In a forest in the far, far East grew a great many pine trees. Most of them were tall trees, higher than the houses that we see, and with wide, strong branches. But there was one tree that was not nearly so tall as the others; in fact, it was no taller than some of the children in the kindergarten.
Now, the tall trees could see far, far out over the hilltops and into the valleys, and they could hear all the noises that went on in the world beyond the forest, but the Little Tree was so small and the other trees grew so high and thick about it that it could not see nor hear these things at all; but the other trees were very kind, and they would stoop down and tell them to the Little Tree. One night in the winter time there seemed to be something strange happening in the little town among the hills, for the trees did not go to sleep after the sun went down, but put their heads together and spoke in strange, low whispers that were full of awe and wonder. The Little Tree, from its place close down to the ground, did not understand what it was all about. It listened awhile, and then lifted its head as high as ever it could and shouted to its tall neighbor: "Will you not stoop and tell me what is happening?" And the big tree stooped down and whispered: "The shepherds out on the hilltops are telling strange stories while they watch their sheep. The air is filled with sweet music, and there is a wonderful star coming up in the east, traveling westward always, and the shepherds say that they are waiting for it to stop and shine over a humble stable in their little town. I have not heard why it is going to stop there, but I will look again and listen." So the tall tree lifted up its head again, and reached far out so that it might hear more of the wonderful story.
Bye and bye it stooped down again, and whispered to the Little Tree: "Oh, Little Tree, listen! There are angels among the shepherds on the hills, and they are all talking together. They seem to be awaiting the birth of a little child, who will be a king among the people, and the beautiful star will shine above the stable where the little king will be laid in a manger." The tree again raised its head to listen, and the Little Tree, much puzzled, thought within itself: "It is very strange, indeed. * * * Oh, how I wish that I could see it all!"
It waited a little longer, and everything grew quiet, and a great peace came upon the forest. * * * Then suddenly the town, and even the forest was illuminated with a strange, white light that made everything as bright as day, and the air was filled with the flutter of angels' wings, and with music such as the world had never heard before.
The people and the trees, even the stars in the heaven, lifted up their voices and sang together * * * and the whole world was filled with music and joy and love for the little Christ-child who had come to dwell upon the earth.
The Little Tree was filled with fear and wonder, for so great was the excitement that the other trees had almost forgotten it, and it could not understand the mysterious sounds; but bye and bye its tall friend said: "Listen, listen, Little Tree! Such news I have to tell! The Christ has come—the King! And the whole world is singing such beautiful music. There are wise men coming from the East, bringing beautiful gifts to the Christ-child. The angels, too, are upon the earth, and they bear gifts of gold and rare, beautiful stones. Wait! I will tell you more."
The tall tree had scarcely lifted up its head when it stooped again and whispered to the Little Tree: "Look! Look! Little Tree! They are coming this way; the angels are coming here, into our forest! Lift up your head high and you will see them as they pass."
The Little Tree lifted up its head and saw the white flutter of angel robes and heard the weird, sweet voices of the heavenly host who came with precious gifts into the forest.
"Oh," said the Little Tree, "they are coming here, toward me! What shall I do?" And in fear it bent its head so low that it almost touched the ground. But the music came nearer and nearer, and the Little Tree felt a tender hand upon its branches, and a soft, gentle voice said to it: "Arise, Little Tree, and come with us, for we have come into the forest to seek you. Yes, you, the very smallest among the trees, are to be our gift-bearer. Come; lift up your head."
In fear and trembling the Little Tree did as the angel bade it. But when it looked into the angel's face and saw the love and kindness there, all fear was gone, and it said to the angel: "Yes; make me ready. I will come with you to the little Christ-child in the manger." So all the angels brought their gifts of precious jewels and shining gold, and fastened them upon the branches of the Little Tree. Then the leader of the angels' band took up the Little Tree from the ground and bore it, laden with its precious burden, to the feet of the Christ-child.
Long, long ago there lived in the far away land of Ur a man who was very wealthy. His name was Abraham. The country in which he lived was beautiful and very rich. The fields were not only well watered by rivers and streams, but were carefully cultivated. Corn, dates, apples and grapes grew there abundantly. Fine harvests were reaped from their farms. Splendid herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were pastured in the meadows. In the city were beautiful homes, for the people were prosperous. They painted fine pictures and cut beautiful figures out of marble blocks, and were fond of music. But Abraham was not so much interested in the city as in the country, for he belonged to a family of shepherds. He did not care so much for walled cities as for meadow lands, forest trees and running streams. When Abraham grew a little older he became very thoughtful, and began to dislike the ways of the people of Ur, for they were idolaters. So when some of the servants brought back from the city, idols into his father's home, he broke them. His one desire was to do right and to be good.
One day, when he was herding his cattle not far from his father's home, he heard a strange Voice saying to him: "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and come unto a land which I shall show thee." He was greatly surprised, and looked around to find out who was speaking to him. He saw no man, so he thought that the Voice was only a fancy or a day dream. A few days after, when he was bringing home some wandering sheep, he heard the same Voice, the same words, and thought he saw a gleam of light. He felt that God was speaking to him, but the words made him very sad. If he obeyed the Voice he knew that he would have to leave his friends, the fields where he sported with his boy companions and loved ones, but something within him kept saying that he ought to obey the Voice, because it was God's Voice. So he resolved to take his nephew, Lot, with him, and set out for the Promised Land. The day for starting came. Great bundles of goods were put upon the camels and led off by the drivers. Flocks of sheep and herds of cattle filled the morning air with their bleatings and their bellowings. Some of the people thought that Abraham was very foolish to undertake such a journey, and would certainly come to grief. His brother Nahor pleaded with Abraham not to go. He told Abraham about a great desert that he would have to cross. Even if he crossed it safely, the people in that far away country were very cruel, and would fight them and kill them, and make slaves of their children. Abraham listened to his brother, and said that he knew there were difficulties ahead of him, but he must obey the Voice of God. Then his face brightened, when he added that he felt sure God would watch over them all as a shepherd watches over his sheep. He looked brave and noble as he bade them all good-by and started off.
At the close of the first day they halted beside a stream, where the cattle drank and rested until morning. The servants pitched a number of tents and made Abraham and his family comfortable. Abraham rolled together a few big stones and built an altar, and in the presence of his family and servants offered up an evening sacrifice and prayed that God should guide them and their little ones into the Promised Land. After many weary days and nights they reached Canaan. It was a beautiful country, full of vines and harvest fields, and pasture lands. The valleys were warm and the highlands were cool. Here and there on the hillsides they saw the oak, the sycamore, and the pine growing. Best of all, the people were kind to Abraham and his servants, and helped them to get settled in their new homes. Their new friends were not so rich as their old ones. They wore rough garments made of camel's hair and fastened round the waist with a belt. They lived in rough huts and rocky caves, and were warlike. But they treated Abraham generously and were very kind to the little children. Abraham was delighted with the Promised Land, although he passed through many a severe trial in it.
There was one joy, however, that brightened his life—God had given him a beautiful son. The little boy had grown to be a strong, beautiful youth. His mother took loving care in making his little garments, and his father gave him a pet lamb, and often brought home to him a wild bird. Abraham was growing old, and thought of the day when his boy would be a strong man, caring for herds and flocks. Many a time he prayed to God for his boy, that he might be true and brave and good, and worthy of the promises that God had made to him concerning his people. But one day, when he was returning from a visit to his herdsmen and was resting beside a well in the grove which he had planted in Beersheba, he heard the Voice again saying: "Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him up for a sacrifice on a mount which I shall show thee." Abraham was grieved. He said to himself: "I have left Ur and the land of my brother and my father. I have endured many hardships, and surely I will not be called upon to sacrifice my only son, my sweet, loving boy. I can not bear it. His mother can not live when she hears of it." But the Voice said more earnestly than ever: "Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him up for a sacrifice on the mount that I shall show thee." He knew that it was the same Voice that had spoken to him many times, and that he must obey it. And there gradually came into his life strength and a willingness to obey the Voice. After necessary preparation Abraham, his son, and his servants set out for the mountain. For three days they journeyed under divine guidance, until they came to the foot of the mount. Then Abraham said to his servants: "Abide ye here, and I and the lad will go and worship yonder, and come unto you again." The young lad was happy over the coming sacrifice. He shouldered the bundle of wood and started off up the hillside. But he did not see the lamb, and, turning to his father, said: "Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" The question so innocently asked grieved the father's heart, for he knew that God had commanded him to offer up his son instead of a lamb. He felt that he could not tell his boy about it, so he said: "God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering." At last they came to the spot where the sacrifice was to be offered. The father, very sad and broken-hearted, began rolling together some stones for an altar. Slowly he laid the wood in its place, and wept when he thought of the sacrifice. Then with a tearful voice he told the lad that he was to be the sacrifice. He laid the boy upon the altar and kissed him. At that moment he heard a Voice, louder than ever before, saying: "Abraham." He answered, "Here am I." The Voice said: "Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do any harm unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." With glad wonder Abraham looked around, and there, to his great surprise, a ram was caught in some thick bushes. Hurriedly he caught the ram, unbound his son, and offered up the ram as a sacrifice with great joy. And, kneeling beside the altar, the aged father thanked God, and homeward they returned with glad hearts and happy spirits.
And Isaac grew to be a good and noble man, and the Lord prospered him. His father, Abraham, lived many years in the Promised Land, and when he died the whole country was full of grief, and with sorrow mingled with love they followed the aged saint to the sunny slopes of beautiful Macpelah and laid him in the tomb. Each whispered to the other that he was a good and brave man. Many a time they would visit the cave where the great man lay and tell one another about his wonderful life, his many trials, his noble faith, and how he always obeyed the Voice of God.
On a rough stone beside the tomb a friend chiseled the words: "Abraham, the Friend of God."
Bible {Adapted}
Many years ago, the Heavenly Father sent a baby boy into a home in a far country.
When a baby comes to your home you want to tell every one you see, do you not?
But in that little home it was very different. Miriam, the baby's sister, could not tell any one about the little brother, and the poor mother had to keep the baby hidden away. Shall I tell you why?
In that country there lived a wicked king, who did not love little children, and whenever he heard that a boy baby had come into a house he sent his soldiers to take the baby away.
This mother loved her baby dearly, and she wanted to keep him always. But when the baby began to grow, and to laugh and to cry, just as all babies do, the mother's heart was very sad, for she knew she could hide him no longer.
One day she took the baby and went down to the river. There she gathered a great many of the tall grasses that grew on the river bank, and of these grasses she made a little basket, or ark, just large enough to hold the baby. She wove it carefully, and when it was finished she covered it over with pitch and slime, so that no water could come into it.
Then she lifted her baby, put him into the queer little basket, carried the basket to the river and set it down carefully in the water. The tall rushes growing there held the little cradle, that the water might not wash it away.
The mother turned and went quickly to her home. But do you think she left the baby alone? Ah, no. Among the tall grasses near the river's brim stood Miriam, the sister, patiently watching the queer cradle.
While Miriam watched, the princess came to the river to bathe. The maidens who had come to help her walked along the river's side.
Presently the princess saw the queer little basket and sent one of her maids to get it.
When the princess opened the basket, the baby wakened and began to cry, and the princess felt very sorry for the little one.
Miriam, who had watched so faithfully beside the river, now came to the princess.
"Shall I go and find thee a woman who will take care of the child?" she said. And the princess said, "Go."
What did Miriam do, do you think? She ran as fast as she could and brought the baby's own mother.
When the princess saw the mother she did not know that it was the baby's own mother, and she said to her: "Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages."
Do you not think that mother's heart was glad as she took her own baby home? The baby could run and play now, and laugh and crow as much as it liked, for the great princess loved him, and no harm could come to him.
The mother called the baby's name "Moses," she said, "because I drew him out of the water," and in that far country that is what the name "Moses" means.
Bible {Adapted}
Long, long ago, on the green hills of Bethlehem, a little shepherd boy tended his sheep.
Ruddy and strong was little David, for the sun gave him rosy cheeks, and the bracing wind made him long to run races with his own shadow, just from pure happiness.
Many a time he lay on the soft grass, gazing up at the blue sky, dotted with fleecy white clouds—white as his own lambs. Many a time, as he led his flock homeward at evening, he saw the sun sink in the gold and crimson west, and, as the dusk deepened, the great round moon rise above the hills, flooding the world with silvery light.
With all this beauty around him, do you wonder that he was good and happy?
One day, while David was watching his sheep in the field, Samuel, the High Priest of the Lord, appeared before Jesse, David's father.
On a very wonderful errand had he come.
He told David's father that the Lord had chosen one of his sons to be the new king of Israel, because Saul, the old king, was no longer fit to rule.
"Call all your sons before me," said Samuel, "that I may anoint the Lord's chosen one."
Oh, how proudly Jesse called his eldest son!
Tall, and straight, and strong, he stood there, looking every inch a king.
"Surely," thought Samuel, "I have found him!"
But the Lord looked down into his heart—just as he looks into our hearts today—and saw that all was not right there, and so the Lord said to Samuel: "He is not the chosen one."
Then Samuel asked Jesse to call his second son.
But when the Lord read his thoughts He said to the priest: "No; I have not chosen this one."
Jesse called his third son, but Samuel only shook his head. In haste, Jesse called all his other sons before the High Priest, but Samuel was forced to say sadly, "The Lord hath not chosen these." Almost in despair, he turned to Jesse, asking: "Are all thy children here?" And he answered: "There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep."
Joyfully Samuel cried: "Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither." And he sent and brought him in.
When Samuel looked into his pure, innocent face, he knew that now the chosen one of the Lord stood before him.
Taking his horn of oil, he anointed him King of Israel, "and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward."
When Samuel left him, David went quietly back to the field, and tended his sheep, just as of old.
Day by day he tried to do every duty well, so that bye and bye he would be worthy to be a king.
Meanwhile, up in his royal palace, King Saul was in deep trouble. In his distress he longed to hear the beautiful music of the harp. He therefore sent for David, that he might play for him. When David came he paused beside the throne, and Saul, looking up, saw before him a tall and handsome youth, bearing a golden harp.
Bowing low, David begged permission to play for his King. Gladly Saul bade him begin.
First, the young harpist struck a ringing chord that thrilled through the vast hall.
Then he began to play a low, sweet melody!
It sounded like the summer breeze sighing softly over a grassy meadow, and setting the dainty daisies and buttercups swaying on their stems. Suddenly the music swelled stronger, until it seemed like a flashing fountain, springing up in a burst of sparkling spray.
Then the sweet tones slowly softened.
Fainter they grew—and yet fainter—like the music of a dream—till at last they died away into silence.
Spellbound sat King Saul when the player ceased.
And David came to Saul and stood before him, and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
Long afterward David wore the crown of Israel.
He was a wise and good king, for the Heavenly Father, who blessed his youth, watched over him all his days.
Many years ago there lived a little lad named Joseph. He was comely, and his face was beautiful, because his heart was pure and good.
Joseph had many brothers, but because of his gentleness and comeliness the old father loved him more than all the others. One time he gave Joseph a coat woven with many beautiful colors, as a token of his love for his favorite son.
Now, when the older brothers saw this they were angry and jealous, and from that time on they sought to do him harm.
Jacob, the father, owned many sheep, and the sons cared for them, sometimes leading them far from home to find the best pastures. Joseph often went with the brothers to tend the flocks, but he loved best to care for the tender little lambs, leading them into the greenest pastures and beside the quiet water.
One time the brothers were far from home with the flocks, and the father, being anxious for them and longing to know how they fared, sent Joseph, the beloved son, with many provisions, to the place where his brothers were. The lad started on his journey with a light and merry heart, for all the world looked bright to him. He wore the beautiful coat of many colors, and the people often stopped to look at the lad, with his comely face and beautiful coat.
As he approached the place where his brothers were they saw him when he was yet some distance away, but the anger and jealousy arose in their hearts, and they said: "Ah! Here comes the best beloved son. Let us do away with him. Then the love which our father gives to him may be bestowed upon us." So, as the lad drew nearer, they planned how they might destroy him. But one, the oldest brother, loved Joseph, and tried to save him from the hands of his evil brothers. So when they said, "Let us destroy him," Reuben, the eldest, said: "Nay, but let us cast him into a pit near by," thinking he would save him when the other brothers left.
So when Joseph drew near they seized him, stripped him of his coat of many colors, and cast him into a pit, and left him there alone.
Then they said: "Let us make a feast. See, our father hath sent us many things." And they sat down and made a feast with the things which their brother Joseph had brought to them.
As they were eating they looked up, and, coming down the roadway, they saw a large company of merchantmen passing on their way to Egypt. Then an evil plan came to the mind of one brother, and he said: "It is going to bring us no gain to keep Joseph in the pit. Let us sell him to those men and gain money for ourselves." The brothers agreed, and Joseph, the beloved son, was sold into Egypt for twenty pieces of silver.
When the brothers went home they took the coat of many colors to the old father, and said: "Is not this thy son's coat which we found? An evil beast hath surely destroyed him." And the old father wept for Joseph, his son, and would not be comforted.
The great caravan moved toward Egypt, and there the boy was sold again into the hands of a very rich man, in whose sight he found great favor, and who placed him in a position of honor in his own household. And Joseph grew in comeliness and beauty, for his heart was pure and the Lord was his friend and helper, prospering him in all that he did. He grew in favor with his master, who in turn made him ruler over all his house.
But Joseph had an enemy in the house, one who was jealous of his great honor and position, and she tried in every way to do Joseph harm. One day she falsely told the master of the house that Joseph had done a very evil thing. The master, being exceedingly angry, and thinking Joseph had betrayed his trust, stripped him of his fine garments and cast him into prison.
But the Lord was still with Joseph in his great trouble, so that he found favor with the keeper of the prison, who treated him most kindly, and Joseph sought in many ways to relieve the suffering and sorrow of those in the prison with him.
One day he helped two of the king's servants by telling them the meaning of two strange dreams they had, for dreams in those olden days were often sent to people by God to warn them, or prepare them for something which would happen, and God gave to Joseph the wisdom to understand the meaning and interpretation of those dreams. Thus, when the two servants were troubled because of their dreams, Joseph told them the meaning. One servant was released from the prison, and as he left, Joseph asked that he might remember him when he came before the king, that he, too, might be released. But the servant, when he was free, forgot the one who had helped him when in trouble.
Two years passed away, and Joseph remained in prison, but he still trusted in his God.
One night Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, was much troubled by his strange dreams. He called together all of his wise men and magicians, to know the interpretation of them, but none could tell the meaning. The king's trouble became known to his servants, and suddenly the one who had been in prison remembered Joseph, the man who had interpreted his own dream. He quickly told the king, who ordered Joseph to be brought immediately before him.
When Joseph stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, he humbly bowed his head, and said: "The wisdom is not mine, but God in heaven shall tell thee the interpretation of thy dreams." And Joseph spoke to the king as God gave him wisdom, and told him the meaning of his dreams. And this was the meaning:
There should be seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt, and after that, seven years of famine throughout the land.
Then Joseph said: "Let Pharaoh, the king, choose a man, wise and discreet, who will sow and gather the harvest for the seven years of plenty, to fill the barns and storehouses with grain, so that when the seven years of famine come there will be grain enough and to spare in the land of Egypt."
As Pharaoh, the king, looked upon Joseph and heard him speak, he loved him, and said: "In all Egypt there is no man so wise as thou. Gather the harvest, to fill the barns and storehouses, in the seven years of plenty. I will make thee ruler over all Egypt. Thou shalt dwell with me and all men shall obey thee."
And Pharaoh took off the ring from his own hand and put it upon Joseph's hand, and dressed him in beautiful garments, and put a gold chain about his neck. And Joseph rode in the chariot next to the king of Egypt, and as they rode through the streets all the people bowed before Joseph and knew him as their ruler, and loved him.
Then Joseph went throughout all Egypt and commanded the people to build great storehouses and barns, and to gather in the corn and grain, and fill them full, against the seven years of famine which were to come. When the seven years of plenty were passed, and the famine was over all the land, there was grain and to spare in all Egypt, because Joseph had gathered the storehouses full.
When the people from other countries heard this they came to Egypt to buy bread, and the king sent them to Joseph. And Joseph opened the great storehouses, and sold grain to all who came. And the Lord was with Joseph and prospered him in all that he did.
Now, Jacob, with his eleven sons, Joseph's brothers, still lived in the land of Canaan, and the famine was over all the land, so that there was no bread in the house to eat.
Then Jacob, the father, called his sons to him and said: "I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us, that we may live and not die."
So Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain, and Joseph was ruler over all Egypt, and sold grain to all who came. His brothers came before him and bowed their faces to the ground as they asked for food, for the famine was sore in their land. Now, Joseph knew his brothers when he saw them, but they knew not the little lad they had sold into the land of Egypt for twenty pieces of silver.
Joseph did not make himself known to his brothers, but asked them about their country and their homes, if they had a father and other brothers; and when they spoke of the old father, Jacob, and the youngest brother, Benjamin, who had stayed with the old father, Joseph longed to tell them that he was the brother whom the father had mourned as lost; but he waited, and treated his brothers as strangers, for they knew him not. Then he sent them home with their sacks full of grain, and took no money for it. But when they returned the second time to Egypt, Joseph's heart yearned for them, and for his old father and youngest brother. When they were alone, he stood before his brothers, and, looking at them, said: "Do you not know me? I am your brother, Joseph, the little lad whom you sold into Egypt."
But when his brothers heard this they were much afraid, and drew away from him, for they thought, now that he was ruler over all Egypt, he would surely punish them for their evil treatment of him. But Joseph said: "Come near me and do not be afraid, nor grieve that you sold me into Egypt, for God has been with me and kept me, and made me ruler, so that I have been able to save many people from the famine."
Then the brothers drew near, and Joseph wept with them, for he loved them. Then he said: "Go back and bring my father, Jacob, and my youngest brother, Benjamin, that we may live together once more."
And Joseph went to meet his father in a chariot, and brought him before Pharaoh, and the king was much pleased, for he loved Joseph and all his household.
Then Joseph gave to his father and brothers houses and lands, so that they all lived together in peace in the land of Egypt.
And the Lord was with Joseph and prospered him all the days of his life.
There were, hundreds of years ago, two very large and grand cities, which strove to excel each other. The one city was Sparta, the other was Athens. These cities were not like our cities of today. They had beautiful, broad streets, but no street cars. They had magnificent buildings, but no electric lights. They did have schools, but they were unlike our schools. The boys in both Athens and Sparta were taken away to school when they were six years of age.
In Athens the boys were taught that they must become very strong and manly. They had running, jumping, leaping, swimming, and racing exercises, to give them rigid muscles and strong, healthy bodies. Occasionally they were allowed to visit at their homes for a day or two. The boys were also taught to sing and to read.
The Spartan boy was taught that he must become very strong and self-reliant. His schoolroom was very plain and bare. He was never allowed to go home to visit. He had to wear, in both summer and winter, the same plain, loose clothing. He slept out of doors in the summer-time, under the trees. In the wintertime he slept in a very open building, on a bed of reeds and rushes, which he had to gather from the river in the long, heated summer days for his winter bed. He had no bedclothing except the down which the wild ducks had shed, and which he had gathered in the forests. He learned to read, write, and to sing. He learned to run, to leap, to swim, and to throw the javelin.
One time the boys from both Athens and Sparta were to meet in a great amphitheater to hear a very wise and learned old man speak. The boys had all gathered, and with them many other people. The amphitheater was full. Not a vacant seat was left, and the people were patiently waiting for the old man to appear. At last he came. He came in so quietly that he was not noticed, except by two boys, one on each side of the aisle. One was a Spartan boy and one was an Athenian. The Athenian boy and Spartan boy both rose immediately. The Athenian boy sat down, but the Spartan boy still stood. He insisted that the old man take his seat, but the old man gently refused, and passed on up the aisle to the place from which he was to address the people. Then the Spartan boy sat down. The old man recognized this act of courtesy, and, while talking to the boys, said that the Athenian boy knew what to do, but did not do it. The Spartan boy had the courage to do it.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in greenpastures: he leadeth me beside thestill waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth mein paths of righteousness for hisname's sake.Yea, though I walk through the valleyof the shadow of death, I will fear noevil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thystaff they comfort me.Thou preparest a table before me inthe presence of mine enemies: thouannointest my head with oil; my cuprunneth over.Surely goodness and mercy shall followme all the days of my life: and I willdwell in the house of the Lord forever.