THE BRAZEN SERPENT.
And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the difficulties. And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this bread of manna."
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ROCK TEMPLE IN PETRA, IN THE LAND OF EDOMFrom a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass., and used by special permission.
Hidden away in the rocky gorges of Edom, Petra is one of the strangest and most marvelous cities of the world. Even yet it has not been fully explored. Its temples and tombs are carved out of the solid rock
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And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us."
And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that everyone who is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live."
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.
Battles by the Way.
And from thence they journeyed to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord said unto Moses, "Gather the people together, and I will give them water."
Then sang Israel this song:--
"Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:The well, which the princes digged,Which the nobles of the people delved,With the scepter, and with their staves."
And from the wilderness they journeyed past many places, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.
And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the{254}Amorites, saying, "Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's highway, until we have passed thy border." And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz: and he fought against Israel. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even to Arnon. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say,--
"Come ye to Heshbon,Let the city of Sihon be built and established:For a fire is gone out of Heshbon,A flame from the city of Sihon.It hath devoured Ar of Moab,The lords of the high places of Arnon.Woe to thee, Moab!Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh:He hath given his sons as fugitives,And his daughters into captivity,Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.{255}We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,Which reacheth unto Medeba."
Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. And the Lord said to Moses, "Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon."
So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining: and they possessed his land.
BALAAM AND BALAK.
The Story of the Prophet Who Was Tempted by a Bribe and of the Ass Which Knew More Than His Master.
And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.
And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, "Now shall this multitude lick{256}up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field."
And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, "Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed."
And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with bribes in their hands; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak.
And he said unto them, "Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me."
And the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. And God came unto Balaam, and said, "What men are these with thee?"
And Balaam said unto God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 'Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.'"
And God said unto Balaam, "Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed."
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VIEW OF THE DEAD SEAFrom a photograph taken by Mr. Louis L. Tribus, Consulting Engineer and Commissioner of Public Works of the Borough of Richmond, City of New York.
An interesting fact in connection with this picture of the Dead Sea concerns the boat which is floating upon it. The owner succeeded in securing a concession from the Turkish Government to put a steamboat upon the Dead Sea. When he started to run it he was advised that the concession had not included the operation of the boat and a considerable further sum of money was desired by the officials. This being beyond the power of the man to raise, the boat has not been operated and remains as the picture shows it.
The water of the Dead Sea contains about 25 per cent. of solid substances. There are common salt, chloride of calcium, chloride of magnesium, and other ingredients, and it is not to be wondered at that the human body floats easily on the surface.
The area of the sea is 360 square miles. Its length is 47-1/2 miles; its greatest width, 10 miles. The surface is about 1295 feet below sea level.
Scientific observation justifies the estimate that a daily average of 6,500,000 tons of water is received into the Dead Sea from the Jordan and other sources during the year. During the rainy season the amount is very much greater; during the dry season it is, of course, very much less, but this average will be maintained year after year.
There is no outlet, and the level is kept down by evaporation only, which is very rapid because of the intense heat, the dry atmosphere and the dry winds which are constantly blowing down the gorges between the mountains.
The waters of the Jordan, when they reach the sea, are as brown as the earth through which they flow--a thick solution of mud--but the instant they mingle with the salt water of the lake the particles of soil are precipitated and they become as clear as crystal, with an intensely green tint.
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And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, "Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you."
And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, "Balaam refuseth to come with us."
And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, "Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, 'Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.'"
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will speak unto me more."
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, "If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do."
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand:{260}and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Then the angel of the Lord stood in a hollow place between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that side. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and she lay down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?"
And Balaam said unto the ass, "Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now I had killed thee."
And the ass said unto Balaam, "Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?"
And he said, "No."
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.
And the angel of the Lord said unto him, "Wherefore{261}hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me: and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive."
And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again."
And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, "Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak."
So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto the city of Moab, which is on the border of Arnon.
And Balak said unto Balaam, "Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore earnest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honor?"
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to speak anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak."
And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of{262}Baal, and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people.
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams."
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go; peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee." And he went to a bare summit.
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar."
And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak."
And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. And Balaam said,--
"From Aram hath Balak brought me,The king of Moab from the mountains of the East:'Come, curse me Jacob,And come, defy Israel.'How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?For from the top of the rocks I see him,And from the hills I behold him:Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,And shall not be reckoned among the nations.{263}Who can count the dust of Jacob,Or number the fourth part of Israel?Let me die the death of the righteous,And let my last end be like his!"
And Balak said unto Balaam, "What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether."
And he answered and said, "Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord putteth in my mouth?"
And Balak said unto him, "Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence."
And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And he said unto Balak, "Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder."
And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, "Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak."
And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, "What hath the Lord spoken?" And he said,--
"Rise up, Balak, and hear;Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:God is not a man, that he should lie;Neither the son of man, that he should repent:{264}Hath he said, and shall he not do it?Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?Behold, I have received commandment to bless:And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel:The Lord his God is with him,And the shout of a king is among them.God bringeth them forth out of Egypt;He hath as it were the strength of the wild ox.Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob,Neither is there any divination with Israel:Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,'What hath God wrought!'Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,And as a lion doth he lift himself up:He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,And drink the blood of the slain."
And Balak said unto Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all." But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, "Told not I thee, saying, 'All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do'?"
And Balak said unto Balaam, "Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence."
And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert.
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams."
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And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he said,--
"Balaam the son of Beor saith,And the man whose eye was closed saith:He saith, who heareth the words of God,Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,Falling down, and having his eyes open:How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,Thy tabernacles, O Israel!As valleys are they spread forth,As gardens by the river side,As aloes which the Lord hath planted,As cedar trees beside the waters.Water shall flow from his buckets,And his family shall be in many waters,And his king shall be higher than Agag,And his kingdom shall be exalted.God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;He hath as it were the strength of the wild ox:He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,And shall break their bones in pieces,And smite them through with his arrows.He couched, he lay down as a lion,And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?Blessed be everyone that blesseth thee,And cursed be everyone that curseth thee."
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And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, "I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honor."
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Spoke I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what the Lord speaketh, that will I speak'?
"And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, and I will announce to thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days." And he said,--
"Balaam the son of Beor saith,And the man whose eye was closed saith:He saith, who heareth the words of God,And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,Falling down, and having his eyes open:I see him, but not now:I behold him, but not nigh:There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,And a scepter shall rise out of Israel,And shall smite through the corners of Moab,And break down all the sons of tumult.And Edom shall be a possession,Seir also shall be a possession, which were his enemies;{267}While Israel doeth valiantly.And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,And shall destroy the remnant from the city."
And he looked on Amalek, and said,--
"Amalek was the first of the nations;But his latter end shall come to destruction."
And he looked on the Kenite, and said,--
"Strong is thy dwelling place,And thy nest is set in the rock.Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive."
And he said,--
"Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,And he also shall come to destruction."
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
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THE DEATH OF MOSES.He Sees but Cannot Enter the Promised Land.
(After the Israelites had wandered for many years in the desert, they approached at last the river Jordan, on the borders of the promised land. Moses, their great hero and leader, was not permitted to cross the river, but, after giving the people his last words of advice, climbed the rugged slopes of Mount Nebo, and was never again seen by the eye of man.)
And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. And he said to them, "I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and the Lord hath said to me, 'Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.' The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee; he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath spoken. And the Lord shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed. And the Lord shall deliver them up before you, and ye shall do to them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
And Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
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MOSES ON MOUNT NEBOThomas Nast
This picture by the famous cartoonist Nast, represents Moses from the summit of Nebo gazing into the land which he was never to enter
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"For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?' But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that the Lord thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I announce to you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go in to possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy families: to love the Lord thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest{272}dwell in the land which the Lord swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: and he said to them, "Set your heart to all the words which I testify to you this day; which ye shall command your children, to observe to do all the words of this law. For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days upon the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."
And the Lord spoke to Moses that selfsame day, saying, "Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: and die in the mount whither thou goest up; as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor: because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. For thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel."
And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, as far as Dan; and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the western sea; and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the Lord said to{273}him, "This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, 'I will give it unto thy family': I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."
So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-pear: but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.
And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended.
And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
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By Nebo's lonely mountain,On this side Jordan's wave,In a vale in the land of Moab,There lies a lonely grave.And no man knows that sepulcher,And no man saw it e'er,For the angels of God upturned the sod,And laid the dead man there.That was the grandest funeralThat ever passed on earth;But no man heard the trampling,Or saw the train go forth:Noiselessly as the daylightComes back when night is done,And the crimson streak on ocean's cheekGrows into the great sun;Noiselessly as the spring-timeHer crown of verdure weaves,And all the trees on all the hillsOpen their thousand leaves;So without sound of musicOr voice of them that wept,Silently down from the mountain's crownThe great procession swept.Perchance that bald old eagleOn gray Beth-Peor's height,Out of his lonely eyrieLooked on the wondrous sight:{275}Perchance the lion, stalking,Stills shuns that hallowed spot,For beast and bird have seen and heardThat which man knoweth not.But when the warrior dieth,His comrades in the war,With arms reversed and muffled drum,Follow his funeral car;They show the banners taken,They tell his battles won,And after him lead his masterless steed,While peals the minute-gun.Amid the noblest of the landWe lay the sage to rest,And give the bard an honored place.With costly marble drest,In the great minster transeptWhere lights like glories fall,And the organ rings and the sweet choir singsAlong the emblazoned wall.This was the truest warriorThat ever buckled sword,This the most gifted poetThat ever breathed a word;And never earth's philosopherTraced with his golden pen,On the deathless page, truths half so sageAs he wrote down for men.And had he not 'nigh honor,--The hillside for a pall,To lie in state while angels wait,With stars for tapers tall,{276}And the dark rock-pines like tossing plumesOver his bier to wave,And God's own hand, in that lonely land,To lay him in the grave?In that strange grave without a name,Whence his uncoffined clayShall break again, O wondrous thought!Before the judgment day,And stand with glory wrapt aroundOn the hills he never trod,And speak of the strife that won our lifeWith the Incarnate Son of God.O, lonely grave in Moab's land!O, dark Beth-Peor's hill!Speak to these curious hearts of ours,And teach them to be still.God hath his mysteries of grace,Ways that we cannot tell;He hides them deep, like the hidden sleepOf him he loved so well.
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The Story of the Hero Whose Genius as a Warrior Won the Land of Canaan for Israel.
(The Israelites found the land of Canaan occupied by a fierce and warlike people with whom they fought many battles and waged long campaigns. The story of this warfare is filled with deeds of cruelty and violence, yet it is no more terrible than war has always been. We cannot understand why God has permitted so much suffering, but we know that in some cases at least the world has advanced in freedom through the loss and sacrifice of war. Even in war men have grown less cruel, and we may hope for the time when all war shall cease and men shall live together as brethren.)
JOSHUA IS MADE CAPTAIN OF THE HOST.Spies Are Sent to Jericho.
Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, saying, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, to the land which I give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea to the going down of the sun, shall{278}be your border. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, 'Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.'"
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, "Go view the land, and Jericho." And they went, and came into the house of a woman whose name was Rahab, and lay there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land."
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MOUNDS MARKING THE SITE OF OLD JERICHOFrom the road from Jerusalem to JerichoFrom a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon and used by his kind permission.
Jericho, "the city of palm trees," was the only important place in the Jordan valley. In Bible times it was a beautiful and prosperous city, but now it is only a waste. Its palm trees are gone and the site is desolate. It was often conquered by the armies which passed through Palestine. After its walls fell down before Joshua's hosts, "no great man was born in Jericho; no heroic deed was ever done in her. She never stood a siege and her inhabitants were always running away."
--Smith
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And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they are come to search out all the land."
And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, "Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were: and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them."
But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them along the way to Jordan to the fords: and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up to them upon the roof; and she said to the men, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. Now{282}therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death."
And the men said to her, "Our life for yours, if ye speak not of this our business; and it shall be, when the Lord giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee."
Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said to them, "Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned: and afterward may ye go your way."
And the men said unto her, "We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear, unless, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. But if thou speak of this our business, then we will be guiltless or thine oath which thou hast made us to swear."
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LOWER FORDS OF THE JORDANFrom a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his kind permission.
Jordan river is a narrow, winding stream flowing down on the eastern border of the "Promised Land." When not in flood its width does not average over two hundred feet and it is rarely over five feet deep at such times; in flood it becomes in places a mile broad. It is so winding that in sixty-five miles direct course it covers a distance of two hundred miles. There are some fifty fords across the river, and in Roman times it was spanned by bridges. This picture shows the "lower fords." At this point, or near here, the Israelites crossed. "There are hundreds of other streams more large, more useful, or more beautiful; there is none which has been more spoken about by mankind"
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And she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
And they went, and came to the mountain, and hid there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. And they said unto Joshua, "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us."
THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN.The Israelites Leave the Jordan Behind Them as They Left the Red Sea.
And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they marched from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, "When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall advance from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore."
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And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When ye are come to the brink of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.'"
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, "Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God."
And Joshua said, "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and all the people of the land. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap."
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being before the people; and when they{287}that bore the ark were come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest), that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan: and those that went down toward the Salt Sea were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right opposite Jericho.
And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed wholly over Jordan.