Young Folks' Bible in Words of Easy Reading. Josephine Pollard

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СКАЧАТЬ target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_391e5404-e1ca-5185-b76d-233a78e48b6e.jpg" alt=""/> RE-BEK-AH AT THE WELL.

      And he raised his heart to God and said, O Lord God of A-bra-ham, give me good speed this day.

      And while he yet spoke a fair young maid named Re-bek-ah went down to the well and came up with the jar she had filled. And the man ran to meet her, and said to her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

      And she said, Drink, my Lord, and held the jar in her hand so that he could drink with ease.

      Then she said, I will give thy cam-els a drink; and she went down to the well and drew for all the cam-els. And the man stood still, and was yet in doubt if this was the maid whom God chose to be I-saac's wife.

      And as soon as the cam-els had drunk their fill, the man took a gold ear-ring, and two bands of gold for the wrists, and gave them to Re-bek-ah. And he said, Whose child art thou? tell me, I pray thee. And is there room in thy sire's house for us to lodge in?

      The maid said that her sire's name was Beth-u-el, and that there was no lack of straw and food, and there was room in the house where he and his men might lodge.

      The man was glad when he heard this, for he knew the Lord had led him, and had brought him to the house to which he was sent. And he bowed his head and gave thanks.

       RE-BEK-AH JOUR-NEY-ING TO I-SAAC.

      The next day Re-bek-ah and her maids went with A-bra-ham's head man. And they came to the land of Ca-naan.

      At the close of the day I-saac went to walk in the fields, and as he raised his eyes he saw the cam-els on their way home, and he went out to meet them.

      Re-bek-ah said to the man with whom she rode, What man is this that comes through the field to meet us?

      And the man told her that it was A-bra-ham's son, I-saac.

      Then the maid drew her veil round her so as to hide her face, and came down from the cam-el. And I-saac took her to his house and made her his wife. And A-bra-ham gave, all that he had to I-saac; and when he died he was laid by the side of Sa-rah, his wife, in the tomb he had bought at Mach-pe-lah.

       THE MEET-ING OF I-SAAC AND RE-BEK-AH.

      And to this day no one has had such faith or trust in God as did A-bra-ham.

CHAPTER IV.

       Table of Contents

      JACOB AND ESAU.

      I-saac and Re-bek-ah had two sons. Their names were Ja-cob and E-sau. E-sau was the first-born, and in those days the first-born son had what was called the birth-right. This made him chief of all the rest, and heir to the most of his sire's wealth.

      When the boys grew up to be men, E-sau took to the fields and to out-door sports, while Ja-cob was a plain man and dwelt in tents. And I-saac was fond of E-sau, who killed the deer, and brought him the meat to eat. But Re-bek-ah was more fond of Ja-cob.

      One day Ja-cob had made some food called pot-tage, and E-sau came in from the field and said, Feed me, I pray thee, with that pot-tage, for I am faint.

      And Ja-cob said, Sell me thy birth-right.

      And E-sau said, I am at the point of death, so what good will a birth-right do me?

      So he sold his birth-right to Ja-cob—which was a wrong thing for him to do—and took the bread and meat, and ate and drank, and then went on his way.

      Now there came a time when I-saac was an old man, and his eyes were dim, for he had not long to live. And he called E-sau to his bed-side and told him to go out with his bow and shoot a deer and bring him some of the meat he was so fond of, that he might eat it and bless E-sau ere he died.

      And Re-bek-ah heard what I-saac had said to E-sau, and she told it to Ja-cob. And she said to him, Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids, and I will make such a dish as thy fa-ther loves. And thou shalt bring it to him that he may eat, and that he may bless thee ere his death.

      So Ja-cob did as he was told, and brought the kids to his mo-ther that she might cook them in a way that would please the good man of the house.

      Then Re-bek-ah put some of E-sau's clothes on Ja-cob, and put the skins of goats on his hands, for E-sau's hands had on them a thick coat of hair. And then Ja-cob took the meat and the bread and went in to his fa-ther.

      And I-saac said, Who art thou, my son?

       I-SAAC SPEAK-ING TO E-SAU.

      And Ja-cob said, I am E-sau, thy first-born. Rise, I pray thee, and eat of the deer's meat I have brought, that thy soul may bless me.

      And I-saac said to Ja-cob, How is it that thou hast found it so soon, my son?

      And he said, The Lord thy God brought it to me.

      And I-saac said to Ja-cob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, and know if thou be my son E-sau or not. And Ja-cob went near to his fa-ther and he felt him, and said, The voice is Ja-cob's voice, but the hands are the hands of E-sau.

      And he said, Art thou in truth my son E-sau?

      And Ja-cob said, I am.

      And he said, Bring near the food, and I will eat, that my soul may bless thee.

      And Ja-cob brought it near to him, and he did eat, and he brought him wine and he drank.

      And his fa-ther said to him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

      And he came near, and gave him the kiss. Then the old man asked God to bless this whom he thought was his first-born, and make him great, and give him all good things.

      Ja-cob was scarce yet gone out from his fa-ther when E-sau came in from the hunt. And he brought in a nice dish of meat, and said, Let my fa-ther rise and eat of the flesh of the deer, that thy soul may bless me.

      And I-saac said, Who art thou?

      And he said, I am thy son, thy first-born, E-sau.

      And I-saac shook like a leaf, and said, Who? Where is he that took deer's meat and brought it to me so that I did eat ere this, and bless him? Yea, and he shall be blest.

      When E-sau heard these words he cried out with great grief, and said to his fa-ther, Bless me too, O my fa-ther!

      But I-saac said that he could not take from Ja-cob what was now his—though he had won it through fraud.

      And E-sau said in his heart, My fa-ther will soon be dead, and then I will kill Ja-cob.

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