the stormJO-NAH IN THE STORM.
And the rest of the men said, Come, and let us cast lots that we may know who is to blame for this.
So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jo-nah. And they said to him, Tell us, we pray thee, who has brought on us these ills. What is thy trade? where dost thou come from? where dost thou live? and of what tribe art thou?
And he said I am a Jew, and have fled from the Lord who made the sea and sky.
And the men were in great fear and said, Why hast thou done this thing? And what shall we doto thee that the sea may be still for us? For the waves were rough, and the winds blew a gale.
And Jo-nah said to the men, Take me up and cast me in-to the sea; then shall the sea be calm for you, for I know it is for my sake that this great storm has come up-on you.
The men did not want to drown Jo-nah, so they tried their best to bring the ship to land, but could not.
Then they cried to the Lord, O Lord, we pray thee, count it no sin to us that we take this man's life, for thou, O Lord, hast sent this storm on us for some of his sins.
So they took up Jo-nah, and cast him in-to the sea, and the sea grew still and calm.
And when the men saw this they were in great fear, and brought gifts to the Lord, and made vows that they would serve him.
Now the Lord had sent a great fish to the side of the ship to take Jo-nah in-to its mouth as soon as he was thrown in-to the sea.
And Jo-nah was in-side the fish for three days and three nights. And he prayed to the Lord while he was in the fish; and cried to God to help him, and to blot out his sins. And God heard him, and bade the fish throw him up on the dry land.
Then the Lord spoke to Jo-nah once more, andsaid, Rise, and go to Nin-e-veh, and preach to it as I bid thee.
And Jo-nah rose and went.
And when God saw them turn from their sins and pray to him, he did not do to Nin-e-veh as he said he would.
But this did not please Jo-nah. He thought that Nin-e-veh should be brought low, for those who dwelt there were not good friends to the Jews. Then, too, Jo-nah's pride was hurt, for he knew that men would laugh at him, and have no faith in what he said, so he went out of the town and sat down by the road-side.
And God made a vine to grow up there in one night, that Jo-nah might sit in its shade and find rest from his grief. And Jo-nah was glad when he saw the gourd. The next morn God sent a worm to gnaw the root of the vine, and it soon dried up.
When the sun rose God sent a hot wind, and the sun beat on Jo-nah's head so that he grew sick and fell in a faint. And he was wroth, and had no wish to live.
And God said to Jo-nah, Is it well for thee to be in such grief for the loss of a gourd?
And Jo-nah said, Yes. There was good cause why he should feel as he did and long to die.
Then the Lord said to him, Thou wouldst havehad me spare this vine which cost thee nought, and which grew up in a night and died in a night. And why should I not spare Nin-e-veh—that great town—in which are hosts and hosts of young folks who do not know their right hand from their left?
So God put Jo-nah to shame, and made him see what a sin it was to wish to crush Nin-e-veh just to please his own self and for fear men would laugh at him.
And Jo-nah found out, what we all need to learn, that it is of no use to try to hide from God.
DANIEL.
Therewas a king of Bab-y-lon whose name was Neb-u-chad-nez-zar. And he sent one of his chief men to choose some of the young Jews who had been well brought up, that they might wait on him.
The chief chose four youths whose name were Dan-i-el, Sha-drach, Me-shach and A-bed-ne-go. And these were brought to Bab-y-lon, that they might be taught as the king wished.
And the Lord was with these four young men,and made them wise, and strong in mind, and fair of face.
kingKING NEB-U-CHAD-NEZ-ZAR.
When they had been taught for three years they were brought to the king's house. And the king kept them near him, and made use of them, for he found that they knew ten times more than all the wise men in the whole realm.
One night the king had a dream that woke him out of his sleep. And he sent for all the wise men—those who could read stars, and those who could work charms—to tell what the dream meant.
And they all came, but none of them could tell the dream that had gone out of the king's own head. And no king, they said, would ask such a thing of wise men.
The king was wroth at this and gave word that all the wise men should be put to death. And they sought Dan-i-el and his friends, that they might kill them.
Dan-i-el said, Why is there such haste? And when he was told he went in to the king and said if he would give him time he would make his dream clear to him.
In the night God showed the king's dream to Dan-i-el, and all that it meant was made clear to him. And Dan-i-el gave praise and thanks to God who had been so good to him.
Then he went to the chief, and told him not to slay the wise men, but to bring him in to the king.
Then Dan-i-el told the king his dream, and all that would come to pass, and when the king heard it he fell on his face be-fore Dan-i-el and said to him, It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and that nought is hid from him, since thou hast told me this dream.
And the king made Dan-i-el a great man, and gave him rich gifts, and put him at the head of all the wise men in the land.
Now king Neb-u-chad-nez-zar made a great god out of gold, and set it on one of the plains of Bab-y-lon.
dreamNEB-U-CHAD-NEZ-ZAR'S DREAM.
And one of the king's men cried out with a loud voice, and said it was the king's law that all should bow down to the god of gold that he had set up. And those who did not bow down were to be thrown in-to a great hot fire and burnt up.
And some men brought word to the king that the three Jews would not serve his gods, or bow down to this one of gold which he had set up.
These three men were brought to the king, and he said to them, Is it true, O Sha-drach, Me-shach,and A-bed-ne-go that ye will not serve my gods or bow down to the one of gold which I have set up? And he said he would give them one more chance, and if they did not bow down when they heard the call, they should be cast in the same hour in-to the flames. The three Jews said to the king, Be it known to thee now that we will not serve thy gods, nor bow down to the new one thou hast set up. And if we are cast in the fire, the God whom we serve will save us from death and bring us out of thy hands, O king.
Then was the king in a great rage, and he sent word that a fierce fire should be made. And the three Jews were bound and thrown in-to the flames with all their clothes on. And the fire was so hot and they went so near that sparks flew out and killed the men who took up Sha-drach, Me-shach and A-bed-ne-go.
These three Jews fell down in the midst of the flames, but soon rose to their feet, and the Lord would not let the flames burn them.
When the king saw this he rose in great haste and said to his chiefs, Did we not cast three men bound in the midst of the fire?
And they said, True, O king.
And the king said, Lo, I see four men loose, and they walk through the flames and are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like to the son of God.
Then the king came to the door of the cage of fire and said to Sha-drach, Me-shach and A-bed-ne-go, Ye who serve the most high God, come forth, and come here.
living with beastsDWELL-ING WITH THE BEASTS.
And the three young Jews came forth out of the midst of the fire, and not a hair of their head was singed, nor were their clothes harmed, nor was the smell of fire on them.
And the king praised the God who had shown that he would save from death those who put their trust in him. And the king made it a law that those who spoke ill of the God of Sha-drach, Me-shach, and A-bed-ne-go should be put to death, and their homes torn down, for there was no God who could save as he could.
For a while the king served God and gave him praise for all he had done for him. But men who thought to please the king, spoke of his great wealth and praised all that he did, so that he grew vain and proud, and thought more of him-self than he did of God.
And the king had a dream that made him shake with fear, and he sent for Dan-i-el. And Dan-i-el feared to tell the king the truth. But the king told him to speak out. Then Dan-i-el told him what would take place.
And it all came on king Neb-u-chad-nez-zar. In the same hour his mind left him and he was not fit to reign. So he was thrust out of doors, and did eat grass with the beasts of the fields. And he lay on the ground, and was wet with the dews, and his hair grew so long that his flesh could not be seen, and his nails were like bird's claws.
And at the end of the sev-en years Neb-u-chad-nez-zar raised his eyes to God, and his mind came back to him, and he spoke in praise of the most High.
And Neb-u-chad-nez-zar was made king once more, and grew strong and great, and gave the praise to God; the King of kings, who could raise up those who were down, and bring down those who were full of pride.
When Neb-u-chad-nez-zar died, a new king was on the throne of Bab-y-lon whose name was Bel-shaz-zar. And Bel-shaz-zar made a great feast, and much wine was drunk. And the king sent for the rich cups which his fath-er had brought from the Lord's house in Je-ru-sa-lem. And he and all at the feast drank from these cups, which was a great sin.
In the midst of the feast there came forth a man's hand, that wrote on the wall of the king's house.
And the king saw the hand, and was in great fear, and sent at once for all his wise men.
writingTHE WRIT-ING ON THE WALL.
But none of them could read what was on the wall, and the king knew not what to do. Then Dan-i-el was sent for, and the king said he should have great wealth and high rank if he could read the words on the wall.
Dan-i-el said, Keep thy gifts, O king, and give thy fees to some one else. Yet will I read the words on the wall and tell you what they mean. For the God who gives thee life and takes care of thee, thou hast no word of praise. And so God sent this hand to write on the wall.
Me-ne, Me-ne, Te-kel, U-phar-sin,
which means that thy reign as king is at an end.
When Dan-i-el had told what the hand wrote on the wall, and what the words meant, Bel-shaz-zar bade his men clothe him in red, and put a gold chain onhis neck, and make it known that he was to be third in rank from the king.
lions and DanielDAN-I-EL IN THE LIONS' DEN.
That same night Bel-shaz-zar was slain, and Da-ri-us took his place on the throne.
Now Da-ri-us was pleased with Dan-i-el, and thought him such a wise and good man that he made him chief of a large force of men who held high rank. And this made these men hate Dan-i-el, and they tried to find out some ill that he had done that they might tell it to the king. But they could find no fault in him. Then they thought of a way in which they could harm him.
They came to the king and asked him to make a law that if one should ask help of God or man for one month, he should be cast in-to a den of li-ons.
They might ask help of the king, but of no one else.
And the king told them to write down this law, and he put his name to it.
When Dan-i-el heard of the law which the king had sent out he went to his home and knelt down three times a day with his face to Je-ru-sa-lem, and gave thanks to God first as he had done all his life.
And the men who were on the watch to catch him in some crime, drew near his house and heard him pray to his God. So they went and told theking, and the king was wroth to think he had made such a law. And he tried his best to save Dan-i-el. But the men held him to his word, and said it would not do for him to change a law that had been made.
graveROCK GRAVE OF DA-RI-US.
Then the king bade them bring Dan-i-el and cast him in the den of wild beasts. And he said to Dan-i-el, Thy God, whom thou dost serve so well, will be sure to save thee.
And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den.
Then the king went to his own house, but would take no food, nor did he sleep all that night. And at dawn he rose and went in haste to the den of wild beasts. And as he drew near he cried out with a sad voice, O Dan-i-el, canst thy God save thee from the li-ons?
And Dan-i-el said, O king, my God hath shut the li-ons' mouths so that they have not hurt me, since I had done no wrong in his sight nor in thine, O king.
CyrusCY-RUS, KING OF PER-SI-A.
Then the king was glad, and bade his men take Dan-i-el out of the den. And when he was brought out, there was not a scratch found on him, for his trust was in God, and God took care of him.
Then the king had those men who found fault with Dan-i-el, thrown in-to the den—they and their wives, and their chil-dren—and the wild beasts were quick to eat them up.
Then Da-ri-us made a law that all men should serve the God of Dan-i-el, who was the one true God.
When Da-ri-us died, Cy-rus was made king.
THE GOOD QUEEN ESTHER.
Farback in the past, wise men had fore-told that the Jews would be kept out of Je-ru-sa-lem for three-score and ten years, and at the end of that time a king, Cy-rus, would let them go back to the land they came from. And he did so.
Not all the Jews went back to their own land, but some of them made their homes in Per-si-a and else-where. And King A-has-u-e-rus was on the throne.
In the third year of his reign he made a great feast.
And he sent for Vash-ti, the queen, to throw off her veil and let his guests see how fair she was.
But Vash-ti would not do it.
Then the king was in a rage, and said to his wise men, What shall we do to Queen Vash-ti to make her know that the king's will is her law?
And the wise men said, Vash-ti hath done wrong to the king and to all the lords of the land.
For when this is told, wives will not do as their liege lords wish. They will say, The king sent wordfor Vash-ti, the queen, to be brought to him, but she came not. Let the king make a law and put Vash-ti from him and choose a new queen, that all wives, great and small, may take heed and do as they are told.
The king and all the lords thought these were wise words. And the king made it a law that a man should rule in his own house.
Then some of the king's men, whose place it was to wait on him, came to him and said it would be a good plan for him to have all the fair maids in the land brought to his house, that he might choose one of them to be queen, in the place of Vash-ti.
And the king did as they said.
Now there was a Jew in the king's house, whose name was Mor-de-ca-i. He was a poor man, and was there to wait on the king.
And there was a maid named Es-ther, who was one of his kins-folk. And she was "fair of face, and full of grace."
And when the word went forth from the king, scores and scores of fair young maids came to the king's house, and Es-ther came with them. And one of the king's men had them all in his charge.
This man was so pleased with Es-ther that he was more kind to her than he was to the rest, and sent maids to wait on her, and put her and her maids in the best part of the house where the wo-men were. But Es-ther had not let it be known that her folks were Jews, for Mor-de-ca-i had told her not to tell it.
Esther before the kingES-THER AND THE KING.
As soon as the king saw Es-ther he fell in love with her, and set the crown on her head, and made her queen in the place of Vash-ti.
Then the king made a great feast, and gave gifts to the poor for the new queen's sake. And she had not yet made it known that her folks were Jews.
Now two of the king's men, who stood on guard at the doors of his house, were wroth with the king and sought to kill him.
And their plot was known to Mor-de-ca-i, who was a watch-man at the king's gate. And he told it to Es-ther, and she told it to the king, and both of the men were hung. And what Mor-de-ca-i had done to save the king's life was put down in a book.
And in this same book was set down all that took place in the king's reign.
Now there was in the king's house a man whose name was Ha-man. And the king gave him a high place, and bade those of low rank bow down to Ha-man.
But the Jew at the gate would not bow when Ha-man went in and out. And the rest of the men who stood by told Ha-man of it.
Now Ha-man was a vain man, and when he sawthat Mor-de-ca-i did not bow to him as the rest did he was full of wrath. It had been made known to him that Mor-de-ca-i was a Jew.
And so he told the king if he would make a law that all the Jews should be put to death, he would give him a large sum of gold and sil-ver.
The king heard what Ha-man said, and then took his ring from his hand and gave it to Ha-man, and told him to do with the Jews as he thought best. The king gave him his ring that he might use it as a seal. And Ha-man set the scribes to work, and they wrote just what he told them, in the king's name. And when the wax was put at the end with the king's seal on it, it was the same as if the whole had been writ by the king's own hand.
Men were sent out in haste to make the law known through-out the land, that all the Jews in Per-si-a were to be slain. And when this was done Ha-man and the king sat down to drink wine.
When Mor-de-ca-i heard of the law that Ha-man had made, he rent his clothes and put on sack-cloth, and went out and cried with a loud cry. And he came and stood in front of the king's gate, though he could not pass through, for it was the law that none should pass who wore sack-cloth. And all through the land the Jews were in deep grief, so full of tears that they could eat no food; and not a fewof them put on sack-cloth to show the depth of their woe.
Queen Es-ther had not heard of the law, but her maids came and told her of the state Mor-de-ca-i was in. And her grief was great, and she sent food and clothes to him, and bade the men take the sack-cloth from him. But Mor-de-ca-i would take nought from their hands, nor change his clothes.
Then the queen sent one of her head men, Ha-tach, to ask Mor-de-ca-i what was the cause of his grief, and why he had put on sack-cloth.
And Mor-de-ca-i told Ha-tach of the law that had been made, and what a large sum Ha-man had said he would give to the king if he would kill off all the Jews in the land.
And he told Ha-tach to tell the queen, and to show her what the scribes wrote, and bid her see the king and ask him to save the Jews.
And Ha-tach took the word to the queen.
Es-ther bade him tell her kins-man that it was well known that those who went in to the king when they had not been sent for, would be put to death. But if the king held out his gold wand it was a sign that he would spare their lives. The king has not sent for me for a month, said she. How then can I go to him?
Mor-de-ca-i sent back word to the queen to thinknot that the king would spare her life if the Jews were put to death. And it might be that God had put her in the place she held that she might keep the Jews at this time.
Then Es-ther sent word to him that he and all the Jews in the king's court should fast and pray for her, and not eat or drink for three days and three nights.
I and my maids will do the same, said the queen, and I will go in to the king in spite of the law; and if I die, I die in a good cause.
So on the third day af-ter the queen put on her rich robes, and went in and stood ve-ry near to the throne on which the king sat.
EstherES-THER AT SHUS-HAN.
And when the king saw her, God put it in-to his heart to be kind, and he held out to her the goldwand that was in his hand. And the queen drew near, and touched the tip of the wand.
Then the king said, What wilt thou, Queen Es-ther? and what wouldst thou ask of me? Were it half of my realm I would give it to thee.
The queen said, If it please the king, I would like him and Ha-man to come this day to a feast I have made for them.
And the king bade Ha-man make haste, and they both went to the feast. And while they drank the wine the king told the queen to make known her wish.
But she put him off and said she would tell him the next day, if he and Ha-man would come to the feast that she would spread for them.
And Ha-man's heart was full of pride, since the queen chose him and no one else to feast with her and the king. And when he went out he felt that all men ought to bow down to him. But Mor-de-ca-i would not. And Ha-man told all his friends how kind the king and queen were to him, and what high rank he held, and said that his life would be full of joy if it were not for the Jew at the king's gate.
Ha-man's wife told him to fix a rope to a tall tree, and speak to the king the next day and have him hang the Jew. And Ha-man made a slip-nooseat the end of a rope, and had the rope made fast to a tall tree.
Now that night the king could not sleep. And he sent for the book in which was put down all that took place in the realm, and had it read to him. And when he who read came to the part which told what Mor-de-ca-i had done to save the king's life, the king said, How has Mor-de-ca-i been paid for this deed?
And the man said he had had nought, and still kept watch at the king's gate.
Then the king heard a step and sent one of his men to see who it was.
Now Ha-man had come to the king's house to ask him to hang Mor-de-ca-i. And the man came back and said that Ha-man stood in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
So Ha-man came in. And the king said to him, What shall be done to the man who has won the praise of the king?
And Ha-man thought, That means me, of course, and no one else.
And he said to the king, Let the robes be brought that the king wears, and the horse he rides, and the crown which is set on his head. And let the robes and the crown be put on the man whom the king has in mind, and bring him on horse-back through thestreet of the town, and have men cry out, Thus shall it be done to the man who has won the praise of the king.
And the king said to Ha-man, Make haste and take the robes and the horse as thou hast said, and do thus and no less to the Jew at the king's gate.
But Ha-man went home, and was full of shame. And he told his wife and his friends of his hard fate. And while they yet spake the king's men came for him to go to the queen's feast. And while they ate and drank, the king bade the queen make known her wish. Ask what thou wilt; were it half my realm, I would give it to thee.
Then the queen said, If it please thee, O king, take my life and spare the lives of all the Jews. For we have been sold and the truth has not been told of us, and we are to be put to death. The king said, Who is he, and where is he who has dared to do this thing?
And the queen told him it was Ha-man. And Ha-man was in great fear as he stood face to face with the king and queen.
The king rose in great wrath and went out of doors, and when he came in he saw Ha-man at the feet of the queen, where he went to beg her to save his life.
And when the king was shown the rope and thetree on which Ha-man meant to hang Mor-de-ca-i he said, Hanghimon it. And they hung Ha-man, and the king's wrath left him.
And on the same day the king gave Ha-man's house to Es-ther, and Mor-de-ca-i was brought in to the king, who had been told that he was a kins-man of the queen. And the king gave him the ring which Ha-man had worn, and the queen put him at the head of the house in which Ha-man had dwelt.
But Es-ther was still sad at heart be-cause of the law that had been made, that all the Jews in the land should be put to death. And she went in once more to the king—though he had not sent for her—and fell down at his feet in tears. Then the king held out the wand of gold, and the queen rose, and stood be-fore the king and asked him to change the law and save the lives of the Jews.
The king could not change the law, but he told Es-ther and Mor-de-ca-i to make a law that would please them and sign it with the king's seal. So they made a law that the Jews should kill all those who came to do them harm. And when Mor-de-ca-i came out from his talk with the king he had on a robe of blue and white, such as the king wore, and a gold crown on his head.
And all the Jews were glad; and when the day came that Ha-man had set for the Jews to be slain,the Jews went out and fought for their lives and put their foes to rout. And grief gave place to joy, and a feast was held for two days. This feast was called the Feast of Pu-rim, which the Jews keep to this day.
The Jews who had gone to Je-ru-sa-lem to build up its walls were still at work there. But there were foes to watch, and the poor Jews found fault with the rich ones, and there was strife in their midst from year to year. But when Ne-he-mi-ah went to their aid the Lord gave him strength to set things straight, and in a year the new wall was built and the gate put up. Then there was a great feast, and all the Jews gave praise and thanks to God.
But they went back to their sins, and did not serve God as they ought. And kings fought for Je-ru-sa-lem and took it from their hands and made the Jews their slaves.
And at last the Ro-mans came and took Je-ru-sa-lem and broke down its walls, and made the Jews serve them. And He-rod, who had led the Ro-mans to war, was made their king. He was a fierce, bad man, who would let no one rule but him-self. He put his own wife and two of his sons to death, and did all that he could to make folks hate and fear him.
He tried to make the Jews think that he was one of their race, but he was not. He thought it wouldplease them if he built up their House of God, so he set men to work to tear down the old and to put up the new, and they made use of much gold and sil-ver and fine white stones.
There was no ark to put in it, for that had been lost, but a large stone was put in the place where the ark should have been.
And it took He-rod more than nine years to build this House of God on the top of Mount Mo-ri-ah. And the way up to it was by a long flight of steps.
This ends the Old Tes-ta-ment, which was made up of all the books that were kept by all the scribes from the time the world was made.
Baby Jesus
Boy JesusCHRIST IN THE TEM-PLE.
NativityTHE BABE OF BETH-LE-HEM.
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
Thetime was near for Je-sus to come on the earth. God had told Ad-am and Eve of one who would save them from their sins. Mo-ses, and all the seers and wise men, spoke of him who was to give men new hearts, and help them to lead new lives.
In the days of He-rod, king of Ju-dah, there was a priest named Zach-a-ri-as. His wife's name was E-liz-a-beth. They were both old, and had led pure lives, and sought to keep God's laws. But they had no child.
One day when the priest was in the house of God by one of the al-tars, an an-gel came and stood near him. And when the priest saw him he shook with fear.
But the an-gel said: Fear not, Zach-a-ri-as, for God will give thee and thy wife a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall not drink wine nor strong drink, and shall turn the hearts of men to the Lord their God.
Then Zach-a-ri-as said to the an-gel, But how shall I know that these things will be?
And the an-gel said to him, I am the an-gel Ga-bri-el, who stands near to God, and he has sent me to tell thee this good news. And for thy lack of faith thou shalt be dumb, and speak not a word till the day that these things come to pass.
Now those who were in the courts of God's house thought it strange that Zach-a-ri-as should stay so long at the al-tar where he burnt the in-cense.
And when he came out he could not speak to them, but made them know by signs that he had seen a strange sight.
Six months from this time God sent the an-gel Ga-bri-el to the town of Naz-a-reth, to a young wo-man there whose name was Ma-ry. She was one of the heirs of King Da-vid.
When Ma-ry saw the an-gel she was in great fear, for she knew not why he had come. And the an-gel said: Fear not, Ma-ry, for God has blessed thee. Thou shalt have a son, and shalt call his nameJe-sus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of God. And God will make him a king, and to his reign there shall be no end.
Ma-ry said: How can this be?
AnnunciationTHE AN-NUN-CIA-TION.
The an-gel told her that what might seem hard for her was not hard for God, who could do all things. He had told E-liz-a-beth that she should have a son, and he had now sent word to Ma-ry that she should have a son; and what he had said he would do.
Then Ma-ry said, Let the Lord's will be done. And the an-gel left her.
Ma-ry made haste and went to the land of Ju-dah, and to the house of E-liz-a-beth and Zach-a-ri-as, where she spent three months. Then she came back to her own home. Jo-seph was the name of Ma-ry's hus-band; and he was a Jew, of King Da-vid's line. They were both poor, and Jo-seph had to work hard at his trade. He was a car-pen-ter.
God gave Zach-a-ri-as and E-liz-a-beth the son that he said they should have. And when the child was eight days old, the friends and kins-folk came to see it and to give it a name. Most of them said, Call him Zach-a-ri-as.
But the child's mo-ther said, Not so. He shall be called John.
And they said, There is none of thy kin-dred that is called by this name.
And they made signs to the fa-ther that he should let them know by what name the child should be called.
And the fa-ther sat down and wrote: His name is John. And they all thought this strange, as hehad not told them of the an-gel who spoke to him in the house of God.
As soon as Zach-a-ri-as wrote these words his speech came back to him, and he gave praise and thanks to God. And all the folks in that part of the land heard of these things, and they said, What sort of a child shall this be? And the boy grew tall and strong, and the Lord blest him, and he went out and dwelt in the woods and waste lands till he was a man, and it was time for him to preach to the Jews and to tell them of Je-sus.
Now the king of Rome was called a Ce-sar, in the speech of that land, and the Jews had to do just as he said, for they were his slaves. And he made a law that the names of all the Jews should be put down in a book, that it might be known what tribe they came from, and what they were worth. Then, too, it would not be a hard task to count them when the Ce-sar wished to know how large a force of them was in this land he had fought for and won.
And each Jew was to go to that part of the land where his fore-fa-thers dwelt, and have his name put down in the book at that place.
So, as Jo-seph and his wife were of the house of Da-vid, they both set out for the town of Beth-le-hem, where Da-vid used to feed his sheep. The way was long, and when they came to the town theyfound a great crowd of folks there. There was no room for Jo-seph and Ma-ry at the inn, and they knew no one at whose house they could stay.
As they went from place to place in search of a room, they came to a shed in which was a great trough or man-ger full of hay, where the poor folks who came to town fed the beasts on which they rode.
So Jo-seph and Ma-ry made their home in this shed while they had to wait to have their names put down. And while they were there God gave to Ma-ry the son that he said she should have.
And as she had no fine soft clothes to wrap the babe in, she took bands of cloth and put round him, and laid him on the straw in the man-ger.
In those days rich men kept large flocks of sheep and goats, and had men watch them at night for fear that wild beasts would seize and kill them. The men who fed and took care of the sheep were called shep-herds.
One night, as some shep-herds were on the hills where they kept watch of their flocks, the an-gel of the Lord came down to them. And a bright light shone round them so that they were in great fear.
nativityTHE NA-TIV-I-TY.
And the an-gel said to them, Fear not, for I bring you good news which shall give joy to all the land. For Christ, the Lord, is born for you this day, in the town of Beth-le-hem, and he will save you from your sins. And this is the way ye shall know him: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in bands of cloth and laid in a man-ger.
When the an-gel had said this, there came, like a flash of light, a great host of an-gels who gave praise to God, and sang, Glo-ry be to God on high, and on earth, peace and good-will to men.
When the an-gels had left them the shep-herds said, Let us go at once to Beth-le-hem and see these things of which the an-gel has told us.
And they came with haste, and found Ma-ry and Jo-seph, and the babe that lay in the man-ger where the ox and ass used to feed. And when they had seen the child, they went out and told what the an-gel had said to them. And those who heard were filled with awe, for it was the first time that such a thing had been done in the world. And the strange news spread fast.
Ma-ry told no one of the talk she had had with the an-gel, but thought much of these things, and took the best of care of the new-born babe. It did not seem as if it could be her own child.
When the babe was eight days old, its fa-ther and mo-ther gave it the name ofJe-sus, as the an-gel had bid them. And they gave him to the Lord; that is, they vowed to the priest that they would bring up the child to serve God and to lead a good life. Forthough he was the son of God he was sent on earth to teach men what they ought to do.
Now there was a man in Je-ru-sa-lem whose name was Sim-e-on. He was a good man, and did what was right, and for years he had been on the watch for one of whom the seers had told, and who was to save men from their sins.
And it was made known to Sim-e-on in a dream that he should not die till he had seen this King of kings and Lord of lords.
holding the babySIM-E-ON IN THE TEM-PLE.
Sim-e-on was a priest in the house of God, and when Jo-seph and Ma-ry brought in the child Je-sus, he took it up in his arms and blest God, and said: Now, Lord, thy words have come true, and I can die inpeace, for I have seen him who is to be the light of the world, and to save men from their sins!
Jo-seph and Ma-ry knew not what to make of this strange speech. And the priest blest them, and gave the child back to his mo-ther, and told her of some of the great things he would do when he grew up to be a man.
And there was one An-na, who kept all the fasts, and served God night and day. She was four-score and four years old, and could fore-tell what was to take place, and her fame was great. And she came in-to the house of God while Sim-e-on yet spoke, and gave thanks to the Lord, and told of him who was to come to save the Jews, and to give them back their rights.
Then Ma-ry and Jo-seph went back to their own home in Naz-a-reth. And the child grew, and was strong, and wise, and God blest him from day to day.
THE STAR IN THE EAST.
Inthese days God spoke to men by strange signs, and wise ones were all the time on the watch for them. They had read in their old books of astar that was to shine with a bright light, and each night they would raise their eyes to the sky, in hopes that they might see this sign that would bring hope and joy to the whole race of Jews. But years and years had gone by, and the Jews had no land of their own, and were as slaves to the Ce-sar of Rome. And He-rod, their king, was most harsh to them, for he had skill in the use of a sword, but not in the use of kind words, or good deeds.