it traverses the country 
 from north to south, to an extent of ninety miles, and 
 empties into the Dead Sea. The Klshon comes from 
 Mount Tabor, and flows into one of the bays of the Medi- 
 terranean Sea. The Arnon rises from the Arabian Moun- 
 tains, and empties into the Dead Sea. The tTabhoh^ near 
 the boundaries of the Ammonites, flows into the Jordan. 
 The Kidron^ near Jerusalem, empties into the Dead Sea. 
 
 VII. 
 
 There are three renowned Lakes in Canaan: 1. The 
 Sea of Chinnereth, (called also the Sea of Galilee^ and 
 Sea of Tiberias,) 2. The Sea of Merom. 3. The Salt 
 Sea, (called, also, the Dead Sea, Lake Asphaltites, and the 
 Sea of the Flain,) 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Of the Mineral Waters of Canaan we may mention : 
 The Warm Baths of Tiberias; the Mineral Springs of 
 Kallirrhooe, near Macherus ; the sulphur springs of Gadara. 
 
 On account of the want of water-wells, cisterns were 
 used in Palestine, to gather and keep rain-water in them 
 
 IX. 
 
 The climate of Palestine is mild. In ancient times, the 
 year was divided in Six Seasons. The first season. Seed- 
 time, lasted from the middle of October to the middle of 
 December, and is distinguished by the "early rain," 
 (yoreh;) the second or Winter season, lasted from the 
 middle of December to the middle of February ; the third, 
 Spring, lasted from the middle of February to the middle 
 of April, during which time, the so-called 'Matter rain" 
 imalkosh) fell The fom-th season, Harvest-time^ lasted 
 
138 Al'l'ENDIX. 
 
 from the middle of April to the middle of June ; the fifth 
 closed in the middle of August; and the sixth, in the 
 middle of October. 
 
 X. 
 
 With the climate of the country, the Mode of Dressing 
 of the inhabitants, which was very simple, is naturally 
 connected. The shirt, called Tunic, was bound round the 
 waist with a girdle. The garment over the tunic, was a 
 kind of cloak, and formed, in front, a '^ bosom,"'' or large 
 fold, which was used for carrying various burdens. The 
 head was covered by a piece of fine cloth, laid in folds, in 
 the shape of a turban. As a covering for the feet, simple 
 8oles {sandals) were used, which were fastened with straps 
 around tlie foot and ankle. For journeys, a second Tipper 
 Garment was used, and served during night, both for a 
 cover and hammock. 
 
 The dress of women differed from that of men. Women 
 could never be without their veils ; and most precious 
 ornaments, such as bracelets, necklaces and Jinger-rings 
 were by no means rai*e articles. 
 
 XI. 
 
 In former times, Palestine was a very fertile country, 
 and distinguished as "aland flowing with miik and honey.'* 
 The plains and valley.s presented ever-blooming gardens ; 
 the greatest number of the mountains were most carefully 
 cultivated. 
 
 The chiet productions of the land were various kinds 
 oi grains, leguminous plaivts, garden vegetables, flowers, 
 spices, and a vast number ot* the most cultivated species of 
 trees. Among all these we may raentio:i, as tbe most 
 noted, wheat, barley, lentils, beans, cumin, flax, cotton, the 
 olive-tree, the cypress-tree, the pomegranate-tree, the fig- 
 tree, the myrrh-tree, the terebinth, the oak, the fir, the 
 zakkum-tree, the carob-tree, the palm, the cedar,, and the 
 sugar-tree. The vine grew in luxuriant abundance. Of 
 tame animals, the following among others, deserve par- 
 ticular notice : the sheep, the goat^ and other domesticated 
 animals ; the ass, the camel, and dogs ; also ditferei^t kinds 
 of poulti-y. Of wild beasts, Palestine prod^usod bijai's, 
 
APPENDIX. 139 
 
 lions, wolves, foxes, jackals, unicorns, crocodiles, ostriches, 
 gazelles, chamois, stags and deer. 
 
 XII. 
 
 Canaan was sometimes visited by the following Plagues: 
 Earthquakes, destructive east-winds, hail, locusts, pesti- 
 lence, drought, devastating rain-showers. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The Cities of Palestine had very narrow streets, (of but 
 four cubits in width,) and were without pavement Even 
 Jerusalem received its pavement only under the reign of 
 Agrippa II. The greater cities had extensive market- 
 places near their gates, and very high walls, (forts,) with 
 towers and breastworks. The gates were often overlaid 
 with iron, copper, or brass, ("brazen gates,") The houses 
 were built of rough stone or brick; palaces, of square- 
 stone and marble. The house presented a square figure, 
 had a spacious com% which was generally without cover- 
 ing ; only now and then a curtain was drawn over it, to 
 keep off the burning sun. Round this court ran the hall, 
 with cisterns for bathing. The roofs of the houses were 
 flat and surrounded by a battlement. The furniture of a 
 house was scanty. Stoves were unknown ; during severe 
 weather, a moveable chimney was used, in which burned 
 a coal-fire, or stood a pot filled with burning char-coal. 
 Tlie houses had no windows, but were provided either 
 -with lattice-ioork, or curtains of net work. The doors 
 were barred with wooden bolts ; only prisons and other 
 public edifices were provided with iron locks. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 After having conquered Canaan, Joshua divided the 
 land among the twelve tribes. 
 
 On this side of the Jordan lived, from the South to the 
 North, the tribes of Judah, Simon, Benjamin, Dan, Eph- 
 raim, Half of the tribe of Manasseh, Asher, Issachar, 
 Zebulun, Naphtali. Beyond the Jordan dwelt the tribes 
 of Reuben, Gad, and Half of Manasseh. 
 
140 APPENDIX. 
 
 Diirincr the rale of the Romans in Palestine, the land 
 was divided into the provinces of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, 
 and PeraBa. 
 
 rTudea, the most southern province, contained the fol- 
 lowing cities: Jerusalem, Gaza, Joppa, Jericho, Jamnia, 
 Lachish, Adullam, Eglon, Hebron, Tekoa, JVlizpah, Gibeon, 
 Gilgal, Ramah. 
 
 Samaria, which bounded Judea on the North, had the 
 following cities: Samaria, (Sliomeron,) Shiloh, Bethel, 
 Siehem, Thebez, Dotham, Gilgal, Tirzah, Bezek. 
 
 In Galilee^ the most northern province, we tind the fol- 
 lowing cities : Shumen, Endor, Megiddo, Tiberia, Kedesh, 
 Dan. 
 
 Percea, (the land east of the Jordan, Gilead, Bashan,) 
 had the following cities: Aroer, Baal-Meoa, Siiittim, 
 Heshbon, Mahanaim. 
 
 XV. 
 
 The neighboring tuitions and countries of Palestine were: 
 1. The Phcenicidns, whom the Israelites called Canaan^ 
 ites. 2. The Philistines, with the cities of Askalon, Ash- 
 dod, Gaza, Ekron, Gath. 3. The Amalekites, to the south 
 of the former, who descended from one of Esau's grandsons. 
 4. The Midianites, who inhabited the region from Sinai to 
 the Anibian Sea. 5. The Edomites, descendants from 
 Edom or Esau, with the following cities : Selah, Bozrah, 
 Masrekah, Toman, and the sea-ports of Elath and Ezion- 
 geber. 6. The Moabites, to the East of the Dead Sea- 
 with the city of Zoar. 7. The Amarites and Ammonites, 
 to the north of Moab. 8. Syria, to the north-east of 
 Palestine, comprised several countries, of which we may 
 mention: Mesojwtomia. (Aram-Naharim, Padam Aram,) 
 Aram-Zobah, and Aram-Damesek. To the south of Meso- 
 potamia we find Babylon on the Euphrates, and Assyria 
 on the Tigris, with its capital, 2fineveh. Further to the 
 east we find Media and Persia, with their capitals ISdxi* 
 tana and Shushan. 
 
I :isrD Ex^ 
 
 I. Primeval History op the Human Race. 
 
 1. The Creation of the World . 
 
 2. The First Sin . . . 
 
 3. Cain and Abel 
 
 4. Noah 
 
 5. Noah's departure from the Ark 
 
 6. The Descendants of Noah . 
 
 § 7. 
 § 8. 
 
 § 9. 
 § 10. 
 
 § 11. 
 § 12. 
 § 13. 
 § 14. 
 § 15. 
 § IG. 
 § 17. 
 § 18. 
 § 19. 
 § 20. 
 § 21. 
 § 22. 
 § 23. 
 § 24. 
 § 25. 
 § 2G. 
 
 n. The Patriauchs. 
 
 Page 
 
 3 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Abraham the Progenitor of the IsraelitiRh Nation 
 Abraham showing his Peaceful Disposition 
 
 and his Generosity 12 
 
 Abraham, the Man of Faith .... 13 
 Abraham, the Hospitable and Compassionate 
 
 Patriarch . . . . . . 14 
 
 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . 16 
 
 Abraham's Obedieiice . . . . . 16 
 
 Abraham's Paternal Solicitude for his Son Isaac 18 
 
 Isaac 19 
 
 Jacob and Esau ....•• 20 
 
 Jacob's Journey to Ilaran • • . , 21 
 
 Jacob's Sojourn witli Laban . . . , 23 
 
 Jacob's Return to his Native Country . . 24 
 
 The Brothers of Joseph selling him from Envy 26 
 
 Joseph a Slave 27 
 
 Josepii in Prison 28 
 
 The release of Joseph 29 
 
 The First Journey of Joseph's Brothers to Egypt 30 
 The Second Journey of Joseph's Brothers to Egypt 32 
 
 The Recognition . ..... 35 
 
 The family of Jacob removing to Egypt . 36 
 
INDEX. 143 
 
 III. The Israelites in Egypt. Page 
 
 § 27. The Birth of Moses 39 
 
 § 28. Mioses manifesting his Attachment to his Fellow- 
 Believers 40 
 
 § 29 The Appointment of Moses .... 41 
 § 30 The Deliverance of the Israelites from the 
 
 Egyptian Bondage ..... 43 
 § 31 The Destruction of Pharaoh .... 45 
 § S2 The Proclamation of the Law on Mount Sinai 46 
 § 33. The Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf 48 
 § 34. Ritual Institutions: The Tabernacle of the Cove- 
 nant — The Priests — The Levites . . 49 
 § 35. The Rebellions of the People, caused by their 
 
 Hardships in the Wilderness . . . 52 
 § 36. Difficulties arising from Rebellions of Individual 
 
 Israelites . . . . • . . 54 
 
 § 37. Wars with Neighboring Nations ... 55 
 § 38. Moses sends Spies into Canaan. The Close of 
 
 Israel's Wanderings in the Wilderness . 58 
 § 39. Moses' Farewell Address to his People. His Death 59 
 
 IV. Israel as a Nation. 
 
 A. tToshua. — The Judges. 
 
 § 40. Joshua. The Conquest of Canaan ♦ . 62 
 
 § 41. Joshua's Parting Address. His Death . 64 
 
 § 42. The Judges 65 
 
 § 43. The Judges, (continued) * , , * ^^ 
 
 § 44. The History of Samson .... 70 
 
 § 45. Eli and Samuel 73 
 
 § 46. The Sons of Eli 74 
 
 § 47. The Meritorious Acts of Samuel ... 75 
 
 § 48. God tries and guides the Pious, (Ruth) , 76 
 
 B. The Kings over the Undivided Empire of Israel. 
 
 § 49. Saul raised to the Royal Throne ... 78 
 
 § 50. David anointed King over Israel ... 80 
 
 § 51. Saul persecuting David . . . • 82 
 
 § 52. David, King of Israel 85 
 
 § 53. The Rebellion of Absalom.— Death of David 86 
 
 § 54. Solomon 90 
 
 § 55. The Separation of the Kingdom . . » 62 
 
144 
 
 ** INDEX 
 
 C. The Kings of Israel 
 
 Page 
 
 § 56. Jeroboam 94 
 
 § 57. The Kings of Israel, (contimied) Nadab — Baasha 
 
 Elah — Zinii' — )mri — Ahab ... 95 
 
 97 
 
 99 
 
 100 
 
 102 
 
 104 
 
 § 58. Elijah and Ahab . . . 
 
 § 59. Ahaziah — Jehorani. — Jezebel's death 
 § 60. The Prophet Elisha .... 
 § 61. The Prophet Jonah .... 
 
 .§ 62. Job 
 
 § 63. The Destruction of the Kingdom of Israel The 
 
 Prophets 105 
 
 D. The Kings of JudaK 
 
 § 64. Rehoboam-Abijah-Asa-Jehoshaphat-Jehoram 109 
 
 § 65. The Kings of Judah, (cori^/nw66?)- Ahaziah- Je- 
 hoash — Amaziah — Uzziah — Jotham — Ahaz- 
 Hezekiah . . . . . . 112 
 
 S 66. The Kings of Judah, (ccm^enwe^;?)— Manasseh— 
 Amon — ^Josiah — Jehoahaz — Jehoiakim — Je- 
 hoiachin — Zedekiah . . . . 116 
 
 § 67. The Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel • • 119 
 
 K The History of the Israelites during and after 
 tlie Babylonian Captivity. 
 
 § 68. Daniel — Hannaiah — Mishael — Azariah . 123 
 
 § 69. Tlie Return of the Jews from the Babylonian 
 
 ^ • " 125 
 
 126 
 127 
 131 
 13? 
 
 Captivity 
 § 70 Haggai and Zechariah • 
 I 71. Estlier 
 
 72. Ezra and Nehemiah 
 
 73. Further Events in the History of the Jews 
 
 Appendix. 
 A Brief Outline of the Geography of Canaan • 136 
 
C!-»:- 1- ■■ <«•■>? 
 
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