before the Lord; and Abraham procured him a wife from out of the land of his nativity, and from his own parentage; Rebekah, the daugher of Bethuel, son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. Abraham lived one hundred and seventy-five years; and he died, and was united to his people. Ishmael and Isaac, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Sarah, his wife. But, after the death of Abraham, God blessed, and caused to prosper, Isaac, his son. He increased in flocks and herds, and became powerful in the land. And unto him were born two sons, Esau and Jacob.

Esau was an expert hunter, a man of the forest, but Jacob was a quiet man, who lived in retirement. But Jacob, with Rebekah, his mother, who loved him better than she did Esau, by craft, gained the paternal blessing due to the elder son, which conveyed the principal power and possessions. The blessing which Isaac had unintentionally given to Jacob, filled the heart of Esau with aversion for his brother. Isaac and Rebekah sent away Jacob, therefore, to Bethuel, who dwelled at Padan-aram. And Isaac charged Jacob, saying, "Thou shalt not take a wife from among the women of Canaan, but go to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and there take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother, and may God, the Omnipotent, bless thee, and multiply thee, that thou mayest become a numerous people." And Jacob went to Padan-aram, and sojourned there with his mother's kindred four

C

teen years, and married Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban. God blessed Jacob, and he became rich in children, and flocks, and herds. And when Laban and his sons became jealous and envious of him, he returned to his native land. But during his journey thitherward, he discovered Esau his brother advancing to meet him, with a band of armed men. Jacob, having been informed of his approach, had sent forward a present of flocks and herds to his brother. When Esau drew nigh, Jacob bowed himself to the ground; but his brother ran and fell on his neck, and embraced him; and they wept together. Then Esau, perceiving the women and children, whom Jacob had arranged in three companies, said unto him, Are these your's, my brother? And Jacob replied, These are the children that God hath given unto thy servant. And Esau said, What meaneth that troop of cattle which came forth to meet me? Jacob replied, I sent them unto my lord, that he might be favourable unto me. And Esau ex

claimed, I have enough, my brother, I have enough; keep that thou hast. And Esau returned the same day to Mount Seir. Thus Jacob returned in safety from Padan-aram to Sichem, in the land of Canaan. There he purchased a portion of land in which he pitched his tent, and erected an altar, and invoked the mighty God. And God changed his name from Jacob, or the supplanter, to Israel, or the contender with God. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve; Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan,

Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin. These were the fathers of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.

At length Jacob came to his father, Isaac, unto Mamre, the city of Arbah or Hebron, in the land of Canaan, where both Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. The days of Isaac were now a hundred and eighty years, when he expired full of days, and was united to his people. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, laid him in the sepulchre that had been bought by Abraham, his father.

QUESTIONS.

What was the age of Sarah when she died? How long did Abraham live; where, and by whom was he buried? What was the character of Isaac, and whom did he marry? What children had he? What was the difference of character between Esau and Jacob? What fraud did Jacob and Rebekah practise towards Esau ? Whither did Jacob go to avoid the anger of his brother? Whom did Jacob marry? How long did he sojourn with his uncle Laban, and did he prosper with him? What happened to Jacob during his journey? What change took place in Jacob's name, and where did he fix his abode ? What were the names of Jacob's twelve sons, the fathers of the Israelitish tribes ?

him?

At what age did Isaac die, and who buried

CHAP. V.

JACOB dwelled in the land of Canaan in which his father had sojourned, and he loved Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of his old age, more than his other sons, most of whom had shown

evil dispositions, and had occasioned sorrow unto him. And his father gave unto Joseph an embroidered robe of many colours; but, on this account, his brethren hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. Joseph, while yet young, being seventeen years of age, was keeping the sheep of his father together with his brethren. And moreover he recounted unto his father, and unto them two dreams, prophetic of his future exaltation. And his brethren were wroth against him; so that they sought to kill him, but Reuben saved him, say-ing, shed no blood, but cast him into one of the cisterns of this desert, for he intended to return and rescue the lad out of their hands, and send him back to their father. But they sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites, who were journeying from Gilead to Egypt with gum, and balsam, and myrrh. And they took the embroidered robe of Joseph, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, and sent it unto their father. And Jacob rent his robe, and mourned many days for his son, saying, "Some savage beast hath devoured him; I will go down into the grave mourning." Thus, he refused to be comforted. Joseph was carried into Egypt by the Ishmaelites, and sold to Potiphar, captain of the guards to the king of Egypt. And the Lord blessed him, so that he found favour in the sight of his master, who set him over his household, and all his goods. Yet, upon a false accusation, was Joseph thrown into prison, and there also he prospered; and the Lord rendered the governor of the prison favourable unto him.

But Joseph having shown himself skilful in the interpretation of dreams, was taken from the prison to interpret the prophetic dreams of the pharaoh, or king. And the events which Joseph predicted, seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine, came to pass. For his wisdom and goodness Joseph was exalted to be the second man in the kingdom of Egypt, and ruler over the land. The king's own ring was put upon his finger; he was clothed in a robe of fine linen; a collar of gold was placed around his neck; he rode in a chariot next after that of the king. And Pharaoh gave Joseph for wife Asinath, daughter of the priest of Ôn. By her he had two sons; the elder of whom he called Manasseh, or the producer of forgetfulness of former calamities, and the younger Ephraim, or fruitfulness. The seven years of abundance were now passed, and the years of scarcity were come, and not only in Egypt, but also in all the neighbouring countries did the famine prevail. Now, when Jacob heard that corn was sold in Egypt, for the granaries were opened which Joseph had caused to be filled, during the season of plenty; he sent thither his sons to buy corn. And when they bowed themselves before the ruler of Egypt, he knew his brethren, but they remembered not him. And having made repeated trials of their disposition towards their father, and one another, and induced them to bring unto him Benjamin, his own brother; he discovered himself unto them, sent for his father, now stricken in years, and procured from Pharaoh one of the most fertile regions of Egypt,