holding headDA-VID WITH GO-LI-ATH'S HEAD.
Then Da-vid ran and stood on Go-li-ath, and drew his sword from its sheath, and slew him and cut off his head.
And when the Phil-is-tines saw that the man in whom they had put their trust was dead they fled.
And Da-vid came back from the fight with the head of Go-li-ath in his hand, and was brought to Saul.
And Saul would not let Da-vid go back to his own home, but made him stay with him. And Jon-a-than fell in love with him, and to show his love, took off all the rich clothes he had on and put them on Da-vid, and gave him his sword, his bow, and his belt. And Da-vid did as Saul told him, and all who saw him were pleased with him, and Saul put him at the head of his men of war.
But when King Saul and his men went through the towns on their way back from the fight, the folks came out and sang and danced to praise them for what they had done.
But they said more in praise of Da-vid than of Saul, and when Saul heard it he was wroth, and from that day ceased to be Da-vid's friend.
The next day Da-vid stood near Saul with his harp in his hand to play him some sweet tunes.And Saul held a spear in his hand, and he cast it at Da-vid so that it would go through him and pin him to the wall. But Da-vid saw it and took a step one side, and it did him no harm.
Twice was this done, and when Saul found that he could not hurt Da-vid, he was in great fear of him, for he knew the Lord was with him. So he drove Da-vid from his house, and sent men to lay in wait to kill him.
friendsJON-A-THAN AND DA-VID.
But Da-vid fled from them and ran to the place where Jon-a-than was, and said to him, What have I done that the king seeks my life?
Now Jon-a-than did not know that the king meant to kill Da-vid, so he said to him, Thou shalt not die.My fath-er would have told me if he meant to kill thee. But Da-vid said it was true.
The next day was to be a feast day, and the king would look for Dav-id to come and eat with him. But Da-vid was in such fear of Saul that he did not care to go, and begged Jon-a-than to let him hide him-self for three days. If the king asks where I am, said Da-vid, tell him that thou did'st give me leave to go home.
Jon-a-than told Da-vid that at the end of the three days he should come and hide in the field near a rock that was there. And Jon-a-than said he would shoot three ar-rows as if he took aim at a mark. And he would send a lad out to pick them up. And if he said to the lad, Go, find them, they are on this side of thee, then Da-vid might know that all was at peace and the king would do him no harm. But if he should cry out that the darts were be-yond the lad, then Da-vid would know that he must flee, for the king meant to do him harm.
So Da-vid hid him-self in the field; and when the feast day came Saul sat down to eat with his back to the wall. And he saw that Da-vid was not in his place, but said not a word. The next day when he found Da-vid was not in his place, Saul said to his son, Why comes not Da-vid to eat these two days?
Jon-a-than said that Da-vidpledso hard forleave to go home to his own folks, that he had told him to go, and that was why he was not at the feast.
Then Saul was in a great rage, and said to his son, As long as Da-vid lives thou canst not be a king. Send for him, and bring him here that he may be put to death.
And Jon-a-than said, Why should he be slain? What hath he done?
shooting the arrowJON-A-THAN SHOOT-ING THE AR-ROWS.
Saul threw his spear at Jon-a-than. And the young man knew by this that the king meant to kill Da-vid. So the next morn the king's son went out to the field, and took a lad with him. And he said, Run now, and pick up the ar-rows that I shoot.
And as he ran, Jon-a-than sent a dart o'er his head; and when the lad came to the place where it fell, the king's son cried out, It is be-yond thee. Make haste, and stay not.
Da-vid heard these words and knew that he must flee, for if Saul caught him he would kill him.
The lad brought the darts to Jon-a-than, and did not know why the king's son had shot them and called out to him as he did. And Jon-a-than gave him his bow and ar-rows, and sent him back to town with them.
As soon as the lad was gone, Da-vid came out from the place where he was hid, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he rose and threw his arms round Jon-a-than's neck, and the two friends wept as if their hearts would break.
Then Da-vid fled from Saul, and hid in the woods and caves.
Saul went out with a large force of men to seek Da-vid on the rocks where the wild goats fed. And Saul came to a cave, and went in to lie down and rest.
Da-vid and his men were in the cave, but Saul could not see them. And the men wished to kill Saul; but Da-vid would not let them. While he was there Da-vid stole up to Saul and cut off a piece of his robe. And Saul did not know it.
a meetingDA-VID AND SAUL.
When Saul went out of the cave, Da-vid went out af-ter him and cried out, My lord and my king!
And when Saul looked back, Da-vid bowed down to him with his face to the earth. And he told Saul to pay no heed to those who said he meant to harm the king. For if he had sought to kill Saul he might have done so that day while he was in the cave. And Da-vid showed Saul the piece of his robe he had cut off.
And some bade me kill thee, said Da-vid, but I would not, for thou art my lord and my king. Then Da-vid held up the piece of cloth he had cut from Saul's robe, and said, Since I was so near thee as to cut this off and did not kill thee, thou may'st know that I have no wish to harm thee. Yet thou dost hunt for me to kill me. Let the Lord judge 'twixt thee and me, and save me from thy hand, and save thee as he will, for I will not harm thee.
When Saul heard Da-vid speak thus, all hate went out of his heart, and he wept as he said, Thou hast done good to me for the wrongs I did thee, and may the Lord bless thee for it. Now I know that thou wilt some day be the king of Is-ra-el.
And Saul went home, and Da-vid and his men went back to the cave.
But Da-vid knew that he could not trust Saul, so he fled to the land of the Phil-is-tines, and heand his men dwelt there in the town of Gath for the space of a year and four months.
taking the swordDA-VID TAKES GO-LI-ATH'S SWORD.
While he was there, the Phil-is-tines went out to fight with Saul once more, and when he saw what a host of them there was, his heart shook with fear. He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord did not come to him in dreams, or speak one word to him.
Sam-u-el was dead, and the Lord had said it was a sin to go to a witch, or a seer, to find out the things that would take place, and Saul had sent all these folks out of the land.
But now he was in such a strait that he felt he must have help of some sort. And one of his men told him there was at En-dor a witch who could workstrange charms, and fore-tell what was to take place. So the king drest him-self so that he would not be known, and went at night with two of his men to see the witch of En-dor. And he said to her, Bring me up him whom I shall name to thee.
And the witch said to him, Dost thou not know that Saul has sent all those that work charms out of the land? And why dost thou set a snare for my life, so that I will be put to death?
And Saul said, As the Lord lives there shall no harm come to thee for this thing.
Then the witch said, Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me Sam-u-el.
So the witch made strange signs and spoke strange words, and swept her wand round and round. And when she saw the form of Sam-u-el rise up, she cried with a loud voice, Why did'st thou not tell me the truth? for thou art Saul!
And the king said, Have no fear. What did'st thou see?
And the witch said, I saw an old man with a cloak round him.
And Saul knew it was Sam-u-el, and bowed his face to the ground. And Sam-u-el said, Why hast thou brought me up? And Saul told him that he was in a great strait, that God had left him, and did not come to him in dreams or by the hand of wisemen, and he thought that Sam-u-el might tell him what to do.
Sam-u-el said, Why then dost thou ask of me if the Lord hath left thee? He hath done to thee just as he said he would. Thy reign is at an end, and Da-vid shall rule in thy stead. And he told Saul that the next day he and his sons would be dead, and Is-ra-el in the hands of the foes.
When Saul heard these words he fell down in a swoon, for he had had no food for a day and a night.
And the witch brought bread and bade him eat, that he might have strength to go on his way. And Saul and his men ate of the food, and went their way that night.
Now the lords of the Phil-is-tines brought all their troops to a place called A-phek. And the king of Gath went there, and took Da-vid and his men with him. But the lords of the Phil-is-tines would not have the Jews in their midst lest they should turn on them and give them in-to the hands of king Saul.
So Da-vid and his men had to leave the camp, and the Phil-is-tines went out to fight, and the men of Is-ra-el fled from them with great loss. The king's three sons were slain, and an ar-row struck Saul and gave him a bad wound.
And Saul said to the man who bore his shield, Draw thy sword and put me to death. But the mandid not dare to kill his king. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it, and thus died by his own hand. And when the man saw that Saul was dead, he fell on his sword and died with him.
And when it was known that Saul and his sons were dead, the Jews fled from that part of the land, and the Phil-is-tines went to live there.
In the course of a few years Da-vid was made king of Is-ra-el, and then went to live at Je-ru-sa-lem. He went to war, and took spoils of rich kings, and the Lord was with him, for he sought to do that which was right and just.
Da-vid had two sons: Sol-o-mon and Ab-sa-lom.
And in all the land there was no man with such a fine face and form as Ab-sa-lom, and he won much praise for his good looks. And he had a thick growth of long hair. But Ab-sa-lom had a bad heart, and his sins made Da-vid weep. But he did not scold Ab-sa-lom as he should have done, for the king was fond of his son, and so Ab-sa-lom went on from bad to worse.
He told what he would do when he was king, and made friends with those who thought it a fine thing to be on good terms with the king's son.
When he was two-score years of age, Ab-sa-lom said to the king, Let me, I pray thee, go up to Heb-ron to pay my vows.
And Da-vid told him to go. But it was not to serve the Lord that Ab-sa-lom went, but to have him-self made king in-stead of Da-vid. And he took ten score men with him, who did not know why or where they went, and sent spies all through the land to speak in his praise and urge that he be made king.
David forgivesDA-VID FOR-GIV-ING AB-SA-LOM.
And when Da-vid heard of it he said to his men, Rise, let us flee from this place, lest Ab-sa-lom come and put us to death.
And they all fled from Je-ru-sa-lem, and went to hide in some lone place. And when Ab-sa-lom came to Je-ru-sa-lem he went to one of Da-vid's friends and asked him what he should do to be made king. A-hith-o-phel, who had once been a friend of Da-vid, and had now gonewith the king's son, had said that he would go out with a large force and come up with Da-vid when he was weak and faint, so that he would be in a great fright. Those who were with Dav-id would flee, and he would soon put the king to death. Then, of course, Ab-sa-lom would be king.
But Ab-sa-lom would not do this till he had heard what Hu-sha-i said. Now Hu-sha-i was a true friend of Da-vid, and he told Ab-sa-lom to take more men than A-hith-o-phel had said, for he thought that would give Da-vid a chance to get out of the way. And Hu-sha-i sent two young men to tell Da-vid not to stop on the plains that night, but to cross the Jor-dan, lest he and all who were with him should be put to death.
But a boy saw the two sons of the high-priest who were on their way to Da-vid, and went and told Ab-sa-lom. And the priest's sons ran to a house near by, and hid in the well. And the wo-man who kept the house spread corn on top so that no one could see that a well was there.
And when Ab-sa-lom's men came in and asked the wo-man where the priest's sons were, she said they had gone on past the brook Ked-ron. And when the two could not be found the men went back.
Then the priest's sons came up out of the well, and made haste to give to Da-vid the word that Hu-sha-ihad sent. And at dawn Da-vid and all his men crossed Jor-dan.
As soon as Ab-sa-lom had all the men he thought he would need, he set out to fight with Da-vid. And Da-vid drew up his men in line, and put Jo-ab at their head. And the king said, I will go out with you. But the men said he should not; so Da-vid staid by the gate and saw them go out to the fight, and bade them be kind to Ab-sa-lom for his sake.
Absalom caughtTHE DEATH OF AB-SA-LOM.
The fight took place in a wood. Ab-sa-lom rode on a mule, and as the mule passed 'neath a great oak, Ab-sa-lom's head caught in a branch, and he hung in mid air, while the mule went off down the road.
And a man saw it and told Jo-ab. And Jo-ab said, Why did'st thou not kill him? And the man said he would not kill the king's son, for he had heard Da-vid ask them to be kind to him.
But Jo-ab said, I can-not waste time with thee. And he took three darts in his hand and thrust themthrough Ab-sa-lom, so that he died. And he was thrown in-to a pit that was in the wood, and a great heap of stones was piled on him. And all the men who had been with him went back to their tents.
David grievesDA-VID HEAR-ING OF AB-SA-LOM'S DEATH.
Da-vid sat in the gate, and when men came back with news of the fight, he would ask of each one, Is Ab-sa-lom safe? And at last one of them said, May all the king's foes be as this young man is. Then Da-vid knew that Ab-sa-lom was dead, and he went to his own room and wept.
And he cried out with a loud voice, O, my son, Ab-sa-lom; my son, my son Ab-sa-lom! I would that God had let me die in thy stead, O, Ab-sa-lom, my son, my son!
Da-vid was king for two-score years, and was an old man when he died and had hosts of friends. And when he felt that his death was near, he bade his men take Sol-o-mon to a place called Gi-hon, and pour oil on his head. Then they were to blow the horn and cry out. God save King So-lo-mon.
And this was done; and when Da-vid died, Sol-o-mon sat on his throne and ruled Is-ra-el.
SOLOMON, THE WISE MAN.
Sol-o-mongave his heart to God when he was young, and tried to lead a good life, and to do no wrong. And God spoke to him in a dream one night and said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And So-lo-mon said, Grant me, I pray thee a wise mind that I may know right from wrong, and judge well those who look up to me as their king.
This speech pleased the Lord, and he said, Since thou didst not ask me for great wealth, or for long life, or that thy foes might be put to death, I will make thee wise, and will give thee both great wealth and a long life if thou wilt serve me and keep my laws.
There came two wo-men to the king. And one of them said, My lord, I and thiswo-manlive in one house, and we each of us had a son. And this wo-man's child died in the night, and while I slept she came and took my child from me, and laid her own child by my side. And when I woke, and went to feed my child, it was dead. And I knew it was not my son.
It is your son.
It is not; the child that lives is mine.
The dead child is yours.
THE JUDG-MENT OF SOL-O-MON.
In this way they spoke, and the king heard them, and said, Bring me a sword!
And a sword was brought to him.
And the king said, Cut the live child in two, and give half to one and half to the oth-er.
When the real moth-er of the child heard these words she cried out, O my lord, give her the child, but do not kill it.
But the oth-er said, Cut it in half, and let it not be hers or mine.
Then the king told his men to give the child to the one who tried to save its life, for he knew that she was the moth-er. And it was to find this out that he sent the men for the sword, and not to take the child's life.
shipyardSHIPS OF SOL-O-MON.
When Sol-o-mon had been king for four years,he laid out the plan that Da-vid had made for the house of the Lord.
He had a talk with Hi-ram the king of Tyre, and told him that it was time to build the house. And the King of Tyre was glad, and did all he could to aid him. He sent So-lo-mon great trees from the woods, and sent him men to help in the work; men who had skill with the ax, and with fine tools of all sorts.
The house was built of stone, and each stone was hewn from the rock, cut so as to fit in the wall ere it was brought to the place where it was to stand, so that no ax nor tools should be used in the house when it was put up.
The walls of the rooms were in-laid with gold, and gems, and the floor of the place where the ark was kept was of pure gold, and in front of the shrine were loops and chains of fine gold.
The doors of the house were made of the wood of the fir tree, and they were carved with great skill, and touched up with gold.
It took Sol-o-mon sev-en years to build the house of the Lord; and when it was done he made a feast, and the priests brought the ark of the Lord from Mount Zi-on where Da-vid kept it.
And all the tribes of Is-ra-el came to Je-ru-sa-lem, that they might be there when the ark was brought.
And when the ark was put in its place, and the priests came out, there was such a cloud in the house that all stood still. For the Lord was in the cloud.
Then Sol-o-mon stood up, and with raised hands asked him to come down and dwell in the house, and to dwell in men's hearts, that they might walk in the right way, and love God all their days.
queenQUEEN OF SHE-BA.
Now the fame of Sol-o-mon came to the ears of a rich queen, who dwelt at She-ba, and she thought she would like to see if this man was as wise and rich as he was said to be. She had a long way to come, and a great train came with her, and these brought loads of rich spice, and gold and sil-ver and gems of worth. And the queenhad a talk with Sol-o-mon and he told her all she ought to know.
And she said to the king, What I had heard of thee in my own lands I did not think could be true. So I came to see for my-self, and I find the half was not told to me. So she gave rich gifts to Sol-o-mon, and he gave rich gifts to her, and the queen went back to her own land.
Now it was thought no sin in those days for a man to have more than one wife. And some of Sol-o-mon's wives had been brought up to serve false gods. And it was a sin for the king to wed with such. And as he grew old these wives made him serve their Gods, and turn from the true God whom he had been taught to love and fear.
And this did not please to Lord, and he said that Sol-o-mon's son should not be king when Sol-o-mon died. For Da-vid's sake he would let him be a prince of two tribes all the days of his life. But ten tribes he would take from him.
And foes rose up to plague Sol-o-mon, and for his sins he had to give up the peace and rest that had long been his. When he had been king for two-score years Sol-o-mon died, and his fame has come down to this day, for no man has been born in-to the world so wise and great as King Sol-o-mon.
ELIJAH.
A-habwas the last of the six kings who ruled the ten tribes. And he made them serve Ba-al, and built a house for this false god.
These acts did not please God, so he sent E-li-jah, a seer, to tell A-hab that for years and years there should be no rain in the land. And he told E-li-jah to hide near a brook from which he should drink, and the birds of the air would bring him food to eat.
E-li-jah did as the Lord told him, and he drank from the brook, and the birds brought him his food from day to day. But as there was no rain, the brook dried up, and there was lack of food in the land.
So the Lord told E-li-jah to go to the town of Za-re-phath, where a wo-man dwelt who would give him food.
And when E-li-jah came to the gate of the town, a poor wo-man drew near him to pick up some sticks. And he said to her, Bring me a drink, I pray thee.
And as she went, he said, Bring me, I pray thee, a bit of bread in thine hand.
Elijah and ravensE-LI-JAH FED BY RA-VENS.
And she said, As the Lord lives, I have no bread in the house, and but a hand-ful of meal, and a few drops of oil. And I came out to pick up a few sticks that I might light the fire, and bake a small loaf for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.
E-LI-JAH AND THE WID-OW's CHILD.
E-li-jah said, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said. But first make me a small loaf, and then make one for thee and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, The meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil fail till the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.
So the wo-man went her way and did as E-li-jah told her, and there was from that time no lack of food in her house. But one day her son was ill, and he grew worse and worse, and then died.
When E-li-jah heard of it, he said, Give me thy son. And he took the child from her arms and bore him to his own room, and laid him on his bed.
And E-li-jah cried to the Lord, and said, O Lord, I pray thee let this child's soul come back to him.
And the Lord sent back the soul of the child, and E-li-jah took the boy and brought him to his moth-er.
And she said to E-li-jah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
For three years there had been no rain in the land, and at the end of that time the Lord said to E-li-jah, Go show thy-self to A-hab, and I will send rain on the land.
So E-li-jah went, and on the way he met with one of A-hab's head men, who loved the Lord. He knew E-li-jah, and bade him turn back, for the king would be sure to put him to death. But E-li-jah said that he would show him-self to A-hab that day. So the man told the king that E-li-jah was near, and the king came out to meet him.
And he found fault with E-li-jah, for he thought he was to blame for the lack of food, and for the long drouth.
E-li-jah told the king to have all those he ruled meet in a mass at one place. And when they came there, E-li-jah cried out to them, How long will ye turn your hearts from God?
And he told them to prove which was the trueGod, Ba-al or E-li-jah's God. And he told them to bring two young bulls, and to take the flesh of one and lay it on the wood in front of Ba-al, and he would lay the flesh of the oth-er young bull on the Lord's al-tar. And he said, Call ye on your gods and I will call on mine, and let the God that sends down fire be the God whom we all shall serve.
And they said it was a good plan.
So they cried out from sun-rise till noon, O Ba-al hear us! But there was no voice or sign that their god heard them.
E-li-jah said, Cry with a loud voice for he is a god. He may be a-sleep, or lost in thought.
cloud on the horizonTHE LIT-TLE CLOUD.
And they cried, and made a great noise, and at last fought with their knives till they drew blood.
And E-li-jah said, Come near me.
And they all came near to him.
And E-li-jah took twelve stones, and built an al-tar to the Lord. And he put the flesh and the wood on it, and the wood was wet through and through.
Then he cried out, Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and let it be known that thou art the true God.
Then fire came down from on high and burnt up the flesh, and the wood and the stones, and the dust; and the ground that had been made so wet was as dry as it could be.
And when the crowd saw this they all bowed down to the ground, and said, The Lord he is God! The Lord he is God!
And they broke up the false gods, and gave their hearts for a while to the Lord.
Then E-li-jah told A-hab that he might eat and drink, for the rain would soon set in. And he went to the top of a high mount to pray for rain. Not a cloud was in the sky. The sea was calm. But E-li-jah knew that he must watch, and wait, and pray, and the sign would come.
At last there rose up out of the sea—that is, where the sea and sky seem to meet—a small cloud, the size of a man's hand. And soon the sky was black with clouds, and the wind blew, and there was a great storm of rain.
Now A-hab had a bad wife, and when he toldher what E-li-jah had done, she made a vow to kill him.
And E-li-jah had to flee for his life. He was so worn out that when he came to a lone place he sat down in the shade of a tree and wished that he might die. While he slept, an an-gel drew near, at whose touch E-li-jah woke. And the an-gel said, Rise and eat.
Elijah confronts AhabE-LI-JAH AND KING A-HAB.
And E-li-jah found food and drink set out for him. And he ate and drank, and then lay down and slept. And the an-gel came once more, and bade E-li-jah eat, that he might have strength to go on his way. And he sat up, and ate the food the Lord had sent, and it gave him such strength that he went with-out food for more than a month. And at the end of that time he came to Mount Ho-reb. And he went to a cave and lay down and slept there.
And the Lord spoke to him, and said, Why artthou here, E-li-jah? And E-li-jah said the chil-dren of Is-ra-el had not kept their word, but had gone back to their false gods, and slain all those who sought to turn them from their sins. And I have fled from them, said E-li-jah, for they seek my life.
Angel sentE-LI-JAH IN THE WIL-DER-NESS.
The Lord said, Go forth, and stand on the mount. And there came a great wind that split the high hills, and broke up the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind.
Then the earth shook, so that there was no firm ground on which to walk; and smoke came up out of the great cracks that were made. But the Lord was not in the earth-quake.
Then there came a still, small voice. When E-li-jahheard it he hid his face in his cloak, and went out and stood at the door of the cave.
And the voice said, Why art thou here, E-li-jah? And El-li-jah said that he fled from those who sought to kill him. And the Lord told him to leave the cave, and go back and pour oil on the head of E-li-sha, who was to take his place.
And E-li-jah found E-li-sha at work with the plough in a large field. And as he went by him he threw his cloak round E-li-sha.
And E-li-sha knew that this meant he must leave all and go with E-li-jah. And he went home to bid fare-well to his dear ones there, and then came back to be near E-li-jah and to wait on him.
chariotE-LI-JAH GOES TO HEAV-EN.
Now the time drew near when E-li-jah was to leave the earth. And he and E-li-sha stood nearthe shore of the Jor-dan. And E-li-jah took his cloak and struck the waves, and they made a wall on each side, and the two men went through on dry land. And as they stood on the oth-er side, E-li-jah said to E-li-sha, Ask what I shall do for thee, ere I leave thee.
And E-li-sha said, Let me, I pray thee, be twice as good and wise as thou.
E-li-jah said, Thou dost ask a hard thing. But if thou dost see me when the Lord takes me from thee, then it shall be so. But if thou dost not see, then it shall not be so.
So they went on, and while they yet spoke, there came a great light in the sky, and the clouds took on strange forms. And E-li-jah was caught up as if by a whirl-wind, and E-li-sha cried out as he saw him pass through the sky, but he was soon out of sight, and E-li-sha saw him no more.
ELISHA.
pre-bearTHE CHIL-DREN OF BETH-EL.
AsE-li-jah rose from the earth he let his cloak fall on E-li-sha. And E-li-sha went down to the Jor-dan, and took the cloak and struck the waves,and they stood up on each side, so that he went a-cross dry shod. And it was made known to all the seers and wise men that E-li-sha had been called to fill E-li-jah's place, and he gave proof that the Lord was with him.
As E-li-sha went from Jer-i-cho to Beth-el, some young folks ran out and made fun of him, and cried, Go up, thou bald head! Go up, thou bald head!
E-li-sha turned back, and asked the Lord to take them in hand. So the Lord sent two great bears out of the wood, and they fell on the chil-dren and tore o-ver two-score of them.
One day E-li-sha came to Shu-nem, where a rich wo-man dwelt. And she bade him come in and eat. And as oft as he went that way, he made it a ruleto stop and take the food and drink she set out for him.
And she had a room built for him on the side of her house, and put a bed and a chair in it, that he might go in and out as he chose, and have a place to rest in.
And one day when he was in this room, he sent for the wo-man to come to him. And he said to her, What can I do to pay thee for all thy kind care of us? Shall I speak to the king for thee? She said there was no need, that she sought no pay, and then left the room.
E-li-sha said to his man, What is there that I can do for her?
And the man said, She has no child.
And E-li-sha said, Call her. And she came back and stood at the door. And when the man of God told her that she should have a son, she thought he did not speak the truth.
And the word of the Lord came true, for in less than a year she had a son.
And the child grew up, and went out one day to the field to see the men reap the corn. And while he was there he felt sick, and cried out to his fath-er, My head! my head!
And his fath-er said to a lad, Take the boy home to his moth-er. And she took him, and he sat inher lap till noon, and then died. And she took the boy to E-li-sha's room, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and then went out and shut the door.
Then she sent for one of the young men, and had him bring an ass to the door, and she got on the ass, and bade the man drive as fast as he could till she told him to stop.
She went till she came near Mount Car-mel. And E-li-sha saw her, and sent Ge-ha-zi out to meet her, and to ask her if it was well with her and with the child. And she said to him, It is well.
But when she came to E-li-sha she fell at his feet, and Ge-ha-zi drew near to push her from the man of God.
But E-li-sha said, Touch her not. She is in great grief, and the Lord has hid it from me and not told me of it.
And the wo-man said, Did I ask thee for a son? Then he knew that the boy was dead.
Then E-li-sha said to Ge-ha-zi, Take my staff, and go thy way with all speed. Stop to speak to no one. And lay my staff on the face of the child.
And the moth-er of the child said, As the Lord lives, I will not leave thee. And E-li-sha rose and went with her, while Ge-ha-zi ran on a-head. And he laid the staff on the face of the child, but the childdid not speak nor hear. And he ran out to meet E-li-sha and to tell him the lad did not wake.
And when E-li-sha came to the house he found the child dead, and laid on his bed. So he went in the room and shut the door, and prayed to the Lord.
Then he got on the bed, and lay on the child till his flesh grew warm. Then he left the room for a-while to walk up and down, and when he went back he lay on the child till its breath came back, and it gave signs of life.
And he sent for the moth-er. And when she came to the room he said, Take up thy son. And she fell at the feet of E-li-sha, with thanks too deep for words, and then took her son in her arms and went out.
There was a man in Sy-ri-a, who took charge of all the troops that went to war with the king. This man's name was Na-a-man, and he had done brave deeds, for which he held high rank, and was much thought of. But this man fell ill, and none but those of his own house would go near him. And there was no cure for him. But his wife had a maid to wait on her. And this maid said that if Na-a-man would go to E-li-sha she was sure that he would cure him.
And Na-a-man came down to Sa-ma-ri-a with a note from his own king to the king of Is-ra-el.When the king of Is-ra-el read the note he was ve-ry wroth, and said, Am I God that I can bring the dead to life? For he thought that it was but a trick to bring on a war.
with the childE-LI-SHA AND THE CHILD.
When E-li-sha heard that the king rent his clothes, he sent word to have Na-a-man come to him.
And Na-a-man drove up in fine style, and stood at the door of E-li-sha's house. And E-li-sha sent word to him to bathe at the Jor-dan sev-en times, and he would be made well.
This put Na-a-man in a rage, for he thought that E-li-sha would come out to him and call on the name of God, and touch him so as to heal him.
And he said, Are there not streams in Da-mas-cus in which I can bathe and be made well? And he went off in a rage.
But some of his men drew near, and said, My lord, if he had bid thee do some great thing wouldst thou not have done it? Why not then do as he says, and wash and be clean?
And Na-a-man gave heed to their words and went down to the Jor-dan. And he took sev-en baths, and then his flesh grew as soft and pink as the flesh of a child, and health and strength came back to him. And Na-a-man went back to E-li-sha's house, he and all his men, and he said, Now I know there is no God in all the earth but the God of Is-ra-el.
Now the time drew near when E-li-sha was to die. And the king, Jo-ash, came to see him as he lay sick in bed.
And E-li-sha said, Take the bow and the darts. And the king took them. And E-li-sha said, Put thy hands on the bow. And the king did so, and E-li-sha put his hands on the king's hands. Then E-li-sha said, Throw wide the east win-dow. And when this was done he said shoot. And the king shot; and E-li-sha told him that he should set Is-ra-el free from its foes.
Then he said to the king, Take the darts. Andhe took them. And E-li-sha said, Strike them on the ground. And the king struck them on the ground three times, and no more.
firing the arrowTHE AR-ROW OF DE-LIV-ER-ANCE.
And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldst have struck five or six times, for then thou wouldst have laid the Sy-ri-ans low, now thou shalt smite them but three times.
And E-li-sha died, and was laid in the ground. And one day as some of the folks went out with a dead man to lay him in the grave that was dug for him, they saw a band of thieves from the land of Mo-ab and did not dare to go on. So they put the dead man in the grave where E-li-shalay. And as soon as the corpse touched the bones of E-li-sha the man came to life and stood on his feet.
JONAH, THE MAN WHO TRIED TO HIDE FROM GOD.
Therewas a seer in Is-ra-el whose name was Jo-nah. And the Lord told Jo-nah to go to Nin-e-veh, a large town where there was great need of good men. But Jo-nah did not care to go there, so he ran down to Jop-pa and found a ship there that would set sail for Tar-shish in a few days. So he paid his fare, and went on board the ship to go to Tar-shish, where he seemed to think the Lord would not find him.
But as soon as the ship was well on its way, the Lord sent forth a great wind, and the waves rose high, and the storm beat the ship, and it was blown here and there as if it were a toy. And those on board of her were in great fear, and cried out to their gods, and threw all the goods that were in the ship in-to the sea, so that she would not sink.
Jo-nah was down in the hold, where he lay and slept, though the storm was so fierce.
And the one who had charge of the ship cameto him and said, What does this mean? Rise, and call on thy God to save us from ship-wreck.