prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar
of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth
toward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of
Israel with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath
given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised:
there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he
promised by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was
with our fathers: let him not leave us nor forsake us: that he may
incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and keep his
{478} commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he
commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made
supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and
night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his
people Israel, as every day shall require: that all the peoples of the
earth may know that the Lord, he is God; there is none else. Let your
heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his
statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day."
And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the
Lord. And Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which
he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred
and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel
dedicated the house of the Lord.
A ROYAL PILGRIMAGE.
_The Visit of the Queen of Sheba_.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning
the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And
she came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore
spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come
to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And
Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from
the king which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen
all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the
meat of his table and the seating of his servants, and the attendance
of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his
ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no
more spirit in her.
{479}{480}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, FROM THE CITADEL, LOOKING TOWARD THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
From a picture in the possession of the Forbes Library and used by
kind permission.
This view reverses the position of the spectator in the previous
picture Looking from the citadel, the slope of the Mount of Olives
rises in the east.
[End illustration]
{481}
And she said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in mine
own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the
words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half
was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I
heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord
thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel:
because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king,
to do judgment and justice."
And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of
spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such
abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King
Solomon.
And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever
she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So
she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
THE GREATNESS OF SOLOMON'S EMPIRE.
_Gold and Ivory Brought by Ship and Caravan_.
(For forty years Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, and during nearly all
this time the land was peaceful and prosperous. The empire of Solomon
was greater in extent than the territory {482} ruled over by any king
which came after him. At last the great king died and was buried in
Jerusalem, the city which his father had made the capital.)
And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside
Elath, at the head of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent
in the navy his servants, sailors that had knowledge of the sea, with
the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from
thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King
Solomon.
And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in
from Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones. And the
king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and
for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for the singers: there
came no such almug trees, nor were seen, unto this day.
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six
hundred threescore and six talents of gold, beside that which the
traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the
kings of the mingled people, and of the governors of the country. And
King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold: six hundred
shekels of gold went to one buckler. And he made three hundred shields
of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield: and the king
put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with
the finest gold. There were six steps to the throne, and the top of
the throne was round behind: {483} and there were arms on either side
of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. And twelve lions
stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there
was not the like made in any kingdom. And all King Solomon's drinking
vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest
of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing
accounted of in the days of Solomon.
For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram:
once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and
silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in
wisdom. And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his
wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his
present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and
armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a
thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen,
which he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at
Jerusalem. And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and
cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland,
for abundance.
{484}
{485}
NOTES
{486}
{487}
NOTES.
ABRAHAM. HIS JOURNEYS.
_Ur of the Chaldees_ was an ancient city on the great plain of
Babylon.
_Haran_. A city lying far to the north of Ur, northeast of Palestine,
on the road from the east to the Mediterranean coast.
_Canaan, Palestine, the Land of Israel_, are all names which have been
used at different times for the same country. Canaan is the oldest
Biblical name. It means "the lowlands" near the Mediterranean, but was
used for the whole country.
_Shechem_. A city in the middle of Canaan, in a valley between two
mountains, Ebal and Gerizim.
_Oak of Mamre_. The name suggests an oak that was connected with a
sacred place. Its exact site is not known, but it must be somewhere
near Hebron.
_Beth-el_ was a sacred place, in later times very important. It is on
the great road north and south, about twelve miles north of Jerusalem.
_Ai_ was about two miles east, in the head of a valley which falls
rapidly toward the Jordan.
_The South_ was used as the name of the country to the south of
Canaan, as we use "the South" and "the West" to mean sections of our
own country.
DIVISION OF THE LAND.
_Plain of the Jordan_. The river Jordan runs through a deep valley,
which broadens out in its southern part into a plain. It was warm, rich
and fertile. Here were situated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
_Zoar_. One of the cities of the Plain of the Jordan, perhaps on higher
ground than the others.
{488}
_Hebron_, near which the oaks of Mamre were, lies about twenty miles
south of Jerusalem. It was from very early time regarded as a sacred
city. It is still a town of considerable size.
THE FIGHT OF THE FIVE KINGS.
_The five kings_ were from Babylonia and the mountain country of Elam
beyond Babylonia. As the story stands, the king of Elam had conquered
Babylonia and the land of Canaan. After a time, part of the land of
Canaan revolted, and he came, with his Babylonian allies, to punish
the rebellious Canaanites.
_Slime pits_. Pits of bitumen, a black, sometimes sticky mineral,
which is found in the valley of Jordan.
_Dan_. A town in the north of Palestine. The story makes Abraham's
chase of the kings extend all the length of the land afterwards held
by the Hebrews.
_Hobah_. A town north of Damascus, not mentioned elsewhere in the
Bible.
_Damascus_. A very old city, northeast of Palestine. It is situated in
a beautiful spot, watered by two rivers, and has been the starting
point of caravans for the east, west, and south since long before the
days of Abraham.
_Melchizedek_. King of Salem. Salem was probably Jerusalem.
Melchizedek was, like many other ancient kings, also the chief priest
of his city. As such, it was right that he should bless the returning
chief in war.
A COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND ABRAHAM.
_Euphrates_. The greatest river of western Asia. It rises in the
mountains of Armenia and flows to the Persian gulf. The Bible often
calls it simply "the Great River."
_Beer-sheba_. The farthest town to the south in Palestine. "From Dan
to Beer-sheba" was used to mean all the land from the north to the
south.
{489}{490}
[Illustration]
EN ROGEL, FROM THE SOUTH
From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell
and used by his kind permission.
A nearer view of the famous old well outside the walls of Jerusalem.
[End illustration]
{491}
_Wilderness of Paran_. The half desert country lying south
of Palestine.
TESTING OF ABRAHAM.
_Land of Moriah_. An unknown region. The Jews later supposed that
Isaac was sacrificed on the hill at Jerusalem on which Solomon built
the temple, but the Bible itself does not affirm it.
_Sacrifices_ were offered on bare rocks or on altars built of stone or
earth. At first they were a way of expressing fellowship with God. The
people ate part of an offering, and the rest of it was burnt, to
symbolize that it was God's share. Later the offering was something
given to God. This last is the idea in the story of the sacrifice of
Isaac.
DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH.
_Hittites_ and _children of Heth_ mean the Hittites, one of the tribes
of peoples in Palestine before the arrival of the Hebrews. There was a
great Hittite empire north of Palestine.
_Shekel_. An amount of money; in early times not a coin but a weight
of money. In this story Abraham "weighed" the silver.
ISAAC AND REBEKAH.
_Mesopotamia_ means "between the rivers," the wide land far east between
the Euphrates and the Tigris.
_Cave of Machpelah_. In early times caves were often used as burial
places. The present inhabitants of Hebron believe the cave of Machpelah
is under a building in their city.
JACOB.
_Pottage._ A sort of stew of lentils, a vegetable like beans.
_Birthright_. In many parts of the world, the oldest child has, by his
birth, the right of becoming the head of the family {492} at the death
of his father, with sometimes other rights and responsibilities.
_Paddan-aram_ or _Padan-aram_. "The country of Syria," lying northeast
of Palestine, between Damascus and the river Euphrates.
_Pillars of stone_. Standing stones and heaps of stones were often set
up at places held sacred. Oil was poured on such stones as an offering
to God, or to express the idea that the places were holy. Such sacred
places are found in almost all lands, and were very common in
Palestine. The stones are still sometimes found standing.
_Jegar-sahadutha_ and _Galeed_ both mean "heap of witness," one in the
language of Canaan, the other in that of Mesopotamia.
_Jabbok_. A stream flowing into the Jordan from the east.
_Peniel_. "Face of God." Sometimes spelled Penuel.
_Seir_. A section of country southeast of Palestine. It is high and
rocky, sometimes called Mt. Seir.
_Succoth_, "booths." Its site is not known.
_Allon-bacuth_, "the oak of weeping"
JOSEPH.
_Dothan_. About ten miles north of Samaria. A story about Elisha is
also located at Dothan. _Tales of Old Judea, 148_.
_Caravan_. A train of camels or horses. In the East people traveled
together in caravans for protection against robbers.
_Egypt_. A land where civilization is very ancient. All through the
Old Testament times it was a powerful kingdom. Its king was called, in
the early stories of the Bible, the Pharaoh.
_Divining cup_. The custom of divining, that is, discovering hidden
secrets by magic, was widespread in the ancient world. Sometimes cups
of sacred water were used, and a special cup might be thought to have
special value for divination.
{493}
_Goshen_. A section in the northeast of Egypt, next to the Isthmus of
Suez.
_Rameses_. A city in the land of Goshen. "The land of Rameses" is the
country about this city.
_Embalming_ was a custom in Egypt. These people thought that their
life in the next world depended on keeping the body from decay; so
they filled the body with certain chemicals which kept it from the
natural decay. The preserved body is called a mummy.
JOSHUA.
_Shittim_. A place on the east of the Jordan. The site is not known.
_Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon_ are all in the
southern part of Palestine, in what was later the kingdom of Judah.
_Book of Jashar_. A collection of poems of ancient heroes, from which
also the beautiful lament of David over Saul is taken. _Hero Tales,
426_.
THE JUDGES.
_Hill country of Ephraim_. The mountain ridge in the central part of
Palestine, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.
_Summer room_. A room built on the flat top of a house, to get the
cool breezes in the hot summer days.
_Philistines_. A people who, like the Hebrews, migrated into the land
of the Canaanites. They occupied the land along the coast of the
Mediterranean. For a long time they were stronger in war than the
Hebrews, and ruled over them. This name "Palestine" comes from
"Philistine."
_Beating out wheat in the wine press_. Ordinarily in the East, wheat
is threshed by being trodden out with oxen on a bare, hard piece of
ground. It is usually in a prominent place, to get the wind for
winnowing, and so could be easily seen by the {494} enemy. The wine
press furnished a small, flat place where the little wheat they had
could be threshed in secret.
_Angel of the Lord_. Any messenger from God, sometimes thought of in
early times as being God himself in the form of a man.
_Ophrah_. A place in northern central Palestine, site not known.
_Baal and Asherah_. The Baals were the gods of the Canaanites. Each
locality had its Baal (Lord), with an altar and a stone pillar, on
some prominent place (the "high places" of the Bible). The asherah was
a sacred tree or post standing near the stone pillar.
_Jezreel_. A beautifully situated town in northern central Palestine.
_Pitchers_. Jars in which were hidden torches. When the jars were
broken with a crash, the torches suddenly flamed out in the darkness,
and the noise and the unexpected light made a panic in the Midianite
army.
SAUL.
_Mizpah_. A town on the east of Jordan. Probably the same place that
is mentioned in the story of Jacob.
_Ramah_, "hill." A common name of places in Palestine.
_Vial_. A vessel in which was carried a sacred oil. A common way to
honor a guest was to pour a little oil on his head. Kings and priests
were set apart for their office by anointing with oil.
_Jabesh_. A city east of the Jordan. The people of the city did not
forget the good deed of Saul. Many years later, when Saul was defeated
and killed, brave men from this city traveled all night, took his body
from the battlefield, and gave it an honorable funeral at Jabesh.
{495}{496}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, FROM THE NORTHEAST
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The view is taken from Mount Scopus, the northward extension of the
Mount of Olives. The valley between is the head of the Kidron.
This fine picture gives a distinct view of the modern city with its
walls and towers, and the valley which lies between.
[End illustration]
{497}
_Ammonites_. A people who lived on the east of the Jordan, with whom
the Hebrews had made war.
_Michmash_. A small town about seven miles north of Jerusalem, on the
edge of a deep ravine going down toward the Jordan.
_Eating with the blood_. The blood was not eaten by the Hebrews. They
thought of it as the seat of life, and, since life belonged to God,
man ought not to eat it.
_Familiar Spirit_. "Familiar" is here connected with "family,"
household. It means a spirit which is ready to serve one, like one of
his servants. The woman with a "familiar spirit" was a "medium," who
was supposed to be able to summon spirits.
DAVID.
_Cubit_. See Weights and Measures. Span. The half of a cubit, about
nine inches.
_Gath_. A Philistine city on the plain west of the hills of Judaea.
_Armor_. The helmet of brass was not uncommon. The "coat of mail" was
a close-fitting cloak, covered with brass scales, so as to allow free
movement. The greaves were coverings for the shins and the knees. The
armor of the Bible times was much simpler than that in Europe in the
middle ages.
SOLOMON.
_Tyre_. A city on the coast of the Mediterranean, north of Palestine,
for a long time the center of much commerce between Egypt, Asia,
Greece, and the lands farther west. Its inhabitants were Phoenicians.
_Zidon_, like Tyre, a Phoenician coast city, rich and commercial.
{498}
_Sheba_. A land in southern Arabia, which got wealth by trading
between Egypt and the countries on the Mediterranean, and the distant
south and east.
_Ophir_. A land about which there have been many opinions. Some have
thought it in East Africa, some in the far east--India or the Malay
Peninsula,--some in Southeast Arabia. Perhaps the last opinion is as
probable as any.
_Almug_. A wood evidently valued for its rarity and beauty. What the
wood was is not known, nor where it came from.
_Ezion-Geber_. A town at the head of the Eastern gulf, now called the
Gulf of Akabah, of the Red Sea. In ancient times it was a port of
commerce, but now there is no trade anywhere on this gulf.
_Red Sea_. Between Egypt and Arabia. In the time of Solomon there was
commerce on it with Southern Arabia, Eastern Africa, and perhaps with
'Countries still farther away. Part of Solomon's wealth came from his
share in this commerce.
{499}
TABLE OF MEASURES.
Palm Span Cubit Value in Inches
Palm. 1 3
Span. 3 1 9
Cubit 6 2 1 18
WEIGHTS.
_A shekel_. The English equivalent of this weight is not known. It
varied at different times in the history of Israel. According to our
estimate a shekel was about 0.3 of an avoirdupois ounce. Probably the
earliest standard of weight was a grain of wheat and the early
Babylonian shekel was equal to 180 grains of wheat. According to this
estimate the weight of Goliath's coat of brass was about 90 pounds and
the weight of his spearhead about 10 pounds.
_A mina_. A weight equal to 60 shekels.
_A talent_. A weight equal to 60 minas.
{500}
{501}
MEMORY VERSES
{502}
{503}
MEMORY VERSES.
_One for Each Week of the Year_.
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art
God.--_Psalms 90:1,2_.
If God be for us, who can be against us?--_Romans 8:31_.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.--_Ephesians
6:13_.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto
thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many
witnesses.--_I Timothy 6:12_.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors; and the King of glory shall come in.--_Psalms 24:7_.
The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles
be glad thereof.--_Psalms 97:1_.
The Lord is my strength and my shield.--_Psalms 28:7_.
Only be thou strong and very courageous.--_Joshua 1:7_.
The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation; he is
my God, and I will prepare him an {504} habitation; my father's God,
and I will exalt him.--_Exodus 15:2_.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.--_Philippians 3:13,14_.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.--_Ephesians 6:10_.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me."--_Matthew
16:24_.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth
the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.--_I Corinthians 9:24_.
He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his life
for my sake, shall find it.--_Matthew 10:39_.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--_Romans
8:18_.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.--_Romans
13:12_.
He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with
me scattereth.--_Luke 11:23_.
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of God we will setup
our banners.--_Psalms 20:5_.
{505}
His banner over me was love.--_Song of Solomon 2:4_.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all
things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an
incorruptible.--_I Corinthians 9:25_.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.--_I
Corinthians 16:13_.
Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.--_Matthew
20:27_.
For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
--_I Corinthians 4:20_.
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord
glory and strength.--_I Chronicles 16:28_.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.
--_II Samuel 22:2_.
I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in
him will I trust.--_Psalms 91:2_.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that
beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection.--_I Corinthians 9:26, 27_.
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
--_Hebrews 11:33,34_.
{506}
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ.--_II Timothy 2:3_.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of
life.--_Revelations 2:10_.
Walk worthily of God, who calleth you unto his kingdom and glory.
--_I Thessalonians 2:12_.
Hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is
faithful that promised.--_Hebrews 10:23_.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil.--_Ephesians 6:11_.
I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.
--_Philippians 4:13_.
Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find
watching.--_Luke 12:37_.
Take ye heed, watch and pray.--_Mark 13:33_.
He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of
me.--_Matthew 10:38_.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous
things. And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole
earth be filled with his glory.--_Psalms 72:18,19_.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth
his spirit than he that taketh a city.--_Proverbs 16:32_.
Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, {507} and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us.--_Hebrews 12:1_.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let men say
among the nations, the Lord reigneth.--_I Chronicles 16:31_.
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the
earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles,
and the inhabitants thereof.--_Isaiah 42:10_.
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift
them up for ever.--_Psalms 28:9_.
Give us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man.
--_Psalms 60:11_.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
--_John 8:32_.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.--_Galatians
5:1_.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their
strength in the time of trouble.--_Psalms 37:39_.
The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
--_Psalms 118:14_.
He giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength.--_Isaiah 40:29_.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or {508} nakedness, or sword?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us.--_Romans 8:35,37_.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.--_Luke 12:32_.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith.--_II Timothy 4:7_.
[End of "VOLUME TWO: HERO TALES"]
----------------------------------------------------
[Start of "VOLUME THREE: TALES OF OLD JUDAEA"]
{1}
{2}
{3}
THE BIBLE STORY
{4}
{5}
{6}
[Illustration]
BUILDING THE ARK
"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall thou make in the ark
and shall cover it within and without with pitch. And this is how
thou shalt make it; the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the
breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits."
[End illustration]
{7}
THE BIBLE STORY
VOLUME THREE
TALES OF OLD JUDAEA
ARRANGED AND EDITED BY
REV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.
MINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
AND
REV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF
BIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION
AT SMITH COLLEGE
_Authors of "The Early Days of Israel" "Advanced Bible Studies" Etc_.
THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY
SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
CHICAGO CLEVELAND
{8}
COPYRIGHT, 1906,
COPYRIGHT, 1917,
BY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
{9}
PREFACE
This volume contains stories from the Old Testament, not included in
the previous volume of this series, "Hero Tales from the Old
Testament." It tells of brave women and strong men, of marvelous
adventures and escapes, of gallant struggles for liberty, of good and
bad kings, of national deliverance and captivity. Some of these
stories are given in the form of great symbolic poems and stories like
the "Pilgrim's Progress," conveying some great truth by means of
poetic imagery, others are the literal recital of historic facts. All
are full of the deepest interest and are of profound moral value.
{10}
{11}
CONTENTS
TALES OF THE FAR-OFF DAYS. 13
The Story of Creation. 15
A Story of Disobedience and Its Consequences. 19
The Story of the First Murder. 22
The Story of the Flood. 24
The Story of the Tower of Babel. 32
TALES OF BRAVE WOMEN. 33
Ruth. 35
Deborah. 51
Esther. 60
Judith. 80
TALES OF ELIJAH AND ELISHA. 109
TALES OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE. 163
Jonah. 165
Samson. 172
Daniel. 183
Nehemiah. 212
THE STORY OF A DIVIDED KINGDOM. 235
_The Kingdom of the South_. 237
1 Rehoboam. 237
2 Abijah. 242
3 Asa. 247
4 Jehoshaphat. 255
5 Jehoram. 266
6 Ahaziah. 269
7 Athaliah. 271
8 Joash. 277 {12}
9 Amaziah. 281
10 Uzziah. 287
11 Jotham. 292
12 Ahaz. 293
13 Hezekiah. 299
14 Manasseh. 317
15 Amon. 322
16 Josiah. 323
17 Jehoahaz. 332
18 Jehoiakim. 335
19 Jehoiachin. 346
20 Zedekiah. 348
The Kingdom of the North 353
1 Jeroboam. 353
2 Nadab. 367
3 Baasha. 368
4 Elah. 370
5 Zimri. 373
6 Omri. 374
7 Ahab. 377
8 Ahaziah. 382
9 Joram. 387
10 Jehu. 395
11 Jehoahaz. 399
12 Joash. 400
13 Jeroboam II. 401
14 Zechariah 402
15 Shallum. 403
16 Menahem. 404
17 Pekahiah. 407
18 Pekah. 408
19 Hoshea. 411
TALES OF THE MACCABEES. 415
NOTES. 485
MEMORY VERSES 499
{13}
TALES OF THE FAR-OFF DAYS
{14}
[Illustration]
Map of Palestine in Old Testament times.
[End illustration]
{15}
THE STORY OF THE CREATION.
"_In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth_."
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth
was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep:
and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said,
"Let there be light": and there was light. And God saw the light that
it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God
called the light "Day," and the darkness he called "Night." And there
was evening and there was morning, one day.
And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters." And God made the
firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from
the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God
called the firmament "Heaven." And there was evening and there was
morning, a second day.
And God said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together
unto one place, and let the dry land appear": and it was so.
And God called the dry land "Earth"; and the gathering together of the
waters called he "Seas": and God saw that it was good. And God said,
"Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree
bearing fruit after {16} its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon
the earth": and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind,
and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind:
and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was
morning, a third day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days and years: and let them be for lights in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:" and it was so.
And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And
God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the
earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the
light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And there was
evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures,
and let the birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of
heaven."
And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that
moveth, with which the waters swarmed, after their kinds, and every
winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good. And God
blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters
in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was
evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living {17} creatures after
their kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after
their kind": and it was so.
And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle
after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after
its kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth."
And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them: and God
said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the
earth."
And God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which
is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: and
to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to
everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have
given every green herb for food:" and it was so.
And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God finished {18} his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: because that in it
he rested from all his work which he had created and made.
{19}
A STORY OF DISOBEDIENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
_How Adam and Eve Lost Eden_.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the
Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Yea, hath God said, 'Ye
shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"
And the woman said unto the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the
garden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God hath said, 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die.'"
And the serpent said to the woman, "Ye shall not surely die: for God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil."
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make
one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and ate; and she gave also
unto her husband with her, and he ate. And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the
Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and
his wife {20} hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst
the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to the man, and said
unto him, "Where art thou?"
And he said, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and 1 was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself."
And he said, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?"
And the man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I did eat."
And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this thou hast done?"
And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, "Because thou hast done this,
cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of
thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel."
And to Adam he said, "Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying,
'Thou shalt not eat of it': cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of
the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return to the ground; for out of it wast thou {21} taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Then the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the
ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame
of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life.
{22}
THE STORY OF THE FIRST MURDER.
"_Am I My Brother's Keeper?_"
(After Adam and Eve were driven from the garden of Eden, two sons were
born to them. They named these sons Cain and Abel.)
And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the
ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had
respect to Abel and to his offering: but to Cain and to his offering
he had not respect. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
And the Lord said to Cain, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
and if thou doest not well, sin croucheth at the door: and to thee
shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said to Cain,
"Where is Abel thy brother?"
And he said, "I know not: am I my brother's keeper?"
And he said, "What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood
crieth unto me from the ground. And now cursed art thou from the
ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood
from thy hand; {23} when thou tillest the ground, it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a wanderer
shalt thou be in the earth."
And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground;
and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a
wanderer in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever
findeth me will slay me."
And the Lord said to him, "Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance
shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign for
Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.
{24}
THE STORY OF THE FLOOD.
_How the First Ship, "The Ark," Weathered the Storm_.
THE WICKEDNESS OF THE WORLD.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. And the Lord repented that he had made man on the earth,
and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, "I will destroy
man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and
beast, and creeping thing, and birds of the air; for I repent that I
have made them."
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
THE BUILDING OF "THE ARK."
Noah was a righteous man, and Noah walked with God. And Noah had three
sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God,
and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and,
behold, it was corrupt; for all life had corrupted itself upon the
earth.
And God said to Noah, "The end of all life is come before me; for the
earth is filled with violence; and, behold, I will destroy life on the
earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the
ark, and shalt {25} pitch it within and without with pitch. And this
is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits,
the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A
roof shalt thou make to the ark; and the door of the ark shalt thou
set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt
thou make it. And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the
earth, to destroy all life from under heaven; everything that is in
the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with thee; and
thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and
thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two
of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with
thee; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind,
and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the
ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep
them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and
gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them."
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
THE GREAT FLOOD.
And the Lord said to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark;
for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every
clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his
female; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his
female; of the birds also of the air, seven and seven, male {26} and
female: to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet
seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and
forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy
from off the face of the ground."
And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon
the earth. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons'
wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of
clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds and of
everything that creepeth upon the ground, there went in two and two
unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. And it
came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were
upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the
second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day
were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of
heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and
forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the
sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with
them, into the ark; they, and every beast after its kind, and all the
cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind. And they went
in with Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the
breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all
flesh, as God commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
{27}{28}
[Illustration]
THE END OF THE FLOOD.
By Moritz Oppenheim, born at Hanan 1801-died 1882.
"And the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an
olive leaf plucked off; so Noah knew that the waters were abated
from off the earth."
[End illustration]
{29}
And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased,
and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the
waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark
went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly
upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole
heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and
the mountains were covered. And all life died that moved upon the
earth, both bird, and cattle, and beast, and every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the
breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every
living thing was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both
man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and bird of the heaven; and they
were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that
were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an
hundred and fifty days.
THE DOVE AND THE OLIVE LEAF.
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle
that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the
earth, and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the
windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was
restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually:
and after the end of an hundred and fifty {30} days the waters
decreased. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth
day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters
decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on
the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the
window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, and it
went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the
earth. And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were
abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for
the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark, for the
waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand,
and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed
yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
and the dove came in to him at eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an
olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from
off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the
dove; and she returned not again unto him any more. And it came to
pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first
day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and
Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the
face of the ground was dried. And in the second month, on the seven
and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.
And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives
with him: every beast, every creeping {31} thing, and every bird,
whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out
of the ark.
THE RAINBOW IN THE SKY.
And God said, "I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall
all life be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall
there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. This is the token of
the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature
that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the
cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the
earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my
covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all
flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all
life. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that
I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living
creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. This is the token of the
covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is
upon the earth."
{32}
THE STORY OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.
_A Foolish Plan and Its Failure_.
And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came
to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land
of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, "Come,
let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly."
And they had brick for stone, and pitch had they for mortar. And they
said, "Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach
unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth."
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men builded. And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one
people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to
do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose
to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that
they may not understand one another's speech."
So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the
earth: and they left off building the city. Therefore was the name of
it called Babel (that is, confusion); because the Lord did there
confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord
scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
{33}
TALES OF BRAVE WOMEN
{34}
{35}
RUTH
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
_Naomi, Elimelch_,
_Hebrews who went to live in Moab_.
_Mahlon, Chilion_,
_Sons of Naomi and Elimelech_.
_Ruth, Orpah_,
_Daughters-in-law of Naomi and Elimelech_.
Boaz,
_A wealthy farmer of Beth-lehem and kinsman of Naomi_.
_Reapers_.
_Gleaners_.
_A second kinsman of Naomi_.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
_Moab_.
_Beth-lehem of Judah_.
RUTH.
(One of the sweetest stories of the Bible is that of Ruth the
Moabitess. Many of the pages of the Old Testament are filled
with the noise and tumult of battle, but this tale breathes only of
peace and calm, of sunny harvest days when fair Ruth gleaned in,
the fields around the old town of Beth-lehem.)
And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was
a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to
sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
And the name {36} of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife
Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, men of
Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and
continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two
sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the
one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there
about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was bereft of
her two children and of her husband. Then she arose with her
daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for
she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited his
people in giving them bread. And she went forth out of the place where
she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the
way to return unto the land of Judah.
And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to
her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt
with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest,
each of you in the house of her husband."
Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And
they said to her, "Nay, but we will return with thee to thy people."
And Naomi said, "Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me?
Turn again, my daughters, go your way."
{37}{38}
[Illustration]
THE FAMILY OF ELIMELECH GOING TO MOAB
By Bida
"And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the
country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons."
[End illustration]
{39}
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.
And she said, "Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people,
and to her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law."
And Ruth said, "Intreat me not to leave thee, and to return from
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where
thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God
my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the
Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."
And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she
left off speaking to her. So they two went on to Beth-lehem.
And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the
city was moved about them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"
And she said unto them, "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the
Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the
Lord hath brought me home again empty: why call ye me Naomi, seeing
the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted
me?"
So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with
her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to
Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of
the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess
said to Naomi, "Let {40} me now go to the field, and glean among the
ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor."
And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."
And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and
she chanced to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who
was of the family of Elimelech.
And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said to the reapers, "The
Lord be with you."
And they answered him, "The Lord bless thee."
Then said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers, "What
young woman is this?"
And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, "It
is the Moabitish maiden that came back with Naomi out of the country
of Moab: and she said, 'Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the
reapers among the sheaves': so she came, and hath continued even from
the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house."
Then said Boaz to Ruth, "Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to
glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast
by my maidens. Let thine eyes be on the field that they reap, and go
thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not
touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go to the vessels, and drink of
that which the young men have drawn."
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said
to him, "Why have I found favor in thy sight that thou shouldest take
knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"
{41}
And Boaz answered and said to her, "It hath fully been showed me, all
that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thine
husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the
land of thy nativity, and art come to a people which thou knewest not
heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given
thee of the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come
to take refuge."
Then she said, "Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; because thou
hast comforted me, and because thou hast spoken kindly unto thine
handmaid, though I am a stranger."
And at mealtime Boaz said unto her, "Come hither, and eat of the
bread, and dip thy morsel in the cup."
And she sat beside the reapers: and they passed her parched grain, and
she ate and was satisfied.
And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men,
saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not.
And also pull out some for her from, the bundles, and leave it, and
let her glean, and rebuke her not."
So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out what she had
gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up, and
went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned.
And she said unto her, "Where hast thou gleaned today? and where hast
thou worked? blessed be he that helped thee."
And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had {42} worked, and
said, "The man's name with whom I worked to-day is Boaz."
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the Lord, who
hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. The man
is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen."
And Ruth the Moabitess said, "Yea, he said unto me, 'Thou shalt keep
fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.'"
And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter,
that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any
other field."
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of
barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her
mother-in-law.
And Naomi her mother-in-law said unto her, "My daughter, shall I not
seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is there
not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he
winnoweth barley to-night in the threshing-floor. Wash thyself
therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down
to the threshing-floor: but make not thyself known to the man, until
he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth
down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou
shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell
thee what thou shalt do."
And she said to her, "All that thou sayest I will do."
{43}{44}
[Illustration]
RUTH IN THE HARVEST FIELDS OF BOAZ
By Brueck-Lajos. Born at Papa, Hungary, November 3, 1846-
"And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and she
chanced to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz."
"Perhaps the selfsame song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn."
--_Keats--"Ode to a Nightingale"_
{45}
And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all
that her mother-in-law bade her.
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to
lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and
uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned
himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, "Who art
thou?"
And she answered, "I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy robe
over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman."
And he said, "Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: thou hast
showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch
as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my
daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest: for all
the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman. And now
it is true that I am a near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer
than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he
will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the
kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee,
then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth: lie
down until the morning."
And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one
could discern another.
For he said, "Let it not be known that a woman came to the
threshing-floor."
{46}
And he said, "Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it."
And she held it: and he measured six measures of barley, and gave it
to her: and he went into the city.
And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How hast thou
fared, my daughter?"
And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said,
"These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said, 'Go not empty
unto thy mother-in-law.'"
Then said she, "Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter
will fall: for the man will not rest, until he has finished the thing
this day."
Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there: and, behold, the
near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; to whom he said, "Ho,
kinsman! turn aside, sit down here."
And he turned aside, and sat down.
And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit ye down
here."
And they sat down.
And he said to the near kinsman, "Naomi, who has come again out of the
country of Moab, selleth the piece of land, which was our brother
Elimelech's: and I thought to inform thee, saying, 'Buy it before
them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt
redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me,
that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am
after thee.'"
And he said, "I will redeem it."
{47}
Then said Boaz, "The day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi,
thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to
raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance."
And the near kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar
mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I
cannot redeem it."
(Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming
and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things; a man drew off his
shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was the manner of
attestation in Israel.)
So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, "Buy it for thyself." And he drew
off his shoe.
And Boaz said to the elders, and unto all the people, "Ye are
witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and
all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover
Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my
wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the
name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren: ye are
witnesses this day."
And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, "We
are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house
like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel:
and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem."
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.
And a son was born to them.
{48}
And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom,
and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors
gave it a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi";
and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse,
the father of David.
{49}
RUTH
She stood breast high amid the corn,
Clasped by the golden light of morn,
Like the sweetheart of the sun,
Who many a glowing kiss had won.
On her cheek an autumn flush
Deeply ripened;--such a blush
In the midst of brown was born,
Like red poppies grown with corn.
Round her eyes her tresses fell,--
Which were blackest none could tell;
But long lashes veiled a light
That had else been all too bright.
And her hat, with shady brim,
Made her tressy forehead dim;--
Thus she stood amid the stooks,
Praising God with sweetest looks.
Sure, I said, Heaven did not mean
Where I reap thou shouldst but glean;
Lay thy sheaf adown and come,
Share my harvest and my home.
--_Thomas Hood_.
{50}
{51}
DEBORAH AND JAEL
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
_Deborah, the Prophetess.
Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite.
Jabin, King of Canaan.
Sisera, captain of Jabin's host.
Heber, the Kenite.
Barak, leader of the Israelites_.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
"The Palm Tree of Deborah."
The River Kishon.
The Tent of Heber, the Kenite.
DEBORAH AND JAEL.
THE STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO HELPED TO OVERCOME
AND KILL A MIGHTY WARRIOR.
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord. And the Lord gave them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan,
who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera. And the
children of Israel cried to the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots
of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of
Israel.
{52}
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at
that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah
and Beth-el in the hill country of Ephraim: and the children of Israel
came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of
Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, "Hath not the Lord,
the God of Israel: commanded, saying, 'Go to Mount Tabor, and take
with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the
children of Zebulun? And I will bring to thee to the river Kishon
Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his host;
and I will deliver him into thine hand.'"
And Barak said to her, "If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but
if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go."
And she said, "I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey
that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for the Lord will give
Sisera into the hand of a woman."
And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called the
tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up
ten thousand men with him: and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the
Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, and had pitched his
tent by an oak near Kedesh. And they told Sisera that Barak the son of
Abinoam was gone up to Mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all
his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people
that were with him. And Deborah said unto Barak, "Up; for this {53} is
the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is
not the Lord gone out before thee?"
So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men with him.
And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his
host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera leaped down
from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued after the
chariots, and after the host: and all the host of Sisera fell by the
edge of the sword; there was not a man left.
Howbeit Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber
the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and
the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and
said to him, "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not."
And he turned in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
And he said to her, "Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink;
for I am thirsty."
And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
And he said to her, "Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be,
when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, 'Is there any man
here?' that thou shalt say, 'No.'"
Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent-pin, and took an hammer in her
hand, and went softly to him, and smote the pin into his temples, and
it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep, and
weary; so he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out
to meet him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show thee the man whom
thou seekest." And he came to her; {54} and, behold, Sisera lay dead
and the tent-pin was in his temple.
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the
children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed
more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had
destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day,--
A SONG OF TRIUMPH.
"For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,
For that the people offered themselves willingly,
Bless ye the Lord.
"Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;
I, even I, will sing unto the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.
Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,
Yea, the clouds dropped water
The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,
Even yonder Sinai at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.
"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied,
And the travelers walked through byways.
The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,
Until that I Deborah arose,
That I arose a mother in Israel.
{55}{56}
[Illustration]
RIVER KISHON AND MOUNT CARMEL
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
Esdraelon is usually regarded as one plain under one name from sea
to Jordan. In reality, however, it is not one but several plains,
more or less divided by the remains of ridges, which once upon a
time sustained across it the continuity of "the backbone of
Palestine." Thus, nine miles from the sea, near Tell el Kasis, the
traditional site of the slaughter of the priests of Baal, a
promontory of the Galilean hills shoots south to within a hundred
yards of Carmel, leaving only that space for the Kishon to break
through. Eight or nine miles farther east, at Lejjun, probably the
ancient Megiddo, low ridges run out from both north and south, as
if they had once met, and again leave Kishon but a narrow pass. And
once more, between Jezreel and a spot west of Shunem, about
twenty-four miles from the coast, there is a sudden fall of level
eastwards, which visibly separates Esdraelon proper from the
narrower valley sloping towards Jordan and is perhaps evidence of a
former connection between Gilboa and Moreh.
[End illustration]
{57}
They chose new gods;
Then was war in the gates:
Was there a shield or spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?
My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
That offered themselves willingly among the people:
Bless ye the Lord.
"Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,
Ye that sit on rich carpets,
And ye that walk by the way.
Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,
There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord,
Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.
"Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, sing a song:
Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people;
The Lord came down for me against the mighty.
Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek;
After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;
Out of Machir came down governors,
And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff.
And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As was Issachar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.
By the watercourses of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
Why satest thou among the sheepfolds, {58}
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
Gilead abode beyond Jordan:
And Dan, why did he remain in ships?
Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,
And abode by his creeks.
Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives to the death,
And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
"The kings came and fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan,
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:
They took no gain of money.
They fought from heaven,
The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
The river Kishon swept them away,
That ancient river, the river Kishon.
O my soul, march on with strength.
Then did the horse hoofs stamp
By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.
"Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;
Because they came not to the help of the Lord,
To the help of the Lord against the mighty.
"Blessed above women shall Jael be,
The wife of Heber the Kenite,
Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
He asked water, and she gave him milk; {59}
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
She put her hand to the nail,
And her right hand to the workmen's hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head,
Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay:
At her feet he bowed, he fell:
Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
"Through the windows she looked forth, and cried,
The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,
'Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?'
Her wise ladies answered her,
Yea, she returned answer to herself,
'Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?
A damsel, two damsels to every man;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,
A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,
Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?'
"So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord:
But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth
forth in his might."
{60}
ESTHER
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
_Ahasuerus, King of Persia_.
_Vashti, Queen of Ahasuerus, deposed by him_.
_Esther, Queen of Ahasuerus_.
_Mordecai, an officer of the Court_.
_Courtiers, officers, women of the harem, messengers_.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
_The Palace of Ahasuerus_.
ESTHER.
THE STORY OF A BRAVE QUEEN WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE
IN A FOREIGN LAND.
Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who
reigned, from India even to Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and
twenty provinces): that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on
the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the
third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his princes and his
servants; the mighty men of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes
of the provinces, being before him: when he showed the riches of his
glorious kingdom and the honor {61} of his excellent majesty many
days, even an hundred and eighty days.
And when these days were ended, the king made a
feast for all the people that were present in Shushan the
palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of
the garden of the king's palace; there were hangings of
white cloth, of green, and of blue, fastened with cords of
fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble:
the couches were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of
red, and white, and yellow, and black marble. And they
gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being
different one from another,) and royal wine in abundance,
according to the bounty of the king.
Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in
the royal house who belonged to King Ahasuerus.
On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he
commanded the seven chamberlains that ministered in the presence of
Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the
crown royal, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty: for she
was fair to look on. But the queen Vashti refused to come at the
king's commandment by the chamberlains: therefore was the king very
wroth, and his anger burned in him. Then the king said to the wise
men, "What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because
she hath not done the bidding of the king Ahasuerus by the
chamberlains?"
And one of the wise men answered before the king and the princes,
"Vashti the queen hath not done wrong {62} to the king only, but also
to all the princes, and to all the peoples who are in all the
provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will come
abroad to all women, to make their husbands contemptible in their
eyes, when it shall be reported, 'The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti
the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.' And this day
will the princesses of Persia and Media which have heard of the deed
of the queen say the like unto all the king's princes. So shall there
arise much contempt and wrath. If it please the king, let there go
forth a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the
laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, that
Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her
royal estate to another who is better than she.
"And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published
throughout all his kingdom, all the wives shall give to their husbands
honor, both to great and small."
And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did
according to the word of the wise men: for he sent letters into all
the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing
thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man
should bear rule in his own house, and should publish it according to
the language of his people.
After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he
remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what was decreed against
her. Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, "Let
there be fair young {63} maidens sought for the king: and let the king
appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may
gather together all the fair young maidens to Shushan the palace, to
the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's
chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let the maiden which pleaseth
the king be queen instead of Vashti." And the thing pleased the king;
and he did so.
There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was
Mordecai, a Benjamite; who had been carried away from Jerusalem with
the captives which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah,
whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And he
brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she
had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful;
and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his
own daughter. So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his
decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together to
Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken
into the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him. Esther
had not made known her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had
charged her that she should not make it known. And Mordecai walked
every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther
did, and what would become of her. Now when the turn of every maiden
was come to go in to King Ahasuerus, in this wise came the maiden to
the king, whatsoever she desired was given her to go {64} with her out
of the house of the women to the king's house. In the evening she
went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the
women: she came in to the king no more, except the king delighted in
her, and that she were called by name.
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of
Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in to the
king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the
keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight
of all them that looked upon her. So Esther was taken to King
Ahasuerus in to his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month
Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther
above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight
more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown upon her
head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Then the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants,
even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave
gifts, according to the bounty of the king. And when the maidens were
gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's
gate. Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as
Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai,
just as when she was brought up with him.
In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the
king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who kept the door,
were wroth, and sought to lay {65} hands on the king Ahasuerus. And
the thing was known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen;
and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquiry
was made into the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both
hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles
before the king.
After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman and advanced him,
and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the
king's servants, who were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did
reverence to Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But
Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. Then the king's
servants, who were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, "Why
transgressest thou the king's commandment?"
Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened
not to them, that they told Haman, to see how Mordecai's case would
stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that
Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of
wrath. But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they
had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought
to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of
Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. In the first month, which is
the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur,
that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to
month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
{66}
And Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people
scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces
of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people;
neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's
profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that
they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into
the hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to
bring it into the king's treasuries."
And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman, the
Jew's enemy.
And the king said unto Haman, "The silver is given to thee, the people
also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee."
Then were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the
thirteenth day thereof, and there was written according to all that
Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that
were over every province, and to the princes of every people; to every
province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after
their language; in the name of King Ahasuerus was it written, and it
was sealed with the king's ring. And letters were sent by the king's
messengers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to
cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and
women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,
which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. A
copy of the writing, that the decree should {67} be given out in every
province, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready
at that day. The king's messenger went forth in haste by the king's
commandment, and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace: and
the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was
perplexed.
Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes,
and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the
city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry: and he came even before
the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed
with sackcloth.
And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his
decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and
weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. And
Esther's maidens and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the
queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe
Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him: but he received it
not.
Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom
he had appointed to attend upon her, and charged him to go to
Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was. So Hathach went forth
to Mordecai unto the public square of the city, which was before the
king's gate. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him,
and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the
king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the
copy of the writing {68} of the decree that was given out in Shushan
to destroy them, to show it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her;
and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make
supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.
And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Then Esther
spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai, saying: "All
the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, know,
that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the
inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be
put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden
scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto
the king these thirty days."
And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, "Think not that
thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if
thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall relief and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy
father's house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come
to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, "Go, gather
together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,
and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my
maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king,
which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
{69}
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had
commanded him.
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal
apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over
against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in
the royal house, over against the entrance of the house. And when the
king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in
his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was
in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter.
Then said the king to her, "What wilt thou, Queen Esther? and what is
thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom."
And Esther said, "If it seem good to the king, let the king and Haman
come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him."
Then the king said, "Cause Haman to make haste, that it may be done as
Esther hath said."
So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, "What is thy
petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even
to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed."
Then answered Esther, and said, "My petition and my request is: if I
have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king
to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and
Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do
tomorrow as the king hath said."
{70}
Then went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when
Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved
for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman
controlled himself, and went home; and he sent and brought his friends
and Zeresh his wife. And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his
riches, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how
he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman
said moreover, "Yea, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king
to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also am
I invited by her together with the king. Yet all this availeth me
nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's
gate."
Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, "Let a gallows
be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak thou to the king
that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the
king to the banquet." And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the
gallows to be made.
On that night the king could not sleep; and he commanded to bring the
book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthan and
Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, of those that kept the door,
who had sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said,
"What honor and dignity hath been bestowed upon Mordecai for this?"
{71}
Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, "There is
nothing done for him."
And the king said, "Who is in the court?"
Now Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to
speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared
for him.
And the king's servants said unto him, "Behold, Haman standeth in the
court."
And the king said, "Let him come in."
So Haman came in. And the king said to him, "What shall be done unto
the man whom the king delighteth to honor?"
Now Haman said in his heart, "To whom would the king delight to do
honor more than to myself?"
And Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king delighteth to
honor, let royal apparel be brought which the king is accustomed to
wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal
which is set upon his head: and let the apparel and the horse be
delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that
they may array the man therewith whom the king delighteth to honor,
and cause him to ride on horseback through the street of the city, and
proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king
delighteth to honor.'"
Then the king said to Haman, "Make haste, and take the apparel and the
horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that
sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast
spoken."
{72}
Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and
caused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed
before him, 'Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king
delighteth to honor.'"
And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his
house, mourning and having his head covered. And Haman recounted unto
Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him.
Then said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife unto him, "If Mordecai,
before whom thou hast begun to fall, be of the race of the Jews, thou
shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him."
While they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains,
and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
So the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen. And
the king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of
wine, "What is thy petition, Queen Esther? and it shall be granted
thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it
shall be performed."
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. But if we had been sold for
bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could
not have compensated for the king's damage."
{73}
Then spoke the king Ahasuerus and said to Esther the queen, "Who is
he, and where is he, that dares presume in his heart to do so?"
And Esther said, "An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman."
Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
And the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into
the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to
Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against
him by the king. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into
the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the couch
whereon Esther was. Then said the king, "Will he even do harm to the
queen before me in the house?" As the word went out of the king's
mouth, they covered Haman's face.
Then said Harbonah, one of the chamberlains that were before the king,
"Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman hath made for
Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, standeth in the house of
Haman."
And the king said, "Hang him thereon."
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.
Then was the king's wrath pacified.
On that day the king Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman the Jew's enemy
to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had
told what he was to her. And the king took off his ring, which he had
taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai
over the house of Haman. And {74} Esther spoke yet again before the
king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put
away the mischief of Haman, and the device that he had devised against
the Jews. Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter.
So Esther arose, and stood before the king. And she said, "If it
please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing
seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be
written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, which he wrote to
destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: for how can I
endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I
endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the
Jew, "Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they
have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and
seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the
king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."
Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month,
which is the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and
it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews,
and to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces
which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred and twenty and seven
provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and
unto every people after {75} their language, and to the Jews according
to their writing, and according to their language.
And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the
king's ring, and sent letters by king's messengers on horseback,
riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service: wherein
the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather
themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to
slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province
that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the
spoil of them for a prey, upon one day in all the provinces of King
Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which
is the month Adar. A copy of the writing, that the decree should be
given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and
that the Jews should be ready on that day to avenge themselves on
their enemies.
So the king's messengers that rode upon swift steeds that were used in
the king's service went out, being hastened and urged on by the king's
commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace. And
Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of
blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of
fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.
The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. And in every
province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and
his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good
day. And many among the peoples of the land {76} became Jews; for the
fear or the Jews was fallen upon them.
Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth
day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near
to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped
to have rule over them; whereas it was turned to the contrary, that
the Jews had rule over them that hated them, the Jews gathered
themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of
the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no
man could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the
peoples. And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and
the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews;
because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them. For Mordecai was
great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the
provinces: for the man Mordecai grew greater and greater. And the Jews
smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword and with great
slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that
hated them. And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five
hundred men. And the ten sons of Haman, the Jews' enemy, they slew;
but on the spoil they laid not their hand. On that day the number of
those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the
king. And the king said unto Esther the queen, "The Jews have slain
and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons
of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's {77}
provinces! Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; or
what is thy request further? and it shall be done."
Then said Esther, "If it please the king, let it be granted to the
Jews which are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this
day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows."
And the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in
Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. And the Jews that were in
Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the
month Adar, and slew three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil
they laid not their hand. And the other Jews that were in the king's
provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and
had rest from their enemies, and slew of them that hated them seventy
and five thousand; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. This was
done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth
day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and
gladness. But the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together on the
thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the
fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting
and gladness. Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the
unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of
gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending gifts one to
another.
And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews
that were in all the provinces of the king {78} Ahasuerus, both far
and near, to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of
the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, as the days
wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was
turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a
good day: that they should make them days of feasting and gladness,
and of sending presents one to another, and gifts to the poor. And the
Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written
unto them; because Haman, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted
against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot,
to consume them, and to destroy them; but when the matter came before
the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had
devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and that he
and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Wherefore they called
these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the
words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this
matter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took
upon them, and upon their race, and upon all such as joined themselves
unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two
days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed
time thereof, every year; and that these days should be remembered and
kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and
every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among
the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their race. Then Esther
{79} the queen, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to
confirm this second letter of Purim.
And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven
provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as
Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they
had ordained for themselves and for their race. And the commandment of
Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the
book.
And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the
isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and
the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king
advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King
Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of
his brethren; seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to
all his race.
{80}
JUDITH
PERSONS OF THE STORY.
_Judith, a widow of Bethulia_.
_Holofernes, captain of the hosts of Nebuchadnezzar_.
_Ozias, elder in Bethulia_.
_Maid of Judith's_.
_People of Bethulia, soldiers of Holofernes_.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
_Bethulia_.
_Camp of Holofernes_.
_Tent of Holofernes_.
JUDITH.
(The story of Judith, and how she delivered Israel by cutting off the
head of Holofernes, a great captain of the armies of King
Nebuchadnezzar, is told in the Apocrypha.
According to the story, King Nebuchadnezzar made war upon Arphaxad,
king of the Medes. He summoned all nations to aid him, and having been
victorious, he sent an army of 132,000 men to take vengeance upon
those nations which refused to come at his call. This great army swept
down from the North, destroying everything in its path.)
_The March of Holofernes_.
And Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called
all the governors and the captains and {81} officers of the host of
Asshur; and he numbered chosen men for the battle, as his lord had
commanded him, up to a hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve
thousand archers on horseback; and he ranged them, as a great army is
ordered for the war. And he took camels and asses and mules for their
baggage, an exceeding great multitude; and sheep and oxen and goats
without number for their provision; and great stores of food for every
man, and exceeding much gold and silver out of the king's house. And
he went forth, he and all his host, on their journey, to go before
King Nebuchadnezzar, and to cover all the face of the earth westward
with their chariots and horsemen and chosen footmen. And a great
company of many nations went forth with them like locusts, and like
the sand of the earth: for they could not be numbered by reason of
their multitude.
And they went out of Nineveh three days' journey toward the plain of
Bectileth, and encamped from Bectileth near the mountain which is at
the left hand of the upper Cilicia. And he took all his host, his
footmen and horsemen and chariots, and went away from thence into the
hill country, and destroyed many peoples.
And the fear and the dread of him fell upon them that dwelt on the sea
coast, from the north to the south. And they sent to him messengers
with words of peace, saying, "Behold, we the servants of
Nebuchadnezzar the great king lie before thee: use us as it is
pleasing in thy sight. Behold, our dwellings, and all our country, and
all our fields of wheat, and our flocks and herds, and all the
sheepcotes {82} of our tents, lie before thy face: use them as it may
please thee. Behold, even our cities and they that dwell in them are
thy servants: come and deal with them as it is good in thine eyes."
And the men came to Holofernes, and spoke to him according to these
words.
And he came down toward the sea coast, he and his host, and set
garrisons in the great cities, and took out of them chosen men for
allies. And they received him, they and all the country round about
them, with garlands and dances and timbrels. And he cast down all
their defenses, and cut down their sacred groves: and it had been
given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, that all the nations
should worship Nebuchadnezzar only, and that all their tongues and
their tribes should call upon him as god. And he came towards
Esdraelon near to Dotaea, which is over against the great ridge of
Judaea. And he encamped between Geba and Scythopolis, and he was there
a whole month, that he might gather together all the baggage of his
host.
_The Siege of Bethulia_.
(After ravaging the coast, Holofernes pushed up into the hill country
to attack the cities of Israel.)
But the next day Holofernes gave command to all his army and to all
his people which were come to be his allies, that they should remove
their camp toward Bethulia, and take aforehand the ascents of the hill
country, and make war against the children of Israel. And every mighty
man of them removed that day, and the host of their men of {83} war
was a hundred and seventy thousand footmen, and twelve thousand
horsemen, beside the baggage, and the men that were afoot among them,
an exceeding great multitude. And they encamped in the valley near
unto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread out over all the land.
But the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were
troubled exceedingly, and said every one to his neighbor, "Now shall
these men lick up the face of all the earth; and neither the high
mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, shall be able to bear their
weight."
And every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled
fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.
But on the second day Holofernes led out all his horse in the sight
of the children of Israel which were in Bethulia, and viewed the
ascents to their city, and searched out the fountains of the waters,
and seized upon them, and set garrisons of men of war over them, and
himself departed to his people.
And there came to him all the rulers of the children of Esau, and all
the leaders of the people of Moab, and the captains of the sea coast,
and said,--
"Let our lord now hear a word, that thy host be not overthrown. For
this people of the children of Israel do not trust in their spears,
but in the height of the mountains wherein they dwell, for it is not
easy to come up to the tops of their mountains. And now, my lord,
fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as
one man {84} of thy people perish. Remain in thy camp, and keep safe
every man of thy host, and let thy servants get possession of the
fountain of water, which issueth forth at the foot of the mountain:
because all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water hence; and
thirst shall kill them, and they shall give up their city: and we and
our people will go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and
will encamp upon them, to watch that not one man go out of the city.
And they shall be consumed with famine, they and their wives and their
children, and before the sword come against them they shall be laid
low in the streets where they dwell. And thou shalt render them an
evil reward; because they rebelled, and met thee not in peace."
And their words were pleasing in the sight of Holofernes and in the
sight of all his servants; and he commanded to do as they had spoken.
And the army of the children of Ammon removed, and with them five
thousand of the children of Asshur, and they encamped in the valley,
and seized upon the waters and the fountains of the waters of the
children of Israel. And the children of Esau went up with the children
of Ammon, and encamped in the hill country; and the rest of the army
of the Assyrians encamped in the plain, and covered all the face of
the land; and their tents and baggage were pitched upon it, and they
were an exceeding great multitude.
And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God, because
their heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed them round
about, and there was no way to escape from among them. And all the
army of Asshur {85} remained about them, their footmen and their
chariots and their horsemen, four and thirty days; and all their
vessels of water failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia. And the
cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for
one day: for they gave them drink by measure. And their young children
were dying, and the women and the young men fainted for thirst, and
they fell down in the streets of the city, and in the passages of the
gates, and there was no longer any strength in them. And all the
people were gathered together against Ozias, and against the rulers of
the city, the young men and the women and the children, and they cried
with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,--
"God be judge between you and us: because ye have done us great wrong,
in that ye have not spoken words of peace with the children of Asshur.
And now we have no helper: but God hath given us into their hands,
that we should be laid low before them with thirst and great
destruction. And now call them unto you, and deliver up the whole city
for a prey to the people of Holofernes, and to all his host. For it is
better for us to be made a spoil for them: for we shall be servants,
and our souls shall live, and we shall not see the death of our babes
before our eyes, and our wives and our children fainting in death. We
take to witness against you the heaven and the earth, and our God and
the Lord of our fathers, who punisheth us according to our sins and
the sins of our fathers, that he do not according as we have said this
day."
And there was great weeping of all with one consent {86} in the midst
of the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud voice.
And Ozias said to them, "Brethren, be of good courage, let us yet
endure five days, in the which space the Lord our God may turn his
mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly. But if these days
pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your
words."
And he dispersed the people, every man to his own camp; and they went
away unto the walls and towers of their city; and he sent the women
and children into their houses: and they were brought very low in the
city.
_Then there arose a saviour for Israel in the person of
Judith_.
And in those days Judith heard thereof, whose husband was Manasses, of
her tribe and of her family, and he died in the days of barley
harvest. For he stood over them that bound sheaves in the field, and
the heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and died in his
city Bethulia. And Judith was a widow in her house three years and
four months. And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and
put on sackcloth; and the garments of her widowhood were upon her.
And she was of a goodly countenance, and exceeding beautiful to
behold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver, and
menservants, and maidservants, and cattle and lands. And there was
none that gave her an evil word; for she feared God exceedingly.
And she heard the evil words of the people against the governor,
because they fainted for lack of water; and {87} Judith heard all the
words that Ozias spoke unto them, how he swore to them that he would
deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days. And she sent her
maid, who was over all things that she had, to call Ozias and the
elders of her city. And they came to her, and she said to them,--
"Hear me now, O ye rulers of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your
word that ye have spoken before the people this day is not right, and
ye have set the oath which ye have pronounced between God and you, and
have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these
days the Lord turn to help you. And now who are ye that have tempted
God this day, and stand instead of God among the children of men? And
now try the Lord Almighty and ye shall never know anything. For ye
cannot find the depth of the heart of man, and ye cannot perceive the
things that he thinketh: and how can ye search out God, which hath
made all these things, and know his mind, and comprehend his purpose?
Nay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord our God to anger. For if he be
not minded to help us within these five days, he hath power to defend
us when he will, or to destroy us before the face of our enemies. But
do not ye pledge the counsels of the Lord our God: for God is not as
man, that he should be threatened; neither as the son of man, that he
should be turned by intreaty. Wherefore let us wait for the salvation
that cometh from him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear
our voice, if it please him. For there arose none in our age, neither
is there any of us to-day, {88} tribe, or kindred, or family, or city,
which worship gods made with hands, as it was in the former days; for
which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and
fell with a great fall before our enemies. But we know no other god
beside him, wherefore we hope that he will not despise us, nor any of
our race. For if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our
sanctuary shall be spoiled; and of our blood shall he require the
profanation thereof. And the slaughter of our brethren, and the
captivity of the land, and the desolation of our inheritance, shall he
turn upon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in
bondage; and we shall be an offense and a reproach before them that
take us for a possession. For our bondage shall bring favor: but the
Lord our God shall turn it to dishonor.
"And now, brethren, let us show an example to our brethren, because
their soul hangeth upon us, and the sanctuary and the house and the
altar rest upon us. Besides all this let us give thanks to the Lord
our God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers also. Remember
all the things which he did to Abraham, and all the things in which he
tried Isaac, and all the things which happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia
of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. For he
hath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, to search out their
hearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord doth
scourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them."
And Ozias said to her, "All that thou hast spoken hast {89} thou
spoken with a good heart, and there is none that shall deny thy words.
For this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is manifested; but
from the beginning of thy days all the people have known thine
understanding, because the disposition of thy heart is good. But the
people were exceeding thirsty, and compelled us to do as we spoke to
them, and to bring an oath upon ourselves, which we will not break.
And now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the Lord
shall send us rain to fill our cisterns, and we shall faint no more."
And Judith said to them, "Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall
go down to all generations among the children of our race. Ye shall
stand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my maid: and,
within the days after which ye said ye would deliver the city to our
enemies, the Lord shall visit Israel by my hand. But ye shall not
inquire of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the
things be finished that I do."
And Ozias and the rulers said unto her, "Go in peace, and the Lord God
be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies." And they returned
from the tent and went to their stations.
But Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and
uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and the incense of
that evening was now being offered at Jerusalem in the house of God,
and Judith cried unto the Lord with a loud voice, and said:--
{90}
THE PRAYER OF JUDITH.
"O God, O my God, hear me! Behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in
their power; they are exalted with horse and rider; they have gloried
in the strength of their footmen; they have trusted in shield and
spear and bow and sling; and they know not that thou art the Lord that
breaketh the battles: the Lord is thy name. Dash thou down their
strength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for
they have purposed to profane thy sanctuary, and to defile the
tabernacle where thy glorious name resteth, and to cast down with the
sword the horn of thine altar. Look upon their pride, and send thy
wrath upon their heads: give into my hand, who am a widow, the might
that I have conceived. Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with
the prince, and the prince with his servant: break down their
stateliness by the hand of a woman. For thy power standeth not in
multitude, nor thy might in strong men: but thou art a God of the
afflicted, thou art a helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the
weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without
hope. I pray thee, I pray thee, God of my father, and God of the
inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and of the earth, Creator
of the waters, King of every creature, hear thou my prayer: and make
my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed
hard things against thy covenant, and thy hallowed house, and the top
of Sion, and the house of the possession of thy children. And make
every nation and tribe of thine to know that thou art God, the God of
all power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the
race of Israel but thou."
{91}
_Judith Goes to the Camp of the Enemy_.
And it came to pass, when she had ceased to cry to the God of Israel,
and had made an end of all these words, that she rose up where she had
fallen down, and called her maid, and went down into the house, in the
which she was wont to abide on the Sabbath days and on her feast days,
and pulled off her sackcloth which she had put on, and put off the
garments of her widowhood, and washed with water, and anointed herself
with rich ointment, and braided the hair of her head, and put on her
garments of gladness, wherewith she was wont to be clad in the days of
the life of Manasses her husband. And she took sandals for her feet,
and put her chains about her, and her bracelets, and her rings, and
her earrings, and all her ornaments, and decked herself bravely, to
beguile the eyes of all men that should see her. And she gave her maid
a leathern bottle of wine, and a cruse of oil, and filled a bag with
parched corn and lumps of figs and fine bread; and she packed all her
vessels together, and laid them upon her.
And they went forth to the gate of the city of Bethulia, and found
standing thereby Ozias, and the elders of the city. But when they saw
her, that her countenance was altered, and her apparel was changed,
they wondered much at her beauty, and said to her, "The God of our
fathers give thee favor, and accomplish thy purposes to the glory of
the children of Israel, and to the exaltation of Jerusalem."
{92}
And she worshiped God, and said to them, "Command that they open to me
the gate of the city, and I will go forth to accomplish the things
whereof ye spoke with me." And they commanded the young men to open
unto her, as she had spoken: and they did so.
And Judith went out, she, and her handmaid with her; and the men of
the city looked after her, until she was gone down the mountain, until
she had passed the valley, and they could see her no more. And they
went straight onward in the valley: and the outpost of the Assyrians
met her; and they took her, and asked her, "Of what people art thou?
and whence comest thou? and whither goest thou?"
And she said, "I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I flee away from
their presence; because they are about to be given you to be consumed:
and I am coming into the presence of Holofernes the chief captain of
your host, to declare words of truth; and I will show him a way,
whereby he shall go, and win all the hill country, without losing one
of his men."
Now when the men heard her words, and beheld her countenance, they
wondered greatly at her beauty, and they said to her, "Thou hast saved
thy life, in that thou hast hasted to come down to the presence of our
lord: and now come to his tent, and some of us shall conduct thee,
until they shall deliver thee into his hands. But when thou standest
before him, be not afraid in thine heart, but declare unto him
according to thy words; and he will treat thee well." And they chose
out of them a hundred men, {93} and appointed them to accompany her
and her maid; and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes.
And there was a concourse throughout all the camp, for her coming was
noised among the tents; and they came and gathered about, as she stood
without the tent of Holofernes, until they told him of her. And they
marveled at her beauty, and marveled at the children of Israel because
of her, and each one said to his neighbor, "Who shall despise this
people, that have among them such women? for it is not good that one
man of them be left, seeing that, if they are let go, they shall be
able to deceive the whole earth."
And they that lay near Holofernes, and all his servants, went forth
and brought her into the tent. And Holofernes was resting upon his bed
under the canopy, which was woven with purple and gold and emeralds
and precious stones. And they told him of her; and he came forth into
the space before his tent, with silver lamps going before him. But
when Judith was come before him and his servants, they all marveled at
the beauty of her countenance; and she fell down upon her face, and
did reverence unto him: and his servants raised her up.
And Holofernes said to her, "Woman, be of good comfort, fear not in
thy heart: for I never hurt any that hath chosen to serve
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of all the earth. And now, if thy people that
dwelleth in the hill country had not set light by me, I would not have
lifted up my spear against them: but they have done these things to
themselves. And now tell me wherefore thou didst flee {94} from them
and earnest unto us: for thou art come to save thyself; be of good
comfort, thou shalt live this night, and hereafter: for there is none
that shall wrong thee, but all shall treat thee well, as is done unto
the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar my lord."
And Judith said to him, "Receive the words of thy servant, and let thy
handmaid speak in thy presence, and I will declare no lie to my lord
this night. And if thou shalt follow the words of thy handmaid, God
shall bring the thing to pass perfectly with thee; and my lord shall
not fail of his purposes. As Nebuchadnezzar king of all the earth
liveth, and as his power liveth, who hath sent thee for the
preservation of every living thing, not only do men serve him by thee,
but also the beasts of the field and the cattle and the birds of the
heaven shall live through thy strength, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar
and of all his house. For we have heard of thy wisdom and the subtle
devices of thy soul, and it hath been reported in all the earth, that
thou only art brave in all the kingdom, and mighty in knowledge, and
wonderful in feats of war.
"And now as concerning the matter: our race shall not be punished,
neither shall the sword prevail against them, except they sin against
their God. And now, that my lord be not defeated and his purpose
frustrated, and that death may fall upon them, their sin hath
overtaken them, wherewith they shall provoke their God to anger,
whensoever they shall do wickedness. Since their victuals failed them,
and all their water was scant, they took counsel to lay hands upon
their cattle, and determined to consume all {95} those things, which
God charged them by his laws that they should not eat: and they are
resolved to spend the first fruits of the corn, and the tenths of the
wine and the oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved for the
priests that stand before the face of our God in Jerusalem; the which
things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch with
their hands.
"Wherefore I thy servant, knowing all this, fled away from their
presence; and God sent me to work things with thee, whereat all the
earth shall be astonished, even as many as shall hear it. For thy
servant is religious, and serveth the God of heaven day and night: and
now, my lord, I will abide with thee, and thy servant will go forth by
night into the valley, and I will pray to God, and he shall tell me
when they have committed their sins: and I will come and show it also
to thee; and thou shalt go forth with all thy host, and there shall be
none of them that shall resist thee. And I will lead thee through the
midst of Judaea, until thou comest over against Jerusalem; and I will
set thy seat in the midst thereof; and thou shalt drive them as sheep
that have no shepherd, and a dog shall not so much as open his mouth
before thee: for these things were told me according to my
foreknowledge, and were declared unto me, and I was sent to tell
thee."
And her words were pleasing in the sight of Holofernes and of all his
servants; and they marveled at her wisdom, and said, "There is not
such a woman from one end of the earth to the other, for beauty of
face, and wisdom of words."
{96}
And Holofernes said to her, "God did well to send thee before the
people, that might should be in our hands, and destruction among them
that lightly regarded my lord. And now thou art beautiful in thy
countenance, and wise in thy words: for if thou shalt do as thou hast
spoken, thy God shall be my God, and thou shalt dwell in the house of
King Nebuchadnezzar, and shalt be renowned through the whole earth."
And he commanded to bring her in where his silver vessels were set,
and bade that they should prepare for her of his own meats, and that
she should drink of his own wine. And Judith said, "I will not eat
thereof, lest there be an offense: but provision shall be made for me
of the things that are come with me."
And Holofernes said to her, "But if thy provisions should fail, whence
shall we be able to give thee the like? for there is none of thy race
with us."
And Judith said to him, "As thy soul liveth, my lord, thy servant
shall not spend those things that be with me, until the Lord work by
my hand the things that he hath determined."
And the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she
slept till midnight, and she rose up toward the morning watch, and
sent to Holofernes, saying, "Let my lord now command that they suffer
thy servant to go forth to prayer."
And Holofernes commanded his guards that they should not stay her: and
she abode in the camp three days, and went out every night into the
valley of Bethulia. {97} and washed herself at the fountain of water
in the camp. And when she came up, she besought the Lord God of Israel
to direct her way to the raising up of the children of his people. And
she came in, and remained in the tent, until she took her food toward
evening.
_Holofernes Makes a Feast_.
And it came to pass on the fourth day, Holofernes made a feast to his
own servants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet. And
he said to his officer who had charge over all that he had, "Go now,
and persuade this Hebrew woman which is with thee, that she come to
us, and eat and drink with us."
And the officer went from the presence of Holofernes, and came in to
her, and said, "Let not this fair damsel fear to come to my lord, and
to be honored in his presence, and to drink wine and be merry with us,
and to be made this day as one of the daughters of the children of
Asshur, which serve in the house of Nebuchadnezzar."
And Judith said to him, "And who am I, that I should deny my lord? for
whatsoever shall be pleasing in his eyes I will do speedily, and this
shall be my joy unto the day of my death."
And she arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman's
attire; and her servant went and laid rugs of soft skins on the ground
for her over against Holofernes, which she had received of the officer
for her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon them. And {98}
Judith came in and sat down, and Holofernes' heart was ravished with
her, and his soul was moved, and he desired exceedingly her company.
And Holofernes said to her, "Drink now, and be merry with us."
And Judith said, "I will drink now, my lord, because my life is
magnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born."
And she ate and drank before him what her servant had prepared. And
Holofernes took great delight in her, and drank exceedingly much wine,
more than he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born.
But when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and
his officer shut the tent without, and dismissed them that waited from
the presence of his lord; and they went away to their beds: for they
were all weary, because the feast had been long. But Judith was left
alone in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was
drunk with wine. And Judith had commanded her servant to stand without
her bedchamber, and wait for her coming forth, as she did daily: for
she said she would go forth to her prayer; and she spoke to the
officer according to the same words.
_Judith Kills the Great Captain_.
And all went away from her presence, and none was left in the
bedchamber, neither small nor great. And Judith, standing by his bed,
said in her heart, "O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon
the works of my {99} hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. For now is
the time to help thine inheritance, and to do the thing that I have
purposed to the destruction of the enemies which are risen up against
us."
And she came to the rail of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head,
and took down his scimitar from thence; and she drew near unto the
bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, "Strengthen me,
O Lord God of Israel, this day."
And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and took away
his head from him, and tumbled his body down from the bed, and took
down the canopy from the pillars; and after a little while she went
forth, and gave Holofernes' head to her maid; and she put it in her
bag of victuals: and they two went forth together unto prayer,
according to their custom: and they passed through the camp, and the
valley, and went up to the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates
thereof.
And Judith said afar off to the watchmen at the gates, "Open, open now
the gate: God is with us, even our God, to shew his power yet in
Israel, and his might against the enemy, as he hath done even this
day."
And it came to pass, when the men of her city heard her voice, they
made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called
together the elders of the city. And they ran all together, both small
and great, for it was strange to them that she was come: and they
opened the gate, and received them, making a fire to give light, and
gathered them round about. And she said to them {100} with a loud
voice, "Praise God, praise him: praise God, who hath not taken away
his mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by
my hand this night."
And she took forth the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said to
them, "Behold, the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the host
of Asshur, and behold, the canopy, wherein he did lie in his
drunkenness; and the Lord smote him by the hand of a woman. And as the
Lord liveth, who preserved me in my way that I went, my countenance
deceived him to his destruction."
And all the people were exceedingly amazed, and bowed themselves, and
worshiped God, and said with one accord, "Blessed art thou, O our God,
who hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people."
And Ozias said to her, "Blessed art thou, daughter, in the sight of
the Most High God, above all the women upon the earth; and blessed is
the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who directed thee
to the smiting of the head of the prince of our enemies. For thy hope
shall not depart from the heart of men that remember the strength of
God for ever. And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual
praise, to visit thee with good things, because thou didst not spare
thy life by reason of the affliction of our race, but didst avenge our
fall, walking a straight way before our God." And all the people said,
"Amen! Amen!"
{101}{102}
[Illustration]
PASS OF UPPER BETH-HORON FROM THE SOUTH, THE SCENE OF
MANY HEBRON VICTORIES
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission
Upper and lower Beth-horon are in the northernmost of the three
gorges which break through the steep wall of the western front of
the central ranges of Palestine. A path leads up the ravine to lower
Beth-horon, which stands on a ridge about 1,240 feet above the sea.
Mounting a long and steep ascent, rocky and rough, but with the rock
in places cut into steps, the traveler after an hour's climb reaches
upper Beth-horon, which stands 1,730 feet above the sea, on a
mountain spur with a deep valley both to north and south. The
village is small, but exhibits traces of ancient walls and
foundations, and to the east of it is a reservoir, apparently of
great antiquity.
So situated, the Beth-horons could not fail to be connected with the
march and retreat of armies and often hosts swarmed up this avenue
or swept down it in flight. More than one memorable battle takes its
name from Beth-horon. Thrice the two towns were fortified, by
Solomon, by the Syrian general Bacchides, and by the Jews against
Holofernes. It was by Beth-horon that Certius Gallus advanced in the
first onset of the Roman armies against Jerusalem, and down its
gorge he was driven in rout by the insurgent Jews. And Beth-horon
saw the first Crusaders march to Jerusalem; and saw Richard, the
third Crusader, in vain try to force a passage by the same route.
[End illustration]
{103}
And Judith said to them, "Hear me now, my brethren, and take this
head, and hang it upon the battlement of your wall. And it shall be,
so soon as the morning shall appear, and the sun shall come forth upon
the earth, ye shall take up everyone his weapons of war, and go forth
every valiant man of you out of the city, and ye shall set a captain
over them, as though ye would go down to the plain toward the outposts
of the children of Asshur; and ye shall not go down. And these shall
take up their armor, and shall go into their camp, and rouse up the
captains of the host of Asshur, and they shall run together to the
tent of Holofernes, and they shall not find him: and fear shall fall
upon them, and they shall flee before your face. And ye, and all that
inhabit every region of Israel, shall pursue them and overthrow them
as they go."
_Israel's Victory_.
And as soon as the morning arose, they hung the head of Holofernes
upon the wall, and every man took up his weapons, and they went forth
by companies unto the passes of the mountain. But when the children of
Asshur saw them, they sent hither and thither to their leaders. And
they came to Holofernes' tent, and said to him that was over all that
he had, "Waken now our lord: for the slaves have been bold to come
down against us to battle, that they may be utterly destroyed."
And the officer went in, and knocked at the outer door of the tent.
But when none answered, he opened it, and went into the bedchamber,
and found him thrown upon the threshold dead, and his head had been
taken from him. And he cried with a loud voice, with weeping and {104}
groaning and a mighty cry, and rent his garments. And he entered into
the tent where Judith lodged: and he found her not, and he leaped out
to the people, and cried aloud, "The slaves have dealt treacherously:
one woman of the Hebrews hath brought shame upon the house of King
Nebuchadnezzar; for, behold, Holofernes lieth upon the ground, and his
head is not on him."
But when the rulers of the host of Asshur heard the words, they rent
their robes, and their souls were troubled exceedingly, and there was
a cry and an exceeding great noise in the midst of the camp.
And when they that were in the tents heard, they were amazed at the
thing that was come to pass. And trembling and fear fell upon them,
and no man dared abide any more in the sight of his neighbor, but
rushing out with one accord, they fled into every way of the plain and
of the hill country. And they that had encamped in the hill country
round about Bethulia fled away. And then the children of Israel,
everyone that was a warrior among them, rushed out upon them, and fell
upon the camp of Asshur, and spoiled them, and were enriched
exceedingly. But the children of Israel returned from the slaughter,
and took possession of that which remained; and the villages and the
cities, that were in the hill country and in the plain country, took
much spoil: for there was an exceeding great store.
And Joakim the high priest, and the elders of Jerusalem came to behold
the good things which the Lord had showed to Israel, and to see
Judith, and to salute her. {105} But when they came unto her, they all
blessed her with one accord, and said unto her, "Thou art the
exaltation of Jerusalem, thou art the great glory of Israel, thou art
the great rejoicing of our race: thou hast done all these things by
thy hand: thou hast done with Israel the things that are good, and God
is pleased therewith: blessed be thou with the Almighty Lord for
evermore." And all the people said, "Amen!"
And the people plundered the camp for the space of thirty days: and
they gave unto Judith Holofernes' tent, and all his silver cups, and
his beds, and his vessels, and all his furniture: and she took them,
and placed them on her mule, and made ready her wagons, and heaped
them thereon.
And all the women of Israel ran together to see her; and they blessed
her, and made a dance among them for her; and she took branches in her
hand, and gave to the women that were with her. And they made
themselves garlands of olive, she and they that were with her, and she
went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women: and
all the men of Israel followed in their armor with garlands, and with
songs in their mouths. And Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in
all Israel, and all the people sang with loud voices this song of
praise. And Judith sang--
THE SONG OF JUDITH.