UC-NRLF 
 
 OF THE 
 
MEMO1DAL 
 
DAVID, THE SHEPHERD BOY 
 
TALES AND CUSTOMS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 for 
 
 YOUNG READERS 
 
 BY 
 
 EVA HERBST 
 
 PRIMARY TEACHER, CINCINNATI SCHOOLS 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 MILTON HERBST 
 
 A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
 
 CHICAGO NEW YORK 
 
COPYRIGHT 1903 
 BY 
 
 A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 David, ------ 7 
 
 Story of Moses, ------ 46 
 
 Story of Ruth, - ... 73 
 
 Story of Joseph, - - - - - 91 
 
 David and Goliath, - - - - - 125 
 
 David and Jonathan, - ... 133 
 
 4423G9 
 

 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THIS little volume has grown out of the actual experience of 
 a practical, earnest primary teacher, who sees the place history 
 occupies in a course of study. It has been my pleasure to watch 
 the development of the "history notion" in our schools for the 
 past few years. While several topics have been worked out in 
 the grades, the subject of this volume seems to be the most 
 easily arranged for first year pupils. 
 
 Miss Herbst, while herself thoroughly familiar with her 
 subject, has submitted the manuscript to a careful Hebrew 
 scholar, who has verified its statements. 
 
 What she has so well done, others can also do. I commend 
 the work to primary teachers, and bespeak for it a large place 
 among such teachers. 
 
 M. F. ANDREW, 
 Assistant Superintendent, Cincinnati Schools. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THE value of the comparative study of different peoples has 
 been so well demonstrated in recent years that it becomes 
 unnecessary to dwell on this feature, in introducing this little 
 volume. That such study will always be the more interesting to 
 children when in the form of narrative is self-evident to any 
 teacher. It has been the object of the writer so to weave into 
 story form the customs and manners of the Ancient Hebrews, 
 that the old familiar but always beautiful Hebrew stories will be 
 doubly interesting, and will also stimulate in the mind of the 
 child his innate longing for knowledge of other times and other 
 manners. 
 
 It has been the author's desire to make the language of 
 these stories sufficiently simple, so that they may be used by the 
 teacher for the first grade, and as a supplementary reader in the 
 second and third grades. 
 
 This work has been tested in the first grade of the Cincin- 
 nati schools with much profit and pleasure to pupils and 
 teacher alike. 
 
 The data used have been compiled from the best authorities 
 on Hebrew Archaeology, and where there is a conflict of opinion, 
 preference has been given to the more universally accepted view. 
 
 Many thanks are due to the kind friends who by advice and 
 suggestion have given this little work additional value. 
 
DAVID 
 
 TO-DAY, boys and girls, as we look 
 about us, and see how we live and 
 what we enjoy, let me tell you about 
 some people who lived almost three 
 thousand years ago. That seems a 
 long, long time, as we look back, but 
 there were many people on this earth 
 as long ago as that. Some of these 
 people were called Hebrews. 
 
 I am going to tell you how the 
 Hebrews lived, and what some of 
 them did. ISTow, you know, in all 
 times men must have food to eat, and 
 civilized people must have clothes to 
 wear. So many of these people were 
 shepherds and farmers. They raised 
 
 (7) 
 
8 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 thousands of sheep, to use the wool 
 for "clothing. There were no factories 
 t!,o;i ; as tlinv are now, and so the 
 people themselves had to weave the 
 cloth for their clothes. 
 
 The men who took care of the sheep 
 were called shepherds. Among these 
 shepherds could be found persons of 
 every rank, from members of the 
 king's family down to the poorest peo- 
 ple. Even the daughters of the king 
 sometimes tended the flocks. Each 
 morning the shepherd led his sheep 
 into the open pastures. At night he 
 put them into a place surrounded by 
 a fence. This place was called the 
 fold. A rod was held up at the gate 
 of the fold, and as the sheep passed 
 under this they were counted, one by 
 one. The shepherd led them to the 
 

 DAVID 9 
 
 wells to drink. These wells were 
 dug in the ground. They were cov- 
 ered, so that no one but the shepherd 
 who had dug them should know 
 where they were. The brim of the 
 well w r as underground, and steps led 
 down to it. The shepherd drew the 
 water from the well and poured it 
 into troughs for the flock. 
 
 In the country where the Hebrews 
 lived water was very scarce. There 
 was a wet and a dry season. During 
 the wet season, which was also the 
 cold or winter season, wells were 
 sometimes dug and filled with snow 
 and water. They were then covered 
 over until the next warm, dry season, 
 or summer. In the cold, wet season, 
 the flocks were taken down into the 
 valleys, and in the warm, dry season 
 
10 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 they were led into the mountains. 
 The sheep were kept in the open air, 
 day and night. This made their wool 
 so much finer. 
 
 Sometimes the shepherds lived in 
 tents. Some of these tents were 
 small and were supported by three 
 poles. The larger ones had seven or 
 even nine poles to hold them up. 
 The tents were oblong. Over the 
 poles was a covering of cloth, made 
 of goat's hair. The tent was fastened 
 to the ground by means of cords and 
 pegs. The larger tents were often 
 divided into three parts. The women 
 and children had the inside room; 
 next came the men, and in the out- 
 side room were the servants and 
 the young animals. 
 
 These tents had no floors but the 
 
DAVID 11 
 
 bare ground. Carpets and mats were 
 laid down and on these the people 
 sat, as they had no chairs. They 
 had pots, kettles and cups made of 
 brass, and bottles made of leather. 
 In the middle of the tent a small 
 hole was dug in the earth-floor. 
 Around this three stones were placed 
 to form a triangle. Here the fire 
 was kindled and pots were placed 
 over it, resting upon the stones. In 
 this way their cooking was done. 
 
 In the tent-poles were driven nails, 
 on which the people hung their 
 clothing and their weapons. The 
 shepherds took their tents with them, 
 as they roved from place to place. 
 They carried them folded and laid 
 upon their camels, oxen or donkeys. 
 
 They also built tabernacles. The 
 
12 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 four sides of a tabernacle were made 
 of branches of trees placed close- 
 together, upright in the ground. 
 The branches were bound together 
 at the top, and there was a covering 
 of leaves and branches over this x . 
 Sometimes over this covering flat 
 stones were laid. These tabernacles 
 were a protection against the heat 
 and cold. 
 
 What made the people think of 
 making these tabernacles ? Why, 
 Mother Nature gave them this idea. 
 They saw trees about them, with the 
 heavy foliage meeting and over- 
 lapping, and so they made their 
 places of shelter in the same manner. 
 
 There were robbers in those days, 
 and, so that the sheep could be 
 guarded, a watch-tower was built 
 
DAVID 13 
 
 near the tent. Some of the shep- 
 herds owned thousands of sheep. 
 They often had goats, also. Not 
 only was the wool of the sheep of 
 use to them, but they used the milk 
 of both sheep and goats for food. 
 At sheep-shearing time the people 
 had a great feast. 
 
 The shepherds were not always 
 men, for often young boys were sent 
 out to take charge of the sheep. 
 Now we shall hear of one of these 
 Hebrew shepherd boys. His name 
 was David. That was the only 
 name by which he was called. 
 He had been given this name 
 when he was eight days old, 
 for such was the Hebrew custom. 
 David watched the sheep in the 
 fields near the city of Bethlehem. 
 
14 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Bethlehem is across the sea, in the 
 Far East. 
 
 It would take us mauy weeks to 
 travel to the beautiful country in 
 which David lived. It was known 
 for its fertile fields and rich pastures. 
 Beautiful trees of many kinds grew 
 there: among them were the palm, fir, 
 cypress, fig, and olive. In the valley 
 the air was fragrant with the sweet 
 odor of flowers which were every- 
 where to be seen. 
 
 David was a handsome boy, with 
 bright eyes and long red hair. You 
 would think his dress very queer if 
 you could see him now. He wore a 
 white garment of linen, called a tunic. 
 It reached to his knees and w T as fast- 
 ened around his waist with a leathern 
 girdle. His arms, legs, and feet were 
 
DAVID 15 
 
 bare. His head also was bare, and he 
 carried in his hand a staff with a crook 
 at the end. Hanging from his girdle 
 
 DAVID S POUCH AND GIRDLE 
 
 was a shepherd's pouch, in which he 
 carried food and other things. This 
 pouch was made of kid's skin and had 
 a strap fastened to each end. 
 
16 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 As David watched his sheep there, 
 day after day, out in the open air, he 
 grew to be a strong, healthy boy. 
 He was fond of using his sling, and 
 many and many a smooth pebble was 
 thrown from it. But do not think he 
 spent all of his spare time in this way. 
 He was never idle, but tried in many 
 ways to learn, and to improve himself. 
 He was alone among his flock, with 
 the blue sky above him and the olive 
 trees, with their green branches, about 
 on the hills. Around him were the 
 high mountains. All this beauty of 
 nature made David feel very happy. 
 So he sang and played upon his harp 
 (kinnor\ which he always carried with 
 him, and many hours of the day were 
 spent in this way. 
 
 David played and sang so well that 
 
DAVID 17 
 
 all people loved his music. It is said 
 that even the sheep listened to his 
 harp and followed their beloved leader 
 about. When he grew to be a man, 
 he also wrote beautiful songs, so that 
 to this day we hear of David as the 
 a Sweet Singer in Israel." 
 
 When David was about fourteen 
 years old, as he was one day watching 
 his sheep and playing upon his harp, 
 a man came running to him. "David, 
 come at once to your father's house," 
 cried he. His father lived in Beth- 
 lehem. 
 
 ISTow let us go to the city, and learn 
 why David has been sent for. See, 
 there is a man coming toward Beth- 
 lehem. Who is he ? He walks along, 
 driving a heifer. When he comes 
 near the wall, which surrounds and 
 
18 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 protects the city , he sees many men 
 sitting at the gate. This is the meet- 
 ing-place of the judges. They are 
 talking about the affairs of the city. 
 When the man comes nearer, the 
 judges run to meet him. They wonder 
 why he has come, for the man is 
 Samuel, the great prophet. 
 
 The prophet in those days was at the 
 head of all his people. Even the king 
 always consulted him about his affairs. 
 This prophet Samuel was an old man, 
 with white hair and a long beard. He 
 wore a long white woolen cloak over 
 his tunic. On his feet were sandals. 
 These were flat pieces of leather, bound 
 to the sole of the foot with a strap. 
 His head was covered with a band of 
 linen. He carried a staff, and a long 
 horn filled with oil. 
 
DAVID 19 
 
 The people asked Samuel why he 
 had come. He said it was for a sacri- 
 fice, and he told them to get ready for 
 it. 
 
 I hear some one ask: "What is a 
 sacrifice ?" I will tell you. Whenever 
 
 FOOT WITH SANDAL 
 
 the Hebrews wished to give thanks 
 to Grod for his goodness, they offered 
 to him whatever they thought the 
 most valuable of their possessions. 
 Sometimes they gave animals, as 
 sheep, goats and cows, and sometimes 
 
20 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 fruit or grain. They gave them in 
 this way: I it were a sheep or goat 
 that was to be given, the man who 
 offered the sacrifice led the animal to 
 the altar. Here it was slain and 
 some parts of it were burnt. When 
 fruit or grain was offered it was laid 
 upon the altar and burnt in the same 
 manner. After the offering had been 
 made there was a feast. 
 
 So the prophet told the people to 
 go up on one of the hills near the 
 city, where they would sacrifice to 
 God. And this gave much joy to the 
 people. 
 
 After Samuel had told the people 
 this, he went to the home of Jesse, 
 the father of David. Jesse was a 
 weaver of carpets. When Samuel 
 reached the place, he saw a square- 
 
DAVID 21 
 
 looking house of one story. It was 
 bnilt of stones which were cut in 
 squares. The house had no windows 
 in front. That seems strange to us, 
 but when I tell you how the house 
 was built you will understand how 
 this could be so. 
 
 There was a door, in the front, and 
 when the prophet knocked at it a 
 servant opened it from the inside, by 
 drawing back the wooden bolt. Jesse 
 came forth and warmly greeted Sam- 
 uel. As Samuel passed in to the 
 porch, he saw the usual inscription 
 on the door. This contained a prayer. 
 Here, on the porch inside the house, 
 the servant of Samuel sat on a seat 
 which was placed there for those 
 strangers who were not admitted any 
 farther into the house. Here, also, 
 
22 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 the sandals were removed from Sam- 
 uel's feet. His feet were then washed 
 by Jesse. A guest's feet were usually 
 washed by a servant, but when so 
 great a man as a prophet came into 
 the house, the master of the house 
 thought it an honor to perform this 
 duty. The roads of the country were 
 dusty, and so it was necessary to wash 
 the feet often. 
 
 Samuel passed through another 
 door into the middle of the house. 
 This part was the court. It was a 
 large square place paved with marble. 
 One could walk around the sides of 
 the court under cover, and watch the 
 fountain playing in the center. If 
 you could have looked in here, on a 
 day when there was a large crowd 
 of people gathered together, for a 
 
DAVID 23 
 
 wedding or some other happy event, 
 you would have seen a covering 
 of cloth, held up by ropes, over the 
 whole court. This protected the 
 people from the sun. All around the 
 court were rooms, and you could have 
 seen into them through the windows 
 extending to the floor. The windows 
 in the back rooms looked upon a large 
 garden behind the house. 
 
 You would not have seen any glass 
 in these windows, as they were screened 
 only by a lattice of wood. When the 
 cold weather came, the people could 
 be seen putting up a sort of veil of 
 cloth before the windows. You may 
 wonder why their windows were left 
 open, but when I tell you that the 
 Hebrews at that time had no chimneys 
 in their houses, you will understand 
 
24 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 that this had to be done, so that the 
 smoke from their fires could escape. 
 Do you think these people had 
 stoves for heating, as we have? Their 
 fireplace was a small space hollowed 
 out in the center of the paved floor. 
 In this was set a pot filled with 
 burning coal or wood, and, as I have 
 said before, the smoke escaped 
 through the windows. When the fire 
 burnt out, the heat was kept in the 
 fireplace by a covering of carpet laid 
 over a frame. In some houses there 
 was no fire at all, for the weather was 
 never very cold. 
 
 Do not these things seem strange 
 to us? Yet if David, the shepherd 
 boy, could come to our homes, our 
 ways would seem just as strange 
 to him. 
 
DAVID 25 
 
 When Samuel had gone into the 
 house with Jesse, he invited Jesse and 
 his sons to go with him to the sacrifice. 
 So they got ready at once. They took 
 off their dark woolen clothes. They 
 washed, and then rubbed their bodies 
 with oil. After this, they put on 
 their white robes. White was always 
 worn at a sacrifice, for white meant 
 cleanliness and purity. 
 
 Samuel the prophet had been sent 
 by God to choose one of the sons of 
 Jesse to be the future king. So, at 
 the place of sacrifice up on the hill, 
 as the eldest son passed before the 
 prophet, he looked so strong and 
 manly that Samuel said to himself: 
 "Surely, he is the one." But no, he 
 was not the man to be chosen. Then, 
 as the next son came up, "Nor is he 
 
26 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 the one," said the prophet. Nor was 
 the third or the fourth the one, and 
 at last, when the seven sons had 
 passed before the great man, not one 
 of them had been chosen as the king. 
 
 Then Samuel said to Jesse: "Have 
 you no other son?" "Oh, yes," an- 
 swered Jesse, "David, the beloved, 
 but lie is only a boy. He is tending 
 the flocks." "Send, and fetch him," 
 said Samuel, "for we will not sit 
 down till he come hither." And 
 now we know why David had been 
 sent for. 
 
 David went at once, for he had 
 been taught as all Hebrew children 
 were taught- -to obey and respect his 
 parents, before all other duties. As 
 he passed along the road, here and 
 there, he saw the people sitting under 
 
DAVID 27 
 
 the fig trees, and he could hear the 
 merry shouts of the children playing 
 in the courts of the houses. As he 
 approached those who were awaiting 
 him, he was a "goodly sight to look 
 upon." With his bright face all 
 aglow, he stepped before the prophet. 
 
 Samuel knew at once that he had 
 found the one for whom he had been 
 sent. He said: "He is the one." 
 He took the horn, and poured the oil 
 on the head of David. Thus the boy 
 was anointed to be a future king. 
 
 And Jesse and his sons sat with 
 Samuel at the feast. After the feast, 
 Samuel went back to Ramah, his 
 home, and David continued to live 
 the life of a shepherd, just as before. 
 
 Now, when Jesse and his sons 
 went back to their home, it was 
 
28 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 evening. They saw the new moon 
 rising above the hills. They knew by 
 this that the next day would be the 
 first day of the new month, and they 
 knew, too, that when the new moon 
 rose for the seventh month, they 
 would hear the trumpet blow to tell 
 the people a new year had begun. 
 
 As they came nearer to their 
 home, they met a stranger. They 
 took him home with them. He re- 
 mained with them for the night. 
 His beast of burden was taken care 
 of. The next morning, as the man 
 started on his journey, one of the 
 sons went with him for a short 
 distance. 
 
 When they entered the house, 
 after coming from the place of sacri- 
 fice, they saw the table spread for 
 
DAVID 29 
 
 the evening meal. What a strange 
 table it was, to be sure nothing but 
 a round piece of leather, spread up- 
 on the floor ! It had a cloth over it, 
 to keep it clean. In the middle of 
 this was a sort of stool. This stool 
 supported a platter. 
 
 The men of the family sat around 
 the table, with their legs crossed: 
 some were on pieces of carpet, and 
 some on cushions. There were no 
 knives, forks or spoons to be seen. 
 On the platter was the meat, which 
 had been boiled in a copper kettle. 
 Each person was given a piece of 
 meat, which was put on his bread; 
 thus the bread served as a plate. Of 
 course, as there were no forks, peo- 
 ple took up the meat and ate it 
 with their fingers. You know, they 
 
30 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 always washed their hands before 
 sitting down to a meal. In the same 
 manner they ate beans, onions, lentils 
 
 CTJPS 
 
 and cucumbers. If we could have 
 eaten with them, we should have 
 tasted a bit of salt in all they ate. 
 
 There were also cakes, raisins, figs 
 and dates upon the table. A brass 
 cup w 7 as placed before each person. 
 Into this cup water was poured from 
 a leathern bottle. 
 
 Would you like to know how these 
 
DAVID 31 
 
 leathern bottles were made? They 
 were made by stripping off the skin 
 of a goat or kid, from the neck 
 downward. The skin was not ripped. 
 The four legs were cnt off. The 
 
 LEATHERN BOTTLES 
 
 holes thus left were sewed up. The 
 hole left at the neck served as a 
 spout, and was tied up to close the 
 bottle. 
 
 The meat eaten by the Hebrews 
 was the flesh of oxen, sheep and 
 
32 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 goats. Pigeons and fish also were 
 used for food. 
 
 After the meal was over, David 
 went with his father, up a flight of 
 stairs, from the porch to the roof. 
 You are surprised to hear this, and 
 the roof, if we could have seen it, 
 
 HOUSE TOPS 
 
 would have seemed the strangest part 
 of the house to us. It was flat, so 
 that one could walk about on it. It 
 was a solid floor, made of coal, stones, 
 
DAVID 33 
 
 ashes and gypsum pounded together. 
 Often the roofs of these Hebrew 
 houses were so close together that 
 one could easily have stepped from 
 one to the next. Some were made of 
 earth, and here and there herbs and 
 spears of wheat and barley could be 
 seen springing up. The people did 
 not fall off, because there was a wall 
 built all around the roof. This was 
 built according to a law among the 
 Hebrews, and reached as high as a 
 man's chest. A small room, in one 
 corner of the roof, was used for the 
 servants. Think how queer it would 
 seem to us, to see people walking 
 about on the roofs of the houses ! 
 
 David walked with his father, to 
 and fro, upon the roof, to enjoy the 
 air. Jesse wished to talk to him 
 
34 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 alone. Crowds 
 narrow street 
 nounced to 
 the m that 
 he would 
 next day 
 have a 
 splendid feast 
 people. After 
 
 were passing in the 
 below. Jesse an- 
 
 LAMP 
 
 CANDLESTICK 
 
 an oblong iron 
 
 at his home for the 
 praying to Grod up 
 here, Jesse and 
 David returned 
 to their rooms 
 below. 
 
 It was night. 
 The lamp was 
 burning in the 
 room where 
 David slept. 
 This lamp was 
 vessel, which had a 
 
DAVID 35 
 
 round opening in the middle into 
 which olive oil was poured. At one 
 end was a small hole for the linen 
 wick, and at the other end was a 
 handle. 
 
 Now the thick mattresses were 
 taken from a box along the wall, 
 where they were kept during the day. 
 They were placed upon the floor and 
 used as beds. The floors were clean, 
 for you know the sandals were not 
 worn in the house. 
 
 The Hebrews had, too, a sort of 
 bed resembling a sofa. Sometimes 
 this was ornamented with ivory, on 
 the sides and back. Upon this bed 
 were placed pillows stuffed with wool. 
 
 After all had lain down upon their 
 beds, a dim light could still be seen, 
 during the whole night. 
 
36 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Where was the mother of David 
 all this time? The women of those 
 days did not as a rule take their 
 meals in the same room with the 
 men, unless there was some great 
 feast. So David's mother was with 
 the other women of the home, in a 
 room in the rear of the house. 
 
 Here, in these back rooms, we 
 might have seen the women busily 
 spinning, dyeing, weaving and sewing. 
 For all the clothing was made in the 
 home. The Hebrew home was a 
 "hive of industry," among the rich 
 and poor alike. Even the children 
 were taught to be active and busy. 
 
 The women dressed in very much 
 the same way as the men. But their 
 dresses were fuller and longer, and 
 made of finer material, and their 
 
DAVID 37 
 
 under-garments had sleeves. The 
 women were fond of bright colors, 
 and a dress of scarlet was commonly 
 worn. The girdle, too, was of fine 
 woven stuff. The Hebrew women 
 wore turbans on their heads. They 
 did not go out in public often, but 
 when they did, they always wore a 
 veil to cover the face. Gold and 
 silver rings, bracelets and necklaces 
 were worn by them. Just think of 
 it we have even read of women 
 wearing rings around their ankles. 
 
 Besides the making of clothing, 
 there was other work to be done in 
 the home. For there the wheat and 
 barley were ground into flour, and 
 there the bread was baked. 
 
 Each family had its own mill. 
 This was made by placing two round 
 
38 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 stones one above the other. The 
 lower one was so fixed in the floor 
 
 MILL FOR GRINDING FLOUR 
 
 BASKET 
 
 that it did not move around. It was 
 higher in the center, and this high 
 place fitted into a hollow place in the 
 
DAVID 39 
 
 upper stone. There was a hole 
 through the upper one, and into this 
 hole the grain was poured. By 
 means of a wooden handle, the upper 
 stone was turned around on the 
 lower one. 
 
 Thus the grain was broken up and 
 ground into meal. As David went 
 back and forth through the city, he 
 could hear the noise of these mills in 
 the houses. They were used every 
 morning and evening, except on the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 Now, since you know how the flour 
 was made, would you like to know 
 how the Hebrews made their bread ? 
 The people of that time did not have 
 all the different kinds of food that we 
 have to-day, but in all ages people 
 have eaten bread in some form. 
 
40 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 To make the bread the flour and 
 water were mixed in a wooden tray. 
 Of course, each family owned an 
 , oven, where the bread was baked. 
 Sometimes, this oven was only a hol- 
 low made in the earth. The bottom 
 was paved with stones. When the 
 oven was warmed, the fire was re- 
 moved. Then the bread or cakes 
 were placed on these hot stones, and 
 the mouth of the oven was closed. 
 
 They also had a movable oven 
 made of brick, smeared with clay on 
 the inside. The dough was put on 
 , the outside, like a plaster, and thus 
 baked. The women of the household 
 did most of this work. 
 
 Up to this time, you have heard 
 nothing about the schools for the 
 children. Well, there were no schools, 
 
DAVID 41 
 
 outside of their homes. Do yon think 
 they learned nothing on this account ? 
 No, indeed, for the parents considered 
 it a dnty to teach the children them- 
 selves. 
 
 The girls, until they were married, 
 spent all of their time with their 
 mothers. They were not idle, bnt 
 were tanght all the useful things that 
 must be done in a home. They were 
 taught to spin, sew, embroider, and, 
 of course, to cook. They also learned 
 to sing and dance. Usually when 
 they danced, they played upon an in- 
 strument called a timbrel. This was 
 made of a round brass or wooden 
 hoop, covered with a tightly drawn 
 skin and hung round with small bells. 
 It was held in the left hand and beaten 
 with the right. The daughters did 
 
42 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 HARPS 
 
 TIMBREL 
 
 HORN 
 
 not go out on the streets very often, but 
 once in a while they could be seen, with 
 urns, carrying water from the wells. 
 
DAVID 43 
 
 The boys, likewise, until they were 
 five years old, were under their 
 mothers' care. Then their fathers 
 took them in charge. They were 
 taught reading and writing. And 
 here again, how different their way 
 was from ours ! 
 
 They wrote on goat-skin or sheep- 
 skin, and sometimes on sheets of paper 
 made of the papyrus plant. On this 
 they wrote with black ink, using a 
 sharp-pointed wooden instrument 
 called a stylus. The writing was 
 from right to left. The lines were 
 short, so that on each sheet there 
 were written many separate columns. 
 The sheets were not bound into books 
 as we have them, but were joined 
 
 [together and rolled around a stick 
 and sometimes around two sticks. 
 
44 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 This roll of writing was called a 
 scroll. In earlier times people also 
 wrote upon stones. 
 
 Besides this, the boys were taught 
 farming. They practised shooting 
 with the bow and arrow, throwing 
 
 SCROLLS 
 
 with the sling, lifting heavy weights, 
 and running races, to make them 
 strong and healthy. But above all 
 
DAVID 45 
 
 this, the history of their nation, and 
 the love of Grod were impressed 
 upon their minds. Usually the fathers 
 and sons talked of these things on the 
 Sabbath, as this was a day of rest. 
 
 Jesse told David about the great 
 men and women who had lived many 
 years before. He told him what they 
 had done for his people. He talked 
 to him of the wisdom and goodness 
 of Grod. He taught him that the 
 love and fear of Grod was the begin- 
 ning of all knowledge. 
 
 Now from all this we know that 
 David, as a boy, was taught to be in- 
 dustrious, to obey and respect his 
 parents, and, above all, to worship 
 God. 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 
 
 Sabbath day, David sat with 
 his father, in the garden behind their 
 house. At their feet were beautiful 
 flowers, and they sat in the shade of 
 a fig tree, whose broad leaves and 
 spreading branches made for them a 
 cool resting-place on this warm day. 
 From this tree they could pluck the 
 juicy figs which they ate with their 
 simple mid-day meal of milk, bread 
 and honey. In another part of the 
 garden many grape vines could be 
 seen, and here, also, grew the vege- 
 tables. Near by was the cistern 
 with its cool water. 
 
 Jesse read to David from a scroll. 
 
 (46) 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 47 
 
 He read how the Hebrews had come 
 to live in the land of Canaan. David 
 was glad to hear these stories, and ? 
 as his father read or related them 
 again and again, he learned to know 
 much about his people. As they sat 
 together on that bright day, Jesse 
 told the story which David loved 
 more than all others the story of a 
 great man who had done much for 
 his people. 
 
 You will like to hear it, I know, as 
 well as David did, so many, many 
 years ago. This is the story Jesse 
 told: 
 
 Long, long years ago, our people 
 did not live in this country of Canaan. 
 They lived in Egypt. Once a baby 
 boy was born among them. The 
 
48 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 King of Egypt had given an order 
 that all Hebrew boys, as soon as they 
 were born, should be thrown into the 
 river. When this little boy came to 
 live upon this earth, his mother, of 
 course, loved him very dearly. She 
 could not bear the idea of having 
 him thrown into the dark river. She 
 was very sad, and scarcely knew 
 what to do. 
 
 She hid her dear little baby for 
 three months, so that nobody might 
 know about him, but you know ba- 
 bies are not always quiet; they will 
 sometimes cry and make much noise. 
 When the poor mother knew she 
 could keep him concealed no longer, 
 she said: "What shall I do? I can- 
 not give him up." She thought about 
 it for some time. Then at last, 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 49 
 
 she said: "Now, I have a good 
 plan." 
 
 She made a basket of rushes. It 
 was coated with pitch, so that the 
 water would not leak through. It 
 looked just like a little cradle. And 
 now, when the basket was finished, 
 what do you think she put into it? 
 Why, her dear little boy. She told 
 her daughter Miriam to place the 
 basket, with the baby in it, among 
 the bulrushes that grew along the 
 river. 
 
 After Miriam had done this, she 
 stood behind the trees near by, to 
 watch the precious basket. She had 
 not been there long, before she saw 
 the king's daughter and her maids 
 coming along. They often bathed 
 h^re, in the river. As they came 
 
50 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 near, the princess saw something 
 strange among the rushes. "Gk>, see 
 what that strange thing is," she cried 
 to her maids, "and bring it to me." 
 
 One of the maidens then lifted the 
 basket from the water, and carried 
 it to the , princess. How delighted 
 she was, when she saw the wee baby! 
 She exclaimed: " What a handsome 
 baby! He must be a Hebrew child. 
 I will save from the river, and keep 
 him as my own son." 
 
 Then Miriam came forward, and 
 asked the princess if she cared to have 
 her get a nurse for the baby. The 
 princess bade her do so, and Miriam 
 went quickly for her own mother. 
 Her mother came, and as she took 
 her boy into her arms once more, 
 how happy she was ! Now she knew 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 51 
 
 his life would be saved. The prin- 
 cess commanded her to take the 
 baby to her own home, and said she 
 would pay her to care for him, until 
 he should be old enough to live at 
 the palace. The princess named the 
 baby Moses, for this name means 
 " drawn out of the water." 
 
 When Moses was still a young 
 child, he was taken from his own 
 humble home to the home of the 
 princess. He was so handsome, it is 
 said, that men would turn and look 
 at him as he passed them at their 
 work. He seemed brighter than 
 other boys of his age. 
 
 The princess loved him as though 
 he were her own son. She took him 
 to her father, Pharaoh, the king. He, 
 also, became very fond of the boy. 
 
52 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 He had him taught and trained, just 
 as though Moses had been the grand- 
 son of the Egyptian king. 
 
 As a child, Moses wore no clothes, 
 as was the custom among the Egyp- 
 tians. He had several people to care 
 for him when he went out. He was 
 taken into the streets in a wheeled 
 vehicle. Sometimes he was taken 
 for a sail in a boat, on the river. 
 
 In Egypt the education of a boy 
 trained the body as well as the mind. 
 The boys played such games as wrest- 
 ling, fighting with single sticks, ball, 
 and lifting and swinging heavy bags 
 of sand over their heads. 
 
 Besides being trained in these 
 games, Moses was carefully educated 
 in all that was known at that time. 
 Pharaoh sent for the wisest teachers 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 53 
 
 in the land. Moses began by learn- 
 ing to read and write the Egyptian 
 language. He learned the Hebrew 
 language, also. After this he studied 
 arithmetic and learned the multipli- 
 cation tables. He also studied music. 
 During his youth he had teachers at 
 the court of Pharaoh, but as he grew 
 older he was sent to the university, 
 where he was taught law. He 
 learned about the stars, and also 
 about medicine. He was trained to 
 be a soldier and a leader. You will 
 hear how this helped him in after 
 years. You see, the king wished to 
 make Moses a ruler in the land, next 
 to himself. 
 
 But while he was taught all these 
 things, there was one teacher whose 
 words were more to him than all 
 
54 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 else that he learned. This teacher 
 was his own mother. Remember, 
 she was the nurse chosen by the 
 princess. As Moses was still young 
 when taken to Pharaoh's court, his 
 mother went with him. When he 
 was under her care she talked to him 
 of many things which he did not 
 hear from his other teachers. He 
 heard of his own people, the Hebrews, 
 who had now lived almost four hund- 
 red years in this land of Egypt. He 
 learned how they had become slaves 
 to the Egyptians, and how hard they 
 were made to labor. So that Moses, 
 although living in the Egyptian court, 
 never forgot that he was a Hebrew. 
 
 When he grew to be a man, he 
 went among his people to see how 
 they lived. He saw them working 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 55 
 
 as slaves in the brick fields. Some 
 were digging the clay out of pits, 
 and some were shaping the bricks. 
 He observed how cruelly they were 
 treated. Then he went back to the 
 court. As he lay on his fine couch, 
 in his beautiful room, all these sights 
 came back to him. He thought: 
 "How can I help my brethren? Can 
 I do nothing for them?" 
 
 One day, as he was walking in a 
 lonely place, he saw an Egyptian 
 treating a Hebrew very roughly. 
 Moses became so angry that he struck 
 the Egyptian, and killed him. When 
 Moses found that he had killed the 
 man, he was horrified. ~No one being 
 in sight, he buried the body in the 
 sand. This was all over so quickly 
 that Moses scarcely knew what a 
 
56 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 terrible deed he had done, but it was 
 soon known among the people, and 
 Moses fled from the king's anger. 
 
 He wandered into the land of 
 Midian. As he sat resting by a well, 
 the daughters of the priest of Midian 
 came to draw water from the well 
 for their sheep. Some shepherds, who 
 lived near by, tried to drive the maid- 
 ens away, but Moses prevented the 
 shepherds from doing this, and helped 
 the maidens to water their flocks. 
 
 They went home and told their 
 father about the stranger. Jethro, 
 their father, sent for him to come to 
 his home. After this, Moses made 
 his home with Jethro and tended his 
 flocks. He married one of Jethro's 
 daughters and lived many years 
 among these people. 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 57 
 
 Though far away from his own 
 people, Moses still thought of them, 
 and longed to save them from the 
 hard life they were leading. One 
 day, as he was tending his flocks on 
 the mountain side, he saw a strange 
 sight. There, in a bush near by, a 
 bright fire was burning. As it 
 burned, strange to say, the leaves and 
 branches were not even scorched by 
 the flames. He approached nearer to 
 it. A voice seemed to call to him : 
 " Moses, Moses, come not nearer; 
 take thy shoes from off thy feet : this 
 is holy ground." 
 
 Then Moses removed the sandals 
 from his feet, and listened to the 
 voice. It said : " Go to Pharaoh, and 
 lead the people of Israel out of 
 Egypt. Bring them to this mountain, 
 
58 . THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 and offer sacrifices to me, for I am 
 their God. Tell them I am the God 
 of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." 
 
 But Moses answered: "Who am 
 I, that I should go to Pharaoh?" 
 God said: "I will be with you." 
 Then Moses replied: "I cannot 
 do this. The people will not believe 
 
 in me/ 
 
 The voice then said: a Cast your 
 staff upon the ground." Moses did 
 so, and the staff changed into a ser- 
 pent. Moses was afraid, and ran 
 from the serpent. But again the 
 voice called to him: "Take hold of 
 it by the tail." Moses took hold of 
 the tail, and as he touched it, the ser- 
 pent changed into his staff again. 
 God said: "If the people ivill not 
 believe you, show them this sign. If 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 59 
 
 they will not then believe you, I will 
 cause other wonders to happen in the 
 land." 
 
 Still Moses did not wish to go. 
 He said: " I cannot talk well." Then 
 God said: "I will tell you what to 
 eay. Is there not Aaron, your 
 brother? He will come to meet you. 
 He shall go with you, and he shall 
 speak to the people for you. Go, and 
 take your staff with you, to show the 
 signs." 
 
 At last, Moses went to Jethro and 
 asked to be allowed to go back to 
 Egypt, to see if his relatives were 
 still alive. Then Moses set out on 
 his journey. On the way, he met his 
 brother Aaron, who had been sent 
 by God to meet him. They were 
 happy to see each other again. 
 
60 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Moses kissed his brother, and told 
 him of Grod's command. 
 
 They went into Egypt and called 
 the elders of the people together. 
 Then Aaron told them what had 
 happened, and why Moses had re- 
 turned. It made the people joyful 
 to hear all this, and they thanked 
 God for his goodness. The two 
 brothers went to Pharaoh, the King 
 of Egypt. They asked him to let 
 the Children of Israel (as the He- 
 brews were sometimes called) go, for 
 three days, to offer sacrifices to their 
 Grod, on the mountains. But the 
 king would not allow them to go. 
 
 After this, the Hebrews were made 
 to work even harder than before. 
 This made them angry with Moses, 
 as they thought he was the cause of 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 61 
 
 this new trouble. Moses and Aaron 
 went to the king again. Aaron threw 
 down his staff before Pharaoh, and it 
 was changed into a serpent, but the 
 king only said: "No, the people shall 
 not go." 
 
 Once again Moses and Aaron stood 
 before Pharaoh. This time they 
 were by the river. The king still 
 refused to let the people go. Moses, 
 to show the power of God, told 
 Aaron to lift his staff above the river; 
 Aaron did so and all the water was 
 turned into blood. 'Now this was the 
 first of the ten plagues which were 
 to fall upon the Egyptians. Not only 
 here in the river, but everywhere in 
 Egypt in the wells and even in the 
 houses the water was turned into 
 blood. The fish in the river died. 
 
62 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 But even this did not change the 
 king. 
 
 Then Aaron, as he was bid, again 
 stretched his staff over the river. 
 At this, thousands of frogs came up, 
 out of the water, all over the land. 
 At last Pharaoh was frightened. He 
 sent for Moses and Aaron. He said: 
 "Ask you God to take away these 
 frogs, and I will let the people go." 
 But as soon as the frogs were no 
 longer to be seen, he forgot his 
 promise. 
 
 And God told Moses to have Aaron 
 strike the ground with his staff. 
 Aaron did so, and the land was 
 covered with vermin. They were 
 upon every man and every beast. 
 The wise men said: "This is the 
 hand of God." Still the heart of 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 63 
 
 Pharaoh did not feel for the people. 
 Next, God sent great swarms of 
 flies, and they filled the land. They 
 settled upon everything indoors and 
 out of doors. They were all over 
 Egypt, except in that part of the 
 country where the Hebrews lived. 
 Again Pharaoh sent for Moses. He 
 said: "Offer sacrifices to your Grod 
 in this land." Moses answered that 
 this could not be done. "Then," re- 
 plied Pharaoh, "go, but do not go far 
 from here." But, as soon as the flies 
 had disappeared, he took back his 
 promise. 
 
 Moses told Pharaoh that if he 
 would not let the people go, all the 
 cattle in Egypt should die. And this 
 happened, as Moses had said. Only 
 the cattle of the Hebrews did not die. 
 
64 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Next, all the Egyptians were cov- 
 ered with boils. Then a terrible 
 storm of thunder and lightning was 
 sent. The hail came down and killed 
 the crops; it broke the trees; it 
 killed every man and beast in the 
 field. The storm was so dreadful 
 that Pharaoh again sent for Moses, 
 but when the hail had ceased to 
 come down, the king's heart was as 
 hard as before. 
 
 The next plague came in this way: 
 the whole country was full of locusts. 
 In the trees, in the houses, in every 
 nook and corner, these locusts were 
 found. They ate up everything 
 which the hail-storm had left. Then 
 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, 
 and said to them: U I have sinned 
 against your Grod and you. Take 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 65 
 
 away the locusts." Moses begged 
 Grod to take away the locusts, and a 
 strong wind came and blew them 
 into the sea. Then, just as so many 
 times before, Pharaoh forgot his 
 promise. 
 
 Now there came a terrible dark- 
 ness over the land. For three days 
 it was so dark that the Egyptians 
 could not even see one another. 
 They could not leave their bedSc 
 But there was light where the 
 Hebrews lived. Again Pharaoh sent 
 for Moses. a Gk> ye," he said, "and 
 offer sacrifices to your God. Only, 
 your flocks and herds must remain 
 behind." Moses said the people 
 should not go without their cattle. 
 Pharaoh then cried: "Q-et thee from 
 me. See my face no more." Moses 
 
66 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 answered: "I will not see thy face 
 again." 
 
 Thereupon the Hebrews began to 
 get ready to go out of the land. At 
 God's command Moses told them to 
 ask the Egyptians for jewels and 
 silver and gold. And the Egyptians 
 gave them many valuable things. 
 Moses bade each Hebrew to kill a 
 lamb, and splash the blood upon the 
 lintel of his door. Thus the homes of 
 the Hebrews were to be known from 
 those of the Egyptians. This was 
 on the night of the fourteenth of the 
 first month, called Msan. Moses 
 told the people that, forever after, 
 a feast should be held on the anniver- 
 sary of this night, in memory of 
 God's goodness. This should be 
 called the "Feast of Passover." 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 67 
 
 That night, a more terrible plague 
 than all the other ones visited the 
 Egyptians. At midnight, wailing 
 was heard in all parts of the land, 
 for in every home, in palaces as well 
 as in the poorest huts, the first-born 
 son lay dead. ISTot one person had 
 died among the Children of Israel. 
 This was the tenth plague sent by 
 God upon the Egyptians. Then 
 Pharaoh was so frightened that he 
 called for Moses and Aaron, and 
 cried: "Rise, and take the people 
 and all their belongings. Go out of 
 the land and serve your God." 
 
 The Egyptians helped them in their 
 preparations, for they thought that 
 unless the Hebrews went, they them- 
 selves would all die. The Children 
 of Israel took with them all they 
 
68 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 could cany. Think what preparation 
 was necessary! Think of a crowd of 
 about six hundred thousand men, 
 besides the women and children, 
 leaving the country at one time ! 
 What a long procession! How 
 many, many people, and how many 
 cattle and beasts of burden! They 
 carried with them their tents, also. 
 They were hurried away so quickly 
 that the dough for their bread was 
 was not yet leavened that is, it had 
 not had time to rise so they carried 
 "the unleavened dough, in kneading- 
 troughs, bound up in their clothes, 
 upon their shoulders." 
 
 Their departure from Egypt was 
 on the night of the first full moon, 
 after the winter was over. The days 
 were growing longer, and the time of 
 
THE STORY OF MOSES 69 
 
 year was the most pleasant for travel- 
 ing. At night the people slept upon 
 their cloaks, which they spread upon 
 the ground. They took a long way 
 through the wilderness. 
 
 Some time after they had gone, 
 Pharaoh was sorry that he had al- 
 lowed the Hebrews to depart. He 
 sent his mighty army, together with 
 hundreds of two-wheeled chariots, 
 after them. 
 
 As the Hebrews were close upon 
 the Red Sea, they saw the Egyptian 
 army coming in pursuit of them. 
 They were greatly frightened. They 
 became angry with Moses, and asked 
 why he had brought them there to 
 die. Moses said: "God will take care 
 of you." At this, he raised his staff 
 over the sea. A strong east wind 
 
70 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 blew all night, and the water of the 
 sea divided. Then the Hebrews passed 
 over on the dry sand, in the middle 
 of the sea, with the water forming a 
 wall on each side. A pillar of light 
 in front showed them the way, while 
 a dark cloud behind hid them from 
 their enemies. 
 
 Pharaoh's chariots and the army 
 rushed on to overtake them. The 
 wheels of the chariots sank in the 
 sand, as the horses dashed into the 
 sea. The wind died away; the water 
 rushed back into its place, covering 
 chariots, horses and men. Not one 
 Egyptian was left. 
 
 When the people of Israel saw 
 what had happened, they were very 
 thankful to God for their safe de- 
 livery from slavery. Moses sang 
 
72 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 words of praise to Grod, and all the 
 Children of Israel joined in this song 
 of praise. Miriam, the sister of 
 Moses, was with them. She it was, 
 you will remember, who years before 
 had placed the little cradle by the 
 river. Miriam and the other women 
 took their timbrels in their hands, and 
 they played and danced, as she, also, 
 sang beautiful words of praise to 
 God. 
 
 How happy they were ! For this 
 was their day of deliverance. And 
 the Children of Israel, for all time to 
 come, will bless Moses, who, with the 
 Mielp of Grod, delivered them from 
 their bondage. 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 
 
 I AM sure you all love to hear your 
 parents talk to you of what their 
 grandmothers and] grandfathers did 
 when they were young, so many 
 years ago. So David loved to hear 
 of his great-grandmother Ruth, who 
 was known as the noblest and best 
 of all Hebrew women. 
 
 Now, at one time, there had been 
 a dreadful famine in Bethlehem. 
 There lived there the family of 
 Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their 
 two sons. When the famine came^ 
 they no longer had bread to eat, so 
 they went into a strange country, and, 
 soon after, the father died. Here 
 
 (73) 
 
74 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 the sons found wives, one of them 
 being Ruth, the great-grandmother 
 of David. They lived together hap- 
 pily, for some years ; then both sons 
 died, and Naomi was left very poor. 
 She said : "I shall go back to my own 
 people at Bethlehem. They will help 
 me, for God has again blessed them 
 with bread." 
 
 Then the danghters-in-law said 
 they wonld go with her. All three 
 started on the journey, but, after 
 they had gone some distance, Naomi 
 begged the others to return to their 
 mothers' homes, where they would 
 fare better than they would in a 
 strange land. The young women felt 
 very sad as they thought of leaving 
 Naomi, and when she kissed them 
 good-by they wept. They said they 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 75 
 
 would not leave her. But Naomi 
 still urged them, and at last the 
 older of the two women kissed her 
 mother-in-law again, and returned to 
 her own home. 
 
 Ruth still clung to Naomi. She 
 said : "Urge me not to leave thee, for 
 whither thou goest, will I go : and 
 where thou lodgest, will I lodge. 
 Thy people shall be my people, and 
 thy God, my God." 
 
 So the two women traveled on to 
 Bethlehem. The name of this city- 
 " House of Bread" -seemed rightly 
 given, at the time these women found 
 their way to a large farm near the 
 city, for it was harvest time, and they 
 saw the farmers busily gathering in 
 the grain, which was very plentiful. 
 
 Naomi had no money to buy food, 
 
RUTH AND BOAZ 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 77 
 
 so 'Ruth went into the field. Here 
 she saw the men and maidens work- 
 ing. She asked to be allowed to 
 glean after the reapers. The grain 
 was cut with the sickle, and bound 
 into bundles which were called 
 sheaves. As the reapers gathered 
 the sheaves of grain, the stray ears 
 which fell from them were picked 
 up by Ruth. This was called glean- 
 ing. The men let her do this, as they 
 wished to be kind to a stranger. Be- 
 sides it was a law to allow the poor 
 to glean. 
 
 When Boaz, the owner of the field, 
 saw her, and learned who she was, 
 and what a good daughter-in-law she 
 was to Naomi, he told the men to 
 help her to let her have as much 
 grain as she could carry. When she 
 
78 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 asked why he was so kind to her, 
 Boaz said: "I have heard of your 
 goodness. I have heard what you 
 have done for your mother-in-law." 
 
 When it was time for the reapers to 
 rest and eat the mid-day meal, Boaz 
 sent for Ruth. He asked her to join 
 them. After she had eaten the 
 parched corn, and the bread dipped 
 in vinegar, she still had a share to 
 take to Naomi. Thus she gleaned 
 all day, and when she beat out with 
 sticks what she had gleaned, she found 
 she had an ephah, which was about a 
 bushel, of barley. 
 
 She returned to Naomi, and told 
 her what had happened. Naomi said : 
 "Boaz is our kinsman. He is still the 
 kind man he always was." 
 
 After this Ruth gleaned each day 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 79 
 
 in the field, with the other maidens. 
 Now that yon have seen these peo- 
 ple all busily working on this large 
 farm, let us go back and learn when 
 the seed was sown, and how the work 
 
 PLOW AND SICKLE 
 
 was done at that time. On these 
 farms men and women, rich and poor, 
 worked alike. Even kings, it is said, 
 sometimes put their hands to the 
 plow. The plow used in preparing 
 
SO THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 the soil for the seed was easily lifted 
 in one hand. It was a simple imple- 
 ment of wood, without wheels. It 
 was so light that it made only a 
 trifling furrow. Oxen and donkeys 
 were used to draw the plow. The 
 ground was leveled with a harrow. 
 Spades and shovels were also used. 
 
 Now when Ruth came to this farm, 
 it was the first season, or harvest time. 
 The Hebrew year was divided into 
 six seasons. The first season began 
 in April and extended to the middle 
 of June. The second season, summer 
 or the time of fruits, began in June 
 and ended in August. The weather 
 was then so hot that people slept 
 under the open sky. From the mid- 
 dle of August to the middle of October 
 was the hot season. 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 81 
 
 During all this time from the 
 middle of April to the middle of Sep- 
 tember there was no rain. This was 
 the dry season. During May, June, 
 July and August not a cloud could be 
 seen. Think what it would mean to 
 us to be without rain for five months! 
 But the earth was not dry, as the dew 
 was so heavy, and the ground was 
 watered by canals. 
 
 After this hot season came the seed- 
 time, from October to December. This 
 was the time when the seed was sown. 
 The first rain began to fall in the lat- 
 ter- part of October. This was called 
 the "former" rain. The farmers 
 looked for this rain, to do their plant- 
 ing. The weather was still warm; 
 but soon it grew colder. Snow could 
 be seen on the mountains at the end 
 
82 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 of this season. In November the 
 leaves fell from the trees. 
 
 Then came winter, which lasted 
 until the middle of February. In 
 winter there was some ice, but it 
 melted very quickly, while in the val- 
 leys it was so warm on bright days 
 that the fields were covered with 
 flowers. As winter passed away in 
 February, the crops began to grow, 
 and the trees again put forth their 
 green leaves. 
 
 Next came the last season, or the 
 sixth part of the year. This lasted 
 from the middle of February to the 
 middle of April. Now there was 
 more rain, and it was called the 
 "latter" rain. The weather grew 
 warmer. Soon the grain was ready 
 to be cut. 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 83 
 
 We have already heard of the 
 Feast of Passover. When the har- 
 vest-time began, which was also the 
 beginning of this feast, a sheaf of 
 barley was burnt as an offering to 
 God. Thus the Hebrews offered 
 the first-fruits of the harvest as a 
 thank-offering to God, for the supply 
 of grain which had been given them. 
 Nothing raised on the farm could be 
 eaten, nor could a sickle be put to the 
 grain, until the offering was made. 
 
 Then the reaping commenced. 
 First the barley, then the wheat, was 
 cut. The grain was carried to the 
 threshing-floor in wagons. These 
 wagons had two wheels, and would 
 look like carts to us. On a rising 
 ground in the field was the threshing- 
 floor. Here the grain was beaten 
 
84 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 with a roller. It is said that, even 
 now, some of the old threshing floors 
 are still to be seen. The threshing- 
 machines of the Hebrews were made 
 of wood, with iron teeth below, to 
 force out the grain, and to cut np the 
 straw. They were drawn by oxen. 
 
 WINNOWING GRAIN 
 
 The grain was separated from the 
 chaff and fine-cut straw by winnow- 
 ing; that is, by tossing it up with 
 a spoon-shaped wooden implement 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 85 
 
 against the wind. Then the grain 
 was further cleared by passing it 
 through a sieve. At last the grain 
 was stored in a granary, which was 
 sometimes only a cave or pit and 
 sometimes a barn. 
 
 When the harvest-time- which 
 lasted seven weeks was over, there 
 was another feast. This was Pente- 
 cost, or the Feast of the Harvest. 
 Once again there was an offering, 
 but this time it consisted of two loaves 
 of bread, made of the new meal. 
 There was dancing and singing at the 
 feast. 
 
 Another feast of this kind was held 
 in October, at the in-gathering of the 
 fruits. This festival lasted eight 
 days. The people erected booths of 
 green boughs, to remind them of the 
 
86 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 tabernacles in which their ancestors 
 lived in the wilderness. So this was 
 called the Feast of Tabernacles. 
 
 Besides the grain, the farmers 
 raised flax, cotton and vegetables. 
 They also had large orchards. The 
 sides of the hills and mountains were 
 covered with vineyards. 
 
 Boaz had now planted and reaped 
 for six years, but the next year he 
 would not plow or sow. Why was 
 this? Because the Hebrews felt 
 that the land belonged to God. 
 They felt that it was theirs only for 
 the enjoyment of what the soil gave 
 them. To remind the people of this 
 every seventh year was made a year 
 of rest for the land. During this 
 "SabbaticaP year no seed was sown, 
 and all that grew was given to the poor. 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 87 
 
 After Boaz and the harvesters had 
 finished their threshing, and Ruth 
 had gleaned each day, they had a 
 merry time of feasting, singing and 
 dancing. Then it was that Naomi- 
 planning to do something for the 
 welfare of Ruth- -bade her tell Boaz 
 of her kinship to him. 
 
 There was a custom among the 
 Hebrews which required the nearest 
 kinsman of the dead husband to 
 marry the widow, to keep the prop- 
 erty from going to others. Boaz was 
 pleased to hear that Ruth was related 
 to him, and wished to make her his 
 wife, but he knew that Ruth had a 
 nearer relative, to whom this right 
 belonged. He told Ruth to go home 
 to Naomi, and he would see what 
 could be done. 
 
88 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 So the next day Boaz went to the 
 open space in front of the gates of 
 the city. This was the place where 
 the elders met, to discuss the affairs 
 of the city. Boaz knew he would 
 meet his kinsman there. He called 
 ten witnesses to listen, as he laid the 
 matter before the man. He said: 
 "The land that belonged to our rela- 
 tive Elimelech must be redeemed.' 7 
 
 The man was willing to redeem the 
 land, but when he heard that if he 
 did that he must also make Ruth his 
 wife, he said : "I cannot do that, but 
 will give my rights to Boaz. 7 ' He 
 then drew off his shoe and handed it 
 to Boaz, which meant that a bargain 
 had been made. It was the same as 
 a shake of the hand among us. 
 
 Thereupon Boaz and Ruth were 
 
THE STORY OF RUTH 89 
 
 married. Naomi was very happy for 
 the sake of Ruth, who had been so 
 good to her. All the people rejoiced, 
 and hoped she would be happy. 
 Thus Ruth was rewarded for her 
 goodness. 
 
 Ruth had a son, and this son was 
 the father of Jesse, and thus David 
 became the great-grandson of this 
 noble woman. 
 
JOSEPH EXPLAINING PHARAOH'S DREAMS 
 
 (90) 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 
 
 WE have heard before that the 
 Hebrews were called "Children of 
 Israel." They were so called because 
 they were descended from Jacob. 
 For God had given the name of 
 "Israel" to Jacob, and so all the 
 people who were descended from 
 Jacob were called the "Children of 
 Israel." 
 
 Jacob lived in Canaan. He lived 
 long before Moses was born. He 
 owned hundreds of sheep and cattle, 
 and many droves of camels and don- 
 keys. He was the father of twelve 
 sons. Ten of his sons had grown to 
 be men, while the youngest was still 
 
 (91) 
 
92 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 a baby, and the next to the youngest 
 a tall lad. 
 
 Jacob seemed to love this lad, 
 whose name was Joseph, more than 
 all his other sons. The older sons 
 did not like this, and did not speak 
 kindly to Joseph. He told their 
 father whatever wrong he saw his 
 brothers do. This, also, made his 
 brothers feel bitter toward him. 
 
 One day Joseph said: "What do 
 you think I dreamed last night?" 
 His brothers answered: a We do 
 not care about your dreams" ; but he 
 told them the dream. "We were 
 all in the harvest-fields," said he, 
 "among the sheaves of grain, when 
 it seemed that my sheaf stood up 
 straight, while your sheaves seemed 
 to bow down to mine." 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 93 
 
 His brothers were very angry and 
 said: "Do you think you will reign 
 over us?" They did not like this 
 dream. 
 
 A few days after this Joseph again 
 said: "I had a still stranger dream 
 last night." They did not wish to 
 hear him tell this, but the lad related 
 the dream to them and to their father, 
 Jacob. "It seemed/' said he, "that 
 the sun, moon and eleven stars all 
 bowed down to me." This dream 
 pleased the brothers still less, and 
 now his father said sharply to him: 
 "What, shall I and your mother and 
 your brothers bow down to you ? For 
 by the sun and moon you mean your 
 parents, and by the stars whom do 
 you mean but your brothers ? " 
 
 But after Jacob had thought more 
 
94 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 about it, he was pleased with this 
 dream. It seemed to him that it 
 meant great happiness for Joseph, and 
 he loved him more than ever. 
 
 After the fruit had been gathered 
 in, Jacob's older sons led their flocks 
 to Shechem. Here there were good 
 pastures for the sheep. This was 
 fifty miles away from Hebron, where 
 they lived. Joseph missed his 
 brothers and their sheep. His father 
 heard nothing from them, for a long 
 time. One day he said to Joseph : 
 "I wish I could hear how your broth- 
 ers are getting along. It is a long 
 time since we have heard from them." 
 Then Joseph replied: "Let me go to 
 them." Joseph was only a boy, and 
 Jacob knew that there was danger 
 from wild beasts on the way. But 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 95 
 
 he knew, too,that Joseph was brave, 
 although so young, and he was will- 
 ing to let him go. 
 
 Joseph was soon ready. So he 
 started on his journey. He had on 
 his simple dress, like the one David 
 wore. He carried his leathern bottle, 
 full of water. Of course, his shep- 
 herd's pouch, with food, he also had, 
 for it would take him some days to 
 travel so far. He also wore a beau- 
 tiful coat, which his father had given 
 him. It was a coat of many colors, 
 woven of fine linen, and fastened with 
 a fine leathern girdle. Perhaps he 
 carried his sandals, for the way was 
 long, and there were stones and rough 
 places on the road. 
 
 Jacob kissed Joseph, as he bade 
 him good-by, and hoped God would 
 
96 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 bless him on his way. Joseph's 
 mother was not there to see him, for 
 she had died a year before. Her 
 grave was over the hills, in Bethle- 
 hem, not many miles away. 
 
 Joseph went on for several days. 
 When he reached the place where he 
 thought he would find his brothers, 
 he looked about him. "Where are 
 they? What can have happened to 
 them?" thought Joseph, for not a 
 man or a sheep was to be seen. Only 
 the lonely field, without a sign of life, 
 was about him. He was very much 
 troubled. "What shall I do now?" 
 thought he. 
 
 Just then, a man came near. " Have 
 you seen the sons of Jacob, with 
 their flocks, near here?" asked Joseph. 
 "Yes," answered the man, "they were 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 97 
 
 here for a long time, but now they 
 have gone away. I think they have 
 gone to find fresh pastures for the 
 sheep." He then told Joseph the 
 way to reach them. Joseph would 
 not return to his father without some 
 news of his brothers: so, although 
 tired and hungry, this brave youth 
 again started on. He walked some 
 distance, and on coming to a green 
 hill, saw the sheep grazing. 
 
 Let us see what his brothers had 
 been planning to do, and why they 
 went so far away from home. They 
 hated their brother, and, terrible as 
 it seems, wished to kill him. As he 
 was still some distance away, one of 
 the brothers said: U 8ee, who is this 
 coming to us?" They looked and 
 saw Joseph, with his beautiful coat 
 
98 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 over his shoulders, coming toward 
 them. "See," said one of them, -"it is 
 our brother, the Dreamer." For this 
 was the name they had given him; 
 "Now," said they, "we have the 
 chance to do as we like with him. 
 Let us kill him." 
 
 Most of the brothers did not seem 
 to realize what a terrible deed this 
 would be to take the life of this 
 youth, who had done no wrong to 
 any one. But the thought filled 
 Reuben, the eldest brother, with 
 horror. "Do not, my brothers, be 
 guilty of such a deed!" he pleaded, 
 but they did not listen to him. So 
 when he found they still meant to 
 kill Joseph, he said: "Do not shed 
 blood, but put him into a pit in 
 the ground, and there let him die." 
 
THE STORY OP JOSEPH 99 
 
 The others thought this was the best 
 plan. 
 
 When Joseph came up to them, he 
 called: "How are you, my brothers ? 
 Our father sent me to see you." They 
 said: "You are no brother of ours." 
 Then the coat was taken away from 
 him, and they put him into the pit. 
 There was no water in it. Reuben 
 then went away. The rest of the 
 brothers sat down, to eat their meal 
 of bread and parched corn. They 
 still thought of Joseph in the pit. 
 
 One of the men, looking up, ex- 
 claimed: "Behold, who are coming 
 this way?" In the distance, men and 
 animals were seen coining toward 
 them. "It is a caravan. The mer- 
 chants are corning this way," said 
 they. 
 
100 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 The camels were usually in lines 
 of seven. A servant led the first 
 one; the second was fastened to 
 the first one by a rope, the third 
 to the second, and so on, following 
 one behind the other. The leader of 
 the caravan was always first, as he 
 knew the way. Sometimes the men sat 
 upon the backs of the camels, with 
 a cloth under them for a saddle. 
 
 These caravans traveled across the 
 country. The men traded, bought and 
 sold goods. They traded what they 
 raised in their own country for other 
 things which were raised in other 
 
THE STORY OF JOSKPiT 101 
 
 lands. They carried their measures 
 and weights about with them. Their 
 weights were stones, which they car- 
 ried in bags. They bought and sold 
 their goods, as being worth a certain 
 weight of silver. Gold was not used 
 in trading, as it is now with us. 
 The coin principally used was the 
 "shekel" and was worth about sixty 
 cents in our money. 
 
 As the merchants often traveled 
 a great distance, they carried with 
 them such things as they might need. 
 If we had seen them unpack their 
 loads, we might have seen a mattress, 
 a coverlet, a piece of leather (which 
 made their table) and a few pots and 
 kettles of copper. We think they 
 must also have carried their leathern 
 bags, their tents, lamps and food. 
 
102 TEte 'ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 At night they carried a lighted torch 
 on a pole, so that no one of the cara- 
 van should be lost. 
 
 When Joseph's brothers saw the 
 merchants approaching, one of them 
 said: "Of what good will it be to us, 
 if we kill our brother? Let us sell 
 him to these men, for then the blood 
 of our own brother will not be on 
 our hands. 75 
 
 When the merchants came up to 
 them, Joseph was taken from the pit. 
 The merchants were asked how much 
 they would give for Joseph. "We 
 will give you twenty pieces of silver 
 for him," said one of the men. So 
 Joseph was sold to the men as a slave, 
 and taken down into Egypt, together 
 with the rest of the slaves whom they 
 had. 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 103 
 
 While all this had been going on, Reu- 
 ben was away looking for a lost lamb. 
 When he returned to the tent, it was 
 night. He went at once to the pit, 
 intending, when his brothers were not 
 there, to take Joseph out and thus 
 save his life. As he looked into the 
 dark hole, he could see no one. 
 Then he called : "Joseph, Joseph," but 
 no answer came. Now he knew that 
 Joseph was no longer there. He 
 feared that he was dead. He went 
 to his brothers, who told him what 
 they had done. Reuben was glad to 
 hear from them that Joseph was still 
 alive. 
 
 The brothers took Joseph's coat, 
 and after tearing it and dipping it 
 into blood, carried it to their father. 
 "See, we have found this," said they. 
 
104 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 When Jacob saw the well-known 
 coat, all torn and red with blood, he 
 thought some wild beast had killed 
 his beloved son. Weeping bitterly, 
 he cried: "My son is dead. I shall 
 weep for him till I die." After the 
 brothers saw how much their father 
 felt the loss of Joseph, they were 
 very, very sorry for what they had 
 done, but it was then too late to call 
 him back. 
 
 The merchants took Joseph to 
 Egypt. There he was sold as a slave 
 to a man who was the head cook for 
 Pharaoh, the king. As soon as this 
 cook discovered what a bright young 
 man Joseph was, he had him edu- 
 cated; he treated him better than the 
 other slaves; he also gave him charge 
 of his house. Thus, Joseph grew to 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 105 
 
 be a learned man. Once the wife of 
 this cook told him that Joseph had 
 not treated her well. 'Now this was 
 not true, but Potiphar, the cook, be- 
 lieved his wife, and put Joseph into 
 prison. 
 
 Here he fared better than the rest 
 of the prisoners. For the keeper of 
 the prison saw that Joseph was care- 
 ful about his work, and that he was 
 different from the other prisoners. 
 He was friendly with some of the 
 prisoners. One day, the king's but- 
 ler, who was also in prison, told 
 Joseph that he had had a strange 
 dream. After hearing the dream, 
 Joseph told him to be of good hope, 
 for in three days he would be released 
 from prison. In prison with them 
 was the king's baker, also. He, too, 
 
106 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 had a dream. He was anxious to tell it 
 to Joseph. After hearing it, Joseph 
 said: "I do not like to tell you bad 
 news, but your dream sturvvs that you 
 will be put to death in three days." 
 And it happened just as Joseph had 
 said; for the butler was set free from 
 prison, and the baker was hanged. 
 Joseph, however, remained in prison 
 for two years after this. 
 
 One night, Pharaoh, the king, had 
 two dreams. They seemed very 
 strange dreams. He asked all the 
 wise men in Egypt what they meant, 
 but the wise men could not tell the 
 meaning of them. Pharaoh was greatly 
 troubled. Then it was that the king's 
 butler thought of Joseph. It seems 
 that he had not thought of him since 
 he left the prison two years before. 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 107 
 
 He told Pharaoh how Joseph had 
 explained his dream in prison, and 
 how it had come to pass. The king 
 quickly sent for Joseph. 
 
 When Joseph had shaved himself, 
 and put on his best clothes, he went 
 before the king. Pharaoh said to 
 Joseph: -"I have had two dreams, 
 and not one of the wise men can tell 
 me what they mean. It is said that 
 you can tell the meaning of a dream, 
 as soon as you have heard it." 
 
 "I cannot, myself, do it," said Joseph, 
 a but God will help me, and will tell 
 me what your dreams mean." 
 
 Then the king related the first 
 dream to him. He said : " In my 
 dream, I seemed to be standing on 
 the bank of the river Mle. I was 
 watching the water, as it flowed 
 
108 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 along, when suddenly out of the 
 water came seven large, fat cows. 
 These cows began to feed peacefully 
 in the meadow. Again I saw seven 
 cows come out of the river, but these 
 were lean and ugly. I had never 
 seen cows so ugly-looking before. As 
 soon as these lean cows saw the seven 
 fine ones, they ran after them, and 
 ate them all up; and even after eat- 
 ing the other ones, the lean cows did 
 not seem to grow any fatter. This 
 was strange to me. As I was watch- 
 ing them, suddenly I awoke. Soon, I 
 slept again. 
 
 "I dreamed a second time, but this 
 time I saw seven heavy ears of grain 
 growing out of one stalk; then seven 
 lean ears came out. These were 
 blasted by the hot east wind, but they 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 109 
 
 ate up the good ears. Wonder- 
 ing, I stood looking at the strange 
 sight, when, suddenly, I awoke, and 
 found it all a dream. Now, tell 
 me, if you can," said the king, "what 
 is the meaning of these strange 
 things." 
 
 Joseph thought a moment and said: 
 "Both dreams have but one meaning, 
 Pharaoh. The fat cows and full 
 ears of grain mean seven good years. 
 The lean cows and the lean ears 
 mean seven bad years. Now this 
 is what the dreams show: there 
 are coming seven years of plenty in 
 the land of Egypt, but after that will 
 come seven dreadful years of famine, 
 when nothing can be grown. Then 
 all that has been in the land in the 
 time of plenty will be eaten up. All 
 
110 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 the land will sink under the great and 
 terrible famine. 
 
 " And now/' continued Joseph, "since 
 you have had both dreams during the 
 same night, it is certain that these 
 things will happen in this land. 
 King, seek some man to take charge 
 of the land. Let him see to it that 
 now, as the time of plenty is here, 
 part of the grain be stored away. 
 Then, when the time of famine shall 
 come, there will be enough food to 
 save the people from starvation." 
 
 Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph, 
 and thought this good advice, so he 
 asked his courtiers whom he should 
 choose to do this work. The king 
 said to Joseph: ''Since you know all 
 this, and no man seems wiser than 
 you, I will make you, next to myself, 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 111 
 
 the ruler over the land of Egypt. 
 You then shall manage this work." 
 The courtiers were greatly pleased 
 with this. The king took a ring from 
 off his finger, and gave it to Joseph. 
 He also put a gold chain around 
 Joseph's neck. He gave him clothes of 
 fine linen. Then Joseph rode through 
 the city in the royal chariot. The 
 king proclaimed to the people: "Jo- 
 seph shall be next to me in power. 
 He shall rule over the land. All men 
 shall do as he bids." 
 
 Now, at that time, there was great 
 plenty in the land, so Joseph went to 
 work at once. He built granaries, 
 and collected the grain. He went 
 about the country, telling the people 
 what to do. There were larger crops 
 raised on the farms during those years 
 
112 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 than ever before. He did not allow 
 anything to be wasted. They stored 
 away in the granaries so much wheat 
 and corn that it could not be meas- 
 ured. All the storehouses were filled. 
 
 Then came the years of famine. 
 Nothing grew on the farms. Every- 
 thing seemed dead. The crops all 
 failed, year after year. The people 
 cried for food. Then Pharaoh sent 
 them to Joseph. Joseph opened his 
 storehouses, and the land of Egypt 
 was saved. The famine spread far 
 and wide, all over the world. People 
 and animals were dying of starvation 
 everywhere. When it became known 
 throughout the world how wise Joseph 
 had been, people went to Egypt to 
 buy their food. 
 
 One day, ten strange men came to 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 113 
 
 buy corn from Joseph. Joseph looked 
 at them and drew back surprised, for 
 who do you think they were ? JSTone 
 other than his own brothers, who had 
 sold him into Egypt ! The men, how- 
 ever, did not recognize their long-lost 
 brother. They bowed down before 
 him. 
 
 "From whence do you come?" 
 roughly asked Joseph. "We have 
 come from Hebron to buy food, as 
 there is a famine in our country," they 
 answered. "No," said Joseph, "you 
 are spies ; you have come to find out 
 about our land, and then you will gd 
 back and tell about it to your people." 
 The men were much frightened. 
 "Surely, we have come only for food," 
 they said. "We are all sons of one 
 father." "Where is your father?" 
 
114 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Joseph then asked. a He is at home, 
 and our youngest brother is with him/' 
 they replied. "We had another 
 brother, but he is no longer living.' 7 
 
 Then Joseph acted as though he 
 were very angry. "You must prove 
 to me that you are not spies. Send 
 one of your brothers home, to bring 
 back your youngest brother. The rest 
 of you will be put into prison. Thus, 
 I shall find out if what you say is true." 
 
 The men were put into prison. 
 After three days Joseph said to them : 
 " Gro home, now, with your provisions, 
 but leave one brother here with me. 
 Then bring back your youngest brother, 
 when you come again." The brothers 
 talked among themselves, saying that 
 they were now being punished for 
 their treatment of Joseph, years 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 115 
 
 before. When Joseph heard them, 
 he felt so sad that he went out of the 
 room, to weep alond. After this, he 
 kept Simeon, one o the brothers, and 
 sent the rest to their home. He filled 
 his brothers' sacks with provisions. 
 
 On their way home, the men stopped 
 to feed their donkeys. On opening 
 his sack, one of the brothers cried: 
 " See what I have found ! " And look- 
 ing into the sack, what did they see ? 
 There was the money which he had 
 paid for the grain. They were all 
 badly frightened, and hurried home 
 to tell their father about it, and when 
 each man, on opening his sack, found his 
 money, they were even more troubled. 
 
 They then told Jacob what the 
 Egyptian ruler had asked of them. 
 When he heard that they were to take 
 
116 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 Benjamin, the youngest brother, to 
 Egypt with them, he cried: "Joseph 
 is gone; Simeon is gone; and now 
 you would take my youngest son 
 away. All things seem to go wrong 
 with me." Reuben, the eldest son, 
 said to his father: "You may kill my 
 two sons, if we do not bring Benjamin 
 back to you. Trust him to me ; I will 
 take care of him." But Jacob would 
 not let his youngest son go, for he felt 
 that he could not live without Benjamin. 
 After a time, the famine grew worse. 
 Jacob's family was again in need of 
 food. The grain was all used up. 
 Jacob told his sons to go ta Egypt for 
 more food. They would not go with- 
 out Benjamin. Jacob was much 
 troubled. He said : " Why did you tell 
 the man you had another brother?' 7 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 117 
 
 Judah, another of the sons, answered : 
 "You may do with me as you like, if 
 we do not bring Benjamin back to 
 you. Only let us go, for we shall 
 soon starve, unless we have more 
 food." 
 
 So Jacob, at last, when he found 
 nothing else could be done, allowed 
 Benjamin to go with the rest. He 
 told them to take back the money 
 found in the sacks. He also sent 
 presents to Joseph. 
 
 Once again they stood before 
 Joseph. When he saw them with 
 Benjamin among them, he told his 
 steward to take them to the palace to 
 get all ready for the meal which they 
 were to take with him. On the way 
 to the palace they told the steward 
 about the money they had brought 
 
118 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 back to Egypt. The man said he 
 knew nothing about the money in 
 the sacks. When they went into the 
 palace, their brother Simeon, who had 
 been kept in prison, met them. The 
 slaves washed their feet and fed their 
 beasts. The men spread out their 
 gifts, and happily waited for the 
 ruler. 
 
 As Joseph came in he took their 
 gifts, and said: "How is your father? 
 Is he still alive ?" They bowed to 
 the ground, as they replied: "He 
 still lives." Joseph looked at Ben- 
 jamin and said: "Is this your young- 
 est brother? Grod bless you, my 
 
 son.' 
 
 Joseph ordered the meal to be 
 served. The brothers sat together 
 at one table. Joseph sat at another 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 119 
 
 one. In those days an Egyptian 
 could not sit at the same table with 
 people of another country. The 
 brothers thought it very strange, 
 when they went to the table, to be 
 placed according to their ages. Thus, 
 they feasted, and rested for the night. 
 
 The next morning they were very 
 happy, as they started homeward with 
 their sacks full of corn. They had 
 not gone far, when a band of horse- 
 men overtook them. "You have stolen 
 a silver cup from the ruler," called 
 one of them. 
 
 "Let him in whose sack the cup 
 may be found be made a slave," said 
 the brothers; so the sacks were opened 
 and searched. There again the 
 money was found, as before, and after 
 searching all the other sacks they 
 
120 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 at last came to that of the youngest 
 brother, and here what did they find? 
 The brothers could scarcely be- 
 lieve their eyes, as they saw the cup 
 taken from the sack of Benjamin. 
 They were almost struck dumb. 
 
 Now Joseph had ordered the 
 money, which they had paid for the 
 corn, to be put into their sacks. He 
 also had had his own silver cup put 
 into the bag where it was afterward 
 found, but the brothers did not know 
 this. So their sacks were again 
 placed upon their beasts, and to- 
 gether all the brothers returned to 
 the city. Once more they stood be- 
 fore Joseph. They were so worried 
 that they did not know what to do. 
 
 "What have you done?" said 
 Joseph. "Did you not know that I 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 121 
 
 should soon discover any wrong you 
 might do ?" Then Judah, the brother 
 who had promised Jacob that he 
 would care for Benjamin, spoke to 
 Joseph. "The cup has been found 
 in the sack of our youngest brother. 
 Take me as a slave, in his place, for I 
 cannot go home to my aged father 
 without him. I could not bear to see 
 my father so. He will die if Ben- 
 jamin does not return to him, for he 
 alone remains to cheer my father, 
 since our other brother was taken 
 away. So, I beg of you, let me stay, but 
 let Benjamin go back to our father. 7 ' 
 When Joseph heard his brother 
 speak in this way, he could keep 
 silent no longer. After his officers 
 had gone from the room he wept 
 aloud, and cried: "I am Joseph, your 
 
122 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 brother. Is my father still alive V 
 His brothers could not answer him, 
 they were so amazed. Joseph put 
 his arms around the neck of Ben- 
 jamin. "Do not fear for what you 
 did to me," he said. "It was God 
 who sent me to Egypt. I was sent 
 here to save my father's family in this 
 great famine. So let us be happy 
 and thankful that these things have 
 happened in this way." 
 
 His brothers kissed Joseph, and all 
 of them wept together. "Go back 
 and tell our father all about me," 
 said Joseph. "Tell him I am ruler 
 of this land. Bid him come with you 
 and your families to live here in 
 Egypt." 
 
 When Pharaoh, the king, heard of 
 the happy meeting between the bro- 
 
THE STORY OF JOSEPH 123 
 
 thers, he also bade them welcome to 
 his country. He sent chariots and 
 provisions to Jacob. Joseph gave 
 new clothes to all his brothers, and to 
 Benjamin he gave five suits of clothes 
 and three hundred pieces of silver. 
 
 They set out for their homes, and 
 Joseph went with them part of the 
 way. Upon reaching their father's 
 home, they said to him: "Joseph is 
 still alive." Jacob did not believe 
 them, but when he saw the wagons 
 and chariots, which the king had sent 
 to take them to Egypt, he knew the 
 good news was true. Jacob said: 
 "I shall see Joseph before I die." 
 
 All was made ready, and Jacob and 
 his sons and their families departed 
 from their homes. Joseph met them 
 and gave them the best land in Egypt 
 
124 THE ANCIENT HEBKEWS 
 
 to live in. The king also met them, 
 and bade them welcome to his country, 
 
 so here the " Children of Israel" found 
 
 \ 
 
 new homes. They dwelt in the land 
 for four hundred years, until Moses 
 was sent to lead them out. 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 
 
 , as David watched his flocks, 
 there were very grave dangers to 
 f ace, for there were many wild animals 
 about. It is told how at one time a 
 lion attacked his sheep, and he, with 
 his own hands, killed the lion and 
 saved a lamb which the lion had seized. 
 At another time he killed a bear. So, 
 by leading this kind of a life, facing 
 such dangers, he became a strong, 
 brave man. He also learned, by liv- 
 ing in the open air, under the blue 
 sky, alone with nature, to see the 
 beauty in the world about him. He 
 grew to love the earth as Glod had 
 made it, and looked to Him as the 
 Griver of all blessings. 
 
 (125) 
 
126 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 When David was a young man, the 
 Hebrews were at war with the Philis- 
 tines. One day he was sent with 
 bread and parched corn for his bro- 
 thers, who were in the army. He 
 took, also, ten pieces of cheese, as a 
 present for their captain. In those 
 days it was the custom for each 
 soldier to provide for himself. And 
 Jesse thought, since his sons had been 
 away with the army so long, that they 
 would be in need of food. A servant 
 went with David, and they had a 
 wagon and donkey to carry the pro- 
 visions. David was glad to be sent 
 on such an errand. 
 
 The army was encamped not many 
 miles from Bethlehem. When David 
 reached the battlefield, he hurried to 
 the front. Here he saw the soldiers 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 127 
 
 with their arms. They carried clubs, 
 slings, and bows and arrrows. Not 
 one of them, except the king and 
 his son, carried a sword. Although 
 still young, David longed to be of 
 service to his country. He found 
 that the Hebrew army was in great 
 trouble. They dared not advance 
 against the Philistines, on account of 
 a mighty giant among them, who 
 threatened the Hebrews. 
 
 This giant, Goliath, was ten feet 
 tall. For more than forty days he 
 had come out and dared the Hebrews 
 to choose a man to fight with him. 
 And no man among them was brave 
 enough to face this terrible giant. 
 But when David heard his taunting cry, 
 he walked up to King Saul and said : 
 "I will meet this giant face to face." 
 
128 
 
 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 When Saul looked at him, so 
 young, and with no weapons, he was 
 much surprised. "You are not able 
 to do this," he said, "you are but a 
 
 HELMET, BREASTPLATE, AND BOW AND ARROW 
 
 lad." But when David told him of 
 the life he had led, how he had killed 
 wild animals, and how he believed he 
 would win by his strength in God, 
 the king gave his consent. 
 
 King Saul gave David his own 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 129 
 
 armor and weapons. As David put 
 them. on, he found they were so heavy 
 that he could not walk. He threw 
 them oft', and, unarmed, went to meet 
 the giant. He picked up five smooth 
 stones out of the brook, as he went, 
 and put them into his shepherd's 
 pouch. 
 
 Now see him this bright-faced 
 youth, in his simple white shepherd's 
 dress, his staff in hand, and no 
 weapons but his sling. See the great 
 giant as David faces him. 
 
 On his head Goliath wore a bronze 
 helmet, which covered his head, but 
 left his face bare. On his body he 
 wore a coat of mail, made of small 
 plates of copper. They were fastened 
 on cloth or leather, and overlapped 
 one another. This coat of mail is 
 
130 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 said to have weighed two hundred 
 pounds. His legs were protected, 
 from the knees to the ankles, by a 
 copper covering called greaves. They 
 were fastened by clasps around the 
 ankles. He carried a spear with a 
 handle of wood. The head of this 
 spear was made of iron. It weighed 
 eighteen pounds. At his side hung 
 his sword, and over his shoulders 
 was swung his javelin. Besides all 
 this he had a shield, which was large 
 enough to protect his whole body. It 
 was made of hide, and stretched on a 
 wooden frame made of metal. This 
 
 was carried bv another man. his 
 
 / 
 
 shield-bearer. 
 
 Think of this terrible sight to look 
 upon, and then think of this young 
 boy daring to approach him ! What 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 131 
 
 a great difference there was between 
 them- -the one so large in body, and 
 protected in every way ; the other so 
 strong in heart, but with no outward 
 protection but his old friend the sling. 
 
 Groliath was very angry when he 
 saw David wished to fight with him. 
 ".Come near/' he cried, "and I will 
 give your flesh to the wild beasts." 
 "No/' said David, "for I shall give your 
 flesh to the wild beasts. You come 
 armed, but I come in the name of the 
 Lord." 
 
 Then David, whirling his sling 
 around his head, threw the stone. 
 The stone struck the great Groliath in 
 the forehead; it sank to the bone, and 
 the giant fell to the ground. Now 
 David quickly ran up, and, seizing 
 the giant's sword, cut off his head. 
 
132 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 When the giant fell the Philistines 
 fled. The Hebrew army pursued them, 
 and gained a great victory. David 
 was then brought before the king. 
 
 King Saul asked : Who art thou?" 
 "I am the son of Jesse, of Bethle- 
 hem/' said David. The king would 
 not allow him to return home that day. 
 
 When David, with the king, re- 
 turned home from the battlefield, he 
 took with him what he had taken from 
 the giant. And from all the cities 
 the women came out to meet the 
 victors, they were so happy to see 
 the army returning home again. They 
 danced and sang a song of victory, as 
 they beat their tambourines and 
 struck their triangles, just as Miriam 
 had done, so many years before, be- 
 side the Red Sea. 
 
DAVID AND JONATHAN 
 
 I HAVE told you that David, after 
 killing the giant Goliath, was taken 
 to King Saul. Now Saul had with 
 him his son, who was called Jonathan. 
 Jonathan was himself a brave soldier, 
 and he admired David so much for 
 his great deed that they at once be- 
 came the best of friends. 
 
 " Jonathan loved David as his own 
 soul." Jonathan took off his princely 
 robe and gave it to David. He also 
 gave him his sword, girdle and bow. 
 This was the greatest honor one man 
 could show to another. He did this 
 so that every one should know how 
 much he loved David. 
 
 (133) 
 
DAVID AND JONATHAN 
 
 134 
 
DAVID AND JONATHAN 135 
 
 Now Saul would not allow David 
 to go home to his father's house. 
 Wherever Saul went, there also was 
 David. Saul placed him in command 
 of the soldier s, and everywhere David 
 was victorious. 
 
 It is said that when the king was 
 worried or angry, the beautiful 
 strains from David's harp at once 
 soothed and quieted him. 
 
 The longer David was with the 
 king, the stronger grew the love be- 
 tween David and Jonathan. When 
 David became well known and be- 
 loved by all Israel, Saul grew jealous. 
 Saul told Jonathan that he meant to 
 kill David. Jonathan, because of his 
 love for David, told him what his 
 father wished to do. "Gk), David," 
 said he, "and hide thyself. I will go 
 
136 THE ANCIENT HEBREWS 
 
 and talk to the king, my father.' 7 
 Then Jonathan spoke to Saul about 
 the goodness of David. He reminded 
 him of how he had killed Goliath, and 
 had done so much for the people. 
 Saul listened to these words, and said: 
 "David shall not be slain." Then 
 Jonathan brought David to Saul, and 
 he lived with them as before. 
 
 Thus Jonathan, by saving the life 
 of David, showed how great was his 
 love for him. They loved each other 
 so much that even now, when people 
 speak of the great love that any two 
 friends have for each other, they com- 
 pare it with the love of David and 
 Jonathan. 
 
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